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Choosing Our Products
Choosing Equipment – Reel Buyer's Guide
Types of fishing reels
The name 'spin reel' refers to what might otherwise be known as a threadline, eggbeater or coffee-grinder reel. An 'overhead reel' refers to a collective including several types of reels that might otherwise be known as a conventional, game, trolling, barrel, baitcaster and low-profile reels.
Strength, maximum drag capacity and line capacity were once the determining factors that made overhead reels the choice of 'serious' anglers, simply because early spin reel designs couldn't match the overhead designs. Modern spin reels can now equal—and in some cases exceed—the capabilities of overhead reels. This makes the choice of which reel is better for you less clear, so we'll take a look at the options relative to the intended purpose:
Reels for bait fishing
Either a spin or overhead reel is fine for everyday bait fishing, where you're casting your baits from shore or a boat, so let your personal preference decide.
If you're new to fishing then it's best to start with a spin reel because they are simple to use and will do everything you need. As you develop more specific fishing styles that might benefit from an overhead reel, then you can add to your tackle then.
Reels for trolling
Overhead reels are the best choice for trolling, whether you're targeting marlin offshore with game reels or seeking barra or cod in rivers using baitcaster reels. This is simply because the shapes and designs better suit being left in rod holders; they're more suited to reacting to unexpected strikes; they facilitate easier line length adjustments; they have a free-spool function; your fingers are safer when engaging the reel after a strike; and in the case of offshore fishing, have superior line holding capacity and are better suited to be used with a gimbal belt.
Reels for casting
There are good casting reel options in both spin and overhead reels. Spin reels are easier to cast with. However, casting with an overhead reel can be mastered; it just takes a bit more practice at the start. Personal preference will decide which is best for most of your applications but there are some other considerations.
Spin reels are better at casting lighter weights because the line moves off the spool more freely when the bail is open; whereas the line on an overhead must revolve the spool as it is cast out, which requires more momentum and that can be difficult when using a lightweight lure or sinker. This is one reason why spin reels are more often preferred for light and ultra light lure casting; another is that a small spin reel usually weighs less than a small baitcaster, for example.
The spin reel's 'freer line' advantage diminishes as the lure or sinker weights increase because with more weight comes more momentum, regardless of which reel type is used. This is when the decision is less critical.
Baitcaster are a popular overhead reel option for lure casting in rivers, estuaries, lakes and inshore. They allow extra precision via direct contact between the thumb and spool, allowing an angler to place a lure or bait exactly where they want. It should be noted that modern anglers who prefer small spin reels are achieving similar precision by using their index finger for the same contact on the spin reel's spool. However, the effectiveness of the latter option is limited to small spin reels and is also determined by the size of the angler's hand relative to the reel size.
The thumb contact made possible by baitcaster reels also allows an angler to apply extra drag, for emergencies such as stopping big fish powering towards a snag. This extra 'feel' and control is a massive advantage in many situations.
Casting situations where big line capacities are needed—such as when land-based fishing from beaches and rocks targeting large pelagic species—are often dominated by overhead reels. These land-based specialists learn to control big overhead reels and can cast impressive distances with these reels.
Reels for bottom fishing and jigging
Overhead reels are a better option for boat fishing scenarios such as when you're dropping baits or heavy lures to the bottom and fishing vertically. The immediate line contact and spool control are advantageous when your lure or bait hooks a fish on the drop. Line capacities are usually ample for fishing deep water. More robust parts and fewer small parts are better for longevity in a harsh saltwater environment and bigger gears designed for more torque tend to last longer as well. The line running over the top of the rod is also useful during fights with big fish because it reduces the chance of the line accidentally coming in to contact with the gunwales when a fish has you bending over the side in a rough sea, which could cost you a fish in a moment of distraction.
All that said, strong modern spin reels now hold their own offshore. Some offshore anglers prefer this style due to the extra lure speed they can generate when needed, and because a big spin reel offers more versatility should the angler encounter a scenario where a long cast could secure a bonus fish spotted feeding on the surface.
Line capacity
Spin reels dominate reel sales for fishing styles where line capacity is less important. Small fish such as bream, flathead, whiting, bass and golden perch should never require anything more than what a small spin reel can hold. Small fish rarely have the size or stamina to spool even the smallest 1000 size spin reel if a sensible drag pressure is used If targeting medium demersal fish—for example snapper or coral trout—then you must consider the depth of water you're likely to be fishing and/or how far you must cast. This will give you an estimate of how much line you will have out before any fish grabs your bait or lure. Then, you probably only need 50-100m more than that to cover the fish fight because if such a fish takes that much line from you, it will probably have already run you into a reef or kelp bed!
If targeting fast inshore pelagic fish—for example tuna, mackerel, queenfish, kingfish or trevally—then you might need 100m to 200m of reserve line to accommodate a smoking-hot run from an unexpectedly big fish. Big spin reels will accommodate enough line for those casting metal lures, poppers or soft plastics, but for those trolling, an overhead reel is better.
Drag capability
Anglers now pay less attention to the ball bearing count within a reel, shifting focus to the maximum drag capacity. A good working drag is important and the best drag set-up for you will again depend on what style of fishing you plan on doing.
A heavy maximum drag is not important for small fish such as your average bream and flathead. The most useful attribute of a drag in light tackle fishing is actually the drag's ability to increase and decrease across a broad range in subtle increments. This allows the minute accurate drag adjustments which are vital when fishing with light line. Accurate drag adjustment is also a very useful feature for heavy tackle fishing.
Anglers targeting big fish living near line-shredding structure need heavy drag settings to have a chance of landing such fish before it's too late. But keep in mind, only fit anglers will actually be able to maintain a long fight under a heavy drag setting of more than 10kg or so. It's hard work, but if you're game and crank the drag up to 15kg or even 20kg, you'd best hope it's a short fight, a very strong reel and that you are well balanced when the fish strikes!One advantage of a high maximum drag capability is that when your reel is operating at a more 'normal' drag setting, say 3-5kg, it's working less relative to its capacity, so in theory it should cope better and require less-regular servicing.
Remember: A maximum drag setting is only as good as the reel parts and tackle around it. Shafts, gears, bearings, anti-reverse mechanisms, reel seats, reel bodies, line, knots, hooks, split rings and rods are all placed under the same intense pressure, so examine your entire set-up before cranking the drag knob to maximum.
It's worth noting that a majority of reel manufacturers apply the minimum of drag grease when shipping reels across to Australia, to avoid any lubricant weeping while in transit and storage prior to sale. Be mindful of this and if you choose a reel that you intend to work hard then it's a good idea to have it serviced prior to first use, to ensure it's lubricated by a trained expert. This doesn't cost much, will prolong the need for a first full service anyway, and you can be sure that your reel is ready to fish as hard as you want it to. Anglers' Central Service Centre is the biggest authorised reel service centre in Australia and offers national coverage.
Spool design
Spool design is a hard thing to check when you're examining a reel in a tackle store. Much of the time you are relying on the manufacturer's claims and buzz words to determine how well a spool will cast. Try not to get confused by this; having a spooled filled correctly and ensuring the line diameter suits the spool size will ultimately have more of an impact on the casting performance than the angle of the spool's lip.
If you plan to use braid, an aluminium spool is better than graphite. That choice is less of a concern if you're using monofilament nylon line.
Other things to check when buying a reel:
- If you intend fishing saltwater, check that the reel is suitable for this purpose. Some reels imported into Australia are specialist reels developed for freshwater-centric markets in other countries.
- If you intend fishing with a heavy drag setting, check the body, reel seat, handle and bail arm assembly for flex by gently squeezing and moving the parts with your hands. Too much flex might cost you a fish and might be an indication the reel is not up to the torture you have planned for it.
- It's worth checking that the reel you're planning to purchase will actually fit into the reel seat fitting on the rod you plan to match it with. It's only rare that they won't fit together, but check, just in case.
- Whichever reel you choose, remember it has a lot of interconnecting moving parts that operate in harsh conditions and at times under extreme pressure. The more you look after it, the better its chance of a long reliable life. After each trip, wipe it down with a cloth soaked in warm soapy water, then give it a light rinse with freshwater, dry it, then loosen the drag knob before storage.
Using Our Products
Bananaphobia: Legend of the Mariner's CurseThe legend of the Banana Curse has plagued fisherman and mariners for centuries. For those yet to hear this superstitious sea lore, bananas on boats are believed to cause bad luck.
Berley – A fish attractant'Berley' is a mix of fish food items dispersed into the water to attract fish to the area you're fishing—and keeping them there. It's as useful for kids fishing jetties as it is for experienced gamefishers chasing big tuna off the continental shelf.
Braid line – Summary of advantagesBraided lines have changed the way we fish. They offer superior strength-to-diameter ratios to monofilament lines and the near-zero stretch properties offer anglers unmatched sensitivity. The thin diameters facilitate more line on reel spools and less drag through the air and water, all of which are great advantages.
An afternoon fishing the beachIn a sceneworthy of Defoe, an uninterrupted ribbon of white sand beckoned as my mate Scott Levi, his dad Vic and I shuffled to our fishing spot, laden with buckets, bait and rods.
Fast food fishin' at NoosaI visited a mate in Noosa recently. No public transport from the local airport. So after forking out $85 in cab fare into town (can you believe the flight was cheaper??), the cabbie spots my fishing rod.
How to Catch Beachworms with BagpipesLive beach worms are gun bait for any fisherman. But they remain a luxury purchase in the bait shop. I still have a large bloodworm on lay-by.
Lure Fishing - Catching more with soft plasticsSoft plastic lures are popular because they catch fish and are easy to use. The supple materials used to make these lures are perfect for a natural looking imitation of baitfish, and that's what makes them so effective.
Lure Fishing - Catching whiting on luresHot whiting action is only a cast away if you fish smart. Try these handy tips to fine tune your tackle set-up, make longer casts and catch more!
Lure Fishing – General tipsCatching fish on lures is great fun and in many situations is more effective at catching big fish than some bait techniques. Traditional lure styles have been around longer than anyone reading this column but the modern variations include those fashioned from metals, timbers, hard plastics and soft plastics.
FRESHWATER FLY-FISHING: Getting startedFly-fishing for trout has been around a long time. Mysticism seems to surround the sport, which has more than its share of eccentrics.
Ideal beginner fly fishing set-up for troutFly fishing is incredibly fun; there are few angling challenges as rewarding as landing trout on a dry fly.
Trout RedemptionThe amiable John Coles is a fishing guide around the fringes of Sydney. His reputation is second to none. But I am a piscatorial Thomas.
Floats - Fishing with floatsMany of the fish we like to catch spend much of their lives hanging around the bottom of rivers and oceans. This explains why most fish's eyes are at the top of the head—it's practical for lying low, looking up for food to pass by.
Hooks - Choosing the best hook for each situationHook choice can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Factors such as size, shape and weight of the bait, size of the fish's mouth, strength of your line and reel drag, and dynamics of your rod will all influence what is the best hook choice for each style of fishing.
Hooks – Selecting fishing hooksA fishing hook is no longer just a simple device. Technological advancements in materials and manufacturing have created so many variations that you're almost guaranteed to find a hook specifically designed for the fish you like to catch.
Barramundi – Tackle recommendationsUsing the right gear for the job is crucial to catching tough sportfish like barramundi. A specific approach suited to the target fish, the lure or bait you're using and the terrain you're fishing is always best, and modern tackle choices make it easy to get things right before you cast.
Tackle set-up for luring breamTry these great value, high-performance products for luring bream in your local estuaries:
Flathead - General TipsFlathead are an easy fish to catch and lend themselves well to many fish recipes, but you have to find them first.
How to Series 1 - Tie a Uni knotFishing World's Patrick Brennan gives a practical demonstration on how to tie a handy universal fishing knot. Proudly presented by Rovex.
How to Series 1 - Tie a loop knotFishing World's Patrick Brennan gives a practical demonstration of tying a loop knot for lure fishing applications. Proudly presented by Rovex.
How to Series 1 - Tie a Double Uni knotFishing World's Patrick Brennan gives a practical demonstration of tying a popular knot for joining lines. Proudly presented by Rovex.
Video Vault
- Field Videos
- Product Information
- Product Manuals


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Welcome to MARGOT
MARGOT is a long-term research project devoted to publishing fully searchable editions of either generally inaccessible texts from the French Middle Ages and the Early Modern period (the Ancien Régime) or of texts in connection with a specific project from the same time period. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence © 2012.
Read all news
- Mar. 31, 2014Cantus: A latin chant database

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to the international Miramagia forum.
Our forum contains public sections as well as private sections. Private sections are available to registered and logged-in members only. To join the community and to fully benefit from the information provided by the forum, we recommend that you register.
If you are already registered, thank you and please log in.
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ.
Kind regards,
Your Miramagia Team
Here you can find answers to questions about how the board works. Use the links or search box below to find your way around.
Select this option if you would like your search to look in the text of FAQ items as well as their titles.
Select an option here to specify how you would like your search query to be treated. 'Any words' will return the most numerous but possibly least relevant results, while 'Complete phrase' will return only results that contain exactly what you are searching for.


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Display Status:
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Collection Item Summary:
This is the Redstone missile, shown in its modified form as the launch vehicle for the one-man Project Mercury spacecreft launched in 1961. The spacecraft on top the vehicle is a mockup.
Development of the Redstone began in 1950 and in June 1958 it became the U.S.'s first large-scale operational liquid-propellant missile. Earlier, on 31 January 1958, a modified version of the Redstone called the Jupiter-C, placed the U.S.'s first artificial satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit. On 5 May 1961, another modied version, the Mercury-Redstone rocket, launched the first American into space, Alan B. Shepard, into a sub-orbital flight.
Transferred to the Museum from the Chrysler Corporation in 1970.


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Carluke Parish Historical Society
CPHS collects and preserves artefacts, photographs and documents relating to the history of the parish of Carluke. You are most welcome to browse our pages and join our forum.
We are a registered charity.
Inside you will find over 360 pages of stories about the people of Carluke Parish and hundreds of photographs covering dozens of topics
Phones & Tablets - To see the stories links in large text Click Here
Just a few samples of the images in our gallery. The timeline covers mostly Victorian and early 20th century through to the mid seventies with some unique glimpses of life in Carluke as we were hurled from the industrial revolution through two world wars and into the economic blight which changed our landscape and our shopping habits, but we hope, not the nature of Carluke folk
You can find poignant tales, humourous anecdotes and via our publications, images and words to keep or send to your friends.
For those of you interested in your own family history and Carluke roots, we have two CDs on sale
Carluke Vital Records
This DVD is a great boon to all family history researchers
- The Old Graveyard Plan
- Photos of all gravestone markers
- The Burial Register files
- The Hearth Tax files
The Forest Kirk and Graveyard.
An illustrated walking guide to the old graveyard in the centre of Carluke. A brief history of the place where the town began with details of some of the town's more memorable inhabitants.
Past Imperfect
Try as we do to document the items we receive, we have some problems with identifying folk in old photographs. Go here to see if you can help us with our more challenging questions.
Family Research
We do not offer family research as a service, however our site does have a forum here where 17 families are listed. You can share your own family details with others in this topic.


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RoundAndBrown – Cherry popper
Download Video
We had the absolute pleasure of spending some quality time with the amazing Cherry Hilson. Besides having an infectious smile, Cherry had huge tits and a nice, round, firm booty. Soon after the pleasantries, Cherry teased us by squeezing and bouncing her huge melons. Then she took it to the next level, as she described how much she liked to get dick drilled and titty fucked. After her boner inducing revelations, Cherry twerked her ass to the bedroom. She sucked and fucked the cock on deck. Subsequently taking a cum shot on her eye.


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Attachment 64565
Back to Care Sheets Home
Attachment 64565
|Common Name:
|Brazilian Giant Blonde
|Year of Discovery:
|Tarantula World:
|New World
Their Natural Habitat:
|State of Para in Brazil. These are a burrowing species that becomes bolder with size/age.
|Please note that individuals can vary in temperament widely. This species is noted for being particularly flighty and defensive, readily flicking its particularly irritating urticating hairs. In my experience, I have found these and Nhandus in general to be highly skittish and panicky, scampering for cover if they can find it. I have also found that they DO calm down with some work, and my current big girl will tolerate handling (though not advised) easily.
|I have found these to grow quite fast. They are tiny slings at 3/8at 2nd instar. My first big girl grew to close to 7 diagonal leg span within two years. 6to 7 is the normal size they attain.
Experience Level:
|These are an intermediate level tarantula as there are particularly defensive, feisty, or skittish. Less feisty than chromatus. They more readily look for a place to flee and hide than throw up threat poses. But they will readily kick hairs. Their hairs are particularly irritating as well. They can also move very fast.
|These tropical spiders do well with warmer temps. 78-82oF during the day, 68-72oF at night.
|80% humidity during most of the year. They have a dry season in their native lands of around 60%.
|As a larger terrestrial species, these do well with some space. 10-gallon tanks should be adequate. A fall from even a short distance could be fatal, so keep the distance from the top of the enclosure to the substrate no more than 1.5 times the diagonal leg span of the spider (9inches).
|Eco Earth (coconut husk). You may make a mix of Vermiculite and Eco Earth(75/25). From my experience, Peat Moss does cultivate molds very easily, and thus would not be recommended for this species. Avoid any Evergreen woods (Cypress, Reptile Bark) inside of the enclosure. Evergreen woods contain natural insecticidal oils that can harm your tarantula if exposed long enough. Isopods (rolly-polies, or pill bugs) are agood cleaner to keep in the substrate that will help reduce the risk of mold. Molds can also be inhibited by allowing the substrate to dry out completely (just keep the water dish filled). But isopods require moist environments, so do not dry it out if you keep them in the tank.
|Crickets, meal worms, wax worms, superworms, Blaptica dubia or Blatta lateralis roaches. Please do not offer wild caught prey, as it may contain pesticides (and potential parasites) which can harm or kill your tarantula. Also never feed your tarantula kingworms (giant mealworms) as these are mealworms that have been fed juvenile growth hormones to prevent them from maturing so they grow bigger. JGH are a common insecticide and would not be good for your invertebrate tarantula! (I received this from a personal conversation with a cricket/worm breeder near me). Furthermore, online information often recommends feeding larger tarantulas an occasional baby mouse (i.e. pinky); this is not recommended here on the grounds that the extra calcium can be harmful to their exoskeletons.
Nhandu trepepiiis a voracious feeder and fun to watch eat. If given the opportunity, they will try to stuff as many crickets into their fangs as they can. The seem to love to eat. Yet my experience (and that of others here)are that their appetites drop off once they mature.
|Make sure to offer a water bowl, the size should be half the size of the species. Do not use any sponges, cotton balls or paper towel (as these are breeding grounds for bacteria) or water crystals inside of water bowl, just clean water. Small rocks may be added. Clean the water bowl once a week or when you feel it is necessary. Crickets or roaches may end up dead in the water, in which case you should clean it right away. Spiderlings are too small to have a water bowl, misting one side of the enclosure wall 1-2 times aweek, should be plenty enough. Your tarantula may often fill the dish with substrate, or even poop in it, but continue to provide clean water. Also I periodically wet the substrate, allowing that to dryout completely to prevent mold growth.
Maturity female:
|Females may take 2-4 years to mature, and live for up to 15 years. Increasing temperature and feeding schedule can speed up these times.
Maturity male/ Tibial Apophysis:
|Yes, males have tibial apophysis. They may take 1.5-3 years to mature and live less than a year after maturing. Increasing temperature and feeding schedule can speed upthese times.
Communal Setup:
|No. These are not communal at all. Do not attempt to house these together unless breeding a male and female, and then, keep a close eye on themas she can be particularly aggressive towards him initially.
Color Markings:
|A pink shag as adults, the juveniles of this species are more banded, resembling Nhandu coloratovillosus.
Special Note:
|These beauties are flighty and skittish, panicking easily, but calm downwith age. They are fairly easy to breed, but the females can show aggression towards and cannibalize the males. If successful, they can produce sacs of 500-1,500 spiderlings.
Make sure never to keep a Tarantula enclosure directly in the sun. No light is necessary for your Tarantulas habitat. Natural lighting is perfectly fine. Nhandus seem particularly panicky in direct sunlight, seeking shade as fast as they can find it.
Read more about them on our fan club page:
CITES List
|These are not on the CITES II list (as far as I can see), but captive-bred specimens are available.
Disclaimer from TarantulaUS.com
|Handling tarantulas with potent venom is not advised or endorsed by this forum. In certain cases of envenomation, hospitalization has been required. Please use caution when dealing with these species.
|All rights reserved.
Any and all images and information found on this site MAY NOT be used or distributed without permission from the moderators team.
Back to Care Sheets Home


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1. How long is the leading time (production time) ?
Normally, it's around 15 days.
2. How long is the delivery time?
Statistically, the time is within 30 days. Estimated time by sea:
To Malaysia, Thailand and Southeast Asia, Singapore: about 6 days
To Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabic: about 20~26 days
To Canada, America, Norway, Europe, Africa or an ocean-going voyage: about 30~40 days
3. When can I receive your message?
Generally, we work from 8:30am to 18:00pm in China. Though sometimes we work late in midnight until 1:00am.
4. Do you have ** products?
We're doing the commercial refrigeration equipment. Product range is wine fridge, kitchen refrigerator, counter fridge, beer fridge, and so on. Please see the 'product categories' on the top page.
5. Can you customize a fridge?
Of course, please contact with us to clear details.
6. Where's your factory add.?
Name: Guangzhou Ailipush refrigeration equipment Co., Ltd
Add.: No.6, First Alley, Jiyuan East Street, Shijing Dalang Village, Baiyun District, Guangzhou.
7. When can I visit your company or factory?
Warmly welcome at any time. We owned the headquarter & factory in Guangzhou. Branch offices in Shanghai, Beijing & Chengdu. Welcome to visit us at any time and any locations.
1. How can I pay?
By creating a Trade Assurance account, remit payment via T/T, western unions, Alipay.
2. How can I place an order?
Click on 'Start Order', create a Trade Assurance order, fill the blanks with your info, then submit it. We'll contact you when we receive the order page. To negotiate the further details, please keep in touch in Alibaba.
3. What's the payment procedure?
T/T 30% prepayment in advance, 70% balance payment before transportation.
Product quality assurance:
1. How can I insure product's quality?
Don't worry! If you pay by Trade Assurance in Alibaba, it'll take the responsibility for the product's quality. If the product has any quality problems, you can inform us. If we can't solve it, you can apply for the arbitration through Alibaba service to solve it.
2. What should I do when I'm withdrawing goods from a port?
Check the fridges are not broken down during the delivery process. If there're damages, please take pictures, and contact with us immediately. To apply for the indemnity from the shipping agent.


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Donovan Colbert explains why vendors, publishers, and companies should take off their iOS blinders and create apps for the Android Market.
We frequently hear that the Android OS doesn't have the same breadth or quality of apps as the iOS platform. In general, I disagree with this. The majority of A-list applications now have cross-platform support. This is especially true of the most popular apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, Evernote, and others. These apps are an exclusive minority that command the majority of user time on both iOS and Android. Beyond that, the majority of iOS and Android apps are mostly fluff, numbers and statistics to make their individual markets look mature and robust.
If anything is an indication of the ubiquitous nature of cross-platform apps, it's that the "Gieco Brostach" is available on iOS and Android. At one point in the not-too-distant past, that wouldn't have been the case. But the market for mobile OS devices has changed, and most companies making apps seem to realize that fact.
This makes it all the more puzzling that some firms continue to ignore Android in a mad rush to deliver, support, maintain, and improve solely their iOS applications. The amazing thing is that the spell that Steve Jobs cast over the public did not end there. Instead, even business leaders were so mesmerized by his song and dance that they lead entire for-profit organizations to seemingly forget that there's a whole other alternative revenue stream that they could be leveraging.
I can think of several examples of this. The first is the sophomoric, frequently NSFW humor site, The Chive. This site has a focus on scantily dressed women, drinking and other leisure social activities, hating work, and college humor. The Chive claims they hired someone to develop an iOS app that was approved for the Apple Market. However, it was so horrible that they asked Apple to pull the app. Once Apple pulled it, The Chive hired someone else to develop a new, improved iOS app. They submitted it multiple times but were consistently rejected by the Apple Market for "objectionable content."
Eventually, The Chive published an explanation to their readers. They added that they were holding off on creating an Android app until they created an iOS app that was approved, so that the Android app could "better mimic the flow and design of the iOS app."
They asked their readers, "Makes sense, right?"
Of course, it doesn't. Now granted, The Chive appeals to college users, and that probably means they have more iOS users than a typical site. Despite this, the uproar was instant and undeniable from the tremendous number of Android users who were very disappointed.
The Chive basically had a blind spot for Android and an irrational bias for iOS. It never occurred to The Chive leadership, as they banged their head against Apple's Market policies, that there was probably a pretty even breakdown between readers who had iOS and Android devices. To maximize your results, you would want to support both.
The irony is that supporting Android is a far less painful process than supporting iOS -- there are no hoops to jump through, no gatekeepers to appease. You can hire a developer, create an app, and throw it out on the market with minimal hassle. Somehow, The Chive ignored that to chase getting their app published on a market that rejected them multiple times. It's like being told they weren't good enough for the Apple App Store made the Apple App Store the only goal they could focus on.
And The Chive isn't alone in this obsessive fixation on iOS. One of the first apps that really displayed the killer abilities of the iPad was by Marvel Comics. Marvel put together a very slick iOS app to deliver digital versions of their print comic books. When I saw this on a friend's iPad, I turned to my Android phone to download it and was disappointed to find that Marvel had not released an Android version of the app.
The Marvel app was one of the applications that got into my head and changed my mind about the possibilities of the iPad and tablet computing, leading me to purchase an iPad within months after the device was released. The Marvel iOS app was one of the first apps I downloaded, along with a few comics. I didn't use it much, other than to show people the gee-whiz coolness of the application.
The thing that brought the Marvel app back into my consciousness is that I recently saw it on the Android Market. I downloaded it on my ASUS tablet and confirmed that it indeed has all the gee-whiz features on Android that it had on the iPad. It is a cool little app. A quick search shows that Marvel just announced the release of this app in October. Better late than never, Marvel. Glad that you've pulled off your iOS-colored glasses and realized that there are a lot more devices out there with potential consumers who want access to your digital content.
The Conde Nast publication Wired was at the forefront of digital content publishing on iOS. After a free introductory issue, Wired began to charge for the digital edition. Wired eventually announced that print subscribers would have free digital access to the iPad magazine. There was some friction between Wired and Apple about the subscription model for digital magazines -- and iOS 5 introduced the "Newstand" partially in an attempt to address those concerns.
Throughout this process, Wired could have easily began publishing their content to Android, but to this day, Wired has shown little or no desire to publish on any platform outside of iOS. It seems to defy logic that these strong, well-established firms are so enchanted by the Apple empire that they'll fall in line to ignore viable alternate channels for distributing their products.
Marvel and Geico seem to be a promising change of direction. More vendors, publishers, and companies need to realize that Android is a legitimate way to reach customers. It's really an amazing feat that Apple has so effectively captured the imagination of not just end users, but of the world -- to the extent that businesses frequently ignore alternatives, even when it's not in their best interest to do so.
I think Apple's spell is starting to break, though, and not a minute too soon. The more that content and apps are universally available, the better it will be for both consumers and for those who want to reach us with their products and services. History shows us how it went for the music industry when they willingly gave Apple the power to be the central delivery method of their content. Hopefully, app developers and publishers wake up and take steps to ensure that Apple has to remain fair and competitive in the future.


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Don't forget to wear your scariest Halloween costume at the POPS this Friday and Saturday. You just might win our costume contest and win free season tickets for next season. This weekend's performances will include music from Guys and Dolls, Jekyll and Hyde, Les Misérables, The Man of La Mancha, and of course, The Phantom of the Opera.
Opening Night of the Symphony POPS
Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31 at 8 p.m.
Majestic Theatre, tickets starting at $11.50
Three Phantoms in Concert™
Three glorious Broadway tenors who have shared the same title role of the 'Phantom' in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" join forces for a fabulous evening of Broadway's best songs.
String Quartet from the Symphony at the San Antonio Children's Museum
Saturday, October 31 at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The Spooky Sounds of Science
Soli Chamber Ensemble
Leaving Behind Time
Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 pm, Leeper Auditorium, McNay Museum of Art
Admission: McNay members, $10; nonmembers, $20 (includes exhibition admission). SOLI subscribers admitted to concert without charge. Reserve tickets with a credit card by calling 210.805.1768.
Musical Offerings
Music on the Move: Greece and Rome
Monday, November 2, 2009 at San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 West Jones Avenue
6:00 PM and 8:00 PM (Two performances)
Admission: Free for Members, $5 for non-members. Registration required.
Call 210.978.8151 to register for the 6:00 PM or 8:00 PM performance.
Olmos Ensemble
The Exotic Russian, the Intelligent San Antonian, and the Witty French
Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m. First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio, 7150 IH-10 West
Admission is by suggested donation: $10 adults, $5 students and seniors (NO ID NEEDED!)
Arts San Antonio Presents Guitarist Nemanja Ostojic
Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University
Jack Fishman
Twitter @SASym
Facebook: San Antonio Symphony
For more blogs by Jack Fishman visit: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/jackfishman/files/legacy/


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Worst Globe Shoes: Anna Paquin
All over her gown. The gown was good. Especially the sleeves. It's a good alternative to strapless and halter and tank. But then she cocked it up with those shoes. Those shoes on a different occasion, with a different dress, for sure. Those shoes the way she wore them – low classy all the way.
My mother (so politically correct) calls this the Mainland Effect. Hong Kong natives can be disparaging about the folks who come over from the rural areas in China. The Squawking Chicken loves ragging on a Chinese hick. The Chinese hick wears track pants and high heels. She rapes Louis Vuitton and has turned Coach into Nine West.
A Chinese hick took over Anna Paquin last night. That is some Chinese hick footwear. It is not elegant, it is not chic, it is not fashion forward. It is however very Christina Aguilera. Aggers does the Chinese hock all the time. With Anna Paquin you expect more.
Photos from Lester Cohen/Mark Sullivan/Getty and Wenn.com and Splashnewsonline.com


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With a model mother and rock star father, Georgia May Jagger was destined for the limelight.
Georgia May Jagger is rocking. The genetically blessed 20-year-old with the famous gap-toothed smile and even more famous parents is literally swaying in front of me as we chat aboard Sunglass Hut's pop-up floating store, a converted barge moored in the rocky Sydney Harbour under grey skies and near the harbour bridge. Each time a ferry goes past, the store rocks a little more but while I'm feeling increasingly woozy, Jagger remains sprightly and composed.
She's been up since 5am - in hair and makeup, doing interviews all morning - but the easygoing daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall is fresh-faced in a palm-tree printed short suit by Australian designer Lisa Ho, her strappy silver heels planted firmly on the ground.
Jagger is in town to promote the floating store in her capacity as the "global ambassador" of the brand. That means appearing in campaigns - the latest also features her model/musician boyfriend Josh McLellan, also in town with her ("it was quite funny because we were photographed in this little box, falling out") - blogging each month and going anywhere that Sunglass Hut is, and lending her star power. It also means a lot of sunglasses. Her collection is growing, says Jagger, and her current favourites are tinted aviator Ray-Bans.
She's working her role as ambassador: she's snapped at the airport arrival gate in Dolce & Gabbana gold frames, wearing Miu Miu frames at Bondi Beach and arriving at the evening launch party by luxury speedboat in the gold D&Gs again.
Jagger began modelling at the age of 15, with a pedigree that perhaps predestined her career. Her mother, Jerry Hall, was one of the biggest supermodels of the 1970s, and her father, well, he's Mick Jagger. She inherited Jerry's full head of hair and Mick's full lips, and, combined with her imperfect smile, her look has seen her go on to feature in all the top magazines - various Vogues around the world, i-D, Harper's Bazaar. She was dressed as a debutante by artist Gillian Wearing for the magazine Pop, and was chosen to appear in the fashion segment of the London Olympics closing ceremony. (At "only" 1.7m, she appeared tiny next to models like Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Karen Elson.)
But does she ever tire of people asking about her parents, or feel pressured by the cliche of being a rock star's daughter? She seems very understanding and low-key about it all. "I don't feel any pressure or anything like that. I think that's something that other people think about me. I mean obviously people are interested in my parents - they're very interesting people, so it's understandable that people want to talk about them."
She is very close to her mother - they have appeared in campaigns together and she has frequently mentioned her as an influence on her style. She loves the glam 1970s look for evening - indeed, she turns up at the launch party later that evening looking like a 1970s disco queen in a sequin gown by Sass and Bide - something that has no doubt been influenced by Jerry, a former Studio 54 regular.
Her mother's Texan background is another influence, combined with London cool. "I dress a lot more cowgirl than a lot of people in London," Jagger jokes.
"I love to wear cowboy boots, high-waisted jeans. I think my mum's style, and how we were bought up in Texas and how she would dress, has really influenced me. A lot of tie-dye ..."
Jagger counts Vivienne Westwood as a favourite designer and family friend, continuing the family tradition of working with the Dame - she recently featured as "the face" of Westwood's new jewellery collection. "I met her when I was very young, probably when I was about 3. So I've known her my whole life but this was the first time I'd worked with her. My mum worked with her a lot.
"She's such an incredible person. She gives so much to the world and she cares about so much more than just the world of fashion. She wants to expand and interconnect it [the world] with her industry. She's such an inspiring woman; she is quite powerful."
Beyond modelling, Jagger is interested in being behind the camera, recently doing a lot of "I guess you could call it distorted portraiture". She's unsure about taking her photography passion further though. "I'm not so into the whole pompous type of attitude, I'm not going to be like [extra posh voice] 'oh my pictures are so special, I must have a gallery and they must be sold for millions of pounds'." She prefers a more democratic approach, acknowledging the trend towards showing work online.
In front of the lens she has worked with many amazing photographers - Mario Testino, Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Sorrenti, Terry Richardson, Ellen von Unwerth, Miles Aldridge - but notes Alasdair McLellan as one favourite. "I love that he still uses film and Polaroid. It's a nice way to work as it's not so quick and digitised, which can sometimes take the heart out of it a bit. You get the surprise; you don't see his pictures until [they're] in the magazine." She also loves the pictures of Irving Penn and Helmut Newton, who both photographed her mother several times.
Hall's own modelling experience has helped shape Jagger's career. "She always tells me to be myself, to not let it [the job/industry] affect me so much and have fun with it. She always says things like, 'if it feels weird, if it's not comfortable, don't do it'."
As for advice from Dad? "He doesn't really give me many modelling tips!" she jokes. "But he is a very educated person, so I think his advice - not that he's told me, but he has shown me - is to always make the most of where you are, you know, always immerse yourself in culture and art, and history - be interested in things."
* Zoe Walker flew to Sydney as a guest of Sunglass Hut.


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I had the exact same feeling...saint_matthew wrote: The strangest issue I had with special effects in man of steel was the uncanny valley effect of Zod's face.... The strange part being is that Zod's face wasn't CGI.... Yet I kept on having the disconcerting feeling that I was looking at a CGI animation that wasn't quite right & so I kept on getting that uncanny valley feeling.... It was really creepy.
As for the acting and effects, by "fine" I mean "neither exceptionally good nor exceptionally bad." Pretty run-of-the-mill on those counts. There was plenty of room for improvement, but none of those details did much to help or hurt the movie.
On the topic of Sam Wilson/The Falcon... It never even occurred to me, while watching the movie, that anyone would think of him as some sort of subservient "sidekick" to Cap. He wasn't the main character and didn't get as much camera time as Black Widow, but he was entirely his own man. If anything, he seemed to inspire Cap to be a better Cap. I thought he had a solid introduction into the movie franchise (far better than Hawkeye's appearances to date) and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Overall, I like The Winter Soldier at least as much as I liked The First Avenger... Which is very rare in a sequel... And I'd rate it very close to the first Iron Man movie as the best of the current run of Marvel movies (YMMV, of course).


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Gaming Division director: blackjack payout about "choice"
The Gaming Commission's decision to allow Colorado casinos to lower the payout on blackjacks from 3:2 to 6:5 stirred "more public discussion" than any other action in recent member, said Division of Gaming director Ron Kammerzell.
"Lost in the discourse regarding the rule changes was the fact that the changes were more about choice than they were about odds," Kammerzell wrote in the Gaming Division's monthly newsletter. "Although we remained neutral, we took the proposed changes before the Commission because there was no legal reason why they should not be approved."
He says many casinos will choose not to lower the blackjack payouts to 6:5. The change is optional and no casino has gone public with their plans.
The Isle, Lady Luck and Ameristar have said they won't switch multi-deck games to 6 to 5.
Not surprisingly, no operator has stepped up to the plate to acknowledge that they made the request to the lower payout. That information should have been disclosed with the public proposal.
Even if it's to just acknowledge that they plan to add a new blackjack game such as double exposure or single-deck, the property or properties that requested the rule change should be required to speak up.
Quite honestly, I would be surprised if Ameristar didn't change its tune. That property has by far the largest crowds on the weekends, and during peak hours I'm sure they would have no problem filling a multi-deck, 6:5 game, so long as the minimum bet is no more than $10.
Kammerzell adds in the newsletter that "the choice will fall upon the casino patrons, who will decide which games at which odds they will play."
"Again, this decision was ultimately about choice, and the market will ultimately decide," he said.


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The White House and the Federal Communications Commission have joined opponents criticizing the Library of Congress' new provisions against unlocking cellphones.
Under current law, consumers cannot take phones they have purchased from one network and use them when they sign with another, even after their previous contracts have expired. They also have to pay roaming fees when abroad, as they cannot insert a local SIM card to a locked phone.
The White House issued a statement Monday in support of laws that change the Library of Congress' restrictions on unlocking cellphones under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
R. David Edelman, senior advisor for Internet, Innovation & Privacy, released a statement on behalf of the White House supporting a petition proposing that consumers should be able to unlock their cellphones, tablets, and other devices without criminal or other penalties.
"It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs," the statement reads.
The Library of Congress established federal copyright penalties for unlocking a cellphone, which kicked in on Jan. 26. Criminal penalties include a $500,000 fine and/or five years in prison for the first offense. Wireless carriers can collect statutory civil damages ranging from $200 and $2,500 per violation.
More than 114,000 people signed a petition asking the Library of Congress to rescind the new DMCA provisions, which kicked in on Jan. 26. Cellphones were previously exempted from DMCA regulations.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski also expressed concerns about the DMCA rules about unlocking cellphones.
"From a communications policy perspective, this raises serious competition and innovation concerns, and for wireless consumers, it doesn't pass the common sense test," Mr. Genachowski says in a statement. "The FCC is examining this issue, looking into whether the agency, wireless providers, or others should take action to preserve consumers' ability to unlock their mobile phones.
The White House's statement notes the Library of Congress agrees that the issue has implications for telecommunications policy and would benefit from review.
The Obama administration would support "narrow legislative fixes" to ensure that neither criminal law nor technological locks prevent consumers from switching carriers after they complete a service agreement.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation praised the White House's stance: "Your rights to reuse, resell, or give away devices are especially important—and the Obama administration gets this. As the administration's telecommunications agency pointed out last year, digital locks backed up by legal threats aren't just used to police copyrights—they're used to block competition."
Parker Higgins, an EFF activist, says the controversy surrounding locked phones shows that the Library of Congress' rules surrounding copyright infringement may be causing more harm than good.
"I can understand that the Library of Congress doesn't really get the significance of how technology is being used, but really across the board this rule-making procedure is not the way that policy should be made," Mr. Higgins says.
Unlocking versus jailbreaking
There is another issue, however, that the petition and the White House does not address, Higgins says. The DMCA's restrictions also extend to jailbreaking.
Jailbreaking, not to be confused with unlocking, is the act of removing restrictions on what software one can install on a phone. For example, some people jailbreak an iPhone to access apps that are not offered in the App Store. Unlocking only allows you to change the carrier your phone is on.
The EFF won a renewal of exemptions to the DMCA including jailbreaking rights for smart phones (but not tablets). The DMCA's restrictions also prohibit jailbreaking tablets, game consoles, and other personal devices, controlling which devices and operating systems consumers can use for certain video subscriptions and other services, the EFF statement notes.
Jay Freeman, the administrator of the app store for jailbroken Apple devices known as Cydia, told Forbes that the rules criminalize jailbreaking tablets and unlocking phones and that iPad jailbreakers also need to be exempted.
"It's important to realize that the [White House's statement] is very narrow," Mr. Freeman told Forbes. "We definitely need a different campaign, one that focuses on the root problem: that the DMCA's 1201 anti-tampering clause is confusing, limiting, and generally really annoying."
Higgins says the White House response did not help clear up the distinction between unlocking and jailbreaking. While the statement addressed unlocking tablets, it did not acknowledge that tablets are more often associated with jailbreaking than unlocking.
"I think that people should be allowed to unlock their iPads, just as people unlock their iPhones, but I think another important question should be about jailbreaking," Higgins says.
"It shouldn't fall to the representatives of the public — in this case, us — to have to try to explain to the Library of Congress what these things are and why they're useful," he adds. "It should be by default. If you own the device, you should be able to do what you want by it."
For more tech news, follow Steph on Twitter: @stephmsolis


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Imagine a father who has been paying his daughter's bills, but also deciding the details of how his daughter lives her life.
Then one day, the father declares: "It's time for you to take responsibility and make decisions about your own life." But before he lets her go, he signs a contract guaranteeing her an allowance for years to come.
Would you say that the father was returning power and responsibility to the daughter? Well, you would if you were involved in governing the state of California.
U.S. & World
If you pay attention to California politics, you've been hearing a lot about Gov. Brown's efforts to return power and authority to local government.
One of the first ways he's doing this is in corrections, by shifting certain offenders from state prisons to the control of local counties. That sort of realignment makes sense.
People commit crimes in a community; local officials should thus decide -- and bear the costs and responsibility -- of deciding how to punish and incarcerate them.
But the state government isn't giving counties this full responsibility. Like that father, the state is going to continue to pay the bills.
In fact, Brown indicated this week that he would go to the voters with a constitutional guarantee -- like that father's contract -- that the state would keep paying the bills for what counties do with their local offenders.
This is called "realignment." But it's upside-down realignment.
Counties should have to make not only decisions about their offenders -- but also have to set the tax rates, come up with the revenues, and pay the freight for those decisions.
But that's not really possible in California's governing system.
Local elected officials have little power to set tax rates -- that's left to the legislature (albeit by 2/3 vote) and to voters at the local level (also at a 2/3 vote). Real realignment -- and real return of power -- would have to upend the whole system, and give elected officials the power -- and the responsibility and accountability -- to come up with the revenues to pay for the programs, services, and, yes, incarceration they want.
The fact that such a change is not even on the table exposes just how hollow the current push for realignment is.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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Couple gunned down in own home
Victims' Names: Roy and Patricia Bowden
Hometown: Sedalia
Investigative agency: Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Date murdered: June 6, 1977
Bodies found: In their home
Cause of death: Gun shots
Suspects: None identified
Authorities believe the killer who shot Roy and Patricia Bowden in the couple's Perry Pines home on June 6, 1977, were known to them because there were no signs of forced entry, said Lt. Darren Weekly of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Roy Bowden's sister, Carol Wolfe, 70, said her brother was lighting a cigar at the top of the basement stairway. He was shot in the heart, and he fell down the stairs and struck his head on the cement basement floor, she said.
Roy and Patricia Bowden
Courtesy: Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons
"You wouldn't think he'd be lighting a cigar if somebody had just broken into his house," Wolfe said.


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Minor League Notes
Players of the Week (May 8-14)
Pitcher: RHP Zack Segovia, Clearwater/Reading. Won final start at Clearwater and promoted to Reading where he won his AA debut. (See below). Segovia, 23, was the Phillies second round selection in 2002. This is his second full season since missing all of 2004 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Player: SS Bradley Harmon, Clearwater. Batted .364 for the week with 8 hits, 2 doubles, 1 homer and 2 RBI. A right-handed hitter, Harman was signed as an amateur free agent out of Ferntree, Australia, in 2003.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
Two wins, 3 losses (2 in extra innings) and 2 rainouts for the week . . . LHP Eude Brito won his fourth straight, 8 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 0 earned run, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts on Wednesday. He leads the staff with a 4-1 record and is fourth in the International League with a 1.58 ERA. Opponents are batting .159 against him . . . CF Chris Roberson hit in his ninth consecutive game the same night . . . C Carlos Ruiz continues to share the IL batting lead (.385) even though he's in the majors. He shares it with OF Melky Cabrera, who is now up with the Yankees.
Reading Phillies
Tough week, 5 straight losses that ended with a Sunday win over Erie. Segovia, just promoted from Clearwater, went 7 innings, allowed 5 hits, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. He leads all minor league pitchers in innings pitched, 56.1 . . . Reading wore pink game jerseys on Sunday which were raffled off after the game. More than $4,000 was raised for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition . . . RHP Nick Mattioni is 4-of-4 in saves since taking over as the closer on May 2 . . . CF Michael Bourn's stolen base streak without being caught ended at 15 on Saturday. His 27 runs scored lead the Eastern League . . . Among EL strikeout leaders: Scott Mathieson (54) is second; LHP Gio Gonzalez (47) is seventh andLHP Daniel Haigwood (38) is tied for eighth. Haigwood had a no decision in a 1-0 loss to Erie. He allowed just a bunt single in the fifth over 6 innings in which he fanned a season-high 10.
Clearwater Threshers
A 5-1 week in which a 6-game winning streak ended on Saturday . . . Friday win boosted their record to 19-16, best start in franchise history . . . Segovia improved to 5-1 with a win on Tuesday and earned a promotion to Reading. His 5 wins shared the Florida State League lead . . . LHP James Happ fanned 10 in 8 innings, a 3-0 win at Brevard County on Wednesday. RHP Nathan Johnson picked up his second save of the week in the same game . . . LHP Derek Griffith also picked up a win, getting 10 ground ball outs in 7 innings . . . 3B Pasquale Antoniato made his Clearwater debut in that game, 2 hits, a homer, 3 RBI.
Lakewood BlueClaws
Ended with week 4-3 by winning the last 3 games . . . Two of the wins were shutouts, giving the Lakewood staff 8 for the season, tops in the South Atlantic League. Combined the four Phillies minor league teams have 16 shutouts, one more than all of last season . . . RHP Scott Mitchinson struck out a career-high 10 in picking up a 1-0 win on Tuesday . . . RHP Carlos Carrasco fanned a career-high 9 in 8 innings in a 4-0 win on Friday . . . RHP Kyle Kendrick lost on Wednesday, 3-1, but was promoted to Clearwater after going 3-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 7 starts. He led the SAL with 54 strikeouts . . . RHP Patrick Overholt improved to 2-0 in the bullpen and lowered his ERA to 0.90 on Saturday . . . Closer RHP Andy Barb leads the staff with 5 saves and a 0.77 ERA for 11 appearances.
1 Comment
You really have to like the progress Segovia's shown this season, somewhat overlooked by Hamels buzzsawing his way to the majors.
Will Segovia get any consideration at all as a late season callup when the rosters expand?
Nice to see the Aussie pipeline paying dividends already.
Brito was a pleasant surprise last season, if not for the pitching logjam he'd be a nice addition to the staff.
My question is:
Brito's chances of making the roster clearly got hurt by playing in the IHOP,(WBC), are the Phillies going to restrict participation in future IHOP's especially for a commodity in short supply like pitchers?


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Supplement Forms / Alternate Names
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC)
- L-Acetyl-Carnitine (LAC)
- L-Carnitine
- Propionyl L-Carnitine
Principal Proposed Uses
Other Proposed Uses
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Celiac Disease
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Diabetic Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy
- Enhancing Mental Function in Seniors
- Fatigue in Seniors
- Fibromyalgia
- High Cholesterol
- HIV Support
- Hyperactivity in Fragile X Syndrome
- Liver Cirrhosis
- Sports Performance Enhancement
- Weight Loss
Carnitine is a substance used by the body uses to turn fat into energy. It is not normally considered an essential nutrient because the body can manufacture all it needs. However, supplemental carnitine could in theory improve the ability of certain tissues to produce energy. This has led to the use of carnitine for various muscle diseases as well as heart conditions.
There is no dietary requirement for carnitine. However, a few individuals have a genetic defect that hinders the body's ability to make carnitine. In addition, diseases of the liver, kidneys, or brain may inhibit carnitine production. Certain medications, especially the antiseizure drugs valproic acid (Depakene) and phenytoin (Dilantin), may reduce carnitine levels; however, whether taking extra carnitine would be helpful has not been determined. 1-11 Heart muscle tissue, because of its high energy requirements, is particularly vulnerable to carnitine deficiency.
Food Sources
The National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements offers this list of foods that are high in carnitine: 114
While carnitine can be found in foods like meat and dairy products, a supplement is necessary to obtain therapeutic dosages.
Therapeutic Dosages
Typical adult dosages for the diseases described here range from 500 mg to 1,000 mg three times daily. For children, one study used 50 mg/kg twice daily, up to a maximum of 4 g daily. 73
Carnitine is taken in three forms: L-carnitine (for heart and other conditions), propionyl-L-carnitine (for heart conditions), and acetyl-L-carnitine (for Alzheimer's disease). The dosage is the same for all three forms.
Therapeutic Uses
Carnitine is primarily used for heart-related conditions. Some evidence suggests that it can be used along with conventional treatment for angina to improve symptoms and reduce medication needs. 12-17 When combined with conventional therapy, it may or may not help prevent medical complications or sudden cardiac death in the months following a heart attack . 18,19,34,36,88
Lesser evidence suggests that it may be helpful for a condition called intermittent claudication (pain in the legs after walking due to narrowing of the arteries), 20-30 as well as congestive heart failure . 12,31-33 In addition, a few studies suggest that carnitine may be useful for cardiomyopathy . 27,35
Carnitine may also be helpful for improving exercise tolerance in people with chronic pulmonary obstruction disease (COPD), more commonly known as emphysema. 37,38,39
Warning: You should not attempt to self-treat any of these serious medical conditions, nor should you use carnitine as a substitute for standard drugs.
Growing, if not entirely consistent, evidence suggests that L-carnitine or acetyl-L-carnitine, or their combination, may be helpful for improving sperm function and thereby provide benefits in male infertility. 58-66,71,80,86,90-92,103
Carnitine has also shown promise for improving male sexual function81,82,93 and improving mental and physical fatigue in seniors. 81,87,108
Two studies found evidence that carnitine is helpful for Peyronie's disease , a condition affecting the penis. 54,74
Some studies have found evidence that one particular form of carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine, might be helpful in Alzheimer's disease , 40-46 but the two most recent and largest studies found no benefit. 47,48 One review evaluated published and unpublished double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, and concluded that acetyl-L-carnitine may only be helpful for very mild Alzheimer's disease. 70
In preliminary trials, acetyl-L-carnitine has shown some promise for treatment of depression or dysthymia (a milder condition related to depression). 49,50,94
Some evidence suggests that carnitine may be useful for improving blood sugar control in people with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes . 52,85 Better evidence suggests benefit with acetyl-L-carnitine for a major complication of diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy (injury to nerves of the extremities caused by diabetes). 83 Acetyl-L-carnitine might help prevent diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (injury to the nerves of the heart caused by diabetes). 53 However, one study found that carnitine supplements had an adverse effect on triglyceride levels in people with diabetes. 85
Much weaker evidence suggests possible benefits for neuropathy caused by the chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and paclitaxel. 95 Weak evidence hints that carnitine might help reduce liver and heart toxicity caused by the chemotherapy drug adriamycin . 104
Some evidence suggests that carnitine may be able to improve cholesterol profile . 18,84
One small study demonstrated a beneficial effect of L-carnitine on anemia and high cholesterol in patients on hemodialysis for chronic renal failure. 109
A genetic condition called fragile X syndrome can cause behavioral disturbances such as hyperactivity, along with intellectual disability, autism, and alterations in appearance. A preliminary study of 17 boys found that acetyl-L-carnitine might help to reduce hyperactive behavior associated with this condition. 51 Evidence for the effectiveness of L-carnitine in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been mixed. 73,111
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease affecting the digestive tract. Fatigue is a common symptom of the disease. One small double-blind trial found evidence that use of L-carnitine at a dose of 2 g daily might help alleviate this symptom. 107 Weak evidence hints that carnitine may help people with degeneration of the cerebellum (the structure of the brain responsible for voluntary muscular movement). 55 One very small study suggests carnitine may be helpful for reducing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome . 56 Another study suggests that carnitine may be of value for treating hyperthyroidism57 and for severe liver disease. 96 A substantial study marred by poor design (specifically, far too many primary endpoints) found equivocal evidence that L-carnitine, taken at dose of 500 mg three times daily, might be more effective than placebo for the treatment of fibromyalgia . 106
Other weak evidence suggests that carnitine may be helpful for decreasing the muscle toxicity of AZT (a drug used to treat HIV infection ). 67,68 Other weak evidence hints that the acetyl-L-carnitine might reduce nerve-related side effects caused by HIV drugs in general. 105
One study failed to find carnitine effective for promoting weight loss , 88 although another found that carnitine might lead to improvements in body composition (fat-muscle ratio). 87
Carnitine is widely touted as a physical sports performance enhancer , but there is no real evidence that it is effective and some research indicates that it is not. 69,97,110
Little to no evidence supports other claimed benefits such as treating irregular heartbeat, Down's syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, in a randomized trial involving 25 patients with liver cirrhosis and early brain dysfunction (hepatic encephalopathy) associated with severe forms of this condition, carnitine appeared to significantly improve the function of both the liver and the brain after 3 months of treatment. 112
What Is the Scientific Evidence for Carnitine?
Carnitine might be a good addition to standard therapy for angina . In one controlled study, 200 individuals with angina (the exercise-induced variety) took either 2 g daily of L-carnitine or were left untreated. All the study participants continued to take their usual medication for angina. Those taking carnitine showed improvement in several measures of heart function, including a significantly greater ability to exercise without chest pain. 12 They were also able to reduce the dosages of some of their heart medications (under medical supervision) as their symptoms decreased.
Unfortunately, the results of this study can't be fully trusted because researchers didn't use a double-blind protocol. (For more information on why double-blinding is so important, see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-blind Studies? ) Another trial did use a double-blind, placebo-controlled, design tested L-carnitine in 52 people with angina and found evidence of benefit. 16
In addition, several small studies (some of them double-blind) tested propionyl-L-carnitine for the treatment of angina, and also found evidence of benefit. 13-17
Intermittent Claudication
People with advanced hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis , often have difficulty walking due to lack of blood flow to the legs, a condition called intermittent claudication . Pain may develop after walking less than half a block. Although carnitine does not increase blood flow, it appears to improve the muscle's ability to function under difficult circumstances. 26 A 12-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 485 patients with intermittent claudication evaluated the potential benefits of propionyl-L-carnitine. 29 Participants with relatively severe disease showed a 44% improvement in walking distance as compared to placebo. However, no improvement was seen in those with mild disease. Another double-blind study followed 245 people and also found benefit. 20
Similar results have been seen in most but not all other studies of L-carnitine or propionyl-L-carnitine. 21-28,30 Propionyl-L-carnitine may be more effective for intermittent claudication than plain carnitine.
Congestive Heart Failure
Several small studies have found that carnitine, often in the form of propionyl-L-carnitine, can improve symptoms of congestive heart failure . 12,31-33 In one trial, benefits were maintained for 60 days after treatment with carnitine was stopped. 79
After a Heart Attack
L-carnitine has shown inconsistent promise for use after a heart attack .
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study that followed 101 people for 1 month after a heart attack found that use of L-carnitine, in addition to standard care, reduced the size of the infarct (dead heart tissue). 34
In the months following a severe heart attack, the left ventricle of the heart often enlarges, and the pumping action of the heart becomes less efficient. Some evidence suggests that L-carnitine can help prevent heart enlargement, but that it does not improve heart function. In a 12-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 472 individuals who had just undergone a heart attack, use of carnitine at a dose of 6 g/day significantly decreased the rate of heart enlargement. 19 However, heart function was not significantly altered.
A 3-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 60 individuals who had just undergone a heart attack also failed to find improvements in heart function. 36 (Heart enlargement was not studied.)
Results consistent with those of the studies above were seen in a 6-month double blind, placebo-controlled study of 2,330 people who had just had a heart attack. 98 Carnitine failed to produce significant reductions in mortality or heart failure (serious decline in heart function) over the 6-month period. However, the study did find reductions in early death. (Unfortunately, for statistical reasons, the meaningfulness of this last finding is questionable. Reduction in early death was a secondary endpoint rather than a primary one.)
Note: Carnitine is used along with conventional treatment, not as a substitute for it.
Diabetic Neuropathy
High levels of blood sugar can damage the nerves leading to the extremities, causing pain and numbness. This condition is called diabetic peripheral neuropathy . Nerve damage may also develop in the heart, a condition called cardiac autonomic neuropathy. Acetyl-L-carnitine has shown considerable promise for diabetic peripheral neuropathy and some promise for cardiac autonomic neuropathy.
Two 52-week double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, involving a total of 1,257 people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, evaluated the potential benefits of ALC taken at 500 mg or 1000 mg daily. 83 The results showed that use of ALC, especially at the higher dose, improved sensory perception and decreased pain levels. In addition, the supplement appeared to promote nerve fiber regeneration.
A small study found some potential benefits for cardiac autonomic neuropathy. 53
For more information, including full dosage and safety issues, see the full Carnitine article.
Male Sexual Function
Carnitine has shown promise for improving male sexual function . One double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 120 subjects compared a combination of propionyl-L-carnitine (2 g per day) and acetyl-L-carnitine (2 g per day) against testosterone for the treatment of male aging symptoms (sexual dysfunction, depression, and fatigue). 81 The results indicated that both testosterone and carnitine improved erectile function, mood, and fatigue, as compared to placebo. However, no improvements were seen in the placebo group. This is an unusual occurrence in studies of erectile dysfunction, so it casts some doubt on the study results.
A double-blind study of 40 men evaluated propionyl-L-carnitine (2 g per day) in diabetic men with erectile dysfunction who had not responded well to Viagra. 82 The results indicated that carnitine significantly enhanced the effectiveness of Viagra.
In another double-blind study, a combination of the propionyl and acetyl forms of carnitine enhanced the effectiveness of Viagra in men who suffered from erectile dysfunction caused by prostate surgery. 99
Male Infertility
Growing evidence suggests that L-carnitine or acetyl-L-carnitine or their combination may be helpful for improving sperm quality and function, thereby benefiting male infertility . 58-66,71,80,100-101,103
For example, in one double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 60 men, use of combined L-carnitine (2 g per day) and acetyl-L-carnitine (also at 2 g per day) significantly improved sperm quality. 80
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Evidence from three double-blind, placebo-controlled studies enrolling a total of 49 people suggests that L-carnitine can improve exercise tolerance in COPD , presumably by improving muscular efficiency in the lungs and other muscles. 37-39
Alzheimer's Disease
Numerous double- or single-blind studies involving a total of more than 1,400 people have evaluated the potential benefits of acetyl-L-carnitine in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. 40-48,76-78 However, while early studies found evidence of modest benefit, two large and well-designed studies failed to find acetyl-L-carnitine effective at all.
The first of these was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 431 participants for 1 year. 47 Overall, acetyl-L-carnitine proved no better than placebo. However, because a close look at the data indicated that the supplement might help people who develop Alzheimer's disease at an unusually young age, researchers performed a follow-up trial. This 1-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated acetyl-L-carnitine in 229 patients with early onset Alzheimer's. 48 Unfortunately, no benefits were seen here either.
One review of the literature concluded that acetyl-L-carnitine may be helpful for mild cases of Alzheimer's disease, but not more severe cases. 72
Mild Depression
A double-blind study of 60 seniors with dysthymia (a mild form of depression ) found that treatment with 3 g of carnitine daily over a 2-month period significantly improved symptoms as compared to placebo. 49 Positive results were seen in two other studies as well, one of depression and one of dysthymia. 50,102
Enlargement of the thyroid (goiter) can be due to many causes, including cancer and iodine deficiency. In some cases, thyroid enlargement occurs without any known cause, so-called benign goiter.
Treatment of benign goiter generally consists of taking thyroid hormone pills. This causes the thyroid gland to become less active, and the goiter shrinks. However, there may be undesirable effects as well. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) can develop, including heart palpitations, nervousness, weight loss, and bone breakdown.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found evidence that use of L-carnitine could alleviate many of these symptoms. This 6-month study evaluated the effects of L-carnitine in 50 women who were taking thyroid hormone for benign goiter. 57 The results showed that a dose of 2 g or 4 g of carnitine daily protected participants' bones and reduced other symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
Carnitine is thought to affect thyroid hormone by blocking its action in cells. 75 This suggests a potential concern—carnitine might be harmful for people who have low or borderline thyroid levels to begin with. This possibility has not been well explored as yet.
Peyronie's Disease
Peyronie's disease is an inflammatory condition of the penis that develops in stages. In the first stage, penile pain occurs with erection; next, the penis becomes curved; finally, erectile dysfunction may occur. Many medications have been tried for Peyronie's disease, with some success. One such drug is tamoxifen, which is better known as a treatment to prevent breast cancer recurrence. A 3-month, double-blind study compared the effectiveness of acetyl-L-carnitine to the drug tamoxifen in 48 men with Peyronie's disease. 74 Acetyl-L-carnitine (at a dose of 1 g daily) reduced penile curvature while tamoxifen did not; in addition, the supplement reduced pain and slowed disease progression to a greater extent than tamoxifen.
Safety Issues
L-carnitine in its three forms appears to be quite safe. However, individuals with low or borderline-low thyroid levels should avoid carnitine because it might impair the action of thyroid hormone. 75
Individuals on dialysis should not receive this (or any other supplement) without a physician's supervision.
The maximum safe dosages for young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been established.
Interactions You Should Know About
If you are taking:
- Antiseizure medications, particularly valproic acid (Depakote, Depakene) but also phenytoin (Dilantin) : You may need extra carnitine.
- Thyroid medication: Do not take carnitine except under a physician's supervision.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO CAM Review Board
- Review Date: 12/2015 -
- Update Date: 12/15/2015 -


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Charles Tilly Award Statement
In Durable Inequality, Charles Tilly creates a highly general theory of unequal treatment by social organizations on the basis of pairs of social categories in unequal and interdependent relation to each other, categories like employer-employee, parent-child, male-female, and skilled-unskilled. The number and variety of such categories give great generality to the theory while a single analytical logic for the explanation of inequalities in terms of such categories couples elegance to generality. Four processes, each with a paired proposition, center the theory. One focuses on exploitation; a second involves opportunity hoarding; a third process/proposition concerns the spread of categorical distinctions by means of organizational emulation of model organization, not solely organizational innovation; and lastly, Tilly argues, categorically rooted inequalities are durable inequalities because people — disadvantaged as well as advantaged — accommodate themselves to them via a process of adaptation.


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MLB donates Fun Center for All-Star weekend
It was a fun-filled day for the patients at CHOC, as they received the Starlight Fun Center and spent time with XM All-Star Futures Game participants Mike Trout, Luis Jimenez and Zack Britton, as well as several MLB mascots and members of the Angels Strike Force.
"It's great because these kids forget their troubles and their illnesses for even just an hour," said Patrice Poidmore, senior director of the CHOC Children's Foundation. "So to watch them is just amazing. These children are our family here, so to see Major League Baseball and the players come in is truly a testament to them."
The event was complete with a ribbon cutting on the four-foot tall Starlight Fun Center, which is a mobile entertainment unit containing a Nintendo Wii gaming system, a DVD player and a flat screen monitor.
Major League Baseball is certainly not foreign to donating these Starlight Fun Centers, as it's become an annual tradition for the host city of the All-Star Game to donate one to a local hospital. It's all part of MLB's "Going Beyond" initiative, which is expected to raise $5 million for local and national charities as part of MLB's All-Star Week in Anaheim and the surrounding areas.
"Since 2005, we've donated fun centers at every All-Star Game and at the World Series, including one year where every Major League team donated one," said Tom Brasuell, MLB vice president of community affairs. "So we've donated 44 fun centers, so this has been a regular event for us."
Starlight Fun Centers are proven to distract children from pain and anxiety, alleviate stress, loneliness and isolation, help young patients better understand and manage illnesses, and connect families with others facing similar challenges, according to Angel Montanez, the assistant vice president of corporate partnerships for Starlight Children's Foundation.
"For more than 25 years, Starlight has been helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activity," Montanez said. "We're absolutely delighted to bring this Fun Center and we couldn't do it without our sponsors like Major League Baseball."
The event has also been part of a tradition for the participants of the XM Futures Game, which was well-represented by Trout and Jimenez of the Angels' organization and Britton of the Orioles' organization.
"It was really nice," said Jimenez, who will represent the World Team in the Futures Game. "It makes you feel good to see the kids feeling really good too. So it was fun."
Trout, who along with Britton will represent the U.S. Team, echoed Jimenez's sentiments about helping out the patients at the hospital.
"It's great," Trout said. "It was fun coming here with Zack and Luis. It's just great a feeling to put smiles on these kids faces. It gives me chills every time I think about it."
The Starlight Fun Center is CHOC's fourth such unit and will be housed on the third floor of the hospital in the oncology center, with the mobile unit moving from room to room for the children to play with during scheduled play sessions.
"The kids will be able to come in and use it and forget that they're undergoing chemotherapy and what the pain medicines are doing for them making them not feel well," Poidmore said. "So the support of the Children Starlight Foundation and Major League Baseball is huge."


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Gavin Newsom Talks About Transparent Government (Video)
Last week, I ambled over to the Founders Den in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood to talk to California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom about his new book, "Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government."
For the book, described as a "rallying cry for revolutionizing democracy in the digital age," the former San Francisco mayor, who also ran for governor of California, interviewed dozens of politicians, Internet players and other digital thinkers.
Newsom's point is to turn citizens into collaborators in the operation of government, changing it from what he describes as a "vending machine" now to an inclusive and interactive social platform.
Here's my longish video interview with Newsom:


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The Toyota Fun-Vii concept is as much a smartphone as it is a car, featuring a giant back-lit touchscreen for doors. Who could pitch so wild a concept? How about actor Jean Reno as a robotic cat with a magic pouch from the 22nd century, of course!
Followers of the popular Manga Doraemon will recognize the robotic 22nd century cat as the savior of the unfortunate Nobita Nobi and his descendants, but the live-action commercial is far more enjoyable and inscrutable if you try to go in without context.
Look, it's Japanese Charlie Brown fishing for cans much to the displeasure of Reno, who is some sort of hoarder Rabbi!
(Hat tip to Scott Brownlee!)


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|Soak Anchovies to get rid off the excess salt
500g dried anchovies - soaked to get rid of excess salt.
- Blend the onion and chillies into a smooth paste
- Blend 300g of the anchovies into a smooth paste and roughly chopped the other 200g
- Heat up cooking oil in wok.
- Add the chilli paste, keep stirring until the paste thickened and fragrant
- Add paste and the roughly chopped anchovies
- Keep stirring and cooked until all the moisture and liquid dried up.
- Season with sugar...
- lastly add the golden fried shallots and stir...


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Tea Time – Or: Where Are All My Coffee Varieties?
Posted by TheShot on 08 Sep 2006 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Restaurant Coffee
The Staten Island Advance (Staten Island has news?!) published an article today that heralds the arrival of tea as America's new hot beverage of choice over coffee: Tea time. For all the Oolong Frappucino and Chai Latte lovers out there, hey — more power to you. These are good times with more options. But before I'm ready to believe that the availability of good coffee is just a fad waiting to be replaced with the next beverage fad, it's worth taking a look at the recent history of high-end restaurant service.
Exquisite teas are nothing new, although, like espresso, their growing availability and accessibility is something new. But for at least a decade now, many high-end restaurants have served up dessert menus laden with variants of rare and exotic teas — the more exotic the better. (The challenge for some was to find a pot of tea that cost more than your valet parking.) Yet while restaurant indulgers have been trying to navigate a dozen choices of tea on their dessert menus, these restaurants still served only two choices of coffee: you either had it, or you didn't.
Sure, you could have it as an espresso, a cappuccino, a latte, or a straight-up cup of joe. But the pinnacle of cuisine still considered coffee a singular and universal noun — as if served out of an industrial grade, generic-branded tin labelled "coffee". Reading the restaurant menu, you got eight adjectives and four extra nouns with your salad course — but nothing for the last taste you went home with to remember the meal. And if you did dare order the espresso, it would be served by someone who knew next to nothing about coffee — and as an overextracted, ashy, bitter wash filled high in a fancy china cup.
High-End Dining Still Stuck In Coffee's Dark Ages
The rude truth is that still is the case today. It was seven years ago that I first encountered a restaurant that actually offered several varietals of coffee in personal French presses (Sage & Onion in Santa Barbara). Yet even today, such a thing is still virtually unheard of in San Francisco. New, Mediterranean-themed restaurants open with elaborate wine and tea lists and yet still have a pathetic coffee service (Vignette, as an example). And with the sad closure of Café Organica this year, you currently have to drive to Palo Alto or Santa Clara to get a choice of beans for your espresso.
Given the perishable inventory and training requirements for coffee, tea is a much lower maintenance option when handling multiple varieties. But before we all go following the trend towards Monkey Picked Tieguanyin Oolong tea like lemmings off a cliff, will somebody please at least humor me with a choice of either Ethiopian or Costa Rican when I order a cup of coffee? I'm not even asking for Jamaican Blue Mountain. Is that really too much to ask? (And please — none of those crappy pod systems either. Even though that would still be an improvement.)
No, coffee has a long, long way to go before these improvements run out of gas. In the meantime, as Abraham Lincoln once wisely said:
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
3 Comments »
3 Responses to "Tea Time – Or: Where Are All My Coffee Varieties?"
[…] It's considered one of the premiere dining establishments in the city, if not the country, with the most recent issue of Wine Spectator rating it as SF's best. So can at least a restaurant of this caliber get an espresso right? Afterall, if I can have my Sonoma County duck roulade and foie gras served three ways, is it too much to ask for a decent cup of coffee? I was on a mission to find out. […]
[…] First issue: Food editors, like most restaurant chefs, couldn't tell a good cup of coffee if it scalded their thighs in a McDonald's drive-thru. They've made it their business to know everything about food, but often that has translated into a misguided belief that this somehow confers upon them de facto coffee taster certification. Which partly explains why restaurants notoriously serve some of the worst espresso in any city I visit. And as Jeremy put it, "After all, how often do you see a restaurant review talk about the end-of-the-meal cuppa joe?" […]
[…] by TheShot on 08 Jun 2007 at 06:48 pm | Filed under: Beans Last year I asked the question, "Where are all my coffee varieties?". Today a press release from a Florida roaster picked up where I left off: Espresso like no Other […]


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Mike Boryla, former Post Gold Helmet winner, Stanford, Philly QB, gets good review for one-man play
In our Gold Helmet special section in December, I profiled the 1968 winner — Mike Boryla, who went on to play quarterback at Stanford and then with the Philadelphia Eagles before embarking on a very diverse and successful business career. He walked away from that to become a full-time playwright, and his one-man show — The Disappearing Quarterback — closes its run Sunday in Philadelphia.
Here's that profile. There's fascinating material in it.
His play just got a nice review from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Get into the Christmas spirit with these adorable hand painted wooden Holly Stud Earrings by Ginger Pickle.
Made from:
The earrings have been laser cut from 3mm birch plywood. They are attached to surgical steel (nickel free) earring posts which are safe for sensitive ears and do not tarnish. The earrings close with a butterfly back.
The earrings have been hand painted in christmas green and red and sealed with varnish for protection. Even though these earrings have been sealed please avoid contact with water.
The earrings measure approx. 1.5cm x 1.2 cm.
Your earrings will be packaged on branded Ginger Pickle card and wrapped in a tissue paper and popped in a glassine bag. Gift boxes are also available for a small charge instead of the standard gift wrapping option
Is this a gift? We can send your order directly to the recipient along with a gift note! Simply leave a message at seller checkout detailing what you want to say on the gift note.