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The latest…
Good news out of San Bernardino. Just got a call from Mike Saeger, the 66ers broadcaster, who tells me Jason Schmidt went 6.0 innings and allowed two hits, one walk and struck out seven guys. He threw 71 pitches, 51 for strikes and topped out at 91 mph while averaging 88. Afterward, he said he felt great, so there should be a story with quotes from Jayson Addcox relatively soon on dodgers.com.
Out in D.C., Joe and a bunch of the players and coaches went to Walter Reed Medical Center today, which is really a pretty cool thing. Despite the issues that the hospital has had over the past year, at the end of the day, the facility is still helping veterans recuperate and that means something. From what I've been told, the patients there were extremely grateful that guys like Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier, Chad Billingsley, Eddie Murray, Marlon Anderson, Dave Jauss, Jaime Jarrin, Rick Monday and others went down to see them when they didn't have to.
Also, I'll probably throw a reminder in each day to vote for Russell Martin and the rest of the Dodgers.
And as long as we're talking about voting, Wes Parker stopped by this morning to tell me that all the work we're doing on the all-time Rawlings Gold Glove team is paying off, as he's apparently moved from third place to first place with just 20 days left in the voting. Please help keep him there by voting here. I know this would mean the world to him if he were to hold on and win.
The lineup in D.C. is the same as last night with Pierre and Furcal switching spots atop the order:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Abreu, 3B
Lowe, P
113 Comments
Schmidt sitting at 88 MPH means he has a ways to go.
From the Daily News:
"D.J. Houlton isn't going to start Saturday night. Barring a major development, Hong-Chih Kuo is going to be the guy. We asked Grady about D.J., and he didn't want to say the guy has no chance to get that start, so he didn't. But D.J. has no chance to get that start."
"Also, Kemp didn't play today or yesterday because the 51s had to change planes before leaving Las Vegas for Nashville, and Kemp's equipment bag somehow didn't make the transfer. This according to DeJon, whom I just talked to."
88 is still >>> than 84. 84 wasn't cuttin it.
88MPH isn't the greatest for Jason, but pitching six full innings and throwing strikes is a good step forward. I can't wait to see him back on the mound in Dodger Blue.
Go Dodgers!
Billingsley not going saturday is a mistake.
As much as I would love to see Bills start on Saturday, he has not been doing the prep work for it. It makes sense to have Kuo come up. Then again, it would make sense to have Kemp up too.
Jason Schmidt better get over here, I still think of him as Giant. It must be really appreciated, that the Dodgers visit Walter Reed Medical Center. Wait till they see more of Russel Martin in the post season, then he'll take over from Lo Duca. I know, we got to get back there first. Russel will help us get there. I put in a vote for Wes Parker and e-mailed a copy to a friend of mine. He's not a baseball fan,but when he gets back to me I'll tell him who to vote for.
Yeah Bills was never going to happen he would need to go down to AAA for two weeks to build back up his arm strength and stamina. And we really can't lose his arm in the bullpen for that long. He would of only been good for 4 maybe 5 innings at absolute best. Perhaps when Tsao is off the DL they can option Bills back to prepare for being a starter again. BUT until he does get optioned he won't start because his stamina isn't there. Of course Kuo may also only go 5 innings Saturday night, but we'll have Bills to back him up. Otherwise we'd be looking at Tomko coming in after Bills on Saturday…which none of us want. So Kuo is the way to go for now. Bills deserved the start, there's no doubt, but this is the smart move for now.
Those results from Schmidt are very promising. The guy doesnt throw mid-90's anymore. He didnt last year and he is never going to again. However, he has very good command, is an intimidating pitcher, and has a great changeup. When he is throwing all of his pitches from strikes, his fastball in the high 80's /low 90's will still be extremely effective. The just knows how to pitch and knows how to win. I'll echo another persons sentiment from before: hopefully he feels great tomorrow, and hopefully 88-91 mph will only go up as he gets healthier and more strength. All in all, very enthused by these results…
Definately alex– really, as long as Bills has a chance to pitch for the big club i dont care where it is. I love him as long relief at the moment and no doubt he will be a great starter one day, but he is just **** filthy regardless of the situation. Definately seems much more confident though when he begins an inning rather than inheriting runners on base…
And, i would buy definately one of those Russ Martin shirts…
in the last 10 games Billingsley has thrown 15.1 innings. Which is more then a starter will probably throw in 10 games. He also threw 3 innings one day and then the next day threw another inning. He has the arm strength to make the start. Why would you assume that if Bills made the start Tomko will finish it? Billingsley can easily go 6 innings right now. Plus he gets all of his strength from his tree trunk sized legs. If Grady doesn't have the confidence in Tomko to mop up for billingsley then DFA Tomko.
maybe the D's are thinking that one of penny,wolf, schmidt, kuo are likley to go down at some point this year anyways, and bills is the ace in the hole. its kind of silly, but not really. there's a good chance at least one of that group will hit the DL, they all have injury histories.
i did my part russell martin got my 25 votes and some at the stadium on sunday too. hopefully he wins.
schmidt's rehab start is encouraging hopefully he can keep his velocity up in the high 80s or low 90s and solidify our rotation now that tomko got bumped and hendrickson appears to be on his way out of the rotation too
How do you get 3 innings in one day and 1 inning the next as the possibility to pitch 6 innings? He'd be on a pitch count of probably 75 pitches anyway which would take him to the 4th or 5th innings. Which would mean Tomko or Seanez would come in afterwards to take it to the 7th inning. This way Kuo goes 5 innings and Billingsley can take it to the 7th or 8th. Which is the route I'd rather take!
Kuo, Bills, Brox, Saito
Bills, Tomko, Seanez, Brox, Saito
Which would you rather have?
15.1 innings is about right for 2 starts, but it really doesnt matter. The stamina he has build by pitching less innings every couple days is very different than throwing 6 in a row. That outing where he threw three great innings was the first time he pitched three innings this year i believe. There is more to it than just the amount of innings pitched in the amount of games played. It has to do with consistently throwing 5+ innings… Of course he could make the start, so could Saito, but he wouldnt be as effective as if he had a couple tune up starts before hand. Its a very different mindset starting a game off and coming in out of the bullpen, and both involves different types of prep. This is a fine move by Grady.
what the **** makse you think Tomko is going to pitch if billingsley does? did grady say that somewhere? It takes a great amount of arm strength to throw 3 innings one day and then have to come back out the next day to throw another. Plus He's throw 15.1 innings in 10 days which is the same or more then any other starter does in the same amount of time.
Kuo will probably only give us 4 or 5 innings which would cause us to use our bullpen for the rest of the game. Billingsley has the strength, control and stuff to easily go 6 or 7 innings. This really shouldn't even be a discussion if Grady made the right move and started Billingsley from spring training but he didn't because he fell for Bombkos "New Delivery" ****.
Saying that well throw a guy who will probably give us 4 or 5 innings and then having to use the bullpen for 2 or 3 more innings is dumb.
Billingsley should get the start. He'll give us the best chance to win and thats all that matters. I hate watching him in the bullpen. He could have 4 or 5 wins in the rotation right now if he was in it at the start of the year but no we had to watch Bomkbo get shelled and lose 5 games.
Bills will get his shot soon enough. Taller and they fall farther
(looking at you Henderickson)
I totally agree with you MAX…
Grady's judgment in how to use what starters when has obviously not worked so far…
Why in God's name should we trust him now…
Like you said, we have already lost several games because of this…
But, of course, as most people on this blog think —Grady knows best – He can do no wrong.. What a bunch of BS…
Billingsley SHOULD get the start. It was clear from his performance last season that he was ready to contribute as a starter–although, still working on being the ace that his stuff suggests that he can be. Letting him work this season out of the bullpen against Major League pitching was probably a good idea–improve his pitching against big league hitters, improve efficiency, etc. Not at all uncommon. Plus, it saves a rather young arm–we don't want him to be Kerry Woods or Mark Prior, prospects with a great future behind them. But given that we will need at least one (and probably two or three) starts until Schmidt gets back into the rotation (I am guessing that he will need at least one more rehab start, and maybe two), Bills could fill in.
But, it's been clear for a while that he won't, because he is not stretched out. There is a lot of arm strength needed to pitch the innings he has pitched, and its clear he could go out and pitch 4 innings. But you really expect 5 from a starter, and preferably 6 or 7.
This is why people are saying that Tomko would pitch behind him. If Bills could not muster 5 innings, Tomko is the only guy who can go long. Even if Bills goes 5, we either run through all of our one inning guys, or we let Tomko eat some innings. Of course, we could still make the roster move and call up an extra pitcher (which we will have to do if Kuo gets the start), but it's still a greater strain on the Bullpen. But, given that we're about to engage in more of this amoral interleague junk, we won't use up so much pitching (no pulling a crusing Lowe for a pinch hitter).
I think Bills could be ready with one start in AAA or one simulated game, but since he would have had to throw that by now, it's not going to happen (part of that is a compliment to him–we simply don't want to lose him from the Major League Roster for the period it would take for him to get ready–even if that is just 5 or 10 days–as you can tell by seeing how much he's pitched over the last 10 days). So it's something of a lousy scenario for him, but it's been clear for a while.
And it's not like it's bad that Kuo is getting the start. Hopefully, he's a big part of the future too. But, I am not sure that Kuo has the stamina or the stuff to go as far as we hope, and I am long-term much more confident in Billingsley.
Plus, Hendrickson seems to be coming back to Earth, so we may need Billingsley to start soon enough anyway–then they may have to find a way to stretch him out working from the bullpen.
Also, I forgot to mention, The all knowing Mr Little was kicked out of Boston because of the way that he used his pitchers..
They didn't want to put up with his nonsense.. Why sould we…
well one thing is for sure. It was dumb to trust Tomko to be a decent starter in the first place.
also, kuo is something of enigma. There's really no proof that he'll be able to get major league hitters out right now…and he hasn't had the sustained success in a rotation that bills had last year. I think they're content to leave Bills in the bullpen because its convenient. Doesn't mean its the right choice.
Are you kidding me i dont know about you but im glad Boston didnt want Grady because now he is on our side. The guy is a great manager and he does know what he is doing! Yes you can argue that Bills has some kind of endurance but there has to be a reason why relief pitchers cant just relief one week then start the next, now i dont know because i have never been a major league pitcher, but it looks like from what i have in baseball that it does take time to get back your strength and endurance to start a big league ball game. The move was made to put Kuo back in Vegas to get his strength up then insert him as needed at the big league level, if we started Bills on saturday he goes maybe 3-4 innings and gets tired i would rather have a starter like Kuo (who last year showed he can start at the big league level *not saying that Bills can't*) to eat up some innings. And what do you know we have Bills to back up Kuo if he cant get it to 6 or 7, i mean the guy has been lights out for the most part as a reliever so why take a very good long reliever out of the pen to insert him as a starter when you have a couple guys who can start and eat up some innings. I want Bills to start just as much as you guys but to think Bills starts and we have Tomko (or Bomko as some like to call him) to back him up as a long reliever?! Now that wouldnt make sense.
O and by the way Grady treated his pitchers the way that a lot of mangers should treat their pitchers, with confidence and loyalty. If you have a manager that shows confidence in you, you tend to do better, for instance there has been a couple games were i would have taken out a pitcher but Grady had the confidence in his pitcher to get the out or outs! And what do ya know they got out of it, now im not saynig hes perfect, no one is going to win all of them and there will be times were the confidence will be turned into ignorance because the pitcher couldnt get it done , well u know what?! That is the nature of the game, you would be kidding yourself if you think hes gonna get everything right. SO BACK OFF!!!! the guy only led us into a playoff birth and a winning season from a very bad (injury rittled losing season)
oh and a winning record and first place at the moment!
well grady may treat his pitchers with confidence and loyalty but he sure doesn't do that with his third basemen.
i just don't see the logic of using a guy in Kuo who will probably give us 5 innings if we are lucky. It just stresses the bullpen. It makes no sense.
hahaha well come on could you blame the guy he just cant seem to get a solid sign to keep someone there! We have seen brilliance (well maybe not brilliance but more like a spark of light) out of all those who played that position but nothing to be like man that guy is our 3rd baseman. ya know?!
and the argument that Kuo has more arm strength then Billingsley right now is laughable. Kuo has 20 innings this WHOLE YEAR. Billingsley had 15 in the last 10 games.
well think of it this way Max Kuo comes up only every 5 games and sometimes will get skipped so you have 4 other starters (im thinking this with Schmidt back in the rotation and not Hendy) who can get you the 6 or 7 innings, heck even sometimes 8 or 9, that you would need. All and all i would rather see Bills coming out of the pen then Tomko or Kuo, although i must say Tomko did pretty good last night in relief! lol
I'm in your corner on this one dahustlasbac. Grady is doing fine and, as much as I admire and respect (not a man crush) Chad Billingsley, he will need some starts in Las Vegas before he will be ready to start (AND HE WILL). Keep in mind that Bills is only 22 years old, for heavens sake.
Chad is doing an OUTSTANDING job as a middle reliever, and he will become an outstanding starter very soon, as well.
Can you imagine facing Kuo throwing 95 from the left side and then having to face Billingsley, Brazoban, and/or Broxton throwing 97 from the right side, and then having to face Saito in the 9th? Yikes!
it makes no sense to me…Best 5 pitchers in the rotation and if you have **** in the bullpen get rid of it. Its that simple. Its pathetic that we have to go with Kuo because he doesn't want Tomko to have to throw. If thats the case get rid of Tomko. Grady makes NO SENSE! Just like this dumb lead off platooning and the third base situation.
well that was a quick 7 pitches.
My take: Unless you are already an established contender which we are not…the first three months u find out what you have, the next three months you get what you need, the final 3 months you put it all together.
I think Grady and Ned will get it done just fine and I am not above being critical on them. I fully expect to see Bills in the rotation along with Schmidt after the break and I fully expect either a 3b or RF power bat for the middle of the lineup.
Yeah maybe we do need to get rid of Tomko but what can we do but wait and use him in certain spots untill we can work up some kind of deal!?
Good point Jungar!
I think Tomko will be fine in the Pen (sure trade him if we can) but he can replace Bills as the swing guy to get to broxton.
I think he is a classic mid reliver.. In the sense that some games he is unhittable. In fact it wasn't THAT long ago he had 6 innings of shutout ball vs florida. Other times, not so good. He also seems to get in trouble in one big inning or if someone makes a mistake on defense or something, or a fluke hit. So now he can be pulled as he starts to self implode. He has good stuff is what I am saying I guess. He was pretty good in the pen last year if memory serves me right
Wow Lowe seems to be working hard to throw strikes this start i wonder if he is just off tonite?!
guess i cant complain hes getting the outs!
that was an awesome play by nomar
Lowe is gonna have to labor a bit to get to the 6th or 7th.
WASHINGTON — Jason Schmidt blew away the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes for six innings on Wednesday, including rehabbing Angels outfielder Garret Anderson twice. Along the way, the right-hander blew away expectations in the first start of his own minor-league rehabilitation assignment with the Dodgers' Single-A Inland Empire affiliate, taking a giant leap toward returning to the big club.
The only question is whether he is ready to return now.
"I think there is some possibility, but it's too premature for us to say that strongly," said Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, who was at the game in San Bernardino along with trainer Stan Conte. "But I wouldn't rule it out, either."
Schmidt pitched six shoutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out seven. But his velocity, which was noticeably down even before he went onto the disabled list April 17 with bursitis in his shoulder, still wasn't where it historically has been. His 71 pitches consistently fell between 88-91 mph and topped out at 92.
Not that anyone is terribly alarmed by that.
"You can pitch and be successful at 88-91," Colletti said. "He can command four pitches. He might have to change the eye level and change the bat speed. But it's not like he has always been a power pitcher who lives and dies with one pitch."
Schmidt will throw a side session on Friday, probably with the major-league team in Pittsburgh, after which there should be a much clearer picture of what happens next. He could make another start for Inland Empire, or he could make another start with a higher Dodgers affiliate, or he could return to the Dodgers' starting rotation sometime in the next week.
Manager Grady Little seemed to dismiss that notion.
"I think he'll have to build up to a certain point before he takes the rubber for us," Little said. "That is just my personal opinion, but we'll talk about it."
Gonzo is locked in right now and Ethier with the double to knock him in and oooh Abreu just missed plating Ethier.
I can't belive it's May 30 and our 3 hole hitter has 2 extra base hits for the month and were winning games.
That's great news on Schmidt.
You really have to kill it to get it out of the power alleys in RFK!
Vote for Martin!
Go Dodgers!
MAN… did Russell ever CRUSH that ball! Light up the EAST Russell! Show them what 'cha got… and steal some more votes!!
hahaha is it possible to have a man crush if you're a girl? i mean, about 98% of my crush on martin can be attributed to his talent. oh well, whatever…nice job martin!
Has anybody heard anything about Bigbie???
The Dodgers have to do something before June 1st or they will lose him…
If they are not going to use him or trade him, Why did they bring him into the organization in the first place.. He has certainly played well, both during spring training and at Triple A…
from mlb.com: "Las Vegas outfielder Larry Bigbie is expected to exercise an escape clause in his contract Friday and become a free agent. Bigbie is likely to wind up playing in Japan if a Major League team does not offer him a big-league job."
It is pretty rad that nomar gets rbi's without even leaving the infield.
Zobeida-you can have a ZO-Crush, and come on give him at least 3 more percent..!!
haha fine…i'll give him 9% for his looks and the rest for his talent.
Nomar just looks plain WEAK as a hitter… He is getting hits, but little dribblers & weak flyballs… He is showing no power at all… Makes you wonder…
That is frustrating news about Bigbie…
I can think of 3 players on the 40 man roster that I would like to see replaced by either Bigbie or Kemp Or Loney…
It makes no sense to me that Ned & Grady simply refuse to play our best available players… It just blows my mind…
I had complained about the Bigbie situation time and again during the month, while there was still time to bring him up and let him show for a couple of weeks whether he could maintain a .300 type of average with the big club. At least it could have showcased him for a trade. As it stands, we will get nothing for him and his effort in Spring Training and in Vegas.
Yep, we're stretching for things to be upset about when we're talking about Larry Bigbie. Double Shutout and 10 games over .500 and yes this is the best division in the National League. Only the A.L Central is a better division overall but it's very close and one could argue the N.L West is the best division. Breaking out the brooms tomorrow.
Vote for Martin!
Go Dodgers!
The other concern I have is that outside of Kemp I'm not aware of any of our OF prospects that are hitting for a good average and with power in either AAA or AA. That could present a serious need for the future.
Twenty one straight goose eggs, I hope nobody got their rocks off when MARTIN exploded. A typical win our great staff did it again, LOWE, BEIMEL, SEANEZ. And the hitting was timely. A great win.
"Schmidt sitting at 88 MPH means he has a ways to go."
if he sits at 88-91 he'll be good for us i've seen him pitch at that MPH range & he's pretty good there. One more thing Brad Penny looks like he's bowling when he swings I noticed it yesterday. He reminds me of Jose Gonzalez a not so famous ex-Dodger.
o.k. i'm out, i'm gonna go vote for Russell Martin a few times, late!
They say the Padres have the best bull pen, when I look at ours, I say the Padres bull pen must be Awesume. I Know after Schmidt arrives, they'll be some changes made, because we'll have more pitching then we need. I think the next big thing will be going after the big slugger for the middle of our line up. Through the last few years a lot of our guys are ending up on the Yankees & the Mets. Proctor,Duane Sanchez,Mota,Faunsworth To name a few, but none of that ever hurt us. We don't miss anybody,not even Gagne. Example: Kelly Wunch—Joe Beimel. Same-same. I think along with Betemit,Abreu. this club has talent. I just hope Ned Colletti has a head on his shoulders. Boy I wouldn't want his job. One mistake, one bad deal and this front running team…ah who knows? Back in '51, the Dodgers went head over heels for Andy Pafko and they gave up a lot for him, some think it might have cause the pennant. Eh but lets think positive. Ya know tonight was a big win, because the Friers and Rattle snakes won so did those dam Bondzee boys and when you can win on a night like this its really big. What ever happens, I hope it's for the best. 1988 is a long time ago.
In the above, I have to correct something. Make that the'51 trade cost the pennant, or cause the pennant colapse.
A great national story on Russell Martin from Ken Rosenthal on Foxsports.com
We never had Proctor and Fransworth but the other 2 you're correct. I think you mean to put Quantrill in their somehow.
Wow great article on Russell alex. That just shows you how much the players on our organization love this kid. I makes me think that the players would rebel if Martin is not offered a great deal after this season. He is certainly something special and i hope he is a Dodger for the next 10 years!
I think Hendy will have a great game but will it be good enough to keep him in the rotation when Schmidt comes back?! We shall see!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Vote 4 Martin!!!!
Reading that article made me flash back to a young Piazza and how much I loved him. Future first ballot hall of fame guy. I was so angry when the Dodgers traded him for Sheffield. I stopped going to Dodger games for a few years after that move. I think I like Martin even more than Piazza because he's more balanced. He does baserunning that make you go wow, defensive plays that make you go wow, as well as his hitting. Mike is a tremendously gifted hitter, but isn't that gifted athletically.
Moral of the story to ownership: Don't trade Russell Martin!
I thought you all would be intersted in this little article courtesy of CBS Sportsline. The article was written by Larry Dobrow who encourages feedback from the public. The article is titled "They're no fantasy studs, but you can't win without 'em" where he goes on to bash all of us Dodger fans. The article can be found on the MLB Home thread at sportsline.com. I encourage you all to send him hate-mail. The article reads as follows: "Paul Lo Duca, New York Mets: I was skeptical when he arrived from the Marlins, owing to his frequent second-half fades and sloppiness behind the plate. Also, you have to be suspicious of any player embraced by Dodgers fans, who should be limited to opining about hot dogs and valet-parking attendants." Now get over there and let him have it! I already did.
Here is the link (sorry I don't know how to hyperlink): http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10203435
Apparently I do LOL!
Great article on Russell Martin. My fingers are sore from voting for him (and Wes Parker), but well worth the effort on both counts. As a young Dodger fan, Wes Parker was my hero; much like Russell is today (but not in a man-crush sort of way – lol!).
In my opinion, Mark Hendrickson's future as a Dodger starter (or a Dodger, period) hinges on tonight's game. If he tanks, he's out of the rotation and, most likely, at the top of the trade bait list. I really want to like the guy, but I get real uncomfortable whenever he's on the mound. (Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he has allowed more home runs than any other Dodger pitcher).
Can somebody else please get MAD about my above mentioned article, this one really has me pissed-off and it should for the rest of our Dodger community. Some east-coast punk thinks he can take cheap shots at our organization and get away with it, I don't think so!
i'm sending him some hate mail right now
Right on!!!
Larry Dobrow is just another prototypical dodger hater, for all i care he can go to ****. ill be sending my regards to that *******. hot dogs and valet parking huh?
wow $cumbag is censored??
We need to come out in full force so this "sportswriter regrets ever having composed that one
Hey charris1010321 – How's this:
"Also, you have to be suspicious of any player embraced by Dodgers fans, who should be limited to opining about hot dogs and valet-parking attendants."
Mr. Dobrow (or is it Dumbo?) – You are obviously nothing more than another brain-dead Yankee fan who has never seen Russell Martin play. (He'll be the one starting behind the plate for the NL at this year's All-Star game).
Perhaps you should get a job that you are better suited for, like washing A-Rod's jock strap. I've seen better sports journalism in a junior high school newsletter.
HAHA I love it 53! This blog is much better when we're attacking a common enemy rather than each other.
Done and Done.
Mr. Dobrow,
Hopefully your inbox is flooded with Dodger fan hate mail by now. And if not, just wait until those "apathetic" L.A. fans get around to it in August. We have more important things to do like have lunch at the Ivy, go catch the premiere of Vinny Chase's new movie or meet Lindsay Lohan for a drink at Les Deux, right? Stereotypes rule!
Paul LoDuca was loved in L.A. for the reasons J.D. Drew was hated. He was lost in the minor leagues for something like 8 years. LoDuca actually has a great personal story of losing his mother at a young age and always promising her he's make it to the big leagues, and it shows in his character. He's a "gamer" in every definition of the word. Not to mention he is actually pretty talented. His play is inversely related to Drew's, who looks like his pre-game ritual involves hanging out with Ricky Williams and Snoop Dogg. Drew is also the Scott Boras client who wouldn't sign with the Phillies after he was drafted and has spent half his career on the D.L with patty cake injuries like a sore knee or hangnail. I love how Boston was happy to have him for about 2-months, and is now seeing the light. Maybe Dodger fans do know what they're doing.
I just think you got the LoDuca poke wrong. He exemplifies what's right in professional sports these days, and Dodger fans loved him for that. And don't look now but we are going gaga over our newest farm-system produced (sorry for the use of such a difficult concept for you New Yorkers to grasp) catcher Russell Martin. Jump on his bandwagon now, while there is still room. You can thank me later.
honestly i didn't know cbs had a sports site let alone have some ***** write for them…perhaps thats why he writes for him. No one reads it.
I have voted for Russell over 100 times now!
max you are one of my favorite attackers on this blog, I'll be disappointed if you don't rip him a new one.
maybe this guy is a-rods "mystery blonde"..either way i could give a flying you know what about what some ****** bag from CBS sportsline says. I'd rather read my old high schools sports report then his garbage.
charris: I vote for Max as our "ENFORCER"
Well, we have 1/2 a day left.
then, it's June 1st and no
Larry Bigbee ??? We need a Power Hitter and he's it. Why
the stall ??? I sure hate to
lose him…..
We got Bigbie for next to nothing and he has never shown too much power during his big league stints, he's nothing more than a poor man's Brady Clark IMO with a glorified and overachieved Spring Training. It would **** to lose him with nothing in return but thats pretty much what we got him for.
Bigbie is not going to start over Gonzo or Ethier, so there's no point in bringing him up. And a guy with a career .395 slugging percentage isn't a power hitter.
Are the posters who beg for Bigbie the same folks who thought Wilson Valdez was all that? Bigbie was an insurance policy in case of OF injury or other early catastrophe, e.g. Gonzo demonstrating that he was washed up, nothing more. Since nothing has happened, he will probably test out his options.
"wow ***mbag is censored??" Posted by: email@example.com | May 31, 2007 10:07 AM
Apparently you aren't familiar with the source of this term, nor what it most literally means? Too rude to describe on this blog.
Wow did you guys miss the message in that article or what? What he is saying iis that some players Play well beyond the stats that everyone cherishes so much it seems and the players that were listed were a small sample of those types of Players. Meaning that He was giving Lo Duca a Thumbs up rather then bashing him for his sometimes streaky stats.I'm Sure Martin will never be on that list as everyone will know soon enough who he is and how good he is on the field let alone what he does for the team that is not always seen in the reg stats.With the exception of the Rip on Dodger fans I thought it was a descent article and it was a Bigger Rip on Fantasy Team type fans which I guess does apply to some of you.Big Topics of discussion this season so Far has Been on the Food court and Parking and the one I really thought was funny the HDTV whining….So to a point he has valid reason to cite those examples for some Dodger fans…But please don't go Throwing hatemail this guys way if you missed the point as you will embarass not only yourself but the rest of the fans nationally and only prove this Guys point….
I know I'm gonna catch flack for this from some of you but I really don't care about your opinion anyways if you find this post offensive.
Now on to Bigger more important things like our Hitting Streak in the #9 spot!
Hope Hendy is Taking a little extra BP today as Lowe was really proud of Penny and himself for Keeping it going!But as 53 always says'JUST WIN BABY!'
Today's lineup according to Tony Jackson's Daily News blog:
SS Furcal
CF Pierre
1B Nomar
2B Kent
LF Gonzo
C Martin
3B LaRoche
RF Ethier
LH Hendrickson
Nope old Fogey haven't said 1 word about Bigbie as I watched his Huge avg I saw very little run production until last week or 2 ago.Only Reason I liked Valdez so much is because I think he has more to offer the team over Martinez as I have stated before.But then again neither one is a very good fit anymore with Betemit Abreu and Laroche all here right now.
fisher, obviously that article was about hustle-type players that do the little things right, they aren't stat hogs but they are valuable to their respective teams. How do you say he has a point with this sentance "Also, you have to be suspicious of any player embraced by Dodgers fans, who should be limited to opining about hot dogs and valet-parking attendants." He claims our opinions should only count for parking and food (basically saying Dodger fans don't know squat about baseball). If you're comforatable with a below the belt shot like that, thats your perogative but I definitely didn't miss the overall point to the article, I'm just pissed that he slammed our organization like that.
Big Topics of discussion this season so Far has Been on the Food court and Parking and the one I really thought was funny the HDTV whining….
Thought I had covered that in my previous post…
and this is what I was talking about as far as hatemail goes,
Mr. Dobrow,
Hopefully your inbox is flooded with Dodger fan hate mail by now. And if not, just wait until those "apathetic" L.A. fans get around to it in August. We have more important things to do like have lunch at the Ivy, go catch the premiere of Vinny Chase's new movie or meet Lindsay Lohan for a drink at Les Deux, right? Stereotypes rule!
Paul LoDuca was loved in L.A. for the reasons J.D. Drew was hated. He was lost in the minor leagues for something like 8 years. LoDuca actually has a great personal story of losing his mother at a young age and always promising her he's make it to the big leagues, and it shows in his character. He's a "gamer" in every definition of the word. Not to mention he is actually pretty talented. His play is inversely related to Drew's, who looks like his pre-game ritual involves hanging out with Ricky Williams and Snoop Dogg. Drew is also the Scott Boras client who wouldn't sign with the Phillies after he was drafted and has spent half his career on the D.L with patty cake injuries like a sore knee or hangnail. I love how Boston was happy to have him for about 2-months, and is now seeing the light. Maybe Dodger fans do know what they're doing.
I just think you got the LoDuca poke wrong. He exemplifies what's right in professional sports these days, and Dodger fans loved him for that. And don't look now but we are going gaga over our newest farm-system produced (sorry for the use of such a difficult concept for you New Yorkers to grasp) catcher Russell Martin. Jump on his bandwagon now, while there is still room. You can thank me later.
Posted by: firstname.lastname@example.com | May 31, 2007 10:35 AM
Fisher- while those are topics of discussion for our team (none that I care about personally) I guess my issue is with the context of the statement. I personally found it offensive and you obviously didn't, just a difference of opinion I guess.
I don't take offence to it because it doesn't say a word about me as a fan.It says something about other fans of the Dodgers and those people outnumber us I'm sorry to say.Not to mention that LA is sooo Large and diversified that for the amount of People here True LA Dodger Fans who really care about the players and who they are is probably the lowest % of Truefan/Population in the country.I guess i'm just used to not fitting in the stereotypical types.
Not to mention that I really don't agree with nor lend credibilty to most 'Jounalist' as they always write half of the story and only in pieces that they like then make up the rest.
agreed fisher…i've tried to defend our fans before but when you are there at a game you just cant. coming in the 3rd leaving in the 7th, it annoys me. as a whole thats what the "dodger" fans are like, but i thinnk it's pretty safe to say that most of us on the blog are true dodger fans. i see why you didn't take offense. i do wish that some of thoise "fans" could get a clue.
Fisher – Yes, the parking and food issues have been highly publicized but his crack at dodger fans as confinded to only having opinions on these issues (meaning they dont know anything about baseball, or sports in general) is where I took offense.
Dodger/LA Sports fans viewed as people who show up late, leave early, go places to be seen, and being generally apathetic towards the acutal game. So when he says he was skeptical on LoDuca with his premise being "because he was embrased by Dodger fans" who dont know anything other than parking and hot dogs he's coming with a definite low-blow.
The point of my email was hey, we knew he was a guy you wanted on your team a long time ago. And in fact, we (along with every other team JD played for) could have told Boston fans you'll despise him too.
He took a definite cheap shot at us as a fan base, in my opinion.
I know that Charlie but be honest How many People who are true Dodger fans Regularly post on this Blog? Of those people How many Really get it about Players Like LoDuca Martin Butler Maddux Lowe IZZY?I was bashed soo hard and knew that we really didn't have a real spot for him lastyear but those kind of players are must haves. Not for the whole team of course because they would for all of there Heart just lose alot of games.In your post as I read it you just seemed to be telling him that he was wrong about LoDuca meaning that he had some he was not a great must see Player when he did say he is must see.Guess I just missed your point on the We know greatness when we see it part.Sorry I ment no harm in pointing out your post if that was your message.
Fisher, I see where you're coming from as I've had some terrible experiences in the Ravine because of half-wit fans. I lived in San Diego for the majority of my life however and can personally attest to ignorant fans in other organizations as I've also attended countless Padre/Angel games. Most on this blog are much more educated in baseball than the average fan as evident by our passionate debates with empirical evidence (stats, projections etc). That said however, a low blow is a low blow.
In your comparison with JD and we know what we are doing as fans go we didn't hire him and he lf of his own accord for money not because we as fans hated him and you will note that there are those who will defend JD with stats as being a big reason to miss him.I don't miss him and was jumping for joy when he left.But had hoped for more then Gonzo but at this rate Gonzo will come close to JD's HR #'s.
But is he wrong Statistically?
I will never miss Drew, what a pile of garbage!
If he recieves a ton of Response does that make him a good writer? As far as journalist go the more response they get the higher their value.I mean look at Geraldo Rivera I think that guy is a freakin ***** but there he is no matter where or what its about he is giving his 'Expert' opinions and insight and the same people who talk about Valets and Hot Dogs are sitting there glue to his every word…This guy and his opinions of Dodger fans has already gotten way more attension then he deserves.
Dear Diary HA HA Just joking Any way I just read something, that would make, MICHAEL BARRETT feel better. The Yankee were up, last night, 9th inning,2 out,A ROD on 2nd,Pop up to 3b, HOWIE CLARK,Bluejays, camps under it, SUDDENLY, he things he hears his SS, calling him off of it, he back off, the ball hits the ground,A Rod on 3rd, and the SS said it was A ROD,while running to 3RD, who called for the ball. Boy that brought back memories. Ya know, I got into this mess, about a year ago, my friend had a computer & Sports on Demand's Extra innings, which I've been watching the past couple of years, claimed that they would not be on cable TV, this year. Everybody was talking about MLBTV MOSAIC & you had to have a computer to see it. So I became better friends, with my friend. He was kind enough to bring me into the computer world. On April 30, of this year, I got my own P.C. I saw the word COMMENTS and immediately I went preserk and I found out my finger was bigger than my mouth. I can't stop, everthing I know is rushing to my finger. I usually feel this way about a woman, not about a 17 inch screen. You know, where I'm from everytime the Dodgers are winning, or in 1ST Place, everybody says they're over achieving or playing over they're heads. Who care? As long as they've gotten to the first round a few times. Someday, I tell them, we're going all the way. This may be someday, or NEXT YEAR, as we were famous for saying. Ya KNOW, I noticed , last night, that Tony Abreu, looks more like Beltre, FACIALLY, than Wilson Betemit,but Betemit is my MAN CRUSH, oh I mean man, boy you young wipersnapers are messing up my vocabulary. You Know, when we showcase Betemit, nobody will be interested in his "Bowling" average (188). I think the Dodgers are going to gift wrap him, along with Billingsley, Hendrickson,Loney & Young and hope that somebody wants to play "Russian Rollet", oh I mean, "Let's Make A Deal".Ya think they'll go for guys like Ian Kinsler, J.J. Hardy(fat Chance). One of my favorites is Troy Glaus, AAHH I'm no good at this. It's always someone I least expect. I'm having such a ball. If you don't like my slant on my Dodgers, you can lump it, or spin passed it. NOBODY YET HAS TOLD ME TO STOP. If you want to comment about it do it HERE, not with lottery winnings. Some JERK, got some lute he said belongs to me. With all the information I'm giving out you can dropped it off in my hallway. My friend told me how to get rid of you, he told me to MAKE MY FINGER DO THE WALKING. I noticed in standing, this morning that the N.L.WEST is the only division that has 3 teams with at least 30 wins, so don't let anybody talk about a "weak division" & we've been playing a lot outside it too. I Know we haven't played the Mets yet, and if they aren't the best team, then they're fooling me. 3,056 people think the Yankee season is over, and 949 still have Faith or is it Hope, Me? if it was another team I'd say "no".
I Love The Dodgers and enjoy debating with others who share the same passion alot of very informed and intelligent fans here.Some alot smarter then me some not so gifted but I like the banter and appriciate all of you. Now Let's Breakout the Brooms and Sweep em all the way back Home!!!
It was reported today that Dodgers have the lowest percentage of runs scored via the HR 19.7% The Rockies have the next lowest 24.3%. Almost 5% deeper. I know we all know this, but it's something to to think about. It was also reported that the is a very good chance of rain in Pittsburgh tonight. GO DODGERS
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June 14, 2012 (San Diego, CA) – For the 2013 product line, NiteRider Technical Lighting Systems shows significant innovation aimed at delivering serious light output and value pricing for cyclists.
Leading the lineup is the new Lumina Series, replacing the widely popular Cordless Series. The Lumina will be available in three models aptly named by light output – the 350, 500 and 650. These wireless USB rechargeable lights have approximately 40% less overall mass than its predecessor. Noticeably smaller and lighter, these lights deliver substantial output in an incredibly compact package, making them the most versatile, no compromise lights suitable for both urban and trail use. Even bigger news is the pricing that starts at $89.99 for the Lumina 350, $109.99 for the Lumina 500 and $139.99 for the Lumina 650.
Building upon the successes of the highly popular Mako line released last year, NiteRider re-released the line with five models geared at maximizing light output and affordability all within the $25-$65 price range. The series includes the Mako 5.0 and three models signifying lumen output with the Mako 100, 150, 200 and 200 USB. Riders can now have 200 lumens of light, USB rechargeable and spend $64.99. Across product lines, the Mako and Lumina Series' represent the best cost per lumen since the application of LEDs in cycling lighting. Also new is the blindingly bright two-watt USB rechargeable tail light, the Solas.
Known for its top of the line, race ready rechargeables, the flagship Pro 3000 LED is now replaced with the Pro 3600, delivering 600 additional lumens with no increase in price. The Pro 1500 LED Race is replaced with the Pro 1800 remaining at $349.00 and the 2012 favorite MiNewt 750 Pro returns in 2013 with an all new handlebar mount and a price reduction of $20.00. "More and more often we are seeing lumens being touted as the number one attribute when talking about bike lights. While certainly important, we believe there are other factors that also figure prominently into a well designed and performing bike light, such as beam pattern, run times, weight and price. We pushed the limits to bring our customers the absolute best product in terms of output, performance and durability at the best possible price," noted VP of Sales and Marketing Mike Ely.
Product will begin shipping early July and the full line live online July 1st.
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Source: Emily Miller

subset: commoncrawl


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MONTREAL - He shouldn't be out of work for long.
A politician of Jean Charest's calibre, with his vast network of contacts, here and abroad, dynamic speaking talents and 28 years of public service is bound to be scooped up by someone.
He's also young enough at 54 to make a fresh start.
But where he goes, and in what capacity, is, at this stage, anyone's guess.
Charest says he never envisioned any other job than the one he was seeking — perhaps he felt he had to say that as leader in an election campaign.
On cue, he would say he was going to win a majority government. History will show he came close.
So close that there is speculation he might have stayed in office had he bagged five more seats provincially and not lost in Sherbrooke.
The loss on the home front was certainly a big factor in his decision, even though with the average lifespan of a minority government being about a year and a half to two years, he could well have had another crack at the premier's chair.
Winning Liberal Members of the National Assembly were even ready to give up their seats to get him back.
It was not to be.
"I think he will enjoy his family, go home, get lots of rest," Charest's long-time press aide, Hugo D'Amours, said Thursday.
"As for the future, I sincerely don't know, and I think he himself has no plans in this area."
Asked about a future political comeback, D'Amour said: "Now, he's still young, has a lot to give, so I wouldn't exclude it."
In the hours after Charest's emotional farewell in Quebec City, rumours about his future started to swirl. Many just could not believe such a political animal could actually give up the game he loved.
On top of that, his concession speech that evening was full of references to the proud Liberal party fighting on for what it believes.
The wildest rumour was that he would find immediate work as leader of the currently leaderless federal Liberals.
That is to not know Charest's past well. He cut his political teeth in the old Progressive Conservative party.
But don't get the idea he would want to go back to the current Conservatives. That party has shifted much more to the right under Stephen Harper than a guy like Charest would be comfortable with today.
Certainly, he has no future in the New Democratic Party, now lead by former Quebec cabinet minister Thomas Mulcair. The two had a falling out years ago when Charest tried to demote Mulcair in the cabinet.
And finally, there is one big reason for Charest to move out of the political limelight for now. Nobody really knows how he will come out looking once the Charbonneau Commission, the inquiry into corruption and collusion which resumes hearings Sept. 17, gets through with its work.
So even if some would have liked Charest to stay, he was probably ready to move on. Certainly, his family wanted him to.
So where does he land?
The speculation has started.
It's clear a guy like Charest will miss the thrill of the political game, the energy that comes with the debate or a well-delivered speech.
For that reason alone (unless he needs the money) he might not feel comfortable or challenged enough in the traditional landing pad for former politicians: legal firms.
Charest is a lawyer, but had only practised for three years before getting elected to the House of Commons in September 1984.
Former political leaders like Brian Mulroney, Jean Chrétien and Daniel Johnson have made the adjustment and seem to be thriving in those kinds of jobs.
But Charest might be more interested in some high-profile international role.
For now, however, the focus in Quebec City is on transitions, from a Liberal to a Parti Québécois government, and to a new Liberal leader.
True to tradition, Charest left no real successor, leaving the door wide open.
The short list of potential candidates includes former Liberal cabinet ministers Pierre Moreau, Raymond Bachand, Lise Thériault, Yves Bolduc and Sam Hamad.
Jean-Marc Fournier, justice minister when the election was called August 1, was teased by reporters as a possible replacement because he rode Charest's election bus as an adviser. On Thursday, he took himself off the list of potential leadership hopefuls in a Radio-Canada interview.
"I have no ambitions to become party leader," Fournier said. He did not rule out a role on an interim basis because someone will need to be in the chair when the National Assembly resumes sitting.
Speculation also includes the names of some outsiders. But adapting to — and being adopted by — the insular Liberal party is no easy feat. Charest himself struggled with the change after his years in Ottawa.
At the top of the outsider list is former health minister Philippe Couillard who, up until a week ago, was working as a consultant for Secor. He could not be reached Thursday.
Another who regularly makes the short list is Monique Leroux, chairperson and CEO of the Caisse Desjardins.
On Thursday, an aide quashed that rumour.
"Mme. Leroux has just been re-elected for four years," said Caisse spokesman André Chapleau. "She has until 2016. She intends to finish her mandate at Desjardins before doing other things."
But while a leadership race might help renew the Liberals, the party has no real tradition in doing them.
Both Charest and Daniel Johnson were acclaimed to the job.
Twitter: @philipauthier


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| 4.6°C Belfast
Striker Shola Ameobi has insisted the Newcastle dressing room remains strong despite a disastrous run of results.
The Magpies slipped to a fifth successive Barclays Premier League defeat for the first time when they went down 2-1 to Swansea at St James' Park on Saturday to heap further pressure on manager Alan Pardew and his players.
They have now lost 12 of the 17 league games they have played since Boxing Day, when they were looking at an assault on the top six rather than scrapping to achieve their target of finishing in the upper half of the table, something which is now far from assured.
However, while many fans are in open revolt, Ameobi is adamant that unity remains intact inside the four walls of St James'.
Asked if everyone was still together within the camp, He said: "Yes, the dressing room is.
"It's been tough for us, obviously, but one thing that has remained is that spirit to want to work hard for each other and to fight, to keep on fighting despite the adversity that we have faced in the last few games.
"I thought we showed character there. It was always going to be a tough match - the fans, obviously, were expecting better from us and for the large part, I thought we did that.
"But it's just again a failure to put teams away and to stop conceding. Essentially we failed again and we lost another game."
Pardew's best-laid plans had to be torn up within minutes of kick-off when, after starting with three central defenders and three strikers, he lost two of his frontmen to injury before half-time.
Referee Chris Foy too failed to make it to the break after being knocked from his feet when Jonjo Shelvey's early shot ricocheted back off Fabricio Coloccini and hit him full in the face.
He was, however, still in charge when Ameobi brought a welcome end to Newcastle's goal drought after a depressing six hours and 23 minutes.
It was he who leapt to head down Tim Krul's clearance to Luuk de Jong and then span on the return pass to beat keeper Michel Vorm for his first league goal since December 2012.
But De Jong was to follow Papiss Cisse down the tunnel shortly afterwards - his ankle problem appears less serious than the knee injury which prompted the Senegal international's premature exit - and there was worse to come for the home side.
The game was deep into injury time at the end of the first half when Wilfried Bony rose to power home Ben Davies' corner, and he was to repeat the feat in added time at the end of the game when, after substitute Marvin Emnes had been felled by Cheick Tiote, he nervelessly converted the penalty to snatch a precious victory.
Ameobi said: "Unfortunately, we have had a few too many of these as of late. Again, we went into the game full of spirit and wanting to fight and give everything for a win.
"We started off great, getting a goal, but we were hit by two later sucker-punches at the end of each half, which is very frustrating."
The victory eased Swansea six points clear of the drop zone with three games to play, and that, rather than taking his personal tally for the season to 22 goals, was the most pleasing aspect of the trip to Tyneside for Bony.
Asked if it was his most important contribution to date, he told the Swans official website, www.swanseacity.net: "You can say that because it gave us three points that were crucial.
"I was just focusing on two things: one was to score, and the other was looking back at the time on the clock to see how long we had left to play.
"There were no nerves. I practised in training a few days ago and it's always the same - the only thing that changes is what side to go.
"It's always good when you score in the last minute, but when the team wins, its fantastic."


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Our biology department fosters a strong sense of community: biology majors work side by side with professors who know them by name. You'll learn from full-time faculty who are committed to teaching students at all levels, in the laboratory, in the field, and in the classroom. Each professor has a personal laboratory where you'll use state-of-the-art equipment: you'll be the one operating the fluorescence microscope or the ultracentrifuge or using the controlled-condition plant growth facility to conduct sophisticated, original research.
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Upon graduation, many of our biology majors enter professional schools to study medicine, dentistry, or other health fields. Others are accepted at top graduate programs such as UC Berkeley, Yale, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins. Other options include conducting research for the government or in the pharmaceutical industry.


text:
Entrepreneur creates app designed to strengthen memory
By ACL
Ray Omholt, founder and chief excutive officer of Memory-on-Demand.
By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer
Eighty-three year-old Ray Omholt of Chadds Ford has lived two lives separated by a disabling stroke at age sixty, in what he would easily compartmentalize as "Ray One" and "Ray Two." Ray One was defined and motivated by ambition, business power, and financial success. Ray Two, a very different man, is now about to unveil a mobile application that he believes will help the lives of millions of people because this is his post-stroke commitment.
"Ray One was a driver, an entrepreneur, a guy who 'gets it done,' a true narcissist," Omholt said. "He knew a wide variety of people nationally, but they were not close friends. Ray Two is completely different and very much into relationships. He makes time for family and many good friends. He wants to use whatever talents and knowledge he possesses to help people."
By the time he was in his 20s, Omholt had graduated with an engineering degree from Lehigh University and had gone into the manufacturing of sports products on an international basis, chiefly in the construction of athletic courts for universities and major sports facilities. During his career, he was granted 48 patents in his name. He traveled around the world on business, in an entrepreneurial style typical of the 1950s and 1960s. He had contacts all over the country, in nearly every city. He was healthy. He could take on stress as if it were just another business adversary.
On Saturday, October 12, 1990, the 60-year-old Omholt was in San Francisco to visit a business colleague at a design conference. He happened to be having dinner with his daughter, a resident of the area. Sitting at the dinner table, he became nauseous, and excused himself. In bed, he heard something snap at the base of his brain. He was taken to a nearby hospital, and at about four o'clock in the morning he overheard two doctors standing nearby say, "This man is dying. He'll be gone by morning. Contact his wife and then tag him."
He wanted to address them to tell them that he was very much alive, but he couldn't move. He was paralyzed. Although it was the worst night of his life, Omholt also said that it was the best night of his life. He had a near-death experience. "The commitment I made as I was lying there was simple," Omholt said. "You can talk to God when you're having a near-death experience. I promised God that if he would let me survive, in the future, I would apply my talents and drive to helping other people."
Weeks later, Omholt woke up from the effects of his stroke. He had no memory, but instead of succumbing to the effects of the stroke, he spent the next few years learning all that he could about improving his memory and how to program computers. Some days, he would study up to 12 hours a day. Eventually, he used his new-found knowledge to found Legacy Profiles, a company that helped individuals tell the stories of their lives using memory-restoration techniques that he had developed. He was awarded a patent for this process.
Now, using the basics he applied with Legacy Profiles, Omholt has become the founder and chief executive officer of Memory-on-Demand, in collaboration with Dr. William P. Wagner, a professor in the School of Business at Villanova University. Together, Omholt and Wagner have developed a breakthrough software design called MemriBank, a mobile computer application that can help everyone from schoolchildren suffering from ADHD and learning difficulties to the salesperson needing to remember data and figures, to the busy executive or parent juggling family, job, and other obligations. By the use of "trigger" connector words, someone using MemriBank can not only store data but link it to other data -- a DNA trail of vital information that can be remembered and accessed in seconds. Omholt has a patent pending on this process.
By use of repetition, visual association, visual landscape and auditory pathways, MemriBank utilizes multiple information pathways in the brain to maximize the memory process and extend one's retention time. For instance, a two-word organizational header can be connected to a thought line and then to another; similarly, related words and thought-lines can also be grouped together.
MemriBank, Omholt said, can help students with learning difficulties perform better by organizing their thoughts and improve their memory, concentration and organization, as well as help to reduce forgetfulness and procrastination.
He sees MemriBank becoming a common tool in the classroom, and has already met with several teachers and school administrators, as well as with many parents. "I tell parents that they must spend 15 minutes a night with their child for 60 days helping their children learn MemriBank until the application becomes a habit for him or her," Omholt said. I tell parents that this application will help organize their child's life in a way they never knew before."
In school, Omholt said, "We want teachers to say to children using MemriBank, 'If you come into my classroom and use your mobile memory support system, I will stand up and cheer for you because you can earn much better grades.'"
MemriBank also serves the greater population, by helping them strengthen their memory by the use of three categories on the application: "Names and Links," "You'll Enjoy It," and "Everything Else." "You can't remember the name of a movie that someone recommended to you three months ago? MemriBank can not only give you the name of the movie, but the person who recommended it to you," Omholt said.
The price of each unit of software will be $4.99, and Omholt is currently seeking investors to develop start-up capital for the company. His goal is to sell five million units worldwide in the two years. "My primary target audience is five million children, and I am determined to help them," Omholt said. "Ray One and Ray Two are known for one thing: Once we make a commitment, we always honor it."
An updated version of MemriBank will be available in the Apple App Store on July 5th, 2013. For additional information about the MemriBank application, visit www.memory-on-demand.com.


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MADRID -- The Spanish government has agreed to participate in NATO's anti-missile shield that will see specialized United States warships based at a Spanish base already used by the U.S. Navy.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Spain and the U.S. had sealed the deal Friday to use the base in southwestern Spain as part of the shield, enabling four U.S. Navy destroyers and some 1,400 operators to be deployed at the base.
Moscow has long opposed the shield and called for binding guarantees from the U.S. and NATO that it will not target Russia.
The Pentagon also has units at Moron air base in southwest Spain, with a presence of some 4,250 military personnel and 1,000 civilians in the country.


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(CBS SF/AP) – Lotfi Mansouri, a former general director of the San Francisco Opera for 13 years, has died. He was 84.
In a press release, the San Francisco Opera said Mansouri died Friday after a brief illness with pancreatic cancer and was surrounded by his family.
The Iranian-born Mansouri left his native country to study medicine in California but music won out.
He served as stage director of the Zurich Opera between 1960 and 1966. He also directed productions at leading opera houses in Europe and the United States.
He took over at the San Francisco Opera in 1988 and was responsible for ambitious productions including Jake Heggie's maiden opera, "Dead Man Walking."
He also oversaw the first San Francisco productions of many Russian opera masterpieces.
Mansouri is survived by his wife, Marjorie and a daughter, Shireen.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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In the preceding posts, I talked about the alternative historical belief about the Battle of Mactan, and about the story of Lapu Lapu, who is regarded as the first Filipino hero, and of Ferdinand Magellan.
Do you think it is curious why the site of the Battle of Mactan is called Magellan Shrine in honor of Ferdinand Magellan and not Lapu Lapu Shrine? It is said that historians who believes the alternative story who were also part of the committee in setting up the shrine insisted on the calling it Magellan Shrine to ensure that the real story never gets truly buried. This is their own little way of making sure that the truth stays behind the consciousness of people. It was said that they have to agree to the popular story because Filipinos need the story of how we fought the Spanish Conquistador right from the start.
Anyway, in Magellan shrine there was no image of Magellan, but rather they placed there an image of Lapu Lapu, facing towards the city of Lapu Lapu which is right beside the modern day City of Mactan. They placed on Lapu Lapu's hand a bow and arrow (crossbow) in the immortal active stance even hostile as a symbol how he met a lot of conquistador. However, when they placed the image of Lapu Lapu several incumbent mayor of Lapu Lapu successively passed away while in office. Most of them due to heart attacks. Until somebody pointed out that the statue of Lapu Lapu has it's bow and arrow pointed at the city of Lapu Lapu, in fact some says it is directly pointed at the Lapu Lapu City Hall.
So they replaced it with a less violent or aggressive stance. This time they made him hold a bolo. The death ceased after it.
So is it possible that the crossbow active stance has something to do with the death of the incumbent mayors? Feng Shui wise it's highly possible.
For questions, comments, and suggestions please email firstname.lastname@example.com


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Tonight's Officials:
Referees: Gord Dwyer (19), Chris Rooney (5)
Linesmen: Pierre Racicot (65), Derek Nansen (70)
Video Judge: Brian Tipple
Ntl. Anthem: Sgt. Mervin Leonor
Anthem Singer Standings:
- Code: Select all
Singer G W L OTL Pts Pct
Bill Deasey 1 1 0 0 2 1.000
David Toole 1 1 0 0 2 1.000
Jeff Jimerson 1 1 0 0 2 1.000
Milestones Watch:
D Matt Niskanen 1 assist to 100
F Evgeni Malkin 4 assists from tying Syl Apps for fifth place on the franchise's all-time list with 349
Recent Milestones Achieved:
D Olli Maatta notched his first NHL point and multiple-point game with two assists vs. Carolina Oct. 8
F Pascal Dupuis appeared in his 800th NHL game vs. Buffalo Oct. 5
G Marc-Andre Fleury notched his 250th career victory vs. New Jersey Oct. 3
F Craig Adams appeared in his 800th NHL game vs. New Jersey Oct. 3
F Pascal Dupuis collected his 200th NHL assist vs. New Jersey Oct. 3
D Olli Maatta made his NHL debut vs. New Jersey Oct. 3


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Congratulations to our winner –
Rachel R. (stay tuned to where she is from!)
One piece of gear you must have (if you have a car!) before you are allowed to take your baby home from the hospital is a car seat. Whether it is an infant car seat or a convertible car seat, you have to have one. That's why this week we are helping one lucky winner by giving them the new Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 5-70 Convertible Car Seat.
This seat can take your child from birth all the way until it's time for a booster seat (around 5-7 years old depending on how tall/heavy they are!).
The Primo Viaggio Convertible has a 5 – 70 lb weight capacity. It can be used rear-facing from 5-45 lbs. That is a HUGE rear-facing weight limit! The highest RF weight limit on the market! We love that Peg Perego has designed a seat to keep our babies rear-facing as long as possible. When it is time to forward-face, the Primo Viaggio Convertible Seat has a 70 lb weight capacity or 49 inches whichever comes first.
The seat also has adjustable Side Impact Protection (SIP) that is super easy to adjust to 10 different positions even with baby in the seat, EPS energy foam, and LATCH adjusters that easily slide from forward to rear-facing position to make installation easier.
To watch our review of the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible Car Seat below:
One lucky reader will win a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 5-70 Convertible Car Seat. Giveaway open to US residents only.
Watch the video review (up above!), and let us know what is your favorite Peg Perego Convertible Seat feature in a comment below. Giveaway ends Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 11:59 CST. Winner chosen by random.org.
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Under third-year head coach Claude Thornhill, Stanford had stormed to Pasadena as 8-1 Pacific Coast Champion with only a one-point loss at UCLA blemishing the record. Thornhill had played for Glenn Scobey Warner at Pitt and later followed his mentor out west to learn the coaching trade. By the time Warner left Stanford following the 1932 season for Temple, the final destination of his forty-four year coaching career, he had led the Indians to three Rose Bowls and established the school as the West Coast's football power. He had done so with technically sound, tried-and-tested methods that even by the 1930s were already seen by many as somewhat old fashioned. But then, a veteran coach who had graduated Cornell in 1894 and was known by the nickname "Pop" was hardly likely to embrace much new wave thinking. His successor, a former lineman sarcastically nicknamed "Tiny" on account of his hulking stature, unsurprisingly upheld all of his predecessor's methodology. Behind the straight-ahead running of all-America fullback Bobby Grayson and a bruising line led by Jim Moscrip, another all-America at left end, Stanford's "vow boys" had pounded their way to the only three-year run of successive conference titles in school history. The freshman class of 1932 acquired their name after vowing together that they would never receive the kind of thumping at the hands of the hated USC Trojans which the varsity took that year. And they never did, going a perfect 3-0 against USC.
Facing Stanford that clear, sunny January 1st was a team that provided both a mirror image and a stark juxtaposition. The top-ranked, unbeaten Ponies were also at the height of their program's historical powers. And SMU also featured two all-America selections — left halfback Bobby Wilson and powerful left guard J. C. Wetsel. Like Stanford, SMU had only recently parted ways with a legendary coach. After three conference championships in thirteen seasons and an 84-44-23 record Ray Morrison had returned home to coach his alma mater, Vanderbilt, the preceding year. Morrison's successor, Madison "Matty" Bell would achieve a 79-40-8 mark through twelve seasons, including a perfect 12-0 regular season his first year. Bell, a Fort Worth native, had played for tiny Centre College in Kentucky, and had coached at TCU and then Texas A&M prior to taking the SMU job. Bell led his team past his former employer TCU and its great star Slingin' Sammy Baugh in a 20-14 thriller to clinch the Rose Bowl berth. Both TCU and SMU employed offensive styles that the New York Times called:
"…the wide open style of play that has been increasingly adopted in all sections except the west coast."
True to form the Rose Bowl unfolded as a battle of old versus new school, each team continuing the approach that had carried them so far. Stanford attempted only five forward passes, completing just 2-for-43. Two were intercepted. In contrast the Indians ground out a relatively productive 113 yards on the ground, and elected to punt fifteen times. As was not uncommon in football through the 1930s, many of Stanford's punts were surprise "quick kicks" on first down designed to pin the opponent deep when no return man could run the ball back. With senior quarterback and Pasadena native Bill Paulman punting for a forty-yard average and the larger Stanford line successfully hurrying the SMU pass-attack, the quick kick strategy proved remarkably effective. Using field position and conservative play Stanford outlast SMU for a final score of 7-0. And that despite being outgained by a margin of seventy-one passing yards and nine Pony first downs to just six for the Indians.
A surprise kick actually set up the game's only score late in the first quarter. At midfield on first down Paulman pinned SMU on their five-yard line. The Ponies could not escape and kicked back. Their punting would be second-rate all day. Quarterback John Sprague and halfback John Finley shared eleven punts for just a thirty-four yard average. When Finley kicked the ball out of his endzone in the first quarter he was horrified to see halfback James Coffis return it fifteen precious yards. Working from the Pony forty-two Stanford took advantage with an uncharacteristic play when Grayson threw a twenty-three yard completion to Coffis. After two rushes for no gain Grayson burst around right end for seventeen yards. On the next play a reverse to left halfback Bob "Bones" Hamilton carried Stanford to the one-yard line, from whence Paulman stepped home running free as a fake hand-off to Hamilton motioned the SMU line to the wrong direction.
Despite having gained a touchdown with relatively creative play Thornhill decided to withdraw into more cautious tactics for the remaining three quarter, seeking to preserve the Indians' one-score lead. SMU passed the ball thirty times, an amazing number for the era. Unfortunately the Stanford line successfully penetrated the Pony backfield with enough regularity to disrupt the SMU air-attack. The Ponies never managed to complete passes with sufficient consistency to throw keep drives moving. Occasional short gains were peppered with enough incompletions that while SMU's tactics impressed the predominantly West Coast crowd, they availed little. Finley, Wilson, and Sprague combined for only 11-of-30 passing. Worst of all, they were picked off a crippling six times — usually at decisive moments which allowed Stanford to "bend but not break" on defense before the phrase had been coined.
SMU ended the half with another frenetic burst of offense. Pinned at their own five, Wilson and Finley fired off a series of short passes to reach halfway before time expired. The promising end to the first half proved chimerical. After the break SMU managed little on offense. The Stanford line wore SMU down, holding the Mustangs to just eighty-five total team yards rushing, and coming up with crucial interceptions. In the end a seven point lead proved plenty, and Stanford actually came closest to a second score of the game when a twenty-seven yard field goal try from Moscrip [set up by an interception of Wilson, naturally] drifted wide in the third quarter.
The great 1935 SMU Mustangs
Bell's team, the rapturously received SMU marching band, and the quaintly dressed Texas boosters all returned the 2,000 miles home with nothing. The one fanatic who hitch-hiked the entire way must have felt particularly disappointed. Doubtless, however, he never regretted making the trip. Not only has SMU never returned to Pasadena, but until the BCS era they remained the only Texas school to have made the trip. Not until Oklahoma crushed Washington State 34-14 on New Years' Day 2003 did another former Southwest Conference member play in the "Granddaddy" [OU was a charter member of the SWC in 1915 but remained only until 1919]. Two years later the University of Texas played a thriller against fellow historical heavyweight Michigan, running out a one-point winner in a 38-37 final. Texas returned the following year to upset USC behind the incredible Vince Young, coming back late to win 41-38.
This year, on January 1st 2011 the TCU Horned Frogs became only the third Texas school to play in Pasadena, and the only one besides UT to be crowned champion. Senior quarterback Andy Dalton succeeded where even Slingin' Sammy had failed in 1935, leading the Frogs to college football's most prestigious bowl game. He also succeeded where Bob Wilson had failed, leading his team past a bulkier Wisconsin squad to a thrilling 21-19 win. Like SMU, the Horned Frogs will almost certainly never be asked to return. But like the Dallas man who loved his 1935 Ponies enough to thumb his way to California and back, no one in Fort Worth cares. The little guys from the old Southwest Conference had their day in the sun.
[Sources: New York Times; Fort Worth Star-Telegram]


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Technology helping AC Expressway handle snowstorms
PLEASANTVILLE – Gone are the days when a snowstorm would send snowplow crews rushing haphazardly onto New Jersey's roads and highways.
On the Atlantic City Expressway, technology helps crews know where to go to find the worst-hit areas. A fiber-optic network connects weather stations, road sensors and computer software so that resources can be deployed efficiently.
The Press of Atlantic City reports there are weather stations in Pleasantville, Hammonton and Winslow Township that feature 60-foot antennas that monitor the traffic and road surface. Sensors measure the temperature and rainfall and snowfall amounts. Maintenance crews can check road temperatures and freezing points for different sections of the highway.
The system has been in place for about four years. Officials say it's led to a 50 percent decrease in expenses.


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Turning Emissions into Diamonds
Hey you guys:
Listen to this absolutely great invention. Yesterday I heard discussed on Public Radio International's program "The World," in their technology news section, information on an Australian invention that converts 75-80 percent of the carbon dioxide in car exhaust into water and industrial-grade diamonds. HOLY COW!! Now, I've e-mailed them for more information, but I figure with your clout-and-shout capacities you can find out sooner than me, and also help spread the word, especially since analysis of 33-million-year-old Antarctic ice cores shows carbon dioxide increasing at a 1,000-fold rate faster than ever before--and people of my "green" generation can't buy SUVs fast enough. How 'bout it - doesn't this merit a bit of discussion on your radio show?!! Maybe diamonds ARE any girl's best friend...environmentally speaking. Thanks.
P.S. Found out more info on the exhaust-to-diamonds thing.
Two scientists, Drs. Elias Siores and Carlos Destifani of the Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, have invented a device as big as a wine bottle that fits underneath your car (gasoline or diesel) and changes emissions into carbon and water. It is a microwave-emissions converter and heats up the exhaust to 5,000 degrees Kelvin!!! Of course, there is a cooling-down process and, not knowing all the details, I can't explain any more to you. I do know that, to trap all the carbon particles, a changeable filter is put into the exhaust pipe, where the carbon is changed to industrial-grade diamonds.
More than cool, no???? Yes!!!! These guys have a patent on it. The devices convert 90 percent of the emissions in the lab, and it's thought they convert 70-80 percent on the road. More info can be gotten from newscientist.com, or e-mail them at Swinburne. I volunteered to be a test vehicle. Spread the word, so we can improve our gassing and besmirching.


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Pretty cute right? I love the pattern added with the scrapbook paper and the big bow. I also found some paper cover floral wire and added curlies to the bow. They remind me of the vines pumpkins sometimes have. I also angled the corners so that the pumpkins would be a little more round.
Here are my two cents on making a 2x4 pumpkin.
Buy a 2x4. They cost about $2 and you can get two pumpkins out of one. I had my husband cut them down for me. The short pumpkin has five 10 inch pieces and a 3 inch piece for the stem. The short one has six 8 inch pieces and a 3 inch stem piece. Cut the angles on two of the pieces per pumpkin.
Paint them orange (or brown for the stem) and then get out your palm sander and rough up all the edges. You can do this by hand too.
Apply a light coat of stain all over. This is optional but it tones down the orange and I like the look. Then use modge podge to apply the strips of scrapbook paper.
Hot glue all the pieces together and top with a cute bow. I made my bow by making two simple bows and attaching them together and added a curly out of floral wire. And that's it, easy peasy!
Here are a few up close and personal pics of each of the pumpkins.
So what do you think? I hope all the ladies in my ward like them and we'll have fun making them. I'll show off pics of all the different combinations after we do them.
Thanks for reading!
I will be linking to these weekly parties and these special event parties.


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Going Back to Divine Presence
Todd Friedmann, 35, is barrelling down the highway on a 1000-km drive from Montreal, Canada, to Michigan, USA, where he will join his spiritual community for one of the holiest days of the year.
It's the day before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, but Friedmann, who was born and raised Jewish, is driving the long distance for Eid ul-Fitr, the last night of Ramadan. He became a Sufi Muslim over ten years ago and on the 12-hour car ride the depth of his devotion is palpable.
He now goes by the name Husayn and is dressed in loose cotton clothing which emulates the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed, but his long ruddy beard and appearance also give him the look of an Orthodox rabbi.
When asked about the perplexing mosaic of his religious heritage, Friedmann quickly cites the Islamic mystic and philosopher Ibn 'Arabi who famously wrote "I follow the religion of love."
"I was brought up with the stories of the prophets of Israel: Moses, Noah, Solomon, and David. We studied the Torah," says Friedmann, who was educated in a private Hebrew school. "But I didn't have to leave the stories of the prophets behind when I became a Muslim. The Prophet Muhammed came for all people, for all nations, for all times."
Emphasis on "universal spirituality"
Friedmann's journey began as it did for most Western converts to Sufi Islam: in an earnest search for spiritual fulfilment and meaning in what they see as an increasingly materialistic and empty Western culture.
"As I got older I started to notice something very wrong was happening on the earth. My grandfather lived through the Holocaust and told me about it. I needed to know: What is this life about? When I discovered the Montreal Naqshbandi Sufi Centre, there was a certainty that was stamped on my heart. Now there is nothing that can take that away."
Friedmann is driving to the headquarters of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order of America where over the next week dozens of devout Sufis, about 30 per cent of whom are Western converts to Islam, from myriad ethnic and religious backgrounds, will converge from all over North America.
Devotees have come seeking spiritual renewal, transcendence from the trappings of the ego, and to bask in the spiritual presence of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. Kabbani is a globally revered Sufi teacher and official deputy of Shaykh Nazim Al-Haqqani, the leader of the order who is widely regarded as a saint and said to trace his lineage back to the 13th century mystic and poet Jalaluddin Rumi.
Naqshabandi is one of the major spiritual Orders of Sufi Islam in the world today and "it's the most popular Sufi tradition in Indonesia, the Subcontinent, Africa and the Middle East," says Lisa Alexandrin, a professor of Islamic studies in the department of religion at the University of Manitoba.
"The Naqshbandi teachings emphasize the importance of the relationship between master and disciple: Sufi shaykh and student," adds Alexandrin, echoing the appeal to many Western Sufi practitioners who say through their encounters with Shaykh Nazim and Shaykh Hisham they saw living examples of the teachings of the Prophet. Devotees see Sufi Islam as a religion of love, peace, tolerance, humility and respect, and strive to attain these ideals through the guidance and teachings of their Shykhs. There is also an emphasis on "universal spirituality", inclusive of different faith traditions.
"The goal of spirituality is not to have labels," says Friedman. "It's to go back to divine presence."
Centuries of spiritual tradition
In 1991 Kabbani was appointed by Nazim to establish a presence in North America and since then 23 centres have opened across the region.
The Michigan Centre is a modest farm tucked off a suburban country lane. One cannot imagine a less likely landscape for the kind of ecstatic and colourful Sufi worship that unfolds here, including chanting, prayers, meditation, and trance-like devotional whirling.
"It always amazes me how doctrines and devotional practices established by a set of Sufi masters in the 14-15th Centuries can continue to maintain such a powerful presence in the contemporary world," says Alexandrin. The Naqshbandi Order dates back nearly 1500 years and traces its spiritual lineage to the Prophet Muhammad through Abu Bakr, the first Caliph and one of the Prophet's closest companions.
"We are not a da'wah [conversion] machine or missionaries," says Kabbani, who is also an author, renowned scholar of Islamic history and a spiritual teacher to an estimated 2 million Muslims across the globe.
"We believe everyone has a certain time that comes in their life when God's manifestation on their heart becomes strong and they will listen to that message and yearn to understand it. Then they begin to give more and more attention to their spiritual needs. Therefore, we don't say 'converting' or 'reverting', we say when the call to spirituality comes, they will pick up the phone."
Despite the order's emphasis on inner spirituality, this Sufi community maintains traditional Islamic values grounded in Sharia law: Men and women are segregated for prayer and many women chose to wear headscarves.
Steadfastness despite hostilities
Friedmann stops for a cappuccino at a chain café in Fenton surrounded by American "big box" stores like Walmart and Target. He is a colourful anomaly in the mainstream landscape of the American Mid-West.
At the counter he is approached by a man wearing a Harley Davidson T-Shirt, who asks him sarcastically if he is a part of the local "renaissance parade", before muttering angrily "Americans should dress like Americans."
"We're taking criticism from all sides," says Elizabeth Bootman, who embraced Islam when she was just out of high school. She was educated at the University of Berkley and grew up in the famously liberal Bay Area of San Francisco as a secular American. She now veils her hair and wears modest clothing. But walking the spiritual path as an American Muslim convert is not an easy road.
Fundamentalist Muslim groups have criticized the Sufi community, seeing it as divergent from traditional Islam, an accusation Sufi Muslims adamantly refute; and they are often confronted with the anti-Muslim sentiments of the post 9-11 world.
Despite the challenges, Bootman's faith doesn't waver: "If you're wondering why on earth a Western person from a liberal country would decide to become Muslim you have to understand the history and wisdom of what Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, brought to earth and how powerful, liberal and emancipating that message was. So many people are interested in spirituality in the West, especially the side of it that is contemplative and introspective and peaceful. This is what we were looking for when we came to this order and this is what we have found."
Mary Fowles
© Qantara.de 2011
Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de


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Angels and heaven: so last year. This fall, try mermaids. Anyone whose knowledge of these mythical part-human sea creatures stops with Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale can get up to swimming speed with Mermaids 101 by Doreen Virtue (Hay House, Nov.). Another title in the mind-body-spirit category is comparatively more practical. The Magical Path by Marc Allen (New World Library, Oct.) is by the cofounder of New World Library, the publisher that has helped develop the MBS niche in contemporary publishing.
On the material plane, textile artist Kaffe Fassett— yes, we've picked him before, but he's got talent—continues to generate books (and, presumably, revenue from same), returning to the quilting medium with Kaffe Quilts Again: 20 Favorite Quilts in New Colorways from Rowan (Taunton, Sept.). Moms of the 21st century can find diversion, tips, and possibly even tech support in Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st Century Families by the editors of GeekMom.com (Potter Craft, Oct.), the sister site to Wired magazine's GeekDad.com blog.
Fall is heavy with diet books, since it includes January, when good intentions pave the road to fitness centers for those wanting to start the new year slimmer, smarter, or otherwise better. Even as paleo dieting continues to hold sway, another approach beckons in The Baby Steps Diet by Tosca Reno (Free Press, Dec.). Reno has already developed the successful Eat Clean Diet series. Her new book could attack the biggest problem with dieting—failure to stick with it—by making it easier to stick with lifestyle changes needed to lose weight. Young style maven Lauren Conrad continues to build her empire with Lauren Conrad Beauty by Conrad with Elise Loehnen (HarperCollins, Oct.). A first printing of 300,000 sounds like enough said.
The category of self-help is filled with heavy-hitting authors and publishers making substantial opening bets on them, judging by announced print runs. 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind by Ed Bacon (Grand Central Life & Style, Sept.) might be Gary Chapman (Five Love Languages) meets Oprah. Author Bacon is a pastor who has appeared frequently on Oprah's "Soul Series" online broadcasts. While she no longer has a network television platform, her currency of influence still spends. Bacon's book comes out September 11. The more laconic may prefer The Dude and the Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman (Penguin/Blue Rider, Nov.), in which the actor talks with his longtime spiritual guru, a Zen master, and we get to find out, what is the sound of one dude clapping. More cinematic influence is apparent in The Wisdom of the Shire: A Short Guide to a Long and Happy Life by Noble Smith (St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, Nov.), a hobbit's guide to the good life based on the J.R.R. Tolkien classic and tied to the long-awaited cinematic adaptation of The Hobbit coming in December from Peter Jackson. From the same language gutter or potty-mouthed inner child whence came the mega-hits Sh*t My Dad Says and Go the F**k to Sleep comes the newest entry for both the happiness and plainspeaking minigenres: F**k It Therapy: The Profane Way to Profound Happiness by John C. Parkin (Hay House, Nov.). Anyone who's ever had therapy may buy a dozen copies for passive-aggressive holiday gifts.
PW's Top 10: Lifestyle
Mermaids 101: Exploring the Magical Underwater World of the Merpeople by Doreen Virtue. Hay House, Nov.
The Magical Path: Creating the Life of Your Dreams and a World That Works for All by Marc Allen. New World Library, Oct.
Kaffe Quilts Again: 20 Favorite Quilts in New Colorways from Rowan by Kaffe Fassett. Taunton, Sept.
Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st Century Families by Editors of GeekMom.com (Potter Craft, Oct.)
The Baby Steps Diet by Tosca Reno. Free Press, Dec.
Lauren Conrad Beauty by Lauren Conrad with Elise Loehnen. HarperCollins, Oct.
8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind by Ed Bacon. Grand Central Life & Style, Sept.
The Dude and the Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman. Penguin/Blue Rider, Nov.
The Wisdom of the Shire: A Short Guide to a Long and Happy Life by Noble Smith. Thomas Dunne Books, Nov.
F**k It Therapy: The Profane Way to Profound Happiness by John C. Parkin. Hay House, Nov.
Read and sort all our picks from this fall's lifestyle titles in the spreadsheet below:Scribd:


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Blogs in 'From the Rumor Mill'
Palm is considered to be the forefather of most modern smartphones. With the company now ready for acquisition, the buyers are gathering, but there can be only one.
An attempt to breathe a new lease of life unto a defunct video format ends in despair. Movie in question? Gary Ugarek's "Deadlands 2: Trapped".


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|Convention Name
|PulpFest 2013
|Convention Website Address
|This convention will take place:
|Start Date (Format mm/dd/yyyy)
|End Date (Format mm/dd/yyyy)
|About This Convention
|PulpFest is the summertime destination for fans and collectors of vintage popular fiction and related materials. It returns to downtown Columbus, Ohio, beginning on Thursday, July 25th, for its 42nd year. It will run through Sunday, July 28th.
The theme of this year's convention will the eightieth anniversary of Doc Savage and the pulp heroes of 1933 as well as the centennial of Sax Rohmer's villainous Dr. Fu Manchu. There will be panels and presentations on these topics that will feature appearances by Will Murray, author of 12 Doc Savage novels; pulp art expert David Saunders; William Patrick Maynard, the writer authorized to continue the Fu Manchu series; Nathan Madison, author of ANTI-FOREIGN IMAGERY IN AMERICAN PULPS AND COMICS, 1920-1960; and Ed Hulse, publisher of BLOOD 'N' THUNDER. There will also be a showing of the complete movie serial, THE SPIDER'S WEB, produced by Columbia Pictures in 1938.
The convention will take place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Daytime hours will be from 9 AM to 5 PM. Evening programming will run from 7 PM until midnight. We hope to see you at "Summer's Great Pulp Con!"
|Venue Name and Address
|Hyatt Regency Columbus
350 North High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
United States
Map It
|Number of Dealer/Exhibitor Tables
|Projected Attendance
|Please select the Category that best describes the convention
|Additional Categories
|Will Murray, William Patrick Maynard, David Saunders, Nathan Madison, Ed Hulse
Home Book Festivals PulpFest (July 2013)
- Category
- Book Festivals
- Collectibles
- Comic Books
- Directory
- Convention Profiles
- United States
- Ohio
- Science Fiction and Fantasy


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When Les Nouvelle Esthetiques, a well-known spa and esthetics magazine, approached me to write a facial protocol for a Machu Picchu-inspired facial, it got me very excited. You see, when I lived in Ecuador, I used to design customized aromatherapy facials and body treatments for the local resorts using natural indigenous ingredients combined with essential oils. Therefore, the concept of a "Machu Picchu Facial" instantly reminded me of the Andean ingredients that the native women use to care for their skins. Wondering what makes the Machu Picchu Facial so special and unique? It is the rare and exotic ingredients from the Andes!Read more
Aromatherapy Article|Aromatherapy News|Spa Protocols
The Machu Picchu Facial: A Complete How-To Guide
Posted: August 12, 2013 by