text:
MONACO, Sept 25 – The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report highlights the urgency of prioritizing timely, ambitious and coordinated action to address unprecedented and enduring changes in the ocean and cryosphere.
The report reveals the benefits of ambitious and effective adaptation for sustainable development and, conversely, the escalating costs and risks of delayed action.
The ocean and the cryosphere – the frozen parts of the planet – play a critical role for life on Earth. A total of 670 million people in high mountain regions and 680 million people in low-lying coastal zones depend directly on these systems. Four million people live permanently in the Arctic region, and small island developing states are home to 65 million people.
Global warming has already reached 1°C above the pre-industrial level, due to past and current greenhouse gas emissions. There is overwhelming evidence that this is resulting in profound consequences for ecosystems and people. The ocean is warmer, more acidic and less productive. Melting glaciers and ice sheets are causing sea level rise, and coastal extreme events are becoming more severe.
The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, approved on 24 September 2019 by the 195 IPCC member governments, provides new evidence for the benefits of limiting global warming to the lowest possible level – in line with the goal that governments set themselves in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions limits the scale of ocean and cryosphere changes. Ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them can be preserved.
"The open sea, the Arctic, the Antarctic and the high mountains may seem far away to many people," said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC. "But we depend on them and are influenced by them directly and indirectly in many ways – for weather and climate, for food and water, for energy, trade, transport, recreation and tourism, for health and wellbeing, for culture and identity."
"If we reduce emissions sharply, consequences for people and their livelihoods will still be challenging, but potentially more manageable for those who are most vulnerable," Lee said. "We increase our ability to build resilience and there will be more benefits for sustainable development."
Knowledge assessed in the report outlines climate-related risks and challenges that people around the world are exposed to today and that future generations will face. It presents options to adapt to changes that can no longer be avoided, manage related risks and build resilience for a sustainable future. The assessment shows that adaptation depends on the capacity of individuals and communities and the resources available to them.
More than 100 authors from 36 countries assessed the latest scientific literature related to the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate for the report, referencing about 7,000 scientific publications.
The IPCC Special Report is a key scientific input for world leaders gathering in forthcoming climate and environment negotiations, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Chile in December
"The world's ocean and cryosphere have been 'taking the heat' from climate change for decades, and consequences for nature and humanity are sweeping and severe," said Ko Barrett, Vice-Chair of the IPCC. "The rapid changes to the ocean and the frozen parts of our planet are forcing people from coastal cities to remote Arctic communities to fundamentally alter their ways of life," she added.
"By understanding the causes of these changes and the resulting impacts, and by evaluating options that are available, we can strengthen our ability to adapt," she said. "The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate provides the knowledge that facilitates these kinds of decisions."
Major changes in high mountains affecting downstream communities
People in mountain regions are increasingly exposed to hazards and changes in water availability, the report said.
Glaciers, snow, ice, and permafrost are declining and will continue to do so. This is projected to increase hazards for people, for example through landslides, avalanches, rockfalls, and floods.
Smaller glaciers found for example in Europe, eastern Africa, the tropical Andes, and Indonesia are projected to lose more than 80% of their current ice mass by 2100 under high emission scenarios. The retreat of the high mountain cryosphere will continue to adversely affect recreational activities, tourism, and cultural assets.
As mountain glaciers retreat, they are also altering water availability and quality downstream, with implications for many sectors such as agriculture and hydropower.
"Changes in water availability will not just affect people in these high mountain regions, but also communities much further downstream," said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.
"Limiting warming would help them adapt to changes in water supplies in mountain regions and beyond, and limit risks related to mountain hazards," he said. "Integrated water management and transboundary cooperation provide opportunities to address the impacts of these changes in water resources."
Melting ice, rising seas
Glaciers and ice sheets in polar and mountain regions are losing mass, contributing to an increasing rate of sea level rise, together with expansion of the warmer ocean.
While sea level has risen globally by around 15 cm during the 20th century, it is currently rising more than twice as fast – 3.6 mm per year – and accelerating, the report showed.
Sea level will continue to rise for centuries. It could reach around 30-60 cm by 2100 even if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced and global warming is limited to well below 2°C, but around 60-110 cm if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase strongly.
"In recent decades the rate of sea level rise has accelerated, due to growing water inputs from ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, in addition to the contribution of meltwater from glaciers and the expansion of warmer sea waters," said Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.
"This new assessment has also revised upwards the projected contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to sea level rise by 2100 in the case of high emissions of greenhouse gases," she said. "The wide range of sea level projections for 2100 and beyond is related to how ice sheets will react to warming, especially in Antarctica, with major uncertainties still remaining."
More frequent extreme sea level events
Sea level rise will increase the frequency of extreme sea-level events, which occur for example during high tides and intense storms. Indications are that with any degree of additional warming, events that occurred once per century in the past will occur every year by mid-century in many regions, increasing risks for many low-lying coastal cities and small islands.
Without major investments in adaptation, they would be exposed to escalating flood risks, the report shows. Some island nations are likely to become uninhabitable due to climate-related ocean and cryosphere change, the report said, but habitability thresholds remain extremely difficult to assess.
Increases in tropical cyclone winds and rainfall are exacerbating extreme sea-level events and coastal hazards. Hazards will be further be intensified by an increase in the average intensity, magnitude of storm surge and precipitation rates of tropical cyclones, especially if greenhouse gas emissions remain high.
"Various adaptation approaches are already being implemented, often in response to flooding events, and the report highlights the diversity of options available for each context to develop integrated responses anticipating the full scale of future sea-level rise," said Masson-Delmotte.
Changing ocean ecosystems
Warming and changes in ocean chemistry are already disrupting species throughout the ocean food web, with impacts on marine ecosystems and people that depend on them, the report said.
To date, the ocean has taken up more than 90% of the excess heat in the climate system. By 2100, the ocean will take up 2 to 4 times more heat than between 1970 and the present if global warming is limited to 2°C, and up to 5 to 7 times more at higher emissions. Ocean warming reduces mixing between water layers and, as a consequence, the supply of oxygen and nutrients for marine life.
Marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency since 1982 and are increasing in intensity. They are projected to further increase in frequency, duration, extent and intensity. Their frequency will be 20 times higher at 2°C warming, compared to pre-industrial levels. They would occur 50 times more often if emissions continue to increase strongly.
The ocean has taken up between 20 to 30% of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s, causing ocean acidification. Continued carbon uptake by the ocean by 2100 will exacerbate ocean acidification.
Ocean warming and acidification, loss of oxygen and changes in nutrient supplies, are already affecting the distribution and abundance of marine life in coastal areas, in the open ocean and at the seafloor.
Shifts in the distribution of fish populations have reduced the global catch potential. In the future, some regions, notably tropical oceans, will see further decreases, but there will be increases in others, such as the Arctic. Communities that depend highly on seafood may face risks to nutritional health and food security.
"Cutting greenhouse gas emissions will limit impacts on ocean ecosystems that provide us with food, support our health and shape our cultures," said Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II. "Reducing other pressures such as pollution will further help marine life deal with changes in their environment while enabling a more resilient ocean."
"Policy frameworks, for example for fisheries management and marine protected areas, offer opportunities for communities to adapt to changes and minimize risks for our livelihoods," he added.
Declining Arctic sea ice, thawing permafrost
The extent of Arctic sea ice is declining in every month of the year, and it is getting thinner. If global warming is stabilized at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the Arctic ocean would only be ice-free in September – the month with the least ice – once in every hundred years. For global warming of 2°C, this would occur up to one year in three.
Some people living in the Arctic, especially indigenous peoples, have already adjusted their traveling and hunting activities to the seasonality and safety of land, ice and snow conditions, and some coastal communities have planned for relocation. Their success in adapting depends on funding, capacities, and institutional support, the report shows.
Permafrost ground that has been frozen for many years is warming and thawing and widespread permafrost thaw is projected to occur in the 21st century. Even if global warming is limited to well below 2°C, around 25% of the near-surface (3-4 meter depth) permafrost will thaw by 2100. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase strongly, there is a potential that around 70% of near-surface permafrost could be lost.
The Arctic and boreal permafrost hold large amounts of organic carbon, almost twice the carbon in the atmosphere, and have the potential to significantly increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere if they thaw. It is unclear whether there is already a net release of carbon dioxide or methane due to the ongoing thaw of the Arctic permafrost. In the future, increased plant growth can increase the storage of carbon in soils and offset carbon release from permafrost thaw, but not at the scale of large changes in the long term.
Wildfires are disturbing ecosystems in most tundra and boreal as well as mountain regions.
Knowledge for urgent action
The report finds that strongly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting and restoring ecosystems, and carefully managing the use of natural resources would make it possible to preserve the ocean and cryosphere as a source of opportunities that support adaptation to future changes, limit risks to livelihoods and offer multiple additional societal benefits.
"We will only be able to keep global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels if we effect unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society, including energy, land and ecosystems, urban and infrastructure as well as industry. The ambitious climate policies and emissions reductions required to deliver the Paris Agreement will also protect the ocean and cryosphere – and ultimately sustain all life on Earth," said Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.
SROCC provides the best available scientific knowledge to empower governments and communities to take action, embedding that scientific knowledge on unavoidable change and plausible futures into their own context, to limit the scale of risks and climate impacts.
The report gives evidence of the benefits of combining scientific with local and indigenous knowledge to develop suitable options to manage climate change risks and enhance resilience. This is the first IPCC report that highlights the importance of education to enhance climate change, ocean and cryosphere literacy.
"The more decisively and the earlier we act, the more able we will be to address unavoidable changes, manage risks, improve our lives and achieve sustainability for ecosystems and people around the world – today and in the future," Roberts said.


text:
The Special Rigging Maillon Rapide quick link meets paragliding manufacturers' requirements. Available in various sizes and materials.
Maillon Rapide quick links are CE-engraved according to the 2006/42/EC Machinery Directive, as lifting accessories. The evaluation of conformity with internal control of the manufacture is carried out with CE-marking self-certification. The working load limit in kg, identified « WLL », stands for the maximum load permitted. It shall never be exceeded. A safety factor of 5 is set against the breaking load. WLL = breaking load / 5.
To view the full range of products with technical specifications, check out our Péguet page and download the catalogue.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ethiopiques Volume 22
Alèmayèhu Eshèté is no less than one of the great voices of the heyday of modern Ethiopian music -- the Swinging Sixties which, in Ethiopia, went on until the fall of the Emperor Haile Sellassie I in 1974. On a par with Tlahoun Gèssèssè, Bzunèsh Bèqèlè or Mahmoud Ahmed, Alèmayèhu is a star at the top of the constellation that once lit up the wild nights in the capital city Addis Ababa. The singer, as remarkable for his frenetic rock numbers as for his heart-rending ballads, has, by dint of rampant Americanism, earned himself nicknames as the Ethiopian James Brown or the Abyssinian Elvis. With his dazzling stage presence, nimble voicebox and wicked pompadour, he is a strutting show-off, straight out of American Graffiti or Saturday Night Fever. His youthfulness untarnished although he is well into his 60s, Alèmayèhu still represents the explosive myths of the 1960s.


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« Into The Ashram » is the first chapter of the « Entering The Stream » trilogy, which also comprises « The Chrome Lake » and « Leaving The Ashram. »
The composition is intended to depict the progress of an individual getting fed up with their day to day life to the point of taking an extended time off for reflection and introspection.
The piece is an instrumental which counts the following four movements :
- The Ordinary
- Running Out Of Breath
- Dweller On The Threshold
- Jambudvipa
In the cosmology of Buddhism, Jambudvipa is the name of the continent of the terrestrial world where ordinary human beings live, and this is also where one may receive the gift of Dharma and come to understand the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and ultimately realize the liberation from the cycle of life and death.
In a way, both the ordinary and Jambudvipa can be taken to be coextensive, or sharing the same spatial extension if you prefer, as it is the mindset or attitude of the individual that determines in which they abide. In other words, the ashram that is referred to isn't necessarily a physical location, for instance some building located in India, but can also mean a mental construct, or a way of approaching things. In that sense, the piece depicts an inner journey beginning from over-activity and ending in temporary seclusion, where reflection and healing can take place.
In an effort to convey more clearly the intent that gave rise to the piece, I've written the following verses, even though at the moment I have no plans of upgrading the music with vocal melodies :
Always on the verge of spinning out of control
Going through the motions better than down the hole
Today I will not scream I am unsatisfied
Isn't this the mantra to become ossified
The things I bowed down to have me under their weight
I'm not sure I recall how it feels to stand straight
So many things I crave I think I'll never get
I may be warm and fed but my needs are not met
There must be something else I have been here before
But this time I'm fed up I won't take anymore
Others have stopped stooping and even learned to dance
When will it be my turn if I don't take the chance
I dream of India and of sabbatical
Simplifying my life to the canonical
Shed the superficial and leave it all behind
So I may figure out how I messed up my mind
I can't keep silencing that impulse forever
And let aspiration fade away to wither
That's no way to progress I need to introspect
And away from it all on my life to reflect
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell." – Buddha


text:
OAuth is a simple way to publish and interact with protected data. It's also a safer and more secure way for people to give you access. For example, it can be used to access your users' data on Twitter.
There are two very different versions of OAuth: OAuth 1.0 and OAuth 2.0. Version 2 is simple enough to be implemented easily without library or helpers, so Play only provides support for OAuth 1.0.
To use OAuth, first add ws
to your build.sbt
libraryDependencies ++= Seq(
§Required Information
OAuth requires you to register your application to the service provider. Make sure to check the callback URL that you provide, because the service provider may reject your calls if they don't match. When working locally, you can use /etc/hosts
to fake a domain on your local machine.
The service provider will give you:
- Application ID
- Secret key
- Request Token URL
- Access Token URL
- Authorize URL
§Authentication Flow
Most of the flow will be done by the Play library.
- Get a request token from the server (in a server-to-server call)
- Redirect the user to the service provider, where he will grant your application rights to use his data
- The service provider will redirect the user back, giving you a /verifier/
- With that verifier, exchange the /request token/ for an /access token/ (server-to-server call)
Now the /access token/ can be passed to any call to access protected data.
More details on OAuth's process flow are available at The OAuth Bible.
To implement the flow in a controller, define the key and the consumer secret and retrieve the token and secret:
val KEY = ConsumerKey("xxxxx", "xxxxx")
val oauth = OAuth(ServiceInfo(
"https://api.twitter.com/oauth/authorize", KEY),
def sessionTokenPair(implicit request: RequestHeader): Option[RequestToken] = {
for {
token <- request.session.get("token")
secret <- request.session.get("secret")
} yield {
RequestToken(token, secret)
def authenticate = Action { request: Request[AnyContent] =>
request.getQueryString("oauth_verifier").map { verifier =>
val tokenPair = sessionTokenPair(request).get
// We got the verifier; now get the access token, store it and back to index
oauth.retrieveAccessToken(tokenPair, verifier) match {
case Right(t) => {
// We received the authorized tokens in the OAuth object - store it before we proceed
Redirect(routes.Application.index).withSession("token" -> t.token, "secret" -> t.secret)
case Left(e) => throw e
oauth.retrieveRequestToken("https://localhost:9000/auth") match {
case Right(t) => {
// We received the unauthorized tokens in the OAuth object - store it before we proceed
Redirect(oauth.redirectUrl(t.token)).withSession("token" -> t.token, "secret" -> t.secret)
case Left(e) => throw e
After implementing the flow, the timeline is available by signing requests through WS:
def timeline = Action.async { implicit request: Request[AnyContent] =>
sessionTokenPair match {
case Some(credentials) => {
.sign(OAuthCalculator(KEY, credentials))
.map(result => Ok(result.json))
case _ => Future.successful(Redirect(routes.Application.authenticate))
Note: OAuth does not provide any protection against MITM attacks. This example shows the OAuth token and secret stored in a session cookie – for the best security, always use HTTPS with
Next: Integrating with Akka


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Refurbishment of the building has been a labour of love for owner Maurizio who opened Il Camino in July 2007.
This is reflected in both the traditional painting methods used on the walls and the open timber beams that frame this beautiful restaurant. Owner Maurizio has overseen these changes in correspondance with the council to make sure it's graded listing has been maintained intact.
With a great attention to detail Il Camino has proved popular with the inhabitants of Maldon and now it's reputation has begun to spread further afield throughout Essex. Il Camino can be booked for private functions with covers for 40 people but is not available for private hire on Saturdays. With a great range of traditional Italian fayre, if you love Italian dining you're sure to love Il Camino.
If you have any queries about Il Camino please do not hesitate to give us a call on 01621 856 622 or e-mail us (please note we only take bookings over the phone)
Please note: All cards are accepted with the exception of Diners, and we do not accept cheques.


text:
30 Jun 1997 Legal Brief: Mental Health Standards a Stress; Milk-A-Lawsuit; Attorney Calls for "Revolution" in the Legal Profession; Tort D'Jour
Mental Health Standards a Stress
Investor's Business Daily reports that although most courts are keeping high standards in lawsuits against employees by workers claiming to be mentally ill, there still are some bizarre claims to consider:
1) A customer service representative was hired to handle the telephone in an eye-care products firm and sued his employer when he felt too stressed to answer the phones.
2) A waitress in Alabama claims she suffered public attacks because she couldn't cope with the restaurant's crowds (her suit was thrown out of court).
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission has been swamped with disability-related complaints, ranging from stress to schizophrenia. One problem is that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to consider an employee's "special needs" — a nebulous term ripe for misinterpretation and exploitation.
This time it's a milk drinker filing a lawsuit against the dairy industry because he says his lifetime of milk drinking clogged his arteries. The Houston Chronicle reports on June 10 that Norman Mayo, 61, believes milk should have a warning label similar to those on cigarettes because "it is just as dangerous as tobacco."
Even the wholesome dairy industry is not immune to people looking for some deep pockets to dig into as they try to find a, dare we say, a new "cash cow."
Attorney Calls for "Revolution" in the Legal Profession
Recognizing that lawyers have an uphill battle in restoring the public's faith in their ethics and standards, San Francisco attorney Harrison Sheppard suggests in the San Francisco Chronicle on June 4 that a revolution is needed in the profession, one where "peacemaking, not adversarial skills must be emphasized." Legal training and practice focused on conciliation instead of attack would be a refreshing change and is fundamental if our society expects to reverse the aggressive style so routinely employed today, Sheppard says.
Sheppard allows that it would be a challenge for lawyers to "think, and to act, as peacemakers first, peacemakers second, peacemakers third, and as warriors only in the very last resort," but he believes its vital that they do so. "Ancient and modern history show," he says, "that when conflict among sharply differing factions in democratic societies grows, and legal institutions become inadequate to resolve them peacefully, the result is either authoritarian government or mob rule. American democracy may survive and prosper in the 21st century only if we lawyers learn to do more than ever before to help harmonize our miraculous American diversity."
Tort D'Jour
Once again, thanks to Ann Landers for providing another laugh for her millions of readers as they enjoy their morning coffee. This time, a California resident offered a story about a group of four robbers who entered a Hayward, California bar brandishing weapons, hassled the patrons and robbed the establishment. After police shot and wounded one of the gunmen, two others ran back into the bar to take some hostages. One of the masked gunmen was stabbed with a pocket knife by his hostage and was killed when the knife hit an artery.
A typical cops and robbers story… until you hear the punch line: the family of the dead robber later sued the bar claiming it did not provide a "safe environment" for the thief.*


text:
Prospect Pitch: Bauer reveals repertoire
Why exactly?
"To identify the phenomenon of what's really going on," Bauer said earnestly. "Now that I know how it comes off my hand, how do I get to that point?"
Get used to the questions. The ever inquisitive Bauer -- MLB.com's No. 9 prospect and the third overall pick last June -- poses a lot of them, usually to himself. Where his peers pick three pitches and go, Bauer stops to think and asks: How many do I need?
"I can't really speak for anyone else, but personally, for me, I'm very passionate about my craft and I've always been into science and discovery and all that stuff, so I'm always trying to find a way to get better from season to season. And throwing more pitches is a way that I've found to," said Bauer, who made seven pro starts after signing last summer. "Honestly, throwing more pitches requires more practice on all of them. If you think about the 10,000-hour rule -- you have to put 10,000 hours on a specific endeavor to be considered great at it -- I'm never going to have great command of all of them; there's not that much time."
Considering his unique training techniques, detailed in Sports Illustrated last August, he has more time than most. Bauer uses much of it to gain a greater understanding of the dot slider, circle slider and reverse slider, three of his creations and one-third of what must be the most intriguing repertoire in the Minor Leagues.
"Three or four of them, I didn't just pick up. I needed a pitch that does this at this speed, so let me design a pitch that does that. They all have a very specific purpose when it comes to my pitch-calling and how I go about attacking hitters," he explained. "The more pitches that I have, that have different speeds and move differently, the more confusion it creates for the hitter. And if I throw all of them out of the same tunnel and make them look the same though 20 feet of flight ... obviously, I'm going to be a lot tougher to hit."
And, seemingly, to catch. How does a batterymate with five available fingers keep track of -- and sign for -- so many offerings? It's less complicated than it sounds. When Bauer was at UCLA, where he teamed with No. 1 overall Draft pick Gerrit Cole in the starting rotation, his catcher would call for the reverse slider with a makeshift seven.
"So, basically," Bauer said, "he sticks down his thumb and his pointer finger to make a seven-looking figure."
Last week, MiLB.com asked Bauer to describe and grade each of the nine pitches he employs. (His grade is based on a scout's traditional 20-80 scale, 50 being the Major League average.) Here is Bauer, in his own words.
Pitch one: Four-seam fastball
Origin: I threw two-seamers and sinkers growing up because I didn't throw super hard and relied on a lot of movement to keep the ball down and get hitters off-balance. But I didn't know a whole lot about effective velocity and pitch sequencing back then. Now that I have a better feel for it and what hitters react to and what actually gets them out, I've gone to the four-seam. I find I'm better able to control the movement on it.
Purpose: For the way I sequence pitches and try to hit tunnels, it's important to have a pitch that moves consistently so that I know where it started and where to start other pitches to make them look the same.
Grip: Straight across the four seams.
Speed: Anywhere above 92 [mph].
Grade: I'd give myself a 60 because I don't have the best command of it yet. Velocity-wise, it will continue to get better. I'd say it's an 80 [in terms] of upside.
Pitches two and three: Changeups
Origin: My dad has always been a proponent of the changeup [since] I started pitching when I was 8.
Purpose: I have two variations of it; I can make it cut or I can make it run. I'm pretty confident [using either] to any side hitter.
Grip: I grip a fastball but with my middle and ring finger. I don't really ever close off the circle [like a typical circle change]. I basically create an equator around the ball, split the ball in half with my ring finger and thumb, and then everything else lays on there comfortably. And then I just throw the ball so that, when I release it, my ring finger and my thumb are directly on top of each other vertically.
Speed: From 80-84.
Grade: I'd give myself a 70. It's actually the pitch I command the best.
Pitches four and five: Curveballs
Origin: I started throwing a variation of a curveball when I was 9 and then started throwing an actual curveball when I was 12. It was never really a concern to me [to throw a breaking ball at that age]. People don't understand how to throw a curveball properly, so they end up putting their arms at risk. They try to do something with their hand to make it spin artificially. My pitching coach, Jim Wagner, told me, 'Set your wrist, throw it and let the ball roll off naturally.'
Purpose: To get a strike early in the count, or as a put-away pitch.
Grip: I have two different grips, one that I use for a strike pitch and then another grip I use when I really want to bury it. Bury it means, primarily, that I'm going to throw it in the dirt.
Speed: From 76-81.
Grade: I have pretty good command on it and it has good break, so I'd give it a 70 on the scale.
Pitches six and seven: Dot slider and circle slider
Origin: I picked up a slider during my junior season in high school, so I haven't been throwing it as long.
Purpose: I have two variations -- one of them is more of a traditional cutter, but it has more horizontal movement to it than vertical movement. I call that my circle slider because when I throw it, it comes out with a circle on it instead of a dot. I use that one primarily early in the count to hit tunnels to righties, disguise it, make it look like a fastball or a changeup and keep it in the zone. My dot slider is the one that breaks more.
Grip: The only thing I do differently is grip [each] differently. I throw it the exact same. One of them is a very traditional slider grip. I hold it right on the horseshoe of the ball and pull down on the seam. ... The other one, in doing video analysis and playing with different grips, I noticed that I can throw it the exact the same [but] with this grip ... based on the orientation of the grip, the pressure zones it creates as it's spinning through the air, I can get it to move less than the other one. It's been a struggle because the grip is not particularly comfortable, but I'm getting a lot more consistent with it.
Speed: The dot slider is about 84-86; the circle slider is usually about 84.
Grade: My dot slider, the one that breaks more, I'm going to grade that one about a 70. My circle slider, strictly based on the inconsistency of it, I'll give a 55 or a 60. It will be a lot better next year than it was last year, but it's not as much of a 'wow' pitch as my dot slider is.
Pitch eight: Reverse slider
Origin: Between my sophomore year and junior year at UCLA, [that's] really when I picked up on Perry Husband's Effective Velocity and learning how speed and location interact with each other in the zone. It became apparent that I needed something to go the opposite way at a [specific] speed range. It's a cross between a sinking fastball and a screwball -- it's a little bit slower than a sinking fastball and a little bit harder than a traditional screwball would be. I played around with it and got it done. I used it a lot [my senior] year at UCLA.
Purpose: It's designed to be a left-handed cut fastball. I want it to sit in the middle range of speeds and move about 5 inches, just enough to get from the middle of the plate to the outside corner to a lefty or the inside corner to a righty.
Grip: If you think about how you grip a slider and how your hand is on the outside of the ball, I just reverse everything. So my thumb position, my wrist position, all that stuff, I reverse. And [the ball] rolls off my pointer finger.
Speed: Between 88-91.
Grade: Give it a 50. Movement-wise, people are going to say, "Oh, that's not impressive," but very few people understand how effective a pitch that moves 4 inches is, and especially in that speed range. It's a pitch that I will throw increasingly often as my career goes along.
Pitch nine: Split-finger fastball
Origin: I was down at Texas Baseball Ranch one summer and talked to this guy, Brent Strom, and he asked me if I threw a splitter. I said no. He asked me to spread my fingers to see how far I could spread 'em, so I did. And he said, "You should definitely throw a split. Your fingers have enough flexibility that you should do it." He taught me how and sent me on my way to practice it. Funny story: I had [Team] USA trials after that -- two weeks after I learned it -- and I actually threw it; it was the only pitch that worked at the trials. I didn't make the team that year [in 2008] but, since then it's been a good pitch for me. I threw it in college increasingly as coach [John] Savage got more comfortable with it and realized that it was a viable pitch for me.
Purpose: What's really gotten success -- I didn't have a whole lot of 'em hit -- was in two-strike counts as a put-away pitch.
Grip: Traditional, [spreading index and middle fingers].
Speed: In the 86-88 range.
Grade: I'd give it a 40 or a 50. It's still a developing pitch, but it's not something I'm going to give up on because the possibilities are pretty great. It's something I have seen work for many guys. If I can get it to be more consistent -- and it will take more repetitions of me throwing it -- it can be a very devastating pitch.
Andrew Pentis is a contributor to MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewMiLB.


text:
And our view of the world has gone odd
We add to the problem (it seems so to me)
When the thing we're perceiving is God.
Throughout all our centuries, thousands of gods
Have been worshipped (and some worship none);
On the face of it, those are some pretty long odds—
Do you really think yours is the one?
The same human frailties that make you dismiss
Our perceptions of things on the ground
Are how we choose gods—and the problem is this:
There's no evidence—none—to be found!
When we share observations with others as well,
And collectively form an alliance,
The empirical questions, at least, we can tell
(Thus the stunning successes of science)
The wishes of gods, or of angels on pins
Bring up questions, of course, by the score;
Two groups disagree, and that's how it begins,
And it ends, all too often, in war.
No, give me a group that embraces its doubt,
And continues to work on their flaws
Instead of some followers, dear and devout
Of some Mesopotamian laws.
(again, damn that 200-word limit!)
Over at the NPR debate, some kind commenter noticed yesterday's verse, and responded:
If one's thinking is off or even sublimeBasically, we can't trust our frail human perceptual and cognitive equipment to make moral decisions, so why not use god's guidance? A fantastic idea, really, except that the people who complain about our perceptual and cognitive capabilities never seem to remember that we use them (to some extent) when seeking the advice of this omniscient, omnipotent, but strangely invisible and unknowable entity. And if it is difficult seeing eye to eye about whether, say, genital mutilation is immoral, try coming to agreement about the characteristics and wishes of an invisible and unknowable entity! Why, I suspect that people might even come to blows about it. Nah, never happen. Relying on the advice of a deity could never lead to a bad end.
how could we justify supporting such thought?
For from whose basis would we rely?
It seems that without some margin for thought
we all could be in for a lot.
Where would it lead mankind one might think
but to suggest an answer may be for naught even if on the mark.
We all can think and that we must do
but to suggest a response that would be off
would be like striking at thinking with the chance of being turned off.
Who then may one turn to to bring us all back to sanity?
If every thought would be left to ones opinion that would risk it leading to general demise.
We all know that would result in turmoil
unless we centered our thoughts with guidance.
But whose guidance would we rely?
Perhaps with the One who has chartered the Way!
What is wrong with a proven Way?
It wouldn't limit thinking but would instill guidance and eliminate self doubt as to whether ones thinking is off!
Am I far off?


text:
I felt really good about this.
A big reason was because I'd reached my goal of writing 50,000 words in a month.
Another reason was because I really didn't feel like writing yesterday.
Yesterday was the Cat-Griz game here in Montana, which is the 116th time in the state's history that the two main colleges played football.
I was at the game and I knew I'd have to come home later and get my 1,667 words in.
The main reason I felt compelled to write each day like that was because of this word count meter I kept on my homepage:
I will not allow a red square to appear, which signals no writing was done for that day.
I won't even allow a yellow square, which signals that some writing was done for that day.
Nope, I go all green squares.
That gives me an even greater incentive to finish NaNo early each year, as doing the green squares each day is an even greater challenge.
But now it's done.
I have the cool sidebar badge to show for it, my fourth now.
Besides that, I have the satisfaction of knowing another book is close to being done.
Here's how I accomplished that:
Right from the get-go I did more than the required 1,667 words a day to win.
Then I kept that up, writing about 900 words a day more than I had to.
I wasn't the only one doing this – people in Montana have written 1,992,208 words since NaNo started twenty days ago.
That's pretty good.
Remember, I got started writing novels way back in 2011 when I was working a dead-end job that gave me no satisfaction.
I wrote 2,000 words a day and a lot of the time they were rubbish.
But I kept at it everyday for about a year and a half, then after 3 books and a big chunk of 3 more I got tired of doing that.
The books were just sitting on my computer.
Besides a few people in some critique groups, no one had seen them.
Then at the end of 2012 I heard about Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing and I gave it a try.
I sold 65 copies of the 6 novels I published that first month, January 2013. And that even though the books had no editing, terrible covers, and stories that were shoddy at best!
I think it was just friends and family buying them mostly. The next months by sales fell by 50% and then the next month they fell another 50%.
All the while, however, I was working on new stuff…nonfiction, mostly.
By November 2013 I'd put out 12 more books, though none of them were novels.
It was that month I decided to try National Write a Novel Month for the first time.
I did it and the result was the book Tarot Card Killer, the first novel I'd written in more than a year.
The book never sold that much (a better cover might help, maybe some more editing), but I'd challenged myself with a goal, met it, and then had something to show for it, something that actually earned money.
That's a pretty good feeling.
I can't help but think it's one of the main reasons I continue to do NaNo each year.
I hope you'll think about giving it a try next year, or even next month.
You don't need to have a national effort underway to challenge yourself with a 50,000-word goal each month, or even a 10,000-word goal.
It really comes down to getting up in the morning and doing the work.
Find what interests you. Write about it. Do like I did when I started – set a daily goal, reach it, and don't worry about what anyone will think because those books will most likely never be read.
That's how I felt when I started in 2011, a time when I didn't even know about Amazon but a time when I did know that no publisher would be interested in me.
It's been about 6 years since that time and I've sold over 9,000 books in just the past 4 years.
So anything is possible.
I think NaNo shows us that.


text:
M & S Textiles Australia
WRENS & EUCALYPTUS BLACK by Australian Artist PATRICIA WEEKS
Ask us a question THIS LISTING IS FOR:
1 x FQ (Fat Quarter) 50cm x 55cm (19.7" x 22")
1 x Full Width Strip 25cm x 110cm (9.85" x 44")
1 x Metre 100cm x 110cm (39.37 x 44")
*Select your preferred cut from the dropdown list
**Purchases of more than 1 unit of the same fabric will be sent as a single piece
***If you need more fabric than is listed, please ask as we may have more
TO PURCHASE CONTINUOUS LENGTHS BY FQ OR 25cm UNIT:
2 units = ½ metre 50cm x 110cm (19.7" x 44")
3 units = ¾ metre 75cm x 110cm (29.5" x 44")
4 units = 1 metre 100cm x 110cm (39.37" x 44")
1 metre = 100cm or 39.37"
1 yard = 36 inches or 91.4 centimetres
1 Foot = 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres
(to simplify…1 metre is approx. 3 inches longer than a yard)
FABRIC: 100% Cotton (quilting, apparel, craft)
MANUFACTURER: M & S Textiles Australia
PALETTE: black, white
THE DESIGN: wrens and eucalyptus leaves
DISCLAIMER: One of the drawbacks of buying fabric online is that in spite of every effort made by the Seller to provide a photo that represents the true colour of the item, it is impossible to do so, as the colour appears differently on every computer screen. Therefore the item you receive may be a slightly different shade to what appears on your computer screen.
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