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Breaking fresh style ground with every step, London Trash struts the cutting edge of the fashion game with fearlessly progressive shoe designs that are both tough and chic. This brand prides itself on never sticking to the basics, with exaggerated aesthetics and avant-garde elements that elevate each piece to a luxurious, high-fashion style. The cornerstones of London Trash are the vicious stilettos and towering pumps that lend an edgy confidence to any ensemble. Explore our line-up of London Trash shoes to find the perfect trend-setting pieces to add to your collection.
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STOURBRIDGE took the bragging rights by defeating rivals Halesowen for the second time this season.
Stour's derby win, which was curtailed to 38 overs per side due to rain, lifts them into fourth place in Division Two of the Birmingham and District League.
However, it poses further difficulties for bottom-placed Halesowen.
Stour skipper Richard Bradley won the toss and decided to give his bowlers the first go on a track tinged with green grass.
Hales openers Will Fraine and Kester Moseley welcomed the decision by putting on 67 for the first wicket partnership.
A wise change of bowling from the skipper saw him bring on Jitesh Jivan-Patel at the pavilion end. It resulted in the wicket of in-form Fraine, who was caught driving for 49.
Alexander had Moseley nicking to slip for 26 in the previous over bowling at the same end.
The dominance by the openers was undermined as skipper Faisal Sahid was brilliantly snapped up low down in the slips for four off Bilal Hassan.
Zain Shahid and Mark Hutchinson, numbers four and five, threatened to take the game away from Stour before Patel struck once again to get rid of Hutchinson for 15.
Coming at number eight, Wes Griffiths blasted 14 off six balls to take his side to165-7 at the end of their innings.
Stour openers Alex Bingham and Steve Game made the poorest of starts to their chase.
Game was out lbw to the first delivery faced from Eddie Rhodes. Sixteen runs later, Rhodes clipped the off stump of Alex Bingham for seven.
Making the best of the conditions, Rhodes had one to lift at skipper Richard Bradley as he was caught behind for just two.
Hales,fighting to avoid relegation, had Stour struggling at 24 for 3.
However, a massive turning point came when the left hander Audy Alexander was dropped at mid-on with Stour's score creeping up to 30 off 11 overs.
At 19 overs when the drinks were taken Stour moved on to 65 for 3 with Alexander and Jitesh Jivan-Patel stabilising the innings.
Patel helped to turn the match around with three superb boundaries. He and the inspired Alexander put on 54 runs when Patel lobbed a catch to mid-off for 19.
Fortunate to survive when his score was 15, Alexander and Matt Bradley did a demolition job on the Halesowen bowlers. They took their side over the line with an unbeaten 90 run partnership.
Alexander took his score to 50 off 69 balls with Bradley providing the perfect foil.
Stourbridge, who are now 21 points behind Penkridge in second spot, will travel to third-placed Old Elizabethans this weekend.

subset: commoncrawl


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Doesn't it seem like yesterday that we seemed to be getting 10-minute updates on every $5 drop in Apple's (AAPL) stock price?
Yet over the last eight trading sessions, the stock has very quietly moved from close to $500 to almost $600 this morning.
It seems like just yesterday we were talking about a 25% decline for Apple off its September all-time highs. As of now, it's off only 15%.That's a huge move, and any discussion about this rise has been muted compared with the over-analysis we heard when the stock was on the way down.
So what does it mean?
I'm not sure. I've commented earlier about how it has been completely normal to see Apple's stock pull back 11% to 40%-plus once a year for each of the last eight years. These pullbacks are then followed by violent rallies ... sometimes on the order of 100%.
I saw one stock commentator explain the pattern as a "slingshot." He said it had to do with institutional rebalancing when funds are overweight Apple and then panic-buying because they realize they're underweight.
I didn't quite follow the explanation for the move, although it's possible. From my perspective, the herky-jerky stock movements seem to come along with the territory for being such a large company that's still experiencing such enormous growth. The market is skeptical that the growth can continue, so traders pull back from owning Apple. Then they worry that the stock will continue to outperform and plough back in.
A few days ago in New York, Apple analyst Gene Munster spoke at the Ignition Conference about Apple. He made a few interesting predictions:
- TV will come next November.
- Within a couple of years, Apple will move to a six-month life cycle for introducing new phones.
- It will come out with a $200 iPhone in a couple of years for the emerging markets.
- It will do something interesting in the areas of wearable computers, 3D printing, nanorobots and automated technology (such as self-driving cars and consumer robotics).
So he believes Apple isn't just going to keep iterating on the next version of its phones and tablets -- as has been the bearish view all the way down from $705, from those who complain that Steve Jobs took any innovation the company had to the grave.
I continue to like Apple here.


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Breckenridge: Free concert after the Ullr Fest parade tonight
January 9, 2013
Come celebrate Ullr Fest with a free concert at the Ten Mile Room at The Village, Breckenridge, tonight from 6-9 after the Ullr Fest Parade, and featuring local band The Boondiggas. The party launches iResortApp.com with drinks, music, dancing and free giveaways. Nonprofits participating in the event include the Summit High School girls rugby team, Advocates for Victims of Assault and The Rotary Ice Melt contest.


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The Federal Election Commission (FEC) sponsors conferences where Commissioners and staff conduct a variety of technical workshops on the law. Topics include fundraising, reporting and communications. Workshops are designed for those seeking an introduction to the basic provisions of the law as well as for those more experienced in campaign finance law. Please direct questions about conference registration to Sylvester Management Corporation at 1-800/246-7277 or email email@example.com. For questions about the conference program, call the FEC's Information Division at 1-800/424-9530 (or locally, 202/694-1100) or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Conference on Federal Campaign Finance Laws
Conference Information:
Who should attend this conference?
How do I know which track should I sign up for?
Several of the workshops are divided into sections designed for campaign committees, party committees and corporate/labor/trade association PACs. You should choose the track that applies to the type of organization you represent. If you are still unsure which track to enroll in, please contact us for assistance.
What is the schedule?
Click here to view the agenda and schedule for the conference.
I'm with a nonconnected committee - Can I come to this conference?
You may attend, but the content of this conference is not tailored to your type of organization. Nonconnected committees (i.e., those without a corporate or union sponsor, including those sponsored by partnerships) should contact the FEC at email@example.com or call the FEC's Information Division at 1-800/424-9530 (Press 6) for recommendations regarding training.
Are there workshops for beginners?
Yes. The workshop entitled Getting Started: Basics for Beginners provides an overview of campaign finance law that is applicable to everyone. Breakout workshops for each group in fundraising offer basic information geared to the specific type of organization. Beginners also benefit from the chance to network with more experienced campaign finance law professionals.
How about someone who is a seasoned veteran of campaign finance law - Does this conference fit their needs?
Yes. Advanced workshops are offered on topics such as Corporate/Labor/Trade Communications and Facilities and Legal Issues - Recent Developments in Federal Campaign Finance Law, so that experienced attendees can update their knowledge. All of the workshops are updated regularly with new information, as needed. Moreover, FEC conferences offer an opportunity for both beginners and advanced attendees to network with one another, to share ideas and to learn from each other.
Are CLE credits (or continuing education credits) available?
The FEC has not applied in any state to be an official CLE (or CE) sponsor. In the past, however, attendees have applied on their own, and received continuing education credits for their attendance at FEC conferences. Contact your state MCLE organization (or state board of accountancy, for accountants) for more information. Please contact us if you have further questions or need additional materials for your application.
Registration Information
What is the registration fee?
The registration fee is $525 per attendee, which includes a $25 nonrefundable transaction fee. A late charge of $50 will be added for registrations received after 5 p.m. EST, January 27, 2012. A full refund will be made for all cancellations received before January 27, 2012. Note: Credit card payments will appear on your statement as paid to Sylvester Management Corporation.
How do I register for the conference?
If you use an online form to register for a conference, information you provide may be retained so that information about changes, upgrades, etc. may be provided where appropriate. Please see our Privacy policy for more information.
Will you make an attendee list available?
We will include an attendee list in the notebooks provided to attendees at registration. However, due to Privacy Act concerns, only those attendees who have signed and submitted a form granting their consent to share their contact information will be included on that list. The form will be sent to attendees after they register for the conference. If you would like to ensure you share your contact information with other attendees, please submit this form by February 9, 2012.
If you are not attending the conference, but want to receive a copy of the attendee list, please contact the FEC's FOIA office in the Office of General Counsel's General Law and Advice Division at 202-694-1650.
What hotel arrangements do I need to make?
The conference will be held at the Hilton Miami Downtown, 1601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132. The hotel is located in the downtown performing arts district, and close to South Beach and many of the city's other top attractions.
Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. (Note: Please do not finalize your air reservations until you have received confirmation of your registration for the conference from our contractor, Sylvester Management Corporation.) A room rate of $229 single and $239 double is available for hotel reservations made by January 27, 2012. To make your hotel reservations and reserve this group rate, please call 1-888/554-2114 and identify yourself as attending the Federal Election Commission conference. Alternatively, visit the hotel website. The hotel will charge the prevailing sales tax, currently 13%.
How do I get there?
What is the weather like in Miami in February?
Click here for the National Weather Service forecast for Miami.
What should I wear?
While there is no formal dress code for our conferences, attendees typically wear business casual attire. Due to the variability of the meeting room temperature, you may want to bring a sweater or jacket.
Additional Questions:
Conference Program: 1-800/424-9530 (press 6) or email firstname.lastname@example.com
Conference Registration/Fees: 1-800/246-7277 or email email@example.com


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Mechanisms and Treatment of Intradialytic Hypertension - Sodium (MATCH-Sodium)
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Hemodialysis End-stage Renal Disease Hypertension Intradialytic Hypertension
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Case-Crossover
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|Mechanisms and Treatment of Intradialytic Hypertension - Sodium
- Systolic blood pressure [ Time Frame: crossover studies followup 3-16 weeks ]Differences in blood pressure during hemodialysis between treatments
- Endothelial cell function [ Time Frame: crossover studies with followup of 3-16 weeks ]Differences in nitric oxide and endothelin-1 across treatments Differences in FMD and ADMA between treatments
Biospecimen Retention: Samples Without DNA
|Study Start Date:
|May 2011
|Study Completion Date:
|August 2012
|Primary Completion Date:
|August 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Intradialytic hypertension
Patients with systolic blood pressure increases > 10 mmHg during 4/6 hemodialysis sessions
Detailed Description:
Specific Aim #1 To determine in a crossover study of 15 maintenance hemodialysis patients with intradialytic hypertension whether standard dialysis with ultrafiltration (dialysate Na of 140), dialysis without ultrafiltration (dialysate Na of 140), or ultrafiltration alone (no dialysate) is associated with the an increase in systolic blood pressure during hemodialysis
Specific Aim #2 To determine in a crossover study of 15 maintenance hemodialysis with intradialytic hypertension whether standard dialysis with ultrafiltration, dialysis without ultrafiltration, or ultrafiltration alone is associated with change in either endothelin-1 or nitric oxide during hemodialysis
Specific Aim #1 To determine in a randomized 3-week, 2 period crossover study of 15 maintenance hemodialysis patients with intradialytic hypertension whether high vs low dialysate-to-serum Na gradients impairs release of NO, increases ET-1 or causes an acute intradialytic increase in systolic BP,.
Specific Aim #2 TO determine in a randomized 16-week, 2-period crossover study of 30 hemodialysis patients with intradialytic hypertension the effects of 8 weeks of high dialysate-to-plasma Na gradients to 8-weeks of low Na gradients on EC function (FMD and ADMA) and 44 hour ambulatory BP.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 85 Years (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- on hemodialysis > 30 days
- male and female participants, aged 18 to 85 years old, of all races and ethnic origin
- ability to provide informed consent
- Primary nephrologist deems patient is at target dry weight
- KDOQI defined hypertension (predialysis SBP >140 or postdialysis SBP>130) AND
- pre to post hemodialysis SBP increase (>10 mmHg) during 4/6 last HD session
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients with active cancer or active wounds
- Patient currently on antibiotics or on IV antibiotics within the last month
- BP unable to be measured by routine mechanisms in the upper extremity
- Life expectancy < 6 months
- Inability to provide informed consent
- Larger interdialytic weight gain (>5 kg/treatment on average)
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01371890
|United States, Texas
|UT Southwestern DaVita
|Dallas and Irving, Texas, United States
|Principal Investigator:
|Jula K Inrig, MD, MHS
|UT Southwestern Medical Center
|Responsible Party:
|Jula K Inrig, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01371890 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|June 9, 2011
|Last Updated:
|January 27, 2014
Keywords provided by Jula K Inrig, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center:
end-stage renal disease
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Kidney Diseases
Kidney Failure, Chronic
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
Vascular Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Urologic Diseases
Renal Insufficiency
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text: Tendenziöse is a term that has become very common in Germany to describe the Tübingen criticism, and has arisen from the lengths to which theologians of this school have shown themselves ready to go, to establish the hypothesis that the New Testament writings arose out of conflicting tendencies in the early church and efforts to bring about compromises between these factions. The word has been transferred in the translation under the form "tendential." [translator's preface to "Hermeneutics of the New Testament" by Dr. Abraham Immer, translated by Albert H. Newman, 1877]


text: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Illinois Part 1 (of 5) In a small town northeast of Chicago, people are losing their head...literally. The sheriff of this sleepy little town firmly believes he's found the culprit-a scruffy drifter found sleeping in the bushes with blood on his clothes and no believable explanation for where he was and what he was doing when the murders occurred. He even gave the sheriff a fake name: 'Johnny Blaze.' But the identity of the true culprit is even more macabre


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Joker's Number One Gal Strikes A Pose...
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, Toynk.com, PastGenerationToys.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.
For action figures, statues and sculptures, go to CSMooreStudio.com.
Kotobukiyas Bishoujo Statue line has been a huge hit with comic book fans, and for good reason. We all love statues of pretty ladies, but theres only so many you can collect before they all start looking the same. Koto, however, takes the traditional female superheroes and villains of the DC Comics universe and reinvents them in the unique Japanese Bishoujo (pretty girl) style as imagined by famed illustrator Shunya Yamashita. The ever-growing collection has brought such heavenly bodies as Supergirl, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and more. Today well take a look at the next member of this elite club due out next month, the popular and irascible Harley Quinn!
Quinn first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, and though initially intended to be a minor character turned into so much more. The following year she would pop up in comics for the first time, and DC has never looked back. A psychiatrist working at Arkham Asylum, Dr. Harleen Quinzel found herself seduced by the Joker and became his costumed sidekick. Her name naturally suggested a jester identity and the name Harley Quinn, leading to her iconic red, black, and white costume. Though the current versions of Quinn look a bit different (in the New 52s Secret Six as well as the Batman Arkham video games), its still this costume, makeup, and mask that most people think of when you say Harley Quinn.
The Kotobukiya Bishoujo Statue packaging is clean and simple in its layout, without too much stuff getting in the way. Theres a window so you can get a glimpse of the statue inside, though with the plastic trays and wrapping around it you really cant see it all that well. The box is overall white with red and black details. On the front panel around the window is the DC Comics Bishoujo Statue title to the left and the characters name at the bottom next to a thumbnail of Yamashitas art work. One side of the box has a small window, the same thumbnail, and a brief description of the line while the other side has a full size image of the attractive illustration. The back of the box has two photos of the statue and a full description of the item at the bottom. Theres also a small coming soon note at the bottom for the next DC statue, Power Girl.
Harley Quinn is always playful, even when wielding deadly weapons and threatening the safety of Gotham and its inhabitants. This time around, the mad jester lounges on a comically oversized hammer, ready to do her puddins bidding with a big smile on her crazed face. Harley wears her slinky costume, comprised of a sleek bodysuit in a symmetrical checkerboard pattern. Embedded into the costume are patterns of diamonds at the upper legs and arms, done in the opposite color as that part of the outfit. Harleys soft shoes have relaxed, bunched fabric at the ankles, while her wrists are decorated with thick decorative ruffles. Both her star-shaped collar piece and two-pointed floppy hat end in puffy, cotton-like balls with excellent texture. Quinns bishoujo-styled face captured the Japanese beauty aesthetic with classic large eyes, small nose, and slightly smiling mouth, all in a delicate presentation that looks great on this statue. Theres plenty more small sculpted detail to enjoy like the subtle creasing of her costume at the seams and joints, and the wear and tear on her mighty hammer.
Whether you first saw her in the Animated Series or in comic books, Harley Quinns bold color scheme is unforgettable. The red and black is perfectly recreated here, and the opposing symmetry of the combination is really eye-catching. Everything on the left is contrasted with everything on the right from the shoes to the large sections of the costume, diamond decorations, gloves, and hat. Its even more striking with her cute pose that subtly bends and shifts the color pattern. The white of Harleys collar, wrists, and face really pop from the dark red and black of the rest, immediately drawing your eyes upward. Koto even went so far as to include two interchangeable faces with this statue. They share the exact same sculpt, the cute elfin face glancing to the side with a sly smile and harlequin mask. The difference is one has a pale flesh tone while the other is painted white with makeup. The faces attach firmly to her head via a powerful magnet; just gently pull it forward to remove. Theres also a specially designed box on the underside of the statues base to store the face youre not currently displaying. Harley comes with the un-adorned face in place, and while I thought I preferred that one my opinion changed as soon as I popped in the white face; thats definitely my favorite as it really ties in to the rest of the white on her costume. Your preference, of course, may vary!
Harley comes fully assembled, so all you need to do is free her from the packaging and youre ready for display. At 10 inches tall (1/7th scale) she makes for a commanding presence and looks good alongside all sorts of other figures and collectibles. Quinn and her hammer come built into the smooth black display base that elevates her about an inch. If youre a Batman fan, or of course specifically a lover of Harley, this is absolutely the statue for you. Its a fresh take on the classic costume and look thats playful and beautiful at the same time. The pose and giant hammer make Harley dynamic on your shelf, and the addition of the alternate faces really puts it over the top. The mad jester will be available everywhere in November for about $60 (you can preorder yours directly from Kotobukiya), a very fair price for this fun statue.
Review and photos by Scott Rubin.
Review sample courtesy of Kotobukiya.


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View Poll Results: Which name combo is best for my twin daughters?
- Voters
- 111. You may not vote on this poll
Elodie Kate and Cassia Jane
Elodie Jane and Aria Kate
Everly Kate and Lydia Jane
Everly Catalina and Aurelia Jane
Emilia Jane and Averie Catalina
Emilia Kathleen and Cassia Jane
Emilia Jane and Aurelia Kate
Lydia Jane and Rosalie Kate
Multiple Choice Poll.
Results 1 to 5 of 18
Thread: The Final 8 Combos for my Twins
Threaded View
September 3rd, 2013 10:58 PM #1Senior Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Posts
- 813
The Final 8 Combos for my Twins
Please vote on the poll which combos are the best! Vote based on how the twin combo sounds and how each individual name is. I eliminated Stella, Imogen, Tessa and Skye from my list of options. The reason Skye was eliminated was due to my last name, it just didn't work. My last name is 1 syllable if that affects your decision. Middle names can be moved around (ie. Jane to Katherine or Katherine to Katya sort of thing), but each pair must have 1 middle name has Jane and 1 middle name taken from the name Katherine. In no particular order, here is the list of names as individuals, not pairs.
Elodie, Everly, Emilia (Em-e-lee-uh), Aurelia, Aria, Averie, Lydia, Cassia and Rosalie. Thanks!
Last edited by waverly1234; September 3rd, 2013 at 11:06 PM. Reason: added Emilia pronounciation(\_/)
(><) This is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.


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Image Gallery
Meeting Sessions Links
These images are associated with papers presented at the 2009 March Meeting. Contact the author directly for larger resolution images and usage permission.
Scientific Program
The 2009 March Meeting Bulletin of the American Physical Society (BAPS), is also called the Scientific Program. The Scientific Program is a listing of all abstract presentation sessions at the March Meeting.
A Rose in the Nano World
Don't let this image fool you; this "rose" is actually less than a millimeter across.
This image shows the predicted nanomesh of a single layer of hexagonal boron nitride suspended on a surface of Ruthenium. Abstract: A25.00011,
Magnetism Affects Light Emissions
The calculated amount of light emitted by copper-based superconductors near magnetic stripes can be seen here ranging from blue (low) to white (high).
Microwave Photons and Artificial Atoms
Microwave photons interacting with artificial atoms to produce nonlinear effects in superconductor systems.
Algae in Orbit
Two colonies of microscopic volvox, a freshwater algae, orbit each other as their many flagella move them through water.
Molecular Structure of Graphene
The molecular structure of graphene can be seen here through a scanning tunneling microscope.
Electrons Behaving Like Light
Electrons can sometime behave like light in a newly discovered electronic state of matter.
Frost Fractals
Frost on a pane of glass forms a twinkling fractal pattern.
Twisting DNA
Twisting DNA coils around itself just like a hose or a rubber band. Animated
Virus's Tough Outer Shell
A virus's tough outer shell is built through the molecular self-assembly of the proteins shown here.
How E. Coli Grows Best
The chart shows that E. Coli grow best by reducing the number of metabolic reactions in their systems.
Electron Density
The electron density of a single atom of graphite reveals the molecule's structure over the course of 26 attoseconds (26 millionths of a trillionth of a second). Animated
Electron Micrograph
This electron micrograph shows a previously unknown grain structure in a variety of liquid crystals.
Silicon Atoms Replacing Tin Atoms
An Atomic Force Microscope manipulates individual silicon atoms to replace tin atoms and create atom-sized patterns. Animated
Controlling Superconductor Data
The data stored in superconducting qubits in the foreground can be controlled by individual photons stored in the blue circuit background.
Intermingled Yeast Populations
Colorful fluorescent markers make these two intermingled yeast populations glow like holiday lights.
Fingering Patterns on Broken Glass
Microscopic fingering patterns on broken glass shows how differently it behaves from the broken silicon on the left.
Grey Carbon Atoms Over Silicon Dioxide
This is a simulation depicting grey carbon atoms of two graphene sheets suspended over a layer of silicon dioxid
Artificial Cellular Membrane
A fluorescence microscope image shows the structure of an artificial cellular membrane prototype.
Details of Confined DNA
Fluorescent labeling reveals details of confined DNA when illuminated with polarized light.
The Great Copper Wall
One hundred thousand atoms of oxidized copper form a nano-sized Great Wall of China.
Interacting Silica Particles
This computer simulation shows two polymer-coated silica particles interacting in water.
Stretchable Graphene Electrodes
Carbon nano-tubes arranged on a flexible surface could one day lead to transparent bendable touch screen displays.
Graphene Covers Bubble
A film of graphene one atom thick encloses small bubbles of gas.
Before and After Nanoindentation
A capsid, part of a cluster of proteins that form a virus's tough outer layer, shows the aftereffect of being tested by nanoindentation in this before (bottom) and after (top) image.
DNA Hybrid
A DNA molecule wraps around a carbon nanotube.
Clues From Crumpled Paper
The crumpling of paper can tell a lot about how cloths can get wrinkled, or how a car gets mangled in a crash.
Peptides and Lipids Self-Assemble
A simulation offers a glimpse of antimicrobial peptides and lipids in the midst of self assembly.
Silica Network
An electron microscope reveals tiny silica particles forming orderly networks after emerging from their liquid crystal phase.
Micron-Sized Spheres
Micron-sized spheres suspended in water show regions where small crystalline structures have begun to form.


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Children and staff at St George's Pre-School in Warminster are celebrating after an Ofsted inspection rated the school as outstanding following a visit last month.
The pre-school, which is based at St George's Primary School, was found to be outstanding in all areas, including the quality and standards of the early years provision.
The inspectors' report said staff use 'exceptionally thorough observations to plan challenging, exciting activities', while the excellent partnership with parents 'supports children's emotional well-being extremely well'.
The report also found that children make excellent progress in their personal, social and emotional development. The school's last Ofsted inspection also rated it as outstanding.
Owner of the pre-school Stephanie Sturdee said: "We are over the moon with the report and it is one of the best I have ever read, so we couldn't have asked for anything more.
"My staff are amazing and I think this is a reflection on how just how good they are. "


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Dwyane Wade Kicks Ramon Sessions In Groin, Acts Like It Wasn't Dirty [Video]
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has been accused of being a dirty player more than once in his career. As one of the NBA "pretty boys," Wade has gotten the benefit of the doubt from many when it comes to the topic of his so-called dirty play. Whether it was breaking Kobe Bryant's nose in the All-Star game, or the hellish hip check on Darren Collison in the playoffs, Wade's fans always defend him as a "clean player." How clean is kicking a player in the groin?


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Matt Kenseth spent last week in Las Vegas not feeling totally like a member of Roush Fenway Racing, and yet not totally a member of Joe Gibbs Racing yet either.
His days in limbo will end next week when Kenseth steps into a Joe Gibbs Racing car for his first test as a member of that organization.
MORE: Kyle's wild weekend | Kurt's new crew | Biggest surprises of 2012
After 13 seasons and 471 Cup starts (of his 472) with Roush Fenway, the 2003 Cup champion will begin his new life as a member at JGR when he tests the No. 20 Toyota Dec. 11-12 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Having finished seventh in the 2012 Cup standings, Kenseth was asked last week if he finally felt like a member of JGR now that the 2012 season is over.
"Yes and no," Kenseth said. "It's still somewhat muddy. Obviously we're here (in Vegas) for what we did with the 17 (of Roush). Once you get home from the banquet and once I get to run that test in a couple of weeks it probably will sink in a little bit more."
Roush Fenway could have blocked Kenseth's ability to participate in the test for Gibbs since Kenseth is technically still under contract until the end of the year, but it won't do so, Kenseth said. It's part of the mutual respect Kenseth and Roush have had for each other since he announced in June he would leave the organization where he won 24 Cup races.
Over the final five months of the 2012 season, Kenseth tried to avoid any appearance that he was focused on the future. He only visited JGR twice—once to take a look at the shop before he signed and once to announce he was going there.
He hasn't even visited the shop much since the season ended a couple of weeks ago, only going there primarily to get fitted for a seat in his car. He has done most of his communication with crew chief Jason Ratcliff by phone.
"I'm pretty proud that I kept it totally separate and drew a line and never crossed it at all," Kenseth said. "Once the season was over after Homestead, I got over there and spent a little time and sat in that car. I don't have a real great feel of what's great, what needs to be worked on.
"I'm looking forward to doing that test, spending some time with Jason and my new team and spending some time with (driver) Denny (Hamlin) and just get started."
The last couple of weeks have not been as awkward as they could have been. Kenseth said he understands that there are still some hard feelings about his leaving, especially from team co-owner Jack Roush, and understands the awkwardness he has with good friend and Roush Fenway General Manager Robbie Reiser, who served as Kenseth's crew chief for years. In a strange way, he said, some people he thought would have had a hard time with his move have been supportive, while others he expected to understand have not.
But overall, he couldn't ask for much more, he said.
"Everybody at Roush has been really, really, really great to me," Kenseth said. "They actually allowed me to go do this test, which they didn't have to do. … They've been helping make the transition a little easier for me, which is something they totally don't have to do.
"It's a little bit of a balancing act."
Hamlin and Kenseth are scheduled to test the 2013 cars during the open Charlotte test session, and there is a possibility that teammate Kyle Busch will join them.
Kenseth, 40, will be the oldest and most experienced driver among the trio.
"I'm the older one and the most experienced from a leadership (standpoint), but I feel the opposite—I feel like the new kid," Kenseth said. "I feel like I'm going to go in there with my eyes and ears open and try to see what's going on here in the next few weeks."
Kenseth will be busy just trying to learn the name of his new crew and the names of people in the shop. He had known all the people at Roush Fenway for so long, he didn't need to spend much time in the shop.
He expects to spend more time at the JGR complex over the next couple of months.
"I'm going to spend a lot of time in the shop, a lot of time getting to know new people and getting acclimated and getting ready to go racing, so I'm really curious to see how everything goes, see what we talk about this time next year," Kenseth said.
Kenseth, who won three races in 2012, including his second Daytona 500, expects to be talking about returning to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He made NASCAR's playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons with Roush.
"I'll be disappointed if I'm not in this group next year at the end of the year and we haven't won races," Kenseth said. "I feel like it's an organization, they win a lot of races every year."


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NHL confirms date, lottery rules for 2013 Draft
By Allan Muir
The good news for this year's wait'll-next-year teams? More of them than ever can harbor the illusion of a shot at the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft...and they won't have to wait long to learn if they've actually won something for a change.
The 2013 NHL Draft Lottery, slated for Apr. 29, will be the first in which all 14 clubs that do not qualify for the playoffs (or a team that's acquired their pick) will have a chance at winning the right to make the first overall choice.
Previously, a team could move up no more than four spots, so only the five teams with the fewest point totals could claim the first selection.
The lottery itself will work the same as always, meaning the Oilers will defy the odds and win the first pick. (I kid, I kid!) Fourteen balls will be placed in a lottery machine. Four are expelled, forming a four-digit number that will be matched against a probability chart that divides the possible combinations among the 14 participating clubs. Seriously. They can't just chunk in a certain number of balls with each team's logo and have the machine spit one out because, well, maybe they'd have to lay off the league's crack staff of mathematicians or something.
Here is the likelihood of each team gaining the right to the first pick. Team 1 is Columbus (come on, we've all seen this movie before) with the other teams in reverse order of finish:
Team 1 -- 25.0%
Team 2 -- 18.8%
Team 3 -- 14.2%
Team 4 -- 10.7%
Team 5 -- 8.1%
Team 6 -- 6.2%
Team 7 -- 4.7%
Team 8 -- 3.6%
Team 9 -- 2.7%
Team 10 -- 2.1%
Team 11 -- 1.5%
Team 12 -- 1.1%
Team 13 -- 0.8%
Team 14 -- 0.5%
A team other than the 30th-place club has won the lottery 10 times in the previous 17 drawings. Seven times, that team moved up to pick first overall. Only six times has the team with the best odds retained the top pick.Devils


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The A's would like to add a starting pitcher before the trade deadline comes around Wednesday, and the A's have a preference for that pitcher to be Jake Peavy.
Wishing doesn't make it so, of course, but the club is very much in the hunt for the Chicago White Sox's right-hander, who cleaned out his locker Sunday morning with all indications a trade is just a day or so, if not an hour or so, away.
The Braves, the Dodgers, the Cardinals and the Red Sox came into Sunday as fellow contenders in the race to get Peavy as the White Sox try to shed salary and add good young prospects.
The A's already have some of the best pitching in the majors, leading the American League with a 3.58 ERA coming into Sunday.
You can never have too much, however, and the hitting-challenged A's have relied so heavily on starters Bartolo Colon, A.J. Griffin, Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker and Dan Straily that they have to take care that one or more doesn't get burned out.
Peavy, 8-4 with a 4.28 and a hunger to pitch for a winner, might be just the infusion the club needs. And it would boost a somewhat sagging bullpen because the arrival of Peavy would mean that when lefty starter Brett Anderson would come off the DL in August, he'd likely move into the bullpen.
"At the end of the day, that is what we play for," Peavy told ESPN.com Sunday. "I have never had a chance to play in a World Series. This being 12 years in the Major Leagues and no Series, the ultimate goal is to be called a champion in what you do.
"It's not like I am asking out, because I wanted that to happen right here (Chicago). It will be a sad, sad day if I leave, but if it benefits the organization for the future, I would probably be coming to a better baseball situation."
Peavy would not be a short-term pickup. He is not a free agent until at least the end of the 2014 season, during which he will earn $14.5 million. He has a player's option on his contract for 2015 for $15 million. Although not talking about Peavy specifically, A's general manager Billy Beane told the Bay Area News Group Friday that for the right player, the club could find ways to make a deal that extends past 2013 work.
For more on the A's, see John Hickey's Insider at blogs.ibabuzz.com/athletics. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHickey3.


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You'll find brook trout in countless alder-lined beaver bogs and tumbling canopy-forest brooks along the spine of the Appalachians, throughout the New England backwoods and over to Michigan's sandy upper peninsula. All of them are delicate and tiny.
But there's a special place in southern Labrador where specimens of Salvelinus fontinalis, "the little trout of the springs," grow to proportions so extraordinary that you'll do a double take. Their vibrant black-and-ivory-striped fins and charcoal-edged orange bellies are distinctive.
The place is called Minipi. It's an extensive network of shallow headwater lakes and small rivers flowing north toward the immense Churchill River through a vast wilderness carpeted by peat and reindeer moss that looks from the air like pale green snow. The undulating carpet is broken by sandy balds, blueberry and partridgeberry bushes and stands of skinny black spruce trees.
Anglers first glimpsed this wild trout paradise when pioneering bush-plane pilot Lee Wulff brought Curt Gowdy and a film crew from ABC-TV's American Sportsman here during the 1960s. Wulff made them promise they wouldn't reveal the location because he wisely feared that Newfoundland's lax, non-protective fishing regulations would doom the population to annihilation if word got out. Only after the government implemented a strict catch-and-release policy could the whereabouts of the fabulous fishery be revealed.
Four decades later, you can fly from Goose Bay to one of four fly-fishing camps in the Minipi watershed in a classic twin-engine De Havilland Otter floatplane, roaring over a slim slice of the nearly 200,000 square miles the king of Portugal gave in 1498 to João Fernandes Lavrador, the slave trader who "discovered" coastline the Norse had centuries earlier called Markland–land of forests. Those magnificent brook trout are waiting for you.
Minipi Camps
P.O. Box 340, Station B
Happy Valley, Goose Bay
Labrador, Newfoundland
Canada A0P 1E0
(877) 266-7377
Goose Bay, Labrador (CYYR)
Longest runway: 11,046 ft
FBOs: Irving Aviation,
(709) 896-9090;
Woodward Aviation,
(800) 563-5202


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Music Tech in Review – Episode 1 – Podcast Chat by cdm
I'm obsessed with podcasts. When I moved to Berlin every time I missed english speak or felt alone Leo Laporte and his podcasts were in my ear. After I blogged for a while I knew I had to do a podcast too. I also knew I couldn't do it alone. Most podcasts with just one host seem really boring to me. After I met Peter Kirn last month at the SAE/Shocklee Panel for IMSTA I knew I had to run the idea past him. Create Digital Music is without doubt an important source for music tech words. I credit that site for killing my subscriptions to Keyboard and Electronic Musician (I still get Sound on Sound). Honestly we don't know if we have the energy to keep this up but we enjoyed recording the first one. I assume we will keep it going, get a cool name for it, add some audio bumpers and become more comfortable talking. We will get the quality up a bit too. I hope you enjoy our ramblings.
Topics covered: Google Listen, RockBand 3, Korg IMS20, Polychord, iOS Midi, Meeblip, Step Poly Arp, Magic Fiddle, Beat Bop, Pro-Tools 9, Ohm Studio
Links to all the topics covered on one nice Bit.ly bundle: http://bit.ly/musictechtalk1
"This was entirely impromptu, but we do intend to plan ahead and do it right and make it a regular thing. That raises a couple of questions. What would you want in such a program? (High on my list: adding some actual music and music discussion, guests, interactive Q&A…)" – Peter Kirn, CDM
Photo credit: Seattle Municipal Archives


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British Gas and npower raise gas and electricity bills for millions of families
British Gas will increase the cost of gas and electricity for its customers by six per cent while npower is hiking prices by up to nine per cent, sparking fears of a long cold winter.
British Gas confirmed this morning that it will be increasing its dual fuel rates, for customers that take both gas and electricity, next month.
Npower followed its competitor's lead hours later, with an average rise of 8.8 per cent for gas and 9.1 per cent for electricity.
The move led to condemnation from unions and consumer groups, who called on the government to take action.
It comes months after British Gas' parent company, Centria, reported a 23 per cent increase in half-year profits, to £345million.The annual dual fuel bill for its customers will increase by about £80 to £1,238, the company said. About 8.5million households will be hit by the rise.
Both firms have blamed an increase in wholesale market costs, which are outside of their control.
But Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said low-waged people will be 'terrified about how they are going to find another £80'.
'Money from the poor is going to the pockets of Centrica shareholders. This is further shameful abuse by out-of-control, greedy fuel companies, sitting on piles of profit.'
Consumer Focus has already said that six million households in England were looking to cut back on heating this winter because they are worried about paying the bills.
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch, said the increase would leave many households facing a winter where they are 'scared to turn on heating for fear of the cost'.
British Gas managing director Phil Bentley said Britain's North Sea gas supplies are running out, with increases of 13 per cent on the wholesale gas market.He said: 'Furthermore, the investment needed to maintain and upgrade the national grid to deliver energy to our customers' homes, and the costs of the government's policies for a clean, energy-efficient Britain, are all going up.'
Rival SSE, which trades as Southern Electric, Swalec and Scottish Hydro, is due to increase tariffs by nine per cent on average on Monday, hitting about five million electricity customers and 3.4 million gas customers.EDF and Scottish Power have not announced any changes, while E.ON has guaranteed a price freeze for 2012.


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FLAGS flew at half-mast yesterday for a Hampshire teacher who died over the weekend.
Matt O'Brien was a senior lecturer in the education, health and social care department of the University of Winchester.
Staff and students received an email today (Monday) informing them of his death, and a vigil was held at the campus chapel in the afternoon.
A spokesman for the university could not confirm exactly when Mr O'Brien died, except to say that it was at some point over the weekend. They were also unable to say how he died.
"He was an extremely popular lecturer and colleague, and those who worked with him or who were taught by him will be deeply affected by this loss. The University flag is flying at half-mast and our thoughts and prayers are with Matt and his family," the spokesman said.
Yesterday some of his students took to Twitter to express their grief.
One read: Everyone on the Primary Education course has lost the most amazing and inspirational lecturer. You will be missed Matt O'Brien RIP Another said: Matt O'Brien.. Great lecturer, tutor and mentor through hard times and tough decisions.. You made uni good for me! RIP such a great man!


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The very same Twitter Bootstrap but with a different and soft mermaid layout
The best feature that I can say is that it's so compatible with even future versions of Bootstrap, you can easily use the original bootstrap in your projects then insert mermaid bootstrap to over write the original styles and it works perfect
Although it's better to use the mermaid bootstrap instead of the original one (as we don't know what features bootstrap going to have for its next version!) but we tried to add and over write most of the styles so that if bootstrap got updated and you liked to use the original bootstrap to take advantage of the updated features then you have no worries about ruining your custom style!
Just simply include mermaid bootstrap right after the original one in your HTML files and you're skin is changed!
Main Features
- Responsive layout
- Clean & easy to use
- Well documented
- Cross-browser Compatible
- So compatible with the next versions of Bootstrap


text: The Residence Inn features 700-square-foot loft-style Two-Bedroom Suites that can accommodate up to 5 adults. Each suite is complete with a fireplace in the living room, a sofa bed, modern full kitchen, enclosed bedroom with a king-size bed and a bathroom on the first floor. A queen bed and private bathroom are located on the second loft floor.


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Which one of these three-month-old heifer calves will be the better cow? The half-siblings share the same sire, were born within a week of each other, the dam of each is a first-lactation animal and they receive identical care, nutrition and housing. Neither has had scours, respiratory disease or any other serious health challenge to date.
At first glance, No. 7897 holds the show-ring edge over No. 7898, at least for now. But will she be more profitable?
That's where genomic testing comes into play. It's impossible to know which is the better heifer just by looking at them. Health data are helpful, but peering into an animal's genetic makeup can significantly improve your ability to predict which heifer will become the more valuable cow.
Here's why you should consider what this technology can do for your herd.
Cow connection
Much of the dairy industry's amazing productivity has come through sire impacts and their ability to pass genes to offspring. Less information is available on cow contributions since, unlike AI sires, a cow has fewer production records and much fewer offspring.
The development of DNA marker testing technology (see sidebar on page 19) opens up opportunities within the female bovine population for faster genetic progress. In other words, if you genomically test cows and heifers, you should be able to develop a genetically superior, more profitable herd than you would by only using sire data.
One caveat. You must have a plan for how to use the information, notes Chris Roeder, Pfizer Animal Health area sales manager who works with genomic testing. Otherwise, you simply have additional records taking up space on your computer or desk — data that you paid to obtain, but sits unused.
You must also note that this technology is a long-term investment that pays you back over a number of years. If you're looking for a quick fix, you're looking in the wrong place.
Culling decisions
With that in mind, female genomic data offer you a new replacement evaluation tool with early-intervention possibilities.
In herds that have used sexed semen and now have extra replacement heifers, genomic-testing can be cost-effective for sorting out the "duds" and culling them from the herd before investing too much time, feed and money in them, says Kent Weigel, University of Wisconsin dairy genetics professor and chair of the Department of Dairy Science. (See "Weed out unworthy heifers" at: http://tinyurl.com/3kfcl47 )
For example, let's say you test three heifers with similar pedigrees to see what kind of returns you can expect on your investment. Using genomic results for Net Merit index (just one of many measures available) of -124, 125 and 48, respectively, you can expect that the second heifer, over her lifetime, would generate an additional $498 return ($125 - (-$124) = 249 x 2) over the first heifer, which is expected to be significantly less profitable.
Given current economic realities and heifer-rearing expenses that can range from $1,600 to more than $2,000, depending on your situation, results like these can help you determine early on which heifers you want to raise and which should probably leave your herd. You'll be more efficient with increasingly expensive feed resources and save on other rearing costs.
Farmers are looking at managing heifer inventories differently and more intensively than in the past, says Chuck Sattler, vice president of genetic programs for Select Sires. "This technology offers a way to do that."
Accurate data
Of course, you can predict a calf's genetic potential by using sire and dam Predicted Transmitting Ability data and skip the cost of genomic testing. But results are not especially accurate (about 30 percent). And if you don't know this information, due to either missing or incomplete records or animal misidentification, you're back to square one.
Furthermore, genomic testing offers prediction accuracy that approaches 70 percent.
It's also a means to establish the production potential for purchased cattle that arrive with little or no pedigree data.
Selective breeding and payoff
In addition, test results offer a new way to manage your female population.
Besides providing information on which animals to cull, farmers are using this technology to decide with heifers to breed with sexed semen or which animals are candidates for embryo transfer, says Roeder.
"The obvious application is for selection," agrees Sattler, "So, if you plan to breed animals differently, this technology makes a lot of sense."
Of course, all of this only matters if the technology pays for itself. Be sure to run the numbers for your individual situation. Computer models suggest return on investment results are highly herd-specific.
So far, operational size doesn't seem to be a significant economic factor. "I think the technology is scale-neutral, because it's really the percentage of animals to test, or the percentage of animals available to be culled, that matters," Weigel notes.
Big picture, small SNP
Genomic testing moved into high gear with the sequencing of the bovine genome and development a few years ago of a test that could genotype bovine DNA markers known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This opened up a new world of faster genetic testing with up to double the accuracy of traditional parent averages. It enabled users to better differentiate between siblings, sped up genetic improvement and improved the reliability of progeny testing results for economically relevant and even low-heritability traits, including health and fitness traits.
Initial tests focused on 50,000 SNPs and at roughly $250 per test, were used primarily for genomic testing young sires by bovine genetics organizations or for testing elite females.
Within the last year, a test has been developed that examines about 3,000 SNPs, and the cost dropped to less than $50 per test. This 3K test, as it is known, is available through a variety of vendors, including bovine genetics organizations, breed associations and pharmaceutical companies, as well as private labs. Additional genomic tests are in development, but still in the testing stage.
Nature PLUS nurture
Calves that don't get an adequate supply of IgG and other factors in colostrum at birth often go on to be less-profitable members of the herd. This is also dependent on nutrient intake prior to weaning -- the higher the total nutrient intake, both energy and protein, the greater the milk-producing ability, says Kent Weigel, University of Wisconsin dairy genetics professor and chair of the Department of Dairy Science . "We always think about nature vs. nurture, but in this case what we really need to do is talk about nature plus nurture. By that, I mean that we should combine the results of genomic testing with the health history of the calf when making replacement decisions," he says. "This is something we'll be working on over the summer."


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Last season was one of the oddest in the history of the NBA. Following the league's ugly lockout, training camp was shortened to a mere two weeks, the schedule was compressed, injuries piled up and, across the league, players were not quite themselves. The previous season, teams averaged 99.6 points on 45.9 percent shooting, but last year, those numbers dropped to 96.3 points and 44.6 percent shooting. It was a struggle all along.
When it comes to evaluating young players, last year made things especially difficult. Typically, Year 3 of a player's career is a jumping-off point, the year the player processes the lumps he took as a rookie and the lessons he learned as a sophomore and puts his game together.
But for the draft class of 2009, Year 3 was not normal, and that made it difficult to tell just how those players would pan out. By the time last year was over, nearly half the first-round picks from '09 were not even eligible for extensions, meaning they had not had their options picked up.
Of those remaining on their rookie contracts, seven wound up getting extensions—a bigger number than expected, and reversing a trend that saw extensions dropping each year (there were five given out last year). The knee-jerk reaction is that NBA teams overspent on the extensions they doled out, but a closer look suggests that, with limited evaluation time for the Class of '09, risks were taken on both sides.
Clippers sign Blake Griffin (No. 1 pick) to five-year, $80 million extension. This was a no-brainer for the Clippers, as Griffin came back from a first-year knee injury to establish himself as the one of the most promising young players in the league. Under NBA rules, if Griffin makes the All-Star team or any of the three All-NBA teams this year, his extension will be bumped up to about $100 million.
Rockets sign James Harden (No. 3 pick) to five-year, $80 million extension. Once Harden was traded out of Oklahoma City, there was no doubt he would be offered a max deal by the Rockets. There is some risk on the part of Houston because Harden has been a sixth man his entire career and has not had to play a starring role. But he has the talent to fill that role, and this should be a deal that pays off.
Warriors sign Stephen Curry (No. 7 pick) to four-year, $44 million extension. This is where the Year 3 conundrum emerges. The deal is a risk for Curry because if he improves on the ability he showed in his second year (18.6 points, 5.8 assists), he will have locked himself into a contract that doesn't pay him enough. But Curry needed ankle surgery in Year 3 and played only 26 games, and he missed time during training camp with another ankle injury. If he can't stay healthy, the Warriors will have made an expensive mistake.
Raptors sign DeMar DeRozan (No. 9 pick) to four-year, $42 million extension. This deal raised eyebrows, and again, it has a lot to do with the fact DeRozan showed no improvement in his third year, despite entering the season knowing he had a lot to prove. He got a little better defensively, but offensively, his numbers dropped last year (16.7 points on 42.2 percent shooting) and he has shown no improvement in his outside shot. Toronto could have allowed DeRozan to go to restricted free agency and would have kept the right to match any offer. And it is unlikely he would have gotten more than four years and $42 million, even if he did play well this season.
Sixers sign Jrue Holiday (No. 17 pick) to four-year, $41 million extension. Like DeRozan, Holiday wasn't terrible last year, but he didn't show much reason to think he'd suddenly make a leap forward in the future. He fell off as a shooter and dropped significantly as a playmaker, averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 assists after putting up 14.0 points and 6.5 assists the previous season. The Sixers are hoping that, with backup guard (and leading scorer) Lou Williams allowed to leave in free agency, and with Andre Iguodala (who often operated as a point forward) traded, Williams will blossom with a bigger role. But they locked into a $10 million-a-year bet on that, and again, they could have allowed Holiday to hit free agency first.
Nuggets sign Ty Lawson (No. 18 pick) to four-year, $48 million extension. Lawson set the point-guard market for Curry and Holiday, and compared to the unknowns around those two, his deal looks like a bargain. Lawson has gotten better each year in the league, and though he may never be an All-Star caliber player, he will be one of the Top 10 point guards in the league for much of his career.
Bulls sign Taj Gibson (No. 26 pick) to four-year, $38 million extension. Gibson does not put up big numbers (7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds last season), but he has improved steadily and the Bulls know that, had he gotten to the free-agent market, he probably would have gotten a bigger offer than they gave him. Gibson plays behind Carlos Boozer, but his defense and rebounding are invaluable, and eventually, either through amnesty, trade or simply by letting his contract expire, Boozer will be gone and the Bulls will be counting on Gibson to take over.


text: "Our marketing strategy is always twofold—make it appealing to consumers and easy for our retail partners," says CHS Refined Fuels spokesperson. One of the fastest growing convenience store chains in the country is ending the year with a strong, all-inclusive holiday marketing push. "To help Cenex retailers capitalize on the 2011 gift card season, CHS


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
April 25, 2011
Collateral Damage
Debriding Our Time
Jared Burton, CIN (Right shoulder debridement surgery)
By definition, debridement is the act of removing dead, contaminated, adherent tissue or foreign material. This can include anything from battlefield shrapnel to the tiny pebbles in road rash. In baseball, debridement happens with everyday cuts and scrapes, but the ones that make the news involve surgeries that most often occur at the same time as other procedures (such as rotator cuff repair or labrum repairs in the hip).
In most cases of solely surgical debridement there are degenerative processes that cause different types of tissues to build up or break down. Bony changes—such as small spurs along the edges of the joints—or roughened edges of old bony depressions can damage surrounding tissues. In these cases, the spurs or roughened edges are smoothed out and any compromised tissue is removed.
When you hear about bone spurs being removed from someone's elbow, shoulder, or any other joint, it's because one or more of these spurs has become enlarged. When a spur becomes large enough, it can also break off and become one of those pesky "loose bodies."
In the case of soft tissue debridement, changes from chronic inflammation or mechanical irritation result in painful or limited motion and can only be addressed surgically. Tiny shavers go in and remove all of this tissue until normal motion is restored.
In many cases involving professional athletes, surgery does not address the underlying cause of the debridement. Spurs and scar tissue don't just form on their own—they have underlying causes of their own, with microinstability leading the way in the upper extremities. In the ankle there can be soft tissue impingement from repeated sprains, but there can also be spurring from the constant impact of running day in and day out. Once the issues that initially presented are cleaned up by the debridement, the true origin of the abnormality often comes to the fore (and eventually needs to be addressed as well).
So what does that mean for Burton? Judging by the 43 cases of isolated debridgement surgeries in our database, his chances of returning in the same season aren't great. Most of the isolated surgical debridements occurred in the offseason, but of those that took place during the regular season, only one has led to a return in the same campaign.
Debridement doesn't sound that bad, but it takes time to recover from because of those aforementioned underlying issues that go unaddressed. The rehab process moves along very slowly because of the limited motion or instability in the area, preventing the player from bouncing back from the procedure as easily as he could from, say, a partially torn meniscus.
Burton underwent his surgery on Friday and will be sidelined indefinitely, but at least he can give Ramon Hernandez a little company on the injured list.
Aaron Hill, TOR (Strained right hamstring)
Unfortunately for Toronto, Jayson Nix went on the disabled list himself with a left shin contusion. X-rays and MRIs showed no fractures, but those are not the most sensitive tests for picking up on hairline fractures, so a more troublesome issue could still be to blame for his absence. Nix will miss at least the next two weeks, but if he does not start improving in the next several days, don't be surprised if the Jays move on to a CT scan to get a higher-definition image of the bone. In the meantime, John McDonald and his glove-oriented game will take over for Nix.
Franklin Gutierrez, SEA (Irritable bowel syndrome)
Most patients don't care about the causes—they just want the symptoms, which resemble those common to constipation or intestinal flu, to stop. Treatment can involve certain medications, but it also usually requires dietary and lifestyle changes. Some changes, such as improving sleep habits, simply cannot happen for professional baseball players. In these cases more emphasis is placed on the dietary changes, as they are completely individualized, as well as medications that may need to be adjusted several times before finding one that works.
We don't have anyone in our database that has suffered from IBS, and we suspect that Gutierrez isn't happy about contributing to science and the furthering of medical knowledge on the diamond by being a pioneer, although it is likely that some players have dealt with it over baseball's long history without missing significant time. There is no timetable for his return, but hopefully the new medication will be a positive first step.
Jose Contreras, PHI (Right flexor-pronator strain)
We discussed the flexor-pronator mass previously when talking about Tommy John surgery. To summarize, this muscle mass lies directly over the ligament, but it also has the very important function of flexing and turning the hand from a palm-up to a palm-down position. This muscle is very important to pitchers because of its primary function in wrist and forearm movement, but also because it serves as secondary protection for the UCL.
The range of potential days lost for this issue is wide, extending from a few weeks to the end of the season, in large part because of the integral function of the muscle in pitching. Contreras is heading back to Philadelphia for an MRI, so we will have to wait for the results before any estimates of his return can be made.
Neftali Feliz, TEX (Right shoulder inflammation)
Normally there wouldn't be any questions about the inflammation, but something just doesn't feel right with the description of his symptoms. Usually in the case of shoulder inflammation the soreness and pain are concentrated more in the front, top, and/or side of the shoulder, so there is a little birdie in our ear saying watch out for a minor rotator cuff strain (yes, the bird speaks perfect English and is well-versed in human anatomy).
Feliz missed 10 days in 2009 for shoulder soreness while in the minors, but there is not enough in his injury history profile to cause any great alarm at this time. Regardless, the pain cycle needs to be stopped, and putting him on the disabled list is the best way to do this.
Flesh Wounds: Justin Morneau finally returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing almost a week with the flu. It's definitely the sick season among baseball players. Scott Downs found this out the hard way, too, as he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a gastrointestinal virus... Ruben Amaro is hopeful that Chase Utley can return before the end of May. That doesn't sound too promising, especially if you have ever tried watching Wilson Valdez play baseball… Scott Rolen strained his left shoulder and was placed on the disabled list. We didn't think he still had a left shoulder after all the surgeries and work done in the past, so this came as quite a surprise to us—it might be time to look into cybernetic implants... Ryan Kalish has a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder after diving for a ball this weekend. He is potentially facing season-ending surgery, so he'd better hope that Josh Reddick doesn't take a step forward and replace him on Boston's depth chart... Johnny Damon's finger isn't just bruised: he actually has a fractured tip of the left ring finger. No disabled list stint has been mentioned as of yet, as he is trying to play through the injury… In news no one could have predicted, Carlos Beltran has been the healthiest outfielder in New York, now that Angel Pagan is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. #BlameBeltran, indeed.
Corey Dawkins is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @CoreyDawkinsBP
7 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Dan W.
Ramon Hernandez is on the injured list?
Apr 25, 2011 10:11 AM
No it was meant about coming back from an isolated debridement surgery in the same season. Hernandez is not currently on the injured list.
Apr 25, 2011 17:39 PM
As one who was diagnosed not too long ago with IBS after many frightful and uncertain months, I am happy for Gutierrez and wish him well in getting his appetite, career and life back in order. I'll continue to cheer for him from a distance. 6 months without caffeine seems to have done the trick in my case.
Apr 25, 2011 10:59 AM
"...although it is likely that some players have dealt with it over baseball's long history without missing significant time..."
Apr 26, 2011 10:01 AM
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Blank Change 4Language brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
In the four sentences below, are two blanks. You must fill them in with words that are either anagrams, synonyms, antonyms, or homonyms. You can only use each of these one time each sentence. Can you figure out each word?
1. The golfer has yelled out "____," ____ times today.
2. They began to ____ scones, and drink ____.
3. She used one ____ to look down at her wrist and see her ____.
4. He ran ____ the dog in order ____ not get bitten by it.
HintThe words are related like this:
1. Homonyms
2. Anagrams
3. Synonyms
4. Antonyms
Answer1. The golfer has yelled out "FORE," FOUR times today. (homonyms)
2. They began to EAT scones, and drink TEA. (Anagrams)
3. She used one EYE to look down at her wrist and see her WATCH. (Synonyms)
4. He ran FROM the dog in order TO not get bitten by it. (Antonyms)
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Camel's Milk as a Safe Alternative in Cow's Milk Allergy
This study has been completed.
Meir Medical Center
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Meir Medical Center
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: October 10, 2010
Last updated: October 7, 2015
Last verified: August 2012
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
By performing a challenge with camel's milk in patients who are allergic to cow's milk, the investigators will examine if camel's milk is a safe alternative for these patients.
|Cow's Milk Allergy
|Dietary Supplement: Camel's milk
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: AllergyU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Meir Medical Center:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Development of allergic symptoms after graded oral challenge with camel's milk [ Time Frame: 3 hours follow-up after completion of the challenge ]
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|December 2010
|Study Completion Date:
|February 2013
|Primary Completion Date:
|February 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|Experimental: Camel's milk, Cow's milk allergy
Dietary Supplement: Camel's milk
Patients with proved cow's milk allergy who have negative prick skin tests to came's milk will be administered gradually increased doses of pasteurized camel's milk at 30 minute intervals
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Proved cow"s milk allergy
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant women
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01223885
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01223885
|Allergy Unit, Meir Medical Center
|Kfar-Saba, Israel, 44281
Sponsors and Collaborators
Meir Medical Center
More Information
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Meir Medical Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01223885 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|October 10, 2010
|Last Updated:
|October 7, 2015
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Milk Hypersensitivity
Immune System Diseases
Food Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity, Immediate
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


text:
Dress Code: Ally Hilfiger's Real Style
It's reverse psychology at its finest. With a certain anti-sex appeal—or adorkability—Zooey Deschanel renders herself irresistible. Arriving on the set of our photo shoot in a schoolgirl-inspired plaid skirt and cream knit sweater, both by Sandro, she could easily have stepped out of The Ed Sullivan Show. Her preference for sponge hair curlers (which she wore while singing along to Jackie Trent's "You Baby") over a curling iron only solidified her retro charm. But once the curlers came off, the MC fashion team got serious about transforming Deschanel from cutesy chick to sultry babe. Modest at first, the New Girl star soon warmed to the sleek black looks accented with gold flash. Between shots, she shared iPhone videos of her nephew with the crew—proving that no matter how sexy the trappings, adorkable gets 'em every time.
Dress, price upon request, Gucci; nail bracelet, price upon request, Cartier; wide gold cuff, $725, Roberto Cavalli. On eyes: Rimmel London Volume Accelerator Mascara in Black.
Shoes $110, Jessica Simpson Collection; jessicasimpsoncollection.com.
Zooey Deschanel: Her Street Style


text:
Lakers want a truer SF.
Dun and Murph for Odom and Rad?
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Lakers want a truer SF.
Dun and Murph for Odom and Rad?
Didn't Odom already say no way to coming here.
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Good point.
He is an expiring after next year. Would think he would fit JOB's system though.
Best trade I have seen all year makes more since for New Jersey than JO and save me the stress of all of the JO for Vince talk.
Successful Trade Scenario
Change in Team Outlook: +7.3 ppg, -4.2 rpg, and +1.8 apg.
Incoming Players Vince Carter
6-6 SG / SF from North Carolina
20.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.2 apg in 38.4 minutes
Outgoing Players Lamar Odom
6-10 SF from Rhode Island
13.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.4 apg in 36.9 minutes


text:
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD, FAAP
- Review Date: 05/2016 -
- Update Date: 05/20/2016 -
2451 Crystal Drive
Suite 900
Alexandria, VA 22202
On the ADA's website, you can get information about healthy food choices, weight loss, exercise, and diabetes prevention. The website also offers information about diabetes symptoms, statistics, genetics, and risk factors.
National Center
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231
or 1-800-242-8721
The AHA's mission is to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The website offers information about heart-related diseases and conditions, including cholesterol and high blood pressure. Also provided is information about living a healthy lifestyle, including nutrition and exercise.
2055 L Street NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
With over 13,000 members, the Endocrine Society aims to "advance excellence" in this field and promote its role in scientific discovery, medical practice, and human health. The accompanying website, Hormone Health Network provides information for the public.
Heart House
2400 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
While geared toward professionals, the American College of Cardiology provides related news stories, videos of experts discussing current issues in the field, and publications.
The NIDDK conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. The website offers health information on the following topics: diabetes, digestive diseases, kidney and urologic diseases, weight control, endocrine and metabolic diseases, blood disorders, and nutrition information.


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Photo Gallery: 2011 Trends
See these five new decorating looks.
Photo Gallery: 2011 Trends
Brad Ford designs a soft, layered space.
This living room exemplifies 2011's new layered look, with luxurious textures like velvet, faux fur, leather, sisal and well-curated books, plants and objets to give modern style a cosy update. Nods to classic modernism endure with timeless furniture and crisp white walls, but the overall look is softened with hand-thrown pottery, ample pillows, tufted upholstery and lots of wood. Silvery blue keep the palette au courant, while warm earthy tones enhance the homey vibe.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery.
Furnishings to soften your space.
In the January issue, House & Home identified the new, soft and layered approach to modern decorating as a 2011 trend, and these items can help you get the look. Various shades of silvery blue give life to what could otherwise be a ho-hum sofa, vase and pillow, for instance. Subtle tufting on the sofa complement an otherwise sleek design, and a golden yellow mohair pillow adds texture and warmth to a room.
Reactive glazed vase, ceramic, 21 1/2″ h. x 10 1/2″ diam, $59, Pier 1 Imports; Solid mohair pillow in Chestnut, 22″ sq., $295; Indigo Forest/Moss pillow, velvet; silk, 20″ sq., $395, Elte. Kennedy sofa, various fabrics, 31″ h. x 85″ w. x 34″ d., from $2,655, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery.
Flea market finds and romantic florals have never looked so hip. Mixing chippy wood furniture, intentionally deconstructed upholstery and faded prints elevate this room from cute to contemporary. No need to worry about scratches or dents — this trendy, 2011 look is very forgiving.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery.
Mix any of these items in a vintage-styled room for a fresh, hip vibe.
In the January issue, House & Home identified the new, edgy and focused approach to vintage decorating as a 2011 trend, and these items can help you get the look. A pink-edged dessert plate adds a touch of whimsy thanks to the decorative beetle design, with floral patterns repeated again in artwork and on the lamp. The club chair is a clean contrast to the distressed commode, which adds character and charm to a room.
Rouen club chair, linen; walnut, 36″ h. x 30″ w. x 28″ d., $1,350, Boo Boo & Lefty. Dianthus Oval lamp, glass; silk, 25″ h. x 14″ diam., approx. $1,557, John Derian. Anemone by Hugo Guinness, 9″ x 11″, approx. $160, Condé Nast. Louis XVI wood commode, 33 1/2″ h. x 45″ w. x 23″ d., $2,550, Angus & Company. Natural World Green Bugs dessert plate, China, 8″ diam., $18, Anthropologie.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery.
Designer Darryl Carter's kitchen is clean, almost Shaker-like and utilitarian.
With the new country look, even finishing touches have simple lines and handcrafted appeal. Organic pieces like rough-hewn boards and firewood soften a clean white space with natural texture. The look is as hardworking as ever — industrial appliances and a farmhouse table that doubles as an island — but emits modern serenity.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery.
For more island inspiration, see our Kitchen Tables As Islands photo gallery.
Simple lines and organic textures are all part of this look.
The bare-bones pendant lamp and bookcase are understated and clean, with simple lines and a raw feel. The wool throw continues the organic look, while the white range adds an industrial air to a kitchen.
Daring design gives this room a heightened sense of drama.
In 2011, traditionalists are expressing their inner rebels with a riot of clashing colours and bold patterns. Chinoiserie wallpaper mixes with a camp-style red point blanket to offer appealing tension and an upholstered headboard gets an edgy update with nailhead detailing. Classic lampshades on swing-arm lamps, while still pleated and pretty, swap out more staid shades for exotic brights. Bits of gold detailing throughout add a balancing dose of traditional polish.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery, plus more tips on Decorating With Pink.
Mismatched patterns and colours create tension – in a good way.
Bold blanket stripes contrast with the detailed feminine wallpaper and mirror, and the nailhead trimmed headboard keeps things current.
Sophisticated fabric and artwork add to this room's aesthetic.
Worldly finds and exotic textiles look more elegant than eclectic in this globetrotting-styled space. Scaled-back accents like a perforated-metal lantern and carved wood screen exude a tailored Moroccan vibe. Leggy chairs and artwork with an African influence look just right paired with an Asian-inspired console. The cool blue and white palette gives a facelift to earthy and jewel-toned pieces. And a simple striped kilim is an easy way to bring the world to your door.
See more 2011 trend looks in our photo gallery.
Items for a worldly room.
The handmade drop light is unique and elegant, and the geometric lines on the chair back, side table and mosaic pillow offer interest, too. These items imbue a worldly feel without being over-the-top.


text:
BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
May 16, 2013
The Stats Go Marching In
Catcher Framing Before PITCHf/x
Analysis of framing has intensified over the past couple of years, with Joe Maddon talking about it on the radio and (via Ben Lindbergh) Clubhouse Confidential and MLB Network's Diamond Demo series featuring discussions of the issue with guests like Jonathan Lucroy. Ben has been running a weekly column on the subject since the start of the season: in the first installment (as well as this piece for Grantland) he provided some background on the research so far, so you're invited to have a look at that article before you read the rest of this one.
Framing evaluation is one of those research subjects that has been made possible by PITCHf/x data, which means that we're now into the sixth full season for which catcher framing can be measured. However, for quite some time, I've been thinking about this: if one could get a good approximation of the framing numbers just using Retrosheet pitch sequences, 20 years of catcher framing could be added to the discussion. When Ben jogged my memory recently, I decided it was time to stop thinking about it and start doing some number-crunching.
The Method
For each plate appearance, I counted the number of pitches not featuring a swing by the batter (basically balls and called strikes), with the useful Chadwick Tools saving me a lot of time and work.
In the original model I created with PITCHf/x data, in addition to using the location coordinates as measured by the camera system and the pitch type as classified by the MLBAM algorithm, I controlled for the effect of the ball/strike count, the home plate umpire, the pitcher, and the batter—plus, obviously, the catcher.
Since that model requires a lot of computing time, in order to update my numbers once in a while, I switched to a simpler but quicker model in which the pitcher and the batter are not accounted for. In fact, once the location and pitch type are factored in, the batter has very little effect on the call by the umpire (mostly due to his stance and proximity to the plate, I suppose). The effect of the pitcher is also reduced, and I decided that the tradeoff between accuracy and computing time was worth the exclusion. However, with Retrosheet data, we have no information on pitch location and type, so throwing the pitcher and the batter back into the model was necessary.
In short, for every plate appearance I have the percentage of strikes on pitches not swung at as the outcome variable and the four actors involved (pitcher, catcher, umpire, batter) as the predictors. As I have done many other times in my baseball analysis, I have used a Cross-Classified Multilevel Mixed Model, which for saber-oriented people I'll call WOWY-on-steroids.
Note that when using PITCHf/x data, an extra strike is more or less attributable to something framing-related, being it a good reception by the catcher, the pitcher hitting the target, or the umpire being deceived (or, more likely, a combination of the three). However, when no information is available about location, several other factors come into play: among the called strikes are, for example, pitches thrown right down Broadway that may have not been swung at because of the batter's tendencies (partly accounted for as the batter is in the model) or because great sequencing has fooled the batter. Thus, this version of framing might include at least some pitch-sequencing effect as well.
Comparing Retrosheet and PITCHf/x numbers
Let's start by showing a scatterplot featuring framing runs saved (prorated to 5,000 pitches caught*) by catchers in the seasons from 2008 to 2012. The darker dots denote a higher number of pitches caught, signifying more reliable estimates.
* Keep in mind that from here on, when I write "pitches caught" I really mean "pitches caught with no swing attempt by the batter."
Not a bad start. The chart displays a good agreement between the two different models; the Pearson correlation coefficient, weighted for the number of pitches caught, is a healthy 0.72.
One important difference between the two methods is the distribution of ratings. The PITCHf/x-based numbers are more dispersed: when one considers catcher-seasons with at least 1500 pitches caught, the standard deviation is close to 13 runs for the PITCHf/x numbers and about 7.5 for the Retrosheet ones. That means the Retrosheet-based values (I'll call them "RetroFraming") will yield more conservative results.
Given the good agreement of RetroFraming with the PITCHf/x-based numbers, we can move on to showing some numbers going back to 1988, keeping in mind that we'll less likely see extreme values with this metric.
Single-season achievements
Here a note is due. In the previous section, I warned that RetroFraming numbers give more conservative results: in fact, there is no trace of a 50-run season. A recent revision of my algorithm has changed Jose Molina's PITCHf/x framing value for 2012 to 41 runs, but that would still make it higher than Ausmus' 2000. RetroFraming has Molina's 2012 at 25 runs saved, which is quite a difference.
I know such discrepancies can be enough for some people to turn away altogether from this article and others on framing, as they often do when two play-by-play-based fielding metrics disagree on an evaluation of any position player. However, what I make of these numbers is this:
Enough talk—here are the 20 best RetroFraming seasons since 1988.
At age 40 Carlton Fisk was still capable of a top-20 season. In a subsequent section, I'll take a look at aging curves for the framing skill.
In case you're wondering, the worst season belongs to framing whipping-boy Ryan Doumit (2008) by a mile, with Jason Kendall (2000) and Jorge Posada (2005) just a bit better.
Career framers
Jose Molina is a solid second, despite much more limited playing time. In fact, over the same amount of playing time, we'd estimate Molina to be close to twice as valuable as Ausmus. Below is the Top 10 list for prorated (to 5,000 pitches caught) values, minimum 25,000 pitches.
At the bottom of the list, depending on whether you prefer the counting stat or the prorated version, are either Charles Johnson (costing more than a win per year for 12 seasons) or, once more, Ryan Doumit.
Year-to-year correlation
A look at aging
Below are charts for a few interesting careers. In each one of them, the dots indicate the seasonal ratings, the thinner line is a smooth curve through the data points based on the displayed catcher's data only, and the thicker line makes use of data coming from the other catchers as well (sort of regressing the curve).
Here's Jose Molina, who just keeps getting better:
Ausmus also improved throughout his career:
Posada, on the other hand, displayed a declining trend:
Finally, Piazza's numbers were consistent throughout his career:
What's next?
In this article I've used pitch-by-pitch data without PITCHf/x information to generate historical leaderboards. However, this kind of data is also available for Minor League Baseball going back a handful of years, so numbers like those shown above can be calculated for lower levels of baseball as well. In that way, good framing catchers might be identified before they reach The Show. And while it might be a long time before we see ubiquitous pitch-tracking technology in the college game, recording pitch outcomes is much more feasible, meaning that teams might even use this information for drafting purposes.
Incidentally, while refining this article, I mentioned its contents to a baseball insider (who obviously will go unnamed here), and he stated, "It's an idea potentially worth millions of dollars." So, clubs with college pitch-by-pitch data: feel free to knock at my door.
18 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Amazing Max, this is fantastic. You talk about 'game calling' which is a combination of calling a pitch, calling for a pitch location, and then framing that pitch. Is all this attention on pitch-framing worth little if a good framing pitcher is a terrible pitch caller / locator. Shouldn't more attention be on the other two pieces of this puzzle before we start lobbying Jose Molina / Brad Ausmus for the Hall of Fame. I recall in a previous article of yours that there are good framers that ultimately lose that value as a result of poor game calling. Or have we dismissed 'calling' to be less of a skill and more of a manager function. Thanks again.
May 16, 2013 06:07 AM
I plan on looking more into the 'game calling' issue.
May 17, 2013 00:39 AM
Russell A. Carleton
BP staff
Max, what's the stability from year to year in framing "ability"?
May 16, 2013 07:21 AM
One of the best research pieces of the year. {clap clap clap}
May 16, 2013 07:56 AM
This is extremely fascinating, but I have never been able to come to grips with how values are derived from these extra frames strikes. Can someone kindly lead me to a concise explanation of how we get from extra strikes to extra runs?
May 16, 2013 08:20 AM
Here's one from ex-BPer Dan Turkenkopf: http://blog.stealingfirst.com/2008/04/02/switching-a-ball-to-a-strike/
May 16, 2013 10:36 AM
Interesting. So if the value of a ball/strike varies per the count at the time, should we not also be assigning value accrued to receivers based on when they gained or lost a call?
May 16, 2013 11:52 AM
When I calculate PITCHf/x-based framing numbers I use count-specific values for extra strikes gained (lost). See here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/searching-for-the-games-best-pitch/
May 17, 2013 00:44 AM
Peter Benedict
I am a huge Twins fan, and I'm surprised at how well Mauer fares. I've always thought he's great, but legendarily excellent across the history of this data?
May 16, 2013 12:09 PM
This is fantastic work, I really enjoyed this. Pitch framing is actually one area where I would have expected increased performance as catchers age as opposed to a decline. I would have guessed calling games and hitting would have been higher on the list than pitch framing, especially further back in time, so that catchers would have gradually improved at this skill as they aged. I guess I'm surprised that the peak is around age 25 and not older.
May 16, 2013 13:09 PM
I think there's a fairly big split between good framers and bad in how they age. A top-notch framer (Ausmus, Molina, Lucroy...) is going to refine his craft and get better at it (though there's probably a practical upper bound), even as physical skills may decline. A bad framer most likely doesn't care much, and may even develop and cement bad habits that make him worse over time. This is even more likely given that there hasn't historically been all that much attention paid to this subject. Piazza probably had a pretty decent natural feel for it, but without much incentive or opportunity to work on getting better.
May 16, 2013 15:53 PM
This is awesome. Is there a particular reason that Scoscia had such a great season in 1989 yet fares so poorly in the overall analysis?
May 17, 2013 14:42 PM
Nathan Aderhold
This is amazing stuff.
May 17, 2013 19:24 PM
I was about to ask the same thing.
May 18, 2013 14:06 PM
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text: Fine, take the emotion out of it. Even Dr. Spock would agree that we've seen some extremely high-efficiency short-range shots from Mr. Green, many of which were easier to create than a more difficult post-up or spot-up shot. Don't like the artistry? Not a problem. Instead, drool over the percentages.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote


text:
New For 2014
The Boxster enters 2014 with virtually no changes, having been redesigned just last year. The 2014 Porsche Boxster rides on an aluminum-intensive architecture shared with the new 911, features more efficient and more powerful flat-six engines, and wears more aggressive styling. It also has a roomier, more luxurious interior.
Vehicle Summary
The 2014 Porsche Boxster may be the perfect sports car. Unlike its older brother, the 911, it has a mid-mounted engine rather than a rear-engine layout. This, along with its low curb weight, makes it a fantastic handler. The Boxster has grown more refined and more powerful since it debuted for 1997, particularly since its 2013 redesign. The model most directly competes against other premium roadsters such as the BMW Z4 and the Mercedes-Benz SLK, but it should be on the shopping list of anyone looking to spend $50,000 to $100,000 on a two-seater.
The 2014 Porsche Boxster doesn't have quite the lineage of the more famous 911, but it is fast becoming a legend in its own right. The mid-engine roadster has been an Automobile Magazine favorite since it debuted — it almost immediately won our Automobile of the Year award, in 1998 — and has remained the standard against which we measure roadsters and sports cars. It has matured over the years, evolving from something of a German Mazda Miata into more of a two-seat 911. The key selling point, however, has never changed: it's one of the best driving cars that money can buy.
For 2013, Porsche introduced the third-generation car. Truth be told, the old version hadn't been crying out for attention — it made our exclusive All-Stars list in its last year of production. But Porsche nevertheless found room for improvement. Most noticeable is the new exterior. The basic shape looks familiar, but crisp detailing makes this a far more muscular-looking car than the one it replaces. The muscle isn't just for show. Even the base car now hits 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, according to Porsche, and the 315-hp Boxster S does the same in 4.8 seconds. At the same time, the flat-six engines have become more efficient. The Boxster S has a higher fuel-economy rating than six-cylinder competitors like the BMW Z4 sDrive35i and the Mercedes-Benz SLK350. The base car, with its smaller 2.7-liter boxer six, matches the economy of four-cylinder rivals.
The 2014 Porsche Boxster has also become more refined. Its interior mirrors what's offered in the more expensive Panamera and 911 and is a bit roomier than before thanks to a longer wheelbase. The power soft top, which folds down in only nine seconds, nearly matches a hard top for noise isolation. These sorts of changes typically carry a weight penalty, and yet the Boxster is slightly lighter than its predecessor.
All of these impressive facts and figures fail to communicate the Boxster's appeal, which lies in the rasp of its flat-six in the open air and the feeling of complete control as you sweep through a turn and nail an apex. The engines are normally aspirated and tuned to respond immediately to the commands of your right foot. The transmissions — a six-speed manual and an optional seven-speed automatic — are similarly fast and smooth. This dreamlike driving experience makes the Boxster a tough matchup even for cars that trounce it on paper. The Boxster S easily dispatched its direct rivals, the Z4 and SLK, in our 2012 comparison test. More recently, we threw it in as the spoiler in a comparison of the BMW M3, the Audi RS5, and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. It won that, too. We've even wondered whether the roadster is better than the 911 (hardly a hypothetical question, given that a Boxster S with a long options list can easily sell for as much as a base 911).
Complaints? Well, some editors have complained that the electric power steering, although perfectly precise, doesn't communicate quite as well as the hydraulic rack on the last-generation Boxster. This is a bit like when wine aficionados swish a glass of thirty-year-old French wine and find that it doesn't have a sufficient sense of terroir. The Boxster also calls to mind a fine wine in that it is expensive. Some people will never understand the point of paying $50,000 for a sports car with 265 hp when a Chevrolet Corvette costing about the same produces more than 450 hp. But for those who "get" the Boxster, it is worth every penny.
You'll like:
- Flat-six soundtrack
- More refined and comfortable than ever
- The handling
You won't like:
- Eye-watering option prices
- Steering isn't as perfect as the old Boxster's
- Fairly pricey upkeep
Key Competitors
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Jaguar F-type
- Mercedes-Benz SLK