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You want to shoot from the floor I presume?
Ceiling height about 2o-25ft??
First thing first.
Camera on Manual exposure, using your fastest lens (50 1.8), shutter speed @1/250 (sync speed for your camera). Adjust your ISO to provide you with an underexposed (say by 1 to 1 1/2 stops) ambient light with your aperture at say F2. Hopefully, depending upon conditions, you will be at say ISO1600, F2 @ 1/250th or there about's.
Flash on camera, set it to standard ETTL, bounced off the ceiling, pointing slightly forward with bounce card extended. I would also recommend that you make yourself a "better bounce card"
The 580EX is a great flash (is it version 1 or 2?)
Irrespective, buy some decent batteries. I strongly recommend Sanyo Eneloop's and a proper conditioner/charger. DO NOT use the fast 15 minute chargers.


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Blue Pages Directory- A Must Have
A must have for the politically minded. This book does the research for you. Put knowledge behind the power of consumerism. Organized by category, you can look up the businesses you patronize and see a breakdown of what their political affiliations are---and where your money is really going.
What a great gift idea for a few of my buddies.
We watched the It Twins evolve into adults, choosing projects and pursuing passions both together and apart. That they devote one of the four chapters of this book to "Giving Back" says more about them than the paparazzi ever hav... We watched the It Twins evolve into adults, choosing projects and pursuing passions both together and apart. That they devote one of the four chapters of this book to "Giving Back" says more about them than the paparazzi ever have.Added 7 Years Ago from Barnes & Noble
I would love to own every single word in Jack Vanek's line. Be sure to check out the site for the vernacular. Political, sweet and sassy statements serve as bold-font visual art as accessory.Tags: fashion, gifts, politics, Pop, bracelets, love, languages, Valentines, statementsAdded 7 Years Ago from Jacvanek
Gentleman Quarterly is a one-stop source for the modern man. Inside its pages are tips on style, food, cars, travel and more.
Super useful, especially when I'm listening to NPR while running lots of errands. If I can't hear the end of a story, I can listen to it later. It's like TIVO for public radio!Tags: gifts, radio, music, technology, gadgets, politics, news, information, NPRAdded 8 Years Ago from Radiobookmark
Remember school house rock??? Yeah, me neither. But you can buy it for your kids and learn together.Added 8 Years Ago from Amazon.com
Great!Added 8 Years Ago from Theafternoon
Apparently, this book will save your life. I mean, it says so on the cover and I believe it. The result of 3 years of research, this one is packed full of advise on how to get you out of any unsuspecting pickle.Tags: books, gifts, politics, escape, survival, emergency, survival guide, neil strausAdded 9 Years Ago from Amazon.com
My grandma was literally OBSESSED with this show, any show about in a president in general she loved.Tags: gifts, politics, tv, dvd, entertainment, drama, shiny, television shows, The West WingAdded 9 Years Ago from Amazon.com
I think few shirts really personify the movement that is "Obama" like this shirt. It's like, yes, he's going to be awesome, but not nearly as awesome as people like to imagine. You know, like he wont ride unicorns.
Pick your party glasses. They have pictures of either all the democratic presidents or republican ones. You choose!Tags: politics, drinks, gifts, glasses, democrat, republican, presidents, DishersAdded 9 Years Ago from Urban Outfitters
Sure, the election is over and we one. What I mean by we is America. However, in less than two years now, we'll be seeing the midterm election. You can out these to make sure we get that filibusterer proof senate.
I love the unique styling, the cool blimp, the antique feel, the text, and most importantly the message! Awesome ring!
works as a cube toy or just a fun way to support the cause and get word out there!Tags: toys, fashion, gifts, art, sculptures, politics, collections, funny, designAdded 9 Years Ago from Amazon.com
last chance folks! go get yours now...Added 9 Years Ago from Freddyandma
Starts with Lincoln standing upright and ends with Bush as a chimp. Evolution in reverse - that's how I see the Republican party, too!
A hilarious card for all liberals to give to their Republican friends...Tags: gifts, politics, designer, cards, conservative, liberal, Republican, democrat, redstampAdded 9 Years Ago from Redstamp
I'm snagging this rec from Design Dude because a) I love these and b) I wanted to mention how entertaining I find it that JFK is inside of several people. How historically accurate.
Ironically, I was JUST discussing the need for the comeback of the pet rock with a friend the other day. I am more brilliant than I realized. Going to go give myself little kisses now.....
Can we win the election, Barack? "Yes we can!" Can we end the war in Iraq? "Yes we can!" Can we turn the white house blue? "Yes we can!" It's like a Magic 8 ball, but with a presidential candidate! No Democrat can possibly la... Can we win the election, Barack? "Yes we can!" Can we end the war in Iraq? "Yes we can!" Can we turn the white house blue? "Yes we can!" It's like a Magic 8 ball, but with a presidential candidate! No Democrat can possibly last through November without the Barack Obama Talking Bobblehead.
hmmph. As if it's a bad thing!
You have the power to change the world if you just do this simple things. It is a great way to show that you care about your country and change when you are at a convention.Added 9 Years Ago from BrightandBold
This is a great way to make a statement about how you feel about war! This piece can be worn as a bracelet or a necklace and is 80'' long. It's covered with tons of tiny peace charms on a braided chain.
Oh silly, silly Bushie.. NobleWorksCards.com - Customizable Funny Greeting Cards from Nobleworks
My dad liked this too. He first saw this at Ubibay.
Jon Stewart for President!!! Yes, The Daily Show rocks! Jon Stewart is awesome and tells it like it is.Tags: fashion, gifts, humor, politics, bush, clinton, jon stewart, the daily show, heart JonAdded 10 Years Ago from Misswit

subset: commoncrawl


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Should Lennon's Killer Get Parole? [POLL]
The man who shot and killed John Lennon is up for parole again.
He'll meet with the parole board this week to appeal for release. It'll be the seventh time he's stood before the board.
Mark David Chapman has spent his life in jail for the murder of Lennon back on December 8, 1980 and is now 57 years old.
According to an ABC news article:
"He told a parole board at his last parole hearing, in 2010, that his faith in Christianity had deepened during his time in prison, and that he hoped to get a job and live with his wife after release from prison.
A decision regarding his release could come as soon as Thursday or Friday, according to the New York State Department of Corrections."
Quite frankly, I feel that anyone who can kill another human being in cold blood will always be a danger to society and should never be released.
What do you think?


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SIR – In my garden, I have a line of 10 very old cherry trees – what are, in this part of the world, referred to as "geans" – each of which is some 40 feet high. The blossoms at this time of year are dazzling but, increasingly over the last few years, I have noticed that they take it in turn to blossom.
At the moment, the first three to four trees in the row are in full bloom, while the remainder will not blossom for another week or two. All share the same aspect and exposure to the sun.
Is it possible that these trees are co-ordinating in some way so as not to compete for the relatively low number of pollinating bees currently about?
R. J. Vincent
Nairn, Inverness-shire


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Whether you're giving an award, presenting a piece to thank someone, or blessing a new home, there's one option, exclusive to Gallery Judaica, that will well exceed the recipient's expectations.
The new line of glass platters by Schlanser are smaller (which means more affordable!), but the size does not take away from the beauty of each handmade, unique work of glass art.
Schlanser has transformed the world of glass art by creating one-of-a-kind pieces of kiln-fired glass, "the process by which plate glass is carefully shaped by heating it to near melting temperature, then gravitating from its solid state to form shapes."
Schlanser's new line of 7" glass inspirations, which can serve as awards, presentation pieces, and gifts, and are exclusive to Gallery Judaica, includes the following pieces:
Cohanim (Priestly) Blessing: "May God bless you and keep you, May God's presence shine upon you and be gracious to you, May God's presence be with you and give you peace."
Albert Einstein Quote: "It is the responsibility of every human being to make the world a better place than the one we found."
Save One Soul: "Whoever saves a single soul, it is considered as if they saved an entire world."
Take a look at these and other pieces made by Schlanser, including The Tree of Life, Woman of Valor, Home Blessing, and Shema, now at Gallery Judaica.
Gallery Judaica


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In addition to performing, McCartney and fellow former member of The Beatles Ringo Starr will accept the 2014 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.
More A-list musicians have been added to the stellar line-up of performers at the 56th annual Grammy Awards. Taylor Swift, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are among artists who will take the stage at Los Angeles' Staples Center on January 26.
Swift, who performed at last year's Grammys, is up for the coveted Album of the Year award for her platinum-selling record "Red". Rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is also vying for the same award for their debut set "The Heist".
Meanwhile, McCartney and Starr will accept the 2014 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award as the members of popular band The Beatles in addition to performing.
Other just-announced performers are Kacey Musgraves, John Legend, Keith Urban, Sara Bareilles and Carole King. These stars are joining previously-announced performers which have so far included Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar, Pink, Nate Ruess of Fun., Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder, Lorde, Katy Perry, Robin Thicke and Metallica.


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UMPC pays $5M for Monroeville medical building
UPMC paid $5 million for an office building in Monroeville that it has been leasing for several years.
The building, at 400 Oxford Drive, is adjacent to the Monroeville Mall and a UPMC imaging center, and houses a cancer center, a sleep center and physician practices.
UPMC bought the building from L&M Associates, a partnership owned by Mark Mason, vice chairman of Downtown-based Oxford Development Co., and a trust established by the late Edward J. Lewis, who died in 2006 and was a founder of Oxford Development. The deal closed Dec. 3.
UPMC, the largest hospital system in Western Pennsylvania, has leased the space since 2008, when the sleep center moved in, spokeswoman Susan Manko said. The cancer center opened there in 2010 and UPMC added the doctor offices this year, she said.
"With the growing demand for UPMC services in this community, it made more sense for us to purchase this building rather than continue renting," she said.
Alex Nixon is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7928 or email@example.com.


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Webcomic / Dark Brooding Mentally Disturbed Man
Dark, Brooding, Mentally Disturbed Man or "DBMD-Man" for short is a webcomic and a Deconstructive Parody of the Batman mythos. It can be read here.The first story arc introduces us to our hero, the titular Dark, Brooding, Mentally Disturbed Man: a vigilante who's dedicated his life to fighting crime after witnessing his entire family murdered by a single madman (he used a Rocket Launcher at a family reunion), as well as his nemesis, his love interest and his sidekick, "Gee Whiz Boy". The second is a parody of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and features him doing battle with a Superman Expy. The third, and to date most recent, arc begins with "the death of DBMD-Man" and is something of a parody of Battle For The Cowl, or Reign of the Supermen, as it deals with his various Legacy Characters ? Dark Man, Brooding Man, Mentally Disturbed Man, Man Man and Light Cheerful Mentally Sound Man ? fighting over who gets to succeed him. It also has a subplot dealing with DBMD-Man's former sidekick, Gee Whiz Boy, becoming "Night-Cube" and starting his own team of former sidekicks in a parody of the Teen Titans.


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The Apprentice of Jesus Pathway
"My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my life. It influences everything I do."
If you sense you are living in this stage of your journey, here are some suggestions and options you might be interested in trying as you seek to make the most of our intentional spiritual journey to Christlikeness.
Let the journey begin!
The call to follow Christ is also a call to be transformed into His image. Thus, kingdom living begins when we accept Jesus' invitation to keep company with him…that we might become like him (Mark 3:14; Mark 1:17; John 15; John 17:3; Galatians 4:9; Colossians 3:1-17). In other words, we become like Christ by interaction with Christ himself. Taking on the character of Christ then, being spiritually formed, flows from an ongoing interaction with Christ, through the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives, to receive from God the life we cannot birth in ourselves.
The fact is we can't change our own hearts. We can't control, manage, or dictate spiritual reality in our lives. The active agent in the transformation process is the Holy Spirit, who regenerates, enlightens, motivates, and empowers believers in their inner being by his presence to grow us in our likeness to Christ. On the other hand, it is unlikely that we will deepen our relationship with God in a random or unintentional way.
Although we cannot by direct effort change our heart, we are invited to participate with God in our transformation. We do this by a purposeful pattern of life…of intentionally placing ourselves in environments where we create the conditions in our lives so as to train our hearts to recognize and surrender to the already ongoing, maturing and healing presence of the Holy Spirit, who is shaping us to be like Jesus and bringing about God's Kingdom purposes and mission.
For example, if you were asked to list people, places or events that were instrumental in your spiritual development, what are some of those things you would list? More than likely it would look something like this: a friend who took you "under wing" as a spiritual mentor, a retreat place or summer camp, a book, a missions trip, Scripture, an altar experience, cancer, fasting, a pastor, serving in a soup kitchen, etc. All of these "environments" provided the opportunity for you to open your heart to the transforming presence and work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
If you would like to know
more, you may listen to the sermon called The Intentional Journey.
The good news is there are some natural "places" of transformation already embedded in our lives and our church that become opportunities to encounter Jesus' transforming presence. All of the people, places, and/or events you listed earlier can be organized into five environments that provide opportunities to encounter Jesus: personal, relational, intellectual, missional, and experiential. These five environments can be identified by the acrostic P.R.I.M.E. Click on the links below to read more about each environment.


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San Francisco, CA (January 28, 2016) — FourLane will introduce its new SeatRack Interior Cargo Rack to the Snow Sports Industry at the SIA Snow Show in Denver, CO on January 28, 2016 The SeatRack Interior Cargo Rack adjusts to fit most vehicles equipped with removable headrests. Carry snowboards, skis, surfboards, lumber, and tools. Objects up to 50 LBS can now be loaded and transported inside the vehicle without damaging your interior while protecting your gear against theft and weather. Once adjusted, installation and removal take less than a minute. A rubber cover is included to increase grip and protect your gear. Works great for a compact travel rack. A camera /accessory mount (1/4-20 thread) is available separately. The SeatRack Interior Cargo Rack is MADE IN USA.
Come learn more about the SeatRack Interior Cargo Rack at the SIA Snow Show, Booth #3474 (between Volcom and Stance). www.seat-rack.com Contact Andrew Greene 415-515-8101 at the show for more information.


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Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon Proclaims Now thru 4/6 'FUN WITH STEM Week'
Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon will proclaim this week, March 28 to April 6 as FUN WITH STEM Week. Cory the Clown, star of FUN WITH STEM and Cory's Learning Corner on PBS member stations and the creator of Fun with STEM, will accept the proclamation alongside, Learn with Laughter, producer Linda Ann Watt, at the City Council meeting on Monday, March 24.
In a press release from Mayor Cannon, the proclamation was announced "in recognition of this important unique learning experience."
FUN WITH STEM features a spectacular, multimedia blend of live action, magic, comedy, robotic puppets, live music, juggling and unicycling, and makes its stage debut March 28 - April 6 in Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. FUN WITH STEM features Cory the Clown.
Tickets are on sale now at CarolinaTix.org, 704-372-1000, or by visiting Belk Theater Box Office at 130 N. Tryon St.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineer and Math. This interactive, multi-media, live show engages children, piquing their imagination. With a colorful set and circus theme, Cory the Clown creates curiosity, entertains and educates using comedy, robotic puppets, magic and a family-friendly storyline. Cory and the Circus Gang performers amuse the audience with comedy routines and makes learning fun. The Musical Director, Vlado Kolenic and Ragtime Pianist, Ethan Uslan accompany the performance and the Drummer, Ocie Davis highlights the action. This family friendly show's theme includes the many definitions of the word 'STEM'.
For more information about FUN WITH STEM, visit FunwithSTEM.org, a brand-new interactive website, which was designed in partnership with Charlotte/Mecklenburg School (CMS) district and The Art Institute of Charlotte, complements this program with lesson plans for teachers and interactive STEM games for children. For more information about Cory The Clown, visit CorytheClown.com. This website includes fun webisodes, including episodes of The Cory the Clown Show and fun learning segments.


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The 2010 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid offers tremendous fuel economy benefits-as one would hope-but it retains much of utility offered by the standard Escalade.
Under the hood, "a stout 6.0-liter V-8 provides the Escalade Hybrid's gasoline power," says Edmunds, while "the electric portion of the powertrain is comprised of two 60-kilowatt motors." The Hybrid Escalade puts out 332 horsepower and 367 lb-ft of torque, less than the conventional Escalade, but reviewers are still impressed by the Hybrid Escalade's get-up-and-go. Automobile Magazine asserts, "for such a massive vehicle, it accelerates hard," posting "mid-eight second 0-60 mph times," while Cars.com remarks that the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is "certainly not lacking for oomph." The electric motors "can propel the Escalade up to 30 mph," according to J.D. Power. And reviews read by TheCarConnection.com indicate that despite its status symbol appearance, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid holds its own in such workmanlike tasks as towing. J.D. Power notes that the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid "will be rated to tow up to 6000 pounds with 2WD and 5700 pounds with 4WD," though the conventional Escalade can haul trailers weighing up to 7,700 pounds.
The Two-Mode Hybrid transmission is the secret to the success of the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Edmunds reviewers explain that this system "functions as a continuously variable transmission in light load conditions and as a fixed-ratio system (with four forward gear ratios) when loads get heavier." While the transmission provides excellent fuel economy, Automobile Magazine points out that the system suffers from the traditional CVT drawback: the engine "revs to a particular RPM and hangs there while the vehicle's speed seems to play catch-up." But for the most part, reviewers are impressed with the hybrid electric system, which J.D. Power notes is "available with rear- or 4-wheel drive."
A conventional Cadillac Escalade results in Cadillac-sized gasoline bills. Fortunately, the 2010 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid boosts city fuel economy by more than 50 percent, with EPA ratings of 20 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. In testing, ConsumerGuide reports that "an AWD Hybrid averaged an outstanding-for-the-class 20.0 mpg." And while these figures are far from the 50 mpg of other hybrids, replacing a standard Escalade with an Escalade Hybrid actually saves more total gasoline than does replacing a 33-mpg subcompact with that 50-mpg hybrid.
The 2010 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid handles as well as anyone might expect from a truck-based vehicle of its size. MyRide.com raves that this luxurious Caddy "handles smoothly and confidently for a vehicle of its size," and it boasts "a comfortable ride," according to Edmunds. Reviewers at ConsumerGuide call the Escalade Hybrid "stable and confident in low-to-moderate speed changes of direction," while the "strong brakes have [a] reassuringly firm pedal feel."


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CNW has been connecting organizations with relevant audiences within the media, the markets – and now, the web – for over 50 years.
At CNW, we're leading the evolution of news. We understand the reality of today's newsrooms and have the expertise and professional services to help you reach your audience with more impact than ever before.
We offer Canada's leading newswire service; expert media monitoring, photography and video services; translation, webcasting and conference call services; regulatory filing and communications workflow and measurement solutions.
We support you at every stage of the communications cycle to create, target, distribute, monitor, manage and measure your news.
Why use CNW?


text: Hi All, I purchased a used Inspire that should be delivered tomorrow. I don't know what version of Android is on it (but the website said 2.2.2 I believe). The first thing I would like to do is root it. I've read through everything about the Advance Ace hack Kit. I think I'm going to root it from a Ubuntu 10.4 live cd (like the instructions suggested). Anyway, is there anything I need to be aware of, or any tips, suggestions you can give? I haven't seen too many 'issues' surrounding the Inspire, but I haven't been looking very long either. Thanks!


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Planetary, Version 2Posted: September 11, 2011 Filed under: Hiring, Planetary | Tags: apps, bloom, cinder, hiring, ipad, itunes, libcinder, music, opengl, planetary, releases 16 Comments »
We're proud to announce that version 2.0 of Planetary, our celestial music player for iPad, is now available for download in the iTunes App Store!
To learn more about how Planetary was made, check-out Robert's in-depth behind-the-scenes post and the extra notes on his personal portfolio site, or read on for a summary of "What's New":
Planetary 2.0 features a full graphical update: new galaxy detail, solar flares, eclipses, atmospheric glow, accretion disks and much more fine detail at planet and moon level. Additional detail is available for iPad 2.
To address your most popular feature requests we've added in-app support for playlist selection and shuffle/repeat modes.
Other new features include optional automatic camera motion (great for long playlists!), gyroscope support for iPad 2 and scale and speed sliders to adjust the universe to your tastes.
Several small bugs with version one are also fixed and Planetary 2.0 has much better interactive performance, especially when flying between planets and when interacting with the playhead slider.
Many thanks for all the feedback and kind words we received about version 1 – keep it coming!
Beginnings and Endings
This second release of Planetary also marks the departure of our colleague Robert Hodgin. You might remember that we announced Robert had joined us as Creative Director earlier this year. With hindsight we realize it would have been more appropriate for him to join us as artist in residence for the duration of the Planetary project. In practice that's what his role has been, and he's made the choice to step away at this point.
Robert returns to pursuing his own projects and plans to increase his contributions to the Cinder library. We'll continue to use Cinder in future Bloom projects too so we're very excited about this and wish him well in all his future endeavors. Thanks Robert, it's been a fantastic journey!
What Next?
We hope to play host to more artists-in-residence in future, without blending that process with a more traditional production role unless that's the right thing to do. If you're an ambitious digital artist interesed in working with Bloom in this capacity, and helping us define it, please get in touch.
We're also considering creating a more traditional Creative Director role within our team, if you're interested in helping us define this role please get in touch.
As with all our openings, we're not interested in hearing from recruiters or agencies at this time.
16 Comments on "Planetary, Version 2"
You guys NEED to make a Mac OS X version……it is a cool idea, but it would be so much more if it was on the Mac…..
[...] from Bloom Blog [...]
any ideas on what the problem with jailbroken ipads might be? and of course the implied question: any eta on a resolution?
logs on the way
I don't suppose there's any news for iPhone or iPod touch owners, is there? We're all sitting here, jealously watching iPad owners with this fancy app.
Pretty please?
Just wanted to say thanks! Enjoy it so much.
It's a beautiful, great app. I loved the version 1 and today I updated to version 2. There are great new features, I appreciate it.
Now could you explain to me, how can I get back to the alphabet-wheel, I don't find it anymore.
Hi, is it possible to view all artists rather than by individual letter?


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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — No children were injured when a bullet struck a school bus in New Jersey's largest city.
Newark police say a man was wounded in the gunfire on 1st Street Thursday. He's in stable condition.
Police say the bus, which was carry six teenage special needs students, was driving through the location when the shooting started. The children were taken to a hospital as a precaution and released.
Police are looking for as many as four suspects who fled the area in a black vehicle. No arrests have been made.
Police have not released the name of the wounded man.


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IRWINDALE - Many entrepreneurs spend decades achieving success.
But Mike Zhang, founder and CEO of the Airsoft Megastore in Irwindale, managed to get there by the age of 22.
Zhang, who founded his online enterprise in 2004, was recognized last month as one of the nation's "Top 100 Companies Started by Young Entrepreneurs" during a ceremony held at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The Empact100 awards program was sponsored by Empact, an organization that focuses on making entrepreneurship a viable career option for everyone around the world.
"It was certainly an honor to receive the award," Zhang said. "This year I got to go to the event. Our company received the same award last year but I couldn't go because of a scheduling conflict. But this year I marked it on my calendar so I could go in case I won."
Zhang, who lives in Los Angeles, established the Airsoft Megastore as a way to bring high-quality Airsoft-made guns, gear and accessories to the masses.
Airsoft produces a variety of guns, ammunition, accessories and clothing that are used by enthusiasts in military simulations and other battle scenarios.
"There are designated places for this," Zhang said. "We've seen meaningful growth in the number of people who play at Airsoft destinations. There are sanctioned parks for Airsoft events. There's one indoor facility in El Monte called Tac City and another just opened up in Orange County."
Airsoft events are also held in San Bernardino and Bellflower, he said.
Airsoft guns are similar to paintball guns, in that they both use air pressure to fire a projectile. But Airsoft guns fire a small, 6-millimeter plastic BB, eliminating the mess of splattered paint.
The Airsoft Megastore sells its products online, although the company maintains a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Irwindale with an adjacent office complex.
Awards are nothing new to Zhang. In 2011, he was recognized by Ernst & Young as a finalist in the "Entrepreneur of the Year" awards for the Greater Los Angeles area.
Tommy Knapp, associate director of the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC, is impressed by Zhang.
"He's an amazing young man," Knapp said. "I built a relationship with him, although he' was not one of my students. He's wise beyond his years."
Knapp said Zhang's persistence is one of his strongest qualities.
"When he runs into a roadblock, he identifies a way to get around it," he said. "He has a great willingness to learn."
Zhang said his primary goal has been to make the sport affordable to the masses.
"It used to be that someone would have to spend $400 to $500 for a gun and ammo to start," he said. "But now you can probably get similar performance and quality for around $150 to $200."
Zhang has done well with his enterprise, but he's also looking toward future expansion.
"We're validating a lot of different strategies, and retail locations are not out of the picture," he said. "There are a lot of improvements we hope to make over the new few years. We're always looking forward to what we can do for the culture of the company. We want to be profitable and growing ... but we don't want to grow at anyone's expense."
Zhang said he recently started a 401(k) plan for his employees.
"Little perks and benefits will help us bring passion and loyalty to our company," he said.
Mike Zhang
TITLE: Founder and CEO
BUSINESS: Airsoft Megastore
LOCATION: Irwindale
ON THE WEB: www.airsoftmegastore.com
SECRET OF SUCCESS: Broad product knowledge and an entrepreneurial nature
626-962-8811, Ext. 2701


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Kim, who is accused of digitally altering her photos, writes, 'It sucks when people make up surgery or photoshop lies when I am so disciplined and work so hard.'
Kim Kardashian, who recently shared her sexy workout photos with Tyga's fiancee Blac Chyna, slammed accusation that she edited the photos to make her body look thinner. In response to a fan who defended her on Twitter, the star of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" insisted that she worked hard to shed baby weight from pregnancy and regain her pre-baby body.
"It sucks when people make up surgery or photoshop lies when I am so disciplined & work so hard! Just trying to motivate others & show anyone struggling with weight they can totally achieve whatever they want if they are dedicated!" she wrote on Friday, January 10.
Last week, Kanye West's fiancee shared two photos of her and her friend comparing their toned backside. She also shared a photo of their fit bodies, writing, "Getting right for the new year." When asked by a TMZ videographer about the secret of her sexy body, the mother of one said later that day, "No carbs, workout and dedication."
Some people, however, doubted her statement. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that the door's frame looked bent, causing speculation that the photo was digitally altered.


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Help wanted for special-needs evacuation
Pinellas County officials are mailing a package to physicians, other health care providers, pharmacies and leaders in the faith community this month to encourage them to assist with special-needs evacuation registration. Local fire departments maintain lists of residents who have registered for assistance. When an evacuation order is given, buses from the School Board and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority will be dispatched to assist with the evacuation process. People who think they may qualify for evacuation assistance can call Pinellas County Emergency Management at (727) 464-3800 or a local fire department. The registration form is also at www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.
Public hearing on budget is Thursday
Want to give the city your 2 cents on how it should spend your tax dollars? A public hearing on the city's 2009 fiscal year budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall. Mayor Rick Baker has proposed eliminating 51 jobs and nearly $2-million in city services from next year's budget, citing the effect of statewide property tax cuts on city revenue.
Camp Redbird, now soaring for 30 years
Camp Redbird, the longest running therapeutic recreation program in the city, is celebrating its 30th anniversary Sunday through July 19. Camp Redbird is a summer camp program for people with developmental disabilities. It is held at Azalea Elementary School, 1600 72nd St. N. For more information, call (727) 893-7899.


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Fall is coming soon and you can't avoid it any longer – neither can your closet. We suggest you start from the ground up. Here are some of our favorite styles to take you from running errands to pumpkin picking. Just add your favorite boyfriend jeans or leggings and an oversized sweater.
Closed Toe Heels
Introducing Kate Ferguson
I am excited to announce that we're exclusively carrying new styles by Kate Ferguson! Kate Ferguson features styles that are bold, beautiful, and fashion forward. Stilettos, booties, wedges, and pumps are created with high quality leathers, furs, and materials to deliver unique and sleek looks. These shoes will take you everywhere with great confidence! I love them all so much that I'm having trouble deciding which pair to buy first! Which pair will you pick?
Show us how you style them on Instagram, tag us @heelsdotcom!


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I am writing, as the name might imply, on something that the WWE has lost and that TNA has possibly gained.
Now this is a truly stupid move on the part of Vince McMahon and the WWE management. Not only have they released capable wrestlers with potential, but people who have a gift and or a passion for the business like Charlie Haas. He hasn't proven how much passion he has but I suspect he has a lot, but he certainly has the talent . WWE has really shot itself in the foot here, because they had and still have wrestlers with potential. But WWE also still insists on forcing "certain" WWE wrestlers down our throat every Monday night ( i.e., Triple H ). But WWE had, and still has, wrestlers with good talent, much like Chris Benoit. But in his case he has been taken from main eventing. It is sad to see how this once great World Heavyweight Champion has fallen. But in Matt Hardy's case he, like Benoit, I strongly suspect will be given a short run in the spotlight on raw with Edge and then will fade into nothing.
WWE's DISRESPECT V.S. TNA's RESPECT:
For anyone who has seen WWE SmackDown in recent weeks you know what I'm talking about when I say "disrespect." For about a month the WWE hyped the return of 'The Juice'' aka Juventued Guerrera. (Not to WWE but wrestling in general). But instead of getting the real Juventued Guerrera, a former WCW Crusierweight champion and a former WCW tag champion, we get a humbled and degraded Latin American. They (more specifically Stephanie McMahon, head script writer for the WWE) showed absolutely no respect to Juventued by having him come to the ring on a lawn mover (gee I wonder what the WWE is implying here). The mere fact that they would come up with such a storyline shows me how truly insensitive the McMahon family is (with the possible exception of Shane). What is even worse, they had Juventued insulting his own home country. An example of this is his scripted catch phrase 'We are not Mexicans, we are 'Mexicools' (Speaking for him and his partners). On the other hand, TNA has respect for their employees. They will give opportunities and dignity to wrestlers that the WWE would never dream of like Ron Killings and B.G. James. What is most important of all is that TNA realizes how important delivering real wrestling is, especially at a time like this. With WWE taking advantage of the world's problems more than professional wrestling it is important that TNA retain its character. Finally, what is most important to me is that TNA respects their fans and their wrestlers, thanks their fans, and respects their opinions. This is quite refreshing.
by Gerald Ramey Jr. ..


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While we will never know the truth of the matter, the lone source for UFC pay-per-view figures has and always will be, Mr. Dave Meltzer.
When people talk of buys, stating this PPV did this amount and this one did that, it is all based on his industry intelligence. The UFC never confirms figures, nor do the broadcasters, however, Meltzer's time in the PPV business has gone on way before the UFC existed and therefore his estimates and contacts are widely considered as valid and on point.
With that being said, here is what he said via his subscription based newsletter about UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort.
[box_light]Preliminary numbers from UFC 152 are 450,000 to 460,000 buys. Keep in mind these are still early numbers and can vary greatly. It's at the low end of expectations. I think the key here is that the six weeks between shows really didn't make a difference. It's considerably down from Jon Jones' last fight. Obviously Vitor Belfort wasn't going to draw as his opponent like Rashad Evans because you had no grudge match and betrayal storyline. But this looks to be less than Lyoto Machida. I really don't think all the publicity was going to keep people from buying, but one thing is pretty much for sure. All that publicity didn't either make him a bigger marquee star, nor did it create a situation where he sold more because people would buy to see him beat up. The only people buying to see him beat up were the same people buying to start with.[/box_light]


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Though calling the diet 'ridiculous', Thornton will stay on his own menu while his family has turkey during the festivity.
Hollywood star Billy Bob Thornton is eating only raw foods this Thanksgiving, November 25 after adopting a "ridiculous" diet consisting of fruit, vegetables and cereal. The actor admits he goes through phases where he will refuse to chow down on cooked meals in favor of surviving on a minimalist diet.
But he confesses eating so healthily has nothing to do with animal rights. He says, "I only eat raw food, it's beyond a vegan. It's ridiculous."
"I've done it off and on for years and years. So I'll go for a year and eat raw and then go back to the regular stuff," he explains. "I mean I don't have anything against butchering cows, it's not a moral thing. It's just a health thing. It allows me to do things I wanna do so I eat really healthy and it balances out the other things I like to do, like smoke."
And he insists his own dietary requirements won't have an impact on his family's traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. He adds, "It really doesn't bother me to be around people with actual food. Everybody else in the family will have the regular meal, turkey, stuffing."


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This is a disambiguation page.
It points to other pages that have similar names. If you followed a link here, please fix it to point to one of the pages listed below.
Human Nature is a title that may refer to any one of three stories, all written by Paul Cornell:
- PROSE: Human Nature, published in 1995 featuring the Seventh Doctor and Bernice Summerfield.
- PROSE: Prelude Human Nature, a vignette featuring some of the characters in PROSE: Human Nature.
- TV: Human Nature, a series 3 television story aired on 26 May 2007 featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. Loosely based upon PROSE: Human Nature.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/12/2009 (2803 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
THREE Olympic storylines that grabbed our attention in the last week...
1. There he is in all his glory, seemingly screaming out at all us "syrup suckers" and "ice holes" in Canada from one of the most prestigious perches in athletics: the cover of Sports Illustrated.
He is Stephen Colbert, the comedic host of the hilarious The Colbert Report and he "graces" the Year in Sports Media issue of
SI that is currently on newstands, all decked out in his tights, skates, a tie, and sporting a fierce expression on his face with the headline: "Stephen Colbert and his nation save the Olympics."
Colbert, you may be aware, stepped up to help the Yankee skaters after their largest financial backer -- DSB Bank -- declared bankruptcy in October. The fundraising efforts of Colbert Nation have raised $250,000 for the team.
The host has also taken some good-natured shots at us Canucks and the Vancouver Olympic organizers with the syrup-suckers and ice-holes barbs, complaining about limited access to the oval in Richmond. A month ago, the City of Richmond sent an official letter to Colbert offering him the chance to serve as an "official ombudsman to monitor the treatment of Americans during the Games."
Colbert accepted and will attend as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team.
"I have no idea what an ombudsman is," Colbert said on his show, "but as long as it requires no effort from me, I proudly accept."
2. Here's the latest on the Cindy Watch, tracking the Winnipegger and this country's most-decorated Olympian, Cindy Klassen. In last week's final World Cup event before the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Klassen finished 13th in her specialty, the 1,500 metres, with a time of 1:56.10.
That number is significant for a couple of reasons: 1. It's a full three-second improvement from her time in the Netherlands at the end of November (1:59.32) and continues to showcase her rapid recovery from two knee surgeries; and 2. The bad news is Klassen's time was well back of the winner, teammate Christine Nesbitt, who crossed the finish line at 1:52.77.
Klassen was the fourth-best Canadian after Nesbitt, Kristina Groves (second overall at 1:53.33) and fellow Winnipegger Brittany Schussler (seventh overall at 1:54.86).
3. Keep your eyes on how the Canadian women's hockey team handles its goaltending. Veterans Kim St. Pierre and Charline Labonte figure to get most of the work in Vancouver, but a young star is pushing them: Edmonton's Shannon Szabados.
The 23-year-old kicked out 20 shots in a 6-2 win over the U.S. on Tuesday, led Canada to a 5-1 victory over the U.S. at last month's Four Nations Cup and made 52 saves in a win over the Calgary Canucks junior A team.
"I love her," Hayley Wickenheiser told the Calgary Herald's Vicki Hall. "She's the ultimate big-game player. She's a real professional in the way she shows up to play every day. She's stolen some games for us. And I just like her attitude. She's steady, she's consistent, she's calm. I think the team really believes in her."
Szabados still dreams of playing pro in a men's league after the Olympics and she certainly has the resumé: In 2006-07, she was named the top goaltender in the Alberta Junior Hockey League after leading Fort Saskatchewan to a 45-11-0-4 record and has also played with the men's team at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton.
"I still have people telling me 'no,' " she said. "There's always going to be people when you're playing in a male-dominated sport -- or anything male-dominated -- who don't want you there and don't think you can do it.
"But I think I've changed a lot of minds over the years, so it doesn't bother me at all."


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Archive for the 'Minnesota Twins' Category
It isn't often that Drudge Report links to a sports article. Drudge linked to this article because there's a long-simmering feud that's threatening to boil over. It started when the Detroit Tigers' Ian Kinsler finally had had enough with the umpiring. Specifically, Kinsler criticized umpire Angel Hernandez, saying "It has to do with changing the game. He's changing the game. He needs to find another job, he really does."
According to the Detroit Free Press article, the animosity towards Hernandez is widespread. The article said "One American League executive who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about umpires performances said about Kinsler's comments, 'He said what 90% of every other player thinks.'" Later in the article, it said "In a 2010 players survey conducted by ESPN, 22% of those polled counted Hernandez as baseball's worst umpire."
The umpires have a major problem on their hands. This weekend, Hernandez is part of the umpiring crew working the Minnesota Twins-Arizona Diamondbacks intra-league series. Earlier in the day, MLB announced that Kinsler would pay a fine but that he wouldn't be suspended. Prior to the game, umpires said that they'd wear a white wristband in a supposed show of unity with Hernandez. When the game began, only 2 umpires of the 4-man umpiring crew working the Twins-Diamondbacks game wore the white wristband.
The problem Major League Baseball has isn't just that Hernandez is a bad ump. It's that too many umpires think that the game revolves around them. Too many umpires have tried upstaging the players after making bad calls. MLB implemented instant replay reviews because umpires made the wrong call too often. In my opinion, there's a significant drop in the level of professionalism amongst umpires.
The late Steve Palermo, the gold standard for umpires, was disappointed with himself if he missed 5 balls-and-strikes call a month. Umpires like Hernandez frequently miss more than that per game. Let's look at some epic Hernandez fails, starting with this one:
Then there's this one:
This isn't a bad call on a baseball play. This is Hernandez throwing a fan out because he's thin-skinned:
At some point, MLB needs to address these umpires' lack of professionalism. Angel Hernandez is a symptom, not the disease.
Saying that this decision is startling is understatement. Minutes ago, the Twins announced that they'd fired Terry Ryan as their GM. Jim Souhan, the longtime Strib sports columnist and former Twins beat writer, summed it up best when he wrote "The Twins' firing of Terry Ryan feels shocking, but only because of his personality and the organization's longstanding commitment to loyalty among its most visible employees."
This isn't Carl Pohlad's team anymore. It's Jim Pohlad's team. Though they're father and son, style-wise, they're miles apart. Carl Pohlad hated paying big money on free agents or to retain the Twins' own free agents. Jim Pohlad hasn't hesitated in signing free agents. (Think Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes.)
The truth is that the Twins haven't been competitive in almost a decade. While their farm system has done a decent job of producing position player (decent, not great), their farm system has utterly failed at producing starting pitching or relief pitching. While that appears to be turning around, it's clear that the Twins' farm system should've produced more All Stars considering the fact that they've been drafting in the top 10 in the draft pretty much every year.
TR is a man of integrity but that isn't justification enough to keep him as the Twins' GM.
Torii Hunter, one of my all-time favorite athletes in any sport, announced his retirement this week. It's a sad week for Minnesota sports fans, especially coming so soon after Flip Saunders died way too young of Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Officially, Torii retired without winning a World Series Ring or even without reaching the Fall Classic. Hopefully, though, Paul Molitor will hire him as a coach or Terry Ryan will hire him as a minor league instructor to teach young Twins prospects the Twins way. Torii's outgoing personality and Torii's commitment to being the consummate professional were instrumental to the Twins' revival this season.
If you're a Torii Hunter fan, then you've got a lengthy list of Gold Glove-worthy plays that he made. To the national audience, though, there's only one play that people are likely to remember. This is that play:
In the first inning of the All Star Game in Milwaukee, against Barry Bonds, Torii soared over the fence to steal a home run away from Bonds. Still, there were other plays that Twins fans will remember besides just that catch. Lifelong Twins fans won't forget Torii barreling through White Sox catcher Jamie Burke in the opening game of a series in Chicago. After that collision, the White Sox played like a timid team. After that collision, the Twins played like they were the home team while sweeping the series.
In December of 2001, Major League Baseball tried to contract the Minnesota Twins but were unable to dissolve them thanks to a judge's ruling. In February, 2002, I attended Twins spring training. After the workout, I got Torii's autograph, which I still have. Though Torii was still young at the time, he was respectful of the fans. He carried on a conversation for over 45 minutes while signing autographs. Throughout the autograph session, Torii's infectious smile shined brightly.
The thing about Torii isn't just that he was a great athlete or that he was a charismatic leader. Certainly, he'll be remembered as both of those things. It wasn't just that he knew how to play pranks in the clubhouse or have fun with his teammates.
The thing I'll remember most about Torii now that his playing days are over is that he was stubbornly professional. This year, he was essentially the father of the Twins outfield. At season's end, Torii had taught Aaron Hicks, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario a ton of lessons on how to play the game right, to have fun and to be a professional. Aaron Hicks finally became a major league hitter. In 2013 and 2014, Hicks' batting average was .201. This year, with Torii's arrival, Hicks' batting average improved to .256 with 11 home runs.
Thanks to Terry Ryan's drafting and Torii Hunter's leadership, the Twins outfield should be in good shape for years.
In 2012, the Houston Astros gave the Twins a gift when they drafted Carlos Correa. That isn't a criticism of Correa, who just started his major league career last week. He looks like a fantastic player. When Houston picked Correa, Twins master scout Deron Johnson took little of the Twins' allotted time to draft Byron Buxton. Asked after the draft why he picked Buxton, Johnson said he'd never seen a player that fast, citing the fact that he watched Buxton score on a sacrifice fly. That isn't a big deal until Johnson said that Buxton was on second base at the time.
Today, Byron Buxton flashed his speed 3 times. The first time was during his second at-bat, when he hit a one-hop smash to Joey Gallo, the Rangers' third baseman. Despite the fact that Gallo picked the ball cleanly and made a strong, on-target throw, Buxton nearly beat it out for a hit. The second time Buxton flashed his speed was on his only putout. Playing a normal depth and being positioned in straightaway center field, he made a running catch on Robinson Chirinos' fly ball in the right centerfield power ally look routine. It wasn't a highlight reel/Web Gems catch but he went a long way to get to the ball. Buxton made it look easy.
Here's the third time Buxton flashed his speed:
Why Eddie Rosario hitting with 2 out, Buxton was off with the crack of the bat. Despite the Rangers playing a no doubles defense, Rosario's drive hit the ground on the warning track. Buxton was past the shortstop when Rosario's drive hit the warning track. He was at third when the centerfielder, Leonys Martin, fielded the ball. From there, Buxton just glided into the plate standing up.
Yet again, the Golden Era Committee screwed up. Yesterday, they kept the most dominant hitter of the 1960s and early 1970s out of baseball's Hall of Fame. This year, Tony Oliva fell one vote short of election into Cooperstown.
Think of Tony's credentials. They're significantly better than any of the other candidates for the Hall of Fame. Tony Oliva is still the only player in baseball history to lead the league in hitting as a rookie and in his second season. As a rookie in 1964, Tony finished with a .323 batting average. In 672 at-bats, Tony struck out just 68 times or once every 2 1/2 games. Tony wasn't just a slap hitter, either. That year, Tony finished with 43 doubles, 9 triples, 32 home runs, 374 total bases and a .557 slugging percentage.
That's just the tip of the iceberg with Tony. Rod Carew won 8 batting titles during his Hall of Fame career. While they were teammates, Tony Oliva was Rod Carew's batting coach. The man who once hit .388 in a season has often spoken of Tony as the greatest hitting instructor he's ever known.
This would all be academic if Tony hadn't torn his knee in August of 1968, the so-called Year of the Pitcher. For more than half of his career, Tony played with a knee that was little more than bones. In 10 full seasons, Tony collected more than 1,800 hits. If not for that knee injury, Tony easily would've banged out close to 3,000 hits in his career. He probably would've won more than 3 batting titles.
Let's remember that Sandy Koufax, the man most baseball experts call the best southpaw in baseball history, only won 165 games in his 12 year career. This shows that Hall of Fame voters have made exceptions based on a player's impact on the game in a brief period of time. There's no reason not to apply that same exception to Tony.
The Golden Era Committee got this badly wrong. They should be ashamed of themselves. During an interview on MLBNetwork, one of the voters said the problem was that this was a strong class and that each voter could only vote for 4 players. That's spin and then some.
The problem was that some committee members made a big mistake in not recognizing Tony's incredible accomplishments.
Twins fans are celebrating today. That's because Torii Hunter signed to play with the Twins yesterday. In his press conference, Torii emphatically emphasized some typical Torii things:
Torii emphasized the fact that he's still "got some bullets left". Anyone that watched him the last 2 years in Detroit knows that Torii's got plenty left. Whether he's hitting second or fifth in the batting order, Torii will be a strong veteran presence for the Twins. He'll also be productive. This isn't just about Torii returning to the place he started his career.
It's about Torii mentoring players like Byron Buxton, Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia and Kennys Vargas. That includes teaching them how to be consistent, reliable professionals both offensively and defensively. Torii doesn't have the range in the outfield that he had during his Gold Glove years but he's still a better than average outfielder. Most importantly, his fundamentals are still outstanding.
When Torii and Michael Cuddyer played center and right field respectively, there were seasons when their throws never missed the cutoff man. At that time, the Twins had the best defensive team in the game.
Another point that Torii emphasized was that Minnesota is his last stop in the majors. MLB's Jeff Nelson made the point that it's quite possible that Paul Molitor would invite Torii to join his staff when his playing days are done. I can easily picture that. In fact, I'll state right here that I hope that's already been agreed upon. Having Torii coach the outfielders would be outstanding.
The Twins have an outstanding offensive lineup. The 2014 Twins had the second highest on base percentage in the AL, the fifth best OPS (on base percentage + slugging percentage) in the AL, too.
Clearly, the Twins will use the Winter Meetings, which start this Sunday, to fortify their starting rotation. If they accomplish that this offseason, there's no reason why the Twins can't contend for the playoffs in 2015. I know that's a bold statement but the talent is there or arriving soon.
Yesterday was a fantastic day for Twins fans because Torii has returned. He'll make them stronger offensively and he'll help the Twins young talent mature quickly into the team they should be.
Anyone who's known me knows that I'm unabashedly a sports fanatic. Those people know that my first love is professional baseball. This afternoon, I saw Dawn Mitchell's interview of Erin and Dan Murphy:
They're neighbors of Twins great Tony Oliva. They started "the Official Tony Oliva Fan Group", which they say "was started in 2011 by a group of 12 fans in a suburban kitchen." Their "mission is to get Minnesota Twins Legend Tony Oliva inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame." It's great to see them putting this campaign together. It's a disgrace that Tony Oliva isn't enshrined in Cooperstown already.
Tony Oliva is one of a handful of dominant players I've had the privilege of watching in person. The best way I know how to illustrate Tony's dominance is to explain that Rod Carew thought of him as his hitting instructor. While they were teammates. Rod Carew won the AL batting title 8 times. His best season was 1977, when he was the AL MVP. He won it by hitting .388, the highest batting average at the time since Ted Williams hit .388 in 1957.
What other player or coach could Rod Carew turn to that knew more about hitting than he did? That's right. The only other player with that type of credibility was Tony Oliva.
Let's take it a step further. In 1964, Tony became the first rookie to lead the league in hitting. That year, Tony finished with a .323 batting average. In 672 at-bats, Tony struck out just 68 times or once every 2 1/2 games. If you're thinking that's decent for a slap hitter, you're right. That's pretty good for a slap hitter. Tony Oliva wasn't a slap hitter, though. That year, Tony finished with 43 doubles, 9 triples, 32 home runs, 374 total bases and a .557 slugging percentage.
That's what a dominant hitter does. Tony Oliva fits that description perfectly. After his playing career, he worked with another Twins outfielder that turned into a great hitter. His name was Kirby Puckett. Kirby started as a slap hitter. He didn't hit his first home run until his second season. After Tony suggested Kirby start lifting his front leg, Kirby started hitting home runs while hitting for a high average.
When good hitters hit a hot streak, their batting average for 5 games might shoot up to .450 or so. When Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett or Joe Mauer got locked in, their batting average for a series looks like the batting champion's batting average in a slow pitch softball league. We're talking about these gentlemen going 15-for-17 in a 4-game series or 11-for-12 in a 3-game series.
It's time for the baseball gods to smile on Tony O. If Cooperstown doesn't have room for a 3-time batting champion who played in 8 All Star games while winning a Gold Glove for defensive excellence, then Cooperstown's reputation deserves to take a hit.
Add in the fact that Tony's been one of baseball's best ambassadors for the last 30+ years and that he's worked with Twins hitters since the 1970s. Those credentials deserve to be enshrined in Cooperstown, NY.
That's where you come in:
The Hall of Fame announced on October 30th that Tony Oliva and 9 others (Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Bob Howsam, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Billy Pierce, Luis Tiant and Maury Wills) will be considered for election into the Hall of Fame. The Veterans Committee is considering the Golden Era (1947-1972) players and will be judging them based on their Record, Ability, Integrity, Character, Sportsmanship and Contribution to the team.
The 16 Voters are: Hall of Famers Jim Bunning, Rod Carew, Pat Gillick, Ferguson Jenkins, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, Ozzie Smith and Don Sutton; baseball executives Jim Frey, David Glass, Roland Hemond and Bob Watson; and veteran media members Steve Hirdt, Dick Kaegel, Phil Pepe and Tracy Ringolsby. The vote will take place on Monday December 8th 2014 in San Diego CA at the Baseball Winter Meetings.
The best way to influence the voters is by writing them a letter. Click HERE to find out more information!
Please consider sending a letter or postcard to the Hall of Fame telling them why Tony Oliva should be inducted into the Hall of Fame!
Let's get Tony into the Hall of Fame. He's earned it and then some. While we're at it, let's get Jim Kaat in, too.
Major League Baseball's annual entry draft got started Thursday night, with the Houston Astros picking Brady Aiken with the first pick in this year's draft. It was the third straight season Houston had the first pick in the draft.
The Twins have had high picks in the last three drafts, too, though I'd argue that they've added more talent to their team in those years than Houston has. This year, the Twins drafted Nick Gordon with the fifth overall pick. Here's what CBSSports said about Gordon:
The son of long-time big leaguer Tom Gordon and brother of current Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon, Nick has a quick left-handed swing and drives the ball to all fields. His power is mostly into the gaps for doubles than over the fence at the moment. Quick feet, reliable hands, and a strong arm makes him a natural at shortstop, plus he is an excellent athlete, as you might expect given his bloodlines. Gordon, who stands 6-foot-0 and 180 lbs., has legitimate All-Star potential and a very high ceiling. He has hit 94 mph off the mound and pitching could always be a fallback option if things don't go as planned on the infield.
Gordon was considered by many scouts to be the top position player in this year's draft. If that's true, the Twins drafted a kid with the physical tools and the bloodlines to be a special player.
Things were just getting started for the Twins, though. In the second round, the Twins took Louisville's closer, Nick Burdi. Here's the Pioneer Press's take on Burdi:
The Twins weren't able to sign Nick Burdi three years ago out of high school, but they figured it was worth giving the Louisville closer another shot.
Armed with a fastball that has been clocked as high as 103 mph, Burdi is the all-time saves leader for the Cardinals after spending the past three years in their bullpen. His slider has been clocked as high as 92-93 mph and regularly sits at 87-90 mph.
Simply put, Burdi has the ultimate power arm, throwing his fastball as fast as 103 mph. That's just insane. That's before talking about his slider, which tops out at a brisk 93 mph. If Burdi has command of his pitches, he could be in the majors by 2016.
Having him set up Glen Perkins would give the Twins an unstoppable bullpen.
Back to the Twins last 3 first round picks. This year, they got the kid rated the top position player in the draft. Last year, they picked Kohl Stewart, a top of the rotation righthander, with the fourth overall pick. In 2012, the Twins picked Byron Buxton with the second overall pick. At the time, Buxton was considered by most scouts as being the best player in the draft. When Houston picked Carlos Correa, the Twins must've thought they'd just moved Christmas to early June. He and Miguel Sano project to be the next dynamic duo for the Twins.
With any luck, Gordon and Burdi will be Buxton's and Sano's teammates for years to come.
Technorati: Minnesota Twins, Nick Gordon, Flash Gordon, Byron Buxton, Kohl Stewart, Nick Burdi, Houston Astros, Brady Aiken, Carlos Correa
There are times when words simply aren't necessary to make a point. This video tells quite a story:
Minnesota Twins slugger Chris Colabello has turned into quite the RBI machine this season. Wednesday night, Chris's parents were at the Twins game against the Tampa Bay Rays. When Twins sideline reporter Marney Gellner caught up with Chris's parents, she found out that Wednesday's game was Sylvana Colabello's, Chris's mother, birthday. Then Marney said "Let's hope Chris gives her a nice present this at-bat."
After the ball hit off the wall behind the centerfield fence, Twins TV announcer Dick Bremer chimed in "Happy Birthday, Mom." All the while, Sylvana Colabello was screaming, knowing that her son had hit it out of the ballpark.
What wasn't captured on the video, though, was what Chris's mother said right before the clip. When Gellner asked her what Chris was like, she said that "Chris was perfect", adding that he was always a gentleman. Another thing that wasn't captured on the video was what Bremer said after Colabello's home run. He said "Well now, when your mom says you're perfect, the least you can do is hit a home run."
I've watched tons of great Twins moments, including their Game 6 heroics in the 1987 and 1991 World Series. I watched as Gene Larkin lifted that fly ball over the Braves' outfielders' heads in the 10th inning of Game 7 that provided the game-winning RBI that clinched the Twins' second World Series championship in 4 years. I watched the night before when Kirby Puckett hit the game-winning home run off the Braves' Charlie Liebrandt in the bottom of the 11th inning.
I recall watching Bert Blyleven talk after the final game of the 1986 season. Specifically, I remember him saying that he hoped, with the right moves, the Twins could bring a World Series championship to the Metrodome. Until tonight, that was the best 'call' in Twins history.
Tonight, Marney Gellner's call topped Bert's call.
I've been watching Twins baseball since August of 1966. I've seen the best that the Twins had to offer. I've experienced all of the chillbump moments in team history. Tonight's home run call rates near the top of those chillbump moments. It was splendid TV.
Saturday afternoon was a special afternoon for Kyle Gibson, the Twins' highly touted rookie righthander. Making his major league debut against Kansas City, Gibson's first pitch was hit by Alex Gordon. The good news for Gibson is that Oswaldo made a nice catch down the left field line. One pitch, one out. Two pitches later, Gibson got another out, this time on a routine grounder to Brian Dozier. After a line drive single by Eric Hosmer, Gibson faced Kansas City's Twin-killer, Billy Butler.
Butler entered the game with 14 hits in 27 at-bats against the Twins this season. Gibson got ahead on 2 breaking pitches away. After another pitch, this time a ball, Gibson struck out Butler on a nasty 94 mph fastball that ran in on Butler's hands.
After getting out of the inning, an inning where he threw 13 pitches, 10 for strikes, Twins hitters staked Gibson to a 5-0 lead. Justin Morneau doubled in Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier, who had walked. Trevor Plouffe, the Twins DH, fouled off several 3-2 pitches before hitting his sixth homer of the season.
Staked to a big first inning lead, Gibson did what he's done his entire career, attack the strike zone. Though he gave up 2 runs in the third, Gibson dominated the Royals, striking out 5 while giving up 8 hits in 6 strong innings.
What Twins fans saw Saturday was a poised power pitcher. They saw a young man whose fastball topped out at 94 mph most of the day. They saw his nasty slider and an effective change-up. At 6-foot-6, they also saw a power pitcher who throws a straight over-the-top 2-seamer.
It's foolish to predict what type of career he'll have with the Twins. That said, it's clear he's got some tools that Twins faithful haven't seen in a pitcher. It's also foolish to think the Twins will catch the Tigers this year. They'll likely be sellers as the trade deadline approaches.
Those in the know think the 2015 Twins will be a very good team. By then, the Twins rotation will be anchored by Alex Meyer, Travis May and Mr. Gibson. By then, Miguel Sano will likely be the Twins third baseman and Byron Buxton will be the Twins starting centerfielder.
Saturday afternoon, Twins fans got a brief glimpse of that future. By next season, they might be looking at more of that future. That works with me.


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Fantasy RPG Gothic 4 is out! I played it a bunch, hoping it would be another Risen. Is it? Well…
It says 'Impressions' at the top instead of 'Wot I Think' because I'm either a coward or a man of honour, depending on your particular take on the old time-to-valid-opinion formula. Of course, I do have superhuman critical prescience. Show me 10 minutes of your game, a screenshot, the box art – hell, even just the first letter of its title, and I'll be able to instantly recount its probable Metacritic rating within 2 per cent.* I already know what I would score World of Warcraft 2, Half-Life 3 and Respawn Studios' unannounced first project.** I'm just that damned good.***
But you lot don't trust me, do you?
Read the rest of this entry »


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Daniel Radcliffe Confirms Emma Watson Brown University Rumors
Maybe Daniel Radcliffe needs a magic spell to keep him from blurting out his friends' secrets.
While Radcliffe's Harry Potter co-star, Emma Watson, has been trying to keep her academic plans under wraps, D-Rad has gone ahead and confirmed rumors that the actress will attend Brown University in the fall.
Discussing Watson's academic prowess (and his own lack thereof), Radcliffe told British newspaper the Guardian, "Do you know her GCSE [General Certificate of Secondary Education] results?" I was thrilled with mine—seven Bs, two As and an A*. I think Emma got three As and seven A*s—she's incredibly academic, it's frightening. Me and Rupert to all intents and purposes dropped out of school. And she's going to Brown."
Whoops; looks like the cat's out of the bag! Good job, Dan!


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Wynn pays out bonus dividend
Last year, hotel and casino operator Wynn Resorts gave its shareholders a $5-a-share extra dividend, payable just before Christmas.
Last year, hotel and casino operator Wynn Resorts gave its shareholders a $5-a-share extra dividend, payable just before Christmas.
When the Electric Daisy Carnival drew 240,000 attendees last June for the first edition of the festival held in Las Vegas, generating a reported $136 million for the local economy, it seemed to put…
MediaLink CES Kick-Off party at the Tryst nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. Ryan Seacrest hosts the Microsoft keynote. Generate's Jared Hoffman and CEO and founder of Alloy Media & Marketing Matt Diamond…
Towering high above the Las Vegas strip, the sleek brown skyscrapers that make up the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotels and casino are unofficially being called the "power towers" by CES attendees…
The 15% tax on dividends can have unintended consequences, and it's amazing how many CEOs who never liked dividends before love them under certain circumstances.
With new movies dying and superstar vehicles underperforming, I decided last week to visit dead people.
Leave it to Garth Brooks to come to Las Vegas with a show that goes against everything Sin City represents.
The creators of "The Marvelous Wonderettes" have presented the male equivalent, "Life Could Be a Dream."
Danny Gans, a singer, actor and impressionist who for nearly two decades was one of the most popular entertainers on the Las Vegas Strip, died in his sleep Friday. He was 52.
"Monty Python's Spamalot" will shutter in Vegas after its current contract at the Wynn Hotel ends July 13.
Ever since Franco Dragone's $110 million aquatic epic opened along with the rest of Wynn Las Vegas in spring 2005, it's been the subject of endless reviews, gossip and speculation.


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Caterpillar Announces Opening of New Facility in Wuxi, China
Focusing on the long-term opportunities related to economic development and infrastructure investment planned for China, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) executives announced Monday the opening of a new facility and the completed expansion of another facility in Wuxi, China. Caterpillar opened its 23,000-square-meter power train facility in Wuxi to produce axles, transmissions and final drives for use in a range of Caterpillar earthmoving and mining machinery. The company has also completed a 17,000-square-meter expansion at an existing component facility in Wuxi to produce hydraulic cylinders for Caterpillar machines. Both facilities are part of Caterpillar's Advanced Components & Systems Division which designs and manufactures technologically advanced components for Caterpillar machines and customers around the world.
"Success in China is an important part of our long-term strategy, and we are focused on bringing the complete Caterpillar business model to China in order to better serve and support our customer base," said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman.
With the opening of the new power train operation, Caterpillar now has 24 manufacturing facilities in China in addition to four Research & Development
Posted-In: News Guidance Financing Contracts Management Global


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Friday, September 28, 2012
Can Sporting KC Pull Off the U.S. Pro Soccer Trifecta?
Sporting KC may end up chasing U.S. pro Soccer history this season.
One team came close to winning the trifecta. In 2002, the LA Galaxy won both the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield and lost in the U.S. Open Cup final to the Columbus Crew.
The MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield have been won in the same year a few times. As mentioned above, it was done by the Galaxy in 2002 and again last season, in 2011. D.C. United, like the Green Bay Packers of the NFL's early history, was a dominant team early in MLS history. They accomplished the feat twice in 1997 and 1999. The defunct Kansas City Wizards did it in 2000 and the Columbus Crew in their glory year of 2008 also accomplished the feat.
The MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup have been won in the same year only on two occasions, by the Chicago Fire in 1998 and by the LA Galaxy in 2005.
Sporting KC is positioned in 2012 to make a run at all 3 trophies. They have already won the U.S. Open Cup this season and currently sit second in the regular season race with three games left to play, one at home and two on the road. Their biggest competition for the regular season, Supporters' Shield title is the San Jose Earthquakes.
With one less game played, the Earthquakes have 60 total points to Sporting's 58. The Earthquakes play four more games total. They play two at home and two on the road.
Sporting KC and one of the League's newest and brightest stars put away the Chicago Fire on national Tv Friday night, as Graham Zusi scored two goals in front of a completely enthralled, sold-out crowd.
The question of whether Sporting KC can win the regular season title is one of the best story lines going. They don't play San Jose, but the teams will be watching each other from a distance, for sure.
It's doubtful Wondolowski and his Quakes teammates will let the Title slip away, but they have the tougher schedule of the two teams. The Quakes will need to wrap it up before their last match, because it's played in Portland.
The Timbers are definitely not going to the playoffs, so they will play San Jose to the hilt in the last game of the season in front of a boisterous home crowd.
Sporting plays their last match of the season at home against Philadelphia, one of the weakest teams in the League.
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nail up
This page is about the phrasal verb nail up
Meaning: If you nail something up, you use a nail to attach it to a vertical surface like a wall or a door.
For example:
- nail up sth Emilio nailed up a horseshoe over the front door of our house. He says it'll bring us good luck.
- nail sth up Could you get a hammer and nail the picture up in the bedroom?
Quick Quiz:
If you want to nail something up, you'll need
1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context ebook
This entry is in the following categories:
Contributor: Matt Errey


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The Diocese of Youngstown's Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry invites adults who work with middle school, high school and college-aged youth, whether in a parish, school, or club setting, to take advantage of a class titled "The Component of Evangelization," part of the Youth Ministry Online Training program offered through the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
The coursework will take place March 8 to 22. Upon completion of this two-week class, participants will be able to invite youth into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and empower them to live and witness as disciples in today's world.
Students from the Diocese of Youngstown will join with students from the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., to share ideas with adults in youth ministry in a different area of the country, thus expanding the possibilities for sharing insights and ideas via discussion boards and a live webinar session.
The primary professor for this class will be Charlotte McCorquodale, Ph.D.
Based on the National Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministry Youth Ministry Specialization, this program consists of 12 modules to provide tools for dynamic and meaningful ministries for the youth of today. The program is built sequentially, but students can start with any course (except No. 12). Students may take as many or as few modules as desired.
This class has been approved for 10 General Hours by the Diocesan Office of Religious Education. Fees are $40 per module to include access to the online materials, assistance with technology as needed, and facilitation by Ministry Training Source-trained facilitators, plus $15 for a course book ($55 total cost).
Students seeking college credit take three modules per semester to comprise a course for $110, plus tuition rates, plus $45 for course books.
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry serves as a resource for faith communities in the diocese in providing comprehensive outreach to high school teens as well as to young adults.
The office assists with including the "Church of Tomorrow" into the "Church of Today."
For more information, contact Cindee Case at 330-744-8451.


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In Heimskringla, Snorri provides our best documentation regarding Dísaþing, the Thing of All Swedes.
"In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism prevailed, that the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at Upsala. Then sacrifice was offered for peace, and victory to the king; and thither came people from all parts of Svithjod. All the Things of the Swedes, also, were held there, and markets, and meetings for buying, which continued for a week…"
You might have seen others talking about this in early February, and Snorri provides us with an explanation as to why this seems to have started.
"…after Christianity was introduced into Svithjod, the Things and fairs were held there as before. After Christianity had taken root in Svithjod, and the kings would no longer dwell in Upsala, the market-time was moved to Candlemas, and it has since continued so, and it lasts only three days."
Even in Sweden today, the Disting (the modern name for Dísaþing) market fair is held in early February. So, why am I writing about it now, almost a month after others near you might have celebrate it, or something similar to it? The answer is two-fold. First, we are closer to the historic timeframe than using the adjusted date imposed by Christian kings. Second, it is finally starting to be consistently warmer where I live and the hint of Spring is finally here. It's still a good bit cold in Sweden right now, of course but evidence indicates that during the Vendal and Viking periods, Scandinavia was a little warmer than it is now, meaning the thaw could well be started by now.
So, what do we know about Dísaþing? Besides being "The Social Event of the Year" for the Swedish peoples, we know that important sacrifices were made. The festival and law assembly was held in conjunction with the Dísablót, the great sacrifice to the dísir. There's an interesting difference that crops up here between the East and West Nordic traditions. In Sweden, Dísablót is held at this time but the Icelandic sagas show us that in Iceland, Dísablót was held at the coming of winter. This variation in tradition is a fascinating one. Because of my own Swedish heritage, I make my Dísablót offerings now but those who favor the Norwegian and Icelandic customs are well and properly in their right to hold it when their customs say to.
This year I am hosting a small get together where we will be drinking toasts to the dísir. The most important toasts will be minni toasts in honor of the women of our families who have died. Because the guests that are invited are mostly not Heathen I am not hosting a formal blót. Instead, I will be making the sacrifices in private. I am doing it this way because of the kinship ties that I will be honoring. The ties of blood are, in this case, too personal for me to share with those not of my ætt.
For starting points to learn more about Dísaþing or the Thing of All Swedes, please follow the links to their Wikipedia articles. There is some good information and valuable links that I think are worth your time.
Hail the dísir! Hail the Svear! Hail Svíþjoð! Hail Sverige!


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Health Care Becomes Key Political Issue for Candidates
[Sorry, the video for this story has expired, but you can still read the transcript below. ]
JUDY WOODRUFF: Today, it was Barack Obama who stood up on the campaign trail in Iowa to lay out his health care proposals. The Illinois senator followed Democratic rivals John Edwards and Hillary Clinton in laying out ideas to create universal health care coverage, particularly by making coverage available and affordable for 45 million uninsured Americans.
Obama wants all Americans to be able to buy into a combination public-private health insurance system. Government subsidies would help cover those who couldn't afford the whole tab, and employers would be required to pitch in.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Illinois: If you're one of the 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance, you will have a new plan after this plan becomes law. You will have health insurance that's available to you. No one will be turned away because of a preexisting condition or illness.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Polls show that health care is a top issue among potential voters, ranking second to the war in Iraq. And the three leading Democratic candidates have all focused on lowering health care costs as instrumental to providing universal care.
Other key components of Obama's plan: create a new National Health Insurance Exchange to strengthen the private health insurance market; no one could be denied health coverage based on their underlying health conditions; require parents to make sure their children had health coverage, either public or private; and relieve businesses of the high cost of covering the chronically ill.
Senator Clinton's work on the issue goes back to the failed attempts early in her husband's administration to come up with a plan for universal coverage.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), New York: I have tangled with this issue before, and I've got the scars to show for it.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Last week, nearly 15 years later, she began to roll out her own plan in phases.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON: Our health care system is plagued with under-use, overuse, and misuse. It is, simply put, broken. As president, I will make it my mission to fix it.
JUDY WOODRUFF: In the first phase of her plan, Clinton would: create a computerized health information system to help reduce medical errors; end insurance discrimination against people with preexisting health conditions; and create a new Best Practices Institute to help determine which drugs and medical intervention are cost effective.
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards was the first to make a major pronouncement on health care.
FORMER SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), Presidential Candidate: There are many millions more who are worried about losing their health care or worried about the cost of it. So I think there's a huge groundswell for Americans to change the health care system.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Edwards would require all Americans to have health insurance. To help them obtain coverage, Edwards would: require employers to insure workers or assist in paying for coverage; issue tax credits or subsidies to make insurance affordable; make insurance available through new regional health markets.
Most of the other Democratic candidates also support universal health coverage but have yet to supply the details.
Among the Republican presidential candidates, health care has not yet become a major issue. Former Governor Mitt Romney did help create a universal coverage plan for Massachusetts but has spoken little about it since announcing his candidacy.
Why a Democratic issue?
JUDY WOODRUFF: For a closer look at health care as a political issue, we're joined by Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard's School of Public Health and the Kennedy School of Government, and Susan Dentzer of our Health Unit. The unit is a partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Good to have both of you. Thank you very much.
Robert Blendon, to you first. Why are the Democrats, as we just said, talking more about this issue than the Republicans? Why are the Republicans talking less?
ROBERT BLENDON, Harvard's School of Public Health: Because people don't understand how important this issue is to Democratic voters. It's one of the top domestic issues, if not the top. But for Republican voters, immigration and terrorism is much more important, so you won't win the Republican nomination by addressing the uninsured issue or cost issues.
But the Democrats really care about this year, and you have to have a serious proposal to be considered as a real front-running Democratic presidential candidate. They really feel this issue. Their voters are hurt by these problems.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Susan, just quickly, on the Republican voters, why isn't it as high on their list of priorities?
SUSAN DENTZER, NewsHour Health Correspondent: Well, I think, to add to what Bob just said, some of the Republican pollsters would underscore that it's also the Republican primary voters who matter here, and the people who are mobilized to get out and vote in primaries tend to be the base, the so-called -- even sometimes the radical right.
And as Bob said, what they really care about are taxes, spending. And even when you talk about health care for them, they very quickly begin to worry that, when you talk about changes in health care, you're talking about more government in health care. That's anathema for many of them. And that's why they really would much prefer to talk about the issues Bob talked about as opposed to the health care problems.
Broken health care system?
JUDY WOODRUFF: We noticed a comment that Rudy Giuliani made a few weeks ago. He said the Democrats -- he said, "Just wait, they're soon going to be talking about, all of them, about socialized health care," socialized medicine. Bob Blendon, how do Democrats, these Democratic candidates see the health care system in this country? Do they see it -- do they all see it as broken?
ROBERT BLENDON: Well, they see it as broken, but what's important is the proposals that they've made are much more centrist than, for instance, Senator Clinton's original proposal of 1993. They build on what we have. People who have private insurance from their employers would still have private insurance.
So they're building around the system. This is not Canada. This is not Medicare for all. This is not a new system. This is fixing an existing system by adding pieces that people have agreed to. And there's been a lot of effort, if you listen to these plans, to avoid some of the most controversial things that might lead to rationing or people being forced into plans they don't want to join.
This is a much more moderate Democratic approach. It doesn't mean Republicans will like it, because they're asking businesses to contribute for their employees and raising taxes on upper-income people. But the rest of the plans are things that many established groups have talked about over the last 10 years.
And what's important about Senator Obama is, he put himself in the middle of the Democratic presidential proposals. He's not to the left or the right. He's in the middle. He's got a credible proposal. And for most of the supporters who are Democrats, it will make them feel comfortable that he cares about an issue that's very important to them.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Susan, help us understand, what are the important distinctions between what Obama's saying, what Senator Clinton -- she's only rolled out a portion of what she said she's going to say here, we've got some sense of it -- and on the other hand, Senator Edwards?
SUSAN DENTZER: Well, the biggest difference is how they would propose to get to universal coverage. And would they, in fact, really get there?
They have all said that they're going to get there. But if you look at the mechanism, there are really two things you need to do to get to universal coverage. First of all, you knew a pool, a structure, through which everybody can buy insurance. And then you have to decide who pays into that pool, who pays for people to be there?
If you look at what John Edwards says, for example, he's requiring employers to offer coverage to their workers or pay into that pool. Senator Obama today said the same thing. You have to offer a meaningful contribution as an employer to coverage or pay into that pool. Senator Clinton, we don't know yet, but she certainly has said things that sound like she's going to talk about going the same way.
But Obama, for example, did not say that individuals have to buy coverage, whereas, in fact, John Edwards did. And some experts today were saying that could mean that his plan could leave as many as 5 million to 10 million people without insurance. If you don't require people to buy into a pool, many will elect not to do it.
The other thing I think is to talk about the dimensions of the pool. And here, again, it can get a little technical. But what Senator Obama was talking about was essentially taking the federal employees health benefits system, which covers about 8 million workers and their dependents, and allows them to buy private health plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, HMOs, et cetera. He's talking about opening up that and making that available for all Americans to buy into, again with these dollars, some of which will come from employers and some from the federal government.
So if you look at the pooling mechanisms, they're all talking about slightly different approaches to getting to this large pool of health insurance.
Giving people choices
JUDY WOODRUFF: Just quickly, Bob Blendon, is that an approach that might be acceptable broadly to Democrats, to other Democratic candidates?
ROBERT BLENDON: Yes, I think the emphasis they have on making a group insurance policy available to everyone, giving them lots of private choices is extremely acceptable. So what is appealing to average people is that they would have a lot of choices. The government doesn't pick the plans.
But also what's appealing is, they would get a rate that was much lower, because it's a large group offering it. So I think this has a lot of staying power. And you'll see pieces of this in Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal and, in fact, Governor Romney's proposal.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Bob Blendon, one other question. Last time, we know -- certainly when the Clinton health care proposal came out in the early '90s, this was a factor. But what role today do you see the large interest groups out there, whether it's the pharmaceutical industry, the health insurance industry, hospitals, physicians, nurses, what role do they play today?
ROBERT BLENDON: If a plan came forward and every group you listed was against it, it'd be very hard to enact it in this country. I think what a lot of these proposals are doing is offering things that are acceptable to physicians, the group of insurers. They are harshest at the moment on pharmaceutical companies for this.
But I think they're trying to find a middle way so we won't replicate every group wanting to buy "Harry and Louise" ads and trying to destroy moving ahead. And these are much more compromised proposals this round than it was in 1993.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Susan, how do you see these important, these powerful groups, and the role they're going to play in all this?
SUSAN DENTZER: It's a much different environment than it was in 1993 and '94, as Bob suggests. And a lot of these groups, frankly, have been sitting around tables for the last dozen years talking about how to avoid what happened then, by coalescing around proposals that they can agree on.
And almost all these groups come down believing that, to get more Americans into coverage, you have to expand private coverage, and you have to expand public coverage. Certain groups of people are never going to be able to afford pure private coverage, or the market won't ensure them, so you've got to expand programs like the State Children's Health Insurance Plan.
Others believe very strongly that some of the greatest policies available today are in the private side and we have to shore those up, make them affordable, and, as Bob just said, get everybody into the pool to equalize the costs across large groups.
So they coalesce around those things. As people always say, though, the devil is in the details. And as we see more details coming out of these plans, surely many of these groups will begin to peel off, at least some of the proposals.
Political climate
JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, do both of you see then a more accepting political climate for the kinds of plans we hear these candidates talking about, Bob Blendon?
ROBERT BLENDON: I think, absolutely, these proposals are much more acceptable to not only the interest groups, but to Middle Americans. I think the biggest problem would be, after the election, is, do we have the resources to invest in covering the people and moving ahead?
But I think the outlines of these plans really are much more acceptable than they were in 1993 and provide a framework for where we can go. And the fact that Governor Schwarzenegger and Governor Romney back in Massachusetts have a lot of these provisions in their bills shows the possibility of bipartisanship, something that just disappeared in this issue in 1994.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Susan, quickly, even before we get to the election, you've got a different climate between the primary voter audience compared to the general election voters.
SUSAN DENTZER: That's right. And also 250 million Americans have coverage, and a lot of these proposals are aimed at improving coverage for people who already have it, making it more efficient, more cost-effective, getting better value for the health care dollar.
So these are plans deliberately tailored to appeal to people who do have coverage, recognize that they're paying 80 percent more in health insurance premiums than they were at the beginning of this decade, and want a better value for the buck. And I think bringing those people into the tent to recognize that there are things that can be done to improve health coverage for them is very important in this political process.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, thank you both, Susan Dentzer, Robert Blendon, for helping us understand all this. We appreciate it.


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Settlers of Catan is a hugely popular game with lots of expansions and even a Star Trek themed version that recently debuted, but this shirt envisions one we haven't yet seen in the real world. Settlers of Middle Earth would be the one every Tolkien fan would love. With three new Hobbit movies coming out, maybe this will give someone an idea and we'll actually see this version of the game. Until then, you've at least got this cool shirt.
Product Page ($22.50 via shirtoid)