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by Brad Moon | February 6, 2012 11:48 am
As popular as Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX[1]), Hulu, iTunes, and other video streaming services are, there's a technical problem they all face. Delivering video over the Internet is a balancing act between quality and bandwidth use. Most consumers have download caps on their home Internet service and going over the cap costs them more money.
This has proven to be a real thorn in the side of Netflix and its $7.99 all-you-can-view streaming video service —which isn't really unlimited if customers get charged extra for excessive bandwidth use by their ISP (Internet service Provider). StreamingMedia.com estimates that a standard-definition, two-hour Netflix movie would require streaming roughly 1.8GB of data, with a 720p high-definition version clocking in at 3.2GB.
In the U.S., ISPs such as Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA[2]) and AT&T (NYSE:T[3]) offer 150GB and 250GB monthly download plans, which sounds like plenty. But consider a Nielsen study that shows the average American watches 28 hours of TV per week, with the typical house having two or more TVs, and it becomes apparent that Netflix can quickly eat away at that cap. Add Web browsing on computers and tablets, online gaming, music downloads, e-mail, checking Facebook, and the multitude of other data downloads happening in most homes, and even 250GB download caps can become limiting.
In Canada, which is currently the second biggest market for Netflix, many homes have caps significantly lower, with midrange plans in the 20GB to 30GB area —that's only a week's worth of standard definition Netflix TV, assuming the Web isn't used for anything else that month.
Customers have been complaining about bumping up against download caps. This led Netflix to introduce a lower-quality streaming option (which reduces the data requirement but offers a decidedly lower grade experience) while publicly fighting against ISPs and their download caps.
Based in Palo Alto, Calif., startup EyeIO launched at the end of December 2010. The privately held company boasts an impressive founder's list: Rodolfo Vargas, a former Senior Program Manager of video at Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT[4]); Robert C. Hagarty, the former CEO and Chairman of Polycom (NASDAQ:PLCM[5]); and Charles Steinberg, a former Sony (NYSE:SNE[6]) senior executive and recipient of three HDTV technology-related Emmy awards. EyeIO's mission is to develop superior algorithms for compressing video content. Its first customer is Netflix.
Using EyeIO technology, Netflix expects to gain the capability to stream video at lower bandwidth, without sacrificing quality and without requiring plug-ins or hardware upgrades. A key selling point of EyeIO is that it is fully standard-compliant and is not a proprietary video codec, meaning it's fully backward-compatible with existing hardware and software. No one in the industry wants to try to sell consumers on a new video standard —no matter how superior it might prove to be — so playing nice with what's already out there is critical for widespread adoption.
EyeIO claims that its encoding produces superior video with a 20% reduction in file size, and video that matches the quality of typical video streams at a 50% reduction. EyeIO also claims its videos are able to start playing after 2 to 3 seconds, compared to the 20 to 30 second lag that's more the norm for high-quality streaming content.
Needless to say, this capability is extremely valuable to a company like Netflix that has no control over ISP bandwidth limitations.
If its compression algorithm is a success for Netflix, EyeIO will find its solution in high demand. Television networks are increasingly offering streaming clips and shows online, sporting events—including Sunday's Super Bowl—are often streamed, as are trade-show events. The International Consumer Electronics Show streams keynote speeches, popular companies like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL[7]) stream key product announcements, and of course there's Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG[8]) YouTube, which serves up 3 billion streaming videos every day.
Cutting bandwidth not only makes it more likely that customers will watch a streaming video, it cuts costs for the provider as well. Mobile is the next frontier, and with much stricter bandwidth caps on smartphones and tablets, even while consumers demand video on the go, look for EyeIO to have potential customers lined up out the door.
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/02/eyeio-first-netflix-then-a-world-of-online-video-to-compress-nflx-cmsa-t-goog/
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Depending on how much you pay attention to the tech press, you may be aware that the DEMOfall08 and TechCrunch50 conferences were this week. But – although you'll find some coverage on our parent blog GigaOM – we haven't featured a single startup from either of those conferences on WWD. Why not?
The main reason is that we haven't seen anything coming out of either one of those events that looks like it will make a difference to the average web worker in the short run. Indeed, we suspect that the majority of these high-profile launches will vanish without a trace. The world already has a pretty good supply of mobile, social applications who mistake using Google AdWords for a business strategy. While that doesn't characterize every startup at the conferences, the level of innovation seemed to be off from some past years.
But surely the web can't be running out of innovation steam, can it? Here's our invitation to you, the real web workers: what have you seen lately that was new and exciting? What tools and services have you run into that do help streamline your day? What's worth shouting from the virtual rooftops about, even if it didn't participate in the VC-fueled dog-and-pony shows this week?

subset: commoncrawl


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If you have questions regarding the Rules Meeting Videos or Rules Exams, please contact Joan Gralla.
The structure of governance embraced by the WIAA extends the interests of its members to the local level. Because it is the membership--all 500+ high schools--that develops and applies the rules, attempts to contact someone with concerns or questions regarding the member's rules and interpretations should first be directed to local school administration.
When you contact the office (PDF)
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Stevens Point, WI 54482
NOTE: The most efficient method of communication with the WIAA on eligibility questions is through your athletic director or principal. Athletic Directors should gather all information necessary on a question and then call or write the WIAA. Athletes, coaches or parents calling the WIAA on eligibility matters can create confusion and delay. The school administration may be copied in the response. ADs or principals are encouraged to contact the WIAA Office directly.
The school administration may be copied in the response.
Eligibility FAQ
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text: Benji is ready for NRL return, says Price Tue 13 May, 2014, 6:15pm By James MacSmith, AAP Tweet Email Print Benji Marshall is ready to make his NRL comeback this weekend, Dragons coach Steve Price says, thought he is yet to confirm his inclusion to face Parramatta. Credit: NRL Photos (Photo digitally altered). St George Illawarra coach Steve Price says Benji Marshall is physically and mentally ready for a return to the NRL.But the Dragons mentor says he will delay a decision on whether to play the former Wests Tigers superstar in his side for Saturday's Round 10 match with Parramatta until later this week.Price said he was impressed with Marshall, who signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Dragons after severing ties with Super Rugby's Auckland Blues on Easter Monday, as he breezed through his first training session with his new side at Wollongong on Tuesday.Watch the NRL LIVE with a 2-week free trial.Get the NRL Digital Pass now!"Going by today's session he is in reasonable shape," Price said."In pre-season with the Blues he has done a hell of a lot of volume running and he looks good."He got through it all, it wasn't a taxing session by any means but he got through it all and he did a bit extra at the end."As you can see he is in a good head space ... and it is important that he has to earn the respect of his teammates, I'm sure he will."I don't think it would be too much of an expectation (for him to play the Eels). It wasn't that long ago he was out of the game."It is all about understanding our structures and our systems and I will make a call as we go in the coming days."Benji is a winner, he has shown that over the years, as he said on Friday he is disappointed how he finished."He is a proud man, a very humble man, hopefully we see the best of Benji in the Red V sometime this year."Marshall briefly addressed his new teammates on Tuesday and Price said if he was selected to play the Eels it would be alongside Gareth Widdop in the halves.The Tigers, who released Marshall at the end of 2013, are reportedly demanding $150,000 in compensation before he will be allowed play for the Dragons.Price said he was confident the issue wouldn't stand in the way of Marshall making his Dragons debut this weekend if selected."I'm sure that will get fixed up," Price said."That is a decision between the NRL and (Dragons chief executive) Peter (Doust)."It is not an issue at all." Tweet Email Print Send to a friend: Your Name: Your Email: Friend's Name: Friend's Email: Close Submit loading image needs to go here


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LI pro Rittberger can relate to Tiger's bad luck
AUGUSTA, Ga.
The sound of a golf ball clanging off the flagstick here Friday had a jagged echo on Long Island, where Garden City Golf Club head pro Bob Rittberger identified more than anyone with the shot that got Tiger Woods in so much trouble.
"It looked like he hit just about a perfect shot," Rittberger said by phone from the pro shop, referring to Woods' wedge on No. 15, which caromed into the water, costing a stroke penalty and igniting a controversy about where he took his drop.
Rittberger can't relate to the controversy, but he sure can empathize with the bad break. He was in excellent position to qualify for the U.S. Open in 2007 and hit what appeared to be a perfect shot into the 18th green at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. But his ball hit the flagstick and rolled onto a sprinkler head. It was difficult to hit off of that, and he made double bogey. He missed the Open by one shot.
"That's the game," he said Saturday, as gracious now as he was then. "There's not much you can do about it. In fact, there's nothing at all.
"Everybody that has come into the pro shop this morning has said, 'You know how that feels,' " Rittberger said. "I don't think this is going to affect his career as much as it did mine."
Liu making progress
It might not be too long before Jim Liu of Smithtown gets to play in the Masters. The senior at Knox School, who has committed to Stanford, is ranked No. 1 in the country on GolfWeek's junior rankings. He shot 8-under-par 63 in the final round recently to tie for fourth at the prestigious Azalea Invitational in Charleston, S.C.
And now he has received an exemption to play in the European Tour's Volvo China Open on May 2-5. "This will be my first tour event," he said, adding that he will travel there directly from Ireland, where he will be among the amateur golfers representing the Metropolitan Golf Association against the Golfing Union of Ireland in the Carey Cup. Joe Saladino of Huntington also is on the team, which will try to defend the title it won at Bethpage in 2011.
Park is No. 1
Sean Foley, the swing coach for Tiger Woods, was near the fairway on Augusta National's fifth hole the other day, watching Justin Rose, another of his students. He was met by a reporter who mentioned Annie Park of Levittown, who has studied with Foley longer than either Woods or Rose.
"She's No. 1 in the country, isn't she?" Foley said. Sure enough, a check with GolfWeek's rankings for women's college players lists Park, a freshman at USC, on top. Her team is ranked first, too.
Annika to visit L.I.
Annika Sorenstam and her husband Mike McGee were at the Masters earlier this week for television and promotional appearances. They said they will be at Sebonack in Southampton in June for the U.S. Women's Open. McGee is a friend of Sebonack owner Michael Pascucci. Sorenstam, a three-time winner of the Open, said she has never seen the course on Peconic Bay, "But I've heard it's beautiful."
A solid recommendation here for "The Irish Majors," about how Ireland and Northern Ireland went 60 years without winning a golf major championship, then won seven in the next five years. It is available on amazon.com, written by Philip Reid, golf writer for The Irish Times, whose brother, Alan, lives in Locust Valley.


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Written on: 02/07/2010
Second year at this festival. Fantastic, friendly people, great bands, good food and amazing weather both years.
2009: Favourites were Baka Beyond, Aziz, Ed Tudor Pole, Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds.
2010: Too many to mention but a few are - Aziz, Mike ? and Amy ? (she played harp), Piste Artistes
Great facilities even though the hot water ran out on the Sunday (it was soon sorted out).
Although I don't have children, this is a great festival for kids - not too big and plenty to keep them busy.
Santa even came along this year!
" Dirty, poor food, expensive and drunk high teens everywhere " Read More
" Another Awesome Event " Read More
Written by Susanj1
" Total rip off " Read More
Written by ambeng
" Not so speakeasy " Read More
" T20 Tickets " Read More


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" Not On The High Street Catalogues combines a multiple of shops. One basket with a hundred unique shops. "
This is a site I discovered quite recently. It's a unique online shopping space selling items by individual sellers and stores. It is a site best used for gift purchases since it has an extensive gift and novelty range. It also has excellent facilities for allowing you to best choose items that will suit the person to whom you wish to give the gift. For instance, you can search the site for gifts by narrowing the items down to those suited to particular personality types such as "art lover" or "pet lover".
The site requires registration prior to being able to make a purchase. However, the selling process is very simple. Items on the site are sold by different sellers so if you choose more than one item you will be charged per item for delivery and rates may vary according to each seller. The process is rather similar to Amazon MarketPlace or Ebay although I do feel as though this site is particularly well designed and very safe. The website individually approve all sellers before allowing them to have a selling account - this includes having the seller show their goods and providing any other information about their other professional standing.
Having ordered a few times from the site now I am happy to say I'm pleased with the service I received from all of the sellers I used. The items all arrived within a week of the order being placed and the items were packaged to a very high standard in order to adequately protect the items during transit.
I would say that in general the items on the site are perhaps more expensive than you might expect to pay for the same or similar items if you found them on the high street. However, most of the items on the site are quite unique and different and you'd be hard pressed to find them elsewhere. It has a boutique feel to a lot of the items. There is also a high degree of 'artsy' type products and hand produced items similar to what you'd find on sites like Etsy.
I would definitely recommend this site to anyone who is looking for interesting, quirky, one of a kind gifts or products for themselves. This is a really lovely website to use for shopping as it's well designed with lots of photos and product information. It's also exceptionally simple to search through categories. It's enjoyable to see all of the different items available for men, women, kids and more and they have categories including fashion, art, garden, home, jewellery and weddings.
This review is also on Ciao!
I think Notonthehighstreet gets a lot of unfair criticism, usually from people who have given very little notice or people who do not appreciate that a lot of the items are custom made to order and so are not readily available 'off the shelf'.
I bought a personalised poster from there for my sisters birthday and it was exactly what I wanted and my sister was absolutely thrilled with it. It was, however, a little pricey and since then I found another site called perfectposters who were cheaper. But my purchase was delivered quickly enough, was exactly as described on the site and I knew the cost before proceeding including the postage so I have no complaints.
My advice would be to shop around, many of the items for sale are from small one man/woman businesses who have their own websites and are probably paying a fair premium to Notonthehighstreet to sell on there. Otherwise be patient and order in good time at what is probably going to be a very busy online Christmas period.
I first found Not On The Highstreet when I was looking for somewhere to get personalised signs from. NOTH isn't actually a shop in its own right but more of a marketplace with lots of different sellers all using the website as a way for people all round the country to find their products.
The website is extremely easy to browse through and you can alter your search to only show the types of products you are looking for, so for me I just highlighted personalised signs, and there sure are plenty to choose from.
I had a good look through the site and then choose two different designs which I thought would suit my needs best. The instructions for the various personalised signs are very easy to follow, and you just fill in the various text boxes with your required text and other details.
The two signs I ordered were both from the small company 'Potting Shed Designs'. Once I placed my order I got an email confirmation. Then about a week later I got a dispatch email telling me my signs had been finished and were on the way to me. They took a good few days to arrive, but delivery was free so I wasn't complaining, and it sure was worth the wait!
Each sign was individually packaged in bubblewrap and wrapped in lovely packaging paper with a purple ribbon, a little gift card, and also a little bag of lavender which I thought was just lovely. The smell of the lavender hits you as soon as you open the package, and who doesn't love the smell of lavender! I hadn't even seen the first sign and I was already smiling, but when I did see the sign I was so pleased. It was better than I had pictured! It was a wooden sign with hand painted text, and you could see it was extremely high quality just by looking at it, but it also felt high quality. The second sign I had ordered was equally high quality. At this point I didn't think I could have been any happier, but that was when I noticed there was a third package again with a ribbon and gift tag, but this gift tag wasn't blank like the others, this one said 'Thank You'. I opened it a little confused at this stage as I knew I had only ordered two signs, but then once I saw what it was I realised it was a free gift! It was a little personalised wooden sign saying 'Mark's Office' (my name is Mark). The sign was equally high quality.
This really did make my day as I certainly wasn't expecting anything like that!
Because I had such an amazing order experience, a few weeks later I decided to purchase another three signs. This time two sign were from Potting Shed Designs and the third sign was from a different small company called 'Delightful Living'.
The sign from Delightful Living arrived first, and like my first two signs from PSD, it was super high quality, just what I was after.
Then a couple of days later, my next two signs arrived from Potting Shed Designs, and again both were packaged in lovely wrapping paper with a ribbon and a small bag of lavender, and to my surprise I had another small free sign. I thought the last free sign was just a thank you for being a first time customer, but here was a second free sign, in the same style as the first, but this one saying 'Work in progress...'.
I really didn't think I could be happier after my first order, but I was proved wrong. They even wrote a personal hand written thank you note on the receipt that came with both orders.
I am sure I will be ordered yet more products from NOTH, especially anything from PSD. The little touches such as the ribbon and bag of lavender and hand written note aren't hard to do, but make it extra special, and the free sign they send you is so generous of them. I really can't recommend them enough.
Ordered two garden lamps on the 14th July, marked them as gifts and assumed all was well. Six days later, I was informed they were not in stock and wouldn't be until mid august. No apology offered. I returned an email asking when exactly they would be in stock and was told they would arrive from the supplier on the 19th of August. I particularly liked the lamps so agreed this was acceptable.It's worth noting I was asked if I preferred some of the other items which were in stock. On the 22nd July, over a week after the initial order had been placed, I received what appeared to be an automated email telling me my order has been cancelled with no reasons given. Very disappointed, I would not recommend this site. Stick to the high street.
If you are ever stuck for gifting ideas then I have 5 works for you - Not. On. The. High. Street! I've been using this wonderful website for over a year now and have never been disappointed, it's fast become my first stop for birthdays, Christmas and lovely things for the home.
I found Not on the High Street when googling products made by another (gorgeous) website - www.buythesea.co.uk - who also sell through NOTHS. I was immediately hooked and have since purchased from this website at least 6 or 7 times.
NOTHS has been going since 2006, the concept being that the main site is an umbrella under which lots of other companies sell their products. These products are, for the most part, quite high end and original; essentially, things that cannot be found on the high street!
All of the companies that sell through the site are independent, small businesses, who bring trade to the site, and then attain a great selling platform that they may otherwise not reach. This means that NOTHS is not run out of an enormous warehouse, it is a hub site for 100s of different companies, who then receive the orders to their own stores/warehouses and subsequently supply the customer. All companies have to apply and be accepted to sell on the site, so you know that everyone has gone through a process to be there, rather than just having joined up without being vetted.
The web address for NOTHS is - http://www.notonthehighstreet.com
Pop this into the address bar of your browser and you will find a lovely, bright user friendly website. With your shopping experience broken down into useful categories, as well as a search bar for specific products/key words.There are 7 tabs across the top of the webpage:
home & garden/ women/ men/ baby & child/ gifts/ weddings/ the perfect gift guide
The first 5 offer exactly what you would expect, and the far right tab ('perfect gift guide') offers up all sorts of great gift ideas and tips that bring that special personal touch. Hover your mouse over any of these tabs and you will then be met with further categories, with each main theme broken down into useful sub departments. As well as things such as clothing or jewellery in the subdepartments, each menu contains 3 other categories that come in very handy when browsing:
1. Highlights - favourites picked by the NOTHS team - many a gift inspiration can be found here!
2. By Theme - this is rather abstract way to search for products under themes such as 'outdoor ambience' or 'sunny delights' in the garden department, which brings together a range of products like a personal shopper, and makes browsing more fun
3. On Trend - popular items reflecting current styles and fashions
By clicking on one product by a certain small business you can also then see their entire range, which is a tool that I find very useful when I see a product I like, but often makes me spend more!
Overall the website is set out very well for both those who know what sort of thing they are looking for, and those who want to spend some quality browsing time.
The tagline on the NOTHSwebsite is 'one basket, hundreds of unique shops', and this is certainly the case here. The range of products and businesses on this site is huge. You can buy anything from babygros to garden furniture and everything in between.
The other thing I love about this website is all of the personalised products that the various companies have to offer. There are all sorts of chocolate products where you can spell out people's names (which I did for all the family at Christmas with great results) - Choklet is the best company for this, they have beautiful patterened chocolate letters, laid out in boxes to spell names, messages or just initials with lovely decorative bows added to the packaging.
There are also ideas like putting children's drawings onto brooches, pendants or hessian shopping bags (A M Jewellery / Big Stitch) or framing single or multiple location map in a heart (Bombus). I could go on for hours!
Everything I have bought from this site so far (robot night light/ chocolate names/ personalised Mother's Day candle/ various personalised and graphic t-shirts) has been good quality product, all fairly expensive but worth the money for such original and lovely gifts - not the same old stuff from the high street!
All of my shopping experiences have met with great customer service. The payment is easy and secure, verified by all of the usual methods. There is a feature where you can contact the sellers about your order, which I have used to very swift response when I ordered a t-shirt fromGillian Kyle (who wouldn't love a website where you can buy a tshirt with a Tunnocks tea-cake on it?!), making the experience feel less impersonal. The range of recommended products that feature on the site is also another great way of seeing that the site knows its customer, and what they want.
Lots of the companies also offer gift wrapping, or the addition of gift bows, usually at between 50p-a couple of £ with a choice of colour or pattern.
Once you are on their mailing list, NOTHS also regularly send great catalogues, with an overview of some of their hot products of the moment. There was a special Valentines Day catalogue, and just this week I have received a great catalogue of varied gift ideas, which sent me straight back to the site for my Mum's birthday (and prompted this review!)
The only very slight downside to the whole shopping experience is price, in 2 ways:
1. The product on this site is, in general, expensive, but I do feel that the quality of every product I have bought and the ease of putting so many disparate and wonderful things into your basket, that you would not find side by side anywhere else, makes it worth the price.
2. Shipping - although the site is a one-stop shop, the postage is not a one-charge amount. Each business that you buy from will, understandably, charge you for their postage, although some companies do offer free postage after you spend a certain amount. This can REALLY add up, and you feel it especially strongly because you haven't been shopping at 5 different websites, despite having bought from 5 different companies!
Overall I cannot recommend this site enough. You will have so much fun browsing all of the original product ideas, and never be stuck for a gift again, whilst prettying up your own home, and possibly making your bank account look a little ugly, in the process!
I stumbled across notonthehighstreet.com after looking for a father's day present from my two little girls to my husband. I was sick of buying the usual boring presents and wanted something a little different. After using a search engine to try to find some unusual gifts, I found THE website! It is absolutely fantastic. The gifts are so beautiful I could have spent an absolute fortune! However (!!!), it is very expensive!
Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish started notonthehighstreet.com in April 2006 after the frustration of never being able to find the perfect gifts. They source beautiful items from small businesses and sell them on their website, giving the majority of the takings to the small business and taking a small cut themselves. Perfect for the little businesses that until now had been stuck in markets or in small villages.
The thing that I love most about notonthehighstreet.com is the personalised section where you can buy anything from personalised children's t-shirts, cushions, keepsake boxes and even wig-wams! My personal favourite (and one which I actually bought), is the handmade, personalised jewelry where you can have your children's names etched on a bangle or a necklace. Just beautiful! They also sell anything from home ware to fashion, food, cards and wrapping paper. For fathers day, I bought my husband a plant box (without the plants in), which was personalised to see 'Anja and Isabelle love their daddy'. I wasn't disappointed when I arrived this through the post just a few days later, however it did set me back £30.
Notonthehighstreet.com have the usual browse and search facilities, and an easy to use shopping basket, enabling you to add items from as many different small business sellers as you wish. The only thing with ordering, is as each item is made by individual businesses, you will be paying more than one delivery charge, but it will be added to your order in one go, so you can pay in one checkout. Your order is confirmed to you by email and you also get status updates by email too, such as when the item has been posted and how long you should expect to wait before receiving it.
They accept all major credit and debit cards, including Switch, Visa, Delta, Maestro and MasterCard, and with their online payment system being endorsed with VeriSign and McAfee certificates, you know you are shopping securely.
As many of the sellers are making hand made products, the majority do send in beautifully wrapped packaging (it states what kind of packaging the items will be received in for many of the items) at no extra cost, but some do offer a gift wrapping service if you are wanting the item as a gift. The items I have bought through this website have nearly always come in unique and imaginative wrapping, such as organza and velvet pouches and jeweled boxes.
If you hand make any of your own items, then you can of course sell the items through this website (subject to their say so I may add!), you just have to email them at firstname.lastname@example.com.
You have to have a look at this website - but hide your credit card first!
Notonthehighstreet.com has to be one of my favourite websites, i spend hours browsing through this site.
It was started up by two women in 2006 who just could never find what they were looking for - something original, little gifts that are just not stocked in big retail shops, and this is what this website is.
Notonthehighstreet is made up of lots of different sellers that sell their items through notonthehighstreet (a bit like ebay - just not second hand). All items are brand new and have been hand made or come from unique sources.
Notonthehighstreet sells many items womens, men and childrens fashion, beauty products, home and garden products, personalised items, eco products, wedding products anything you could possibly want. The items that are on there are beautiful and really personal you can buy just the most amazing gifts for that special person. Items including anything from fridge magnets to getting baby's fingerprinted inprinted onto a gold or silver piece of jewellery, cushions, lamps, kitchenware for the homelover, recycled products - anything you want.
You can buy something on here from £1 to £2,000+. I personally want to buy everything on this site.
You can even have your wedding list on this site (I would have mine here, i keep hinting, 9 years + 1child-no proposal = waiting).
All you have to do is go into the website find the items that you are looking for, using various search engines and add them to your shopping basket (the website is very easy to navigate). Once finished shopping you then pay for all your items using credit, debit or mastercard, visa or switch.
Once all goods have been ordered Notonthehighstreet will send you a confirmation e-mail to your address, and then confirm to let the sellers know. Once payment has been received your items are then ready for dispatch, and the seller of the product will e-mail you to let you know when they are being dispatched.
The only downside to this website is that each seller adds a delivery charge so if you order from 10 items from 10 different sellers you can end up paying quite a lot in delivery costs and these are not stated until you go to checkout.
So now i have persuaded you into looking, all you have to do is log onto their very easy to use website have a look and register.
Some of you may know that I love Welsh cakes, and that I eat them a lot as do most of my family. I have been searching for some time to find the perfect tin in which to store them, as they were languishing in one of those" lock and lock" containers which although keeps them perfectly fresh doesn't look particularly appetising or aesthetically pleasing.
Trawling the internet I found a web site which caught my eye because it claimed to be selling a cake tin inscribed with the words "Cacen" which is Welsh for cakes so I thought- perfect.
The website can be found at www.notonthehighstreet.com and it is a company who are acting as a window for sales from small businesses, who have to pass very strict criteria to be included in their selection. They only accept 5% of applicants, which indicates to me that they are a discerning group of people, who have put together some extremely well made and unique items. As their website address indicates many of these items are a little different, so if you are searching for an individual present you may find something of interest here.
The home page is very attractive and underneath the company logo is a statement which says "one basket, hundreds of unique shops", and this paints a picture really of what you might expect to find in the pages as you search the categories. These are clearly labelled at the top allowing you to click through to home and garden, fashion, jewellery, personalised, gifts, baby and child, cards and wrap, gourmet, weddings and a section for items which are hand made completes the choices. Each of these sections has sub categories which are clearly labelled, so you can soon find exactly what item you are looking for easily, quickly, and further subdivisions enable you to home in on exactly the item you are searching for. I think this is a superbly designed website.
Underneath these categories are boxes which you can click on to see what is new in that day, and they also have a section which has 40 great ideas which are updated daily too, so this may be helpful if you are looking for inspiration. There is also the opportunity to set up a wedding list on this site which you can allow others to access.
A particular favourite of mine is the section called "inspired by the sea", I own a cottage in the Outer Hebrides and these are the kind of items my house is filled with. Individually made pieces of seaside things, some made from driftwood, and many made by individuals making a living in these places producing gifts and home ware with beach and coastal themes. These items are also perfect if you want to create a nautical theme, maybe in a child's bedroom, and they have many items I have never seen before.
How It All Works
They have no warehouse or central store, because you are simply being given the opportunity to buy from small businesses themselves, who have been vetted and given this forum in which to sell their items.
Payments are completely secure, endorsed with VeriSign and McAfee certificates, and the company take a small fee from the amount of the sale, which you never see, of course, as it is included in the price, this being their commission for maintaining the website, marketing, and of course selecting the businesses, and ensuring the quality of the items.
As each seller is different the postage charges will vary between them, but they are working to tight guidelines laid out by the company, so that they deliver at a fair price, and also that they work to time scales so that the delivery times are acceptable. Most of their prices are set at £2.95 and some even deliver for free.
Any queries are to be directed at the seller in the first instance, but if this does not end the matter, the company will then intervene to ensure a satisfactory outcome, so I feel it certainly made me think I could order with complete confidence
The sellers benefit from extensive marketing behind the company and the buyer is assured of a good product.
My Experience
I purchased a tin for my Welsh cakes in lovely blue enamel and it arrived with me in 3 working days. It was beautifully wrapped, and it was also perfectly made too. On the website I was able to discern that the company who were going to sell this to me is a new enterprise that specializes in the sale of Welsh items and hampers. The company is called Bodlon and I was able to find everything I would possibly know about them by clicking on 3 items corresponding to "about the seller", "sales and returns policy", and I was able to see all their products by clicking through to them. The company makes hampers in a Victorian schoolroom in Llanarthne near Carmarthen, and the company name means "fulfilled or satisfied" in English which inspired me to order from them, and I was absolutely delighted.
Every item you look at has a seller with a history you can delve into, and from "Norfolk Boy" who makes beautiful things from driftwood in Norfolk, to "Cup Cakes" who sell all sorts of beautifully made items form craft workers all over the UK, this catalogue is a forum for the work of the best of British design and originality.
You can request a catalogue by filling in the form on their website or simply browse through pages and pages of online goodies from the comfort of home.
This is the most interesting and inspiring website I have come across in a long time, and certainly for gifts it will be somewhere I will be happy to use as a first port of call.
The final point I would like to make is that I emailed them to express my thanks for their excellent service, and received a thank you back straight away. I thought this was professional and welcoming, and certainly from the placing of my order through receipt of the item I have been totally impressed.
I think at a time when many small businesses are struggling this is a great way to support them, many of them operating from economically challenged areas, and producing items of outstanding beauty.
Simply find what youre looking for, using the browse and search facilities, and then drop as many things into one shopping basket, from as many different small business sellers as you wish.


text: I have never tried making bread before but I have several friends that are all experienced bakers. So they directed me to this recipe for my first attempt: http://annastable.blogspot.com/2011/01/rustic-artisanal-no-knead-bread.html So I gave it a try today and I have to say it was as easy as they said it would be and pretty darn tasty to boot. Here is my first loaf. As a matter of fact I have a second batch resting to do another one for Sunday morning.


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After a hard-fought and physical national championship game between Kentucky and Connecticut ended with the Huskies hoisting their fourth crown in 15 years, the college basketball season has come to an end. The Division I schools from Utah have long since ended their respective seasons, all with differing results. Four of the six schools made postseason play, with BYU and Weber State each losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament, while the University of Utah and Utah Valley each fell in road games in the first round of the NIT. As for the two remaining schools, Utah State struggled in its first season in the MWC and finished with an 18-14 record, while Southern Utah had a disastrous season, winning just two times in 29 chances.
Now that the season has wrapped up, it is time to look back at the players who had the best seasons from our six local schools, or in other words, the men's college basketball All-State teams.
Kyle Davis, sophomore, Utah State
Mitch Bruneel, junior, Utah Valley
Brandon Taylor, sophomore, Utah
Jeremy Senglin, freshman, Weber State
In his first season on the floor with the Aggies, Davis recorded seven double-doubles. His best game of the season came in a November win over Weber State when Davis made 8-of-9 shots to finish with 18 points while grabbing 14 rebounds. For the season, Davis averaged 9.1 points on 50.3 percent shooting from the floor, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots a game.
Bruneel started every game for the Wolverines and was a key piece of the regular season WAC champions. His best game came in the conference tournament loss when Bruneel scored 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor. For the season, Bruneel averaged 10.3 points on 52.5 percent shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists a game. Bruneel earned WAC All-Defensive team efforts for his play.
Taylor started every game for the resurgent Utes as one part of one of the best backcourts in the state. His best game of the season came in a January win over Oregon State when Taylor registered 23 points on 7-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc to go along with eight assists. For the season, Taylor averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game.
Senglin started every game during his freshman year for the Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament champions. His best game came in a December win over Saint Katherine when Senglin scored a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Senglin averaged 10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists on the season. For his efforts, Senglin was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year.
Zach Nelson, freshman, Utah Valley
Eric Mika, freshman, BYU
Preston Medlin, senior, Utah State
Kyle Tresnak, senior, Weber State
Joel Bolomboy, sophomore, Weber State
Nelson made the WAC All-Newcomer team after starting all 32 games for the Wolverines and recording five double-doubles. His best game of the season came in a January road win over Cal State Bakersfield when Nelson finished with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor as well as 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. For the season, Nelson averaged 10.5 points on 52 percent shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a block a game.
Mika started 28 of 33 games he appeared in during his freshman year and recorded five double-doubles as the Cougars' main inside threat on the offensive end. His best game of the season came in a January win over Pacific when Mika tied a career-high with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. He also set career highs in assists (three) and steals (three) while adding eight rebounds. Mika was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team after averaging 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds a game.
Medlin started all 32 games for the 18-14 Aggies and led the team in minutes played and assists. His best game came in a November win over Mississippi State when Medlin scored a season-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range while adding six assists. For the season, Medlin averaged 12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game.
Tresnak started all 31 games and was the leading inside scorer for the Wildcats even though he only attempted 7.9 shots a game. His best game of the season came in the most important game for Weber State. In the Big Sky Conference tournament championship, Tresnak led the Wildcats with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting as well as five rebounds and three assists to help Weber State earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2006-07. For the season, Tresnak earned second-team All-Big Sky honors after averaging 11.5 points on 59.4 percent shooting to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game.
Bolomboy started 28 games for the Wildcats and record 11 double-doubles for the Big Sky champs. His best game of the season came in a February win over North Dakota when Bolomboy finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, Bolomboy won the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in rebounding with 11 boards a game to go along with 8.7 points a night.
Spencer Butterfield, senior, Utah State
Jarred Shaw, senior, Utah State
Ben Aird, senior, Utah Valley
Holton Hunsaker, senior, Utah Valley
Matt Carlino, junior, BYU
Butterfield started all 32 games for the Aggies and finished second on the team in scoring while leading Utah State in 3-point shooting percentage. His best game of the season came in a December win over UCSB when Butterfield registered 31 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. For the season, Butterfield averaged 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. For his efforts, Butterfield was named All-MWC honorable mention.
Shaw started all 27 games he appeared in for the Aggies and totaled eight double-doubles while leading Utah State in both scoring and rebounding. His best game of the season came in a March win over San José State when Shaw finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds. For the season, Shaw earned All-MWC honorable mention after averaging 14.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a game.
Aird started all 32 games for the regular season WAC conference champs and registered seven double-doubles while leading the Wolverines in rebounding. His best game of the season came in a January win over Cal State Bakersfield when Aird finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. For the season, Aird earned All-WAC first-team after averaging 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks a game.
Hunsaker earned All-WAC first-team honors after leading the Wolverines to the Western Athletic Conference regular season championship. His best game of the season came in a February win over Grand Canyon when Hunsaker finished with 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with three rebounds and four assists. For the season, Hunsaker led Utah Valley with 14.2 points and 4.2 assists a night while adding 2.3 rebounds and one steal a game.
Carlino earned All-WCC honorable mention even though he went from starting to coming off the bench midway through the season. One of his best performances of the year came in a January loss to Portland when Carlino finished with 25 points, nine assists ans seven steals. For the season, Carlino averaged 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals a game.
Jordan Loveridge, sophomore, Utah
Delon Wright, junior, Utah Wright
Davion Berry, senior, Weber State
Tyler Haws, junior, BYU
Kyle Collinsworth, sophomore, BYU
Loveridge started all 33 games and was a huge part of the Utes' return to the postseason. One of his most impressive performances of the season came in a December win over Idaho State when Loveridge finished with 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks. For the season, Loveridge averaged 14.7 points, seven rebounds and 2.3 assists a game.
Wright started all 33 games for the resurgent Utes and was the best player for Utah all season long. Wright had some remarkable performances on the season, including the first game of the year when Wright finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting as well as 10 rebounds, seven assists, seven steals and three blocks in a win over Evergreen State. For the season, Wright earned All-Pac 12 First Team honors after averaging 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists a night. Wright was also named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team after averaging 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks a game.
Berry led the Wildcats in scoring, assists and steals on his way to winning the Big Sky Player of the Year award and carrying Weber State to the NCAA tournament. One of his best games on the season came in a late January win at Northern Arizona when Berry scored 28 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. For the season, Berry averaged 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and one steal a game.
Haws followed up a huge sophomore season with a terrific junior year while helping to lead the Cougars back to the NCAA tournament after a year absence. His most impressive game of the season came in a January loss at Portland when Haws finished with 48 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor as well as three rebounds and two steals. For the season, Haws was named WCC Player of the Year after averaging 23.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal a game.
In his first season back on the floor, Collinsworth had a great all-around season for the Cougars to earn All-WCC First Team honors. One of his most dominant performances of the season came in the Cougars' first conference tournament game against Loyola Marymount when Collinsworth totaled 23 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and three steals to help BYU advance. For the season, Collinsworth averaged 14 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals a game before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Gonzaga in the conference championship game.


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The Dormen Spicy Peanuts 160g
£1.56 per 100g
Product Description
Product Information
- Brands: The Dormen
The Dormen
Warning: Small children can choke on nuts.
Packed in a factory that handles nuts and derivatives and sesame seeds
Preparation and Usage
Warning: Small children can choke on nuts.
The Dormen Food Company,
Package Type
Heat Sealed
Allergy Advice: For allergens see highlighted ingredients
Peanuts (44%), Modified Starches (Potato, Corn, Wheat), Vegetable Oils (Palm, Sunflower), Salt, Sugar, Mexican Flavourings (Flavour, Onion Powder, Garlic, Paprika, Chilli Powder, Yeast Powder, Wheat Flour, Lactose (Milk), Glucose Syrup Powder, Dextrose, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid; Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin), Colour: Paprika Extract
Nutritional Data
|Typical Values
|Per 100g
|of which saturates
|of which sugars
Customer Reviews
31 December 2014
1 of 1 found this review helpful.
They're coated
Not just spicy nuts, they have a wheat coating on them which was just not what we were looking for. My husband says they're like a nut in a quaver. Not a hit in this house, I'm afraid they went in the bin.
22 June 2014
2 of 2 found this review helpful.
Close to the Edge
I hadn't realised that these nuts had a wheat coating on them. For me they're only just on the right side of too spicy, so probably not something I will indulge in too often, but those with a stronger tolerance may love them.
15 December 2013
0 of 1 found this review helpful.
Awesome Tasting nuts
Im not a nut lover normally but I was given a packet of these and was told to try them and they were really good not to spicy to me, a bit like nik nak nice n spicy crisps
22 July 2011
Shockingly spicy at first but, after the first few, thoroughly addictive. Perfect with a chilled glass of white wine.
- Disclaimer
- These summary details have been prepared for information purposes only, and are designed to enhance your shopping experience on the Ocado website. While we have taken care in preparing this summary and believe it is accurate, it is not a substitute for your reading the product packaging and label prior to use. You should note that products and their ingredients are subject to change. If you do require precise ingredient information you should consult the manufacturer, whose contact details will appear on the packaging or label.
- Ocado is therefore unable to accept liability for any incorrect information. Where this description contains a link to another party's website for further information on the product, please note that Ocado has no control over and no liability for the contents of that website.
- You should also note that the picture images show only our serving suggestions of how to prepare your food - all table accessories and additional items and/or ingredients pictured with the product you are purchasing are not included.
- This data is supplied for personal use only. It may not be reproduced in any way whatsoever without Ocado Limited's prior consent, nor without due acknowledgement.


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Logica gives jobs boost to technology graduates
Logica will open the door to more technology graduates this year by employing 2,500 young workers, a two-thirds increase on 2010.
The IT services company took on 1,500 graduates last year, a tenth of whom were in its British home market, as it sought to bring fresh blood into the business. It took on only 500 graduates in 2009, having cut 2,500 jobs during the recession to cope with a slowdown in demand.
The move will help to ease the concerns of British computer graduates after several large IT suppliers, including Hewlett-Packard and BT Global Services, cut their workforces.
Richard Holway, a technology analyst, said that the move was a double-edged sword as only a tenth of the new roles would be in Britain. However,…


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Globe staff
With Lucy still on the lam in the Nanaimo area (full story here), we put together this handy guide on what to look for.
- Male emus gain sympathy weight during breeding season and serve as stay-at-home dads. After forming breeding pairs in summer, the male builds a nest of twigs and leaves in which his partner lays five to 15 eggs, according to the San Diego Zoo. She then leaves, and the male emu – who has plumped up for the season – incubates the eggs for the next eight weeks and raises the chicks.
- Emus are excellent at hiding. Their shaggy, brown-grey feathers not only help them blend in with bushes and shrubs but cope with extreme changes in weather, according to Parks Victoria in Australia.
Story continues below advertisement
Follow us on Twitter @GlobeBC


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Unfortunately I've been dragging my feet on updating about Infinite Toys For Tots, but since it's almost Christmas I figure I had best update. I know a lot of you have been emailing me or sending me messages with donations, but haven't seen the counter move. I've just been very swamped with other stuff to update the counter.
The good news is, I finally got her updated! Even better news is that we've reached 25 donations and I've matched them to make it a total of 50 donations! Most stores took up their Toys For Tots bins this weekend, so if you're still looking to donate, make sure to visit their website: Toys For Tots Locations to find out if there's anywhere around you that you can still donate.
Don't forget you can do an online donation as well (several people have) and we'll match you with one in return!
And for the sake of keeping things on the level, here's a few photos of me out matching some donations. I didn't take a photo for each one but I wanted to let you guys know that we've done some great work this year. I don't know if we'll reach our unofficial goal of 30 donations by Christmas, but we've come darn close and I must say some of the stuff folks have donated this year has been really great.
We also did our annual Angel Tree donations. I've mentioned this each year, but if you don't know about the Angel Tree program, the basis is that you choose a needy kid (or a family) and buy them gifts. You don't know anything about the person, other than their age, sex and a few of their wants. This year we upped ourselves to a family of three kids. Personally I like to do the younger kids, but our kids were a bit older this year. Older kids deserve a good Christmas too, though.
The boy was the youngest kid we had. He was 11, I believe. Anyway, he wanted some Legos, so we got him an assortment of different Lego toys. I also got him a Optimus Prime Kre-O set, because that seemed pretty cool. He also got some clothes, along with a new coat. Hopefully he enjoys it all.
We had a 13 year old girl who was interested in art supplies, so we stocked her up on a ton of neat art stuff. Some clothes as well, because you gotta have some clothes for Christmas.
Our oldest was a 16 year old girl. We got her a bunch of baking supplies as she asked for and a neat cupcake maker machine with the gear to use it. Hopefully she can bake her family some tasty treats this holiday season.
Finally, we got them all an assortment of candies and such for their stockings. I feel like that's an essential part of the Christmas experience. So we always try to do that as well.
There's no official website for the Angel Tree program (instead there's lots of different Angel Tree program sites) so I can't link you to one. I suggest visiting a local church or community center and see if they're doing one. There are a variety of Angel Tree programs, some focus on kids who have incarcerated parents while others just focus on needy families (which is the one we participate in) but I encourage you to look into it. Every year, providing the best Christmas I can for these kids is one of the most rewarding parts of the season for me.
Thanks again everyone for your Infinite Toys For Tots donations, everyone who contributed is wonderful and I hope you guys continue to give and help out those in need and make it a part of your annual holiday traditions.


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Danielle Fishel Marries, Slams Criticism of Husband's Age
Danielle Fishel married longtime boyfriend Tim Belusko during a lavish ceremony in Los Angeles over the weekend.
However, on Tuesday, the "Boy Meets World" star lashed out against internet bullies who criticized the age difference between the bridge and groom.
Fishel, 32, is now married to her longtime boyfriend who is just 25-years-old.
"People are giving me major s--- for marrying someone younger than I am," the actress posted to Twitter. "Tim is mature, responsible, loving & kind. Way to judge people, internet."
"You know what makes dealing with rude comments easy? Love & happiness," she later added. "I'll just keep being the happiest me & you keep being the rudest you."
The seven-year age difference is not the only issues Fishel has had to defend herself against. The actress also responded internet bullies who criticized the actress' weight once photos of the star in her wedding dress were revealed.
"Ppl saying I was FAT @ my wedding: u r the worst kind of ppl on the PLANET," Fishel posted on Tuesday. "I weigh 107 pounds & am 5'1". YOU are the reason anorexia exists."
The actress also noted, "I hope you'll look at your own miserable lives and learn to stop judging others on their weight and looks. Love and happiness wins again."
Furthermore, Fishel quipped about her plans to return from her honeymoon "weighing 299 pounds."
Meanwhile, Fishel is not the only celebrity to have tied the knot over the weekend. "American Idol" alum Kelly Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock on Sunday, Oct. 20.
"I'm officially Mrs. Blackstock," the singer tweeted before adding three photos taken from the nuptials. "We got married yesterday at Blackberry Farms in TN, the most beautiful place in the world!"
Similar to Fishel, Clarkson has also battled critics against her weight in the past. However, the "Stronger" singer recently lost 18 pounds, and healthfully.
"You'd be amazed the amount of weight you can drop by halving your portions," Clarkson explained to Cosmopolitan magazine. "I know it sounds crazy, but do it for two weeks and watch what happens."


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On a night when former Padre Adrian Gonzalez launched two, two-run homers to lead the Dodgers to a 9-2 win, the Padres might have lost their first baseman to an injury.
Yonder Alonso, who missed six weeks at midseason with a broken bone in his right hand, came out of Friday night's game with an injury to another area of the same hand.
"Yonder has an issue," said Padres manager Bud Black. "We'll evaluate it overnight."
But outfielder-first baseman Kyle Blanks, who was expected to return to the Padres on Sunday, could be called off his rehab assignment and rejoin the Padres Saturday in Los Angeles.
Padres manager Bud Black said Alonso's injury was unrelated to the fracture of the third metacarpal bone that Alonso suffered on May 31 when he was hit in the right hand by a pitch. He missed 39 games with that injury.
Alonso has hit .288 since his return, although he has only four doubles and no homers over his last 41 games.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez is punishing his hometown – team.
The first baseman hit a pair of two-run homers Friday night as the Dodgers continued their incredible run with a 9-2 victory over the Padres before 51,769 at Dodger Stadium.
Gonzalez -- a graduate of Chula Vista's Eastlake High who hit .288 with 161 homers and 501 RBIs for the Padres from 2006-2010 -- is hitting .387 against the Padres since being traded to the Boston Red Sox in December of 2010.
Gonzalez is 36-for-93 against the Padres with five doubles and six homers for 23 RBIs. His batting average is the highest among active players (with 75 or more at-bats) against the Padres. All six of his homers And 13 of the RBIs have come this season.
The Dodgers were ahead 2-1 thanks to starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu when Gonzalez connected for his 18th homer of the season off Padres starter Eric Stults in the third. His second homer came off Anthony Bass during a five-run seventh that broke the game open.
Each of Gonzalez's homers followed a double by Hanley Ramirez, whose seventh-inning hit drove in the first two runs of the inning. Catcher A.J. Ellis followed Gonzalez with a second straight homer off Bass.
"It's amazing," Gonzalez said after the game. "We're playing great ball. Everyone is clicking. And the pitching has been fantastic."
Ryu beat the Padres with his arm and bat. Facing the Padres for the first time, Ryu gave up one run on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings on a hot and steamy night. Ryu issued one walk while striking out six.
Ryu, who entered the game with a .191 average, doubled home Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second then scored the go-ahead run on Yasiel Puig's looping single just over the glove of Ronny Cedeno in short left.
Stults allowed four runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings as he suffered his fifth straight loss over his last eight starts with a 4.91 earned run average.
"I think Stults threw the ball better than his line," said Black. And the pitcher agreed.
"The results were frustrating," said Stults. "I felt I threw better than the results. The full-count fastball to Ryu and the pitch to Adrian hurt me. I like the pitch I threw to Gonzalez, it just caught more of the plate than I would have liked."
The Padres took a short-lived lead in the top of the second Jesus Guzman singled with one out and scored on Logan Forsythe's double to the wall in left center.
The single was Guzman's fourth straight hit on the trip as he raised his average on the road this season to .304 with 11 doubles and all eight of his homers for 23 RBIs. By comparison he is hitting .171 at home with five doubles, no homers and seven RBIs.
The Padres' best opportunity came in the top of the seventh while they trailed by three runs. Nick Hundley, Cedeno and Alexi Amarista opened the inning with successive singles. But Hundley was thrown out at the plate on Amarista single to center and two ground outs kept the Padres off the board.
"(andre) Ethier made a nice throw to get Nick," said Black.
The Dodgers are 49-13 starting with their 6-1 win over the Padres on June 22 at Petco Park. The Padres are 22-38 starting with that loss.
--For the second time in three days, the Padres announced a starting outfielder is done for the season. Padres manager Bud Black said Cameron Maybin won't play again in 2013, although he will not need surgery to repair the PCL in his right knee. Maybin will likely play winter ball.
--Left fielder Carlos Quentin will have surgery on his right knee Tuesday at Scripps Clinic in San Diego. Team physician Dr. Heinz Hoenecke will perform the surgery, which is expected to concentrate on floating particles around the patella. It will be Quentin's third surgery to his right knee in the last 18 months.
--Blanks has been out since July 12 with Achilles tendinitis.
--Third baseman Chase Headley could be back in the Padres lineup as soon as Saturday. He missed a second straight start due to a sore back Friday. Headley took a shortened batting practice and fielded ground balls.
--Left-handed starter Cory Luebke followed Tuesday's 70-pitch bullpen in Arizona with a 30-pitch bullpen Friday. He again threw only fastballs and changeups. "I'm sorta on the type of schedule I'd be on if I were pitching in games," said Luebke, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.


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Rugby officials are bracing themselves for another wave of postponements tomorrow.
Clubs are being asked to pull out all the stops to get games staged.
But several pitches have not been set foot upon since well before Christmas – and the outlook to play match catch-up soon is bleak.
Tottonians' aptly-named Water Lane ground was ruled out during the week – the last match on their first team field was against Trojans on December 14.
Only a helping hand from Southampton RFC allowed them to entertain Effingham & Leatherhead in London 2 South-West last weekend.
Tottonians were happy to give up home advantage to get their match against Winchester played, but the signs were another postponment until March 15.
Winchester coach Andy Fields said: "If it carries on like this, I can't see it happening, but I would like it played because we have a strong squad and we are playing better at the moment."
It's a little better at Fordingbridge thanks to a team of volunteers who have been manning pumps in one corner of their Recreation Ground pitch to help get games played.
Bridge also had Snows Group Hampshire 1 rivals Southampton to thank for allowing them to take on Andover at Test Park on January 18.
First team manager Ian Brown explained: "For the last two Saturdays we have had willing volunteers pumping the water off from 8am and we got the games played. As far as we are concerned, we are going for it again."
Bridge will make regular checks on the ground before the Millbrook fixture.
A late decision will also be made on the Trojans v London Irish game at Stoneham Park.
Trojans chairman Shaun Magill said: "One moment we think it is drying out and the next we think the weekend is in doubt.
"In the past we have always been very well drained, but even we are suffering.
"We have not had a game there since Christmas – it's just an exceptional volume of water."
Eastleigh are still hoping their scheduled SW3 game at Camberley can be played on an Army pitch at Aldershot. They will be without Paul Taylor, Tony Fudio, John Weatherall who are all unavailable, and Martin Kirby who was red carded last weekend.
Hampshire RFU executive director Rick Scott , pictured left, said: "Everybody is hacked off but there's nothing we can do about it. Everybody plays on grass and there nowhere for the rain to go.
"With rain expected Friday and Saturday we expect another batch of matches to be called off again."
The London South-East organising committee is encouraging clubs to play on their opponents' pitch if it is dry and their own facilities are still under water.
"If that means a team travelling to one place twice in a season, then so be it," said Scott. "Clubs are being asked to look long and hard about moving the fixture somewhere else.
"The South-East organising committee are thinking of making that part of the administration instructions for next year. If a ground is fit to play clubs will potentially have to play away twice."
But Scott admitted that can bring extra pressure on clubs who will have to fork out on coach travel at the last minute at a time when they would be relying on a home fixture to bring in much needed money.
He added: "To some of the clubs, the bars are their lifeline and clearly revenue is not going to be coming in if they are playing away.
"If you lose two or three pre-match lunches that will affect club revenue.
"I'm not sure off the top of my head what the answer to that is."
But he also said the on-going problem was nothing compared to what so many householders are suffering in other parts of the country.
"At the end of the day we are losing rugby games, which is dreadful, but tens of thousands of people are going without power.
"We have to get it in perspective – we are losing rugby and they are losing their livelihoods and even their lives."


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How To Write Awesome Rap Punchlines
Riding the beat and writing dope lyrics are key-aspects of rapping – but being a skillful wordsmith won't take you far if your flow and song theme aren't backed up by emotion. Literary devices are priceless tools for getting your message across to your audience – some use them naturally, others pick up on them and learn as they go. When it comes to powerful rhymes, jaw-dropping rap punchlines can not only turn your rap into a mind-blowing and memorable experience, but it can also help you deliver your text with conviction and passion. You'll notice that the best rappers have mastered the art of writing punchlines – here's how you can do it too.
Prepare your rhymes
Most of us don't have a natural gift for throwing out insane one-liners left and right. So if we want a gripping or thought-provoking rap punchlines – we have to work on it and polish our idea before it becomes worthwhile. It's important to note that the punchline should be the cornerstone of your song and to take that into consideration when creating rhymes. Given that you can add so much force and feeling using this technique, you'll much rather want to compose a rap that revolves around your punchline than have to write it up after your song's finished and struggle to somehow integrate it with the rest of your lyrics.
Choose a type of rap punchlines
There's one of three ways that you can usually go with rap punchlines – tackle a timeless theme, poke fun at societal norms and personalities or add a clever twist to an old saying. Choose one and make sure you know which kind you want to use before starting to write your song. The first is generally employed to add emotion and weight to your flow and usually carries with it a strong message. This type of punchline works because it's relatable, so you want to cover a general topic that appeals to most of your audience, but still offer a unique feel and perspective. You can look for inspiration in your everyday life or by observing the routines and hardships of those around you. The second type, social satire, is the easiest to pull off. If you've got no inspiration, become more informed about the world and stay tuned to your local news.
You can also do freestyle to train yourself and boost your improvisation skills. Lastly, you can use literature and conventional wisdom to help you write. Just find proverbs that fit with your theme and turn them around into something surprising and brainy. If you're a bookworm and you're good with metaphors, use that to your advantage. Use puns, similes, unusual comparisons and irony to build tension and deliver your message powerfully.
Can't find the right words? Use this trick!
If you've got a great punchline in mind, but don't know how to make it everything rhyme, use slant rhymes. You've probably heard about this before – slant rhymes, also called near rhymes. Slant rhymes are groups of words which sound very familiar, even if in writing or otherwise they don't perfectly rhyme. Some examples are: great-state-weight, orange-unhinge, dangerous-trashing us, heartless-conscious. Try it out for yourself! Using this technique will make your job a lot easier.


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The EEOC has sued Newark- and Port Elizabeth-based automotive processor FAPS Inc., for race and disability discrimination. The suit charges the company with engaging in a "pattern and practice" that discriminates against black applicants and asking job-application questions that violate the ADA.
According to the complaint, FAPS employs fewer black employees in entry-level positions than would be expected given the demographics of the Newark area.
FAPS maintains a 250-acre facility adjacent to Port Newark, Port Elizabeth and a freight rail terminal. The company receives cars built overseas by more than 20 manufacturers and prepares them for delivery to U.S. dealerships. The company's vehicle prep operation is one of the largest such facilities in the world.
FAPS (the initials stand for "Foreign Auto Preparation Service") also preps U.S.-built cars for shipment to other countries.
The EEOC alleges that FAPS turned away qualified black applicants in favor of less qualified job-seekers of other races. In one case, a black applicant was allegedly told there were no openings when, in fact, there were.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to end the discriminatory practices, plus back pay and compensatory and punitive damages for black applicants who were not hired or who were deterred from applying for jobs because of their race.
Advice: Establish fair, consistent, nondiscriminatory hiring practices and enforce them in-house before government agencies get involved. Also note that you're not allowed to ask medical questions before making a conditional job offer. That violates the ADA. Examine your job applications and remove all medical questions.


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Ear Anatomy
The ear consists of the external ear canal, middle ear, and inner ear. The middle ear is separated from the ear canal by the eardrum. The middle ear contains the malleus, incus, and stapes, which are also known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. The inner ear contains the cochlea, which is the main sensory organ of hearing. The Eustachian tube runs from the middle ear to the area in back of the nose.
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I liked them both. I think Ben's was more honest, I think Ashlee's was for attention, and part production.
I liked them both. I think Ben's was more honest, I think Ashlee's was for attention, and part production.
The average dog is a nicer person than the average person
-Andy Rooney-
On a different note... I was pretty surprised that AshLee felt that she was owed or deserved... that Sean come see her to make sure that she was OK after he sent her packing. WOW!
Last edited by I'm here; 03-10-2013 at 03:17 PM.
I know most all here think Ashlee is a little nutzo ...that may be the case, but I think she chose the only option she felt had ( to get some answers) and she came off looking wrong instead of wronged.
"The way to become boring is to say everything." Voltaire
" The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. "
Mohandas Gandhi
That stuff about why didn't Sean come to check on her after he let her go was mind-blowing. This girl needs so much reassurance and attention that she expects a man who, in effect, broke up with her to then come and visit to see if she's okay after he rejected her?! HUH?? When a guy lets you go, you're gone, game show or not. Get a clue, AshLee. Same thing when a woman breaks it off with a guy.
You could be the juiciest, most ripe peach, but there is still going to be someone who doesn't like peaches.
The only times that a guy has come back to see me after breaking up with me was when they regretted it and wanted to get back together again. Why is it that I suspect that's really what Ashlee was wanting?
I am getting really excited about the finale and can't believe I've lasted this long without being spoiled. Since I'm so ate up with this silly show, I am dying to go read other sites about it but know that I can't if I want to remain unspoiled just one more night.
Last edited by Arielflies; 03-10-2013 at 10:11 PM.
"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling"
Even though she would probably swear up & down that she really thought Sean was the one for her, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she behaved exactly the same way with the next guy she falls for.
Just once, I'd like to see Chris Harrison say the following at the first rose ceremony:
"Ladies (ding, ding, ding). Welcome to The Bachelor... You know the drill by now, you've seen it on television... We have Sean Lowe in the house. You've seen him rejected by Emily. It was the most dramatic rose ceremony ever... at least until tonight... He's hot. We'll show you plenty of footage of Sean in the shower. We probably picked him in part because he spends most of his life in the weight room. He isn't the brightest guy in the world, in fact he can't really count to 200. He's got some money, and we'll give him some more, so he's doing OK on that end...
"In short, ladies, he's someone you can show off with pride... however, like every hot 20-something full-of-himself man in America trying to make a name for himself on reality television, he's only looking for one thing. Oh, we'll pretend like we always do. And, who knows, maybe lightning will strike and love will blossom once the lights are off and the gaffer goes home for the season. We'll do our part and create impossibly romantic scenarios....
"Now a few of you will get to stick around for a few weeks. You've read the contracts, so you have to provide a family. Don't worry, we have some rentals if you need them. In fact, we've got this guy with a ridiculous tattoo on his wrist who's willing to play an angry brother or a jilted lover, or even a love child for you older contestants. Just ask when the time comes...
"When you get to those alone dates, you will probably have sex with Sean. He's a red-blooded American male, and, well, we can't pay him *that* much so we promised him he could have that alone time. You've all had your screenings, and he has, too. Just be safe, OK?
"And, ladies, while we ask that you open yourselves up (see page 17 of the contract) and provide us with a generous supply of 'I can see myself married to Sean' quotes (see page 34), he's going to dump almost all of you. Yeah, he will. Yes, you in the back with the dark hair, the angry stare and the impossible figure... He will dump you, and you won't see it coming... No, I'm telling you that he is required to take four of you on home-town dates and he will say anything to ensure that happens. We can't have another Shannon from season one.
"Yeah, that was embarrassing. I mean, we took care of it. But our contracts weren't as strong then, so page 54 and the fine-print about baseball bats and kneecaps wasn't there at all. Just be careful out there, remember your lines, work with our acting coach so that you can cry on cue if you have no formal training. And let the games begin."
Bravo! Wonderful bit of whimsy with more than a touch of truth.
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. Dorothy Parker, (attributed)


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Power was restored Friday morning to areas in Orange and San Diego counties after a blackout shut power to some 123,000 homes and businesses for several hours.
Faulty circuits may have caused the power outage from Mission Viejo to San Clemente at 11:40 p.m. Thursday, said Jennifer Ramp, a spokeswoman for San Diego Gas & Electric. The company's entire south Orange County customer base was in the dark for about three hours.
The blackout affected people in Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Ladera Ranch, Coto De Caza, Ortega, San Clemente, Talega, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Capistrano Beach, Camp Pendleton and La Mesa.
"We saw a huge flash, burst of greenish/white light in the sky and then everything went black," Facebook user Stephanie Sims said in a comment.
The outage mainly impacted customers in south Orange County, but the online outage map also listed hundreds of customers without power in Camp Pendleton and La Mesa, in San Diego County.
More Southern California Stories:
- Oswald Wedding Ring Up for Auction
- Married Couple Accused of Running High-End Prostitution Ring
- Hero Dog Saves Boy, Grandma from Fire
- Rally for Trayvon Becomes Violent in IE
- Civilians to Issue Parking Tickets in Malibu
- 4-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Starved by Mom


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Content tagged with "Clean Water Act"
The Haile Gold Mine, the Loopholes, the Permitting, and the Push Eastward
Aaron Mintzes | January 17, 2013
Senator Cantwell does right by wild salmon. Let's send her some thanks.
Alan Septoff | September 16, 2011
A week of attacks on communities and the environment
Lauren Pagel | July 15, 2011
No issues articles contain that tag.
Loopholes for Polluters
Lauren Pagel, Lisa Sumi | May 16, 2011
Hells Canyon Preservation Council, EARTHWORKS, NW Environmental Defense Center v. USFS
Honorable Paul Papak | August 4, 2006
New EPA Clean Water Act policy aids abandoned mine cleanup
Earthworks | Wednesday, December 12, 2012
EARTHWORKS Celebrates Effort to Close Clean Water Act Loophole
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Statement of Payal Sampat, EARTHWORKS, on Supreme Court ruling on mining waste disposal in water bodies
Friday, June 26, 2009
No voices articles contain that tag.


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AMSTERDAM – A few Americans suited up for Europa League Matchday 3 action on Thursday, with Aron Jóhannsson and AZ Alkmaar fighting back for a 1-1 draw at Shakhter Karagandy.
The US forward made a key run to clear the way for Johann Berg Gudmundsson's 26th-minute equalizer. However, Jóhannsson (above) was robbed by the Kazakh side's netminder on his best chance of the night midway through the second frame.
The Cheese Farmers now stand in second, two points behind Group L leaders PAOK, as they make the mid-point turn of the group phase.
Elsewhere, Terrence Boyd worked all 90 minutes as Rapid Vienna leveled late in a 1-1 share with Belgian hosts Genk.
The Green-Whites ace could have notched a flick-on assist after just seven minutes were it not for a home defender clearing Christopher Dibon's shot. Boyd then nearly equalized for the visitors nine minutes before intermission, only to watch his own close range header plucked from the line.
Thanks to Marcel Sabitzer's 82nd-minute rally strike, Group G cellar-dwellers Rapid pulled to within two points of second place.
Also, Brad Friedel watched on as Tottenham stayed perfect atop Group K with a 2-0 win over Moldovan hosts Sheriff Tiraspol. Spurs are the only team in the tournament to have won their first three group-stage matches, doing so without leaking a single goal.


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Imperial Formosan Tea Photos
I spent an extremely pleasant morning in Lugu taking these tea field photos for the gorgeously designed Imperial Formosan Tea website.We arrived in the very early morning to a colorful and clear sunrise, took some photos in refreshingly dewy tea fields and drank pots of high quality teas
Soulangh Artist Zhang Ya-hui
Soulangh Culture Village recently had an amazing art installation (東山想像與其物產) by Tainan artist Zhang Ya-hui. Her exhibit was a sensory extravaganza of natural materials taken from the Dongshan farming community where she was raised and
A bit about Zhentou — Taiwan's traditional performance troupes.
I have been involved with Soulangh Cultural Park's renovation of their Yizhen exhibit and we recently attended a seminar presented by 林茂賢 (professor of 台灣語文學系at Taichung's 國立台中教育大學) to bring us all up to speed on Taiwan's traditional arts.
Renaissance Magazine Feature — (Zhongshan Hall (中山堂), Man-Le Gate (滿樂門), and the Ximen Red House (西門紅樓)
I was commissioned to photograph three renovated old buildings (Zhongshan Hall (中山堂), Man-Le Gate (滿樂門), and the Ximen Red House (西門紅樓)) in Taipei for Renaissance
Travel in Taiwan — Backpack Bus Trips — Southwest Coast
Land of Salt, Sugar, and Shrines Taking a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus to the Southwest Coast Steve, Nicky, Oscar and I hopped on a tourist shuttle bus and toured Taiwan's Southwest Coast for Travel in Taiwan's Backpack Bus Tour. The Garlic Sugar factory was interesting and photogenic, Nankunshen Temple pleased, as always, but the highlight […]
Rennaissance Magazine — Cheap Treats in Taiwan
A recent assignment for Renaissance Magazine for an article on bubble milk tea, Family Mart ice cream cones and Black Thunder candy.
Native Beauty — Taiwan's Aboriginals — Discover Magazine
My photos, mostly of Namasia, accompanied Steven Crook's article for Thai Air's inflight magazine Discover. The above photo was taken a stone's throw from our house in Takanua, Namasia. Eight Eight Waterfall, a waterfall created by a landslide during Typhoon Morakot in 2008, is obscured by mist. This photo of a Hla'alua headman is one […]
Tainan May Jam 2014 — Friday
Tainan May Jam put on some awesome shows this year. Friday began with an interesting group wearing
Travel in Taiwan — Food Journey
Steven Crook, Oscar Sun, Nickey Liu and myself were recently sent on assignment to a clam farm in Tainan. The weather forecast was for rain but we were blessed with beautiful sunshine all day. The clam ponds and farmers were interesting and Oscar and I borrowed some waders and
Taiwan Review Cover and Insect Photoessay
Cover photograph of a butterfly for Taiwan Review Body images for Taiwan Review Photo essay about bugs in Taiwan


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Reebok Black Diamond Shape Perfector One Piece Swimsuit 850605
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This product was discontinued July, 2013 and is no longer available. Please consider one of the Customer-Recommended Replacements above, or try a new search.
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Kellie Pickler 'DWTS' Performance Wows Fans (VIDEO)
Kellie Pickler and her partner Derek Hough wowed "Dancing With The Stars" viewers last night with their jazz performance on Monday night.
Complete with smoke, a glow stick and metallic costumes, the dancing pair earned 26 points out of a possible 30 from the judges' table for their energetic performance.
"Everything about it, I am blown away," said Carrie Ann Inaba of the dance. "I can't wait for next week."
Inaba was not the only one impressed; Picker's fans quickly took to Twitter following her turn on the dance floor.
"YEAH @KelliePickler!! Hotness," wrote Country Weekly on the mocro blogging site. "You brought it!"
Fellow country music singer Brad Paisley added, "How was @kelliepickler on #dwts? I'm not the least bit worried about her dancing skills… Seriously, you go win the whole thing @Kelliepickler."
Former "DWTS" contestant Maria Menounos posted, "Just finished watching #dwts in TiVo- wow this season is great! @derekhough & @kelliepickler gr8 job! Can't wait for next week!"
Also among the highest scoring couples on Monday night was Disney star Zendaya, who is paired with "DWTS" professional dancer Val Chmerkoviskiy, who tied with Pickler and Hough with 26 points.
"Dancing With The Stars" airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. EST and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST. Tonight, the first couple of the season will be sent home, according to the judges' scores as well as viewers' votes.
Contestants in jeopardy of being sent home include former Olympic ice skater Dorothy Hamill and her partner Tristan MacManus. The pair danced the jive to only earn 15 points on Monday.
Also, comedian D.L. Hughley and his partner Cheryl Burke danced. The couple earned a mere 16 points on Monday.
Rounding out the bottom five couples each with 18 points were Victor Ortiz and Lindsay Arnold, Wynonna Judd and her partner Tony Dovolani, and "Real Housewives" star Lisa Vanderpump and Gleb Savchenko.


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An elderly motorist was taken to hospital with 'minor seatbelt injuries' after a crash in Skegness earlier today.
The man's Honda Jazz collided with a Ford Transit around the junction between Lincoln Road and Grosvenor Road, shortly before 2pm.
Police closed the road from Berry Way to allow access for emergency vehicles. The elderly motorist was taken to Boston Pilgrim and the other driver, whose van was registered to a Cumbrian company, was reportedly uninjured.
CORRECTION: Police now say the van driver was also take to hospital - for an update on the drivers' conditions follow this link.


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Chris Getz can play. He's a guy who is more in the Minnesota Twins-type mold. You know how I like grinders, and he's a grinder-type guy. He might not have the gaudy numbers, but he's going to help win games.—White Sox GM Kenny Williams on infielder Chris Getz (Chicago Tribune)
Among the many labels an executive or coach can assign to a batter, "grinder" is one of the more honorable. To be a grinder is to make the pitcher work, and the concept exalts physical and tactical effort without statistical incentive, if Williams' definition is to be trusted. Grinders make the pitcher show his hand in certain situations to the entire lineup, thereby raising the likelihood of a mistake pitch later in the game. Grinding is a job without benefits or prestige, but it is a job nonetheless.
In order to honor these thankless souls, first they must be identified. A few days ago, Rich Lederer of The Baseball Analysts looked at the league's hitters by plotting their strikeout and walk rates. To achieve a preliminary idea of who grinds it out, one can take Lederer's presentation idea and tweak the dataset by inserting pitches per plate appearance instead of strikeouts. The resulting graph looks like this, when hitters with 400-plus plate appearances are included:
The graph does a good job in displaying the various segments within the pool. The separating lines are the league average rates in the categories, so a player in the first quadrant has an above-average walk rate despite a below-average P/PA, while a player in the fourth quadrant has a below-average walk rate despite an above-average P/PA and so on.
Since P/PA is a number that does not imply value, Williams should find no fault in calling a player who excels at seeing pitches and little else a grinder. Walks add value through on-base percentage, meaning there is an inverse relationship at work. In this exercise, having a high P/PA and low walk rate is actually more beneficial than having both one way or the other because of the definition at work. As such, players with above-average walk rates are penalized when the analysis is taken one step further and the Z-Scores are broken out. After taking the respective Z-Scores of both statistics, they are then averaged in order to create these results:
The diversity in approaches and skill sets within the lists are intriguing. Casey Blake and Franklin Gutierrez—both former Indians—lead the way as patient hitters, bordering on passive. Their inclusion raises questions about why their walk rates are lower than seemingly everyone else with similar P/PA. Do they take too many pitches for their own good? Are their strike-zone recognition abilities overrated? After all, if a batter can successfully take one pitch before swinging (and missing) at three in between, then he too can boast a P/PA over 4.00.
The third-place finisher exemplifies some of those ideas. Ronny Cedeno lacks a tool usable in punishing pitchers for pummeling him with strikes. As a result, his talent at fouling pitches off is a survival technique and a necessity, in order to avoid embarrassingly short plate appearances. Meanwhile, Brett Gardner saw more pitches per plate appearance than any batter in baseball, yet he walked in 13.9 percent of his trips to the plate. Gardner's ability to put the bat on the ball meant that he felt comfortable hitting with two strikes, allowing him to take more pitches than a player with questionable contact abilities.
Filling out the other list is a group of renowned sluggers. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are sufferers of intentional walks, as they are the more optimal walk variety—in terms of pitches and effort used—than simply pitching around the batter. In Cabrera's case, his plate discipline in appearances which do end in a walk are questionable, as manifested in his P/PA. Fielder, though, appears to be genuinely patient at the plate.
Perhaps the most confusing entry amongst those who cannot be described as grinders is Yunel Escobar. Jokes about Escobar's hustle leaving him on the outside looking in at grinder parties notwithstanding, he generates plenty of walks despite mundane P/PA totals. Escobar is a fan of first-pitch swinging as well, leaving his plate appearances appearing in a binary code—either long and worthwhile or short and vapid.
So, who are these perhaps mythical creatures known as grinders? If Williams' quote is taken literally (and stretched just a bit) then grinders come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and skill sets. Some are super-disciplined batters with walk rates below their pitch totals while others are simply overmatched and serve little offensive purpose besides running up a pitch count. Whatever the measure, grinders will continue to be a part of the baseball fabric, even if they are occasionally difficult to locate.


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Hotel Accommodation near Akron
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Where to stay in Akron
Akron overviewAkron is unique for its parks and natural features. Sports fans will enjoy golf. Take in some local culture at popular places like Buffalo Museum of Science and Albright - Knox Art Gallery. Popular sights like Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House and Buffalo Zoo won't disappoint. Whatever you're into, Akron has something for you.
Where to stay in AkronWhether you're planning to stay for a night or for the week, the area around Akron has accommodations to fit every need. Search for hotels in Akron with Hotels.com by checking our online map. Our maps display the areas and neighborhoods around all Akron hotels so you can see how close you are from landmarks and attractions, and then refine your search within the larger area. The best Akron hotel deals are here with our lowest price guarantee.
How to get to AkronFly in to Buffalo, NY (BUF-Buffalo Niagara Intl.), 12.8 mi (20.6 km) from downtown Akron. Niagara Falls, NY (IAG-Niagara Falls Intl.) is the next closest major airport, 22.2 mi (35.7 km) away.
What to see around AkronFun activities include attractions such as:
- • Links at Ivy Ridge
- • Glen Oak Golf Course
- • Oakwood Golf Course
- • Niagara County Golf Course
- • Diamond Hawk Golf Course
- • Akron Falls Park
- • Great Baehre Conservation Park
- • Glen Falls
- • Island Park
- • Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Tours
- • Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House
- • Buffalo Zoo
- • Buffalo Museum of Science
- • Albright - Knox Art Gallery
When to visit AkronCurious about when's the best time to visit? Here are the seasonal norms to help with your planning:
Seasonal temperature averages
- January-March: 48°F day, 18°F night
- April-June: 79°F day, 31°F night
- July-September: 80°F day, 48°F night
- October-December: 65°F day, 20°F night
- January-March: 8.66 inches
- April-June: 10.12 inches
- July-September: 10.39 inches
- October-December: 11.42 inches