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Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Herbed Asparagus Salad
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If I wait another week they'll be giving asparagus away. I promise this will be the last recipe I post for it this season, but, with prices so low, I really had to try this lovely and easy to assemble salad from Bon Appetit magazine. This is the type of dish I would normally not dream of making, but when asparagus is this cheap and abundant, there is no reason not to experiment. I can safely say no harm, no foul has been done to the family food budget. The salad was a big hit with the folks at my table this past weekend and I have no reservations about sharing it with you. The components of the salad can be made a day ahead of serving, though they should not be combined until you are ready to plate the various elements for service. The asparagus tends to get slimy and just plain unpleasant if dressed too far in advance of eating. More often than not, the ingredients for this salad are tossed together. I prefer to serve mine as a composed salad. The choice is yours. I know those of you who opt to make this salad will really enjoy it. There is nothing here not to love. Here's the recipe.
Herbed Asparagus Salad with Scallions and Cucumbers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
4 cups thinly sliced green onions
3 cups 1/4-inch cubes peeled seeded Kirby or English hothouse cucumbers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1) To make dressing: Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.
2) To make salad: Fill large bowl with lightly salted ice water; stir until salt dissolves. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups cooking liquid. Transfer asparagus to bowl of salted ice water to cool. Place green onions in another large bowl; pour hot reserved asparagus cooking liquid over onions and let stand until cool, about 30 minutes. Drain asparagus and green onions well. Transfer onions to clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Combine green onions, cucumbers, and herbs in mixing bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange asparagus on platter. Spoon cucumber mixture over and serve. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.
One Year Ago Today: Shrimp and Corn and Fresh Basil
Two Years Ago Today: Blackberry Cobbler
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Asparagus Pea and Saffron Risotto - A Feast for the Eyes
Asparagus Tart - Healthy and Gourmet
Shaved Asparagus Pizza - Annie's Eats
Asparagus Gratin - Closet Cooking
Cream of Asparagus Soup - Savoring Today
Asparagus and Gorgonzola Souffle - Guvi's
Braised White Asparagus and Leek Salad - FOODalogue
White Asparagus Panna Cotta - Almond Corner
Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Egg - Coconut and Lime
Asparagus Risotto - Vegalicious Recipes
57 comments :
- Jeannie said...
That asparagus salad of yours looks absolutely refreshing! Wonderful mixture of herbs!
- June 14, 2011 at 1:35 AM
- Wendy Irene said...
That pictures makes me so happy! Love how the chalkboard is in an old worn frame. Beautiful! Have a great day Mary :)
- June 14, 2011 at 1:41 AM
- Sunanda said...
Salad looks so refreshing and cool.. Nice presentation as well..
- June 14, 2011 at 1:47 AM
- Pondside said...
We love asparagus and soon it will be a bargain up here too. I think that one of life's luxuries is asparagus soup!
- June 14, 2011 at 1:55 AM
- Aldy said...
Gorgeous-delicious looking asparagus! I'm loving your green salad :) this sounds absolutely wonderful, Mary!
Aldy. - June 14, 2011 at 1:58 AM
- Julia said...
You can keep posting the asparagus recipes for as long as you like for me, Mary. We love it in our house. We can only get the wild asparagus in this part of Turkey but it's still nice.
- June 14, 2011 at 2:14 AM
- cocoa and coconut said...
I don't use asparagus enough! I'm glad to have some new recipes that use it, thanks to you. This salad looks great and healthy. Thanks Mary!
- June 14, 2011 at 3:38 AM
I am so jealous! Please keep on posting these recipes, it gives me some inspiration for when we get to enjoy asparagus again. Have a super day Mary :)
- June 14, 2011 at 4:20 AM
- Maris(In Good Taste) said...
Love how the scallions & cucumbers add a bit of crunch!
- June 14, 2011 at 4:29 AM
- Diane said...
Our asparagus is over now but I will make a not of this for next year. Take care. Diane
- June 14, 2011 at 4:49 AM
- T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...
The different shades of green or beautiful! I would always return to your asparagus restaurant. How do you get such uniform stalks?
- June 14, 2011 at 5:17 AM
- Blog is the New Black said...
The colors are gorgeous! I'm always looking for new ways to eat asparagus!
- June 14, 2011 at 5:36 AM
- Clint said...
Thank you for posting this. I love asparagus. It makes me happy steamed, roasted or pickled. Your recipe looks wonderful.
- June 14, 2011 at 5:42 AM
- Red Nomad OZ said...
Having been brought up with tinned asparagus, I've been a bit ambivalent towards it as an adult! But ... when it looks this good, it's worth a try!
- June 14, 2011 at 6:04 AM
- Alessandra said...
Keep posting asparagus Mary, even if I cannot eat them now I like to see the recipes! Actually, they have been selling some US asparagus here in NZ, but I only buy produce out of season if really really necessary.
Alessandra - June 14, 2011 at 6:14 AM
- Lori said...
Since I love asparagus- I thoroughly enjoy anything with asparagus. Our local asparagus is just starting to come in.
- June 14, 2011 at 7:08 AM
- A Bitchin' Kitchen said...
This looks so flavorful and fresh! I always prepare vegetable sides in such boring ways - I will have to remember this the next time I buy asparagus!
- Maggie - June 14, 2011 at 7:15 AM
- Martha said...
I love asparagus salads -- alas, asparagus season is no longer here -- I missed it entirely but I did get to eat a lot of really great English asparagus!
- June 14, 2011 at 7:22 AM
- safire said...
I've been wanting to make shaved asparagus salad for a while. The price on those beautiful asparagus is amazing! My grocery store is selling them for $3/lb.
- June 14, 2011 at 7:33 AM
- Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...
I have such bad luck making asparagus, you have inspired me to try it again! I always seen to ruin it... this may be the one for us!~
- June 14, 2011 at 7:47 AM
- Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...
Definitely plenty to love about this dish Mary.
- June 14, 2011 at 7:49 AM
- The Blonde Duck said...
I love the chalkboard! And the salad, of course!
- June 14, 2011 at 7:59 AM
- From the Kitchen said...
There simply cannot be too many recipes for asparagus. Ours is very cheap right now and I come home with so much of it that I scratch my head and wonder how we'll eat it all. We do! I'll be adding your salad minus the fresh chervil. I can't find it in the market or the nursery this year. Is there a chervil shortage?
Bonnie - June 14, 2011 at 8:02 AM
- Rita said...
I would eat asparagus year round if I could. What an attracive presentation and a must try.
Rita - June 14, 2011 at 8:02 AM
- Cooking Creation said...
Asparagus is my favorite and I could never get tired of seeing another wonderful recipe from you that includes it. This looks so healthy and delicious! Thanks for sharing :)
- June 14, 2011 at 8:29 AM
- The Harried Cook said...
I love asparagus and your salad looks fantastic! I wish we got asparagus cheap where I live. We have a to pay a LOT for fresh asparagus... Love that old fashioned blackboard, too! Thanks for the recipe, Mary!
- June 14, 2011 at 9:05 AM
- Jenna Lee said...
I have always loved asparagus and all veggies. They are so delicious. I could at a salad without dressing any day. YUMM
- June 14, 2011 at 9:08 AM
- Unknown said...
I would probably loose my brains if I saw asparagus for $1.39 a pound, wow! This salad is just beautiful and sounds delish! Thanks Mary!
- June 14, 2011 at 9:34 AM
- Emily Malloy said...
I have asparagus on the brain, too! This looks beautiful
- June 14, 2011 at 9:40 AM
This asparagus looks simply fantastic. Great recipe!
- June 14, 2011 at 9:51 AM
- Lucie said...
I hardly ever say no to asparagus, especially when it's fresh and vibrant with a bit of a crunch. This sounds perfect!
- June 14, 2011 at 9:54 AM
- Guvi said...
You'll make me get on a plane and come buy asparagus from there, at my local grocery the price is $4,99/lb now... The salad looks delicious, very refreshing! Thank you for the wonderful pictures and have a great day, Mary!
- June 14, 2011 at 10:05 AM
- CkretsGalore said...
Looks lovely!
I wish Asparagus was cheap up here in the Canadian Prairie lands but it's always pricey. - June 14, 2011 at 10:12 AM
- Rebecka said...
Hi Mary, Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such a lovely comment! I'm honored by your kindness especially after perusing your blog! Your photos and recipes are simply delicious. You are a consummate professional! I'll definitely be back to glean what I can from your presentation and food wisdom!
- June 14, 2011 at 10:32 AM
- Lauren Hairston said...
This looks great! Both my husband and I adore asparagus, so we've been really excited at the availability of it this season. In my opinion, you could never post too many asparagus recipes!
- June 14, 2011 at 10:44 AM
- June said...
Gorgeous salad Mary. I love the herb selection too. It must taste as fabulous as it looks!
- June 14, 2011 at 10:50 AM
- Renee Paj said...
Love asparagus....and one can never have enough salad recipes for the summer as far as I am concerned! Thanks Mary!
- June 14, 2011 at 11:12 AM
- lena said...
i believe this is another great asparagus recipe..crunchy and light!
- June 14, 2011 at 12:15 PM
- Paula @ Dishing the Divine said...
Asparagus is still expensive here. In fact, I think it's getting *more* expensive. Oh, well... that just means that we're on to other things! :)
- June 14, 2011 at 12:17 PM
- That Girl said...
I think that you can't get better than fresh produce posts! Especially in the summer.
- June 14, 2011 at 12:51 PM
- Catherine said...
Sound wonderful and fresh Mary. I know I would enjoy it. Blessings, Catherine
- June 14, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- The Single Nester said...
I really do love asparagus. All ways and now I have a new way :)
- June 14, 2011 at 1:23 PM
- Joanne said...
I don't think asparagus EVER gets that cheap here! I might have to make this salad anyway. Looks delicious!
- June 14, 2011 at 1:57 PM
- We Are Not Martha said...
I love simple, fresh deliciousness like this... And I LOVE when asparagus goes on sale :)
Sues - June 14, 2011 at 3:59 PM
- Priya Suresh said...
Wonderful salad, lovely presentation..feel like finishing that platter..
- June 14, 2011 at 4:13 PM
- Reshmi Mahesh said...
Lovely yummy salad...great presentation...
- June 14, 2011 at 4:34 PM
- Pity said...
i love the simplicity of the dish and the wonder that asparagus make in our bodies, delicious salad! cheers from london
- June 14, 2011 at 5:19 PM
- Ginny Hartzler said...
How fresh looking! My best friend found out that asparagus can help prevent cancer, and she is eating tons of it every day!! So much that one night, she got asparagus poisoning!
- June 14, 2011 at 6:03 PM
- Juliana said...
Beautiful picture of the salad, love the chopped herbs on it. Simple and yet SO SO tasty.
Have a wonderful week ahead Mary :-) - June 14, 2011 at 6:14 PM
- Unknown said...
I'm jealous of all the asparagus you have access to. Great looking salad.
- June 14, 2011 at 9:06 PM
- Claudia said...
The price of asparagus have finally gone down here (end of season?) and I will play with this - using the herbs that I actually have in my garden (love this season, love it!). And am happy to get past my daily lettuce salads...
- June 14, 2011 at 11:00 PM
- Swathi said...
I can't blame you, if you get asparagus for this cheap, you are going to buy them and making delicious dishes with them. salad looks fabulous.
- June 14, 2011 at 11:21 PM
- Nami | Just One Cookbook said...
Haha, it doesn't have to be the last one! ;-) But I never seen anyone who has asparagus recipes as much as you do! It's so cool. This one seems very light and healthy choice. I love asparagus!
- June 15, 2011 at 12:18 AM
- Foodiewife said...
Please post all the asparagus recipes you desire. I never tire of eating them in soups, salads, roasted, grilled. I love them all. This is a beautiful salad!
- June 15, 2011 at 12:24 AM
- My Little Space said...
mary, I just started my pickling project 2 months ago. I am learning more & more these days. It was great. I will be able to enjoy them one of this day. However, this is the first time I've ever heard of pickled asparagus. That must be so interesting. See, if I have more jars for more pickling stuffs. haha.... Thanks for sharing. Have a lovely day.
Cheers, Kristy - June 15, 2011 at 1:01 AM
- Elaine said...
With the herbs and dressing, this looks like such a delicious alternative to my usual roasted and steamed asparagus.
- June 15, 2011 at 7:51 AM
- NoPotCooking said...
I'm in need a new asparagus recipe and am going to try this one.
- June 15, 2011 at 11:36 AM


text:
What's the deal on camping and pre-game festivities?
An AO Meet and greet?
What's the deal on camping and pre-game festivities?
An AO Meet and greet?
I too wish to know.
I might be able to make the Saturday fun and games now!!!
"Alright you Primative Screwheads, listen up .... See this?? This is my BOOMSTICK!!!!"
"Well hello Mister Fancy Pants. I've got news for you pal, you ain't leading but two things right now: Jack and **** ... Jack left town."
ATC Paintball Factory Team Member.
Well this is my first post here at AGD.org, I actually have custom cocker and I am alittle old skool, back when AGD players would be on seperate teams than WGP players, but times have changed, hopefully we will team up and take on SP players . Well anyways my father and I will hopefully be coming to Shatner III, we were at Shatner II and had some fun, hated that damn hill though... And maybe we'll be on Tom's side so I can pop Shatners fat head...
P.S. My old man has an R.T. Pro, which he got at Shatner II...
I cant wait
Mike that sounds like my style of play. I lob shells over the team and pray the opposition walks into my cloud of paint. Can you say "INCOMING"!
Col. MarStoq
Volunteer Coordinator
Head GoFor, Shatnerball 3
I've been known to walk some paint onto a position 75-90 yards out... It's only money.
Did you attend Viper's Army of Darkness scenario in Conroe several years ago?
If not, you really missed it! Ask me about the "annointing" our team captain/general did to their general, if you see me at Shatnerball....
Is that a ditch behind me?
I'm old... I'm slow...
And I can't see very well...
Is this gun I borrowed any good?
{heh heh heh}
Well, Gumby and myself will be there, as will stylez an Robo with a couple others.
Weltman, looks like we will see you there as well....
Looking forward as this is my first Shatner, as well as CPX play.....
Will have the pump mag in hand, known as "The Mutt"
You will see when we get there as to why its called that.
BTW, Its my anniversary weekend tto, but not as long, only 19 years for me..........
cant waite for this event to get started
///Chrome Psycosis///
`looking good-playing bad`
Originally Posted by Death From Above
You mean next year's event?
"Do Not Trifle With Dragons For You Are Crunchy And Go Well With Brie"
i would sure hope so!
will a friend named mr. washington help speed up the announcement?
is there an event scheduled for this year?
ditto i'm in whens the next game ??????Originally Posted by mustangii
When Boston Legal goes off the air.Originally Posted by Raligh
there still working out the dates for 04Originally Posted by Raligh
some how i get the feeling that ship has sailed.
or left the star port as the case may be.
Forget Shatnerball.. there is now TUNABALL. (Tunaball 2 coming May 08!!)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"I really think I'm starting to get the hang of this, and I'm developing and becoming a better fighter each time." - Ramsey Nijem
Nearly two years since making his UFC debut against Tony Ferguson in the Ultimate Fighter season 13 finale, Ramsey Nijem is 3-1 in the Octagon with a big fight against unbeaten Myles Jury coming up this Saturday in San Jose. But when you remind him of his stay in the organization, he almost can't believe it.
"It actually only feels like six months to be honest," he said. "I'm like holy hell, I've been in the UFC two years now? That's crazy. But I've had a couple injuries and haven't had that many fights, so it really doesn't feel like two years."
He's had enough to make an impression though, as he bounced back from a loss to Ferguson in the TUF 13 final to defeat Danny Downes, CJ Keith, and Joe Proctor in succession, building himself a solid reputation in the notoriously tough 155-pound weight class.
"I really think I'm starting to get the hang of this, and I'm developing and becoming a better fighter each time," he said. "I'm starting to be able to throw punches, get takedowns, use jiu-jitsu, and do everything together to become a complete fighter. And though I'm working towards that, I still focus on one fight at a time. Each time I've got to in great shape because I've got to be ready for a war, and I think with that attitude, it's helped me get those three wins in a row."
It's been a wild ride so far for Nijem, one that truly began on TUF, as he practically came out of nowhere to finish Charlie Rader, Clay Harvison, and Chris Cope, punching his ticket to the finals in the process. With the recent season of the reality show in the books, the 25-year-old reflects on the whole experience, from being in the house for six weeks to his first UFC fight week.
"The first time you have a fight week it's a weird experience," he said. "I was fighting on small, regional shows, and the first time you go on a big fight week you're there four, five nights ahead of time, people want your autograph and it's a weird thing. But now I'm starting to get used to it and it becomes part of your fighting lifestyle."
Nijem entered the house with just five pro fights, and even though he showed promise on the local circuit, being able to fight full-time at that point was a pipe dream at best.
"Most fighters aren't able to train full-time until you're in the UFC, and even then some don't," he said. "So the first time going into the TUF house, it was the first time I ever trained when I wasn't working, going to school, and dealing with all these other responsibilities, so it was kinda cool to be able to train twice a day really hard, relax between workouts, and think about nothing other than training and fighting. So that was a cool experience and it definitely helped me develop as a fighter early on in my career faster than any other way."
Add in his work with The Pit team both in Utah and California, and Nijem has reached the point where nothing that can happen in a fight can be worse than what goes on in the gym.
"When you have a hard fight camp, you're like man, the fight's gonna be a heck of a lot easier than this," he said. "We've got UFC vets and a bunch of young, hungry fighters coming out of our gym, so we've got a good mix. The young guys come at you, the vets put it on you too, so you never get an easy day or a day off. That's how you become a better fighter."
And unlike his opponent this weekend, Nijem got the "0" off his record early, losing in his second pro bout to Gordon Bell in 2009. You might not think that's a big deal, but Jury is likely dealing with more questions about his unbeaten record than his opponent, and that can add pressure to any fighter's pre-fight prep as he looks to keep that slate clean.
"One thing that (former UFC heavyweight champ and his coach on TUF 13) Junior dos Santos said was 'once you lose, you lose the fear of losing,'" recalled Nijem. "And it helped. I'm more relaxed because when I fight what's the worst that can happen? I can get knocked out on national TV again? (Laughs) That's not that big of a deal anymore, and it definitely helps with the nerves. Some people build up the hype of fighting an undefeated guy, but it will actually be the third undefeated guy I fight, so I'm not too stressed about it. You have to take each fight as they come, and I think it's a good fight for me and I'm gonna give him his first loss."
Is the affable Nijem showing a mean streak?
"I like being the spoiler," he laughs. "It's fun going out there and being the underdog and putting it on someone and having them be like 'oh damn, he's better than I thought.'"
With the way things have been going, don't expect Nijem to be an underdog much longer.
"I feel like I've made a name for myself at '55," he said. "I had a couple dominant wins, and this fight is a good fight for me. Once I go out there and put it on Myles, people are gonna start being like 'oh, Ramsey deserves a top 15 or top 10 opponent.' A win like this over someone with so much hype around him should put me in the upper tier of the '55ers. I feel like I deserve to be there and that's where I want to be."
UFC 117 Fight Between Anderson Silva And Chael Sonnen…


text:
July 10, 2007
The Joy Of Sox Nickname Glossary
Arrojoness: Describes a bad performance. "Mike Remlinger is showing his Arrojoness tonight." From Rolando Arrojo.
Assman: Scott Proctor. From Jere.
Bartleby: Mark Bellhorn - Character in Herman Melville's 1853 story "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street", who often said: "I would prefer not to." Bellhorn did not swing at a lot of pitches.
BBellhorn: Mark Bellhorn - He drew walks; pronounced "Buh-Bellhorn".
Being: Manny Ramirez - Used at Over The Monster.
Big Donkey: Justin Masterson - Used by Sean Casey, September 2007 (see first comment).
Big Eunuch: Randy Johnson - Known as the Big Unit. aka The Big Ugly.
Bot: Jonathan Papelbon - Automatic out-getter. aka Papelbot, Snuffer.
Brak Brak: see Ococ. (Dgo vdieo hree).
Brandon: Bronson Arroyo - Tim McCarver has no idea who he is.
Bronx Bigot: Mike Mussina. Likely player alluded to by Peter Gammons in January 2000 ESPN column as someone who "has splattered" locker rooms with John Rocker-esque racist comments. Boasted he would never play in New York.
Bronx Bonger: Jeff Weaver - You mean he's not a stoner?
Buckethead: Kevin Millar - see KFK.
Buffy: Jamie Campbell, Blue Jays play-by-play announcer, Rogers Sportnet - Looks the little boy from Family Affair (whose actual name on the show was Jody and his sister was the one called Buffy, but Buffy is the name you think of if you think of the show, and it sounds better).
BuffyVision: The "station" on which I watch Red Sox/Blue Jays games in Canada.
Cabin Mirror: Kevin Millar - In early 2003, as the Red Sox tried to get Millar out of the Japanese contract he had signed, a SoSHer ran an online Japanese article through Bablefish, which translated Millar's name as Cabin Mirror. At a Boston book signing, a SoSHer told this to Millar. He was amused. Also used with Seinfeld line: "Cherish the cabin" and as either "Cabin" or "Mirror". aka KFK.
Cactus: Jason Varitek - On August 15, 2009, as the Rangers stole eight bases in eight tries on Varitek, Kevin asked: "Can we just sit a cactus behind home plate? I think it would have more luck throwing out runners..."
Cap'n Intangibles: Derek Jeter - The calm-eyed Yankees captain whose intangibles have been well documented. aka CI.
CI: See Cap'n Intangibles.
CHB/Curly Haired Boyfriend: Globe employee Dan Shaughnessy - Coined by an angry Carl Everett, who told the Globe's Gordon Edes to get out of the locker room "and take your curly haired boyfriend with you". Popularized and shortened to initials by Boston Sports Guy Bill Simmons. It remains Everett's greatest contribution to Red Sox history, greater even than ending Mussina's perfect game with two outs in the 9th.
Chocolate Rain: Edwar Ramirez - MFY pitcher. Coined by nixon33 (see Tay Zonday).
Cookie Monster: David Ortiz - Coined by his daughter.
Corpse of, the: A player who appears to be deceased yet is still employed in an MLB uniform. Has been used for many players, including Troy O'Leary, Dante Bichette, Tony Clark, Bernie Williams.
Derek Lowe Face: Exasperated facial expression when things don't go your way. aka: The Face. Known in other communities as the Jeff Weaver Face.
Dong: What everyone on the face of the Earth will (soon) be calling a home run. It all started on August 24, 2007.
Doung: A dong hit by Jason Bay (Canadian).
Dr. Doubles: Mike Lowell - According to Snuffer, it's what his teammates call him.
drewplaining: The act of complaining about J.D. Drew's poor performance in various rate statistics, such as RBI.
Dushbag: Fat Billy can't spell.
Dumbo: Jorge Posada - Coined by Pedro Martinez for the big-eared MFY catcher. aka Passedballa.
Einstein: Alex Cora - Why are only minimally-talented players so often described as the smartest in the game?
El Guapo: Rich Garces - From the movie "The Three Amigos".
E-Z Pass: Former third base coach Dave Sveum.
Fat Billy from Ohio/FBfO: Roger Clemens - His first name is William. He was born in Ohio. He's fat. Any questions? aka TCM.
FKR: FucKing Rays - They have become highly annoying in recent years.
Flo: David Ortiz - From Florida Evans, the name of the Good Times character played by Esther Rolle, to whom Ortiz bears a striking resemblance. aka: Tiz, Tizzle, Cookie Monster, Almighty God.
Fruitbat: Mariano Rivera - He looks like one. Coined by SoSH's Lanternjaw.
Fuck Yeah: Dustin Pedroia - From his common exclamation upon doing well in the field. Example: After his highlight-reel play to preserve Clay Buchholz's no-hitter:
FY: See Fuck Yeah.
G38: Curt Schilling - From his SoSH handle: Gehrig38. aka Blabbermouth.
Gasbag: Peter Gammons - Used more often during the Dan Duquette era when Gammons had to get in a swipe/dig/insult at the Sox GM in every single story he wrote (even if it was about the hot dog vendor for the Brewers' A club). aka Old Hickory, Gammo.
GDGD: GodDamn GameDay.
Gerbil: Don Zimmer - Second dumbest man in the history of dumb. aka %$@*#&*.
Gidget: Derek Lowe - In July 2004, he was asked about his state of mind. "When Pedro or Curt or anybody pitches a bad game, they pitch bad. I pitch bad and I'm a Mental Gidget."
Grinning Jackass: Grady Little - As the Red Sox's chance at a win melted away, usually due to his idiotic managing, he was often seen smiling like an idiot in the dugout. aka Gump, Huckleberry Happytalk.
Gumball: Jeff Bailey - Was using a gumball machine at a truck stop between Scranton and Rochester in the wee hours of the morning when he was told that the Red Sox were calling him up.
Gump: Grady Little - The dumbest man in the history of ever. aka Grinning Jackass.
Homre: See doung (thanks to Joe Grav).
HGH: Jason Giambi - MLB tests for steroids, so this is How Giambi Hits.
HH: Clay Buchholz. aka Laptop.
Hombre: Alan Embree.
Horseface: Andy Pettitte. aka Tucan (Sam).
Houdini: Jon Lester - For his remarkable ability in his rookie season to, after letting several guys on base, pitch out of trouble. Used in reference to Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2008.
Jeemer: Hideki Okajima - From Remy's pronunciation.
Joe Migraine: Devil Rays announcer Joe Magraine.
JtC: Joba Chamberlain - From Josh Beckett's dugout admonition to the MFY reliever after he threw two pitches at/over Yook's head: "Get out of here, you fucking cunt!" aka: Joba the Hut.
KFK: Kevin Millar - Did Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials, in which he swung a drumstick a la Carlton Fisk in 1975 World Series. aka: Cabin Mirror, Buckethead, Oreck.
Laptop: Clay Buchholz - Boston Globe, March 31, 2006: "Clay Buchholz, a righthander from Angelina Junior College in Texas, was taken last summer with a first-round sandwich pick by the Sox, as other teams passed because Buchholz had been arrested for stealing 29 laptops from his high school and selling them." aka: HH.
LBJ: Jacoby Ellsbury - My partner Laura is quite taken with our young outfielder. Briefly known as "Laura's Boy Jacoby", quickly shortened to LBJ. aka: Lyndon, Dreamboat. (Coined September 3, 2007)
Lyndon: See LBJ.
"Make Tito Apologize": Said when the Red Sox are piling up runs. Refers to the Red Sox's 25-8 win over the Marlins in June 27, 2003, after which Gump apologized to Florida manager Jack McKeown for supposedly running up the score. Naturally, the very next fucking night, Boston scored seven times in the 6th, but Shithead Gump eased up with a 9-2 lead. Florida got four in the eighth and four in the ninth and won the goddamn game 10-9. Moral: NEVER stop scoring runs.
Malphabet: Doug Mientkiewicz - His last name is hard to spell. aka Eyechart or "M" and then slap random keys on your typewriter, e.g., Msldkh'VHJS.
Mayor, the: Sean Casey -- He got the nickname while playing for the Reds because of his outgoing personality and willingness to chat with anyone.
MBM: Manny Being Manny - The process of putting up Hall of Fame batting stats and being an all-around entertaining person.
McMoron: Tim McCarver. Once a good announcer, now hopelessly senile.
MDC: Manny Delcarmen.
MFY: No explanation necessary. aka: the Chokers, Evil Empire, EE.
Microwave, the: Darnell McDonald - Coined by Dustin Pedroia after McDonald's pinch-hit home run and game-winning single against Texas on April 20, 2010.
Milk Dud: Melky Cabrera - From MFY "Melk Man" shirts and the fact that he's no good.
MManny: Manny Ramirez - See BBellhorn.
Mockery: Lou Merloni - Who said after being demoted to Pawtucket: "I'm frustrated about the way the organization has portrayed my career. In a sense, they have made a mockery of my career and a joke of it." Not too much later, Ben Affleck said during a NESN telecast: "Hitting .192 is making a mockery of your career."
Mop, the: Kyle Farnsworth - From George King of the New York Post, April 18, 2008 (JoS mention here).
Mordecai: Kevin Brown - From Deadball Era pitcher Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, after he punched a wall in New York and broke two of his fingers on his pitching hand.
Mr. Hankee: Hank Steinbrenner. The latest Bronx clown is unable to shut his pie hole, so he's usually saying something stupid and inappropriate (examples). aka: Hankapalooza, Hankenstein.
Mr. Weebles: "Coined" by Jimy Williams in a fictional interview by BSG Bill Simmons ("As you probably know, Mr. Weebles is the microscopic man that lives in my mouth and orders me to make some of my quirkier moves.")
Mrs. Garret: Garret Anderson, after the character Edna Garrett from The Facts Of Life sitcom.
Muddy Chicken: Dustin Pedroia.
MUMS: Made Up Manny Shit - The lies, rumours and assorted unsourced bullshit the sports media spews about Manny Ramirez.
Napkin, the: John Burkett - Coined by SoSH's Maalox: "When you have to wipe your ass and you're all out of toilet paper, a napkin is better than nothing." I.e., he ain't Pedro, but he'll do if he's all you got.
Nomar Garciapopup: Former shortstop with the maddening habit (OCD?) of swinging at the first pitch (and often hitting it straight up in the air). aka Nosmarts.
Noriega: Rudy Seanez - Separated at birth from the Panamanian dictator.
Oatmeal, We Have Oatmeal: In 2007, when the night's lineups would be posted online, I'd often announce them in the game thread with: "We Have Lineups!" That reminded me of a sign you often see in diners/coffee shops: a paper plate tacked up on the wall with "We Have Oatmeal!" written on it - with a little smiley face. It must be a diner tradition. So Oatmeal = Lineup(s).
Ococ: Coco Crisp - Coined by my partner Laura. Why were some TV announcers, even after Nomar had been in the majors for more than 10 years, still informing us that his name came from his father's name (Ramon) spelled backwards? And why did they say it as if a huge secret was being revealed? As time went on, Laura and I would say stuff like: "Hey, did you know that Pedro's father's name is Ordep?" She soon dubbed Coco Crisp "Ococ" (pronounced Ock-ock). This ties in with a classic from fellow blogger Jere. In June 2005, he posted some pictures of the Red Sox's trip to Cleveland. One caption: "Jhonny Peralta was dropped off by his wife or girlfriend, who brought the dog along for the ride. 'Brak, brak, I'm Jhonny Peralta's dgo!'"
Old Hickory: Peter Gammons - From his resemblance to Andrew "OH" Jackson (the 7th US president) on the current US $20 bill. aka: Gasbag, Gammo, the Commissioner.
Old Yeller: Mike Timlin - It's time.
On Fire: J.D. Drew - First used September 11, 2007. See here.
Oreck: Kevin Millar - Coined by Laura. Oreck makes vacuum cleaners that really suck up the dirt. In 2005, Millar simply sucked. aka Cabin Mirror, KFK, Buckethead.
Papelbot: See Bot.
Passedballa: Jorge Posada - Not the best defensive catcher in baseball. Usually shouted gleefully at the TV as yet another MFY pitcher's pitch is rolling to the backstop (Dumbo doesn't even have to be playing). aka Dumbo.
Peanuthead: Bernie Williams - e.g., his bald head.
Pedro: Ramon Ramirez - see here.
Professional, the: Bill Mueller - Always described on broadcasts as "a professional hitter". aka Pro.
Psycho Field: Safeco Field, Seattle - Coined by Julian Tavarez, July 2006.
Orson: David Wells - From another large man, Orson Welles.
RATS: Runners At Second and/or Third - A more accurate description than RISP (Runners In Scoring Position).
Red Dot: Scott Kazmir - From the sweater in Seinfeld episode #29. ("When I was a little girl in Panama ...")
Rico Baldy: Rocco Baldelli - NESN had two kids read the lineups on May 7, 2009 and the kid doing the Red Sox batting order - a possible graduate of the Remy School Of Reading Promos (not looking at it at all before going live) - stumbled over Baldelli's name. It's also used at Center Field.
Ringo: Doug Mirabelli - From Ringo Starr, a marginally talented person who lucked into the greatest gig in the world. aka Stud Who Hits Bombs, SWHB.
Rob Dribble: Former pitcher Rob Dibble, current sports media moron. You'll get better (and more coherent) analysis from a resin bag.
Rutheberg: Scott Hatteberg - Coined by Peter Gammons, during his anti-Sox period, in a season preview at ESPN dated March 30, 2002: "And the monster springs from Jeremy Giambi -- who may have grown up out of his brother's shadow, especially after a winter of strict conditioning -- and Scott Rutheberg (aka, Hatteberg) may get them by for awhile." (Hatteberg had had a very strong spring training and Gammons was taking a back-handed swipe at Dan Duquette for letting SH leave via free agency.)
SASAHE: Swinging At Shit Around His Eyes - Usually directed at Jason Varitek, who has a serious problem laying off very high fastballs. This is made doubly annoying by his frequent attempts to get opposing hitters to do the same by coming out of his crouch as a high pitch is being delivered. Unfortunately, it almost never works.
Saturn Nuts: Bronson Arroyo - Inspired by Curt Schilling, who posted in the SoSH Game Thread before 2004 ALDS Game 3: "Friday is going to be a legit struggle, got a team fighting for its life against a kid making his first ever post season start, FWIW I take the kid Friday night, he's got nuts the size of Saturn." aka: Saturn Nads, Saturn, Brandon.
Seabass: Alex Gonzalez - Coined by Kevin Millar for his (Seabass's) perpetually sullen game-face.
Seabiscuit: Shea Hillenbrand. From Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling book.
Secret Weapon: Julio Lugo - from a MLB.com headline of May 8, 2009.
Sewing Circle: This blog - Noted by a troll named NewJerseyYankee on July 8, 2009: "What a little sewing circle you have created here."
Sexy Lips: Julian Tavarez - During a Fox broadcast in July 2006, he told Papelbon the two horses he owns are pretty because, like him, they have sexy lips. aka: Yo-Yo (used by Red Sox teammates).
SiaS/Shit in a Suit: George Steinbrenner - A SoSH original. aka FiaT/Feces in a Turtleneck.
Slappy McBluelips: Alex Rodriguez - aka: E-Rod, Mr. April, April-Rod, Alice.
Shemp: Hideki Matsui - There is a strong resemblance.
Snook: Doug Mientkiewicz - Coined by David Ortiz, mentioned in Globe article. aka Malphabet.
Snuffer: Jonathan Papelbon - He snuffs out any chance of opponents' scoring. aka Bot.
Spiders: Cleveland Indians. A better and non-racist name.
Stade Fasciste: Yankee Stadium - the name is actually a better fit for the brand new dump than it was for the 1976-2008 dump. aka the Toilet.
Statue, the: Todd Walker - Minimal range at 2B.
Stud Who Hits Bombs/SWHB: Doug Mirabelli - From Dougie's Diary.
Sultan of Sweat, the: Kevin Youkilis.
Tery: Terry Francona - From "Jimy" Williams, when Tito does something stupid. aka Francoma.
TCM: See Texas Con Man.
Texas Con Man: Roger Clemens - Coined by the late Globe sportswriter Will McDonough. aka TCM, Fat Billy.
Toilet, the: Yankee Stadium - SoSH origin: So many asses sit there. Also looks like a bedpan from the air. aka Stade Fasciste.
Thermos, the: Tony Clark - With the Red Sox in 2002, his bat stayed cold while all his teammates were hot.
Truped: Being suckered into believing a home run has been hit when it clearly has not. From long-time Red Sox radio announcer Jerry Trupiano's excited calls -- "Swing and a drive! WAY BACK! WAY BACK!" -- on anything from a pop-up to short center field to an obvious foul ball down the line, to actually home runs. In 13 years calling Red Sox games, he never figured out what we all learned at age 10: watch the outfielder. Responsible for perhaps hundreds of car accidents throughout New England. (You can also be truped by poor camerawork while watching TV.)
Way Back: Former Sox pitcher John Wasdin - who allowed a lot of home runs (thus prompting many "WAY BACK!" calls from Jerry Trupiano).
"We Have Oatmeal": See Oatmeal.
White Flag: Mike Timlin - Bringing him into a game is giving up on any chance of a win. aka Old Yeller, Toast, Toasty McWhiteflag.
World's Strongest Jew/WSJ: Gabe Kapler - aka the Hebrew Hammer. aka Kotter.
WOTS: Tanyon Sturtze - Always referred to as "Worcester's Own Tanyon Sturtze".
Yook: Kevin Youkilis - aka Sultan of Sweat, Greek God of Walks (from the book "Moneyball"). FYI: Francona: "I've seen him in the locker room. He's not the Greek God of anything.".
DFA List / Rarely Used
Adebisi: Jose Contreras - From character on HBO's Oz.
Dimmer: Eric Gagne - In LA, his nickname was "Lights Out". Since he'll be primarily a set-up man in Boston, he's more like "Lights Almost Out" now. He will dim the lights. [Sept. 2007 note: Or not.]
Jesus: Johnny Damon - Re his 2004 hair and beard. aka Charlie Manson, Noodle.
Noodle Arm: Johnny Damon - Obvious. aka: Noodle, Judas, "Who?".
SheaAAA: Shea Hillenbrand - Player of questionable major league talent, given 3B job out of spring traning in 2001 by Mr. Weebles. aka Seabiscuit.
Super Genius: Wily Mo Pena - From Wily E. Coyote. aka WMP.
30 comments:
- allan said...
Here it is!
I'm sure I've forgotten some, so I'll update it as times goes on. - July 10, 2007 at 7:24 AM
- Sir Jahmez said...
Love it - especially the MFY references! Don't forget jeemer. : )
- July 10, 2007 at 7:55 AM
- allan said...
See? I'm forgetting the ones I use right now! - July 10, 2007 at 8:09 AM
- Jere said...
Whoa, whoa, Ginga... you've given Arrojo a Y. Poor Bronson.....
Okay, now I'll read bejond the A section.... - July 10, 2007 at 9:44 AM
- Jere said...
"look like a bedpan from the air."
And smells like one from the ground! Great job on this list. No separate entry for CFY, I noticed, although it's kind of implied in the MFY entry. - July 10, 2007 at 9:49 AM
- allan said...
Thanks for the typo-spotting, Jere.
Added "SiaS" -- although I don't use it here.
(When a few SoSHers were editing various Yankee Wikipedia sites, someone put in the "fact" that Steinbrenner's mother's birth name was Sias. That survived for a while.) - July 10, 2007 at 10:48 AM
- Jere said...
There's some funny stuff from the Stein page's edit history:
"(cutting note that Steinbrenner is known as "Cleveland Steamer", as we are the only reference to this, and that nickname is normally associated with excrement, therefore likely vandalism)"
"Erased Stupid Red Sox homo fan comments)" - July 10, 2007 at 11:07 AM
- BklynSoxFan said...
Actually, Rob Dribble's now on Fox Sports, on that horrible "Best Damn Sports Show" rubbish....
- July 10, 2007 at 11:11 AM
- BklynSoxFan said...
Enjoyed the column very much, though. Great stuff...
- July 10, 2007 at 11:27 AM
- allan said...
Added a few more.
Many of these are from Sox of 02-03-04 vintage, but I included them anyway.
Trying to think of other former Yankees or non-Sox/non-MFY.... - July 10, 2007 at 11:29 AM
- Benjamin said...
"Seabass" was coined by Millar when they were both with Tampa Bay, no?
- July 10, 2007 at 11:46 AM
- allan said...
Could be. I once asked at SoSH about it because I felt like I missed class the day it came up, but I never got a real answer.
Added Houdini/Lester. - July 10, 2007 at 12:31 PM
- allan said...
The Googe Is Your Friend:
search "millar gonzales seabass"
and the first entry informs us:
"Because of a perpetually sullen game-face, Kevin "Cowboy Up" Millar nicknamed Fishy shortstop Alex Gonzalez: "Sea Bass." - July 10, 2007 at 12:32 PM
- Pocono Sox said...
Potato....Gotta be from Mr. Potato Head, with those ears. Great list, I'm still laughing
- July 10, 2007 at 1:17 PM
- Zenslinger said...
Thanks for taking the time. It's a great read all by itself, to say nothing of its reference value.
- July 10, 2007 at 1:21 PM
- Jere said...
Remember Unfrozen Caveman Shortstop?
- July 10, 2007 at 1:59 PM
- allan said...
Vaguely. ... Grebeck?
- July 10, 2007 at 2:19 PM
- Jere said...
- July 10, 2007 at 2:26 PM
- allan said...
There were names I left out.
Like calling Dante Bichette "Shrek". It seems very long ago and I'll never mention him, while I may mention Bellhorn.
Grebeck probably fits into that Bichette category also. - July 10, 2007 at 2:43 PM
- laura k said...
Love this post! Thanks for doing it.
- July 10, 2007 at 3:21 PM
- Bartman said...
Re: The Corpse. You're right: Bernie Williams never smiled, yet the fans loved him. Paul O'neill was no bundle of warmth either. What is it about making the big bucks in NYC?
- July 10, 2007 at 4:43 PM
- San Francisco Red Sox Fan said...
In the New York Times today Papelbon said that Manny checked into the wrong hotel room in San Francisco and that finding Manny was a little bit like "Where's Waldo".
Maybe a new nickname for Manny?
I'm going to try and find the article on line and blog about it later. - July 10, 2007 at 5:19 PM
- Ron said...
I really, really enjoyed reading this.
"Derek Lowe Face" should be attributed to the Sports Guy, no? - July 10, 2007 at 6:24 PM
- Jere said...
The funny thing about "Truped" is how for years, my family and ONE other Sox fan friend I grew up with always called this phenomenon "getting Castiglioned." And by the time Joe got his act slightly more together, there was this new guy, Trup.
But with Castig it was always, "There's a fly ball DEEP to left, Winfield going back to the wallll...but the wind holds it up and he TRACKS it DOWWWWN."
Also, about the pronunciation of BBellhorn: reminds me of when I was little, I'd say Luh-loyd Muh-moseby. - July 27, 2007 at 5:59 AM
- JASon said...
I'm curious about the "&Myers" nickname for Jacoby. I've seen that dropped various places on the interwebs.
- September 7, 2007 at 8:28 AM
- allan said...
JASon: Large law firm.
- September 7, 2007 at 9:00 AM
- JimD said...
"He's not the Greek God of anything."
That one brought tears to my eyes, and I'm still laughing! - July 31, 2008 at 6:58 PM
- bdubsmitty said...
Love the list...
What about "Scrappy Doo" for Dustin Pedroia...though I like FY a lot as well. - December 31, 2008 at 1:24 PM
- Cliff said...
I propose that Jacoby Ellsbury be known as the Navajo God of Speed
- April 27, 2009 at 1:17 AM
- FenFan said...
I know this post is really, REALLY old but I propose adding "Cecil" to describe Dustin Pedroia. This came about as I watched a game at Fenway in 2007. When he came to bat and they posted his photo on the scoreboard, I turned to my wife and remarked: "He looks just like Cecil Turtle from the old Looney Tunes cartoons." Even today, I look at his face and all I can see is Cecil Turtle.
- November 2, 2009 at 12:43 PM


text:
The most consistently successful part of the Mariners enterprise has been their annual set of TV commercials that use the most popular players and coaches in 30-second skits that border on the bizarre.
So if you're the type who likes Larry Bernandez almost as much as Felix Hernandez, the 2014 Mariners seemed have topped the scripted skit with the unscripted: "Dancing with the M's."
In the hours before the game and fans happened at Safeco Field Wednesday against the Twins, relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen was moved to move to DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down the What" on the stadium's sound system.
Not to be outdone, pitching coach Rick Waits did . . . something. It might be dancing. Feel free to decide.
Enjoy the All-Star break.


text:
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text:
Of all the individuals in President Obama's first-term Cabinet, physicist Steven Chu was arguably the least likely to be found in official Washington.
The Energy Department secretary, after all, was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist from the University of California, Berkeley, the first science laureate to serve as a Cabinet secretary.
Chu announced on Friday that he would be stepping down. Which means that if President Obama was serious in this inaugural declaration — "We will respond to the threat of climate change" — he'll be doing it with an entirely new cast of lieutenants.
The three major Cabinet posts that deal with the issue — EPA, Interior and Energy — are now awaiting new leaders. The fourth leg in the climate change policy stool is the State Department, which must ultimately approve any decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline because it crosses international boundaries. And Friday was John Kerry's first day as the new secretary of state.
But Chu's pending exit offered a good chance to look back at what he brought to the Obama administration, and what his legacy could include.
Chu's resume would have stood out even if he hadn't won a Nobel.
He wasn't entirely an innocent when it came to the federal bureaucracy's ways. He was director of the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before being named to the department's top job. Still, amid the career politicians who largely filled the president's first-term Cabinet, his background made him an intriguing choice.
What Chu lacked in Washington political experience, he more than made up for in scientific brilliance and an accessible, easygoing, quick-witted style that came across in his Senate confirmation hearing in January 2009.
Asked by Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, if the incoming administration's cap-and-trade policy was the "politically best" position, Chu flattered Corker: "You're far more experienced about answering that question."
"Well, I don't know. You seem pretty good," responded Corker, prompting laughs from the audience.
Scientific expertise undoubtedly was needed in his attempt to foster new energy technologies to reduce the nation's reliance on fossil fuels. And Chu's academic stature and connections in academia and Silicon Valley helped him attract other really smart people with proven track records to DOE.
There they got going a group called ARPA-E, which was meant to be DOE's version of DARPA, the renowned Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that spearheaded the creation of the Internet, GPS and other technologies. (A side benefit of having all those brainiacs around was that they also figured out which method had the best chance of stopping the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.)
With funding from the American Recovery Act — the more than $800 billion economic stimulus legislation Obama signed in early 2009 — ARPA-E funded a number of cutting-edge technologies. Its competitive grants were meant to kick-start promising projects that would attract the interest of private investors. (For instance, there are microbes engineered to turn hydrogen and carbon dioxide into liquid fuel.)
As Michael Grunwald wrote in The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era, ARPA-E was a small part of the stimulus, a mere 0.05 percent. "The stimulus was only partly about stimulus. It was also about metamorphosis. ... Most of its breakthroughs won't produce results for years. But it's emblematic of the [Recovery Act's] assault on the status quo."
It's true that Chu's tenure will be remembered in part for the controversy over government loan guarantees to the failed Solyndra solar company.
But if ARPA-E winds up midwifing a technology that changes the nation's energy equation in a positive way, that could prove to be Chu's ultimate legacy as energy secretary.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Microsoft Has Turned The Corner
I've got to say: in my opinion, Microsoft has turned The Corner.
You know The Corner.
The one that gets us off of pothole ridden Vista Avenue (one street over from Lincoln in Blue Velvet). The Corner that requires Microsoft to shed some of the fat it has layered on recently just to make the turn without flipping. The one that requires a bit of humility for past failings (the aforementioned Vista, Xbox losses & red-ring, Zune's market performance so far, WinMo asleep at the wheel, no coherent brand strategy, search lagging behind for so long, the abandonment of IE after IE6, a confused developer story, a bungled Yahoo! acquisition attempt, etc etc etc).
The Corner that perhaps doesn't get us out of the bad neighborhood, but is at least pointing us in the right direction. What has helped make the turn?
- Windows 7
- Bing
- Silverlight
- IE EU chutzpah
- ...and award worthy, coherent ads that aren't a demonstration of how best to destroy millions of dollars quickly.
Redemption takes a while. Time is needed to allow perception to change and to re-earn trust and respect. Once Microsoft was the scrappy underdog playing catch-up against many competitors. Later Microsoft was the dominating OS and application suite, so drunk and arrogant on its own power (pre-monopoly designation) that it made some truly dumb, strong-armed moves (and even worse, did sloppy "nuh-uh!" cover-up maneuvers). After that, Microsoft went from getting beat-up by the US government to the dot-com bust to the development of Vista, reset after the huge effort of XP SP2. The Evil Empire became The Bungler, hatred turning to scorn and frowning distaste. And the EU hurried over to slip in a few kicks to the wallet.
While all of that could have been avoided with competent senior leadership, it at least served as a hard enough whack to the side of the head that even our mediocre leadership took action to aright the ship.
Now we have the potential to start shaking this off and achieving solid, if not stellar, results.
- Microsoft is Getting Things Right This Time
- Bing, the Imitator, Often Goes Google One Better
- Google vs. Bing: Bing holds its own in search-off
- Looking Beyond Its Old Vista, Microsoft Emits a New Aura
- Microsoft up as Goldman adds to 'Conviction Buy'
This is happening, too, while the shine on Google is dulling. Rather than pulling an Apple on us anymore, Google has picked up the nasty habit of pre-announcing technology. Guys, you stole the wrong playbook. And, uh, we don't want it back. Plus the government's gaze has moved from the fallen-working-on-redemption of Microsoft to the obvious domination of Google in search and information strong-arming. A dose of the medicine Google's now getting:
- Why Google Is Stealing Apple's Ideas (Googlers, you do not want the Apple fan boys mad at you. Trust me on this.)
- Google's Microsoft Moment
- Google OS: TechCrunch dubs Linux a 'big ol' bag of drivers' If you add an OS to Chrome, it's an OS
- Google OS: Let's all take a deep breath and get some perspective (truly a landmark in the Return of Fake Steve Jobs).
Anyway. Let us enjoy this success of Microsoft turning The Corner, all while being a wee bit smaller and more efficient. 5,000 jobs eliminated so far and a declaration from Ballmer that efficiency is his key focus right now. Wall Street likes how that blood in the water tastes so far.
I'm going to start my whole "and we can cut a whole lot more positions" screed in a second. But first a moment to reflect on the flesh and blood people caught up in the layoff mess we've gone through so far. There is certainly a sobering perspective on this within the abundant comment stream of the last post.
It's not their fault they were part of the layoff. It's not their fault that their position was considered part of the inefficient part of the company that was eliminated. I certainly don't blame anyone for wanting to work for Microsoft. Large parts of Microsoft are magical, exhilarating places to be. In its bones, Microsoft is a great company with amazing potential. It's just turning The Corner and directing itself to where it can focus on efficient, lean-mean, profit making products that engage and delight Microsoft customers.
At Microsoft a lot more positions still need to go to achieve efficiency and focus. 15,000 more is my magic number. It's not personal. But to achieve efficiency and resolution of what to focus on with determination, we need a whole lot less people and to publicly admit there are opportunities we will focus on and others we are okay walking away from. ("That's right, Adobe: you can charge as much as you flipping want for your Photoshop line of software.")
For efficient product development: Yahoo!'s Carol Bartz has a good point when she swears like a sailor over having way too many program managers vs. actual developers (overloaded with one program manager for every three developers). <<edit edit edit - this went quickly into the weeds - let me sum up some quick thoughts>> Looking across groups, I still see exceptionally inefficient use of broad, front-loaded thinking and design locked into a 1970s waterfall model that leads to reality and focus coming way too late and a bunch of frantic, mediocre consensus driven crap floating like chunks into an end product. Kaizen. Kaizen. Kaizen. Efficiency is not going to happen as long as we continue rewarding people for this status quo. Shedding a respectable chunk of the company would bring an exceptional amount of upfront focus to our teams and result in high-quality features end-to-end, vs. what we see in misshapen compromise that we can fit in.
Microsoft has turned The Corner. But our car's suspension is still wobbling from the load we're carrying, and while some fine spots of leadership has gotten us around this bend, it doesn't take much for the remaining mediocre leadership to assume that the pressure is off and to get their grubby hands on the wheel and start turning us back towards Vista Avenue. The job isn't done. It's just beginning. We iterate again.
(Oh, and hey, here's a question for you: if you could create a new Microsoft leader based on the best attributes of our current leaders, what would you create? For instance, I'd start by combining the efficient layer-busting profit focused philosophy of new President Steven Sinofsky with the campus design skills of President Robbie Bach. Ideas?)
Administrivia: to subscribe to all comments here, use the following: http://minimsft.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default . While I enjoy providing the freedom of unmoderated comments over in The Cutting Room Floor, I had to turn off anonymous comments for the time being. You can still post unmoderated comments, you'll just need to provide a Blogger ID / OpenID.
CRF: unmoderated comment thread: Microsoft Has Turned The Corner (plus a snippet of what I deleted from this post).


text:
Pasty7 PickupHockey Veteran
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quote:Originally posted by Go_Habs_GoAs for the first round, i just hope they dont match up against Philadelphia.Flyers-Canucks for the finals"Bon point Jacques!" - Benoît Brunet
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quote:Originally posted by slozoI voted low, 10 games, but it was probably just so that my pre-season prediction comes true.Truthfully, it would require some serious heart as you say for them to play .500 and keep a playoff spot. Price would have to play outstanding for the rest of the year, same as he started it (he's tapered off a bit, but still playing well). I have been on record as predicting their demise because of Markov, and said after he went down that they'd be lucky to make the playoffs . . . and everyone (Habs fans) was up in arms on that prediction because they were in first place at the quarter season mark.But we'll see . . . they have been a surprising team for me so far, and to give credit where credit is due, Price and the whole team have played very well. I would predict failure from the All Star break onward . . . but I've been wrong before."Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug
quote:Originally posted by Alex116With the shoulder being a separation and not a dislocation, news is good for the Habs right there! If Cammy can be back within a month, they're very fortunate, but like most injuries, they've gotta be careful not to rush him back!
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quote:Originally posted by Alex116nuxfan....was pretty weird not seeing the leafs when i turned on HNIC! A little "treat" thrown our way !Ottawa's a strange one. Fair bit of talent there, but no results. Spezza trade talks, which seem to come up EVERY year, could start swirling as soon as he's healthy! Anyone know his prognosis?Pasty / GHG / "other HAB fans.....Nice point last night. Well fought for. One of those one's that you can walk away from without the extra shootout point and still be satisfied!
quote:Originally posted by Go_Habs_GoTheir prospect is Erik Karlsson, and their team is based on Kovalev, Spezza, Alfredson and Gonchar...great players (maybe Gonchar and Kovalev are getting old). I don't know what's wrong with those senetors. As for the Habs...ya guys who think they wont make the playoffs are serious ? Carolina ? Florida ? (assuming Atlanta is already in the top 8)...gimme a break. The Habs have at least 1 point in 10 of their last 11 games, and won 7-1 without Cammalleri and other injuries...I think they'll manage not losing a 7-point advantage on 9th position."Bon point Jacques!" - Benoît Brunet
T-RAV Top Prospect
Canada 75 Posts
quote: from TRAV:This is NOT to say they suck, OR that they will not make the play-offs. But if GM Place were to suddenly implode, I would party like [ moderator edit ] (I would not lose sleep).
quote:Peace and Respect
Odin PickupHockey Pro
Canada 350 Posts
quote:Originally posted by doublechamp7I only caught the overtime and shootout of the MTL game(CBC only lets me watch toronto) and i was absolutely amazed at the couple of shifts by Plekanec, I think he will have a good 2nd half, and montreal will do good too.24 wins for Montreal I thinkThe juniors have failed for Canada
quote:Originally posted by The DukeOdin are you serious ?? Halak was traded because he was INCONSISTENT !!!Then what was Price ?? Do you remember just how many chances Montreal gave Price only to sit him for the more CONSISTENT Halak, i sure do.Price was given priority over Halak all the while they were a duo in Montreal...but he ( Price ) always played a few good games and then flopped....back with poor old Halak again trying to pick up the peices left behind by another loss by Price.Why do you think Montreal went with Halak in the playoffs last year ?? Because he was INCONSISTENT ?? While Price is having a great season so far....Montreal could not play Price in the playoffs last year because the way he was playing Washington would have routed them 4 straight, and they knew it.2009 - 2010 regular season statsJ.Halak....GAA 2.40.....26 wins.....13 lossesC.Price....GAA 2.77.....13 wins.....20 lossesYep, that Halak was sure in-consistent.Who thinks that Montreal`s record would be worse this year with Halak in the net all season ?


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Chapter 12
Jesus proclaims Himself Lord of the Sabbath and heals on the Sabbath day—He is accused of casting out devils through the power of Beelzebub—He speaks of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and says that an evil and adulterous generation seeks signs.
1 At that time Jesus went on the asabbath day through the bcorn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the cears of corn, and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not aread what bDavid did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the ashewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the asabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the atemple.
7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have amercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the asabbath day.
9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
10 ¶ And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
14 ¶ Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
15 But awhen Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
16 And charged them that they should not make him known:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by aEsaias the prophet, saying,
18 Behold my aservant, whom I have bchosen; my cbeloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
19 He shall not strive, nor acry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth ajudgment unto victory.
21 And in his aname shall the bGentiles trust.
22 ¶ Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of aDavid?
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by aBeelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their athoughts, and said unto them, Every bkingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if aSatan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out adevils by the bSpirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto cyou.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and aspoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not awith me scattereth abroad.
31 ¶ Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven aunto men: but the bblasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall cnot be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be aforgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
33 Either make the tree good, and his afruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his bfruit.
34 O ageneration of vipers, how can ye, being evil, bspeak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good atreasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth bevil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every aidle bword that men shall cspeak, they shall give daccount thereof in the day of ejudgment.
37 For by thy awords thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38 ¶ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a asign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a asign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be athree days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of aNineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they brepented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42 The aqueen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
43 aWhen the bunclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth ahe, and taketh with himself seven other bspirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last cstate of that man is dworse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
46 ¶ While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his abrethren stood bwithout, desiring to speak with him.
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my amother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the awill of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my bbrother, and sister, and mother.


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Beijing is the capital of the most populous country in the world, China, and its second largest city after Shanghai. It was the seat of the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors until the formation of a republic in 1911. Beijing is the political, educational and cultural center of the country and as such it is rich in historical sites and important government and cultural institutions.
Beijing is a dynamic, changing city. There is a mix of old and new all around (especially within the 3rd and 2nd Ring Roads). Here you can see the most modern, envelope-pushing technologies and social innovations butting heads with the most ancient cultural norms and social settings. The people here can seem a bit cold, but once you break the ice you will find that they are very friendly and engaging.
Your book will be sent in PDF format readable on any device.
Gone Again Travel & Tours · Email us · Phone: 773-417-8808


text:
Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the cervix. Fortunately, cervical cancer can be prevented if precancerous cell changes are detected and treated early.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer. HPV can be passed from one person to another through sexual contact. In most cases, the HPV virus is harmless and causes no symptoms. In fact, many young women who become infected with HPV are able to clear the infection through their own immune systems. However, certain high-risk types of HPV can cause cervical lesions. Over time, these may develop into cancer if untreated.
The Pap smear is used detect cancerous and precancerous cervical lesions. Unfortunately, the Pap smear has been associated with false negative results in some cases. In a false negative, the test indicates the pap smear is normal when, in fact, there is an abnormality. Women with abnormal results need further testing.
The HPV test can be used in conjunction with the Pap test. The test determines the presence or absence of HPV and whether or not the HPV type present is the type that is associated with cancer.
The HPV test
The HPV test is collected similar to a Pap smear. A cervical brush or other collection device is inserted into the cervix to collect cells for testing. This sample is then sent to the lab for evaluation.
A negative result means that high-risk, cancer-causing types of HPV were not detected. Therefore, your risk of developing high-grade cervical disease before your next routine visit is extremely low.
A positive HPV result may mean an increased risk of developing cervical cancer if the precancerous type is present. In this case, further examination will be needed in order to determine whether your cervix shows pre-cancerous or cancerous changes. If no changes are detected, you will be closely monitored to make sure that any changes are detected as early as possible. If precancerous changes are detected, you should know that several highly effective treatment options are available.
Screening guidelines
General recommendations for cervical cancer screening:
- Between the ages of 21-65 years
- Stopping in women older than 65 with normal testing in the past 10 years
- Ages 21-29 years—Pap smear every three years without HPV testing
- Ages 30-65 years—Pap smear and HPV testing every five years or Pap smear alone every three years
Each woman has individual circumstances and risk factors. Talk to your doctor about how often you should be screened for cervical cancer.
Questions to ask your doctor
To find out whether HPV testing is right for you, be sure to ask your doctor the following questions on your next doctor visit:
- Am I a candidate for an HPV test as part of my cervical cancer screening program?
- Do you provide HPV testing as a follow-up to help clarify inconclusive Pap test results?
- If I have an inconclusive Pap test result, can you ask the lab to perform an automatic HPV test from the same Pap sample?
- Will my insurance cover the HPV test?
Can I talk to you about questions I have about HPV and cervical cancer?
For additional information on health screenings, wellness tips, healthy recipes, interviews with doctors and more, visit SAHealth.com/healthmatters.
For more information about our gynecologic cancer services, please call askSARAH at (210) 507-0941.
Need a Physician?


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American credibility and Syria
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 4, 2013
WASHINGTON — Undoubtedly you've heard that American credibility is on the line, thanks to President Obama's vacillation on what to do about Syria.
To bomb or not to bomb, that is always the question.
Obama, indeed, seems to be stricken with indecision. Two years ago, he said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go. Last year, he drew the now-infamous red line on chemical weapons use.
Finally, after chemical weapons were used on civilians, most likely by the Assad regime, Obama called for military action. Then, after deploying Secretary of State John Kerry to make the case, he suddenly decided to pass the decision to Congress. (Note to Kerry: Google Obama and "under the bus.")
Now we're stuck with a near-certain military strike that could have disastrous repercussions — all on account of a few presidential words carelessly uttered. It's all about our credibility, they say.
What does this mean, exactly? Merriam-Webster defines credibility as "the quality or power of inspiring belief." Applied here, it means that when you draw a line in the sand, you have to be willing to fight when that line is crossed.
Apparently, the defining atrocity for the Obama administration is the use of chemical weapons. Pentagon spokesman George Little says using chemical weapons "violates basic standards of human dignity."
Unlike, say, shooting protesters in the public square. Or chopping off limbs with machetes, systematic rape, enslavement, sex trafficking and down the list of atrocities we've witnessed without feeling compelled to respond. We may have turned a blind eye, but at least our credibility remained intact.
Why? Primarily, one supposes, because our president didn't draw a line. If your mind has wandered to the playground, where little boys get in fights over taunts and fragile pride, welcome to the sandbox. What say we all brush off our britches and think this one through?
Arguments favoring an attack include that Assad's willingness to use chemical weapons poses a threat to our allies and that other radical actors might become emboldened if the U.S. fails to act. Finally, terrorists might get their hands on Syria's chemical weapons and use them against us.
All true, though the terrorist threat seems more plausible if Assad is ousted. Otherwise, except for the method of killing, not much has changed in the two years since the Arab Spring became a bloody winter in Syria and elsewhere. Recall, too, that we didn't intervene in 1988 when Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons to slaughter 3,000 to 5,000 Kurds. Do we really wish we had? Where does one draw the line on interventions to save innocents at the hands of their own countrymen? Whose civil war is off-limits?
Would that Obama's foreign policy were clear enough to provide answers.
More to the heart of the current debate is whether a limited missile strike would make any difference. The near-unanimous opinion is not really. From the porches and stoops of America's heartland to the marbled floors of the U.S. Capitol, the consensus is that a limited strike would merely aggravate matters and potentially lead to a catastrophic clash with global ramifications. How would that work for our credibility?
A strike of greater proportions reminds us of Colin Powell's better moment: You break it, you own it.
That Barack Obama hesitates seems the least of our concerns. He has created problems to be sure, speaking loudly and carrying a twig (as a reader wrote me, to give credit where due). His "foreign policy" seems to be more afterthought (or political cynicism) than strategy.
Even so, lawmakers, including John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Nancy Pelosi, are lining up to support the president's plan for missile strikes. Let's hope that whatever the outcome, our best efforts have been directed by an abundance of caution rather than a prideful attachment to credibility. This is not to say that credibility isn't important, but the measure of one's credibility isn't only whether a nation is willing to stand its ground. It is also whether a nation is willing to be wise.
The U.S. still carries the biggest stick. We are still the bravest, most compassionate, generous nation in the history of mankind. When our allies need us, our credibility is beyond reproach. We always act decisively when the stakes are clear. The world knows this. It is our exceptional history, not a single, transitory man, that inspires belief.
And sometimes, it is helpful to note, a coiled snake is more effective than one that reflexively strikes.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Foiled Again: NPR's Tweed Wall Of Silence
I'm a radio nut. I love me some radio. I'm a fan of WNYC —or NPR, whatever you wanna call it.
I love the the BBC World Service, I back All Things Considered, Car Talk and Brian Lehrer. I fancy The Infinite Mind, Jonathan Schwartz and Leonard Lopate. I'm down with Soterios Johnson weekday mornings, On The Media and A Prarie Home Companion on the weekends. I usually wrestle with waking up during Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me! and Studio 360. And who could forget This American Life and John Schaefer's Sound Check & New Sounds...
But, as you may know, I simply cannot stand the woman who does the underwriter's announcements.
And to professionally critique and oust this woman, I felt I should, at very least, know her name first. It's only fair; as going on and on about the "woman who does the underwriting announcements on NPR" sounds a bit disingenuous. Journalistically speaking, of course.
So I fired off a harmless, innocently inquisitive email to firstname.lastname@example.com and here's how it went down:
-----Original Message-----
From: Gotham City Insider
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 1:47 PM
To: WNYC Listener Services
Subject: A Simple Query
Who voices all your announcements / commercials?
Can you tell me her name?
Thank you, kindly.
Dear Gotham City Insider,
Thank you for writing to WNYC Radio about our underwriting announcer.
Unfortunately, it's our policy to not share this announcer's name or contact information, in order to more strictly adhere to our guidelines for underwriting announcements as a public radio station. These guidelines include using no superlative, qualitative or comparative language in underwriting announcements, and the announcements can not contain inducements to buy or calls to action or mention price, discounts, or sales. By the same token, we prefer for the announcer to not be known as a "personality".
However, the announcer is a colleague of ours at the station, and we would be more than happy to pass on any feedback about her performance. So, please feel free to forward any correspondence to this email address, or to:
Listener Services
WNYC Radio
One Centre Street
New York, NY 10007
And thank you for taking the time to be an involved listener!
Warm regards,
WNYC Listener Services
Hmmmm... Why is NPR hiding this woman in the shadows, I wondered.
Was it because others before me have inquired about her insane, robotic cadence? Is that why she is shrouded in mystery? Is NPR afraid of making public this overenunciating freak?
In addition to prohibiting the mystery announcer from using any 'superlative, qualitative or comparative language' do they also prohibit her from speaking like a mammal?
Perhaps employing the inflection of an emotive human being could somehow be misconstrued as an inducement to buy or a call to action?
I smell a conspiracy. A big, fat rat.
Why else would the kind WNYC Listener Services person send me 10,000 words on why no one is allowed to know this announcers name?
Perhaps she's actually a robot? That would explain everything, really. An NPR announcer droid where they simply enter the daily underwriter announcements and this cyborg spits it out?
God, it's all making sense now!
Soterios Johnson gets in early to fire up the announcer for another days broadcast


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Six Inches Of Rain In A Week Means The Return Of Our Wet Weather Creek (It's one of my favorite things about the farm.)
Life keeps going.
The garden keeps growing.
The water keeps flowing.
And I am standing in my rubber boots in the middle of it all.
Which means the only thing I know for sure is that my feet are clean & dry.
I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I may have even figured some stuff out. I will write more soon. In the meantime, I continue to puzzle over something:
How in the world did so many incredibly kind and caring people stumble upon me and my tumbled together farm in the middle of nowhere? Thank you for you.
Current Lamb Count: 19. Number of confirmed armadillo kills by Bad Ass Beagle: 2. (Five buzzards in the swing tree tipped me off to the location of the latest victim.)


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What You Need to Know About Dry Eye
If you have never suffered from dry eye, you might not appreciate how important your tears are to your eye health. Without enough moisture, your eyes can become dry, itchy, red and uncomfortable. Dry eye occurs when you do not make enough tears or the tears you produce are not high quality.
The Importance of Tears
Although you might not realize it, your eyes constantly produce tears. Tears are needed to keep the front of your eyes moist and comfortable. They help remove tiny specks of debris or dust from the eyes. When something falls into your eye, tear production increases, in an attempt to wash away the foreign object.
Symptoms of Dry Eye
Dry eye symptoms include:
- A feeling that there is a foreign object in your eyes
- Gritty or sandy feeling in the eyes
- Burning and stinging
- Itching
- Eye fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Pain and redness
- Difficulty reading or working on a computer for long periods of time
- Stringy discharge
- Discomfort when wearing contact lenses
- Inability to cry
Who Gets Dry Eye?
Dry eye can occur at any age; although it is most common in people over the age of 65. Hormonal changes in women during pregnancy and menopause can increase the risk of dry eye, as can the use of hormonal birth control methods, such as birth control pills.
No matter what your age, you may experience dry eye if you are exposed to wind, dry conditions or smoke, or have allergies. Some types of medications can affect tear production, including antidepressants, tranquilizers, hormone replacement medications, antihistamines, blood pressure medication and decongestants. If you have thyroid disease, diabetes, chronic conjunctivitis, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis, you may be more likely to develop the condition.
Dry eye can also be a problem if you have worn contact lenses for many years or have had LASIK surgery to improve your vision. In some cases, LASIK can decrease tear production. Failure to blink regularly, which can occur when you stare at a computer monitor for a long time, can also trigger the problem.
Treatment Options
Optometrists can offer several strategies and treatment options that will help your eyes feel more comfortable, including:
- The use of artificial tears for added moisture
- Changing a medication if dry eye is a side effect
- Treating underlying diseases and conditions that cause dry eye
- Plugging the drainage holes in your eyes to prevent tears from draining too quickly
- Changing the type of contact lenses you wear
- Recommending that you use an air purifier to remove allergens from the air
- Prescribing cyclosporine, an anti-inflammatory medicine that increases tear production
If you have a severe case of dry eye, your eye doctor may suggest punctal cautery, a minor surgical procedure that permanently plugs the drainage holes in your eyes.
Keep your eyes healthy with regular eye examinations. Is it about time for your next exam? If so, call us today to set up an appointment!
When the Tears Don't Stop
Although having too many tears is not as uncomfortable as suffering from dry eye, watery eyes can be very annoying and may even interfere with your vision.
What causes watery eyes?
Watery eyes can occur if you have allergies, a cold, blocked tear ducts, dust or dirt in your eye, an eye infection or conjunctivitis (commonly called pink eye), or have a scratch on your eye. Blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids, can also cause watery eyes, as can blocked tear ducts. Although it may be hard to believe, watery eyes may actually be a symptom of dry eyes. If your eyes become too dry and uncomfortable, your body may compensate by producing too many tears.
How are watery eyes treated?
If you have a cold, watery eyes will eventually improve on their own. Allergy medication can stop your tears if allergies to molds, grasses and other allergens trigger your tears. Eye drops and other medications are helpful in treating infections and stopping the waterworks. Your eye doctor may recommend warm compresses if your tear ducts are blocked; although, in severe cases, surgery may be needed to open your ducts.
When should I see my eye doctor?
If your tears do not dry up in a few days, a trip to the eye doctor is always a good idea. Call your optometrist immediately if you experience watery eyes because you injured your eye, have chemicals in your eye, notice a discharge from your eye, have something stuck in your eye, have trouble seeing or are in pain.


text:
Welcome to Season III's first Grand Slam Puzzle! We once again return to the continuing saga of the Cub. For those who missed the first three chapters from PCS Season II, here's a referesher:
Chapter 1: The Bear, the Bear, and the Owl and Solution.
Chapter 2: The Cub Revisited and Solution.
Chapter 3: Norway or Bust! and Solution.
So, Chapter 4 picks up with The Cub and Jasmine on their journey towards Norway...
And in case any of you are facing Youtube work blockage, here's an alt version from yahoo video (it's the exact same video...this is not part of the puzzle). This might be blocked too, but hopefully this may help a few:
Hint #1 (8:45am PT): Be sure to watch the video through to the end...and watch the skies closely.
Hint #2 (10:00am PT): The song is not part of the puzzle, though I thought it fit in nicely.
Hint #3 (10:00am PT): The conversation among the characters is critical and in some cases should be taken literally.
Hint #4 & #5 (11:08am PT): Jasmine in particular speaks literally. And note that in Hint #3 I used the word 'among' instead of 'between.'
Hint #6 (11:42am PT): Jasmine's 5th through 8th conversation bubbles are particularly important (and literal).
Hint #7 (12:48pm PT): The appearance and/or pattern of the stars in the sky is irrelevant. The appearance of other things in the sky is not.
Hint #8 (12:53pm PT): For those who haven't already, I'd jot down the conversation. Many of the bubbles are important in terms of their mechanical content, while Jasmine's 5th thru 8th bubbles (and to some extent her 4th) are important in terms of understanding how said mechanical content is important.
Hint #9 (1:55pm PT): Here are general steps to solving the puzzle. You will note Jasmine is very helpful if cryptic:
- Figure out what the paths are. Jasmine literally provides clues in her 5th and 6th bubbles to figure this out.
- Pick the correct ones (Jasmine tells you where this info comes from in her 8th bubble (Hint #10 is in reference to this step too)).
- Figure out what to with the correct ones (listen to Jasmine's 7th bubble).
- Arrange the results.
- Submit answer.
Hint #10 (3:31pm PT): The Bear's every word - in fact every bit of every word - is important (yes, the Bear takes part in the conversation, if you haven't discovered that yet). Another hint coming in 30ish mins...
Hint #11 (3:44pm PT): If you transcribe the full conversation among the three characters, you won't need anything else (i.e., you can stop watching the surely-by-now-maddeningly-annoying-video). And you can ignore punctuation and capitalization.
Solution: here.
Just for reference, I'll post the latest PCS Standings as well:
(600 possible points)
Rank |
Rank |
Player | Points |
UBragg | |||
Jason | |||
Mr C | |||
Drewdez | |||
J Steve | |||
Keven C | |||
Mr F | |||
QuadSevens | |||
golem | |||
Greg Finley |
Others receiving votes: matt 230, nicholas 224, josh s 223, llcooll 220, mlasf 220, dusty baker 220, dunkhawk 189, steve dittmore 184, curious gene 170, dusto magnifico 140, loney fan 123, lauro 123, berkowit28 120, wicks 104, jose 100, the trite fantastic 100, bryan 100, bwrightson 91, rbnlaw 80, midnight drive 60, neeebs 55, danielle 50, erin 30, karina 20, fred's brim 10.
Puzzle Rules: The answer to the puzzle is one of four Norwegian cities: Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, or Oslo. Comment freely in the thread, but if you have the solution, please don't give it away to everyone in the comments section. Instead, do the following:
- Email us with the name of the city, along with your reasoning (answers arrived at via luck or the wrong reasoning, even if correct, count for participation credit only). And please include your screen name somewhere in the email; and
- Post a comment simply saying you have emailed your solution attempt. I may not be able to reply to your original email promptly, so please be patient and check back on the comment thread for the latest news; I may confirm correct answers there.
- And remember, as a Grand Slam Puzzle this one's worth 120 points!.
You have until midnight PT tonight to submit your answer. Solution will be posted tomorrow. Good luck!
*New to SoSG's PCS Puzzle Series? Here's how it works. Join the fun, all are welcome!


text:
IUCN Red List raises more red flags for threatened species
Almost 80% of temperate slipper orchids and over 90% of lemurs are threatened with extinction, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. The newly assessed Japanese Eel has been listed as Endangered, while the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo – the mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup – remains Vulnerable as its population continues to decline.
The IUCN Red List, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, now includes 73,686 assessed species, of which 22,103 are threatened with extinction.
"Over the last fifty years, The IUCN Red List has guided conservation work – very little positive action happens without the Red List as a starting point," says IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre. "This is no small achievement but so much more needs to be done. We need to continue to expand our knowledge about the world's species to better understand the challenges we face, set global conservation priorities and mobilise concrete action to halt the biodiversity crisis."
The global assessment of temperate slipper orchids, occurring in North America, Europe and temperate Asia, reveals that 79% of these popular ornamental plants are threatened with extinction. This is mainly due to habitat destruction and over-collection of wild species for local and international trade, despite the fact that international trade in all species of slipper orchids is regulated. Temperate slipper orchids are among the best-known and most widely illustrated of all flowering plants, with characteristic slipper-shaped flowers which trap insects to ensure pollination.
"What was most surprising about this assessment was the degree of threat to these orchids," says Hassan Rankou, the IUCN Species Survival Commission's (SSC) Red List Authority for the Orchid Specialist Group, which is hosted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "Slipper orchids are popular in the multimillion-dollar horticultural industry. Although the industry is sustained by cultivated stock, conservation of wild species is vital for its future."
The Endangered Freckled Cypripedium (Cypripedium lentiginosum) has fewer than 100 individuals remaining in south-eastern Yunnan in China and Ha Giang province of Viet Nam. Its decline is due to over-collection and deforestation. Also Endangered, Dickinson's Cypripedium (C. dickinsonianum) is known only from a few scattered populations in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Its open forest habitat is being cleared for agriculture and the lopping of trees is changing the environmental conditions which allow orchids and other under-storey plants to thrive.
This IUCN Red List update confirms reports that 94% of lemurs are threatened with extinction. Of the 101 surviving lemur species, 22 are Critically Endangered, including the largest of the living lemurs the Large-bodied Indri (Indri indri). A total of 48 are Endangered, such as the world's smallest primate, Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur (Microcebus berthae), and 20 are Vulnerable. This makes them one of the most threatened groups of vertebrates on Earth.
Lemurs are threatened by destruction of their tropical forest habitat in Madagascar, where political uncertainty and increasing poverty levels have accelerated illegal logging. Hunting of these animals for food has also emerged as a serious issue.
"Despite profound threats to lemurs, which have been exacerbated by the political crisis in Madagascar, we believe there is still hope," says Dr Christoph Schwitzer, Vice-Chair for Madagascar of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group and Director of Conservation at the Bristol Zoological Society. "Past successes demonstrate that collaboration between local communities, non-governmental organisations and researchers can protect imperiled primate species. We urgently invite all actors to join our efforts to ensure the continued existence of lemurs and the biological, cultural and economic richness they represent."
The Japanese Eel (Anguilla japonica) – a traditional delicacy in Japan and the country's most expensive food fish – has been listed as Endangered due to loss of habitat, overfishing, barriers to migration, pollution and changes to oceanic currents. East Asia is a hub for farming, trade and consumption of this species and its decline has meant that trade in other eel species, such as the Shortfin Eel (A. bicolor) has increased.
"While the status of this species is of great concern, the assessment of the Japanese Eel and other eels is a hugely positive step," says Dr Matthew Gollock, Chair of the IUCN Anguillid Specialist Sub-Group. "This information will allow us to prioritise conservation efforts for eel species and the freshwater ecosystem more broadly."
This IUCN Red List update also includes the re-assessment of the 2014 FIFA World Cup mascot, the Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus). The species is believed to have declined by more than a third over the last 10 to15 years due to a 50% loss of its dry shrubland "Caatinga" habitat. Its status remains Vulnerable.
The National flower of the Cayman Islands, the Banana Orchid (Myrmecophila thomsoniana), has been assessed for the first time and is listed as Endangered. Banana Orchids occur throughout dry forest and shrubland on all three of the Cayman Islands but are threatened by accelerating habitat loss to accommodate housing and tourism development. Protection of suitable habitat on all three islands is the most pressing conservation action needed for this species.
Governor Laffan's Fern (Diplazium laffanianum), a relatively large fern which used to be found in caves and rocky crevices in Bermuda, is now Extinct in the Wild due to the destruction of its habitat by human activities and introduction of invasive alien species. It was last seen in 1905.
The update highlights the recovery of one fish species thanks to conservation work under the auspices of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The Yarkon Bream (Acanthobrama telavivensis), found only in Israel, has significantly improved in status, moving from Extinct in the Wild to Vulnerable. Increasing frequency of droughts and water extraction for irrigation destroyed its only remaining habitat in the Yarkon River and Tut Stream. The species was saved by taking 120 of the last wild fish into a captive breeding programme at Tel Aviv University. In 2006, 9,000 laboratory-born Yarkon Bream were released into restored habitat in the Yarkon and other rivers in Israel. Eight years later, the population has increased significantly.
"Whilst with every IUCN Red List we celebrate some conservation successes, there is a long way to go between where we are now and 2020, the deadline set by nearly 200 governments to halt biodiversity loss and prevent species extinctions," says Jane Smart, Director of IUCN's Global Species Programme. "We simply cannot afford to miss that deadline."
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Ewa Magiera, IUCN Media Relations, email@example.com
Lynne Labanne, IUCN Species Programme Communications Officer, email@example.com


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An acquisitions officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement who deals with small businesses, Ayo Kimathi, operates the website War on the Horizon. It includes descriptions of an "unavoidable, inevitable clash with the white race." Kimathi is black.
Kimathi has been with the department since 2009. He was told Friday that he is being put on paid administrative leave.
His website criticizes whites, gays, those of mixed race, and blacks who integrate with whites. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, earlier this week reported on Kimathi's role in running the site.
Kimathi hasn't responded to email and phone calls requesting comment.