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St. Pete City Council to Decide Mayor's and Rays Stadium Exploration Agreement
I was sitting in a downtown Central Avenue wing and brew establishment with a view of Tropicana Field when the local news hounds blared the news the Rays future stadium site impasse between the City of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays had finally been resolved.
People around me were clinking glasses, hoisting glassware full of adult beverages while saluting the efforts and powers that be that there would finally be sun light at the end of this stadium tunnel.
Not so fast friends, this announcement should not be time to openly celebrate. There will be stormy days ahead before all the fuss and bothered are cleaned away like a city street after an afternoon downpour.
Hidden from view to most of those here was the simple fact that even though Rays President Brian Auld and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman stood on stage ceremonially hand-in-hand on this day, the agreement, is simply words and totally moot until the "St. Pete 8" also known as the St. Petersburg City Council give their blessing or denials of the document.
Per the St. Petersburg City Charter, the City Council during their meeting cannot change the agreement's parameters, alter the language or even suggest subtle or economic changes. The recent decision by Mayor Kriseman to postpone the planned Dec 11th vote on the agreement and rescheduling the vote for Dec 18th has merit.
The delay in the City Council vote will give Mayor Kriseman him and his staff 7 more days to educate and answer any stumbling blocks in regard to the financial or binding aspects of letting the Rays explore Hillsborough County for a possible Rays stadium site, and the city's financial rewards if the Rays do chose another locale for their stadium.
Some might view this as a simple delay tactic, but the Dec 11th City Council meeting's agenda was already stuffed to the gills with awards and presentations from the city and quite possibly this agreement vote would overshadow some of the deeds and accomplishment of others.
Also, the Dec 11th City Council meeting would not have on their agenda a time set for public comment or interaction. The Dec 18th meeting will adhere to Florida state law that requires the public to have a say( voice) in an item that hasn't and will not receive any public vetting.
Auld when asked by the Tampa Bay Times about the voting delay stated, "We don't mind waiting another week. We've been working on this for a very long time. We hope to get to yes when the time comes."
To the Rays credit, they have reached out to St. Pete City Council member Karl Nurse who was a member of the Protect Our Wallets and Waterfront (POWW) group that was a thorn in the Rays side when the team wanted to put a stadium on the St. Petersburg waterfront area where historic Progress Energy /Al Lang Field is located.
So fellow Rays fans, let's all wait a spell before raising our glasses to any positive resolve or advancement for the Rays being able to look Tampa Bay-wide for a new home.
For until the St. Petersburg City Council give tally their respective votes and a resolution is announced, the Mayor's agreement with the Rays right now is simply "written in the sand" and the whole positive step by the Rays and Mayor Kriseman could still be washed away thanks to an unforeseen public tidal wave, or the St. Petersburg 8 voting against the present agreement.
Balfour to Visit Homeland as an MLB Ambassador
Say what you want about Tampa Bay Rays reliever Grant Balfour. Some comments center on his spiral anger issues, while other wonder why during years with even numbers his stats tend to go a bit south.
Personally, I think the guy is a great competitor and even with a few terse moments on the mound talking to baseballs and angering foes, the guy always enjoys and looks forward to giving back.
So it is no surprise to me that Balfour along with Chicago Cubs P Andre Rienzo and Milwaukee Brewers Manager Ron Roenicke will make up an extremely diverse Major League Baseball trio of Ambassadors during their trek to Balfour's homeland of Australia from Dec 12-21st.
Some people say the "Angry Aussie" has easily compiled the best career mark ever in the M L B among those bearing Aussie roots, and so many around the baseball world and in his home country view him as a bit of a cult hero because of his tirades with those white Rawlings baseballs, and has ruffled quite a few feathers among M L N hitters.
Few players display their passion on their sleeves like Balfour in the game today and his outward pouring of high energy emotions and a few choice words can polarize some baseball fans opinions of the pitcher.
But that persona of anger and disdain for baseballs of aspects of the game is not the true essence of Balfour, or the Balfour I have known during his times with the Rays. He has always been cordial to fans, stopping to talk with them, hold endearing conversations and offering friendship to many who sit around the area of the Rays Bullpen.
During my time in that same area of Tropicana Field, I have not seen Balfour refuse an autograph, not stop to at least acknowledge a fan calling out his name and for the most part being a great ambassador of the Rays.
So it must be thrilling for Balfour to get the chance to visit his homeland and I imagine a stop in his hometown of Kings Langley which is a suburb of Sydney.
But the fact is Balfour has done some amazing things over his 11 years playing professional baseball in the U.S. with visits to the World Series with the Rays, plus being selected to the American League All-Star squad during his tenure with the Oakland Athletics back in 2013.
Balfour has gotten a chance with 3 different teams to pitch in the M L B postseason and sports a career ERA of 3.46 over 528 appearances with 84 saves and 571 K's in 535.1 innings.
Balfour and crew are expected to arrive in Sydney on Thursday, Dec 11th and enjoy a free day before commencing on the 8-day M L B Ambassador Tour.
Here is a tentative sampling of the events and activities that Balfour will attend and participate in during the 8-day MLB Ambassadors Tour:
On Friday, Dec 12th, Balfour will be present at a Welcome Home Press Conference in Sydney and then to Blue Sox Stadium and will meet fans before throwing out the First Pitch at the Sydney Blue Sox and Adelaide Bite game.
On Saturday, Dec 13th , Balfour and his fellow Ambassadors will hold a MLB Training with the Pros session at Sydney's Blue Sox's stadium for local junior players. If you have not heard about the Training with the Pros sessions, it is a long standing MLB program in partnership with Baseball Australia and the teams of the Australian Baseball League which provides hands on skill-training from Australian and foreign-born professional baseball players.
During this visit, the Ambassadors will present the Ambassador's Cup Trophy to the ACT Junior Club with the most new baseball recruits this season.
Balfour and the group will then travel to meet fans who attend the Canberra Cavalry and Melbourne Aces match later in the day.
On Sunday, Dec. 14th, Balfour will be in attendance in Sydney and also take part in what should be an emotionally-charged tribute to his father, David Balfour, acknowledging his contributions to Australian baseball. Balfour will also be on hand to meet fans pre-game who came to watch that days Sydney Blue Sox versus Adelaide Bite game.
The group will take Monday off as a travel day and land in Melbourne.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16th, Balfour and his fellow Ambassadors will hold a press conference at Melbourne Ballpark and meet with the Australian Baseball All-Stars team members.
On Weds., Dec 17th, Balfour will serve as an honorary Team Australian Captain during the Australian All-Baseball League All-Star game that pits the best home grown Aussie talents against the best of the imported players in the league.
On Thursday, Dec 18th, the group will travel to the Gold Coast and hold a special Training with the Pros session in Coomera with local junior players.
On Friday, Dec 19th the Ambassadors will travel to Brisbane and hold a MLB Training with the Pros session at AFA Stadium at Holloway Field. The group will then meet fans and attend the Brisbane Bandits versus Canberra Cavalry game.
It is great to see Balfour and his MLB colleagues hit Australia this off season and give back. You have to believe it will be especially satisfying for Balfour to see how the game has grown in his home country and the heights it has reached in each of these vistas he and the MLB Ambassadors will visit during their trip.
I have no worries Balfour and his MLB crew will not only make a difference, but I know Balfour will bring back so many grand stories of how much the game has changed and how it has further impacted his life.
Can't wait to hear a few of them while leaning on the Right Field rail this spring.
And Then There Were Two……..
So now the Tampa Bay Rays choices for their new Manager are down to the dynamic duo of Don Wakamatsu and Kevin Cash. Both former MLB catchers have their positives and distractions and we wind down the last hours before the Rays front office makes their official announcement.
Will the Rays follow the current MLB trend of hiring a Manager who will develop and mature on the job, or will they select the candidate who has taken a few knocks and has learned from his bumps and bruises as a Manager.
Will age play a factor and the Rays decide that quite possibly Wakamatsu, who is 51 as the leader of their next generation of stars or will the team go with youthful route and select Kevin Cash who will turn 37 on December 6th and who is only several years removed from his own MLB days.
Could the fact Cash has 2 World Series rings as a member of the New York Yankees (2009) and Boston Red Sox (2007) show he knows what it takes to play within the highly competitive American League East.
Will the differences between the 2 candidates go even deeper taking into account their MLB careers that might benefit young Mr. Cash as Wakamatsu only played with Chicago White Sox (1991) while Cash played for 5 different clubs, 4 of which played in the AL East (Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays).
Can the true aspect of game day experience on the dugout stoop be the deciding virtue on whether Cash or Wakamatsu get a chance to manage the Rays?
Would the Rays be more inclined to check mark Wakamatsu's obvious game day experience as he has had stints in coaching with the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and the current AL Champion Kansas City Royals as well as a year and a half at the helm of the Seattle Mariners.
Or can Cash in his limited 2 years coaching window show his skill set is larger than his resume and that his time in advance scouting as well as his tenure in the Cleveland Indians Bullpen and around Terry Francona will merit brownie points from the Rays.
Neither candidate has huge black marks against them as players or coaches, but Wakamatsu's only dent in his resume might be his past inability to keep control and respect of his clubhouse in Seattle.
Will Wakamatsu's undoing be his lack of keeping his clubhouse in check and losing the respect and confidence of his players and upper management, or will he address this frankly with the Rays and provide a different recourse and path if it ever happens again.
Could Cash's limited tenure as a Coach be a defining line in the sand that the Rays will not cross, wanting more dugout time in hand than the game day views from down in the Bullpen area.
Can Wakamatsu's recent trip with the Royals into the World Series show he has the tools and hunger to again want to play deep into October and this time claim the trophy?
I must admit, I really would have loved to be the fly-on-the-wall during both their recent in-depth interviews to learn each candidate's personals views, goals and aspirations for the Rays over the next 3-5 years. How Cash or Wakamatsu would implement or bring in changes that would elevate the Rays both on and off the field.
Would they both utilize advance scouting reports in-depth and embrace the art form that is sabermetrics to enhance their team's successes, while also playing to their intuitions and game experience to play the odds to turn defeat into victory.
Can they educate, inspire and build on team interaction as well as provide moral support and understanding as needed. Can they build upon the foundation left by Joe Maddon in St. Petersburg and grow the Rays Way into a tweaked and refined version of their own that will be embraced by the team, organization and fan base?
You wonder if either of them have hidden in their arsenal a new innovation cohesion or program that could be utilized from Day 1 by the Rays franchise-wide and bring the next generation of outside the box thinking to the Rays.
It is going to be interesting to see who is finally selected as the Rays next skipper as each has merit and the ability and where the Rays drew their line in regards to experience over room to grow.
Whoever is announced and subsequently featured prominently in the Rays Press Room on Friday or Saturday, let's hope Tampa Bay fans quickly get behind this choice, find a common ground and ready ourselves for their tenure as the Rays Manager.
So, who you got making their Rays Managerial debut on the stage?
Rays Need to Find Some Relief for First Base
When Sean Rodriguez was designated last week by the Tampa Bay Rays, then dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the move left a huge question mark on who might man the Rays First Base bag if something happens to James Loney?
This is not to suggest Loney will be hampered by injury or fall off his current offensive groove in 2015, but weirder things have happened under the tilted cap.
Early thoughts suggest that current Rays INF Logan Forsythe might be carrying an extra glove in his bag this spring, or quite possibly will be doing some additional reps this winter and during Spring Training learning the 1B nuances.
If you were wondering, Forsythe has lined-up at 1B once in his career and mans a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 1 career putout.
So with that small career sampling by Forsythe you might think the Rays would be better vested if they found another option at 1B, or at least someone with a little more experience scooping bad throws into outs.
First Base is not a spot you can master as you have to basically multi-task constantly throughout a game to keep runners, guard the line while also being a stop gap on the right side of the infield.
And I have not even ventured into the mental and physical bumps and bruises associated with those high throws, balls in the dirt that somehow bounce up and leave welts, bruises and nasty tell tales signs.
So I wonder if Ben Zobrist might be asked to take additional training and reps at 1B where he could bring another facet to his game and he does have a .983 career fielding percentage playing 1B 17 times in the past for the Rays.
There also could be a few guys outside the Rays system who could be viable candidate too.
Maybe recently non-tendered guys like Justin Smoak (Jays) or Gaby Sanchez (Pirates) who come into the fold with viable game experience, but might cost the Rays upwards of around $ 2 million plus a season.
Smoak might be in the Rays wheelhouse as a player who has experience at the position and has been a DH Smoak has had an up and down career since he was drafted in the First Round (11th pick) of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. He was then traded to the Seattle Mariners, then after the 2014 season the M's became disenchanted with him and he was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays on October 28, 2014.
Seattle paid Smoak $ 2.6 million in 2015 during his first venture through the arbitration process. Even though Smoak's career batting average of .224 and 74 career Hrs might not set your mind ablaze, his .995 career fielding average in 5 MLB seasons as a First Baseman plus the added bonus he could be a great bat off the bench (DH in 21 career games).
This current bit of fall from grace might benefit the Rays as well as offer Smoak a chance to re-establish himself as a MLB First Baseman.
Gaby Sanchez was a surprise non-tender by the Pirates, but you have to wonder if his 2014 offensive numbers were a fluke or a sign of aging. With the Pirates wanting to put versatile Josh Harrison at 3B bag, and move power hitter Pedro Alvarez to 1B for the 2015 season, Sanchez quickly found himself a man without a contract and team at the Arbitration Deadline
Like Smoak, Sanchez definitely has skills at First Base, but his offensive pedigree has taken a hit since he was dealt to the Pirates by the Miami Marlins 3 seasons ago. In his 5 years with the fish, Sanchez maintained a .243 average and showed power with 74 HR and 184 RBIs, but his 3 years with Pittsburgh he has maintained only a .241 mark with 18 HRs and 82 RBIs.
Sanchez main attribute might be his consistent glove and has a .995 fielding percentage mark.
There is also an outside chance that the Rays could just take a wait and see posture as the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby winner, Allan Dykstra (no relation to Lenny) could come in an further impress the Rays and quite possibly garner a utility and bench spot on the Rays 25-Man roster.
If Dykstra can keep up the .280 average with 16 HR and 74 RBis he set in Triple-A Las Vegas in 2014, he could quickly go from dark horse Triple-A farm asset to a MLB uniform.
Darkening Dykstra's chances might be his less than marvelous .981 fielding overage in 2014, and his career .986 mark might be fodder that he needs more seasoning before breaking the ceiling and making his MLB debut.
Even if the Rays do not have a clear leader in who might tag-in during the regular season for Loney at First base, there are many viable options and the off season is still young.
There is more than enough time for another name to surface, a trade to be formulated and quite possibly someone come to the Rays before the report to Port Charlotte, Fl in February.
Who knows, maybe Smoak or Sanchez could be there, or Dykstra could improve his glove skills and hit the cover off the ball.
Team to Exchange Arbitration Salaries with 6 Eligible Rays on Tuesday
It is the time that you truly find out what your club thinks you are worth.
First and foremost baseball is a business. And as such an arbitrary dollar amount is invisibly attached to each player, especially during the arbitration process.
On Tuesday, when the Tampa Bay Rays offer their first salary exchange in the arbitration process to their 6 eligible players, some will be within reason, a few might be on par to their tenure and abilities, and quite possibly one player might not see any figure exchanged and be non-tendered, thus becoming a Free Agent.
Ever since the 2007 off season, when the franchise abandoned the "Devil" in the woodshed, the Rays Front Office has been downright fickle when it comes to negotiating past a certain point in the whole arbitration process, and they have a very high arbitration winning percentage on their side of the table.
The Rays front office maintains an exceptional winning percentage, well over the .750 mark during the arbitrator's segment of the process, and that can be very intimidating and has surely led to some players in the past just accepting what the club is willing to give them rather than possibly face defeat and a lesser seasonal salary amount.
And immediately you have to wonder if the Rays whole process might change in the organization since the departure of Andrew Friedman and the Rays could possibly morph into a more negotiations friendly or monetary complimentary Rays regime?
Don't count on it.
Sure Friedman was the focal figure everyone looked upon when the arbitration process rears its ugly head each off season, but you have to remember new Rays President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman was quite possibly always right next to Friedman offering up his own statistical research, calculations while safeguarding the Rays coffers.
And even if one cog of the Rays past arbitration machine is gone, there were plenty of folks in 3-piece suits and lambskins on their wall providing behind the scenes fortified data and scenarios thrusting out in all directions of any counter proposal of possible negotiation ploys that could be submitted to the Rays for consideration.
Current 6 Rays players who are under the arbitration umbrella this off season are: Matt Joyce, Alex Cobb, Desmond Jennings, Logan Forsythe, Drew Symly and Jake McGee. Each will be privy to an amount the team feels is fair and competitive for their services in 2015.
Several websites have their calculated guesses as to the Rays possibly offerings, but none of these website salary numbers are connected to the team's first offering, or might be just arbitrary numbers of their own.
Currently most sites have the Rays offering a combined $20.9 million in possible 2015 salary for their 6 arbitration eligible players.
So let's list the Rays 6 eligible players starting with the players we know will most certainly be offered salary arbitration and end with a few who might be on the fiscal bubble.
Heading the Rays arbitration salary list is RHP Alex Cobb, who is a key cog in the Rays pitching machine and has just over 3 years of MLB service and could be submitted at least a $4.5 million arbitration 2015 salary figure.
LHP Jake McGee who most have penciled in as the Rays closer in 2015 and has over 3 years of MLB service time quite possibly will be offered a team-friendly $3.8 million 2015 salary.
LHP Drew Symly has been a pure trade deadline delight since the Rays traded David Price to the Tigers and got this soft-spoken southpaw into their rotation. Symly, who has just over 2 years of MLB service time stepped up his game and could see his arbitration salary starting at a team-friendly $3 million for 2015.
CF Desmond Jennings who seems to have been here forever, but only has a little over 3 years of MLB service might see an arbitration figure of possibly $3.2 million offered on Tuesday.
INF Logan Forsythe, who was traded to the Rays in 2014 and is a part of the Rays crowded infield could get an arbitration salary offer of at least $1.2 million for 2015.
OF Matt Joyce who has had some great successes, but also some hitting flaws over 5 years of MLB service is expected to get a $4.9 million figure.
I personally feel there is a clear separation here of the players who the Rays might value as key to their success past 2015, and a few who might be walking more on eggshells than a firm footing with the team past this first exchange of arbitration salary figures.
Do not see any of these 6 remaining Rays players not being offered an arbitration salary amount tomorrow, but I believe the bottom 3 players listed above might be dealt a reality check and might find themselves a bit wanting in the salary department for 2015.
S-Rod Designated for Assignment by Rays
There was just a blot on Twitter that Tampa Bay Rays former jack-of-a-trades Sean Rodriguez was "definitely surprised" that the Rays would designate him for assignment today.
Well, personally, I kind of saw the writing on the proverbial wall.
Main reason not being that S-Rod was to possibly garner $2 million in salary through arbitration, it was clearly a fact he is one of the last "pets" of former Rays Manager Joe Maddon that was left on the Rays 40-Man roster.
This is not to downplay the timely hits and run scoring escapades Rodriguez brought to the forefront during his Rays tenure, it is just we have more than a few multiple minor league and M L B caliber guys currently on the roster who can do it for less, possibly play more and do not have a lingering Maddon tie.
Some have whispered over the last few off seasons and during the extremely stressful Trade Deadline periods that S-Rod could be send a-packing. Of course those moments never reared their ugly heads until today.
Rodriquez is a capable M L B player who could like so many others on the Rays be plugged in wherever he was needed or take a bat and hit the batting circle with visions of RBIs dancing through his head.
Of course all of this came about as the Rays signed veteran reliever Ernesto Frieri to a 800 K contract with performance bonuses, someone had to be removed from the Rays roster.
With Brandon Guyer, Logan Forsythe able bodies who can handle S-Rod's old tasks at a considerable lower salary, the choice surely was made easier when the Rays aw they could save around $2 million in salary with this one swift move.
Sure his .211 batting average last season left a lot to be desired, but his career-best .443 slugging percentage in 2014 showed he could be a great versatile position guy and his career-high 12 Hrs in 2014 might just make him a wanted man off the bench possibly well suited for a National League squad as a fill-in situational # 9 guy.
Joel Peralta was the first of Maddon's preferential guys to get the Rays heave ho when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers not so long ago.
Now with Rodriguez set to hit the open market, or possibly being traded to another team, it is going to be interesting to see who among the other 29 M L B teams will call and ask about S-Rod.
Wanna bet a certain someone will call and at least check in on what the Rays want for Rodriquez, and I bet they call from a 847 area code.
The Perfect Golden Gift for Any Baseball Fan
For the last 4 All Star Games we have watched during the State Farm Home Run Derby telecasts as multicolored spheres of white and gold take flight leaving the hurler's fingers on it path to the plate before their final destination in a surprised and elated fan's glove or hand.
Each year Rawlings and the Fielding Bible bring together their collective expertise to produce the Golden Glove Awards which include a spectacular display piece featuring an actual Rawlings glove as the centerpiece.
Ever wonder how they get the gold to adhere to the leather glove or even those Home Run Derby balls? Watch the video below for just a taste of the process.
These events showcase the special and unique masterpieces made possible by getting an atom of gold bullion to adhere to cowhide leather utilizing a proprietary method known as the Magnetron Sputtering System.
That is real 24-carat gold emblazoned on the leather and is each piece produced by this process is certified by Swiss Company SGS and includes their own certificate of authenticity guaranteeing that 24-carat gold was used in its manufacture.
Gold Sports Collectibles, which has patented and own the rights to this awesome and brilliant process first approached Rawlings about making their products "golden" several years ago.
They wanted to produce keepsakes and special collectible mementos by utilizing their innovative technology of getting gold atoms to bond successfully within the leather pores of the figure-8 cowhide cover of an actual Major League Baseball without reducing its weight, speed , circumference or diameter.
After Rawlings was satisfied with the results, it was on to more tests by M L B at Yankee Stadium where the test flight of the new "gold balls" showed no flight diversions, no fluttering and kept their unique integrity intact, even after a monster shot over the fences.
So what if I told you that you can buy these special commemorative balls for yourself or someone else this holiday season? Be it a State Farm Home Run Derby ball from the 2011 All Star Game, a special Derek Jeter commemorative ball or even a golden keepsake ball from any of the World Series matches since 2008.
And they can be sent to you this holiday season at really competitive price points that start at $99 to $179 and will produce endless smiles and special bragging moments for years to come centered on your mantel in their included acrylic display case.
You can pick from team-themed baseballs, to special moments in baseball lore as well as ball commemorating historic stadium plus personal player milestones anniversaries, which include Gold Glove and Hall of Fame golden baseballs.
Or maybe you want to make you own unique golden masterpiece. Well, you can do that too by sending your request to put your own personal mark on the ball you want designed. Maybe you want to emblazon your company's logo on it and give it as an achievement award, or celebrate a special event like a graduation or remembering a special baseball memory.
If you might want to partake in a custom baseball you can contact GSC at firstname.lastname@example.com and they can see if they can make your dream a golden reality.
When I first got an email from GSC I was not sure if the process was durable or if the ball's claims were true and accurate. Well the company sent me a ball with a Rays logo attached to it and I decided to try it out for myself.
I have a neighbor whose son's plays for a local high school squad and I asked him if he wanted to help test out the ball to see if the diameter and flight were compromised at all by the attached gold material.
We threw the ball back and forth for a few minutes and the sheen on the ball did not tarnish, it did not show any developing cracking or show any critical signs of wear and tear. I did not go into the Batter's Box and try out its durability after a few swings. I might be crazy, but I'm not nuts to possibly lose the golden ball over a fence in deep grass and have it destroyed by someone's lawn mower.
But seriously, I love this item and it is a great way to show your fan love either for your home team, as a present with the recipient's home squad or to gather signatures of All Star or World Series players and showcase as a one of a kind baseball.
And if you are on the fence about possibly purchasing one of the GSC unique logoed baseballs, what if I had a special 15% off you could use from now until the end of the year (Dec 31st) to buy one or more of these products as holiday special gifts for your favorite baseball fan or even for your own budding collection.
Of course you will have to use this code: GSC15 during the checkout process of your order and the company will send the ball to you as soon as possible with its unique certificate of authenticity as well as enclosed in its own box and acrylic case.
Here is a link to the Gold Sports Collectibles website so you can begin browsing and possibly purchasing your own piece of baseball history, to showcase your love for the game and to provide another lifetime and lasting memory for the baseball fans in your life.
Excuse me while I go polish up my golden baseball and put it back in its display case along with my 2013 Home Run Derby ball.
Oh did I forget to tell you, they shine in the light and pull the attention of even the most oblivious baseball fan towards them.
I am a Firm #TeamWakaWaka Supporter
I decided not to write a blog post about the Tampa Bay Rays whittling of their respective managerial candidates from 10 to 3 until some of the heat and rage had died down. I felt I needed to let the anger pass that some great candidates were eliminated from this list like it was just a simple qualifying heat and they wanted the top 3 to aspire to greatness possibly being their gold, silver and bronze medal candidates for the Rays open manager's slot.
So as you might have surmised from my medals reference earlier, I'm going to list my personal winner, consolation choice and the one who I felt at this time does not belong on this list.
If the Rays Front Office was trying to bring some sense of normalcy towards their selection process, they failed miserably as the process now seems to have been reduced to a comical 3-ring circus vibe with only the main act being a credible choice for their open post.
Bronze Medal- Raul Ibanez
I'm still not sure why he is even on this list. Sure Ibanez represents a quick 180 degree switch from the norm that was the Rays Way. Sure he played against this team as a player as recently as last season as a member of the Kansas City Royals, but the TEAM won the American League Championship, not Ibanez.
I understand and celebrate that he is a meticulous, charismatic and has his personal ducks all lined up, but his inexperience in managing a team is still in its infancy stage and to push a unproven game day novice into the Manager's slot might have worked in the M L B of the 1900-1920's, but today's game is a statistical animal that needs to be fed the calculations, tendencies and proven tactical assessments and does not rely favorably on pure gut feelings and spur of the moment recollections.
I think Ibanez will mature into a great asset to baseball I just feel he is here 2-3 years too early for him to be considered for the Rays top dog. I also know Ibanez has not officially retired from playing yet and I do not see him as a player/manager hybrid for the Ray.
If Ibanez were to be given the Rays reigns, there might be more problems within the Rays organization than just a inexperienced Manager at the helm.
Silver Medal- Kevin Cash
Onto the silver medal, or onto at least an individual who has begun putting some valuable coaching time under his belt.
I liked Cash as a player. Local Tampa guy who fought his way up the ladder to actually playing for this franchise and was behind the Tropicana Field dish. I also think his time spent as a scout and on the job of Bullpen Coach for the Cleveland Indians makes him a viable candidate, but like Ibanez, it is just a tad bit too early for him to slide into a M L B managerial post.
But I do like the aspect of a Bullpen Coach getting a chance at the top spot. A Bullpen Coach sees the game at a different angle. From the beginning when he assesses if the starter's focus is sharp, his pitches crisp and if there are any "tells" being displayed he is an important cog of the game day machine.
They also have a front row seat to any outfield and infield tendencies, shifts and see possible hitting holes from a different angle that the players and coaches on the dugout rail cannot visualize.
I think Cash can do the job, but in the end, on the job training makes for a more game savvy Manager who already has it within his wheel house to make those lightning quick hard decisions, try risky tactics and rely on both his past successes and failures to adjust and formulate an on the fly judgment that could lead to a victory.
Gold Medal- Don Wakamatsu
People wonder why Wakamatsu lost his gig in Seattle and if that failure should have not even gotten him a second interview with the Rays.
Personally I think that failure makes him the best candidate. Sure that tenure gave him a huge managerial black eye, but Wakamatsu also gained valuable insight to become a more respectable player's coach, but also gaining the wisdom to know when to pull the reins and reel in a trouble player or evolving negative situation.
Wakamatsu was at the Mariner's helm during the last playing days of Ken Griffey Jr and Milton Bradley's careers. One was adjusting to his reduced on the field role while the other just seemed mad at the world. Because of his soft hand approach towards both players and some others within the Seattle Clubhouse, he lost some vital respect and eventual control over Griffey Jr and Bradley as well as some of the young leaders in his M's Clubhouse.
The M's front office needing to find a reason for the team's failure and with Wakamatsu losing his Clubhouse and some of the team's admiration, the M's organization pulled the plug.
But Wakamatsu did not walk away from the game with his head down, he found a gig more suitable to his evolving talents and was a vital coaching and leadership cog in the Royals 2014 World Series machine.
If you look at a list of the Royals best in-game decisions/tactics in 2014, I know you will find more than a few of Wakamatsu's fingerprints among them.
The Rays next Manager needs to further the evolution of the Rays into that next realm or dimension of their development. He has to bring his new eyes into the system and quickly fix it's errors or faults. Every Manager the Rays have ever had left their mark on the team's development, I think Wakamatsu would make a great fit as the Rays next skipper.
Ibanez and Cash might have the heart and hustle to provide that, but Wakamatsu has the other intangible items needed to take this team possibly finally towards hoisting that golden trophy in November.
I truly think and believe Wakamatsu is the answer to the Rays problem at this time. He not only deserves a second chance at managing, he is the most qualified of the 3 left and the Rays would be lucky to have him at their helm.
Plus having experience coaching in the American League plus having a stint in coaching in the American League East is a great thing to pop high on your Rays Manager Resume.
I am to give #TeamWakaWaka the gold.
Familiarity Made Both Sides Winners in This Trade
Gosh, that did not take long.
We all knew that one day the possibility would rear its ugly head that the Tampa Bay Rays recently anointed President of Baseball Ops Matt Silverman would have to one day deal mano-on-mano with the analytical and crafty Andrew Friedman, who fled the Rays and landed with the Dodgers wearing a more historic shade of blue.
Personally, I felt it might last at least until possibly December 7-11th when "America's Finest City" , San Diego played host to the 2014 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings.
During the last minute prep before the Rays were to submit their names for their 40-Man roster by including a few prospects names to guarantee their omission from being plucked during the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, the Rays had conversations with several teams like the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros plus the Texas Rangers before Silverman was left with just one option……Friedman.
So before the strike of midnight the deal was sealed that sent veteran reliever Joel Peralta and Triple-A reliever Adam Liberatore westward to the dodgers in exchange for right-handers Jose Dominquez and prospect Greg Harris.
The trade on the surface between the 2 former 4th Floor Rays officemates seemed to ultimately compliment the Dodgers as they got a low salary Bullpen option in Peralta and a player who could be on the cusp of earning a spot in the L A Bullpen this spring.
Sure this trade helped the Rays solve some of their payroll concerns as well as make it easier for the Rays to complete their 40-man roster moves while getting some of value for Liberatore who quite possibly would have been left off the Rays final 40-Man roster.
Without question, Liberatore would have been plucked quite possibly in the 1st Round of the upcoming Rule 5 Draft if left unprotected by the Rays and all the Rays would have garnered was the $50,000 fee.
Ultimately Friedman knew the stats and abilities of each of these garnered trade pieces and knew of their inherent risks and liabilities firsthand because he scouted and watch them play when he was the Rays VP of Baseball Ops.
But let's not be naïve here to think Friedman might have gotten one over on his former team, this trade has its own high points for the Rays with one significant power option that might bring the Rays dividends as early as when Pitchers and Catchers report in February 2015.
Dominquez could quite easily be the early great return on this trade. Sure he did have some stumbles and rumbles while in the lower levels of the Dodger system, but his stock has risen greatly in the last few seasons, even getting tastes of life at the MLB level in both 2013 and 2014.
Some might say he still has some control concerns after allowing 10 runs in 14 2/3rds innings over the past 2 MLB seasons, but his 12/6 K/BB ratio shows he has strikeout abilities that will be needed by the Rays with Peralta now gone from the Rays Bullpen. Dominiquez, who has been clocked throwing as hard as 103 mph might be a piece honed and sculptured this spring to be a cog in the Rays 7th or 8th inning playbook.
Also playing into his favor is the fact even with his not so stellar MLB stat line, he has averaged 10 strikeouts per 9 innings at the minor league level and if the Rays can fine tune his natural power talents, he could be one to watch even on the first day this spring. He mainly throws heat with a slider that is more known for its velocity than movement, but you know the Rays will show him a few new grips or pitches and expand his arsenal before he makes his Rays regular season debut.
And maybe Dominquez's power is hereditary as he is a cousin to Rays prospect Alex Colome and former Rays RP Jesus Colome. For now I'm going to call him Smiley #3 (some people will get that reference). Both Harris and Dominquez also are from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic.
Harris was drafted by the Dodgers in 2013 and posted a good season in 2014 during his stint in Class-A ball in the Midwest League and has solid strikeout numbers and throws in the mid-to-low 90's. He is still 2-4 years away from possibly being near the MLB level and Harris should develop a few secondary pitches before he gets nearer to a possible stint with the Rays.
He also has a really interesting historic Rays tie-in as his father Greg, who was a former MLB pitcher (75-90 record) as well as a D-Rays minor league pitching coach with Rookie-Level Hudson Valley Renegades back in 1996-97.
Sure some will instantly put a check mark next to Friedman's name with this trade as he garners a low cost Bullpen arm, and possibly 2 for 2015, but Silverman got an explosive arm that could be an impact as soon as 2015 as well as shed $ 2.5 million off his payroll.
But the real benefactor at the end of this might be Rays 2B prospect Ryan Brett who was a late addition to the Rays 40-Man roster right after the trade was completed. If Liberatore had not been traded, quite possibly Brett would have been left off the Rays 40-Man roster and subject to the Rule 5 Draft.
Conclusion: Everybody won in this trade. Now and in the future.
Best Rays Stadium Option Might Still Have a St Pete Address
It is great news hearing that the City of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays might finally be seeing eye-to-eye in regards to a new home for the Rays. But unfortunately for the Rays, a few of the sites they coveted just 2 seasons ago are now either out of their price range, or set for a different type of development.
The Channelside District down near the epicenter of Tampa has been plucked by the Tampa Bay Lightning's owner and his plans for that area do not include letting another sports team share in the wealth.
With both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties over the past few years both seeing their light-rail system ideas abolished by the public's vote, a stadium in or around the West Shore Blvd area might also be past its expiration date.
Still, the Rays deserve to at least look, explore and quite possibly then remember that tract of land just off the southern end of the Howard Franklin might still have yearning for a possible multi-use facility that could include a stadium, a hotel/convention center and dining and shopping center open year round.
Next time you rush down on I-275 on your way home from Tampa, just past the Ulmerton Road exit look towards the northwest and check out this spectacular parcel of unused land and see if you can see what I see in my imagination:
A beautiful state-of-the-art retractable roof baseball stadium and hotel/convention center with the stadium's roof opening towards the east to take in the flickering lights of Tampa from the angles within the stadium to provide a postcard backdrop.
That facility would become a shining jewel in baseball's crown. Would set the standard in green technology while embracing its ecological habitat proving that man and nature can harmoniously co-exist, even with some of Tampa Bay's tide pools just a Home Runs length away.
For the sake of honest here, this is the same parcel of soil was my personal choice for the building of a baseball stadium site back in the late 1980's when the discussion first came up for the site of the then Florida Suncoast Dome/Thunderdome/Tropicana Field.
This parcel of land sits smack dab in the middle of an ever growing section of Pinellas County that can support such a complex being built on this site, and should flourish beyond present expectations as both an entertainment center and transportation hub.
It is situated within a critical epicenter of the cross-county area to give more access to Tampa residents and upper Pinellas and Pasco-Hernando county citizens, but will be a bit of an added burden for people traveling from Sarasota or Manatee Counties.
If a stadium was proposed for this spot, this parcel would need a bit more tweaking and upgrading, to take on the extra burden of game day traffic, but it is at the threshold of two existing multi-lane infrastructures with I-275 providing north and south travel ease and Ulmerton Road, which is Pinellas County's longest east-to-west travel road a gateway to several beach communities.
Alternative transportation is already in place because of the neighboring businesses surrounding Carillion Parkway. Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) already has several bus routes that service the surrounding neighborhood office complex/condo community to the west of this parcel of land and services could be expanded to ease the transportation burdens of fans and visitors staying downtown or visitors who are staying out on the beaches.
Maybe PSTA and Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit Authority (HARTA) could combine or share resources and create an additional Express Route from Hillsborough County (west Shore or International Plaza) and bring fans to games from satellite parking lots or pre-destined pick-up locations throughout the Tampa Bay area.
This could help traffic congestion around the stadium site, while also being a great alternative to rush hour stress on the Howard Franklin westbound after 5 pm.
This location (to me) is perfectly suited for the Rays needs.
So let the Rays take their gander around the other sites within Tampa Bay, and in the end they will probably drive right by this parcel of land and hopefully it will scream to them "Baseball Stadium".
Sometimes the answer to things in life is right in front of your nose. For the Rays, it could be this great tract of land just off a few main thoroughfares that has a great bay view.


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Bill Parcells regrets way he left New England Patriots
Former NFL coach Bill Parcells recently told USA Today that he regrets the way his relationship ended with theNew England Patriots as he prepares for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.
Parcells, who will be inducted at Canton, Ohio on Aug. 3, left the team on bad terms with owner Bob Kraft after guiding it to the Super Bowl in January 1997.
"I regret leaving New England," Parcells said. "Had we done things differently. ... I had a good young team there. I hated to leave that team, because I knew what we could do.
"I was absolutely too headstrong. And he might have been a little headstrong, too. I think both Kraft and myself, retrospectively, would have done things a little differently."
Parcells was replaced by Pete Carroll, who coached the Patriots for three seasons before Bill Belichick took over in 2000.
Under Belichick, the Patriots have advanced to five Super Bowls, winning three of them. He was coach of theNew York Jets for just one day before bolting for New England when Parcells departed.
Parcells and Kraft have since made up. The two were in a power struggle over having the final say in football decisions. Parcells famously said, "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Kraft said their truce occurred 10 years ago.
"At a Super Bowl, Bill was standing there as I approached, and he just said to me, 'If I had to do it all over again. I would have done things differently.' And I said, 'So would I,' " Kraft recalled.
After the Patriots lost to the Green Bay Packers, Parcells took a consultant job with the Jets and soon became head coach. The Jets had to send four draft picks to the Patriots as compensation.
The two clashed over egos. Parcells had won two Super Bowls as coach of the New York Giants and Kraft was a naive, new owner.
"When I bought the team in 1994 ... he was coaching year to year, making personnel decisions," Kraft recalled. "He used to drive down to (his home in) Jupiter, Fla., at the end of the year and he'd say he'd decide whether he was coming back to coach. That didn't inspire confidence in me."
Parcells coached the Jets through 1999, then the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-06, and was the Miami Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations 2008-10. He was 172-130-1 in the regular season and 11-8 in the playoffs as a coach.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shirley Taylor necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 57 diseños de 16 diseñadores freelance.
I need you to design my home page so it looks fun, fresh and modern, and completely different to my company website. I'm a communication trainer, and a writer of books on communication skills - so perhaps you can bear this in mind for the overall look and feel. I'm really wanting a web 2.0 makeover!! Hope you can help me!
Shirley Taylor
I'm a corporate trainer, and I head my own company, ST Training Solutions Pte Ld. I am also an author of several books. My company website http://www.shirleytaylortraining.com gives full details of the work of my company, which is to organise and run public workshops and my annual conference ASSAP. The company website works very well and I'm very happy with it and don't want any immediate changes there.
However, I also have a personal website, http://www.shirleytaylor.com, which is completely separate. In fact, http://www.shirleytaylor.com existed long before http://www.shirleytaylortraining.com. This is looking rather old now, and I need improvements making to make it easier for people to find different sections.
I'm wanting to give my personal website a completely new look. My ST logo will remain of course, and I'd like to keep the colours in keeping with the general theme of golds/oranges/reds, but apart from that I'm very open to a complete change in concept and look. I want my personal website to be very different from my company website.
The main thing about my website is to give information – it will be a source of reference for people wanting to find out more about me, my books, about effective communication, e-mail writing and business writing skills – which is basically what I do in my training. All my books are on communication, e-mailing and business writing too.
Here are the main headings for the menu bar:
- About Shirley
- Shirley's Books
- Shirley's Workshops
- Articles
- A-Z of Bloopers
- Photo Gallery
- Useful Links
- Contact
I don't mind the concept of some icons on the front (like the ones currently along the bottom) but they must be much more funky and modern. They should be:
- Shirley's Books
- Shirley's Workshops
- ST Training Solutions (this will link to my company website)
- Newsletter
I will be getting some new photos done, but for now you can use the current one on the home page as the main one of me.
So, there you have it. I'm really hoping for some very creative, fun designs, something very novel and very different.
- Colour scheme must be in keeping with reds/golds/oranges, apart from that I'm very open to any concept.
- Creative, modern.
Boring corporate stuff.


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The Inland Revenue should be doing more to warn people about wrong tax codes - with 25m being sent out this year there are bound to be more errors than usual.
The Chartered Institute of Taxation is calling for a big advertising campaign to warn people to check new codes and put more resources into dealing with queries from the public.
The CIT believes call waiting times are already on the rise this week. It also suggest that P2 letters should include a note warning of the possibility of mistakes and telling people how to check their codes.
Andrew Hubbard, President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, said: "Most people on PAYE are used to assuming that what the taxman sends them is correct. Many file away coding notices without even bothering to check them. But this year, many of them are being given wrong information, and unless they spot it and tell HMRC, their employer will receive the wrong information too, and they could get a nasty shock when they open their April pay packet and see it is as much as a hundred pounds lighter than they are expecting."
Hubbard said the new PAYE system was potentially very good and that this was no more than a teething problem, albeit one which needs fixing. Full release is here.
The Revenue admitted some wrong codes had gone out and apologised. In other news hundreds of thousands of injured and retired armed forces pensioners have received letters warning them that their pensions will be taxed at 20 per cent. The mistake is also being blamed on new Revenue computers.
The letters went to 186,115 veterans and war widows, according to The Yorkshire Post..
Veterans are advised to get in touch with HMRC if they receive such a letter. ®
Sponsored: Practical tips for Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration


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In my book Mad Like Tesla I have a chapter on a company called General Fusion, which is making what is in essence a mechanical fusion reactor — a thermonuclear diesel engine, if you will — using $50 million or so in government grants and venture capital, some of which has come from Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. General Fusion says it can do with tens of millions and within a few years what large, bureaucratic international consortia, such as ITER, aim to do with many billions over at least a couple of decades.
But enough about GF. You can read the book for that. 🙂
I mention this because as part of the chapter I go into a bit of history around nuclear fusion, and specifically some of the past scandals related to cold-fusion claims — e.g. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann's public claim in 1989 that they had achieved a cold fusion reaction in their university lab. If you can't remember the day of that event, just go on YouTube to view the original news conference. The media was abuzz, and the world thought we finally had the solution to the world's growing energy crisis. Yay! Except, wait, nobody else could replicate it and after a few months government scientists put out a comprehensive report that said Pons and Fleischmann's claim lacked "convincing evidence."
The two scientists, tails under their legs, walked out of the limelight and the quest for "cold fusion" was, as far as the mainstream media were concerned, a dead end.
Except is wasn't a dead end. Since then there have been many serious and not-so-serious scientists quietly labouring away on cold fusion. One of the most prominent is Peter Hagelstein, an associate professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The group, generally, is shunned by the mainstream scientific community, and yes, spurned by a media still stinging more than two decades after Pons and Fleischmann.
But it will be interesting to see how long they will stay out of this story, considering the progress Italian scientists Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi are apparently making.
Back in January 2011 the two men demonstrated their own cold fusion apparatus, which they claim fuses nuclei of nickel and hydrogen to produce copper and huge amounts of excess energy. The device is being called the E-Cat, which stands for "energy catalyzer." According to the site E-Cat World, which was created to follow the work of Rossi and Focardi, "The E-Cat is a device in which hydrogen gas, powdered nickel metal, and an undisclosed catalyst are combined to produce a large amount of heat through a little understood low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) process inside a specially designed chamber… In this process, when an external heat source is applied (electric or fossil) it is claimed that the nucleus of a hydrogen atom, a proton, penetrates a nickel nucleus and in doing so a nickel atom becomes a copper atom, and releases a large amount of thermal energy" — much more than the energy that goes into the process. That heat, of course, is used just like any heat source to drive a steam generator that produces electricity.
Furthermore, no radioactive waste is created from the process and no CO2 is released, it is claimed.
Honestly, I don't know what Rossi and Focardi have, but they have attracted much attention in the blogosphere — no surprise there — and have conducted a number of demonstrations in front of scientists, such as two Swedish physicists who — while still skeptical — have admitted that the reaction is real and not based on chemical reactions.
I write all of this now because, as he promised earlier this year, Rossi has plans to demonstrate a 1-megawatt version of his technology later in October, and possibly as early as Oct. 6 will test a single E-Cat unit in Uppsala, Sweden. Apparently a number of scientists from around the world — and some select journalists — have been invited to attend. The demonstration of the 1 -megawatt plant will be interesting, as this is being positioned as a pre-commercial demonstration. Something to watch for, certainly, and the outcome of this larger 1-megawatt demonstration could either reinforce the skepticism toward the cold fusion concept or, after 20 years, finally attract the attention of the mainstream media.
Stay tuned. In the meantime, it's worth watching this 60 Minutes show from spring 2009 — one of the rare detailed looks by a mainstream media outlet at the state of cold-fusion research. It cited research from the U.S. Pentagon, specifically the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which found after a thorough analysis of the research that "there no doubt that anomolous excess heat is produced from these experiments."
Also in the show, Robert Duncan, vice-chancellor of research at the University of Missouri and an expert in energy measurement, said he was a cold-fusion skeptic until he took a closer look at the data. He's now convinced that we should be taking seriously some of the research in the field. "To say we don't fundamentally understand the process, and that's why we're not going to study it, it's like saying we're too sick to go to the doctor," he says, encouraging the mainstream scientific community to do their homework before making knee-jerk dismissals. "Read the published results, talk to the scientists, and never let anybody else do your thinking for you."
I'll report back later in October with an update on the Rossi and Focardi demonstration.
Just one more note: the term cold fusion is thrown around loosely now to encompass any kind of non-chemical reaction in a relatively ambient-temperature environment that can't be easily explained. Defined narrowly, what Rossi and Focardi are attempting to do may not even be cold fusion — or even just fusion. But it's something that may be producing much more energy than goes in. The same can be said for BlackLight Power, which claims it has a catalyst-driven process that turns hydrogen atoms into what the company calls hydrinos. The process of turning hydrogen to hydrinos releases an enormous amount of energy, according to the company — another venture to watch.
Calling each of these innovations a form of "cold fusion" is the equivalent of calling the research crackpot science, and this does a disservice to those individuals who are devoting their life and labours to exploring these energy unknowns. Perhaps one day we can move beyond the cold fusion label and the memories of Pons and Fleischmann and give this broad area of research a more committed, objective look. We need more of this kind of exploration and experimentation, not less. We should cautiously praise it; not ridicule and ignore.
General Fusion, of course, is far from a cold fusion play — though anything considered unconventional fusion is often wrongly tossed into the cold fusion bucket. What General Fusion is attempting is a lower-cost mechanical approach to fusion that takes the best of magnetic fusion (ITER) and intertial confinement fusion (U.S. National Ignition Facility) — i.e. a hybrid approach known as magnetized target fusion.
Keep your eyes on General Fusion as well, and on the fusion field in general. Often written off as that forever-emerging but never-emerging technology, there are significant advancements coming down the pipeline — sooner than many people think.


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The 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize has been awarded to the Architectural Consortium for Hizuchi Elementary School for its restoration of Hizuchi Elementary School in Hizuchi, Yawatahama City, Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island, Japan. Designed by the Japanese municipal architect Masatsune Matsumura, the school was nominated by a consortium of Japanese architects and professors including Docomomo Japan Chair Hiroyuki Suzuki.
Completed between 1956-1958, the cluster-style architecture of Hizuchi Elementary School represents a hybrid of modernism and traditionalism. Modernist features such as the rational spatial design, use of dual facade windows, and a long glass exterior hallway that connected the entire school, are juxtaposed with the use of a traditional Japanese material: wood, in the construction. In 1999, Docomomo Japan, recognized Hizuchi Elementary School as one of the twenty most significant modern buildings. A description of the school was included in the Docomomo International publication, The Modern Movement in Architecture: Selections from the DOCOMOMO Registers:
"This building is representative of architecture designed by Masatsune Matsumura. He studied under Kameki Tsuchiura before the war, and then worked at the Yawata Municipality which is near his home town, after the war. Active as a modern architect in the region, he designed many buildings such as schools or hospitals. The space in this building is consciously composed based on the principals of modernism, rather than on that of a traditional wooden structure. Regarding the planning, the class rooms, corridors and bathrooms are treated as independent elements. By arranging the courtyard between classrooms and corridors, lighting and ventilation are obtained from both sides of the classroom."
In 2004, a typhoon left Hizuchi Elementary School in a severely deteriorated condition. After a long debate on whether to demolish the school, the consortium of experts along with local residents and the board of education decided to preserve it and began work. They developed a plan to restore the structure while simultaneously adapting it to fit contemporary needs.The school became the first significant, modern structure constructed of wood, in Japanese culture.
Image (left): Hizuchi Elementary School after the 2004 Typhoon. Credit: wmf.org
Docomomo US would like to congratulate our Docomomo Japan colleagues on the sensitive conservation of Hizuchi Elementary School and the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for their acknowledgement of this work and for recognizing the importance of schools as a typology. For more on the prize visit: (www.wmf.org/news). For more on Docomomo Japan visit: www.docomomojapan.com/


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Tom Mylan's Blog, 'The Meat Hook'
Butcher Tom Mylan has yet to open his "food dork megaplex" for Brooklyn meatheads, but he does have a blog— The Meat Hook, a collection of thoughts, pictures, and a recipe for 20 gallons of chili.
"We like to serve our chili with sour cream, fresh cilantro and a thirty rack of luke warm Busch," Mylan writes. Yum.


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Orland >> Investigators of Thursday's fiery crash continue to seek witness accounts in an attempt to piece together the series of events that lead to a head-on collision between a tractor-trailer and a bus that resulted in the death of 10 people.
Witness accounts are coming in slowly, said Keith Holloway, public affairs officer for the National Transportation Safety Board, on Monday. NTSB is still looking for videos and photos and for witnesses to come forward.
In cases like this one, where there isn't evidence to know what happened prior to the crash, witness accounts can help, he explained.
It was about 5:40 p.m. on Interstate 5 near Orland, when a southbound FedEx tractor-trailer veered off to the left, crossed a 58-foot-wide median and struck two northbound vehicles. A Nissan Altima with two passengers was sideswiped by the big rig before it collided head-on with a tour bus carrying 48 people, mostly high school students. Five students and five adults died as a result of the crash.
The NTSB arrived in Orland at 10 a.m. on Friday to join the California Highway Patrol's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, and since then, NTSB has been gathering information and reviewing the evidence it does have, Halloway said.
There have been no developments since NTSB's last press briefing on Sunday, where it stated there was no evidence of FedEx's 2007 Volvo big rig being on fire prior to the crash. NTSB member Mark Rosekind also said the agency was attempting to obtain cellphone video recorded by 53-year-old Bonnie Duran, who was driving the Nissan Altima, but Holloway said he did not know whether the agency was in possession of the video.
Duran reportedly stated the FedEx tractor-trailer was on fire before it crashed into her car, but Orland resident Ryan Householder, who was reportedly mowing his lawn, which faces the southbound lanes of I-5, told the Los Angeles Times (goo.gl/XrXI7P) Sunday there was no fire prior to the crash.
NTBS stated on Sunday that of the two semi-trailers the Fed-Ex driver was hauling, only one had a partial load, but as of Monday, the exact contents were still unknown, Holloway said.
Investigators are also focusing on the drivers, 32-year-old trucker Tim Evans of Elk Grove and bus driver 53-year-old Talalelei Lealao-Taiao of Sacramento, who were both killed during the crash.
The investigation will center around people who interacted with them in the days and hours before the crash. Toxicology reports, medical history and phone records will also be included into the investigation.
There's been a lot of conflicting reports, which is also why it's important to gather as much information as possible, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol is also asking that anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward. Anyone with information, including photographs and video of the collision, is asked to contact officer Lacey Heitman at 225-2715 or can email her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
While NTSB plans on shifting the investigation to the Los Angeles area in about a week to interview survivors, the Glenn County Sheriff's Office is continuing its efforts to positively identify the nine victims who died at the scene in Orland.
The Sheriff's Office has been very busy, but it's still too early to provide names, said Undersheriff Rich Warren on Monday. Although there have been reports identifying victims, the Sheriff's Office has not confirmed the identify of the nine victims. It's known who was on the bus, but none of the bodies have been positively identified.
People need to remember to be patient, because the agency will not make names available unless the Coroner's Office is positive, he said. There's no room for error.
The Sheriff's Office has been working so hard, its members haven't had time to stop and reflect, Warren said. Once it slows down, the Sheriff's Office will work with several agencies to have a critical incident debriefing.
Contact reporter Almendra Carpizo at 896-7760.


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MOVIE REVIEW-No <i>Mercies: Crazy Heart </i>doesn't quite measure up
There's no reason there shouldn't be as many movies about washed-up, alcoholic country singers as there are washed-up, alcoholic country singers, but Crazy Heart is too much like Tender Mercies for comfort, especially since Tender Mercies was better.
Then again, if they're going to remake every stupid horror movie from the 1980s, why shouldn't they remake a good musical drama?
Crazy Heart is not a remake, though. The screenplay by producer-director Scott Cooper is based on a novel by Thomas Cobb and just coincidentally revolves around an entertainer who's hit bottom but is redeemed by the love of a younger woman with a son.
Everyone, from Jeff Bridges' lead performance to the songs by T Bone Burnett and others, including the late Stephen Bruton, is good, but not as good as their counterparts in Tender Mercies. That film's star, Robert Duvall, plays a supporting role here.
Bridges, looking a lot like Kris Kristofferson, is technically amazing, underplaying endless variations of drinking, smoking, getting drunk, throwing up, falling down and passing out, and going on stage to perform in various stages of non-sobriety. His character, Bad Blake is 57. He was big enough, long enough that he can still get away with murder, but he's reduced to performing in saloons and bowling alleys.
A sore point is that Bad taught the current Nashville sensation, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), everything he knows; and now the best gig Bad can get, when he can get it, is opening for Tommy in a major venue. Tommy begs Bad to write some new songs for him, but Bad resists, even though he needs the easy money.
In Santa Fe a piano player asks Bad if he'll sit down for an interview with his niece, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a young journalist. Soon he's spending all the time he can with Jean and her four-year-old son, Buddy. She goes into the relationship with her eyes open, asking only that Bad not drink in front of the boy.
Neither love nor a doctor's warning that he's killing himself can slow the man's self-destructiveness as he goes from Bad to worse, until a climactic event serves as a wake-up call.
Crazy Heart lopes along like a country ballad. Bad is generally likable– as long as he's on screen, not sitting next to you. Sometimes you can laugh at him, sometimes you feel sorry for him, and sometimes you get disgusted with him, thinking he was named for his behavior.
Bridges has left George Clooney in his dust in the race for the Best Actor Oscar, winning the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards, among others. There are performances I would rather have seen him honored for, but he's long overdue and I don't begrudge him the recognition.
The new songs are mostly "rode hard and hung up wet" ballads that probably could be hits if the right artist recorded them, but you're unlikely to remember any but the oft-repeated "The Weary Kind" when the movie's over.
Crazy Heart, too, is not likely to leave a lasting impression, although it passes the time agreeably enough while you're watching it.
4 comments
What an excellent review! I saw Tender Mercies and did not see Crazy Heart (and won't) but even the trailers seemed somehow derivative to me. (I am rather particular about redundancy in my movie plots.) Movies have become more about making money and winning awards and less about excellent entertaining and original writing. When did the Oscar start going to people who "have never won" and who are "long overdue"? Or has it always been like that? If so, then the whole system is corrupt. I won't be watching this year...Sandra Bullock vs. Meryl Streep? Please! and Bullock is favored to win (bookies are laying odds in her favor as I write!) Why do actors have to "campaign" for these awards, as I keep hearing? and how do they do that although I am not sure I want to know. If I were an actor I would refuse to play this game. But as long as people make movies like Avatar and Blind Side money makers, the beast will continue to thrive. We have become a nation without discernment and taste. If anyone doubts it, the award season thus far is ample proof. How do two separate bodies of voters (seemingly disparate) come up with a (nearly) identical winners list?! The Oscars will be the same. Next year, we can pick the winners based on who has been around the longest and not won, whose movie has made the most money and who looks like their on death's door and thereby deserves a life achievement award. I thought actors were artists and weren't subject to the same bs as the rest of the world. Watching this year's award season has proven me wrong.
Just saw Tender Mercies again after watching Crazy Heart.I felt manipulated by C.H.,it caters to every demographic with an eye constantly on ticket sales over an honestly told story. It pulls its punches on the condition modern county music and the depravity of its leading character(he hooks up with a Hollywood Starlet way too fast). Making his redemption meaningless. Mr.Bridges' people spent to much time protecting his image and, I assume, his points package to effectively tell a story.
T.M seems way less manipulative.From a BALD leading man(impossible in this day and age),to not trying to cater to every demographic in marketplace(C.H.glamorizing the big country music machine,a concession you don't want to offend),to the obligitory gorgeous leading lady.I'm tired I'm out.
I thought "Tender Mercies" was better too, and also thought "Crazy Heart" was a little manipulative, but Jeff Bridges was great nevertheless. His character was very believable and, if he wins the Oscar, he deserves it ... even if voters give it to him because he hasn't won yet. I agree with T.W.I.M.C.'s comment that you wouldn't have a bald leading man today -- but disagree with the comment about the "obligatory gorgeous leading lady." While Maggie Gyllenhaal is becautiful and a wonderful actress (I've never thought she was anything but good in any of her movies), Tess Harper in "Tender Mercies" was extremel beautiful but seemed much less coy and down to earth. In other words, she was also a "gorgeous leading lady," but may have simply felt more like the rest of us. All in all, "Crazy Heart" is worth seeing, but, as with most films where it doesn't quite pay off, it's the writing that's the problem. When are good writers in Hollywood going to get the recognition they deserve? Everything follows from the writing.
I went and re-watched TENDER MERCIES after seeing CRAZY HEART and it's the hands down better of the two films. It's got such a simple, direct, honest quality that CH never has even though it wants to.
The films are just too similar to one another and there's no way I can believe that the people behind CH weren't extremely influenced by TM--so influenced they just grabbed giant handfuls of the story and used it for their film. Lazy, lazy, lazy.


text:
North African magic
North African magic Tunis' ancient buildings are being restored after years of neglect, and there's a new self-confidence in the air.
Tunis shares a line of latitude with Sicily's south coast and it's as lovely as Marrakech. But unlike the "St. Tropez of the Orient," where Hollywood stars discuss property prices over mint tea, Tunisia's capital is not yet hip. Marrakech, Tangier, Havana … We tend to travel to these cities only after their popularity has peaked, often looking, mostly in vain, for the faded myth of wilder, more exciting times. Reason enough to take a closer look at Tunis, which is actually two cities rather than one. Located on the Mediterranean, looking across to Europe, it has always been a crossing point between Orient and Occident, Europe and Africa. This is mirrored in its architecture. There's the colonial "ville européenne," with its straight avenues and blue-shuttered, white Art Déco facades – a miniature Paris in North Africa; and just a few steps away, the winding streets, covered bazaars and sand-colored, probably eighth-century Ez-Zitouna Mosque of the Medina – the city's Arab heart.
It's easy to miss the plain wooden door on busy Rue du Pacha, but knock and it opens onto an oasis of beauty, a Moorish courtyard with pillars, symmetrical arches and hand-painted tiles. Hotel owner Leila Ben Gacem, 49, greets us with a charming smile. She has laid the table for her guests. The labyrinth of colors and shadows looks like it did centuries ago, but in fact, a new era is now dawning. "We get different kinds of travelers these days," says Ben Gacem. "Once, Europeans came here only to bathe, only to the coast." They wanted a cheap seaside vacation and turned their back on the rest of the country. But since the more-or-less peaceful revolution, visitors interested in culture and history have been asking who was behind the Arab Spring and why Tunisia is the only Arab country to have made a successful transition to democracy. Without any help from travel or hotel agencies, many Tunisians began to rent out their houses for bed and breakfast, a model for success that has taken hold all around the Mediterranean.
Ben Gacem bought and renovated her hotel, the Dar Ben Gacem, amid the turmoil of a transforming society. Mondays, the laborers turned up for work, Tuesdays, they demonstrated again the dictatorship, Wednesdays, they were back at work. Today, jasmine and bougainvillea blossom in the courtyard and the building is adorned with Arabian wood carvings and pillars allegedly sourced from the ruins of ancient Carthage. She welcomes each of her guests like a personal friend. "Our country has little oil or industry," she explains, "so our raw materials are hospitality and a cosmopolitan outlook." Good neighborly relations are another, given that "the Medina is a network of myriad micro businesses," she says. "The baker, the joiner, the taxi driver. We work together, but each of us is our own boss." The hotel furniture is from AD 93, a cooperative of artists and artisans who salvage old building material from derelict houses, things like wrought-iron grilles, old tiles and marble, and turn them into tables, mirrors and vases.
Any particularly well-preserved items end up at Eddar, an antiques shop on Rue Sidi Ben Arous. Youcel and Ali Chammakhi have crammed every inch of the over 500-year-old, three-story family home with treasures: in the kitchen, vintage Italian posters, stopped clocks and old silver jewelry, and here, there and everywhere, the hand of Fatima warding off the evil eye. The crooked little rooms are piled high with gramophones and records, and anyone who has ever wanted a rusty tin can from which a genuine desert fox may have sometime drunk, will strike it lucky here. This building is not so much a shop as a time machine.
Just around the corner, an unremarkable door opens into the El Mnouchi café, a former caravanserai, where young people smoke shisha and watch Champions League soccer games. It was once an exclusively male den, but today, many emancipated Tunisian women are frequenting these kinds of public spaces. Some, like the Panorama café, are well hidden, but you are sure to find someone to tell you the way – through an old carpet warehouse and up the stairs till suddenly, you find yourself looking out over the Medina on a fantastic terrace of colored tiles, where hipsters and students, including young women in headscarves, are drinking mint tea and smoothies.
I meet two old friends here, Mhamed and Hmida Mistaoui. Now in their mid-thirties, they were born in Paris and raised in the Medina; they switch effortlessly between French, English and Arabic. Their parents studied medicine and biology in Paris; when they returned to Tunis, the old family home became an adventure playground for the kids. The water came from a cistern, and they would bathe at the public hamam. Snakes, ghosts and fantastic stories inhabited the house. But though they loved it dearly, they had to leave it in the 1990s because when called to a medical emergency, it took their father too long to make his way through the city's narrow streets to the site of the accident. Also, their mother had to rise at six each morning to drive the children to school before vendors blocked the street. And so they moved, like so many middle-class families, to the modern suburbs, trading their charming neighborhood for Internet and running water.
Workers from outside Tunis filled the old city houses, renting single rooms but not generating the cash for their renovation. The Medina, once the pride of the bourgeoisie, fell into decay and became a symbol of backwardness. Not until the turn of the millennium did a new awareness arise for its sleeping treasures.
When the brothers unlock the door to their old house today, it almost breaks their hearts: The ceiling has collapsed in places, the walls are damp and bats are nesting on the patio. Mhamed and Hmida dream of turning their old home into a guest house. "How will the Medina look in 20 years' time?" I wonder. We take a journey into the future through smart Banlieue Nord, where the pair live today, through Carthage district with its elegant villas to Sidi Bou Saïd, 20 kilometers away. This sleepy village overlooking the sea attracts visitors from the city in summer, strollers and artists who know where to find the clearest light. August Macke and Paul Klee fell under its creative spell and produced their famously luminous water colors: sharply contoured shadows on white walls, blue balconies above a turquoise sea – a weightless, Mediterranean dream.
Mhamed and Hmida take me to their favorite spot for an apéritif, the hilltop boutique hotel Villa Bleue with its spectacular view of the Gulf of Tunis. It looks ancient, but was built only recently in the Andalusian-Arab retro style of the Medina. The owner, an entrepreneur and art collector, bought three buildings in the Medina purely for their tiles and marble and had them transported to Sidi Bou Saïd for its walls and floors.
Pretty though Sidi Bou Saïd is, there's nothing left to be done here, and that detracts a little from its appeal. The perfectly restored houses command astronomical prices – if anyone buys them at all. Instinctively, you feel drawn back to the old heart of the city, where bright streets still alternate with dark ones, where everything is still in the throes of change.
The evening ends in the candelit restaurant of the former palace that is now the Dar El Jeld hotel, where we meet Leila Ben Gaçem again. An oud player is plucking his personal version of Charles Aznavour's "La Bohème." The waitstaff are a little stiff, but the couscous with stuffed calamari is sensational. After a few glasses of Vieux Magon – Tunisian wine is something else – our dreams fly skywards. Ben Gacem talks about opening another hotel and encourages the Mistaoui brothers to pursue their project. She knows that European culture tourists and the Tunisians currently rediscovering their forgotten heritage will help awaken the Medina to new life. We suddenly feel like Paul Bowles must have in Tangier and Jimi Hendrix, in Essaouira: that we have discovered a magical place before its becomes so hip that the spell is broken.
A night in Medina
Sleep between ancient walls dating from the 17th century.
Tuck into couscous
Sample Tunisian fare on the patio of a former caravenserai.
Colorful stones
Admire the gorgeous mosaics at Bardo National Museum.
Boutique experience
Enjoy the hotel's historical elements and stunning sea view.
Lufthansa flies up to twice daily from Frankfurt (FRA) and once weekly from Munich (MUC) to Tunis (TUN). Use the app to calculate your miles. Download here: www.miles-and-more.com


text:
Clinical Trials
A Comparison of Body Fat Distribution in HIV-1 Infected Patients Receiving, Since the Beginning and for at Least Two Years, an Antiretroviral Therapy Based on Efavirenz or Lopinavir/Ritonavir Combined With Tenofovir + Emtricitabine or Lamivudine (LYNX)
AbbVie (prior sponsor, Abbott)
Information provided by (Responsible Party)
First received: July 8, 2010
Last updated: January 16, 2013
Last Verified: January 2013
History of Changes
The purpose of this study is to compare the body fat distribution in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) infected patients receiving, since the beginning and for at least two years, an antiretroviral therapy based on efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir and a combination of tenofovir plus emtricitabine (or lamivudine).
HIV Infection
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
Observational Model: Cohort
Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional
|Official Title:
|A Comparison of Body Fat Distribution in HIV-1 Infected Patients Receiving, Since the Beginning and for at Least Two Years, an Antiretroviral Therapy Based on Efavirenz or Lopinavir/Ritonavir Combined With Tenofovir + Emtricitabine or Lamivudine
Further study details as provided by AbbVie:
Primary Outcome Measures
Total Limb Fat Mass
[ Time Frame: Study visit ]
Total limb fat mass was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. DEXA uses a whole body scanner and two different low-dose x-rays to read bone mass and soft tissue mass.
- Distribution of Body Fat Mass
[ Time Frame: Study visit ]
Body fat mass was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan.
- Lipodystrophy Severity Grading Scale (LSGS) Scores
[ Time Frame: Study visit ]
Perception of body fat was assessed by the Lipodystrophy Severity Grading Scale (LSGS), a standardized measurement of subjective lipoatrophy (fat loss) and lipoaccumulation (fat gain) perceived by the participant and by the physician. The degree of lipoatrophy and diffuse fat accumulation at each region was rated by both the participant and the physician as: Score 0=absent; Score 1=mild or noticeable on close inspection; Score 2=moderate or readily noticeable by patient/physician; Score 3=severe or readily noticeable to a casual observer. Score A reflects the lipoatrophy or fat loss perception at the face, arms, buttocks and legs and ranges from 0-12. Score B reflects the perception of fat gain at the abdomen, neck, and breasts and ranges from 0-9. The overall score is the sum of the scores A+B, and ranges from 0-21. Higher numbers indicate more fat loss (Score A) or gain (Score B). An average overall patient/physician score >7 indicates a clinical diagnosis of lipodystrophy.
- Change Over Time in Body Fat Distribution
[ Time Frame: DEXA performed at the study visit and more than 6 months prior to the study visit (the period of time between the DEXA recorded at the study visit and the previous DEXA ranged from 6 to 36 months). ]
Change over time in total body fat and fat in the limbs and trunk was assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in participants for whom a DEXA measurement performed at least 6 months before participation in this study was available. A negative change score indicates fat loss over time and a positive change score indicates fat gain over time.
|Study Start Date:
|July 2010
|Study Completion Date:
|September 2011
|Primary Completion Date:
|September 2011 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
HIV-infected patients on initial antiretroviral therapy for at least two years with efavirenz (Sustiva®; EFV) with a combination of tenofovir (TDF) plus emtricitabine (FTC) or lamivudine (3TC).
Lopinavir / Ritonavir
HIV-infected patients on initial antiretroviral therapy for at least two years with lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra®; LPV/r) with a combination of tenofovir (TDF) plus emtricitabine (FTC) or lamivudine (3TC).
Detailed Description:
Lipodystrophy (also called abnormal fat redistribution) associated with HIV infection is
characterized by loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue (lipoatrophy) that is more apparent in
the limbs, face, and buttocks, or by accumulation of adipose tissue (lipohypertrophy) in the
intra-abdominal cavity, the mid, upper back, and breasts. Lipodystrophy may also occur in a
mixed form (lipoatrophy and lipohypertrophy in the same patient).
Participants made a single study visit. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was performed within 30 days of this study visit. In addition, routine visit clinical results, demographic data, disease data, comorbidities and concomitant medications were collected.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Study PopulationHIV-infected patients visiting Spanish HIV clinics.
Inclusion Criteria
- Men and women aged ≥ 18 years with HIV-1 infection who are clinically stable and who were invited to participate in the study at a routine follow-up visit.
- HIV-1 infected patients receiving since the beginning and continuously, for at least two years, initial antiretroviral therapy (ART) based on efavirenz (EFV) and a combination of tenofovir (TDF) + emtricitabine (FTC) [or lamivudine (3TC)] or HIV-1 infected patients receiving since the beginning and continuously, for at least two years, initial ART based on lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) and a combination of TDF +FTC (or 3TC).
- Patients with an undetectable viral load, in response to the detection limit of each participating hospital defined in the last 6 months.
- Patients who have given written informed consent to participate in this study [personal data collection and performance of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)].
- Patients who have received at some point both efavirenz (EFV) and lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) in combination regimen or thereafter.
- Patients who have had structured treatment interruptions (therapeutic holidays).
- Patients with a body mass index <16 kg/m^2.
- Patients with metallic prostheses or prosthetic material that could interfere with the measurement of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).
- Patients with a history of plastic or repair surgery in the buttocks and breasts.
- Patients with a diagnostic test with barium or radionucleotides, performed during the last month.
- Pregnant women.
- Patients treated with other agents under investigational phase.
- Patients on current treatment with systemic corticosteroids or chemotherapy.
- Diabetes mellitus and hypoglycaemic treatment.
- Transsexualism (though implicit in prostheses and drugs).
- Any drug taken chronically, which may alter the distribution of fat or adipocyte biology (insulin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, etc).
- Patient has undergone liposuction.
Exclusion Criteria
Contacts and LocationsChoosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision.Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01159743
Locations Show More
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39595
|Alicante, Spain, 03010
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39602
|Barcelona, Spain, 08003
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39605
|Barcelona, Spain, 08035
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39589
|Barcelona, Spain, 08036
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39601
|Barcelona, Spain, 08041
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39593
|Barcelona, Spain, 08916
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39603
|Barcelona, Spain, 8907
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39587
|Bilbao, Spain, 48013
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39596
|Cabuenes-Gijon, Spain, 33394
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39590
|Granada, Spain, 18017
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39604
|La Laguna Teneriffe, Spain, 38320
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39609
|Logrono, Spain, 26006
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39597
|Madrid, Spain, 28007
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39600
|Madrid, Spain, 28034
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39591
|Madrid, Spain, 28040
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 24822
|Madrid, Spain, 28041
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39586
|Madrid, Spain, 28041
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39599
|Madrid, Spain, 28046
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39611
|Madrid, Spain, 28880
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39588
|Malaga, Spain, 29010
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39592
|San Sebastian, Spain, 20014
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39606
|Seville, Spain, 41013
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39598
|Valencia, Spain, 46009
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39612
|Valencia, Spain, 46014
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39607
|Vigo, Spain, 36204
|Site Reference ID/Investigator# 39610
|Zaragoza, Spain, 50009
Sponsors and CollaboratorsAbbVie (prior sponsor, Abbott)
|Study Director:
|Angel Burgos, Other
|Abbvie Farmaceutica S.L.U. Spain
More Information
Additional Information:Related Info
|Responsible Party:
|AbbVie (prior sponsor, Abbott)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01159743 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|July 8, 2010
|Last Updated:
|January 16, 2013
Keywords provided by AbbVie:lipodystrophy
antiretroviral treatment
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this data on May 24, 2020
This information is provided by ClinicalTrials.gov.


text:
Large Diameter and 3 Phase
- Admin
- Fans
Exacon is a Manufacture Agent and distributes ventilation, heating, cooling, feeding, lighting and air filtering products across Canada. We provide a unique, single source, convenient one stop shopping approach.
Email: Pete Armstrong (Inside Sales) firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: (519)-235-1431
Toll Free: 1-866-335-1431
Fax: 519-235 2852


text:
10Mb Print Servers
Discontinued product. Online support only.Please see the support documentation for further information.
- Parallel port pocket print server
- Multilingual support: User's Guide and internal Web pages available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and and Japanese
10Mb Print Servers
The AXIS 540+ pocket-sized multiprotocol print server for 10BaseT Ethernet networks plugs directly into the parallel port of any printer*. It is the high performance solution for printing in medium-sized to large LANs, supporting most systems available in today's heterogeneous network environments. * Host-based printers such as GDI, CAPT and PPA are not supported.
More features
- Easy installation: AXIS AddPrinter for Windows and support for Rendezvous in Macintosh environments
- Comprehensive administration software: AXIS ThinWizard management tool
- Multiprotocol support: Novell NetWare including NDS and NDPS, more than 20 Unix systems, Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, Windows 98, LAN Server, OS/2 Warp, LAN Manager, Apple EtherTalk