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Most of our writers didn't enter the world sporting an @baseballprospectus.com address; with a few exceptions, they started out somewhere else. In an effort to up your reading pleasure while tipping our caps to some of the most illuminating work being done elsewhere on the internet, we'll be yielding the stage once a week to the best and brightest baseball writers, researchers and thinkers from outside of the BP umbrella. If you'd like to nominate a guest contributor (including yourself), please drop us a line.
Eric Knott is a former big-league pitcher who threw a combined 24 innings in the majors for the 2001 Diamondbacks and the 2003 Expos. While he was there, he struck out Chipper and Andruw Jones, Luis Gonzalez, Scott Rolen, Jim Thome, Chase Utley, and Miguel Cabrera (twice). He had an 11-year minor-league career from 1997-2007, pitching for four MLB organizations, as well as the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League. You can follow him on Twitter @eknott11.
Looking back
I often like to sit and daydream about the time I spent as a professional ballplayer. I reflect on the different teams I played for, the guys I played against, the good times away from the ballpark, the different cities I visited around the world, the unique teammates and coaches I got to know along the way, and the frustrations and hurdles I encountered in my quest to pitch in the big leagues. Most of the time, I feel fortunate to have had the career that I did. I was blessed with enough talent to last in the game for 11 seasons. I'm one of the lucky ones who lived out their childhood dream of playing in the big leagues— all 105 days and 24 innings of it.
I have never looked back and been disappointed in the career I put together. I was never a legitimate prospect, never a shoo-in to reach the big leagues, and never someone who was penciled in for a future opening day roster. I was a guy who was drafted to fill a roster and made the most of the opportunities I was given. To this day, I brag to my friends about my 24 innings in the Show and remind them that I got to sleep in until noon and never work a real job until I was 33 years old.
But these days, I sometimes wonder: What if I hadn't played in the Steroid Era? What if I had made the decision to use steroids? What if no other players during that time had been using? Would my career have turned out differently? Would I have pitched longer in the big leagues? Would my statistics have been better? Would my 87-91-mph sinking fastball from the left side have been more impressive to the scouts, player development personnel, and general managers who made the decisions that determined whether I was major-league material and how long I would stay there?
Before I start looking back at what I observed and how I think steroids changed the game back then, I must admit that I used PEDs from time to time myself. I popped greenies occasionally before a start or a game. I also took Adipex, a prescription diet drug that I learned from my current personal physician is extremely powerful and a controlled substance. So I wasn't perfect. Far from it. However, the clubhouse culture then was different. The training staffs, coaches, and veteran players I tried to pick up the game from regarded these drugs as a normal, accepted as part of baseball. Their use was sometimes encouraged and always accepted throughout baseball. They were there to help you get through the rigors of the long, grueling season.
However, the decision about whether to use or not to use steroids was a moral one, in my opinion. I never really ever gave it serious consideration. I was scared of the long-term consequences, mostly to my health. Deep down, I didn't want my father to think I cheated my way up the ladder to the big leagues. I wanted to do it the right way. That was my choice. Players boasted to each other about what steroids did for them, but no player or coach ever pressured me to or suggested that I take steroids to gain an edge or for the betterment of the team or organization.
Sometimes I think about whether I made the right decision purely from a financial perspective, not for reasons having to do with glory on the diamond. I never obtained great wealth playing the game. I wonder now whether I would I have spent more time in the big leagues or gotten there sooner if I'd used, and whether, as a result, I'd have more money in the bank right now for my family. That's the only thing that bothers me about having played when I did. Did other players take money away from me because they used and I didn't? Would I still be scuffling now to make mortgage payments or put money away for my kids to go to college?
I will never look down on those who made the choice to use steroids during that time. Some players openly complained that it wasn't fair that guys were gaining an advantage by using steroids. I never did. I always regarded it as an available option, and it was up to the individual to decide if it was right for them. At that time, it wasn't the right option for me. However, I will always question whether I made the right decision or not.
I don't hold any resentment toward Major League Baseball for its actions—or inaction—as it allowed steroid use to get out of hand. No, you can't convince me that MLB thought things were completely normal when Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds were blasting balls out of the park at an unprecedented rate and people with long track records as average players suddenly began to eclipse personal bests in home runs and velocity by significant margins. MLB had to notice that trips to the disabled list were increasing and that the types of injuries players were suffering were changing. It would have had to be naïve to think that the public didn't notice. We all did. I remember sitting in the clubhouse in 1998 and discussing the McGwire/Sosa home run chase and speculating about what they had to be using. Players were hitting balls out of the ballpark that five years earlier hardly anyone was able to hit out.
But while MLB was late in recognizing or addressing the problem, it appears to have made up for lost time. Yes, players still use. Some get away with it. Some don't. Those who get caught pay a penalty for it that they knew they would receive if caught. I'm okay with that. I do wish that I could have played under the current rules, and wonder how my career would have been different if I had. But I didn't, and I have to remind myself of that when those thoughts creep into my mind.
Observations on the PED Culture in Minor League Baseball, 1997-2003: Stimulants
The first time I ever saw a greenie and talked to someone who used them was in the California League in 1998, my first full season in professional baseball. One of the pitchers who had pitched before in Double-A and was definitely older than the 22 years that was printed on the roster busted a packet of them out in the clubhouse to show everyone what they looked like. Those of us who hadn't seen them before were intrigued. What did they look like? Well, yes, they are green. Half of the capsule was dark green, the other half lime green. How big were they? About the size of a Tylenol capsule.
At that time, I had been in professional baseball for less than a year and had already heard all about greenies from the older players and coaches I was around. They rarely spoke negatively about their effects on performance. I can't remember any coach or player ever describing them in a negative light, and I never attended a meeting in spring training that went over the dangers of "greenie" use. We did, however, have to attend meetings where team officials spoke to us about how recreational drug abuse could negatively impact your performance, and the negative side effects associated with the use of anabolic steroids. I do recall some coaches saying that greenies weren't for everyone, and I never heard a coach encourage their use.
The chatter associated with greenies stayed in the clubhouse between players, and away from the coaches' room. I will say that I have seen a coach ask a player for one, and I have seen club trainers carry them in their medicine bags and give them out under the table. I remember a daytime doubleheader we played in Omaha where the trainer made two pots of coffee: one with greenies and one without. That never seemed wrong to me, and even those who didn't take them never complained when the trainer labeled them with athletic tape so that no one would get them mixed up.
Getting "beaned up" was something that had been going on since the pills were introduced to the game. I heard that Latin players brought them over to the States at some point, and that that's when their use took off. Latin players were usually the go-to guys to obtain them, just because they were not available in the United States. They were great for playing with a hangover, necessary to get going for a day game after a night game, and gave a player the stamina necessary to grind through six months of essentially a seven-day-a-week work schedule.
A minor-league baseball season is a grueling test of endurance. You play 140 games in about 155 days. Off days are rare. The travel sucks, even if you fly (which happens mostly in Double-A and Triple-A). Long bus rides and 6 AM flights are the norm. A game called because of rain before you even get to the yard is a gift from God.
The average fan comes to the ballpark for a 7 PM game and doesn't realize that the players have been there since 1:30-2:00 in the afternoon putting in the work necessary to get better and advance up the ladder. The visiting team may have flown in that morning after playing a game the night before, or arrived in town after a 10-hour bus ride and gotten into their hotel beds at 7 AM. The starting pitcher might have gotten four hours of decent sleep and spent the rest of the travel time in the middle seat of a crowded flight or crammed into a bus seat that isn't big enough for the average professional baseball player. All of these factors make it easy for a player not to feel like he's in the optimal position to perform at his best, and that's why players sometimes look for a little assistance. This was where a "greenie" could help.
I got my first greenie from another starting pitcher who had obtained them from a Dominican veteran reliever on our team. At that point, I was scared to use one in a game situation and didn't think I needed one to pitch, no matter how I felt. I did want to know what greenies did, though, so another starter and I took one before we went into the stands to chart pitches.
In retrospect, it was incredibly stupid and a waste of a good pill. My heart rate increased, and I didn't go to the concession stand for a snack like I usually did. I was energized and alert, and I didn't rest one minute on the trip back to High Desert from Lancaster. From then on, I wasn't afraid of what greenies could do to me. I had broken the seal.
I didn't take a greenie during a game situation or before a start until the following season, in Double-A. I don't remember having superior stuff or being better in any facet of my pitching. My fastball wasn't sharper, my location wasn't better, and my breaking pitches weren't breaking more. What I do remember is that I was more alert and more focused on getting the ball to the catcher. The pills locked me in. They gave me the ability to stay focused on the pitching and forget about the peripheral distractions around the ballpark.
On greenies, I didn't hear the chatter from the other dugout or notice what was going on in the seats during the game: my intensity was ramped up, and nothing could stop me from pitching my ass off that night. The only times I ever snapped a bat in the dugout, got into verbal confrontations with an umpire, or popped off to an opposing player was while I was playing under the influence of a greenie. I was ejected from a Dominican Winter League game for mother-fucking an umpire and once threw an empty five-gallon water bottle onto the field in a Mexican League playoff game. I did things that were out of character under the influence, and I didn't mind.
Once I reached Triple-A, "beaning up" was part of my pre-start routine. I would open the capsule and pour the contents onto my tongue, enjoying the taste of the medicine and waiting for its effects to kick in. I probably made 60-70 percent of my starts in Triple-A on greenies. For the others, I either didn't have access to one or didn't feel like I needed one on that particular day. I tried not to take one if I was pitching on the night of a long bus ride or if we had an early wake-up call for a flight the next morning. I never took more than one at a time or more than one every five days, but I knew position players who took them daily and saw some players take two or three at a time.
For awhile in Triple-A, some players on my team started ordering Adipex online and would have it delivered to the clubhouse via FedEx. These pills were completely different: they wired the heck out of you. Your hands would shake, it was impossible to eat, and good luck trying to get to sleep after the game. One night after making a start on Adipex, I lay awake for a long time and stared at the ceiling. When I got up the next morning, my hands shook while I tried to eat cereal. When I could no longer get access to Adipex, I went back to the greenies. I never wanted my name on one of these prescriptions and wouldn't order anything for myself, since I didn't want to be identified if there was ever an investigation or someone in the organization went looking around. Plus, it was illegal to obtain a prescription fraudulently. I wasn't overweight and didn't have any legitimate medical condition that would have necessitated their use.
Greenies' effects were also known to kick back in after a couple of beers. I hit the town hard in visiting cities several times after a good performance and had no problem shutting down a bar with my teammates. You couldn't get to sleep right away anyway, so you might as well head out and have some fun. I knew some guys who would "bean up" just to go out after the game.
It might seem inconsistent that I had a moral objection to steroids but took greenies and Adipex often, but I never considering taking greenies cheating to gain an edge. I looked at it as a way to get through a long season and offset some of the fatigue that arose from traveling, working odd hours, and playing 20-plus days in a row. It seemed normal to me to take one, and no one was condemning it. My velocity didn't increase, and I didn't throw more innings or prevent fewer runs in games when I took one. If there hadn't been a culture of acceptance, if their use had been discouraged, and if they hadn't been widely available in the clubhouse and distributed by trainers at times, I most likely never would have taken one.
Observations on the PED Culture in Minor League Baseball, 1997-2003: Steroids
Everyone knows that steroids played a huge part in the game during the period when I played, if not well before. I was a witness to all of it at every level. Even though I never used and never seriously considered doing so at the time, I saw the effect it had on players who were. Steroids definitely enhanced performance. Pitchers were gaining velocity that they didn't have and hitters with no pop started hitting balls out of the park with greater frequency. Players were gaining size at a rapid pace, and baseball was turning into a power game.
Home run power and high-velocity pitchers were taking over the game. Those were the tools that got you to the big leagues. If you didn't have them, you were often overlooked and had to watch players who did continually get called up. Playing premium defense or throwing a darting sinker that got ground balls wasn't enough to make the majors. There were exceptions, but it wasn't the norm. Many of my teammates put up numbers every year but couldn't get an invite to camp or a place on the 40-man roster because they lacked those coveted tools. There's no doubt that some of them would have gotten a shot today.
Of course, velocity is still a premium tool to have. Pitchers have become better athletes, and advancements in the science of pitching mechanics have led to great gains. It seems like every member of a MLB bullpen comes into the game throwing 90-plus. You don't see 7-8-hole hitters hitting 10-15 jacks a year anymore in the minors, though.
In the short term, I think steroid use helped pitchers and hitters equally. However, I think pitchers broke down and were injured more frequently as a result of steroid use. The small ligaments and tendons in the elbow and shoulder couldn't handle the rapid increase in strength in the muscles that surrounded those areas. For all players, the increased torque produced as a result of greater strength and faster muscles caused breakdowns in the core and back area. Many users didn't know how to take steroids correctly and neglected to strengthen the areas that supported the major muscle groups
Steroids weren't discussed openly in the clubhouse. There was still a stigma about them that kept the talk about them among players under the table and away from coaches, trainers, and player personnel people. Away from the field, they were discussed freely. Players would talk about where they could get them, what so-and-so from another team was taking, what was good and bad for your body, and what specific mixtures of steroids were the best for gaining strength, building stamina, or increasing velocity. Some players were more bold in their admissions, and others would deny use no matter how much their body changed or their power increased.
I was never in the inner circle of players who used, so I can't give specifics of what types were used most frequently or the easiest places to get them. When I played in El Paso, I heard rumblings that the visiting clubhouse manager would cross over to Juarez to buy steroids for the opposing teams. Those players would then keep them for themselves or ship them to friends on other teams and in other organizations. It seemed easy to order them over the internet and have them shipped directly to you. I never saw shadowy figures hanging around the ballpark and selling their goods in the parking lots after games.
I remember hanging out and discussing steroids in our spring training apartments before the 2002 season. Most of the players in camp had been around for 4-5 years, as I had, and most had either been called up already or were knocking on the door to the big leagues. I had been a September call-up with the Diamondbacks the year before, but I didn't get a good look. We were in a pennant race, for which I got a front-row seat. I pitched in three games that September.
We had all just watched Barry Bonds hit 73 homers the year before, and it was obvious that steroid use was rampant. I vividly remember players talking about what they took in the winter, how much weight they gained, and how much better they felt heading into the season. I remember wondering at that time whether I was foolish for not joining the party. The steroid users looked great and were confident that it was their time to get to and stay in the big leagues.
I felt like I wasn't as prepared as they were. I didn't use and came in looking the same as I had the year before. Even though I'd busted my ass that offseason, I'd brought nothing new to the table. Players talked about their increased strength and size like a golfer would talk about a new set of clubs. They were tools they used to get better and gain an edge. I didn't have any new toy to show off, and that bothered me. But it never bothered me enough to cross that line.
I witnessed a lot of things those few years that wouldn't have happened before the Steroid Era. I saw a guy who was embarrassed to take off his shirt in the clubhouse because his breasts had begun to soften as a result of the estrogen that was included in some mixtures of steroids. He started out as a power-hitting prospect but never hit with the power people thought he would have. To his credit, he stuck around in the bigs as a backup and made a decent career for himself after the new policy took effect.
Another teammate showed some of us a chunk that was missing in his ass as a result of an infection he got after injecting steroids in the same spot for too long. He was a dumbass, in my opinion, and he probably never studied up on them enough to know better. But he showed us that chunk like it was a badge of honor. He was one of the top rookies at his position and was in the top 10 of a major statistical category one year, but coincidentally or not, he didn't do anything after the time that MLB began to test for and punish steroid use.
I was around when an organization swept under the rug a situation where a player and his friend were pulled over and steroids were found in his car. This guy was overlooked by everyone, got an invite to minor-league camp, and for a time kept putting up numbers at whatever level he played at. He put together a couple incredible years, got a contract, and then fizzled out quickly due to injuries and steroid testing. He avoided trouble because he could hit, parlayed it into financial security, and was dumped to the curb when he couldn't produce anymore.
I have a friend who played minor-league baseball for seven seasons before he made it. He's in the Mitchell report. Pitched full seasons in the majors in 2003 and 2004. He's a tremendous athlete with or without steroids, and he put up numbers in Triple-A and elsewhere after testing took place. He never talked about steroids, and he was such a good athlete beforehand that you couldn't tell if he was using or not. I'm not sure what he was taking when I played with him, if anything—I first heard of his use in the Mitchell Report, like everyone else. He earned over two years of service time and banked over $700,000 in those two seasons.
The Mitchell Report means nothing to him and his bank account. He continued to get opportunities after the report came out. Were steroids the extra edge he needed to finally get there?
I played with a player who cried in the clubhouse after being part of blowing a nine-run lead late in a game. The guy was soft. He was more dedicated to pulling chicks after the game than getting hitters out, and he was traded because the organization didn't like that some of its young prospects were hanging out too much with him after games. When he took steroids, his performance changed, but so did his confidence and demeanor. He was one of the players who wasn't afraid to let everyone know what he was doing. He was proud of how he'd changed. He went from being someone who couldn't handle pressure to a key contributor for a time, before he was injured and never got his velocity back.
I saw players go from being fringe prospects to everyday big leaguers while I spent most of my time in Triple-A waiting to get a decent look. I was focused on doing what I could do for myself, and not on what others were doing. I never lay awake at night pissed off that other guys were getting chances when I wasn't, and I still considered myself blessed to play professional baseball.
I had my best season in 2003, the year that Major League Baseball began anonymous testing to determine if steroid use was a problem in the game and whether it would be necessary to implement a comprehensive plan. It hadn't occurred to me, until now, that the best professional season I put together might have been the result of a more level playing field. I had an excellent camp with the Expos that year and was one of the last cuts of the spring. I was sure I'd made a good impression on the coaching staff, and I flourished under the tutelage of Randy St. Claire during spring training and Tommy John during my time in Edmonton. I pitched fairly well out of the bullpen for a couple of months and was moved to the starting rotation. After a string of strong, confidence-boosting starts, I was called up in early July.
When I arrived in Montreal, I was sent right into action against the Marlins. I punched out a 19-year-old Miguel Cabrera that day. It felt good to be back on a big-league roster. When I was called up to Arizona in September of 2001, I didn't really get an opportunity to contribute. The D-Backs were in a pennant chase and would eventually win it all, without me. This time I was in the majors as a member of a 25-man roster, and it meant a lot to me.
I thought I pitched well. I mopped up quite a bit but was also getting opportunities to throw in late-inning, high-leverage situations. I remember coming into the clubhouse in Dodger Stadium after pitching to Shawn Green and Jeromy Burnitz. Livan Hernandez was in there already and asked me about my career and where I had been before. He told me I belonged at the big-league level, to keep doing what I was doing, and that I could pitch for a long time. I threw a scoreless ninth and 10th in a tie game in Philadelphia and a scoreless ninth against my former team. Even though I went out for the 10th and gave up a walk-off homer to Raul Mondesi, I was happy to be coming into key situations. The Expos were playing well. They had confidence in me. Everything was going well.
I don't think there was much steroid use in the Montreal organization. I knew a few pitchers in the organization who weren't shy about letting it be known that they used, but it didn't seem as prevalent to me as it was in other places. I do remember players talking about how anonymous the tests would actually be and hearing about how some guys were rolling the dice and still using.
I was convinced that if I could stay with the club until September 1st, I would actually finish the season with the team. I thought I was going to make it. It was late August, and we had just swept the Phillies in a nationally televised game to move into a tie for the Wild Card. The clubhouse was energized. We were headed to Florida to play the Marlins, and then to Puerto Rico after that.
Then it all came crashing down for me. I was already on the bus, ready to fly to Miami, when I was called off and sent to Frank Robinson's office. I was being sent down the day before every other team in Major League Baseball was adding guys to its roster. Frank told me that it was completely out of his control and that he'd do his best to get me and a couple of other guys back as soon as he could, but I could tell by his expression and the stoic look given to me by General Manager Omar Minaya that he was pretty sure that that wouldn't happen. I heard later that some players were upset about it on the bus.
I'd felt like I was finally a legitimate member of and contributor to a major-league team, but I never made it back. That was my last big-league moment. I later received a letter from Bud Selig's office expressing their regret that they were unable to bring me and some others back up when the rosters expanded due to the economic hardship of running the Expos. Terrmell Sledge hit 30 home runs that year in Edmonton and didn't get called up. It wasn't fair. Big-league teams weren't supposed to operate like that, but the Expos did. I still have that letter somewhere in my papers and mementos from my career. I should burn it.
Over that offseason, I signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a non-roster invite. (I'd had the opportunity to re-sign with Montreal, but for considerably less money.) I was having a great camp and getting noticed by Jim Coburn, the pitching coach, and I felt like I had a chance to contribute at some point during the year. During a spring training game in Fort Lauderdale, I blew out my knee covering first base on a ball hit by Jon Gibbons—I have a picture of the moment it happened. The initial MRI showed no tear of the ACL, or so they say. I never received a second opinion.
I rehabbed in Vero Beach, experiencing a couple of setbacks along the way. Finally, I was fitted with knee brace and sent to Las Vegas. I pitched out of the pen for a few weeks and pitched my ass off. I remember Roger McDowell bitching at me one day for not running conditioning at the level he thought that I should. We were running pass routes and catching baseballs, and I couldn't handle the cutting. My knee was shot, but I was giving it my all.
We were in Salt Lake City when the knee finally went. Before the game, I'd told my former coach and friend, Ty Van Burkleo, that my knee was hanging by a thread and joked that it was only a matter of time before it blew out. With a knee brace on, I fielded a swinging bunt and turned to throw to first, and my knee finally let go. I heard the same pops and was operated on a week later. My season was over.
I didn't receive a call that offseason from another team. My agent arranged for me to play in the Mexican League, and I ended up leading the circuit with 14 wins. I was offered an opportunity to finish the year in Columbus with the Yankees organization, but my knee was sore, and I felt I needed the rest more than a month in Triple-A with an organization that had no plans to give me a good shot. I was certain that I'd put enough on paper to get an opportunity next spring with a club and didn't want a subpar month to ruin what I'd already achieved.
Not accepting that offer turned out to be the worst decision of my career. The only time I made it back to play in the States was a month I spent with Oklahoma City in the Rangers organization at the end of 2006. I pitched well in five starts and thought that I might be re-signed. But that winter, both the GM and the major-league manager (Buck Showalter) were fired, and the new regime never called me.
I went back to Mexico in 2007 and tore my meniscus running sprints in the outfield before a game. I worked hard to rehab, but the knee never improved. While I was rehabbing and the team was on the road, my stomach began to hurt. I thought I'd caught a severe stomach bug from eating bad Mexican food, but the pain persisted for at least 10 days. The team trainers tried everything to relieve it until one day when I couldn't handle it anymore. The team doctor came to my house, and he pressed on my stomach as I lay on the bed. The pain was excruciating.
We went directly to an ultrasound clinic. The technician who performed it freaked out in front of me. My appendix had ruptured. We went straight from there to a hospital that I never would have stepped foot in under other circumstances. I writhed on the emergency room floor, not caring whether I lived or died. I was wheeled into an emergency room with equipment that looked like it was from the 1950s, but even that didn't faze me. I knew relief was on its way. Our team doctor was there with his cell phone camera, documenting the entire procedure.
It was a gift from God that I survived that ordeal. The surgeon, who had been practicing medicine for over 50 years, saved my life. He told me that he'd scrubbed out my insides with a sponge for over an hour, and that weaker people had died from what I'd just endured. I stayed in that hospital with no air conditioning for two and a half days, and the doctor left the wound open for a couple of weeks. Every day, I took a taxi to the hospital, where he cleaned the wound and changed my dressings. I didn't play again that season, and I hung them up not long after.
Moral objections aside, players who used steroids proved they would do whatever it took to get to the big leagues, and I didn't. I could have ordered them and learned how to use them just as easily. Maybe I would have jumped from 87-91 to 90-93. That would have been enough velocity to get the ball by hitters from the left side. Control was never an issue for me, and neither was keeping the ball on the ground and in the park. Would that extra velocity have gotten me more swings and misses, more time in the bigs, and therefore more career earnings? As I sit here and reflect on it frankly, I think the answer is probably yes.
But I couldn't let myself do it. I was scared of the long-term effects, and so was my wife. I didn't want my father to label me a cheater. My wife knew about and hated my greenie use, but I haven't told my Dad. I won't tell him now, either—he can find it on Google if he wants to look. I didn't think of it at the time as a performance-enhancing drug or as cheating the game. I think I made the right choices. I think I left it all out on the field. But I'm not sure.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Tourism and the Condo/Villa Residency Market on the North Coast Just Got a Huge Boost:
Talk about big news for Cabarete, Sosua, and Puerto Plata, Carnival Cruise Lines in mid-August inked a deal that will significantly enhance the visibility of the "Part Time Residency" tsunami that in recent years has attracted such an interesting mix of expats from Canada, The United States, and Europe. Long known as a favorite destination to enjoy the year round wind sports such as kite boarding and wind surfing, the north coast (Cabarete and Sosua) has for years steadily identified itself as a premier real estate value for retirees and vacation home buyers who want to spend a few months in the tropics out of the cold weather in their home countries.
Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia announced that the new cruise ship port would be open before the end of 2014, less than a three year window. Carnival Cruise lines plans a $65 million dollar (US) two-berth port facility in the Bay of Maimon just minutes west of Puerto Plata and only five minutes from the Ocean World tourist attraction that has become one of the best Dolphinarium facilities in the world. This area also has a modern boat marina as well as Las Vegas style hotel/show/restaurant.
Gloria Israel, Carnival's VP of Port Development said Dufry (duty free shops) would be a joint developer partner. Though financed entirely by the Carnival/Dufry group, port executives anticipate non-Carnival controlled ships utilizing the facility as well further increasing familiarity with this important Dominican residency/tourism market increasingly being sought out my North Americans looking to escape the grind.
Dredging of a cruise ship channel into the bay will precede construction and land purchases have recently been completed for the deal to proceed as planned.
Carnival Cruise Line is the world's largest cruise ship operator with ten cruise lines that own over 100 ships that visit over 169 ports world wide, an ever expanding universe of connections. The lines include Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn. Carnival and sister ship line Costa each dock at the La Romana port. Construction begins in 2012 and the first cruise ship arrival is scheduled for summer 2014.
Carnival will build and operate the cruise terminal and is expected to have complete control over the ship scheduling, passengers and arrival area. Parking and facilities for the taxis and tour buses will be provided under the terms and procedures set forth by Carnival to maintain an efficient cruise ship port operation. This development is expected to be a significant financial boost for the Puerto Plata region with the construction itself generating numerous jobs that later will be supplanted by new jobs generated to service the ships and visiting passengers.
The port will be prepared to receive two ships with around 2,000 passengers and 500 crew members each at the same time.
Re/Max Coral Bay currently sees a window of opportunity for securing high value low cost properties before natural market forces drive prices higher. Now is the time to look at properties to suit a variety of retirement, second home, and rental investment need and this opportune timing is made even more appealing by the recent expansion of the best gated new villa complex on the north coast, only 15 minutes east of the Puerto Plata airport and located between the two charming towns of Cabarete and Sosua.
For a "Catalogue of Homes" or a copy of "The DR Welcome Guide" contact Arthur or Sally. We will be happy to schedule an appointment for you to find your piece of paradise while it is still so amazingly affordable. Contact us today.


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INVESTOR ACTION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Encourages Investors in Paycom Software, Inc. with Losses to Contact the Firm
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 7, 2023 /The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Paycom Software, Inc. ("Paycom" or "the Company") (NYSE:PAYC) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investors who purchased the Company 's securities between May 3, 2023 and November 1, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the firm before January 9, 2024.
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm 's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at email@example.com.
The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.
According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Paycom 's Beti product cannibalized the sales of its other products and services. The Company knew about the cannibalization of its sales, but failed to warn investors of this or even warn of the risk of cannibalization in general. Because of this problem, the Company would miss its expected third quarter revenues, and revise down its 2023 full year expected revenues. It also negatively impacted expected 2024 year-over-year sales growth. Based on this news, the Company 's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Paycom, investors suffered damages.
Join the case to recover your losses.
The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.
The Schall Law Firm
Brian Schall, Esq.,
Office: 310-301-3335
SOURCE:The Schall Law Firm
View source version on accesswire.com:
© 2023 Accesswire. All Rights Reserved.


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"Obamacare" Survives - Including Path to Generic Biologicals
Biotech patent attorneys rejoice – no matter if you represent generic companies or NDA holders, the 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court upholding the "individual mandate" – not under the commerce clause, but as an appropriate use of Congress' power to tax – means that all the CLE charges you incurred to attend seminars on the future of generic biologics was not wasted. (A copy of the decision and dissents is available at the end of this post.) If the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" had been voided in its entirety, the path to generic biologics that was included in the Act in some detail would have vanished (Title IV, subtitle A). I summarized the features of the Act in my post of March 26, 2010 and posted an alert on March 29, 2012.
I am not versed enough in regulatory law to opine on how, or if, the FDA would have continued to promulgate regulations and hold hearings on this touchy subject, but given that bureaucracies seldom opt for more work without direction from Congress, my guess is that the current process would have simply gone into limbo. I welcome your opinions on the way forward, but amidst the furious debate about whether the Act would waste or save the taxpayers' dollars, it cannot be denied that generic versions of older biologicals would save patients a lot of money.
Back to All Resources


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Here is the Collect for Monday of the 2nd Week of Advent
Dirigatur, quaesumus, Domine,
in conspectu tuo nostrae petitionis oratio,
ut ad magnum incarnationis Unigeniti tui mysterium
nostrae vota servitutis illibata puritate perveniant.
This prayer is in Rotulus 13 which is published together with the ancient Veronese Sacramentary.
The dictionary we call Blaise/Dumas is helpful here. The verb dirigo in the passive is often used in Latin prayers as "bring onto a good path". It is a good Advent verb, for sure. It also has the connotation of rising straight upward. Conspectus, again from Blaise/Dumas, indictes the Lord's "sight" and therefore, His presence, with a meaning of "favorable regard". A votum can be a "prayer" but it signals also "praise", something due.
O Lord, we beseech You, may the prayer of our petition,
be brought into Your favorable regard,
so that the praises of our submissive service
may with unstained purity reach unto the great mystery of the incarnation of Your Only-Begotten.
O Lord, we earnestly entreat
You to receive our prayerful petitions
so that the praises we raise in our service,
may reach even unto the great mystery who is the Your Only Son, God incarnate.
Let the prayer of our petition, we pray, O Lord,
be brought before you,
that our committed service not fail
until it comes with unblemished purity
to the great mystery of your Only-begotten Son's
There are a lot of directions we can go wtih this prayer, since each word is packed and the Latin is very "styled". The Latin is super hierarchical.
Everything having to do with God is "upward".
It is "courtly", as well, and sounds like the way we would come up and into the presence of a king.
Being in His "sight" means being in near enough to be "regarded".
References are indirect: We speak of the vota servitutis… things owed, or praises, due because of our state of being servants.
We want our prayers to be heard, but we don't just say we "praise Christ". We want our pure praises to reach the "mystery of the incarnation".
Also, we start with petition, to make sure that God is seeing to it that what we offer is good enough. Then we move into praise, after purity has been established. So, this whole thing smacks of our hope to enter into the Beatific Vision, together with the realization that we must be pure to do so and only God can complete our purity.
Interesting prayer.
Perhaps some of you will take a stab at it as well.


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"Richard Garriott's Haunted Geocache" Geocaching.com's Lost & Found Video
Geocaching pioneer and video game designer Richard Garriott, aka Lord British, pushes the envelope again with the creation of the Mystery Cache Necropolis of Britannia Manor III (GC2B034).
The journey leads geocachers through what Lord British describes as eight chapters on "The Guardian's Quest."
The first seven chapters are waypoints or benchmarks. The chapters are a twisted maze of cryptic clues and mind-bending puzzles. Solving each chapter provides a clues to find and unlock the geocache at the end of the final chapter.
The treasure hunters that reach the final chapter will find a geocache with all too realistic professional movie props and haunted house techniques. It took months to plan and build.
Garriott holds the record for the highest and lowest geocaches in existence. Garriott rode aboard a Russian rocket to place a geocache aboard the International Space Station (GC1BE91) in 2008. He also placed a geocache, Rainbow Hydrothermal Vents (GCG822), 2300 meters below the surface of the ocean far off the coast of Portugal in 2002. You can view a Lost & Found video about Lord British's highest and lowest geocaches.
Lost & Found videos explore the fascinating adventure geocaching. View more than a dozen stories, including one about an Army Sgt. who credits geocaching with helping keep him safe.


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Are you looking for a synthetic grass that is beautiful and realistic look that your neighbors won't be able to distinguish from real grass, but is durable and appropriate for heavy foot traffic from kids and pets at the same time? U Blade-80 is just what you're looking for.
With a pile height of 1 5/8" and Face Weight 80 oz.yd2, U Blade-80 is ideal for pet areas, playgrounds, landscape. The combination of Emerald Green and Olive Green colors with Brown and Green thatching looks natural and realistic.
U Blade-80 is the safest, most durable and beautiful alternative to the old playground surfaces. Often installed in public park's playgrounds, kindergartens and schools, it can help to reduce a risk of injuries, and to provide safe and beautifully looking environment for children to enjoy while ensuring low maintenance cost.


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Facebook Badge
147 Million Orphans Blog
how many hits?
spiritual warfare
Scripture speaks of the war that is going on in the heavenly realm. It wasn't until I entered the adoption world that I actually FELT warfare SIGNIFICANTLY. The past few weeks have been a battle each and every day. Gwen and I have been under attack more than ever. We have had our nose to the grindstone, dealing with all of the issues that have been affecting our children. I have had three children wheezing, taking breathing treatments every three hours, one with strep throat, one with a double ear infection, one with pain in his heel to where he can barely walk and pink eye. Gwen has one with a hurt growth plate in his hip, one with her eye ducts clogged (oozing yuck), doctors appointments for Joseph/trying to figure out exactly what his issues might be, a husband that was sick for several weeks, Maggie still healing from surgeries, and now one that is throwing up! yep! SATAN at his finest! When you are going through day to day LIFE, it's hard to take time to look on the outside and really SEE what is happening. Gwen and I were together at a 147 event last night and starting talking through what the past few weeks have held...it was so good to just call it as it is: SATAN.
With 147 Million Orphans we have 132 people fundraising. Tosha is in Uganda bringing Abigail home soon, and I am walking with 8-9 couples through the adoption process right now. He HATES this. I will NOT be defeated. I serve a MIGHTY God who will fight on my behalf and give me the strength to make it through each and every day:)
I grew up in a small town in Tennessee. Adoption is not at the forefront of peoples minds in this town. When Gwen and I started 147, one of my high school friends, Renee Click, started selling beads in this small town. It was such a blessing to watch her sell beads day after day. Her husband was NOT on board to adopt, so she was just doing "her part" in caring for the "least of these." She got so excited when a new shipment would arrive. After a few months, Gwen and I shook our heads, we just knew that she had sold a set of beads to EVERY person in the town...she had sold THOUSANDS...not hundreds...THOUSANDS of beads! Her husband works in Nashville, so he would drop by Gwen's and pick up the beads when she ran out. Little did we know that God was moving his heart and her children's hearts by her selling Ugandan magazine beads! Gwen and I prayed fervently that their hearts would be open to adoption (sorry Tony!) and slowly but surely, Tony opened his heart to the journey that God has set for them as a family. Renee has three children (Blaine, Connor, and Allie...PRECIOUS children who have been transformed and have such HEARTS for the orphan.) Tony surprised Renee at Christmas and told her that he was ready to do paperwork and go to China to bring home their little girl....How precious is she?!! Meet Emery....
Tosha made it to Uganda!!!
To follow my sweet friend, Tosha, on her journey to bring Abigail home....click here.
God is doing some BIG things in the adoption world right now....cannot wait to share:)
the Holy Spirit..
Wow....I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged. Getting everybody out the door and picked up from school each day has wreaked havoc on me!
I have such a mixture of emotions as I write today. I have been walking the adoption journey with several of my friends the past year and right at this moment….it is all coming to fruition!! Some of you might remember my 40th birthday present from Gwen…the funds to help Tosha bring Abigail home. Tosha is on a plane RIGHT NOW to Uganda!! She has never traveled internationally. She is an emotional MESS!! Thankfully, her sweet husband (mike) and her daughter (Kenzie) are with her. I will be posting throughout the next few weeks so that you can follow her story in Uganda via blog world…SO EXCITING!!!!
Another one of my closest friends is in the process of a domestic adoption. She and her husband have been on this journey for awhile now. They have had one disruption, and the journey has just been ROCKY. They received the call Thursday that their birth mom was having contractions 3 minutes apart and to jump on a plane! They made it in time, and their little angel is here and healthy. NOW, the hard part is that my friend is "rooming in" at the hospital with the birth mom, caring for this child, and giving the birth mom the emotional support that is needed. This is, without doubt, one of the hardest 48 hours that she has ever experienced. With domestic, family seems to always come out of nowhere and claim to want to help keep the baby. The birth mom (who has been alone the entire pregnancy and never feels love and support from her family) is so torn with what SHE wants and desires and KNOWS that she can't handle (a child) but longs for the approval of her mom….its just a nightmare. Moment by moment, you are falling in love with a baby, and the THOUGHT of that child going to a place where he/she will not be loved and cared for breaks your heart IN HALF. Yet, you sit and wait. You wait for time to pass, trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus to this woman who might do the most UNSELFISH act on earth…OR NOT because of pressure from family.
My heart is broken, anxious, excited, and angry. I am feeling all of the emotions that I know my sweet friend is living right now.
I have another friend that contacted one of the orphanages that Gwen and I visited in Uganda. She got matched with two little boys!! We were SO excited!! Then, they contacted her and said that one of the boys had a biological sister that they just learned about. She was at a crossroad. What does one do? She already had names, and two faces of two little boys that were hers. Does she leave one of the little boys behind so that the biological siblings can stay together? Tears, heartbreak, anxiousness, fear….all creep in. She and her husband have decided to bring all three home!! How fun/crazy/radical is that? They are going from 3 kids to 6 over night!! I love it!! Will it be hard…yes. Will it be exhausting…yes. Will she feel the presence of God more than ever…yes!!
There are four more families heading to China over the next year in our school. We have 134 families fundraising with 147 Million Orphan gear right now. The Holy Spirit is MOVING. He is doing things on behalf of the orphan more than EVER. It makes my heart WHOLE. It makes me want to stand on a mountain top and scream to HIM….THANK YOU!! THANK YOU for allowing me a GLIMPSE of the joy that you feel from all of this!
What I LOVE about all of these scenarios is that the HOLY SPIRIT is at work. As believers, we can pack our brains FULL of knowledge about Christ, scriptures, and biblical truths. We can stand on them, rely on them, and use them as confirmation to strengthen our spiritual walk….but if the HOLY SPIRIT is not there…we are MISSING IT!! We need to FEEL HIS presence to know that HE is walking alongside us as we travel to Uganda or China. We need to KNOW and FEEL him sitting right beside us in that hospital room, while we love on a birth mom who is broken from the inside out. We have to KNOW that all THREE of those children waiting at an orphanage in Uganda belong to us and we can't leave one behind. We have to feel the PRESENCE of our ALMIGHTY SAVIOR to have the peace in our hearts that only HE can give.
Without the HOLY SPIRIT we operate in our own strength and can only accomplish and live out human-size results. When believers walk through life guided by the HOLY SPIRIT, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. I am seeing it FIRST HAND…spirit guided adoption journeys and it is blessing me deep, deep in the depths of my soul. The HOLY SPIRIT is VITAl to live as a true believer today. When HE moves, NOTHING can stop him!! If He doesn't move, we will not produce fruit, no matter how much effort or money we spend.
In Acts 4:13, it says "now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." Let's live wrecklessly! Let's live so that when others view our lives they are blinded by the Holy Spirit.
WOOOHOOO!!! Come on!!! Let's do this thing!!!
The past few times that I have seen Gwen, we have giggled most of the time. We have had several meetings where we literally giggled our way through them. We decided at the end of our last meeting that we have reached our point of delirium. THEN, we laughed at the thought of our lives being so crazy that all we can do is laugh. DELIRIUM for SURE! I am so glad that we have learned to laugh instead of cry. WITHOUT doubt, it is joy straight from my sweet Savior.
My children have just had their first full week of school. I have spent the whole week just trying to catch up on everything that I set aside this summer while they were home. This week has brought two REALLY tired kindergarteners, a LOT of whining, 7 REALLY hungry children papers to sign, laundry to wash, homework to be done, soccer/football/piano/cheerleading practices to attend, and the list goes on.....
The conversations amongst my children just make me smile. The comparisons of how a teacher has changed from year to year, who is dating who, how much taller he/she is, who they played with on the playground. We have some MAJOR sibling rivalry that goes on in my house. We have learned to talk it out, and so far, it has seemed fairly healthy. It gives us the chance to talk about our differences and how God created each of us with different strengths/weaknesses. When I get frustrated, I try to stop and think about how boring it would be if we were all the same....B.O.R.I.N.G!!
I have noticed my children saying "i love you" to each other more than ever. My son, Michael, tells his youngest brothers/sister at least five times a day that he loves them. Tonight, when Michael was going to bed, Grace said " i love you Michael" Just this past week, I have heard MillerAnne and Annabelle tell the little ones several times " i love you!" It makes my heart happy. It makes me feel like all of my exhaustion isn't completely in vain. In the middle of all of the discipline, I feel as though that these three simple words are my affirmation that my children ARE getting it.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Each time I fix a "booboo", put lotion on Josie, help her get her clothes on, etc..she tells me EVERY TIME..."I love you mommy." Isn't it funny how she associates me caring for her without me saying a word that I love her? That is the way we were created. What if you NEVER heard those three little words? How empty would your heart feel? How much would you LONG to hear and feel the love from another?
Today I am thankful. SO thankful for those three words that Mike speaks to me each and EVERY night before we fall asleep. Thankful that God has filled my bedrooms upstairs with children. More than anything, I am thankful that love grows. If there are more people to share it, the more it grows. I am watching it spread all over my home and it does a mama's heart good:)
About Me
- suzanne
- I am a lover of Jesus. I have the most fabulous husband that anyone woman could ask for. The Lord has blessed us with 7 beautiful children. I started this blog so that friends and family could follow our trip to Uganda to visit Katie Davis. I have decided to keep blogging to help bring orphan awareness to the world around me.


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DALLAS — May 19, 2010 — Heavy alcohol use and binge drinking could increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in men, research from UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests.
In a study available online in Cancer Causes and Control, researchers found that the more alcohol a man consumed, the higher his risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those who drank little or no alcohol.
"If this relationship continues to be confirmed, reducing heavy and binge drinking may be more important than we already know," said Dr. Samir Gupta, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and lead author of the study, which was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.
Researchers found that men who consumed alcohol increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by 1.5 to 6 times compared with those who didn't consume alcohol or who had less than one drink per month. The increased risk depended on the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption. Researchers found that the risk was greater no matter when in the past heavy drinking occurred.
They also found that men who engaged in binge drinking had a 3.5 times greater likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer. Their risk also was greater regardless of when the binge episodes occurred.
Researchers defined one drink as a can, bottle or 12 ounces of beer; a 4-ounce glass of wine; or one shot of liquor. Each of these servings contains about 14 grams of alcohol. The heaviest drinkers consumed 21 to 35 drinks per week. Binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more drinks during one drinking episode.
Researchers did not find the association among women, possibly due to the lower proportion of women who reported heavy or binge drinking, said Dr. Gupta, who also is affiliated with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern.
"Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, so any risk factor that can be identified and addressed may save lives," Dr. Gupta said. "Our research found that large and frequent amounts of alcohol consumption may be risk factors for pancreatic cancer."
Previous studies inconsistently have linked alcohol and pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Gupta said his study is different, however, because the researchers collected more detailed information on alcohol consumption and binge drinking than other studies and because the researchers were able to analyze the data for multiple factors that previously hadn't been considered in great detail.
In the current study, researchers used structured questionnaires to interview pancreatic cancer patients in the San Francisco area diagnosed between 1995 and 1999 and compared those results with those of control participants matched by sex, age and county of residence.
The 532 cancer patients ranged in age from 21 to 85, with the majority between 60 and 80 years of age. Fifty-five percent of study participants were men; 83 percent of them were Caucasian; and most of them were of normal weight with some college education. The 1,701 control participants were of similar demographics.
Dr. Gupta said more research is needed to understand the differences in pancreatic cancer risk between men and women and to understand why heavy alcohol use and binge drinking may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in men.
The next step, Dr. Gupta said, will be to see if other studies with detailed information on alcohol consumption and binge drinking have similar results.
Cancer of the pancreas, an organ important for digestion and production of hormones, has the lowest overall five-year survival rate of all specific cancers. Early signs of pancreatic cancer are difficult to diagnose, partly because the organ is located deep in the upper abdomen. Mortality rates have changed little in the past three decades, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Elizabeth Holly, who was the principal investigator, and Drs. Paige Bracci and Furong Wang also were involved in the UCSF study.
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and partially by the Rombauer Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.
Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/cancercenter to learn more about UT Southwestern's clinical services in cancer.
This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via e-mail,
subscribe at www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews


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Let's have some Pie first:
You can certainly see what I worked on most during November! Dragon of the Winter Moon by Dragon Dreams started off looking like this:
And ended up looking like this, not just a heap of snow after all!
stitched on 32 count Moondust evenweave from Crafty Kitten
I also spent quite a lot of time on the Brooke's Books Alphabet because I stitched 2 days on P at the beginning of the month and 4 days on Q at the end, usually it's only one letter per month.
I finished Q yesterday so I thought I would get a head start on the Hallowe'en stitching today instead of waiting until Friday. Here's what I stitched:
stitched on 32 count Lime Green Murano
At least one person will recognise the design!
Here's where I am with The Workbasket's Fox Forest:
stitched on 32 count Light Khaki Linen
Apparently there are other Forests in the series - Deer, Rabbits and Owls. Not sure if there are any more than that.
Finally, I would usually detail my spending for the month here. But not this month because I spent a grand total of Nurthin! Absolutely Zero, No Pounds and No Pence. Even my mag sub isn't due until December! See you all tomorrow for the Advent Calendar Blog Hop.


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Wednesday 2 December 2009
Foxy Locks Extensions
I am so proud to be apart of this fabulous brand! All the items sold on Foxy Locks are made to my specifications and to the highest standard. You won't be able to find hair extensions like Foxy Locks anywhere else. Foxy Locks are one of the best quality and thickest on the market. I am so excited for things to come and new items to be released. Foxy Locks have been around since 2009 & are one of the first big brand clip in hair extensions - buy from the best! :)
I wear the Deluxe 165g set in colour 'Sandy Blonde Highlights'.
If you ever want to know anything about Foxy Locks just email through the website.
37 comments:
hi im so excited about these extensions!!my hair is like a pretty dark brown and usually a no2 in the extensions i have at the min but not 2 sure wat colour 2 order from u do u think i should go 4 off black or dark brown? when are they back in stock, ordering soon as oh and wat thickness, cos i have quite thick hair as it is xxx Evelyn ireland. love the vids on you tube! great tips x
ReplyDelete- Anonymous15 March 2010 at 19:44
i would like to buy number 6,12,13 on ur blog sale.
Name megan
USA Hey imogen :) im subscribed to your youtube channel, and I am actually a beauty guru on youtube myself. I must admit ive adored these extensions ever since i first saw your channel. I've read reviews on the foxylocks extensions and im very interested in purchasing. Although, every time i go to purchase them they seem to be out of stock :(.
I was wondering if you have ever thought of doing promotions with other gurus on youtube in order to get the word out more about your company? If you're interested at all message me on my youtube account (cosmeticscharlotte72 ) and if not, no worries - i hope theyre in stock soon! :) x- Anonymous31 March 2010 at 16:55
Im so in love with these extensions but everytime i check they are out of stock
im upset about these
i really want to buy dem =( Hi, Imogen!
First of all I have to say that you are very beautiful and must be very talented to do all this!
Second, I've watched sooo many reviews of Foxy Locks Extensions and my fingers are itching because I want to order straight away BUT I have to ask you one thing and hope that you might see my comment...
My hair is about two different shades of blonde and I'm not used to order extensions over internet because I feel that I don't really know if it's going to be the right color. Do you have any shops or tip of what I can do to see what color really would match mine?
Ps I live in the UK.
Love Lijah
you can answer on my blog http://unicornerymusic.devote.seHi, my name is Julia, I live in Brazil. First of all I want to apologize for my english.. :)
Ok, I realy love love love your colour hair!! Could you tell me more about it. I have a darker blond hair and I want to become a bombshell as you! congratulations for your blog!
I love your tips!!
XOXOI love these extensions, they look great on you. Omg my hair has gotten so long that it looks like your hair with the extensions
Hair ExtensionsHi Imogen,a question from a big fan:
I ordered a set of hair extensions from you two days ago, I was wondering if they have been sent already...the reason i wonder is that i would love to order the fringe/bangs (and eyelashes) as well..and i wonder if it is possible to order them but that they could be sent in the same package so i don't have to pay the shipping cost twice ( i live in Sweden). Is it possible? ...thank you...
DelaramWell, I can honestly say I have turned into an extension addict! :) I just ordered my first set of Foxylocks and I am so excited!! I have so far made my own with the purchases from Sally's beauty supply. I have a shoe box full of different sets. My daughters love them as well and now love watching your youtube videos. "You're prettier than Barbie" is what they say! Lol.
All your ideas and tips are wonderful. I hope to see more videos soon! <3I can honestly say I am an extension addict! Lol. I have recently ordered my first set of Foxylocks after many weeks of research and comparison. I usually make my own from Sally Beauty Supply. I am excited to get my first set of Foxylocks!
I love all your videos (and my girls too!) My daughters love watching you and say "You are prettier than Barbie, and you know how to do hair!!"
Keep up with the great vid's and the blogging!!


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Personalised Sterling Silver Baby Elephant Necklace
Adorable and very special solid sterling silver baby elephant necklace personalised with an optional charm to create the perfect bespoke gift.
More Detail
This pretty but substantial sterling silver baby elephant necklace is a fun and timeless piece of jewellery and makes the perfect gift for all occasions.
Made from solid sterling silver
It is perfectly proportioned and useful as a gift to cover a variety of ages.
Add personalisation with a discreet tag to the back of the necklace. It's a great way to add a personal touch to a very sweet necklace!
Please keep your jewellery clean with a silver polishing cloth occasionally, this will keep it looking at it's best.
FREE GIFT BOX – All our jewellery comes beautifully packaged in a free Hurleyburley gift box tied with a silk ribbon and we can add a gift card for your special message.
FREE STANDARD DELIVERY – Our standard postage is by Royal Mail 1st class post which has delivery guidelines of 1-2 working days but is not guaranteed to arrive within this timeframe.
Available for Next Day Delivery if ordered before 3pm Mon – Fri
made from:
Chain is hallmarked sterling silver
Elephant is hallmarked sterling silver
Weight: Approx. 4.10gm
Height: 18.30mm
Width: 12.90mm
Chain is available in 35, 41, 46 , 76, 90cm
product code:


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Introducing an exquisite home decor piece from Renwil, designed to enhance your living space with timeless elegance and style. Available in a stunning Gray/Black/Natural hue, this Turtle Bay Wall Sconces is a true masterpiece that effortlessly blends with any interior decor theme. You have a range of colors to choose from, allowing you to personalize your decor according to your preferences. With dimensions of OAH 8"H x 6"W x 7"D, it is designed to fit perfectly into your desired space, whether it's a living room, bedroom, or any other area in your home. The high-quality Steel, Rubber Wood used in the construction adds both visual and tactile appeal, contributing to its overall allure.
Brand | Renwil |
Color | Gray/Black/Natural |
Dimension | OAH 8"H x 6"W x 7"D |
Material | Steel, Rubber Wood |
Finish | Textured Black Powder Coated |
Features | Hardwired |
Watts | Max. 40W |
Socket | E26 |
Quality Craftsmanship:
The brand understands that the beauty of a home lies in the details. The Renwil's skilled artisans and designers meticulously handcraft each product, ensuring it meets the highest standards of quality, durability, and aesthetic appeal.
Inspired Designs:
At Renwil, manufacturers are constantly inspired by the world around us. From the vibrant hues of nature to the architectural marvels of global destinations, these designs reflect diverse influences.
Renwil recognizes the importance of protecting our planet for future generations. As a responsible home decor company, it is committed to sustainable practices at every stage of its manufacturing process.
Renwil's visionary team of designers, artisans, and curators work tirelessly to curate a diverse collection that seamlessly merges form and function. Their dedication to quality is evident in every meticulously crafted piece, where attention to detail takes precedence. Whether it's an eye-catching statement mirror, an intricately woven rug, or a captivating wall art piece, each item exudes a distinct personality that enhances the overall ambiance of any space. Embracing eco-friendly practices, they also source materials responsibly, reducing their environmental impact while maintaining their commitment to excellence. By combining all the key factors, Renwil ensures that its offerings resonate with customers from all walks of life.


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This article is a joint publication of NACLA and edmorales.net.
The mass media of news and entertainment is ideally a reflecting pool where society can revel in its own image, but Latinos in the United States have to look long and hard to see themselves, and when they do, it's a distorted picture. The lack of consistent and accurate portrayals of Latinos and their lives on network news, television shows and Hollywood films has been examined many times in the last 20 years, but the release of "The Latino Gap," a new study by Columbia University's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, should prove to be a landmark occasion.
While most studies like this present statistical analysis of the paucity of Latinos as the subjects of news stories, in front of and behind the cameras, "The Latino Gap" also includes important critiques of the diversity-building efforts by networks, studios, and media conglomerates, stresses the importance of social-media driven advocacy efforts to block negative representations of Latinos, and makes specific recommendations to address several problems.
Armed with the usual array of Latino boom statistics, the report makes the case that, despite the fact the Latinos are a continually growing demographic presence, mainstream media does a surprisingly poor job in representing us, and is at the very least sluggish in addressing the issue. While there are political realities tied to the presence of Latinos in the media, in front or behind the cameras, doing the reporting or assigning the stories, it's almost shocking that an economic system based on accumulation of mass profit would be so inept in reaching a rapidly expanding consumer pool. This resistance, according to the report, seems to be significantly driven by both corporate cluelessness and anxiety over racial and cultural difference.
Among the findings are the continued disproportionate presence of Latino presence in entertainment on and off camera; changes in acting personnel moving away from leading men and towards women; an analysis of stereotypes and their harmful effects, the sorry state of news reporting about Latino issues; the interactive effects of Latino content and viewership; the power of consumer pressure on networks; and they way Latinos are surging in internet usage as content providers and consumers, in some ways driving the information age. The focus on the last two areas imbues the report with a sense of optimism that turns a cogent exercise of statistical analysis into a kind of uplifting manifesto for future advocacy.
This week I interviewed Frances Negrón Muntaner (director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, where I am a faculty member), who authored the report with the help of Chelsea Abbas, Luis Figueroa, and Samuel Robson. What follows is our exchange, which I hope can shed even greater light on the many issues she and her co-authors raise in this ambitiously thorough and thought-provoking report. (The complete version can be accessed here.)
Ed Morales: It was impressive that you included suggestions on how to combat the myriad problems you lay out. How much movement have you seen in recent years to seriously deal with these issues?
Frances Negrón Muntaner: Many people, inside and outside of the media industries, are trying to move the needle every day. They meet with decision-makers, organize campaigns, develop professionals, comment on existing media online and in print, pitch new projects, and conduct research. Overall, there is more awareness, level of organization, and insistence on the matter now than in prior decades. But there are some challenges. One is that media marginalization is not only a Latino issue yet coalition building is difficult for a number of reasons, including that the gains of one group are often seen as a threat to another. Two is that there are more media choices today and this means that people can be living in very different media realities yet continue to be affected by what they literally don't see. So, the present moment has great potential but there is a need to create more effective mechanisms for people to connect the dots and work together.
EM: Your findings seem to indicate that news media representations of Latinos may actually drive, or greatly affect movie and TV representations of us. Would substantial change in the way the news media covers Latinos affect Hollywood portrayals?
FNM: If I had to pick three advocacy priorities, news would be one of them. This is the case for various reasons. Although entertainment shapes much of how and what people feel about the world, news still serves as a benchmark for what most consider "real" and objective. It has a certain authority. That in news Latino inclusion is extremely low and stereotypes remarkably prevalent, and that both frames (news and entertainment) largely reaffirm each other, then has important consequences. For instance, when viewers see a white criminal in a movie or show (and they see plenty), it's generally perceived as a character, not a reflection of whites as a group. But when audiences see Latinos as criminals, the characters are a confirmation of an intrinsic quality of the group as a whole whether they appear in a movie or in the news. In this regard, my sense is that until we have various different frameworks to think about who Latinos are, change across all mainstream media will continue to be slow.
EM: Do you find that stereotypes not only damage Latinos standing in society but also have the effect of reinforcing those roles in communities? Such as, even if a young Latino dodges a life of crime usually prompted by socioeconomic circumstances, they make disproportionate choices to pursue careers in law enforcement, rather than choosing a career in medicine, or being a creative type or academic?
FNM: Stereotypes affect everyone. A subordinated group becomes culturally visible and recognizable to itself and others through a specific repertoire of stereotypes. As cultural theorist Stuart Hall argued, identities are not made outside of representation but through it. So, stereotypes make the group distinct; they are both an idiom through which the group is perceived and a way through which the stereotyped seeks to understand his or her place in society. In other words, stereotypes contain and channel our imagination and it takes an effort to see otherwise. This is why new and unexpected narratives are so important. They start us in a new direction by suggesting that there are more worlds of possibility available.
EM: Do you think it's significant, in terms of how Latinos are represented through gender, that the Latin Lover has vanished and more women are prominent in film and television?
FNM: I do. I am currently writing an essay about the rise of Latina actresses as Hollywood producers and I have two working hypotheses. One is that a number of Latina actresses, particularly in the last decade, began to take action regarding how limited their possibilities were under the current system by using their star currency to gain access to behind-the-camera power. The contradiction here is that these actresses mostly produced their capital by playing stereotypical beauties and still need that capital to have public influence. The classic here may be the much-repeated assertion that "it took a beautiful woman (Salma Hayek) to make Ugly Betty." The second hypothesis is that once Latinos exceeded 10% of the population, Latino men no longer appeared as harmlessly alluring or exotic but real competition to dominant masculinity. The result is that Latino men play supporting roles, characters that don't compete for resources with the protagonist; or perform roles as disposable threats that are eliminated in part to prove the superiority of the (generally) white protagonist. Because, ultimately, who wants to compete with the sexiest men alive? Better to just get rid of that idea.
EM: Does Latino participation in alternative media such as video-posting, blogs, Twitter, and Instagram represent something that would logically occur in most groups under-represented in the mainstream media? Do niche medias like that go a long way in representing a more accurate portrayal of Latinos and possibly preferable to mainstream media representation?
FNM: There is still work to be done in order to conclude whether going online is a clear trend for all underrepresented groups, but it is a good hypothesis. A well-researched example is that of Asian Americans. Similar to Latinos, Asian Americans are severely underrepresented in mainstream media outside of certain action genres. Yet, they are proportionally very active on the Internet as content creators and talent. So, we can definitely say that some groups that are ignored or marginalized by mainstream media and have become avid digital technology adopters, are using these tools to create different mediascapes. A great value of this media is that it allows us to represent ourselves how we think we are, imagine or aspire to be; rather than as we are supposed to be.
EM: Do Latinos who do not emphasize their identity have any impact for Latinos in the United States? I'm referring to the comedian Louis C.K., or various "Latino stars you didn't know were Latinos" in TV like Frankie Muñiz? Is it significant that the Afro-Latino actors mentioned rarely if ever play Latino roles?
FNM: I think Latino performers who do not emphasize Latino identity or highlight only parts of their identity do have an impact as well. Viewers often know that these actors are Latinos. This could lead some to assume that this is one way to go, and it has a long tradition in entertainment. Many of the Latino stars that people celebrate today hid their Latino identities. Still, it can also stimulate others to question why is this the case, raising broader questions about power. In addition, and yet another way to think about this question, is that freedom is the power to be and not to be. Everyone should have the freedom to imagine themselves in different ways. In this sense, to me the problem is not so much that, say, Afro-Latino actors are not always playing Afro-Latino roles. But that there are so few opportunities to play Afro-Latino characters and tell Afro-Latino stories because these possibilities are not valued by media decision-makers.
EM: Along those lines, how do we measure the quality rather than the quantity of representation? For instance, two '70s shows you mention, Chico and the Man and Fantasy Island had wildly different meanings for Latinos. The former was a breakthrough for a Puerto Rican star comedian (Freddie Prinze) and the latter was a non-Latino-specific role played by Ricardo Montalbán, a leftover from the Good Neighbor Policy films, a faded "Latin Lover."
FNM: It's a challenge. One thing that I am interested in doing is to create a complex map where we link and analyze how the media landscape looks and changes in relation to broader economic, social, and cultural contexts. For instance, what is the impact and long term influence of a character or show? Two, how do different audiences position themselves in relation to specific characters and stories? For instance, some people argue that (I Love Lucy's) Ricky Ricardo and (Modern Family's) Gloria Delgado are basically the same character. But if they are performing in different contexts, and we know that repetition changes cultural meanings, how do we grasp the difference? Another challenge is that viewers literally don't see the same things. Freddie Prinze is a good example. As we note it in the advocacy section, one of the campaigns in the 70s was to "end the Latino subservient stereotype in Chico and the Man." So, while some saw the show as a breakthrough, others saw it as more of the same.
EM: Should U.S.-Latino activists call on privileged Latin American and Spanish stars to lend solidarity to efforts to increase Latino representation in mainstream film and television? How much responsibility should they have in this effort?
FNM: Successful movements and campaigns require the support of many at all levels of the power and prestige structure. In this way, I do think there is room for more dialogue and collaboration among U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans in the media industry. Among other things, working together may contribute to disrupting the perception that U.S. Latinos are inherently less talented or not working hard enough. I have heard young U.S.-Latino actors say that the proof that Latinos are to blame for their limited access is that Mexicans and other Latin Americans do so well in Hollywood. The latter are seen as inherently more sophisticated and universal rather than differently, and at times more advantageously, positioned in the global cultural economy.
EM: Does diversity really pay off if it involves the reinforcement of stereotypes, as referred to in the Devious Maids example said to increase Latino viewership of the Lifetime Channel?
FNM: This is another instance of why evaluating quality is complex. Devious Maids has a fairly high rate of Latino, mostly Latina, viewership. And while we could say that the actresses are playing a stereotype, the maids here are the protagonists and they are often the most compelling characters. One could then argue that the show is using a stereotype and challenging it at the same time, although the jury may still be out on its effects. The other major question is whether it is more politically productive to see stereotypes than to see nothing at all. Most media scholarship would suggest that the stereotype, despite its potential toxicity and limitations, allows for other possibilities to emerge through parody, disruption, and inversion. Also, by visualizing what may be hard to articulate, the recognition of stereotypes may allow people to challenge and organize against dominant structures and ways of seeing. On the ground, those Latino actors and creative talent involved in shows that one may view as stereotypical may similarly use the experience to open up new opportunities. In sum, it's complicated.
EM: The report's critique of diversity efforts in Hollywood as ineffective is really strong. It seems to be reflective of a major problem at all levels of professional work, but particularly in creative fields. The Girls controversy was a glaring example of how the mindset of prominent media creators is often out of touch. Should Latinos, who consume so much media, begin boycotting mainstream media through the social media activism you describe not just over extreme stereotypes like the Lou Dobbs show, but for systematic change?
FNM: Media users and consumers, including Latinos, have a lot more power than they think. If consumers leveraged more of that power on a daily basis by weighing more forcefully on what is available, we could collectively have more influence regarding what we see and how we see it. If users produce more of their own media, effectively blurring the distinction between consumer (assumed to be passive) and producer (assumed to be active), and actualize what is not present in the so-called mainstream, we can also contribute to a narrative shift and the creation of new paradigms of production and distribution. In this regard, it seems to me that challenging the media today requires multiple practices: daily refusals, creativity, campaigns against toxic movies and shows, and long term organizing to democratize media structures. The importance of this engagement is also not short-term. We are in a moment of great media change and there is no reason to believe that the promise of an open Internet will be resolved in the user's favor. This outcome will heavily depend on how engaged and organized people are around questions of access, technological development, and ownership, among others. In my view, it's definitely a good moment to call for "action!"
Ed Morales is a freelance journalist and author of Living in Spanglish (St. Martin's Press). He teaches at Columbia University's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. All graphics by Stephen Chou.


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Dan's Review: "Secret In Their Eyes" okay, unless you've seen it before
Nov 19, 2015 05:54PM ● By Dan MetcalfJulia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Secret in Their Eyes - © 2015 STX Productions
Secret In Their Eyes (STX Entertainment)
Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving disturbing violent content, language and some sexual references.
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Dean Norris, Michael Kelly, Lyndon Smith, Joe Cole, Zoe Graham, Donald Patrick, Mark Famiglietti, Ross Partridge.
Written by Billy Ray, based on El Secreto de Sus Ojos by Juan José Campanella & Eduardo Sacheri, based on the novel La Pregunta de Sus Ojos by Eduardo Sacheri.
Directed by Billy Ray.
Hollywood's desolate landscape that used to produce fresh content has never been more apparent. Remakes, sequels, prequels and repetitive, formulaic Pablum are the norm these days. Another tried-and-true trick to fill production rosters is the practice of stealing really successful/acclaimed movies from foreign countries and remaking them "Americanized" (or English-speaking) style. Sometimes this works, i.e. La Cage Aux Folles/The Bird Cage, Girl With The Dragon Tatoo, etc. Sometimes it doesn't. It's also difficult to enjoy a movie if you've already seen the same story with English subtitles. Secret In Their Eyes is based on El Secreto de sus Ojos, the 2010 Oscar foreign language winner from Agrentina. Having seen (and loved) the original, I'm admittedly already biased toward the new version.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Ray, a retired FBI agent making a visit to his old office in Los Angeles. The purpose of his visit is to convince district attorney Claire (Nicole Kidman), an unrequited flame of his to reopen a case involving the rape and murder of a girl 13 years earlier. The victim also happened to be the daughter of his co-worker Jess (Julia Roberts), who remained understandably scarred from the trauma. The story is told through flashbacks to 2002. As Ray works to find the man he knows committed the crime, he runs into all kinds of legal and bureaucratic obstacles, leading up to present day.
No spoilers, but Ray eventually discovers there's a terrible secret involving the murder suspect, requiring him to decide what real justice is.
Secret In Their Eyes is a reasonable crime drama and thriller with a twist ending – unless you've seen the original. The performances are more than adequate, especially from Julia Roberts, who successfully portrays a side of grief no one should ever have to endure. Kidman and Ejiofor are serviceable in their roles, but lack chemistry as they play lovers that never were.
While it's impossible to avoid comparisons between the Argentine and Hollywood versions, the one glaring deficiency of the American copy is the lack of a controversial political backdrop that played such a prevalent role in the original. The switching and combination of roles also left the characters much less sympathetic than the Argentine film.
Even so, Secret In Their Eyes is a fine drama for the uninitiated, so if you haven't seen the original, you might enjoy it.
Secret In Their Eyes Trailer