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U.S. farm groups bristled this week at calls for deeper cuts to American agriculture subsidies, just as trade negotiators urged the United States to do more to break a stubborn stalemate in world trade talks.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. farm groups bristled this week at calls for deeper cuts to American agriculture subsidies, just as trade negotiators urged the United States to do more to break a stubborn stalemate in world trade talks.
Dave Salmonsen, who follows trade at the American Farm Bureau Federation, the largest U.S. agriculture group, said trading partners were wrong to place the onus on the United States for moving the World Trade Organization's Doha round closer to a long-elusive agreement.
"It's up to everyone else to come up with some market access to make this happen," he said.
On Tuesday, European Union trade chief Peter Mandelson said the United States "holds the key" to breaking an impasse in the round, which has made only fitful progress since its 2001 launch. Australia said the United States would send a powerful signal if it took steps toward reducing farm subsidies.
Negotiators, in Geneva this week for the latest Doha talks, acknowledge that cooperation must come from all WTO countries. Still, much pressure is directed at U.S. agriculture and the heavy subsidies it receives.
But farm groups here -- whose support will be critical in getting any agreement through Congress -- make it clear they will balk at any deal that does not do enough for U.S. exports.
"It's unfair to expect that the United States would just unilaterally offer to reduce subsidies" without reciprocal reductions in tariffs, said David Coia, a spokesman for the USA Rice Federation, one of the many industry groups saying their support for the round hinges on, in Coia's words, "market access, market access, market access."
The United States already has offered to cut its overall subsidy cap by 53 percent to $22.5 billion a year. Support for even deeper cuts have been reported, but U.S. officials have dismissed a recent proposal to go as low as $13 billion.
In general, U.S. farm groups appear wary at this stage.
"While it's hard to see negotiators arriving at a truly good agreement for US agriculture at this point; at all costs we must avoid reaching a bad deal," said Jaime Castaneda, an official at the National Milk Producers Federation.
Even with high crop prices and U.S. ethanol production driving grain demand, trade is an essential income-earner for U.S. farmers. Farm exports are expected to hit a record $83.5 billion in fiscal 2008; U.S. farmers are looking to emerging economies like China to continue that expansion.
"The round must establish new trade flows and the U.S. is willing to continue to do its part," said Steve Norton, a spokesman for Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
Despite the remaining divisions on agriculture, the fate of the round may hang equally on whether progress can be made in parallel talks on manufacturing trade.
The divisions in the so-called "NAMA" arena have become increasingly conspicuous since a breakdown in talks between U.S., EU, Brazilian and Indian official in June.
U.S. farmers "are not thrilled that we continue to negotiate on agriculture while we are still facing an uncertain future for NAMA. This imbalance only contributes to the current calls from countries asking the U.S. to do more on domestic support," Castaneda said.
If things go well in the Geneva talks, farm negotiations chair Crawford Falconer may release a more detailed negotiating draft later this month, which could build momentum for a deal.


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Unfortunately, we had inaccurate information regarding the impact of redistricting on the Big Island pilot Fair Elections program. We were under the impression that redistricting would nullify the program. That was incorrect.
We still need to pass language that was contained in HB 2700 HD1, and we're going to be working to get that language re-inserted into another bill.
Thank your for staying with us and for all of your help. We'll let you know what are next steps are asap.
Voter Owned Hawaii
Related articles
- Hawaii House Kills Public Funding Bill (damontucker.com)
Filed under: Announcements, Hawaii, Legislature, Politics, Rumors, State Affairs Tagged: | Hawaii Publicly Funded Elections, Redistricting, Voter Owned Hawaii

subset: commoncrawl


text:
AIChE Symposium Series, Issue 323
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2000 - Chemical engineering - 509 pages
From inside the book
38 pages matching unit operations in this book
Where's the rest of this book?
Results 1-3 of 38
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
The Web and Flow of Information in Pharmaceutical RD
44 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
AIChE algorithm alternatives analysis application azeotropic batch process behavior Biegler branch and bound CAPE-OPEN Chem chemical engineering chemical process Chtm Cktm codes column Comp Cktm components composition computational computational chemistry concepts constraints convex cost crystallisation defined disjunction distillation dynamic energy equations equipment evaluation example exergy feasible feed Figure Floudas flow flowsheet formulation function global optimization Grossmann implementation industry information model integration interactions interface iteration lifecycle linear linear programming material mathematical methods Microreaction Technology microreactor MINLP molecular molecular dynamics networks nonconvex nonlinear programming objective optimisation optimization problems parameters particle performance phase Pistikopoulos plant procedure process design process development process engineering process modeling process optimization process synthesis process systems properties reaction reactive reactive distillation reactor recycle selection simulation solution solved solvents solver specific Stephanopoulos strategy structure techniques temperature thermodynamic unit operations


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Love your blog…read everything in it. Hope you find more interesting stories.
Love your blog…read everything in it. Hope you find more interesting stories.
Thank you for the comment, J-P. It's great to know someone appreciates the posts! 🙂
I absolutely love your blog. I have read all of the articles posted as of 1/19/2012. I also subscribed and can't wait to read new posts. Thanks for making the Internet a better place!
Cheers Erich, thanks for reading and thanks for the email!
It's really superb! Thanks for all your hard work and providing this wealth of information!
Cheers Amanda.
I like your blog…really interesting articles…. thanks.
Thank you for reading
Oh wow, I fell in love with your blog immediately! Definitely an interesting read, thank you 🙂
Thank you Yasmin, I'm glad you like it!
Love the blog, reminds me of the mostly inactive damninteresting.com. I have a feeling if you keep at it, you will reach its cult status soon 🙂
All the best ma man .. and stay inquisitive.
Cheers Melvin, that is some high praise to even be considered in such esteemed company as Damn Interesting; they are fantastic. Thanks for stopping by.
A friend sent me the link about the bodies on Everest. I've been addicted for months now. Thanks for putting these together 🙂
Thank you Elizabeth, I appreciate you taking the time to stop and write a comment. 🙂
An epic site my friend well done and thank you on behalf of the countless thousands that have no doubt spent as long as I have in awe of those amazing facts. Please do keep it up, if ever you're in the UK I'll buy you a beer 😀 cheers!!
Ha, excellent Matt thanks! I was just in England last month, believe it or not. Absolutely love it, would be lucky to have the opportunity to live there one day. Cheers!
Hey, I just love your blog! I too've spent hours reading through all the posts. When are you writing more? Greetings from Slovenia!
Thank you Primo, hello in Slovenia! I try to publish as fast as time allows, these days it looks like I'm able to do about 3-4 posts per month, give or take. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
This is so fascinating! I truly can't believe it has only 420 followers! I originally saw it through a link to the Kowloon City article. Thank you!
Thank you Red
Absolutely enjoy this! Found you on reddit a couple of months ago and I'm certainly glad I stumbled upon this. Southeast Texas
Hi Josh, I love Texas! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I would love to read more about this: http://imgur.com/gallery/nt2pJ
Email function doesnt seem to work for me.
Thank you for the idea Ron! Here's the story: https://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/03/25/villa-epecuen-underwater-for-25-years/ 🙂
here's some more inspiration if you need any. Quite a few are quite grim, and at least one is already on your blog.
please continue as you are! Receiving the notification of a new post makes my day!
Thank you sir. But of course these are right up my alley! You know what tickles my fancy Ron, what can I say?
How can we find out who wrote a specific article (for a school project citation)?
I'm looking for the author of: https://sometimes-interesting.com/2011/07/17/electronic-waste-dump-of-the-world/
Thanks in advance!
I sent you an email. 😉
Better make sure the weather channel is not plagiarizing.
Wow, thanks for the heads up – guess I should be flattered they're reading?
Hi there, just wondered if you guys know about the abandoned hospital in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa, there are many conspiracies and mysteries surrounding its abandonment. Love this site!
Thanks, and appreciate the tip! I'll look into it. 🙂
I dont know who you are but you have some of the best articles I have ever read. THANK YOU. I have shared your work on my FB page. Your work and effort is epic! Great job! I have spent many hours going over every one of your articles. Just want you to know that your work is appreciated. Perfect! BTW I am from the Eastern shore of Md and the Hollands island article is how I discovered your work. Great job. I have been to Hollands Islea few times in the 80s-90s and if you look at the satellites (google) you can still see the old baseball field south on the island. Thanks again.. JVC. AWESOME !!! Thank you again.
Wow Jerry, thanks for the feedback! Hearing such glowing praise makes me blush, I'm glad my blog has been entertaining for you. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the comment, the Holland post is one of my favorites – a great story with a sad ending. It was a pleasure to research and write that one. I appreciate you sharing the stories as well. Take care!
Thanks very interesting blog!
Thank you!
i was born at 504 west park st. watched a working strip mine in my back yard as a kid. going up there tomorrow.
Have you considered "The Hermit of Fort Fisher"?
I am not familiar, will have to check it out. Thanks!
I making a video to spread the knowledge of renewable energy in which antonov 225 has been used to transport wind turbine blades. If you would permit, I would like to use the picture of An 225 found here in my video. If it is OK, kindly email the permission at firstname.lastname@example.com
Done, and you are welcome to use the picture. 🙂
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of
the issues. It was truly informative. Your site is extremely helpful.
Thank you for sharing!
Wow! Absolutely love your blog!!!! Have spent many hours looking and it all just blows me away. I love all things abandoned, something about it is so fascinating. Look forward to visiting your oasis of abandonment often. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of this fascinating informative blog. Each story is compelling and leaves me craving more. I had no idea there were so many interesting places with such colorful stories behind them. Thank you for this awesome blog.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving the comment, Marlane. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback – it lets me know someone out there is enjoying reading this! Thanks again! 🙂
Hi there, I read your blogs daily. Your story-telling style
is witty, keep up the good work!
Thank you.
You are so welcome! Keep those wonderful, thought provoking articles coming. I can tell you are very passionate about your subjects!
Cheers, Marlane
This is a GREAT blog! I really enjoy all the thoroughness, attention to details, humor and all the extra links! Keep up the super work, great stuff!
Thank you Chris, I appreciate it!
Love your blog. I am doing a historical case history in my graduate level physiological psychology. The pictures are awesome. Could I borrow a few. I will provide credit in the reference section. My class mates will most definitely flock by as well to check out your site. Love love love it. Ill be back.
Absolutely Sonya, thanks for telling your friends! 🙂
Wow, I have just chanced upon your site and spent hours reading the astonishing material you have posted. You have done an amazing job. Thank you for all the effort you have obviously put into it. Nice layout too, easy to navigate.
Thank you so much for reading, Wendy! Appreciate the feedback on the site & design as well. Always good to hear it's working. Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂
I would like to use one of your articles for my study, but how can I cite the text? Because I can't find the author. It is about project mkultra at: https://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/03/13/project-mkultra/
If you could answer me, that would be wonderful. And by the way, you have incredible materials.
Thank you a lot!
Thanks Adina. Sent you an email. 😉
What an absolutely cool site. I love old, creepy and abandoned places, and the history and stories that go with them!
Thank you Liz, I appreciate the comment!
Hey, this place rules, very entertaining and information filled articles that I love to read, keep it up Sometimes Interesting, your articles are quite interesting!
Thank you Spartan, I hope to come back with more after the summer. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Awesome! Just awesome!
Got to love all the stories and material you have gathered here. Fun reading as well as educating. Very well done SI!
Thank you, thank you very much! Appreciate the kind words Mystery. 🙂
It's always rewarding to know others appreciate what's going on here. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Im trying to find a rear bumper for a 65 ford fairlane 500 2dr hardtop. Mite you have one or no where to look?
Just read with great interest the article regarding Hart Island [Sept. 20, 2014] – "Buried from the public: Hart Island, New York". First, I'm thrilled that at long last the Island is receiving recognition and steps are being taken for its resurrection – I thank you for your in-depth reporting. Second, and most disturbing to me: why is it no one from the press wants to speak to me regarding Hart Island and my connection, or worse yet, why is it no one knows the name John S. Turner, my brother, an Honorably Discharged Air Force Veteran whose untimely and suspicous death, and hasty burial on Hart Island, served as the nudge for City Council Officials to explore Hart Island for the first time in 20 years, some Members who had never even heard of the Island.? After all, it was my dogged pursuit of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, and our visit to Hart Island in November 2011, that lit the fire under her to bring change for the Island. My beloved brother, John, who's been buried there since 1972, was the reason for my persistence and if it weren't for his story, Councilwoman Crowley would not have been so moved to do something. And still my brother, or his story, is nowhere to be read. And since when is the media [apparently]dictated by one person? I am not a person with clout nor do I have a recognizable "name", I don't know the right people, I can't afford lawyers to represent me or John's memory. I'm just a sister of a brother who did not deserve to go out the way he did and does not deserve to be continously ignored. It was his story, told through me, that commanded a meeting with City Council members in November 2011, as well as with Department of Corrections personnel, including Riker's Warden Gregory McLaughlin. And why is it that the DOC is not being held accountable for losing my brother – shoddy record keeping took care of that – so there is no way I can even have a bone so I may give him a proper military burial? There are many many stories of the Island and its inhabitants, and there ARE those who are fighting for the Island, for their loved one, and it has nothing to do with record keeping. It has to do with human decency, respect and NYC history. Where are those stories? Breaks my heart a million times over that no one knows about my brother John and what HE, alone, did for this Island – his final unchosen resting place – thus far. Thank you for your time.
Julie, thanks for the comment. I certainly understand your concerns and frustrations with the search for your brother and his apparent lack of legacy within the context of that story. Our post about Hart Island was a historical account of the island, not meant to be a comprehensive biography of the battle with NYC. In that regard, there is a lot of information I "left out" in that issue. That is another story unto itself and something others have covered exhaustively already on the Internet.
But I wish you luck on your search and will leave your comments up for others searching on the topic to uncover. I hope you find peace on the matter with your brother John, good luck. Thanks for stopping by.
Could anyone envision Witley Court restored back to it former glory as a 5-Star Hotel and museum? Afterall, Castle Howard suffered a similar fire damage that was even worse than Witley Court. And yet, Castle Howard is full re-roof and being restored back to it former glory. Why can't Witley Court follow in Castle Howard's footsteps? I would love to see Witley Court serve as a monument to Sir Winston Spensor-Churchill and his family, which would be linked to Blenheim Palace.
Hello . I only came up on this site , or link bye mistake .never heard of sometimes-intreresting.com . But find it informative and outstanding .keep up this great work.loved
Information on Cyprus and lost resorts .
Looking for AN 225 operation from BDU to DOH .. Plz contact us for further details
hi, im looking for a ford mustang mach1 with a hurst manual gear shift, can you help please, tony
hi sorry im looking for a 1971 mustang, tony
Just found you site, and love it.
Why thank you Mike, I appreciate the kind words my friend. I'm always curious to hear how our readers found the site. How did you find us?
Hello, been a regular reader of the site for a couple of years now. Had a chance recently to check out a forgotten stately home here in England, here's a link to what i found if you'd like to have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7YS-RWvflc
Hi there,
I saw this about a week ago…so sad it's finally getting torn down.
Oh no, that's a bummer! It was coming though. Thanks for passing along this update Whitney, I have added it as an update to the post about the Buck Hill Inn.
I really like your website, why dont you post anything anymore?
Oh Christian, bless your heart. 🙂
Life has been keeping us busy for a bit, but truth be told I have been working with several photographers on a couple of stories that are currently in progress at various stages – things are just moving slower at the moment. Thanks for sticking around and checking on us, means a lot. More coming soon, hopefully before the end of this month (fingers crossed). Cheers, and thanks for the comment!
Hey there, I'm a long time reader. I can't even recall how I randomly came across your blog in the past, however I thought it would be cool if you did some simple story boarding for a podcast. These are really interesting articles that relate to modern architecture and the articles are very well written.
Hi Eric, thanks for the kind words and feedback. A podcast is an interesting idea. Hm… You already got the wheels turning. I need to do look into adding that, the pieces are there. Really good idea Eric. Cheers! 🙂
If you're interested check out 99pi.org for some inspiration.
Just gave one a listen. Good stuff! Now that's a high bar, my friend. I'll see what I can do. 😉
Love your posts! History is so important, especially now when history is being erased! Keep researching and posting THIS history! Thanks so much!
Thank you Kaye! And you are welcome. I appreciate the kind comment and motivation. More coming soon… 🙂
Hi! I'd like to cite the author of e-waste from https://sometimes-interesting.com/2011/07/17/electronic-waste-dump-of-the-world/ How may I get more information?
Been a while since an update. Please tell me you have not quit.


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CanadaPure wrote:Damn Kuniva considers Royce a brother.
He should tell his brother he's a shitty rapper and Slaughterhouse sucks.
Just Silver wrote:I think every guy should massage their prostate at least once
InsaneTRex94 wrote:DetroitSkills wrote:da album art
Lmao I threw it together because I had nothing else to do. It's probably somewhat similar though.
CanadaPure wrote:Mr Evil and I will have to mud wrestle with Hesky to get him under control
Horse wrote:Evil for 2015 vet
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text:
You are invited to apply to the Coaching Boys Into Men Training Institute, which will be held in June of 2019 and hosted at the Futures Without Violence Center for Leadership and Action in San Francisco! The Institute will be an opportunity to receive more extensive training on how to begin and sustain a CBIM implementation in your local schools and communities and to connect to other CBIM communities nationwide.
This 2-day train-the-trainer Institute, led by the CBIM National Advisory Council, will prepare participants with the skills and tools they need to begin a CBIM implementation, train coaches, evaluate the program, provide support during the season, ensure program sustainability, and a presentation on the girls program Athletes As Leaders. Participants that complete the training will receive a CBIM Trainer certification and join our national community of Certified CBIM Trainers.
Registration through 30th November 2018.Local: San Francisco, CA, USA
Fecha: Nov/02/2018 - Nov/30/2018
Visita el sitio


text:
The $2.99 iPhone app version of GQ's January issue sold over 12,000 times, reports Ad Age–almost twice as many times as the deput app of the December issue.
AdAge calls the figures "encouraging," even if they're still wee in comparison to the print circulation (240,000 newsstand sales; 667,851 subscribers):
Conde today said readers are spending as much time and generally engaging with the app versions of GQ as much as they do with print editions.
Repeat readers will start getting a price break on new app versions of GQ, Conde said today, paying just $1.99 instead of $2.99 starting with the March issue. The company is evaluating subscription pricing, it said.
So readers seem to be getting comfortable with enjoying their magazines by touchscreen–a crucial development, if the Apple tablet is to Save Us All.


text:
My next book is going to be on the Dart programming language, lovingly entitled Dart for Hipsters.
- Dart looks to be an interesting language
- Dart addresses real-world, legitimate limitations of Javascript
- Google is not evil for proposing Dart
- Follow along daily in this blog or sign-up for the mailing list
Why?!Why Dart? More to the point, why Dart given that Javascript is the lingua franca of the web and has already won?
Simply put, it is silly to suggest that Javascript is the best that we can ever do. Don't get me wrong, I love Javascript. Of the 700+ posts on this blog, I'd estimate that 600+ discuss Javascript in some way. I love node.js, jQuery, and Backbone.js (heck I co-authored a book on it). I don't think Javascript is going away any time soon.
But that does not mean that we should be satisfied with Javascript. Nor should we be satisfied with the proposed additions to the Javascript standards.
For the past several years, I have developed something of an obsession for speed. One of the things that drew me to node in the first place was the speed promised (and more or less realized). After node, I began to look at HTTP as a bottleneck for responsive applications. The result, of course was The SPDY Book. Even as I grew to understand and appreciate the power offered by SPDY, it became apparent that it only solves part of the problem. It gets stuff to the browser blazingly fast, but does nothing to speed up application boot and execution.
I see many parallels between SPDY and Dart. With SPDY, rather than trying to work around the limitations of the status quo, (e.g. HTTP "optimization"), Google produced a completely different protocol adapted for the modern web. With Dart, it seems that Google is once again trying to do something completely different rather than patch more cruft onto a language barely newer than the internet itself.
I am not buying the argument that Dart (or SPDY) are Google's attempt to subvert the web. Google has been very good about embracing the community with SPDY. Google has been extremely open about the standard. I could not have written The SPDY Book if they were trying to keep tight control of SPDY. Surely Amazon could not have used SPDY to power the Kindle Fire if Google were hell bent on tight control of the protocol.
Similarly, I see Dart as a logical response to an obvious performance bottle neck in web applications. Javascript is slow. It lacks fundamental things that most "real" languages take for granted: libraries, iterators, dates. To be sure, there are workarounds that more or less address most of these concerns, but why settle? Why not start from the ground up with support for the things that cause the most pain?
Is Dart the language to do all that? Is Dart today better than Javascript? I dunno and prolly not.
But it has potential. And it's trying something different. And it's inherently different than the status quo.
That makes it worth learning.
Join me as I blog about this every day for 3+ months straight. At the end of January, an alpha version of the book will be available to purchase at a discounted rate. At the end of February, the beta will arrive. The first edition will be available at the end of March. Want more? Sign-up for the mailing list.


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To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don't wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now. —-Alan Cohen
—-As you might already know, I try to embody empowerment, rising up, hope, optimism, & loving yourself "just as you are" in most of my blog posts. This is the goal for My Inner Chick.
B u t…
If you ran across me last week, you would've been mortified. You would've been surprised. You would've said something like, "But Kim, I thought you were different. But you're a FAKE, a phony, a paper-doll cutout, a counterfeit, & why should we read your words?
At least that's how I felt for about 48 hours.
You see, I had an interview for our local television station about domestic abuse, Kay's story, my blog, writing, mourning, murder, well, you get the idea.
When I watch the news clip later that night, I don't hear anything about the actual content, the stuff that matters, the stuff that means something; I'm too busy examining how ghastly my hair looks (the wrong color burgundy), how old I appear (when did that happen?), the weight I had gained (was that because TV added 10 pounds?), and my voice, oh-my-god, the words gush out too quickly, too fervently, too animatedly.
I despise myself. ( for about 48 hours )
I call my girlfriend.
"Did you see the clip?" I scream.
"Yes, I looooove it. So proud of you," she says.
"I'm fat. I'm ugly. My voice is shit. I'm old. And did you notice my hair just dangling there like wet dark hideous slimy noodles?"
A long pause.
"Excuse me, are you done?" She finally says.
"Yeah, I guess."
"You're beautiful, Kim. The interview was wonderful. This entire thing is bigger than you and your vanity and your stupid spaghetti hair."
I start laughing ridiculously, fully. I can't help it. This is what she does to me, how she makes me feel.
Then she says, "I challenge you to put your hair in rollers, wear no makeup, and post the photo on your blog."
Thus, the (Selfie) photo… But darlings, I did wear a bit of makeup. I mean, we all have our limits, right?
—-Dear, Reader, do you love yourself "just as you are?" Do you compare yourself to others? Is there anything you'd like to change about yourself? What really matters?
Subscribe To My Inner Chick
Never miss an update!


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text:
There's Africa, which has its fabled Great Migration...herds of animals moving across the continent to new feeding grounds.
And there's California, which has its own migratory ritual every four years, this one tied to the presidential election.
This week, student volunteers, political junkies and operatives, and journalists from California are bundling up, trading the relative winter warmth of the West Coast for several days of intense retail politics amid the winter chill of New Hampshire.
U.S. & World
Bob Mulholland, a California Democratic strategist, is among them. He first came to New Hampshire while doing advance work for Jerry Brown's presidential campaign in 1979.
"I fell in love with the state," Mulholland told Prop Zero today after attending a rally in Concord. "It's retail politics at its best. It's a great way to see how these candidates actually campaign and what they're saying."
Also on hand this week, state Senators Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) and Mark Wyland (R-Palm Desert). Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman is also expected to campaign on behalf of Mitt Romney.
It's a sharp contrast to large states like California, where campaigning largely takes the form of television ads and aggressive fundraising.
What I found, during past campaigning I covered in New Hampshire, is a refreshing level of attentiveness and involvement. People there take their first-in-the-nation-primary status seriously. It's a passion for some, almost a hobby for others.
I remember one year that one of the hotel gift shops in Manchester was actually selling packs of playing cards with the candidates' faces on them.
I remember talking to voters four years ago who had met several of the candidates three times, and were still assessing who they would vote for. Sure, some voters get fatigued with the whirlwind, but the level of engagement in the Granite State is remarkable.
So how will Californians survive the experience? College students will need their best winter gear as they're dispatched, clipboards in hand, crunching through the snow to canvass door-to-door.
Reporters will need to be fleet of foot. Veteran journalists like Conan Nolan of KNBC will be positioning themselves for that key interview, while fighting the clock.
"As always, operating on PST deadlines while covering EST events mean no sleep," Nolan told Prop Zero. "And when you do you never get breakfast."
And there are hazards. Four years ago, as John McCain was leaving a rally in Concord, my photographer and I got caught in a human riptide behind the candidate...carried along by the sheer momentum of press and staff headed back to the campaign bus. A slip would've been disastrous.
And California political operatives will be soaking it all in. After all, California's primary is in June, a political lifetime from now.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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Ever wondered how pitchers are evaluated? Every moment counts, so find out what you need to know from this article!
Evaluating Pitchers
David Rawnsley
A few weeks ago I wrote a piece on evaluating batting practice. With more Perfect Game showcases in Fort Myers this weekend (Jan. 9-10), I thought I would follow up with some similar thoughts regarding evaluating pitchers.
Pitchers are essentially evaluated in two different areas, in addition to how well they project. Those are what happens before they release the ball and what happens to the ball after they release it. The "Before" obviously has significant impact on what happens to the "After."
There are also plenty of parallels between what are evaluated as positive pitching mechanics and what are positive hitting mechanics. You'll see plenty of similar terminology between the two, and many baseball coaches and evaluators look upon the two as mirroring each other in many ways.
The "Before"
I'll repeat the same thing I said about hitting mechanics: There isn't one "right" way to throw a baseball. And again, that being said, there are a number of attributes that virtually all successful pitchers share and they tend to be pretty much the same general attributes that good hitters share.
The most important aspect of a pitcher's delivery, with no exception that I can think of, is that he's able to repeat his mechanics and thus repeat his release point on all his pitches.
Two things happen to pitchers if they are unable to repeat their pitching mechanics/release point on all their pitches:
1) They will not be able to consistently command their pitches nor have the same quality time after time to their pitches, especially their off-speed pitches. That means they will get hit harder and harder as they move up in competition regardless of the quality of their raw stuff.
2) They will eventually break down and suffer more injuries than pitchers who are able to repeat their mechanics consistently. Do I have empirical evidence of this? No, no one does. But common sense and experience says this has to be the case and I would challenge you to find any experienced baseball person who doesn't agree.
The two most important things to having repeatable pitching mechanics are your natural athleticism and having a simple, sound delivery.
Since you don't have much control over your natural athleticism, only your strength and conditioning, it puts the vast majority of emphasis on the second part. And I personally put a huge amount of emphasis on "Simple".
In basic terms, the more complicated your delivery (i.e., the more check points for various parts of your moving body, whether it be hand, legs, shoulders, etc.), the more variables exist for something to get out of timing or out of rhythm, especially as you get tired. If you have an exaggerated part of your delivery, whether that is a high leg kick or a deep arm stab or a hand
wrap in back, those are major variables that can change your balance, rhythm and direction. Likewise, if you do something that is rushed or unnaturally fast, that creates the same potential for doing it differently from pitch to pitch. Anything that can cause your delivery to change from pitch to pitch is essentially evil.
Another thing that creates variables in release point and mechanics is effort. If a pitcher has to put in 100% of his strength in order to create his raw stuff, that's going to cause problems in the future. Effort creates inconsistency, inconsistency creates lack of command and increased injury potential.
Most evaluators are going to look at a delivery that has lots of variables or effort and downgrade the pitcher because of that. On the flip side, a delivery that stays simple and compact and that a pitcher repeats well means that a pitcher should be able to maximize his physical potential both for stuff and command.
Regarding arm actions and release points, there is also no real right or wrong as long as you can repeat what you are doing in a positive way.
That being said, you won't find many long arm actions in the Major Leagues. By long arm action, I mean a swinging arm stroke in back that shows the ball behind the pitcher's body. A longer arm action behind the body that effectively hides the ball from the hitter works well, but the key is not to show the ball to the hitter. I'm convinced that the primary job of many professional pitching coaches is to adjust arm actions to hide the ball from hitters. Some of the changes are subtle, but they are very necessary. Deception becomes increasingly important at the higher levels of baseball and if the hitter can see the ball clearly, he is generally going to hit it solidly.
I personally am not a big fan of straight over-the-top release points. It's rare to find a loose enough athlete who can throw from a true 12 o'clock release point and not be pulling his head and shoulders (and thus his direction to the plate) severely off. I also consider it an unnatural way for 99% of players to throw. There are exceptions, but they are very rare.
I am probably a bigger fan of lower release points than many evaluators. I think it's an easier and more repeatable way to throw a baseball as long as you aren't dropping your elbow too low (big red flag) and it enables you to get more natural movement on your fastball/changeup. It does present problems for many pitchers consistently getting their breaking balls over, so this is an extra-important area to evaluate when you see a lower release point.
The "After"
There are essentially four different things a pitcher can make a baseball do as it heads to the plate. He can make the baseball a) go fast, b) go slow, c) spin, and d) sink/move. How well a pitcher does those things in combination with his ability to command his pitches is, put most simply, pitching.
A) How hard a pitcher can throw the ball is obviously a huge part of the overall evaluation. You won't find too many successful college pitchers who don't throw their fastballs at least in the mid 80's and most successful professional pitchers will at least work to 90 mph or above on
occasion. Velocity just doesn't apply to fastballs, either. There's a huge difference for hitters between an 85 mph slider and a 77 mph slider or a 78 mph curveball and a 70 mph curveball.
How hard a pitcher throws on a consistent basis is also very important. A pitcher who throws one fastball 90 mph but over the course of 50 fastballs averages 86 mph does not throw 90 mph, he throws 86 mph. Showcases tend to overemphasize pitchers who throw harder for a limited number of pitches, which is why scouts/college coaches will almost always want to see a young pitcher they are evaluating in true game situations as well.
B) Changeups aren't just for crafty lefthanders, they are for just about any pitcher who is going to be successful at an upper level. The ability to throw the ball slower with the same arm speed and same release point is extremely valuable. It's also far less dependent on natural ability than throwing hard or spinning the ball. Learning a changeup is simply a matter of coaching and putting in the effort to learn what grip is most comfortable, then having the confidence to go out and use it in games.
Young pitchers are rarely downgraded in an evaluation if they don't show a changeup or throw a poor one, but if they do have good feel for the pitch, it can be a big plus.
C) The ability to spin the ball and make it break with some sharpness is obviously something that virtually all successful pitchers have. Whether this pitch is a curveball or slider or some blend of the two (slurve) isn't as relevant as the ability for a pitcher to spin it consistently from the same release point as his fastball. That last point is very important because if your breaking ball release point is different from your fastball release point, it's pretty much a worthless pitch against good hitters.
Very few young pitchers throw both a curveball and a slider. In fact, many pitches that are called sliders at the high school level aren't sliders at all. In the course of a year, Perfect Game scouts will see very few true sliders from high school-age pitchers. 90+% of the time we are evaluating curveballs.
In addition to consistency and release point, curveballs are evaluated on the power of the pitch (a combination of velocity and how hard the ball is spinning), the sharpness of the break, the lateness of the break and the shape of the pitch. A good curveball breaks late and breaks on two planes (i.e. it's not flat). The same standards apply to sliders as well.
D) The ability to make pitches move/sink applies to fastballs and changeups. At the high school level this isn't nearly as important as at the higher levels, where it is vitally important. Major League hitters would much rather try to hit a straight 93 mph fastball than an 88 mph fastball that has late life on it.
Movement on pitches comes in all different types but the most important aspects to evaluate are that it's late, it's consistent and that it can be used to both sides of the plate.
If a high school pitcher already gets good late life on his pitches, that's one less thing that he will have to learn as he moves up in the ranks. And teaching movement for even the best pitching coaches is not as simple as just saying "I'm going to teach you to get sink on your fastball today," like he was tinkering with changeup or slider grips. Some pitchers have difficulty picking
up the feel and release while it comes naturally for others.
#ThrowZone #inthezone #collegiatepitcher #evaluatingpitchers


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Wanted: Train driver wannabe with money
Right now in general release there's a Japanese movie called "Railways" about a 49-year-old electronics company executive who chucks his high-paying job in Tokyo to move back to his hometown in Shimane Prefecture and realize his childhood dream, which was to be a train driver. In doing so, he not only becomes closer to his family but closer to "life," whatever that is.
Such a wish-fulfillment fantasy is a cinema genre unto itself, but the ambition to drive a train seems to have special significance in Japan, especially among men who grew up during Japan's postwar economic miracle, when the nation's train network became the life blood of that miracle. Since the privatization of the Japan National Railways in 1987, more and more lines have been going bankrupt, victims of the rise of automobile culture and the decline of the population in general. One line in Chiba Prefecture, however, has tried to extend its life by tapping into the very nostalgia that defines "Railways."
Last March, Isumi Tetsudo, which is headquartered in the town of Otaki near the east coast of Chiba, solicited new drivers, but with a catch. "Do you want to make your childhood dream come true," the advertisement said, adding, "and through your own ability?" By "ability" the company meant that the men chosen would have to pay ¥7 million each for their own training, which would take from between 14 and 24 months. The maximum age was 59, and the applicants had to be shakaijin, meaning that they were already — or, at least, had been at one point — full-time employees of a company or government office. During their period of training, the new drivers would be paid the minimum wage, and once completed they'd be hired as "contract" workers, meaning they would not receive benefits.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, six men answered the ad, and four were eventually selected to be trainees. They come from Chiba, Tokyo, Saitama and Hiroshima, and range in age from 42 to 51. One of them told the newspaper that he wanted to "make my dream come true in the last half of my life." It may be a shorter life than he thinks. Despite the fact that Isumi Tetsudo is now ¥28 million richer, the company is still on the verge of bankruptcy. The president, who himself quit his job as an airline executive to take over the tiny third sector railroad (26.8 km comprising 14 stations), has implemented a number of creative ways to bring money in, including selling the names of stations to sponsors (Dental Support Otaki Station) and adopting characters from the popular Swedish-Finnish storybook "Moomin" as mascots in order to sell more railroad-related souvenirs. But the Wikipedia entry for the line states that a decision will be made sometime in August as to whether or not the line will be closed down. The fiscal report for 2009 saw "no chance for recovery."
Which is a shame, and not just for those four fledgling Casey Joneses. Isumi Tetsudo is perenially named by railroad freaks as one of the loveliest lines in all Japan. Though it's short, it snakes slowly through the hills and rice fields of eastern Chiba, which remains pretty much untouched by development. For ¥1,000 you can buy an all-day pass that lets you disembark and reboard as much as you want, and Ohara, where the line starts, is only about 75 minutes by express train from central Tokyo. Those new drivers are likely to be the last of their kind. In a 2008 survey of elementary school kids who were asked what they wanted to be when they grow up, "train driver" didn't even make the best 10, though 40 years ago it would have been at the top. Isumi Tetsudo is sort of the last of its kind, too, so if you get a chance, check it out. It may not be around much longer.