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NLDS details
ST. LOUIS – October 5, 2012 – As the reigning World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals advance after winning the first-of-its kind NL Wild Card game tonight, here are details on how fans can enjoy the best-of-five 2012 National League Division Series that starts Sunday in St. Louis against the Washington Nationals. The Cardinals are making their ninth appearance in the postseason since 2000 and the 24th postseason appearance in franchise history. Given the new playoff format and the team's position as a Wild Card, the Cardinals need twelve postseason victories to claim their 12th World Championship in 2012 (#12in12). Tickets for Sunday and Monday's Division Series games at Busch Stadium are available at www.cardinals.com .
ST. LOUIS – October 5, 2012 – As the reigning World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals advance after winning the first-of-its kind NL Wild Card game tonight, here are details on how fans can enjoy the best-of-five 2012 National League Division Series that starts Sunday in St. Louis against the Washington Nationals. The Cardinals are making their ninth appearance in the postseason since 2000 and the 24th postseason appearance in franchise history. Given the new playoff format and the team's position as a Wild Card, the Cardinals need twelve postseason victories to claim their 12th World Championship in 2012 (#12in12). Tickets for Sunday and Monday's Division Series games at Busch Stadium are available at www.cardinals.com .
Game Schedule & Highlights
NLDS Game 1 – Sunday, October 7, 2012 – Busch Stadium – 2:07 p.m. (TBS)
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Special Pre-Game Pep Rally in Ballpark Village (Clark & Broadway)
- Live music, entertainment, prizes and more
- Appearances by Fredbird and Team Fredbird, Andy Benes and the 2011 World Series Trophy
- Gates will open at Noon
- 42,000 Fans will receive a Rally Towel
- Pre-Game Ceremony Starts at 1:45 p.m.
- National Anthem by the 399th Army Band out of Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri
NLDS Game 2 – Monday, October 8, 2012 – Busch Stadium – 3:37 P.M. (TBS)
- 1:00 p.m. – 3:00: A Special Pre-Game Pep Rally in Ballpark Village (Clark & Broadway)
- Live music, entertainment, prizes and more
- Appearances by Fredbird and Team Fredbird, Rick Horton and the 2011 World Series Trophy
- Gates will open at 1:30 PM
- 42,000 Fans will receive a Rally Towel
- Pre-Game Ceremony Starts at 3:20 P.M.
- National Anthem by Shannon Magrane, Season 11 American Idol Contestant, and daughter of former Cardinal pitcher Joe Magrane
NLDS Game 3 – Wednesday, October 10, 2012 – Nationals Park – Time TBD (TBS/MLBN)
NLDS Game 4 – Thursday, October 11, 2012 – Nationals Park – Time TBD (TBS) (If necessary)
NLDS Game 5 – Friday, October 12, 2012 – Nationals Park – Time TBD (TBS) (If necessary)
Watching on TV
Fans can watch the National League Division Series games on TBS.
- Direct TV – Channel 247
- DISH – Channel 139
- U-Verse – Channel 112/1112 HD
- Charter – Varies; consult your program guide
- NLDS Game 3 may be moved to MLB Network (consult your program guide for a channel guide)
Radio Coverage
Fans can tune into KMOX (1120 AM) and the Cardinals Radio Network to hear Mike Shannon & John Rooney call the games, or listen to the national broadcast on ESPN Radio (101.1 FM) or XM Radio.
Online Or On The Go
Fans can follow the games for free on cardinals.com using the Gameday program. In addition, fans can subscribe to Postseason.TV to watch live online companion coverage of the 2012 Wild Card games & Division Series, plus the AL Championship Series.
For just $4.99, fans can watch up to 4 alternate angles at once, choose from up to 10 different fixed camera angles, tune in for live batting practice, use the pitch by pitch widget, view streaming tweets via Twitter, and use clickable line scores. The service is available to U.S. & Canada residents only on the computer and supported iOS and Android devices. LIVE coverage only. No Blackout in the U.S. and Canada. Visit Postseason.TV for all of the details.
MLB's mobile app, At Bat 12, will provide mobile access to Postseason.TV on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. At Bat is available for purchase during the Postseason at $3.99/one-time or $2.99/mo. Fans who use the app's mobile check-in feature will receive an MLB Shop discount.
Social Media
Fans following the quest for 12 in '12 via social media can follow the Cardinals on Facebook at Facebook.com/Cardinals and on Twitter (@Cardinals). Join the Twitter conversation using #WildCards, #12in12, #Postseason and #WorldSeries.
Driving to the Games
MoDOT will make adjustments to planned interstate closures Sunday to help Cardinals fans make it to the game. The department will open one lane on eastbound I-64 to 6th Street (the last Missouri Exit) at least one hour before game time. All westbound lanes and ramps are scheduled to be open. Illinois fans heading home will need to use Memorial Drive to get onto the Poplar Street Bridge, or take Broadway to Marion to access northbound I-55. All fans should allow extra time for their drive to ensure they are at the game on time.
MoDOT will have two lanes open on eastbound I-64 until 8 p.m. Monday. The ramp from eastbound I-64 to 11th Street is scheduled to be open and the ramp from eastbound I-64 to 6th Street (the last Missouri Exit) will be open at 2 p.m. All lanes and ramps on westbound I-64 are scheduled to be open. In addition, Illinois fans heading home will be able to use the ramp from 6th Street to eastbound I-64 after the game. All fans should allow extra time for their drive to ensure they arrive at the game on time. For complete travel information, contact MoDOT at 1-888 ASK MoDOT or visit www.gatewayguide.com
Alternative Transportation
MetroLink is a convenient alternative to driving, allowing fans to avoid the cost of parking and concert traffic. MetroLink will extend its hours of operation and add additional trains to accommodate Cardinal fans. Metro will continue MetroLink service until the downtown stations are cleared after the game.
Fans Urged to Organize "Rally Everyone Days" to Support the Cardinals and Kids
The St. Louis Cardinals are encouraging local businesses, schools and other organizations to help kids in our community while supporting the team by participating in Cardinals RED for Kids (#RED4kids). RED stands for Rally Everyone Day. Piloted during the 2011 postseason, Cardinals RED for Kids is the team's version of an office "dress down" day in which participating organizations make a donation to Cardinals Care in exchange for the opportunity to sport their Cardinals clothes at work or school.
To participate, fans should go to cardinals.com/red to register their organization. While the Cardinals would like businesses to help raise money while showing their team spirit, schools are not required to make a donation to get involved. Participating schools, businesses and organizations are also encouraged to submit photos via the team's website and social media showing their Rally Everyone Day (#RED4kids) spirit.
2012 Postseason Merchandise Available
- Busch Stadium Team Store: The Team Store will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., briefly closing 45 minutes prior to gates opening on game days. In addition to standard merchandise, the store will also carry exclusive Playoff merchandise -- including hats, t-shirts and more.
- Cardinals Authentics: Fans will want to stop by the Cardinals Authentics store in Ford Plaza, the only place to get official, game-used, limited edition and autographed Cardinals memorabilia directly from the team. Featured items include game –used equipment from the 2012 season, 2011 World Championship themed items, as well as items commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the 1982 World Championship. Cardinals Authentics has a variety of items to fit every budget.
- Cardinals Magazine: The new edition of Cardinals Magazine celebrates the Top 10 playoff-round moments in franchise history. It's the perfect companion piece to the acclaimed 2012 Yearbook, which celebrates the 25 greatest World Series moments in Cardinals history. The magazine highlights the first anniversary of David Freese's heroics and how he's established himself as an All-Star third baseman in 2012. This jammed-packed issue also features an excerpt and review of Tony La Russa's new book, the 2012 team photo, and much more! Just $5, purchase your copy at Busch Stadium, online at cardinals.com/publications or by calling 314.345.9303.
Fun Franchise Facts
- The Cardinals were founded in 1882 as an American Association Team called the St. Louis Brown Stockings.
- In 1892, the team moved to the National League and changed their name to the St. Louis Browns. In 1899, the name was changed to the Perfectos, and in 1900, the team became the St. Louis Cardinals.
- From 1902-1954, an American League Team called the St. Louis Browns also played in St. Louis. In 1954, they moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Orioles.
- The Cardinals have won over 9,300 games, 11 World Series Championships, 18 National League Pennants, 3 National League Eastern Division Titles, and 8 National League Central Division Titles.
- There are over 40 former Cardinal players and managers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
- Baseball America named the Cardinals the 2011 Baseball Organization of the Year for the first time, recognizing that the team's big league success was built upon a strong foundation of a restructured organization that claimed two minor league titles in 2011 and that since 2005 has among the most team-drafted players debut in the majors. Since then, the franchise picked up another minor league title, when the Springfield Cardinals were named the 2012 Texas League Champions in September. It marked the St. Louis Cardinals organization's first sole league championship at the Double‐A level since 1989.
- For the 16th time in franchise history and the 9th straight season, the Cardinals drew over 3 million fans (3,262,109) during the season. With a 5.4% increase over last year, the team averaged 40,273, which ranks 6th in MLB, and had 19 sellout games. The season total attendance was the 8th highest in franchise history.
- More than 23 Million fans have attended games in new Busch Stadium since it opened (April 10, 2006)
- 23,392,744 regular season attendance
- 839,583 post season attendance ( '06, '09, '11)
- The Cardinals bring more than 3 million fans downtown each year, with more than a million from outside the state of Missouri and over 90% from outside of the City of St. Louis.
- There are approximately 3,000 day-of-game employees at Busch Stadium.
- The St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) estimates that the direct and indirect economic impact of the 2012 Cardinals' season on the St. Louis region exceeded $338.9 million.
- Each Division Series game hosted in St. Louis could have an additional direct and indirect economic impact on the region of $5.2 million per game
- A full World Series run (7 games) could pump over $56 million into the region
- In 2012, the Cardinals had nearly 40 Promotional Giveaways, ranging from magnet schedules and wall calendars to bats, hats, pennants, bobbleheads, replica championship rings and other popular giveaways.
- Cardinals Care is celebrating 15 years of caring for kids both on and off the baseball field. Since it was founded in 1997, Cardinals Care has invested more than $18 million in helping children, including building 19 youth baseball fields in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Missouri and Illinois, and providing nearly $11 million in grants to over 800 non-profit youth organizations.
- In 2012, Cardinals Care donated $281,000 to 137 organizations that help children, dedicated Lance Berkman Field in Sesser, Illinois and provided $200,000 to four charities helping children in Joplin, Missouri recover from the worst tornado in Missouri history. Cardinals Care and the Cardinals also helped build six homes in Joplin as part of the Governor's Habitat Challenge that includes each of Missouri's seven most prominent sports organizations.
- For nearly a decade, Cardinals Care has run the innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball league for boys and girls who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring, and the cultural arts for each of the nearly 4,500 kids in Missouri and Illinois who participate through its more than 20 leagues.
- In 2012, Cardinals telecasts on FOX Sports Midwest generated the 3rd highest local market television ratings in Major League Baseball, the 13th straight year in which the Cardinals ranked among the top three teams (courtesy The Nielsen Co.). FOX Sports Midwest-produced Cardinals telecasts are shown in nine states and available in millions of homes.
- The Cardinals radio network is the second largest in baseball with 117 stations in nine states (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee) with the potential to reach over 21 million listeners.
- In one year, the Stadium sells:
- 540,000 hot dogs;
- 181,000 pounds of nacho chips; and
- 32,000 gallons of nacho cheese.
- 7,315,200 ft. of paper towels
- 15,373,800 ft. of toilet paper
- During a typical season the Cardinals go through:
- In 2012, the Cardinals were recognized by the White House and the NRDC for their sustainability leadership in sports. The Cardinals' "4 A Greener Game Program" launched in 2008 is credited with recycling more than 1836 tons of solid waste, more than 575 tons of yard waste and more than 110 tons of composted organic material. The Cardinal's concessionaire Delaware North Sportservice has donated more than $159,000 worth of food to Operation Food Search, with a waste diversion rate of 29%.
- In April of 2012, the Cardinals partnered with Microgrid Energy, the Electrical Connection, and Sachs Electric to install 110 solar panels around Busch Stadium. During the 2012 Season, the Busch Stadium Solar Power Plant has generated over 22,000 kWh of electricity. That's enough power to meet the annual energy needs of 2 average American homes. Using this solar power at Busch Stadium has eliminated an estimated 15 tons of carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere.
- The Cardinals web site Cardinals.com is very popular with fans, drawing over 32.5 million visitors in season (March-September) and 1.3 million unique visitors a month.
- The Cardinals have also been active in social media. The team has more than 1.3 million fans on Facebook (facebook.com/cardinals) [6th in MLB], and more than 180,000 followers on Twitter (@cardinals) [8th in MLB].
- The Cardinals recently started an Instagram account and launched the Instagram Fan of the Day promotion to celebrate the best fans in baseball by showcasing fan photos. To participate, fans can follow the Cardinals on Instagram (@cardinals) and tag their photos #cardsgram. The Cardinals will showcase one lucky fan's photo each day on the Cardinals Instagram account, as well as the team's Facebook (facebook.com /cardinals) and Twitter (@cardinals) accounts. More than 1,500 #cardsgram photos have been submitted. The team's follower base has increased over 200% over the last two weeks.
- In 2010, the Cardinals launched a social media based "Stand for Stan" campaign to celebrate Stan Musial that culminated in President Barack Obama awarding Stan Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
- The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum (cardinals.com/museum) collection is the largest team-held collection in Major League Baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with over 16,000 memorabilia items and over 80,000 archival photographs.
Sixteen Seasons of Baseball Like it Ought to Be
In March 1996, a group of investors led by Bill DeWitt Jr. purchased the Cardinals from Anheuser Busch. Upon purchasing the team, the Cardinals made a number of investments to improve the team and Busch Stadium, including installing a natural grass playing surface and promoting an ethic of Baseball Like it Ought to Be to honor the franchise's rich history and loyal fans. What follows is a list of accomplishments, milestones and highlights both on and off the playing field the last sixteen seasons:
- Since 1996, the team has finished in first place 8 times, won 3 NL pennants and 2 World Series while drawing over 50 million fans.
- Cardinals' players have won three MVPs, one Cy Young, one Rookie of the Year, 15 Silver Slugger awards, 24 Gold Gloves, and 52 players have been selected to NL All-Star Teams.
- Expanded the team's international footprint, operating baseball academies in the Dominican Republic, as well as employing personnel in five countries outside the US.
- In 1997 the Cardinals created the charitable foundation Cardinals Care, which has since distributed over $18 million to area non-profit youth organizations, built 19 youth ball fields in local disadvantaged neighborhoods and currently serves over 4,500 kids per season as part of the Redbird Rookies program.
- Donated nearly 4 million tickets to children and charities since 1996.
- Opened the $28 Million Roger Dean Stadium and Sports Complex in Jupiter, Florida in 1998. Purchased the Charlotte Rangers in 2002 and moved them to Jupiter as renamed Palm Beach Cardinals.
- Since 2005, the Cardinals have owned and operated the AA Texas League Springfield Cardinals franchise that plays at Hammons Field in Springfield Missouri.
- The Cardinals moved into the new $411 million Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis on April 10, 2006 (beating the Brewers 6-4).
- The team covered nearly 90 percent of the cost of the project, including infrastructure.
- Since moving into the new ballpark, the team (and affiliates in Busch such as concessionaire Delaware North Sportservice) has paid over $175 million in taxes to the city and state.
- Hosted the 2009 All-Star Game. The weeks' worth of activities and events set attendance records and bolstered St. Louis' reputation as America's best baseball city.
- Invested over $1 million upgrading the Cardinals Museum's collection, now second only to Cooperstown in terms of size with over 15,000 artifacts.
- Announced the team anticipates breaking ground in November on the first phase of Ballpark Village, a $700 million mixed use retail, entertainment, office and residential development on the 10-acre site north of Busch Stadium. The $100 million first phase, scheduled for Opening Day 2014, will be anchored by a first-of-its kind Cardinals venue called Cardinals Nation. Totaling over 30,000 square feet on three levels, Cardinals Nation includes a two story restaurant, a Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, and a 300-plus seat seating deck with views into Busch Stadium. A second building will house a 20,000 two-story Anheuser-Busch venue with a festive rooftop party deck offering views into Busch Stadium. The two signature first phase structures will be joined by a retractable glass canopy covering the Live at Ballpark Village! event space designed to be a vibrant gathering space throughout the year.
Bag Inspections Policy
- The standard game-day bag inspection policies for Busch Stadium will be in effect. Bags will be allowed that meet Major League Baseball's standard size restriction (16"x16"x8"), and all bags will be inspected prior to entry.
- Fans will be permitted to bring small personal cameras as long as they do not obstruct other guest's view and will be subject to inspection. No professional-sized photography equipment will be allowed except for members of the media with proper MLB Postseason credentials.
- Non-alcoholic beverages such as water & soda in open cups or in clear plastic bottles no larger than 2 liters are allowed.
- Alcohol, bottles, cans, thermoses, hard-sided coolers; hard plastic cups/mugs are not permitted.
- Small banners and signs are allowed. Banners may be displayed as long as they do not hinder or interfere with a ball in play or distract or interfere with the view of another guest. Banners may not be displayed in fair territory, be obscene or in poor taste, attract abuse or cause a disturbance among other guests. They should be baseball-oriented and not commercial in nature.
- Please minimize items you bring into the stadium to speed up the inspection process.
- Expect long lines upon entry and allow yourself plenty of time to go through the inspection process.
Exit/Re-entry Policy
Standard Exit/Re-entry Policies are in effect. Guests wishing to leave the stadium, but planning to return during the same game must have their hand stamped at Gates 1, 2 or 4 as they exit the stadium. Guests must show ticket upon re-entry. Inspection policy will also be enforced.
No Smoking Policy
Standard Busch Stadium Smoking Policy is in effect. Busch Stadium is a smoke-free facility. Exit/Re-Entry turnstiles will be set up at Gates 1, 2 and 4 to allow fans access in and out of the stadium if they wish to smoke. Fans will get their hand stamped as they exit the stadium. Guests must show ticket upon re-entry. Inspection policy will also be enforced.


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2008 Football
Bluffton 23, Kalamazoo 15
Beavers take down Kalamazoo 23-15 for first win under Coach Veidt
Sept. 27, 2008
Click here for box score
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University football team literally picked off its first victory of the 2008 campaign over Kalamazoo College, 23-15, on Saturday, September 27, 2008. The Beavers came up with four interceptions while slowing the pass-happy Hornets in the home opener. With the victory, Bluffton improved to 1-2 while Kalamazoo fell to 1-3 on the season.
Bluffton struck first thanks to a field goal from Jonathan Thompson (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) with 3:38 left in the first quarter. The Beavers took over just 16 seconds later when freshman Alex Paul (Akron/Firestone) picked up Bluffton's second interception of the period. On the ensuing drive, quarterback Brock Miller (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) found Dan Chipka (Waterville/Anthony Wayne) for 16 yards and the first offensive touchdown of the year for the Beavers. Thompson cashed in the extra point as Bluffton ended the first quarter with a 10-0 lead.
The home team converted just one first down on its next two possessions, but Kalamazoo struggled to three consecutive punts during the second quarter. On Bluffton's next drive, a roughing the kicker call against the Hornets on fourth and two gave the Beavers a new life at the visitor's 30-yard line. Thompson took advantage when the offense stalled as he knocked his second field goal through the uprights with 3:17 to play in the half for a 13-0 lead.
Kalamazoo responded by marching 63 yards on 11 plays in 2:29 to cut the deficit to six points at the half. Adam Powers went in from five yards out following four Brandon Luczak completions on the drive.
A 58-yard kickoff return by senior Drew Lovelace (Trumansburg, NY/Charles U. Dickerson) to open the second half gave Bluffton the ball at the Kalamazoo 22-yard line. A 13-yard Jason Johnson (Cleveland/Collinwood) rush made it first-and-goal at the nine. Although the Hornets stood strong in the red zone, Thompson's 24-yard field goal made the score 16-7 less than three minutes into the quarter.
The Beavers turned the ball over on a botched punt and on downs late in the quarter, but Kalamazoo was unable to take advantage. A 10-yard Hornets' punt and a turnover on downs allowed Bluffton to maintain its nine-point spread into the final quarter.
With freshman Jason Johnson churning up yardage and breaking tackles throughout the second half, the Beavers opened up a 23-7 lead when Joshua Tanner (Copley/Copley) recovered a Bluffton fumble in the end zone with 10 minutes to play in the contest.
Kalamazoo answered on its ensuing possession as the Hornets went 57 yards on 12 plays. Luczak found Ryan Bizzis for the three-yard touchdown strike before he shoved it in himself for two points to make the score 23-15 in favor of the home team.
An interception by sophomore Mitch Dunlap (St. Mary's/St. Mary's) on Kalamazoo's next touch and a sack by Kyle Rode (Delphos/Jefferson) and Aaron Jenkins (St. Paris/Graham) on the game's final play sealed Bluffton's first victory under Coach Veidt in his third contest at the helm.
Bluffton used a balanced attack in putting up 376 yards of total offense. The Beavers gained 182 yards on 48 rushes while limiting Kalamazoo to just 115 yards on the ground. The home team threw for 194 yards including a 13-of-29 performance by junior Brock Miller that netted 155 yards. Sophomore Ben Ilnicki (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebauf Preparatory) completed one pass for 39 yards to Drew Lovelace late in the third stanza. Bluffton controlled the clock to the tune of 40 minutes for the Beavers and just 20 minutes for the Hornets. The Beavers scored each of the five times they entered the red zone and they held Kalamazoo's potent offense to just 4-of-17 on third down conversions.
Johnson went for 100 yards on 22 carries with a long run of 23 yards. Zac Lauck (Cridersville/Wapakoneta) tallied 42 yards as Bluffton's starter in the backfield. Lovelace proved to be the difference-maker on both offense and special teams. He caught five balls for 109 yards and returned two kicks 78 yards, including his 58-yarder to open the second half. Dan Chipka, Joel Sienicki (Goshen, Ind. Northridge) and Antwane Miller (Canton/Timken) all caught two passes in the victory. Thompson was 3-of-4 on field goals and he just missed wide-right from 46 yards out with 4:36 to play in the game.
Senior Mitch Agner (Leipsic/Leipsic) paced the Beavers with six stops, while freshmen Dylan Moore (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood Community) and Jacob Luthy (Ida, Mich./Ida) added five tackles each. Oscar Vazquez-Dyer (Findlay/Carey) and Jordan Achterman (Bucyrus/Bucyrus) both broke up two passes for the Beavers. The four Bluffton interceptions tied the school record which was last achieved at Defiance in the final 2007 contest against the Yellow Jackets.
Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 4, when the Beavers host HCAC-power Mt. St. Joseph in the 2008 Homecoming contest. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. in Salzman Stadium.

subset: commoncrawl


text: This year has featured some of the worst April weather in memory for many parts of the Midwest and East Coast, taking a significant toll on the early baseball schedule. Already we're seeing tons of cancellations, which is bad news for many fantasy owners. The good news is that these games will all be made up at some point, meaning flush weekly schedules as we get into the summer months.In this space, we'll keep you updated on all the rescheduled games and doubleheaders, letting you know when you should set your weekly lineups to take full advantage. In the meantime, keep a close eye on games scheduled in places like Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit, Philly, Boston and New York, as the short-term weather forecasts remain iffy.A few notes on the upcoming week:* The American League features a loaded schedule this week, with 11 teams scheduled to play seven games. That means plenty of two-start options, and there are a multitude of great choices in the mix. Beyond the big names like CC Sabathia, David Price, Jon Lester, Chris Sale, Max Scherzer and R.A. Dickey, there are a number of recommendable lower-tier pitchers. Hisashi Iwakuma is off to a fantastic start in Seattle with an 18/2 K/BB ratio through four starts. A.J. Griffin is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA for Oakland. Jose Quintana, owned in only a small fraction of leagues, has been outstanding and is scheduled for two starts at home.* The National League doesn't have quite as many attractive two-start options, but the guy I've got my eye on is A.J. Burnett. With 35 strikeouts through his first 24 innings, he'll get two turns on the road, both against struggling offenses. * The following teams are slated to face more left-handed starters than righties in the coming week, so adjust lineups accordingly: Yankees, Rays, Mets and Giants.Going Twice…American LeagueStrong PlaysR.A. Dickey: @BAL (Gonzalez), @NYY (Hughes)Alexi Ogando: @LAA (Vargas), @MIN (Worley)Derek Holland: @LAA (Blanton), @MIN (Correia)Matt Moore: NYY (Sabathia), @CWS (Quintana)David Price: NYY (Hughes), @CWS (Sale)Hisashi Iwakuma: @HOU (Norris), LAA (Vargas)Felix Hernandez: @HOU (Peacock), LAA (Blanton)A.J. Griffin: @BOS (Aceves), BAL (Tillman)CC Sabathia: @TB (Moore), TOR (Happ)Max Scherzer: KC (Davis), ATL (Minor)Chris Sale: CLE (McAllister), TB (Price)Jose Quintana: CLE (Masterson), TB (Moore)Justin Masterson: @CWS (Quintana), @KC (Davis)Jon Lester: OAK (Colon), HOU (Norris)Decent PlaysJ.A. Happ: @BAL (Tillman), @NYY (Sabathia)Bartolo Colon: @BOS (Lester), BAL (Gonzalez)Phil Hughes: @TB (Price), TOR (Dickey)Jason Vargas: TEX (Ogando), @SEA (Iwakuma)Wade Davis: @DET (Scherzer), CLE (Masterson)Bud Norris: SEA (Iwakuma), @BOS (Lester)Alfredo Aceves: OAK (Griffin), HOU (Peacock)At Your Own RiskVance Worley: MIA (Nolasco), TEX (Ogando)Joe Blanton: TEX (Holland), @SEA (Hernandez)Brad Peacock: SEA (Hernandez), @BOS (Aceves)Chris Tillman: TOR (Happ), @OAK (Griffin)Miguel Gonzalez: TOR (Dickey), @OAK (Colon)National LeagueStrong PlaysRoss Detwiler: STL (Wainwright), CIN (Cingrani)Shelby Miller: @WAS (Haren), PIT (Locke)A.J. Burnett: @PHI, @STL (Westbrook)Cole Hamels: PIT (Locke), @NYM (Laffey)Clayton Kershaw: @NYM (Laffey), MIL (Lohse)Mike Minor: @COL (Francis), @DET (Scherzer)Wade Miley: @SF (Vogelsong), COL (Francis)Patrick Corbin: @SF (Cain), COL (Garland)Decent PlaysDan Haren: STL (Miller), CIN (Leake)Ryan Vogelsong: ARI (Miley), @SD (Marquis)Jason Marquis: MIL (Lohse), SF (Vogelsong)Kyle Lohse: @SD (Marquis), @LAD (Kershaw)Ricky Nolasco: @MIN (Worley), CHC (Villanueva)Tony Cingrani: CHC (Villanueva), @WAS (Detwiler)Mike Leake: CHC (Wood), @WAS (Haren)Carlos Villanueva: @CIN (Cingrani), @MIA (Nolasco)Travis Wood: @CIN (Leake), @MIA (Sanabia)At Your Own RiskJeff Locke: @PHI (Hamels), @STL (Miller)Aaron Laffey: LAD (Kershaw), PHI (Hamels)Jeff Francis: ATL (Minor), @ARI (Miley)Jon Garland: ATL (Teheran), @ARI (Corbin)Streamer CityThe following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:American LeagueTuesday, 4/23: Mike Pelfrey vs. MIAPelfrey is nothing special but you could hardly ask for a better match-up than the dreadful Marlins offense at Target Field. Wednesday, 4/24: Joe Saunders @ HOUSaunders is off to a strong start with his new club and hasn't allowed an earned run in either of his past two starts. Look for him to keep it going against an Astros team he's already dominated once this year.Thursday, 4/25: Wei-Yin Chen @ OAKThe Taiwanese strike-thrower has opened his season with three straight starts on the road and has fared reasonably well. He'll get another turn in pitcher-friendly Oakland.National LeagueThursday, 4/25: Kevin Slowey vs. CHCSlowey is off to a tremendous start in Miami with a 2.04 ERA through three starts, though he's still looking for his first win. He's worth a look at home against the Cubs. Friday, 4/26: Clayton Richard vs. SFThroughout his career, Richard has reliably been a start-at-home, bench-on-the-road guy. Thus far that trend is holding up again this year; he was blown up in his first start in New York and has since been lights-out in two home tilts.Total GamesAmerican League6: CLE, DET, KC, MIN7: BAL, BOS, CWS, HOU, LAA, NYY, OAK, SEA, TB, TEX, TORNational League6: ATL, LAD, MIA, MIL, NYM, SD, SF, STL7: ARI, CHC, CIN, COL, PHI, PIT, WASLefty/Righty BreakdownsAmerican LeagueBAL: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPBOS: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPCLE: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPCWS: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPDET: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPHOU: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHPKC: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPLAA: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPMIN: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPNYY: 3 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHPOAK: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPSEA: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPTB: 3 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHPTEX: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPTOR: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPNational LeagueARI: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHPATL: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPCHC: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPCIN: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHPCOL: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHPLAD: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPMIA: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPMIL: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPNYM: 2 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHPPHI: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHPPIT: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPSD: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHPSF: 2 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHPSTL: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHPWAS: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHPThe InfirmaryYou can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld's Injury Page but here's the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:Aaron Hill: Out until late May (wrist)Jason Kubel: Out until late April (quad)Johnny Cueto: Out indefinitely (shoulder)Michael Bourn: Out until late April (finger)Adeiny Hechavarria: Out until early May (arm)Chris Capuano: Out indefinitely (calf)Derek Jeter: Out until after All-Star break (ankle)John Lannan: Out until early June (quad)Cameron Maybin: Out until early May (wrist)


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Patriotic Party Machine Pours a Shot When the U.S.A. Wins an Olympic Medal [VIDEO]
At first viewing we thought this was brilliant, but after careful consideration we realize it is Ingenious!
There is a group of inventors that call themselves SmartThings that have invented a machine that pours a shot every time the U.S. wins a Medal in the Olympics. For gold, Goldschlager. If we win a Silver it pours a shot of Quervo Silver, and for a bronze medal, it will pour a shot of Jack Daniels.
(Surely guys this smart realize they have got to be selling this thing before the next Olympics… they'll make a fortune!)
This first video is the machine in action, then we have a really cool, "close-up" video with more detail on how "The Patriotic Party Machine" works.


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The Strobe XP 450 PDF, the new multipurpose office scanner, features a 50 page Automatic Document Feeder and scans at a blazing fast 20 pages per minute in 200 dpi black and white mode. Imagine this thing going to work for business users who are buried in paper they need to scan and store quickly.
The Strobe XP 450 PDF attaches via a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, which achieves data transfer rates up to 60Mbytes per second, 300% faster than Ultra SCSI scanners and 600% faster than SCSI-3 scanners. Eliminating the SCSI card makes installation simple and keeps the scanner affordable while achieving a higher data transfer rate.
PaperPort Deluxe 9 represents a significant enhancement to ScanSoft's award-winning document and image management software by including native support for Adobe Portable Document Format. You can still create PaperPort MAX files, but PDF is now the default file format.
The Strobe XP 450 PDF includes the highly acclaimed OneTouch software made popular with Visioneer's flatbed scanners. Using Visioneer OneTouch technology, users can set the Strobe XP 450 PDF to automatically send a scanned image or document to any application for which there is a PaperPort Link.
Turn scanned paper into editable Word, Excel or text files with a simple drag and drop on PaperPort's SendTo Bar. Virtually eliminates the need for retyping documents.
FormTyper automatically recognizes the fields in a scanned form. Simply tab and type to neatly fill in the information. Print the filled-in form and PaperPort automatically saves an electronic copy for your records.
Quickly turn scanned documents into editable, formatted text. You can use the text in virtually any word processing, desktop publishing, or web publishing program.
And lastly, for your more artistic endeavors, the XP 450 offers the ability to edit, retouch, and enhance images simply and quickly. Apply special effects with point-n-click interface. Numerous templates for cards and calendars are included.


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Submission + - The Mystery of the Missing Methane
Hugh Pickens writes: "Astrobiology Magazine reports that NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered something odd about GJ 436b a distant planet about the size of Neptune located 33 light-years away circling the star Gliese 436. The mystery? GJ 436b lacks methane, an ingredient common to many of the planets in our solar system. Methane is present on our life-bearing planet, manufactured primarily by microbes living in cows and all of the giant planets in our solar system have methane too, despite their lack of cows. "In this case, we expected to find methane not because of the presence of life, but because of the planet's chemistry," says Joseph Harrington of the University of Central Florida. "This type of planet should have cooked up methane. It's like dipping bread into beaten eggs, frying it, and getting oatmeal in the end." Spitzer was able to detect the faint glow of GJ 436b by watching it slip behind its star, an event called a secondary eclipse. As the planet disappears, the total light observed from the star system drops and the drop is then measured to find the brightness of the planet at various wavelengths. Eventually, a larger space telescope could use the same kind of technique to search smaller, Earth-like worlds for methane and other chemical signs of life, such as water, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Adam Showman, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, says the "provocative result" raises questions about the evolution of this planet, as well as the possibility that its atmosphere might represent an entirely new class of atmospheres that has never been explored. "It's a big puzzle," says Kevin Stevenson. "Models tell us that the carbon in this planet should be in the form of methane. Theorists are going to be quite busy trying to figure this one out.""


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Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
Munenori Kawasaki, who replaced an injured Jose Reyes in the starting lineup, had a sacrifice fly and scored once for the Blue Jays, winners in three of their last four games.
Prior to the game, Reyes was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left ankle sprain, and selected the contract of Kawasaki from Triple-A Buffalo. Reyes suffered the injury in Friday's win. Although MRI results were not immediately released, Reyes could be out for three months.
R.A. Dickey (1-2) allowed one run on five hits over 6 1/3 innings to earn the win. Casey Janssen gave up one run in the ninth but was able to record the final out to pick up his third save of the season.
"Look, nobody has been happy with the way things have gone. Not as a starting staff" Dickey said. "We all talk about it and we know it's obvious that we haven't performed up to not only the expectation but our ability. We all feel very responsible to that. That being said, nobody in here is panicking."
Chris Getz went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Alex Gordon had two hits and drove in a run for the Royals, who have dropped their last two after winning four straight.
James Shields (1-2) lasted all nine innings, giving up three runs on two hits to go with six strikeouts.
"He (Shields) pitched a great ballgame. He threw 115 pitches I think if he could take one back it'd probably be the curveball to (Jose) Bautista," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He just got it up a little bit. He's (Bautista) one of the strongest guys in the league and ended up hitting a two-run homer off it."
Toronto got on the board in the third when Kawasaki scored Maicer Izturis with a sacrifice fly. Kawasaki lifted a fly ball to right field, which was caught by Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur fired the ball to the plate, but catcher Salvador Perez was unable to apply the tag before Izturis slid across the dish.
Jose Bautista's two-run homer in the sixth made it 3-0. Kawasaki drew a leadoff walk, but Shields was able to get the next two hitters out, before Bautista crushed a hanging curveball into the left field stands.
Kansas City pushed one across in the seventh to make it 3-1. Jarrod Dyson doubled to left field, then stole third. With Dyson on third, Getz dragged a bunt down the first baseline, scoring Dyson without a throw.
The Royals made things interesting in the ninth inning. With two outs, Getz singled to right center before taking second base on a defensive indifference. Gordon was able to poke a single up the middle to push Getz across.
Janssen, though, was able to get Alcides Escobar to fly out to right field to end the game.
Game Notes
Toronto was 1-for-2 with runners in scoring position ... Janssen has recorded a save in each of his last nine opportunities, and 24-of-26 chances dating back to May 9, 2012 ... Gordon extended his hitting streak to an MLB-best 10 games ... The Royals were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.


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Revolution is a word tossed around by wannabe anarchists who make a show of desiring change but lack the commitment to actually enable any change. It's hip, it's fashionable, and it's anti-establishment so people feel empowered by endorsing revolution.
Moving towards the less mature arenas, on college campuses you see people promoting revolution and hinting at violence as a component of it. It's another false sense of empowerment; the idea that violence can create real and permanent change is mostly untrue i
George Orwell was an optimist.
The fact that the people of the United States not only tolerate but encourage chicken little security theatre over respecting their own Constitutional rights is a sad testament to a people who've forgotten who they were before 9/11.
Who've they stopped so far? An underwear bomber whose bomb wouldn't go off. Some guy with a car dealership who was theoretically contacted and working for an unbelievably incompetent and mismanaged foreign nation's security forces.
Yet they didn't stop the homegrown terrorism of that fellow who shot and killed a half dozen people or so recently. They haven't stopped the terrorism of gangs that control entire cities. They haven't leashed the horrors of oxycadone addiction in the general population. People in Iraq are still being blown up by crazed lunatics who fantasize of being rewarded by their God for murder and suicide. The Afghanistan conflict shows no signs of ending soon.
What, precisely, have the American people gained by giving up their right to be protected from unlawful searches and seizures? Even the Nazis only asked for papers at checkpoints; the police can harass you anytime, anywhere in the states to identify yourself and explain why you're where you are, and no one says boo about it.
How sad to see a nation fall prey to the manipulation of those who instill fear and distrust of a vaguely identified "other" to justify their abuses of the rights of the people.
It's better to use one's time and money to make corrective measures to the existing system.
What corrections? The system is working just fine for the people with money. The best estimate of the Rothchild family wealth is at $21 Trillion. They're just one of the players.
Yes, your life IS a game of monopoly with funny money and someone else already owned all the squares on the board when you joined the game (including the police station, the square you pass to start again and the printing press that prints all the cards with the rules on them. Good luck!
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Just sayin'.
Not likely to work. The culture of fear has taken hold. People want the comfort of being taken care of.
That is what I thought. However, recent evidence points to the obvious problem -> people become used to the current level of fear. Which means you are either in a race to continuously pop out a larger and stronger crisis, or you have to pull back for a bit. Right now, people are losing their life savings -> in the end, the people upstairs have ensured that the people downstairs have *nothing* to lose.
And people enjoy comfort only so long as it doesn't chafe their freedoms. So, you get a few years out of the trade before people want to switch back. Why? Because after the trade, the comfort slowly gets cut back. Happens every time. The thinking of the people here seems to be one of "I'll have them trade their freedom for comfort, then I'll bolt the door, and take back the comfort. Win! Win! Win!" when reality dictates that removing their comfort, at the point, tends to sober them up. Then you're stuck in the room with someone who is pissed at you, and again, has nothing to lose.
What I see now, going on with the global economy / politics, is something out of a video game -> FF7, to be exact. The {new} people {currently} in charge have decided to control through 'fear,' instead of money, because they think it's cheaper and just as effective. They are obviously too lazy / stupid to have read a history book, to realize how many other people throughout history have attempted the same, succeeded, then were found murdered in their beds. Yes, people will try to kill you whether you are a good or evil person, no, you do not need to provide them with additional reasons to come after you.
better yet, lets have it split into 50 sections then have a small union bound by a written document with very explicitly limited powers to keep them together and playing nice.
That sounds awfully like it's been tried at least twice...
You guys are way behind: The French are already on their fifth republic...
$7.8 billion
Think of the science NASA could do with that cash being wasted to frisk old people for their pill bottles!
Or, if you're one of the NASA haters, think of all the children who won't get an adequate education/vacination/lunch/foodstamps for that money.
But damn tootin' if one of them grandmas thinks she can pass off a bottle of Midol, our Skies Are Safe(tm)*
* (For values of safe equal to We Covered Our Butts come election time. Deal not available in major markets, near large cities or in New York state. Remember: you only need to give up a little freedom or the terrorists win. Vote TSA again, next election.)
TSA. Keeping you safe from terrorists like this one:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/18/1027775/-TSA-Arrests-Me-for-Using-the-Fourth-Amendment-as-a-Weapon-(Tales-from-the-Edge-of-a-Revolution-2) [dailykos.com]
Hope and change my friends. Hope and change.
Until we dump the two party monopoly in America, the current direction will not waver regardless of which presidential candidate gets elected.
Hey, don't criticize the War on Drugs! It recently turned 40 and is starting to develop a bald spot. Go easy on him OK?
You must be really old if this looks different.
I'm 49. Sometimes that feels really old, sometimes not. But I absolutely concur with theVP that America now is almost unrecognizable, politically and culturally, from the America when I was a kid.
I'm sure people my age from every previous generation said the same thing. Something tells me that most of them said it with pride, not sadness, anger, and frustration.
Between this, Indefinite Detention, and SOPA, I am really struggling to recognize America this month.
Don't forget the torture.
What's indefinite detention without a bit of torture to spice it up?
I thought Barack Obama was a fascist like his predecessor.
Yeah, I got that feeling too...
All of that because one democrat Senator died at the wrong time... Damn.
Even if that one senator had lived, congress/senate/executive office would still get to win more douchery eventually. All of that because the house, senate, and executive office is still alive and dicking, takin' our internets and grabbin our crotches. Give it 30 years and hopefully the next batch of politicos will be....nevermind.
I'll just go long on Brawndo stock.
One party fought for public option health care. They fought for increased taxes on those who can afford it, rather than insisting that taxes only ever go down. They fought against the enormous and expensive blunder that was the Iraq war. They fought against allowing unlimited corporate money to influence politics. They fought against torture. They fought against teaching creationism in school. And despite your hand-waving dismissal, they fought for the rights of gays and women, who probably don't view themselves as minor issues. And that's just off the top of my head.
Saying the parties are the same is just the excuse of the lazy, trying to rationalize why they don't bother voting.
They fought against torture
While failing to fight against the prison-industrial complex, and while fighting for NDAA.
despite your hand-waving dismissal, they fought for the rights of gays and women, who probably don't view themselves as minor issues
Sorry, but gay marriage is a pretty minor issue by comparison with the other problems facing this country. What do you consider to be more important, allowing people to marry members of the same sex, or not being the world leader in imprisoning people? When we stop having law enforcement officers that carry M-16s on a day-to-day basis, maybe gay marriage will move up a notch.
While you were busy cheering for the democrats pulling our troops out of Iraq (after nearly a decade spent in Iraq, and the approval of the democrats for the invasion in the first place), they were busy establishing more surveillance, more law enforcement power, more curtailments of your rights, more hand-outs for large corporations, more union busting policies, more censorship, and more imprisonment -- just like the republicans. It was not a republican president whose drug czar interfered in popular TV show scripts for the purpose of spreading propaganda.
Yeah, I see what you mean about them being different from the republicans. After all, the republicans try appealing to the religious sentiments of middle America, while the democrats only use racial prejudice and fear. Republicans overtly support big business, while the democrats quietly support big business. As someone with liberal leanings, I guess it is clear that I should stop voting third party and start voting for the democrats, right?
On the Iraq war: Democrats were opposed 126-82, Republicans in favor 215-6. If Democrats had controlled congress, it would never have happened.
On public option healthcare: It was filibustered to death. It had support of 100% of Senate Democrats, but was opposed by 40 Senate Republicans plus Lieberman, who is an independent. One more Democrat in the Senate, and it would have passed.
On torture and the prison-industrial complex: They fought against torture. The fact that they didn't do some other good thing does not erase the good thing that they did do.
On gays and women (and immigrants and Muslims, for that matter): When a large segment of the population is used as a political punching bag and denied basic rights and control over their lives, that IS a big deal. It's not like the government can only do one thing at a time, and we must solve one problem before moving on to another. We can help millions of people right now, but it seems you'd rather let them suffer because you can't get some other things you want first.
On unions: You accuse them of union busting. That's just shocking. They fought for EFCA, but it was filibustered to death by the Republicans. Also I seem to recall some Democrats fighting like hell in Wisconsin to protect the unions, only for the Republican governor to circumvent the law and pass his union busting bill illegally, and then have a Republican state supreme court judge give it the okay.
The Republicans are out to break your spirits. They want you to give up on the Democrats so that they can take power. That's been their goal for years, and it's perfectly clear to anyone paying attention. Stop falling for it.
On the Iraq war: Democrats were opposed 126-82
That does not sound very united to me. Suppose the democrats had a simple majority in congress; if they are 3-2 against the war, what makes you think the measure would not pass? They would need a pretty significant majority in congress for 3/5 of the democrats to prevent us from going to war in Iraq, although maybe my ability to multiply and add fractions is on the fritz.
They fought against torture
So the fact that the Chinese do not even come close to imprisoning as many of their citizens as we do means nothing, because we are nice about imprisoning people. Additionally, the Democrats have only expressed opposition to waterboarding, but not to other forms of torture used in our prison system:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitary_confinement [wikipedia.org]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_therapy [wikipedia.org]
When a large segment of the population is used as a political punching bag and denied basic rights and control over their lives, that IS a big deal
Gays are not denied their rights anymore, and neither are women (??). The last, very minor right that gays were denied was the right to express who they are attracted to while they are serving in the military -- hardly a big deal issue, and hardly one that justifies voting for democrats. What rights are women currently being denied by the government, and what are your beloved democrats doing about it?
We can help millions of people right now, but it seems you'd rather let them suffer because you can't get some other things you want first.
Gay marriage is a nice concept if you are a romantic, but I am not going to vote for people who support gay marriage while simultaneously supporting the war on drugs, the militarization of the police, the military industrial complex, and the prison industrial complex, when I could vote for someone else. Some issues are minor, and some are not minor, and gay marriage falls squarely in the "minor" category. It is not that it is not something worth addressing, but given the choice between living in a country where gays can marry each other an the police drive around in tanks (see link) and a country where people can only marry members of the opposite sex but the police are not a paramilitary force, I choose the country without gay marriage.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41912754/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/why-do-americas-police-need-armored-tank/ [msn.com]
Also I seem to recall some Democrats fighting like hell in Wisconsin to protect the unions
Meanwhile, in New York State, Andrew Cuomo pushes hard to break the unions:
http://nyceducator.com/2011/11/governor-one-percent-discreetly-pulls.html [nyceducator.com]
http://nyceducator.com/2005/12/dear-attorney-general-spitzer.html [nyceducator.com]
Stop falling for it.
I am not the one claiming that gay marriage is important enough to outweigh the support among democrats for the various fascist domestic policies that they have been pushing.
On the Iraq war vote: Yes, the mixed numbers make it so that they'd need a large majority (~80% if my math is right) to stop the war. Honestly, given how bad Republicans have been for the country, the Dems ought to have that many. Or better still, have the Dems have half of Congress with a new party to their left controlling the other half, so that the American left is no longer to the right of most country's conservatives. But that's a pipe dream. The fact is, the statement that the parties are the same is false.
On torture: I've never said that the amount of prison time handed out in this country is okay. But the claim being discussed is: "The parties are the same." One party actively supports torturing people, the other doesn't. That strikes me as a difference.
On gays and women: Gays in many places can't visit loved ones in the hospital, or adopt children, and only thanks to the Democrats can they serve in the military. Women can have abortions, for now, but the Republicans are curtailing that right at every step of the way, and if a liberal Justice has a heart attack while a Republican is in the White House, that can change in a jiffy. Tell a 16 year old girl who just had her entire life screwed up over one mistake, all because the government is kowtowing to a religious group, that her rights aren't being denied by the government, then get back to me.
On unions: I'm aware of what Cuomo is doing... my dad is an affected union member (and, ironically, a Republican). I don't like it, but what he's doing isn't union busting. He is a tough negotiator with PEF, but there's a world of difference between taking a hardline stance in negotiations and taking away your opponent's right to negotiate at all.
On overall approach to politics: You have strong morals and are fighting for what you want. I get that. I don't like the war on drugs (along with its militarization of the police force) any more than you do. But if you want to see this country get better, you can't keep wasting votes on third parties. Vote for Democrats, primary for liberals, and drag the Overton window back to the left. The reason the conservatives have been able to do so much harm is because they understand that sometimes you need to hold your nose and vote in lockstep.
You're never going to hit that home run to fix the country all at once. You have to learn to play small ball. It took decades to create this mess, and it'll take decades to work our way out.
Do you really believe what you just wrote? The party you're referring to did nothing of the sort, they were complicit in everything the other party did.
One party fought for public option health care.
Not very hard, and what they passed instead is a bloated taxpayer funding of giant lobbyists (insurance and pharma).
They fought for increased taxes on those who can afford it,
Not very hard, they have one house and the Presidency, and they gave in.
rather than insisting that taxes only ever go down.
Not very hard. In fact, they pushed for some of the tax cuts.
They fought against the enormous and expensive blunder that was the Iraq war.
Not very hard. They signed the paper that gave Bush and the Neocons the authority to do whatever they damned well pleased. Obama even started some new policies, like summary execution of United States citizens.
They fought against allowing unlimited corporate money to influence politics.
Not very hard. They said they were fighting for it, but when Citizens United went through the Supremes, they threw up there hands in surrender.
They fought against torture.
Not very hard. We're still doing it.
They fought against teaching creationism in school.
This is one of the theatrical wedge issues. Notice how, for all the stage presence they demonstrate in the fight, no actual policy changes have happened?
they fought for the rights of gays and women
This is also a theatrical wedge issue. The only slight difference is that public opinion fell heavily on the "change the military policy" side, so one tiny corner of gay policy got changed. Until gays have they same rights as non-gay citizens, they are still not showing true support. How many of them are fully invested in truly equal rights for gays? How's Obama's position on gay marriage? They don't even get the half-a-loaf that is civil partnerships. Has there been a single substantive change in non-military policy regarding gay rights?
That is why we call this political theater. Because all the supposed support amounts to sound and fury signifying nothing.
Gridlock, you say? Hardly! We have made enormous changes in our policies, domestic and foreign. We have signed treaties and created sweeping new laws. We have completely revised our interpretation of the Bill of Rights. We have discarded any notion of respect for the War Powers Resolution.
All the truly significant changes in United States policy, happening at a truly blistering pace, are authoritarianism and expansion of monopolies and barriers to entry (copyright, patents, trademarks, insurance, drugs importation). The dramatic changes are all one of two things; the ability to control dissidents (enemy or patriot, foreign or domestic), and government influencing cashflow into the pockets of major corporations that do a lot of lobbying.
Look at the substantive change. If the substantive change does not match the rhetoric, questions must be raised. Show me substantive change, and I will believe that the rhetoric is more than theater.
One party fought for public option health care.
In the House, 100% of the Aye votes for the health care bill that passed were Democrats. [house.gov]
If you want to blame the Republicans for something, at least have the fucking decency and intellectual honesty of finding one of the many things that they are actually guilty of. All those back room deals over the health care bill that completely castrated it and sold us all out, that wasn't to get enough Republicans on board, that was to get enough Democrats on board. You shouldnt need a citation since I just gave it.
Then you have the balls to call out the Republicans on the Iraq war when more Republicans voted against that than had voted for that pig of a health care bill you just fucking complained about?
This year they were overwhelmingly in favor of pushing 'In God We Trust' on school children. [house.gov] Thats both Democrats and Republicans.. yet you are going on about how the Democrats were against teaching creationism which wasnt even a matter in front of either House or Senate?
Your problem is that you listen to what the Democrats say, but never bother to pay attention to what they actually do. Your priorities are fucked up. You care about what the media is talking about, rather than what the politicians are passing into law. That makes you the problem.
I'm still trying to find the voting record on this... but somehow I have a hard time beleiving that this passed by only a single vote and had Scott Brown not taken the place of Kennedy... it would have been defeated.
...Not going to education, science, health care, yadda yadda because that would 'cost too much money'
For comparison, the entire budget of the National Science Foundation, across all programs and disciplines, is $6.87 billion.
$7.85 billion is the budget, not the budget increase.
up $153 million from 2011
So, they did get an increase.....it was merely obscene instead of absolutely ridiculous.
Well, their budget is larger than that of the National Science Foundation. If that is not obscene, I do not know what is.
A 2% increase isn't even really obscene, more like an adjustment for inflation. Of course, it would be better if the Republicans would direct their "starve the beast" fury at an agency deserving of it, rather than at agencies that advance scientific knowledge, feed the hungry, and care for the ill.
The TSA didn't receive a $7.85 billion budget increase, according to the article, their total budget is $7.85 billion with an increase of $153 million over the previous year.
Here we are owing all sorts of money, and now we are giving a whole lot of money that doesn't exist, to a program that has yielded no worth? What's to gain? I've heard all of the bad news about TSA, and all the molesting, and violations that they commit, with no reprocutions. But please, someone explain to me what is it that the Government really benefits from this.
Perhaps a bad comparison, I support owning a firearm. I have family and friends who have use their guns in defense, so I see some benefit, among all the risks. But I do not own a gun, or have one in my home. Why? Because I have never been in a situation that I required a gun.
This is like posting armed guards in my upper middle class neighborhood home!
If you actually RTFA the increase is $153 million and the entire budget for the TSA is $7.85 billion.
Of course it still is a huge amount, considering that the TSA is simply a security theater and ALL that money goes to waste. Plus, that money is close to half of the entire NASA budget... Yeah, way to go for ROI!
And all that does not make it right for the summary to be so off, but this is slashdot!
It also gropes or irradiates.
Personally I'd opt for the groping, embarrassing but safer.
I've got a better idea, how about Congress gives every active user of
I'd prefer the rock! It wouldn't grope or irradiate me, and if something really went down I could at least chuck it at somebody.
I'm not thrilled with the security checkpoints at airports, but I do understand that an airplane can be turned into a giant guided missile that can take down a skyscraper. It may be that extreme measures are appropriate for security at an airport.
But how does it make sense to send a VIPR team to search people getting on or off a train? How do you justify that? Are they going to drive the train off the tracks and blow up a building?
"Oh maybe someone has a bomb in his luggage." How often do trains get blown up in America? What are the odds here? And even if the security becomes 100% effective on trains, what about bombs set on the train tracks? Searching train luggage seems completely futile to me.
Has a VIPR team ever caught a terrorist or found a bomb, ever?
Remember, we send people to prison for not paying taxes, or maybe take their homes away. Should we really be using tax dollars for VIPR teams?
I'm not thrilled with the security checkpoints at airports, but I do understand that an airplane can be turned into a giant guided missile that can take down a skyscraper. It may be that extreme measures are appropriate for security at an airport.
But how does it make sense to send a VIPR team to search people getting on or off a train? How do you justify that? Are they going to drive the train off the tracks and blow up a building?
It's for all those people who last year proudly said "Then don't fly!"
I do understand that an airplane can be turned into a giant guided missile that can take down a skyscraper. It may be that extreme measures are appropriate for security at an airport.
This has not been true since Sept. 11, 2001 when people decided that letting a terrorist hijack a plane was no longer a good idea. Of course, the measures taken do precisely shit for security.
But how does it make sense to send a VIPR team to search people getting on or off a train? How do you justify that? Are they going to drive the train off the tracks and blow up a building?
Because everything is justified by the "War on Terror" even if no logic or data exists otherwise.
Has a VIPR team ever caught a terrorist or found a bomb, ever?
Nope, and they never will.
But you can bet your ass that some contractors and equipment vendors will make a lot of money off of this. And I suspect, like Chertoff, it wouldn't be hard to trace the contracts that are inevitably issued back to the senators who support this garbage.
But how does it make sense to send a VIPR team to search people getting on or off a train? How do you justify that? Are they going to drive the train off the tracks and blow up a building?
There's a reason it's referred to as security 'theater,' Broseph.
No it can't. There is zero threat of a passenger liner being used as a missile ever again.
Americans won't allow. We know the option. We'll die to stop it. As was done on the 4th plane.
Has the TSA ever caught a terrorist or found a bomb, ever?
People have gotten on their flights with loaded pistols in their carry-on (easy Google find). The whole operation should have been shutdown the minute that happened.
and the London subway (tube) bombings probably convinced some other people.
on the other hand, VIPR has expanded to just about everywhere, including sporting events, ports, etc, and has been criticized by congress and by professional police for being a gigantic clusterf***.
my main interest in VIPR is to record the system of human organization, especially those justified by security. i wrote the wikipedia article on it for the same reason i helped organize the articles on the various obscure bureaucratic stru
If Corzine goes through one, hopefully the TSA can recover MF Globals money.
You know, there was a candidate who wanted to end the wars. Close Gitmo & the TSA. Who felt the government shouldn't have any role in marriage.
That candidate does happen to be running in this election. And may in fact place 1st or 2nd in our first state election.
Just saying...
(And no, I don't agree with all his policies. But dammit, I so wish him upon Congress. Congress so deserves Ron Paul.)
How about take a fraction of that budget and start programs that informs/teaches the public how to spot and handle terrorist/terrorist activities? Seams like the average Joe is doing a pretty good job of this already.
F@ck, I hate our politicians.
It's pretty clear that the primary threat the Think Tanks envision is not shoe wearing, scrotum burning terrorist but rather the US population and what's likely to happen when it becomes obvious to every unemployed dolt that we are in a serious depression, that the chance of a multiple massive riots/race war/civil war starting is high and the sheer volume of military weaponry owned by the average citizen makes it a certainty that it will be bloody, very bloody.
From the nut job militias, (Idaho, Utah and elsewhere) massive illegal immigration, record gun sales and ammunition sales, to the fact that the membership of the 18th street gang in L.A. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Street_Gang) is more than twice that of the police force, and that's just one gang, it's become clear that we are in serious trouble and it won't take much to set off the powder keg.
I hope I'm wrong about this and it's really just some large corporate contract raping the wallets of the American people again but things are looking grim.
at $7.85B, that's $25.87 per person in the US per year.
On the other hand, a family of four might pay $180 per year for HBO, which makes about $45 per year per person.
So, really, Security Theater (tm) really is a better deal than HBO.
"We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."


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College of Education professor receives Fulbright Senior Specialists awardUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
College of Education
HONOLULU - David P. Ericson, professor in the Educational Foundations Department in the College of Education at UH Mānoa, has been selected for a Fulbright Senior Specialists project in Denmark at Aarhus University during May 2008. His services, which will include a seminar, a lecture series, and the co-development of a master's program on education and educational policy in a multicultural society, were specifically requested by Aarhus University through the Fulbright Scholarship Board and U.S. Department of State.
As part of the selection process, the board determined Ericson's scholarly background, extensive international experience, and expertise on education in a multicultural context to be assets to the project, especially given Denmark's increasingly heterogeneous society. According to Ericson, in the past few decades, Denmark has welcomed numerous refugees and immigrants, and integrating these populations with their very different cultural and religious backgrounds into mainstream Danish society is proving to be a real challenge.
"The University of Aarhus, among the world's great research and teaching universities, is leading the way in addressing this challenge," Ericson added. "So, I am delighted to help the faculty out in whatever ways that I can."
Over the past 60 years, more than 285,000 emerging leaders in their professional fields have received Fulbright awards, including individuals who later became heads of government, Nobel Prize winners, and leaders in education, business, journalism, the arts and other fields. The Fulbright Senior Specialists Program complements the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program and provides short-term academic opportunities to prominent U.S. faculty and professionals to support curricular and faculty development and institutional planning at post secondary academic institutions around the world.
"I am honored to receive this prestigious award through the Fulbright Scholarship Board and the U.S. Department of State," Ericson said.
Currently, Ericson serves as director of the Office of International Education in the College of Education. On sabbatical leave, he was also invited to give a set of lectures on moral and political education at the Institute for Social Economy and Culture at Peking University in Beijing, China.


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It looks a lot like an old forth/open firmware prompt, kind of like on PowerMacs. On PowerMacs you could get a list like this when you booted while holding down some magic keys. You could even open a remote session on your open firmware if you set a server running on the target machine (this required physical access to the target machine at boot time).
If this is really what it looks like, then it's really low-level access to the hardware. OTOH, it requires physical access to the iPhone, and once you got the thing up the bootloader is likely to blow away most of the low-level environment. The real crown jewels would be decryption of the binaries on the phone, plus breaking the various validations and checksums the iphone's doing before it runs, so yous could patch them to do your evil, but that's a bigger hack.
Apple doesn't use Trusted Computing [boingboing.net].
From the Singh [osxbook.com] linked in the Boing Boing segment:
The media has been discussing "Apple's use of TPM" for a long time now. There have been numerous reports of system attackers bypassing "Apple's TPM protection" and finding "Apple's TPM keys." Nevertheless, it is important to note that Apple does not use the TPM. If you have a TPM-equipped Macintosh computer, you can use the TPM for its intended purpose, with no side effect on the normal working of Mac OS X.
I believe Gruber was misinformed on the issue (first time that ever happened, surely.) My Intel Macbook and Intel Mac Pro do not have a TPM:
$ ioreg | grep tpm
$ ioreg | grep TPM
$ ioreg | grep infineon
I'm not just taking ioreg's word for it, at least in the case of the Mac Pro. I've opened it and can't find an infineon or any other unaccounted-for LPC IC.
Just because it's hard for J. Random Cracker to get an OS running on a hardware platform it's not supported on, without the source code. doesn't mean someone's lying. Further, the teardowns of the iPhone available on the internet include no mention of a trusted platform module, which is a physical artifact, not an "implementation."
(Let us not forget of course, the presence of the Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X device, whose manifestation and theory of operation remain shrouded in mystery
Articles such as: [DaringFireball] state that Apple specifically used TPM as a means to keep OS X running only on signed Apple HW. This is based off of what the OSx86 grouped claimed (who wrote the hack to get it working on the PCs). So if it's not true, then either they're lying, the hack doesn't really work, or there's misinformation about what happened.
That was based on the developer hardware that Apple shipped prior to the Intel transition (look at the date of the DF article - the first Intel Mac shipped on Jan 2006 [apple-history.com]). Production MacIntels never shipped with TPM support. Apple uses encrypted binaries [osxbook.com] to prevent Mac OS X from running on non-Apple Intel hardware.
I know it doesn't matter in the context of the iPhone, but I'm just trying to correct the misperception that Apple uses/used TPM on their shipping Macs - they don't
Could you please explain the difference? It seems like a shell to me. I mean, tftp isn't something you launch from a boot loader, is it?
I mean, tftp isn't something you launch from a boot loader, is it?
Indeed. In fact, it looks eerily like u-boot.The list of commands given make it sound more like a boot loader than a shell.
The iPhone has millions of third-party developers. They make Web apps. For example, YouTube, Flickr, eBay, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter.
Open Firmware (also, OpenBoot) is a hardware-independent firmware (computer software which loads the operating system), developed by Mitch Bradley at Sun Microsystems, and used in post-NuBus PowerPC-based Apple Macintosh computers, Sun Microsystems SPARC based workstations and servers, IBM POWER systems, Pegasos systems, and the laptop designed by OLPC among others. It is available under a BSD license. The proposed Power Architecture Platform Reference will also be Open Firmware based. On those computers, Open Firmware fulfills the same tasks as BIOS does on PC computers.
So, can you run your vast collection of bash scripts? Probably not. But Forth is a pretty cool language that's fun to play with.It is accessed, by users, by a Forth-based shell interface. Forth is a powerful high-level language. For example, it is possible to program Open Firmware to solve the Tower of Hanoi problem.
From the command list, they're talking to the boot loader, not the operating system. That's nice, but rather low level. You can load another operating system image, so there's the potential of booting a different OS, if someone writes the appropriate drivers. Somebody will probably boot Linux eventually, but mostly as a curiosity.
Machines that have broken down will work perfectly when the repairman arrives.


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Friday, May 27, 2011
In a February, 1984 Ensign article entitled, "I've heard that some people have extended their ancestral lines back to Adam. Is this possible? If so, is it necessary for all of us to extend our pedigrees back to Adam"Robert C. Gunderson stated, in part, "In my opinion it is not even possible to verify historically a connected European pedigree earlier than the time of the Merovingian Kings (c. a.d. 450–a.d. 752). Every pedigree I have seen which attempts to bridge the gap between that time and the biblical pedigree appears to be based on questionable tradition, or at worst, plain fabrication. Generally these pedigrees offer no evidence as to the origin of the information, or they cite a vague source"
Occasionally, I hear the comment that tracing your royal line back to (_____ fill in the blank) is really good because it gets people interested in genealogy. Hogwash. People who are trying to trace their genealogy back to royalty are copying questionable records, not doing genealogy. I know people exist who have the research skills to actually do research before 1500 A.D., I just haven't had the opportunity to meet one yet in person. I have had commentators claim accurate pedigrees back to the Merovingian Kings, but have never seen a sourced pedigree, that uses anything but published genealogies. Nothing at all where each connection can be verified by contemporary documents.
Now, that I have repeated myself from earlier posts, I will get on with my discussion of Adam, Occam and Nasca. In my last post, I briefly recounted the current state of research on the Nasca lines in Peru. The point of that discussion is simple, look to existing sources. In the case of the lines, the researchers should have been asking the people who lived in the area first, before coming up with wild theories with no basis in fact. The same principle holds true for genealogical research, look to the contemporary sources, don't rely on a $3.95 chart with no citations to authority. Along this line, I was appalled to find the chart "The Royal Line" by Albert F. Schmuhl, cited as an authority in the England Historical Overview page of the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Let's get some sources and citations going there.
In my opinion, this whole thing about tracing your genealogy back to Adam is the biggest boat anchor in genealogy. If that is what people think we are all about, then why bother?
The entire concept of tracing your lineage "back to Adam" buys into the calculations made by James Ussher (or Usser) the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh which is a county in Northern Ireland. Now how many of you who adhere to his timeline have actually read his book? Here is a link to the book in English (sort of): Annales Veteris Testamenti, a prima mundi origine deducti, una cum rerum Asiaticarum et Aegyptiacarum chronico, a temporis historici principio usque ad Maccabaicorum initia producto. Or how about in the original Latin: Annales Veteris Testamenti
So where does Occam come into all this? Bertrand Russell said it well, albeit in another context, in his Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy: "The method of 'postulating' what we want has many advantages; they are the same as the advantages of theft over honest toil. Let us leave them to others and proceed with our honest toil." (1919, p. 71). See Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Russell also paraphrased Occam's Razor with the statement, "Whenever possible, substitute constructions out of known entities for inferences to unknown entities" from Linsky, Bernard, "Logical Constructions", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)"
So here we have a proposition, that there is an unbroken line of descent from Adam in approximately 4000 B.C. to the present. The problem is, where is the empirical data? In this I am not taking sides in any religious or anti-religious arguments (although I will side with the religious if asked), what I am saying is where are your sources in the genealogical sense? How can you even postulate a theory (i.e. that Adam lived in 4000 B.C.) with no supporting contemporary documentation? Usser's book is not a source and neither is The Royal Line. Don't come back to me with a citation to a compilation made by someone else that you haven't personally verified, where is the documentation? Have you ever watched the movie Inherit the Wind? The 1960 version? The point of the movie is not whether or not you believe in creationism, the point is lack of documentation.
Genealogy should really have nothing to say about the age of the Earth, it is a question far beyond any credible genealogical evidence. I suggest moving on to real genealogy with sources and evidence and getting away from unsupported and unsupportable theories.
1 comment:
The article you linked to on the FamilySearch Research Wiki also lists "Bloodline of the Holy Grail" as a source, discussing King Arthur, Joseph of Arimathea, and Mary Magdalene. And it's riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. What's even more pathetic is the person who added that text is supposedly an accredited genealogist.ReplyDelete
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Pianist Roy Gerson plays the piano at the Voices of Hope dinner and dance at the Seven Hills Inn.
LENOX, Mass. — The Seven Hills Inn, in cooperation with the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, raised $50,000 during Voices of Hope, a holiday dinner, dance and auction to benefit the chamber and the Berkshire United Way, on Saturday, Dec. 1.


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Catch the wave at Toyota's new motor show booth
TOKYO -- What do you get when you take a piece of Toyota corporate stationery and roll up one end like a tube of paper towels? It's the new look of Toyota's global motor show stand.
Toyota calls it "The Wave." And in all fairness, it's a clean, simple motif that exudes an air of modernity and artistry.
The design was inspired by origami, the traditional Japanese craft of folding paper. Says Toyota: "The form is defined by a series of dynamic curves, giving the stand strength and vibrancy, and at the same time warmth and familiarity."
Judging by a rendering circulated by Toyota, the white backdrop will curl diagonally into the stand -- like a surfer's wave ready to break. The red Toyota logo rides the lip of the crest.
The stand will debut at next month's Geneva motor show. Toyota is calling it the new "global" stand design. But it says it will adapt the look to regional preferences at other shows.
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- Caterham
Fernandes sparks new rumours of Caterham sale
Tony Fernandes has rekindled speculation that he will sell the Caterham Formula One team after admitting "F1 hasn't worked" as he closed his account on Twitter on Thursday.
Fernandes denied he was selling the Caterham Group last month after rumours the F1 team and car company were up for sale, but the latest speculation centres around the team alone. When contacted by ESPN, a team spokesperson declined to comment on the rumours.
"F1 hasn't worked. Love Caterham cars," Fernandes tweeted on Thursday after revealing he was leaving the social networking website.
"Maybe I return," he wrote in previous tweets. "Been fun. And damn useful. Speak the truth be brave. Dare to dream, believe the unbelievable and never take no for an answer. Stand up for what you believe, fight oppression and most important enjoy life."
The first sign Fernandes had fallen out of love with Formula One came ahead of the season when he appeared to issue an ultimatum to the team.
'My message to the 250 people here (at the factory) is we have to go for it this year," he in January. "This is it - the final chance. We've given you the best infrastructure, the best potential drivers, but it is now down to all of you to go and do it. If we're at the back I don't think I'm going to carry on. Nothing is set in stone, but after five years with no points there is a limit to one's patience, money, motivation, etcetera, so it's an important year."
The team has struggled again this season and seen rivals Marussia beat it to scoring their first championship points at the Monaco Grand Prix. Both Caterham and Marussia have struggled to compete since joining the sport in 2010, while HRT closed its doors at the end of 2012 after three years of financial difficulties.