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A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) (original 2000; edition 2003)
by George R.R. Martin
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A Storm Of Swords by George R. R. Martin (2000)
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The longest and possibly my favorite out of the three I've read. Martin has a way of surprising you when you think you can't be surprised anymore.
More action-packed than the first two installments, and with writing that is on par with the first. That awful bore Catelyn gets killed, finally, though the Red Wedding is one of the few major events that doesn't seem forced or unnatural. The death of Joffrey, for instance, comes across as a little too tidy. But these events save the plot from ending, I guess, and for that we should be thankful. Excited to read the next.
Whhhaaaaaattttt... In the hell.
Gonna have to gather my thoughts about this one. That last chapter...
Holy hell.
I can say that I'm proud of myself for finishing this book in less than a month and I can also say that I've enjoyed every word and page of this book. I cannot explain to you how mind-blowing this book was. Probably the best so far, can't judge for I haven't completed the series but so far it's the best. The characters, the scenes, the language used in this book is beyond amazing, I really don't know how George R. R. Martin comes up with such words and descriptions of characters and events but he's one hell of a gifted writer.
In this book we come to know more about Lysa, Catelyn's sister. How they killed her baby from Littlefinger, who did it and why, which made her suffer her whole life until she became pregnant from Jon Arryn.
Sansa being in love with Ser Loras but then she becomes disappointed when she learns that she is to be wedded to Ser Wallis who's the crippled brother of Loras and Margery. I felt sorry for Sansa in this book for what she has gone through. I wonder how she's keeping it together with everything that has happened to her and knowing that she's the reason that King Joeffery is dead, well that was something. I did't expect Ser Dontos to have a hand in it but he did and the one who was arranging all of this was of course Littlefinger (I hate him).
There is one character which I loved in the T.V. show but hated in the books. It's Robb Stark, God how stupid he was. Doing stupid things just because Jeyne nursed him and not listening to his own mother, no wonder he got killed and Jeyne stayed alive. I wonder if she had a hand in his murder. Hammy well I guess I'll never know until I read the 4th or 5th book.
The description of Brienne of Tarth is outrageous, I mean how ugly can a woman be hehe. The words said to her or about her are really awful and she doesn't seem to care. But I loved her more and more in the books and how devoted and honourable she was.
Now, let's move on to Jaime Lannister who was really awful and wicked in the beginning of this book until the end when his character has changed dramatically after he knew that his sister was sleeping with other men just to get to what she wants. That broke his heart and made him realise the things he's done in his life and how she wanted to repent or do something honourable which was saving Sansa even after he knew that she killed his son. I also liked how they changed his look in the book, he became bald with a long beard. I kept imagining his face without hair.
Deaneries comes to know of Ser Jorah's unfaithfulness and banishing him as a punishment. She couldn't kill him because (from my point of view) she had feelings for him but couldn't or wouldn't admit, on the other hand he did admit that he loved her and he wanted her forgiveness but she didn't grant him that. Poor old man. I love his character a lot.
In this book, we also get to know more about The Night Shift and The Wildlings. How the night shift was created. Who was in control and how it became under Jon Snow's control. At the end of this book he becomes Lord Commander and thinks of how he'll fight Stannis Baratheon. I felt sad for him and Ygritte, i think they would have made a great couple if she had survived in this series. She was a wildling by heart, she loved Jon deeply but she couldn't abandon her people, the same thing applies on Jon Snow. So sad :(
Oh and the ending was WOOOOW. I didn't see that coming. Now I can't wait to see/read what will happen or what she'll do!
A storm of swords stands out as probably the best in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, with more iconic moments than any of the others, possibly the most horrific content in the entire series and several character arcs that manage to bring significant and interesting change to the characters. Like the rest of the series, the mere number of point-of-view characters ought to give everyone something they enjoy, and though you might not like all of them you can focus your attention on the ones you do and still come out with a satisfying experience. The environments are just as varied and interesting as the characters and you will end up immersing yourself into what feels like a living, breathing world. The graphic content and themes can at times feel like they're there for cheap shock-value but to some extent it always serves a purpose and never distracts you enough to take away any of the enjoyment. This book does take the horror and gore from the previous two books and steps it up yet another notch, if you found those things disturbing in the previous two books, don't expect that to have changed here. But in the end the characters are what draws you in, they're all flawed, the good people are few and far between, but a lot of them are surprisingly relatable. With several different climaxes that all feel satisfying in their own way quite a number of story threads are tied up while others leave you on maddening cliffhangers. It's the most touching, disturbing, exciting, thrilling and deep book in the series, if you enjoyed the previous two you'll enjoy this one even more.
Could we be heading for an ultimate conflict in which both sides are wrong and the right answer is being human and choosing the excluded middle? Wouldn't that be cool if it were the case?
With the end of A Storm of Swords, Martin is half finished his epic. However, so little has been revealed that we have only begun to glimpse what the true saga really is. It's as if you are peering through a dirty window, cleaning small portions of it -- one square inch at a time -- so more and more of the room beyond is slowly revealed. Each glimpse uncovers a new wonder, but you can never be sure of exactly what you are seeing.
Is contained in
A Song of Ice and Fire 1-4: A Game of Thrones / A Feast for Crows / A Storm of Swords / Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire 1-5: A Game of Thrones, a Clash of Kings, a Storm of Swords, a Feast for Crows, a Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Le Trône de fer, tome 06: Les brigands/Intrigues à Port-Réal by George R. R. Martin
Le Trône de fer, tome 07: L'épée de feu by George R. R. Martin
Le Trône de fer, tome 08: Les noces pourpres by George R. R. Martin
Le Trône de fer, tome 09: La loi du régicide by George R. R. Martin
Tempesta di spade. Le cronache del ghiaccio e del fuoco vol. 5 by George R. R. Martin
I fiumi della guerra. Le cronache del ghiaccio e del fuoco vol. 6 by George R. R. Martin
Has the adaptation
Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season by D. B. Weiss
Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season by David Benioff
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Has as a student's study guide
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English (13)
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 055357342X, Mass Market Paperback)Is George R.R. Martin for real? Can a fantasy epic actually get better with each new installment? Fans of the genre have glumly come to expect go-nowhere sequels from other authors, so we're entitled to pinch ourselves over Martin's tightly crafted Song of Ice and Fire series. The reports are all true: this series is the real deal, and Martin deserves his crown as the rightful king of the epic. A Game of Thrones got things off to a rock-solid start, A Clash of Kings only exceeded expectations, but it's the Storm of Swords hat trick that cements Martin's rep as the most praiseworthy fantasy author to come along since that other R.R.
Like the first two books, A Storm of Swords could coast on the fundamentals: deftly detailed characters, convincing voices and dialogue, a robust back-story, and a satisfyingly unpredictable plot. But it's Martin's consistently bold choices that set the series apart. Every character is fair game for the headman's axe (sometimes literally), and not only do the good guys regularly lose out to the bad guys, you're never exactly sure who you should be cheering for in the first place.
Storm is full of admirable intricacies. Events that you thought Martin was setting up solidly for the first two books are exposed as complex feints; the field quickly narrows after the Battle of the Blackwater and once again, anything goes. Robb tries desperately to hold the North together, Jon returns from the wildling lands with a torn heart, Bran continues his quest for the three-eyed crow beyond the Wall, Catelyn struggles to save her fragile family, Arya becomes ever more wolflike in her wanderings, Daenerys comes into her own, and Joffrey's cruel rule from King's Landing continues, making even his fellow Lannisters uneasy. Martin tests all the major characters in A Storm of Swords: some fail the trial, while others--like Martin himself--seem to only get stronger. --Paul Hughes
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:13:05 -0400)
"Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others -- a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords"--Cover.… (more)
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Follistim (TM) (follitropin beta for injection)Company: Organon
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General Information
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Follistim Drug Information
The Follistim drug information shown above is licensed from Thomson CenterWatch. The information provided here is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or pharmaceutical advice which should be sought from qualified medical and pharmaceutical advisers.

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Joe Maxse
Plain Dealer Reporter
Forget about charm school.
Tennessee was not about to lose for a third straight time to North Carolina. Not with a trip to the NCAA women's basketball tournament national title game at stake.
But don't call the Lady Vols' 56-50 victory against the Tar Heels a bit of good fortune. You don't rally from a 12-point deficit down the stretch, outscoring an opponent 20-2 over the final eight minutes, a piece of luck. Nope.
Because they somehow willed themselves into the comeback, Tennessee will go after its seventh national championship on Tuesday when the Lady Vols take on Rutgers.
"I felt we were overanxious in the first half," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, whose club trailed, 48-36. "In the second half, our defense stepped up and executed."
You could call this one a game of attrition.
North Carolina (34-4) looked to have this one going its way after taking the double-digit lead. But the loss of three starters, two to fouls and another to injury, really upset the Tar Heels when it counted.
Going to the foul line for 10 free second-half free throws, Tennessee gradually cut into the deficit. A put-back basket by center Nicky Anosike tied the contest at 50-50 with two minutes remaining, and a free throw by Anosike 15 seconds later put the Lady Vols in front to stay.
The Tar Heels had several chances to tie, but senior guard Ivory Latta misfired on two 3-pointers in the final minute and Tennessee closed it with more free throws.
Neither team lived up to its lofty national ranking in the first half, at least not on the offensive end. Jumpers, layups and putbacks failed to fall during the opening 20 minutes, turnovers plaguing both sides.
The Tar Heels missed their first 13 shots, finally getting on the board when Rashanda McCants connected after 5 1/2 minutes of play.
The Lady Vols failed to take advantage of all the misfiring as they were nearly as futile from the field. Sophomore Candace Parker got her club's lone basket on a left-handed runner as Tennessee went 1-for-11 shooting.
Two free throws by junior Anosike gave Tennessee its biggest lead, 7-2, with 13:45 remaining.
North Carolina finally got untracked as McCants scored nine points, including her team's lone 3-pointer giving the Tar Heels their biggest lead, 21-17, with 2:08 left.
But Tennessee answered on a 3-pointer by junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt, her second of the half, and a layup by Anosike to take the lead, 22-21, with one minute remaining. That's where it stood at the break.
Both clubs had to deal with foul trouble to star players in the first half.
Tennessee's Parker was limited to eight minutes and four points, going to bench after picking up her second foul on an offensive charge at the 8:29 mark.
Tennessee came in with a 12-3 advantage in the series dating to 1978, but had lost the last two meetings. The Tar Heels won here a year ago in the regional finals and defeated the Lady Vols in December at Chapel Hill, N.C.
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Results tagged ' 2013 '
Royals Playing Better Than They Have In A Decade
When Max Scherzer allowed a mere three hits over nine shutout innings in his first career complete game last week, I made the statement that, despite a dismal start to the season by the Tigers, the great outing by Scherzer could be the starting point in a turn around for the team.
But it appears I was wrong.
Lasting just four innings against the Royals on Tuesday, giving up a total of ten runs, and raising his ERA up to 3.84 on the season, Scherzer joins the long list of Tigers players who've struggled at some point this year.
More importantly, however, the Royals 11-4 rout of Scherzer after an 11-8 win against Justin Verlander the night before (the first time since 2011 that they've posted a double digit score in back-to-back games) helped them swap places with the Tigers, moving them into first place in the American League Central by a half game.
The first time the Royals have been in first place in their division this late into a season (70 games or beyond) since 2003, and the first time the Tigers haven't held the first place spot in over a year, the great run by the Royals as of late should help to get their fan base excited, at least for the time being.
With a slow start to the year leading many people to once again assume that what was supposed to "finally" be the Royals' year was yet again another bust, the Royals have gone from seven games back of first a month ago to leading the division. Thanks to a nine game winning streak (the longest winning streak for the Royals since July of last year) and to a struggling Tigers team, the Royals are seemingly in good shape to make the playoffs for the first time since 1985 (the longest drought in all of baseball).
It's important to remember, however, that the AL Central is a very close division.
As I touched upon in a previous post, the Royals aren't the only threat to the Tigers. Every single team in the entire division stands a legitimate chance at being at the top when the end of the year rolls around. Though the Tigers should be running away with things, struggles by most of their offense and the majority of their pitching staff has left more to be desired, giving every other team room to make a run.
The Twins are playing decent baseball (with the exception of a slow stretch lately); Jose Abreu and the White Sox are hanging in the mix; and the Indians are looking to pass the Tigers in a matter of days if the Tigers' struggles continue. And thus, the Tigers need to turn things around fast.
With just under a month remaining until the All-Star break in mid-July — though teams will undoubtedly move up and down in the standings between now and then — things are setting up for an extremely exciting second half of an already eventful season.
Scherzer's First Complete Game Stops Tigers' Skid
After winning over 20 games last season and picking up the 2013 American League Cy Young Award, it's hard to believe that Max Scherzer had never thrown a complete game over the course of his seven-year career heading into Thursday night's start against the White Sox.
But after 178 previous starts without achieving the feat (the longest streak of any active pitcher without their first complete game), Scherzer was finally able to go the distance against the Sox, outpitching the equally dominant Chris Sale, throwing 113 total pitches over his nine innings of three hit, shutout baseball (it was Scherzer's first career shutout as well) on the mound.
Moving to 8-2 on the year, with an ERA of 3.05, Scherzer's great start helped to stop the Tigers' three game loosing streak as well as put a little more room between them and the White Sox in the American League Central standings. When playing a division rival it becomes even more important to pickup the victory, and Scherzer made sure that happened.
One of only two divisions in all of baseball with less than ten games separating the first and last place teams (a mere four games separate the Twins at the bottom from the Tigers at the top), the Tigers are looking to begin turning around a somewhat disappointing year by their standards.
With the team the Tigers possess (Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez on the offensive side; Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer on the pitching side) many people agree that they should be running away with the division as they had been predicted to do. But despite their strong team on paper, not a lot has been going well for the Tigers this season.
Justin Verlander — once one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball — and Joe Nathan — once one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball — are both trying to figure things out, along with the majority of the Tigers' pitching roster. With their lineup being hit or miss on any given night (except for Miguel Cabrera, who's having a great year despite a slow start, and Victor Martinez, who's having a career season), it's still going to take a lot for the Tigers to begin increasing their current lead.
Although the Tigers currently sit atop the division, they hold only a two game lead over the Royals. With the Royals on a four game winning streak, and the White Sox, Indians and Twins all within a few games of first place, the Tigers shouldn't be panicking quite yet, as there's still plenty of season remaining. However, they need to pay close attention before things get too far out of hand.
With such a small margin separating the Tigers, Royals, White Sox, Indians and Twins in the division, no matter how you look at it, any team in the American League Central currently has a chance at finishing in first place at the end of the season. While it's a long shot at best for a couple of the teams, if the Tigers want to be the division winners, they're obviously going to have to start playing better.
But if Max Scherzer's dominant outing was any sort of sign of what's to come, the Tigers could easily begin to pull away from the rest of the pack in the upcoming weeks before the All-Star break.
Gregory Polanco Headed to the Pirates
The wait is finally over for Pirates fans.
Gregory Polanco — the 12th overall ranked prospect in all of baseball, and one of the highest praised young outfielders in years — is set to make his MLB debut later tonight against the Cubs, receiving the call after second baseman, Neil Walker, was placed on the disabled list.
Set to play right field for the Buccos, Polanco is joining an already talented outfield of Starling Marte (left) and Andrew McCutchen (center), taking over for Josh Harrison, who has done a fantastic job this year in right field, hitting near .300 and making numerous spectacular catches. Nonetheless, replacing Harrison with Polanco instantly makes the Pirates outfield one of the best in baseball.
And that's why, in the minds of many baseball fans, the arrival of Polanco is long overdue. After getting off to such a great start to the year at Triple-A Indianapolis, the idea of a big league call up for Polanco began to gain mention (several rumors were started just in the past week regarding a promotion), but when he continued to stay hot, making it up to seven home runs and 49 RBI's, to go along with a .347 batting average before his call up, Polanco truly left the Pirates no other choice.
With the Pirates struggling somewhat so far this season, the hope is that the young, talented Polanco will arrive on the scene and help turn things around.
Sitting three games back of .500, and 7.5 games back of first place, it's still too early to count out the Pirates, especially now that Polanco is going to get some time for the club. Despite lofty predictions being made for this year after the Pirates made the playoffs for the first time in twenty years last season, at this point in 2013 they were eleven games above .500, which is allowing understandable concern to come into play.
But could Gregory Polanco's mere presence truly be enough to turn around the Pirates?
Well, though it's going to take the entire team playing better for the Pirates to go on a run, we've seen big time players make big time impacts before. Take Yasiel Puig for example. The Dodgers were doing terribly last season before his call up, and after Puig's arrival, the Dodgers went on a record-breaking streak that ultimately led them to the playoffs. Sure, the entire team began playing well, but the initial spark undeniably came from Puig.
However, while it's certainly possible that Polanco will kick start the Pirates, it's not all that likely. The biggest difference between the Dodgers' team, and the Pirates' 2013 team for that matter, is pitching — bother the starting rotation and the bullpen.
Last season, the Pirates had a magical year, where nearly every one of their pitchers from top to bottom was superb. But the loss of A.J. Burnett this offseason, the recent injury to Gerrit Cole, and the terrible performance by 2013 ace Francisco Liriano, has hurt the chances of an already poor team.
And thus, it will certainly be interesting to see just what type of impact Polanco has for the Bucs. Asking him to put the whole team on his back and carry them to the playoffs for the second straight year is an awful lot to expect from Polanco, but with young phenom prospects, you never truly know what they can do.
But one thing's for sure: Gregory Polanco is just as excited as Pirates' fans to finally be making his way to the Steel City, regardless of the current struggles; saying in a tweet on Monday night, "Pirates fans, thanks for being patient with me . . . The wait is over. My dream has officially come true."
Singleton, Springer A Sign of the Astros' Bright Future
For the past several years, the Houston Astros have been somewhat of a laughingstock among Major League Baseball, with some people going as far as calling them a Triple-A caliber team at best. Losing over 100 games each of the past two seasons, things weren't looking any more promising for this season, as many people predicted that the Astros could lose another 100 games in 2014.
However, while the Astros are likely to still finish last in their division, and still might reach 100 losses, they appear to be slowly turning the corner.
The biggest reason for that turn has been two of their many top prospects getting the call up to the big leagues.
First it was George Springer, who blasted 10 homers in his first month, and now it's Jonathan Singleton, who was signed to a controversial five year, ten million dollar deal, worth a potential thirty-five million, before he ever had an at-bat on the major league level.
Hitting .267 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI's at Triple-A before his call up, Singleton didn't disappoint in his debut on Tuesday night against the Angels. Going 1-3 for the game, Singleton drew a bases loaded walk and blasted his first career home run — just the fourth Astros player to ever hit a home run in their first game — providing a couple of runs in the Astros' 7-2 win over the Angels.
Overall, Singleton looked really comfortable at the plate, and along with Springer and the rest of the players currently on the Astros, they're already becoming a good team. But even with these talented prospects now beginning to produce for the big league team — the only true power hitters for the Astros besides Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez — it's still going to be awhile before the Astros are making any sort of playoff run. But, thankfully, the Astros have a ton of help on the way that should transform them into a competitive team.
Making their way to Houston include prospects Carlos Correa, the first overall draft pick in 2012, Mark Appel, the first overall pick in 2013, along with Delino De Shields, Lance McCullers and Mike Foltynewicz. Each of them are part of the top 100 prospects list, and with the majority of them being future game changers, it should be interesting to see how good the Astros can become within the next few years.
With the Astros set to add yet another potential star player to their organization on Thursday night, when they receive their third straight first overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft, their prospect list continues to grow and grow. And thus, it should all spell success at some point down the road, once their key prospects reach the major leagues and begin to contribute to the recently struggling club.
Previewing the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft is now less than two weeks away.
Set to air live on MLB Network on June 5th, and continuing through June 7th on MLB.com, the draft has become a bigger focus each and every year as time has gone by. With teams now counting on their first few picks to make it to the big leagues within a couple of years and have an immediate impact, choosing the right player for your organization has become a huge deal.
While none of last year's first round draft picks have made the major leagues as of yet, currently, four of the 2012 first round picks have made the majors for at least a brief period of time, being Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman, in addition to Mike Zunino and Michael Wacha who have made the biggest impacts.
With this year's draft being pitcher heavy, a lot of teams are going to be picking up a possible future ace of their rotation as their first pick. Though there are some good position players in the mix as well, overall, pitchers are the dominant presence, making up seven of the top ten ranked draft prospects who will go quickly come draft day.
As I did last year, I'm planning to blog about the results of the draft, along with a few of my thoughts, the day after the first round takes place. With the first five picks going to the Astros, Marlins, White Sox, Cubs and Twins, it should be interesting to see how teams play things, depending on their overall biggest needs that they need to fill for the future.
Though I'm not going to give any predictions for the order in which the players are chosen (I'm by no means a draft expert) I do want to talk a bit about the "experts'" picks for who will likely be some of the first off the board.
For the number one overall pick, no one can seem to agree who it will be, however, nearly everyone is predicting that it will be one of two left-handed pitchers: Brady Aiken or Carlos Rodon.
Aiken is one of four high school players ranked in the top ten draft prospects, and is expected to go in the top two, if not number one overall. Possessing some of the best stuff seen out of a high school pitcher in quite a while — set to be the first high school lefty to go in the top five since 2002 — Aiken is one of the younger players in the draft, currently age 17, but he could possibly be one of the most talented.
With a good fastball, as well as a great curveball and changeup, it will be up to the Astros if they want to take a chance on the young pitcher.
Or they could go with Rodon, who began the year as the clear cut first overall pick, but due to a somewhat down year by his standards — he still managed to post a 2.01 ERA despite poor run support leading to a 6-7 record — his stock has fallen a bit.
But with that said, he still has everything you want and expect to see in the number one pick. With a good, hard fastball, a really good slider, and a work in progress change up, Rodon may not be the highest ranked draft prospect, but he may have the most upside.
On the position player side of things, high school catcher Alex Jackson appears to be the favorite to be the first non-pitcher off the board. While not too many of the game's top catchers produce big time stats at the big league level, many people feel that Jackson has the ability to do just that.
With a cannon for an arm behind the plate, as well as a real power swing that should yield a good deal of power in addition to hitting for average, Jackson will likely become one of the brightest catching prospects in baseball after June 5th.
And therefore, with so much fantastic talent, from pitchers to position players, the 2014 draft could turn out to be one of the best in years.
My Busy Upcoming Baseball Game Schedule
Every now and again, I like to post an entry covering my baseball game plans and such for an upcoming week or two, especially when it's going to involve a rather busy schedule. Although I try to avoid too difficult of a schedule, when several good teams come to town in a short period of time, sometimes it can't be helped. For the next couple of weeks that's going to be the case.
Starting on Friday, I'm going to be attending the first of what will be five minor league baseball games in two weeks, to see some of baseball's future stars in person as well as get an autograph or two from as many of them as I can. While five games in two weeks could sound hectic — and to a certain degree it is — I have it all planned out so that everything will, hopefully, go smoothly.
Friday's game will be my sixth MiLB game of the season so far, and my first Mudcats game of 2014. (Four of the games I've been to have taken place in Durham, with the other game occurring down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.) It will be the Mudcats taking on the Pelicans, who are the High-A affiliate of the Rangers.
Though I've seen the Pelicans once this year, and therefore have already gotten many of the players' autographs, I couldn't pass up seeing them once again with the level of talent on the team. From Jorge Alfaro (their number one prospect) to Joey Gallo (who led all of the minors in home runs last season, with 40) and numerous players in between, it's sure to be a fun game.
My next game will take place sometime during the following week (I haven't decided the exact date yet). It will be another Mudcats game, but this time they'll be squaring off against the Blue Rocks (Royals' affiliate).
The Blue Rocks has its fair share of top prospects, despite them having underachieved for the most part in 2014. Including names such as Raul Mondesi, Hunter Dozier and Bubba Starling (who has unfortunately seemed lost throughout his past three minor league seasons), it's well worth the trip out to the ballpark for another game.
Then begins the somewhat crazy week of games.
On Monday, June 2nd, I'm planning on heading over to Durham (for what will be the first time in nearly a month) to see a game against the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, the IronPigs.
While it isn't an overall fantastic team, with Maikel Franco (their number one prospect) being the main standout, with it being a day game, it's sure to be an enjoyable time, as is any game. But there's just something different about a day game (not necessarily better, just different) that's makes the game special.
Following that game, either on Tuesday or Wednesday (just not Thursday due to the 2014 MLB draft which I plan to watch on MLB Network), I'm heading back out to the Mudcats to see the opposing White Sox affiliate, the Dash.
The Dash's roster includes names such as Tim Anderson (their first pick in the 2013 draft), Courtney Hawkins (their first pick in the 2012 draft), and future pitching star, Tyler Danish, among a few other standouts. As a team with so much high talent, it should be an entertaining game, in addition to being a good time for autographs.
The last game in the busy two week span will take place on the following Friday, when I'm heading over to Durham once again to see the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox, who have quite the team.
Currently with a roster of five of the Sox top ten prospects, including Allen Webster, Garin Cecchini, Matt Barnes, Anthony Ranaudo and Christian Vazquez, as well as some former big leaguers, the Pawtucket team is a very good one — and one that I'm really looking forward to seeing.
That game will end the planned five games in two weeks schedule, in which it should be interesting to see how much I can add to my autograph totals for the year. Over the five games I've attended thus far, I've amassed 20 autographs, with four of those being from top 100 prospects. While I haven't blogged about any of those games (I'll probably be blogging about at least one of the games over the next two weeks) I'm still going to do a recap at the very end of the season, like I did last year, covering how my time went out at the ballpark in 2014.
With there still being two and a half months remaining, even after the games I've planned out, including the 2014 Triple-A Home Run Derby and All-Star game in July (I'll definitely be blogging about both of those), there's going to be a ton of opportunities to add to my overall autograph totals.
Better Team In 5 Years: Cubs or Astros?
After starting from a level playing field on Opening Day, there are always certain teams who find themselves falling lower and lower in the standings as a given season goes on. Though it can vary from year to year, with teams having an off season compared to their normal standards, for the last several seasons it has been two main teams: the Cubs and the Astros.
Currently sitting dead last in their respective divisions through a fourth of the season played, and with no signs that things will be changing in the near future, even with a good amount of the season left to go, it's once again not looking too good for either the Cubs or the Astros. However, despite neither having finished with a winning record since 2009, their fortunes could be changing over the coming years. One thing they both have in common is their strong farm systems, which are loaded with top prospects that will be coming up to help out down the road.
For the Cubs, having not reached the postseason since 2008, they currently have prospects such as Javier Baez, who's off to a rough start to 2014 after dominating last year; Kris Bryant, who's expected to have 40 home run power in the majors; and Albert Almora, who is a few years away but is likely to have a big impact once he reaches Chicago. Those players, combined with those they have now, should make for a good team beginning around 2016 and continuing for the many years beyond.
To go along with their already decent major league team, the Astros, who haven't made the postseason since 2005, have a ton of talent coming their way, including Carlos Correa, who is expected to be an all around fantastic player; Mark Appel, who's likely to get a late season call up if he's performing well; and Jonathan Singleton, who possesses some above average power. After losing over 100 games and being the worst team in baseball as of late, the Astros could see things turning around very soon.
The only good thing about performing so poorly each season is that you receive a high pick in the following year's draft, with it looking likely that the Astros will take Carlos Rodon as the number one overall pick in the upcoming 2014 draft (the Cubs have the fourth overall pick.) But even so, your top picks in the draft, which subsequently become your top prospects, don't always pan out and reach the big league level. And even when they do, for some players, it takes them a bit of time to adjust once they get the call up.
The most recent example of that being George Springer, who has hit a mere .222 with 3 home runs so far this season with the Astros after blasting 37 homers to go along with a .303 batting average as part of their farm system in 2013. Though he's predicted to still have a great career, sometimes it just takes awhile for players to make the adjustment to big league pitching, no matter how good they are.
And therefore, while I'm not saying either the Astros or the Cubs will be winning the World Series in the coming years, I do feel that with their high level of talent from the minors on its way they will become much more competitive than they currently are, having to settle with last place finishes year after year.
With it being nearly equal in terms of current talent, and taking prospect depth into consideration, it's somewhat difficult to predict which of the teams will be the best half a decade from now. But if I had to choose, I'd likely go with the Cubs, even though the Astros should be a lot better as well. It's truly too close to call, and that's something to look forward to if you're a fan of either team — or just a baseball fan in general.
Who do you think will be the better team in five years?
The Tommy John Epidemic Not Letting Up
First it was Corey Luebke. Then it was Luke Hochevar. Following soon after was Kris Medlen, along with Brandon Beachy, Jarrod Parker, Patrick Corbin, Bruce Rondon, David Hernandez, Peter Moylan, Erik Davis, Cory Gearrin, Bobby Parnell, Matt Moore, Josh Johnson, Ivan Nova, Pedro Figueroa and A.J. Griffin.
And now, reportedly, it's Jose Fernandez.
Though it's officially being classified as just an elbow strain, Fernandez would become the 18th major league pitcher to be forced to undergo Tommy John surgery (assuming the reports are true, and he has to have the surgery) since February 18th of this year. Meaning, Fernandez's quest to win the 2014 National League Cy Young award, after placing third in 2013, would come to an end, as would his season.
While you don't want a season ending injury to occur to any pitcher, you especially feel for Fernandez. Regardless of the fact that he has come across wrong in the past to a few, select players, he has a ton of fun out there on the mound and is an extremely humble guy. You don't find both qualities all too often nowadays in major league players.
Coming off a career worst start in San Diego on Friday, in which Fernandez went just five innings, giving up five runs and raising his ERA from 1.74 to 2.44, the poor outing was the first indication that there was something wrong with Fernandez. Normally topping out at around 98 miles per hour on his fastball, Fernandez was throwing at around 91 when he was pulled from Friday's game, and that drew a ton of attention his way as to what might be wrong. Now we know that there indeed was an issue.
If Fernandez has to undergo Tommy John surgery, it would be the first time in around a year that the Marlins have had to experience games without him toeing the rubber every fifth day. Without Fernandez for an extended period of time, it should be interesting to see how the Marlins fare. They're off to a great start to the season, and if the pitching performances of Henderson Alvarez, Nathan Eovaldi and Tom Koehler can continue, as well as the hot bats of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, the Marlins should be able to hang in there.
But even so, the loss of Fernandez isn't something you want to brush off too lightly, because, as stated, he's not the only pitcher who has been lost from their team for the season. In addition to the 18 major league pitchers previously listed who have fallen victim to Tommy John surgery, 16 minor league pitchers have been faced with the crushing news as well — all since February 18th, which averages out to a new pitcher having to have Tommy John once every 2.5 days.
Something is obviously wrong, and something needs to be done.
The most Tommy John surgeries in a single year since it was first performed on Tommy John himself back in 1974 was 46 in 2012. Sitting just 12 away for 2014, with several months left to go in the season, it's likely that the number 46 could be surpassed, and that should be enough to make people pay attention.
With there having only been 31 pitchers to have the surgery from it's debut in 1974 all the way up until 1997, there have been more pitchers so far (33) in 2014 to have the surgery than there were in that 23-year span. That's a definite problem.
Though the cause for the need of the surgery has been debated, from a pitcher's mechanics having an impact, to the number of pitches thrown in an outing, or the innings pitched in a season playing a role, more and more people are beginning to look into the stress put on a pitcher's arm in their youth.
The theory is that with young pitchers, in Little League and such, throwing too hard, too often, and adding in breaking balls too early in their playing years, their arms can't handle the stress, and they begin to break down long before they reach the majors and have a season ending injury. With year round leagues becoming more popular, as well as multiple leagues for some pitchers, everything combines together for something bad to happen, and that is appearing to be the case.
One solution being pointed out by a lot of people (other than telling kids to lighten up with their velocity and number of games pitched) is for young pitchers to pitch off a flat mound instead of one that's the same height as a major league pitcher. As Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci put it, "[it] makes no sense that 13-year-old kids are pitching off the same size mound as major league pitchers. Little Leaguers should be throwing off flat ground". I have to agree with Verducci, and if that would help minimize injuries, then I'm all for it.
While Tommy John surgery is now becoming a routine surgery, and one that many pitchers have successfully come back from (a study showed that 97 percent of pitchers make it back to the minors, with 83 percent getting back to the majors, including Tommy John who pitched 14 more years and won 164 more games after his surgery), if it can be avoided altogether, obviously, that's the more appealing alternative.
Whatever it takes, things need to change.
If you need to lower the mound for Little Leaguers, and perhaps even the major leagues down the road — lower the mound. If you need to issue a plan for young kids with what they're allowed to do before a certain age — issue a plan. Do something that turns around this increasing Tommy John epidemic. There are far too many of the game's greatest pitchers having to sit out a season in their prime, and that's beginning to get very tiresome for the fans, and, I imagine, the players themselves.
Nolan Arenado Sets New Rockies Hit Streak Record
Tallying yet another hit on Thursday night against the Rangers, Nolan Arenado pushed his average for the season up to .322, but more importantly extended his league-leading hitting streak up to a respectable 28 straight games. That puts him first in Rockies' history in terms of consecutive games with a hit, surpassing Michael Cuddyer's mark of 27 games, which he set last season.
Sitting halfway from Joe DiMaggio's all-time hitting streak record of 56 games, it's far too early to begin talking about Arenado charging past, arguably, the most impressive baseball record of them all — one that many people believe will never be beaten. (If it were to happen, Arenado's 57th straight game with a hit would come on June 11th in Atlanta).
Nonetheless, what Arenado has been able to do over the past month or so — getting at least one hit in every game since April 9th — has been nothing short of remarkable.
But hitting streak aside, at just 23 years old, Arenado is quickly earning the recognition and respect that he deserves as one of the top young players in the game today.
After becoming just the tenth rookie to ever win a Gold Glove award, for his defense at third base in 2013 that rivals nearly every other infielder in all of baseball, Arenado is on his way to becoming a full on superstar.
And therefore, if you aren't familiar with Nolan Arenado — perhaps you hadn't ever heard of him until reading this post? — start paying close attention. Arenado is an extremely exciting player, and from what he's been able to accomplish so far in his young career, the future would appear to be bright for Arenado (and the resurging Colorado Rockies) moving forward.
Clayton Kershaw Makes Impressive Return In D.C.
Going into Tuesday, it had been over a month since Clayton Kershaw last threw a pitch on the major league level (down in Australia against the Diamondback's on March 22nd). However, despite the large gap due to an injury, Kershaw picked up right where he left off, overpowering the Nationals and recording his second win of the 2014 season — the 31st start of his career with zero earned runs on seven or more innings pitched.
Kershaw's missed month was due to an injury he acquired after plowing through the D-backs lineup in game one of the 2014 Opening Series in Australia (a start that many are now questioning), experiencing a strained left shoulder muscle afterwards, which landed him on the disabled list for the first time in his seven-year career.
Though many people felt that the Dodgers were too cautious with Kershaw, spreading his rehabilitation out over several weeks, you can understand their concern, having just locked him up on a seven-year, 215 million dollar, record breaking contract back in January.
Making two rehab starts down in the minor leagues before getting the call back up to the majors, Kershaw's return couldn't have come at a better time for the Dodgers, who were merely managing to keep in contention, having gone 17-15 without him. Sitting behind the Rockies and Giants in the National League west, despite pre season predictions from many for them to run away with the division, having Kershaw back immediately makes the Dodgers a stronger overall team.
But the loss of their two-time Cy Young award winner for the first part of the season didn't just have an impact on the Dodgers as a whole; it may prove to have a big impact on Kershaw himself. Although he moved to 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA on the season, behind an 8-3 win on Tuesday night against the Nat's, having missed over a month, many pitchers in the National League have been given the opportunity to overtake Kershaw when it comes to the running for some of the games' highest honors.
None more so than Jose Fernandez.
Fernandez, who finished third in Cy Young voting in 2013 (truly saying something considering the fact that it was his rookie season), currently sits as the front runner to make the start for the National League All-Star team in July, as well as to win the 2014 NL Cy Young award, with his stat line of 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA on the year.
Given, there's still a ton of the season left where anything can happen, with Kershaw having to play catch up, Fernandez could potentially run away with the voting at season's end, should he be able to continue his fantastic pitching performances.
Even so, Clayton Kershaw's return is good for both the Dodgers and baseball, even if it did come a bit later than in year's past. Every time he takes the mound, people stop and watch to see how Kershaw will perform, as there's always the chance for something special to happen.
Going down in the record books — at least for now — as the highest annually paid pitcher in Major League Baseball history, Kershaw showed on Tuesday why he's worth every penny the Dodgers spent, and, inevitably, why he will go down in the record books as one of the best pitchers the game of baseball has ever seen.


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Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) After getting one of their 10 off days on the season, the Binghamton Mets are back in action tonight when they host Erie.
The B-Mets will send 6 foot 2 right hander Greg Peavey to the mound in his first start of the season.
The second year pro went 11-6 last season at Single A.
Game time is 6:35 pm.


text:
Release Date: September 9th, 2011
PG-13|1 hr. 46 min.
Plot Summary
When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.
Cast: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, Bryan Cranston
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures


text:
Hi Leann,
Sorry for the troubles you are experiencing with the migration from Kodak to SHutterfly. Did you have a lot of albums? Are all the albums there but you are missing photos from some albums? I know if you have a large number of albums, it will take awhile to migrate over. Keep calling or emailing customer service. I would hope your pictures aren't lost.
Let us know if CS was able to help you more.
A Shutterfly User
Hi Leann,
I brought up the email that you had sent Customer Service to take a look. Unfortunately, I too cannot find a Kodak Gallery account under that email address you specify. You would have received a few email notifications about these changes. Kodak Gallery sent an email to its customers on May 9 and May 24, informing them that Kodak Gallery was closing down on July 2 and that your photos would be transferring over to Shutterfly for free. If you didn't receive any of the emails from Kodak Gallery (or from Shutterfly), it causes me to believe your account may be under an email address you no longer access. Is it possible it could be under a different address?
We had one customer that seemed to be in your situation. When she walked Customer Service through how she accessed her Kodak Gallery photos, she realized all of her photos were in her Easy Share software on her computer and she never actually uploaded any of them to Kodak Gallery (which would explain why we would not have her photos, as we transferred photos that were uploaded to Kodak Gallery.) If you're sure you uploaded to Kodak Gallery and provided you did not opt-out, all the photos on your "My Albums" and "Group Albums" tabs in your Kodak Gallery account at the time Kodak Gallery closed will be moved to Shutterfly. (Friends' Albums and Sharing Sites will not be moved.)
If you're certain that you uploaded to a Kodak Gallery account and have the correct email address, please let me know and I'll see what our Engineers can do to help.
I have an email address taht the photos could have been under but I ruled it out as I do not have it anymore...however I did try to request a new password on the kodak page and it does allow to send me one so I guess it's worth a shot...it was firstname.lastname@example.com, however I can't get into this email account so I have no way to get any info off this. Also would like to apologize for my rather blunt email earlier, I have been battling with CS for 2 weeks now and it has frustrated me to no end. I was literally in tears earlier and I should know better than to post while under duress...sorry to all.
Hi Leann,
No need to apologize. I definitely can empathize with all Kodak Gallery users who believe their years of precious photos are lost. But I have great news for you - I found an account under that email, and your photos have already migrated over.
Since you no longer have access to that email account and therefore can't verify the account, for security purposes we'll need you to send us a request via email that includes the following information:
1. The email address of the KG account you are trying to access (in your case, this is the new email address you provided in your last post)
2. The number of albums in your KG account
3. A detailed description of the pictures in your account
The email also needs to include the following statements from you:
-You are the account holder of the account in question
-You are unable to authenticate because you no longer have the password for the Kodak Gallery account
-You no longer have access to the email address associated with the account, thus you are unable to use the password reset feature -You are requesting that we provide you access to the account
Please compose an email with this information and send it to firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject line "Kodak account access request"
Once we receive this requested information, the process to recover your account will take 1-2 weeks to complete.
Also, it occurred to me that you can try logging into your account before trying the instructions above. If you remember the password for your account tied to the @iowatelecom.net email address, you can still verify your account and get to your photos. If you do not remember it, you would then need to follow the instructions in my earlier post.
Try logging in on this page: http://www.shutterfly.com/kgal/authParms.sfly
Let me know how it goes!
So I once again received an email finally from cs saying there is no account under that email either? What is going on with that. I sent them a reply with an exact copy of your previous post. HOpe that helps them. Thanks so much for all your help so far. you are awesome!
Hi Shannon ,I received a lot of my albums but not all (from 05-20100 - I don't see any from2011- 2012. Have all mine been transferred?
Hi Elena,
Please note that we did not get photos that were shared to you from friends, and it was Kodak Gallery's policy to periodically delete photos from inactive accounts....but it sounds like you were active. How many do you estimate are missing?
In the meantime, please contact Shutterfly Customer Service at email@example.com for assistance.
Dear Shannon,
It seems that you have been more helpful than the rep handling firstname.lastname@example.com. Though I clearly stated to that my missing photos are NOT friend's albums and are not Easy Share stored on my computer, they sent a standard response that felt like they did not read my email. I'm wondering if you can better tell me if my pictures are lost or if they have not finished migrating. I received an email stating your pictures are at Shutterfly. But I know at least 4 albums are missing. I don't want to post my email address on a public forum since that's how spammers find them. Is there another email we can try or number to call? Or can I send you my email address off this forum?
Hi Hanelle,
Forum accounts are tied to your regular Shutterfly account, so I can see what your email address is. I see that your photos migrated over. So you did email firstname.lastname@example.com?
If you did, just keep on top of that email and I will also let our Engineers know that you are missing photos.
["When she walked Customer Service through how she accessed her Kodak Gallery photos, she realized all of her photos were in her Easy Share software on her computer and she never actually uploaded any of them to Kodak Gallery (which would explain why we would not have her photos, as we transferred photos that were uploaded to Kodak Gallery.)"]
Hello, I have the same problem as quoted above. All my albums DID transfer over to Shutterfly; however, I had alot of photos that I never actually uploaded to Kodak Gallery. I can "see" the thumbnails for them on the old Kodak Easyshare on my computer screen, but they all have a jagged line going through them, and when I try to click on each one, I get an error message saying that is no longer there. But it must "be" somewhere in my computer, right???! Any technical help would be most appreciated to help me restore those photos.
Thank you.
Hi Tracy,
I found this article, maybe it will help your issue: http://support.en.kodak.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1319/~/what-should-i-do-when-my-picture-has-a-zigzag-line-through-it,-and-i-receive/selected/true
Here's another article: http://www.ehow.com/facts_7779750_do-images-kodak-easyshare-software.html
can someone help me please all my picture has gone from kodak my email is email@example.com thats my kodak account email
Hi Shannon,
Can you please help me!... I also have a similar situation as Leann!
You cant imagine the amount of happiness I experienced today. After following the instructions from customer service, I was successfully able to access the photos on Shuttergly.
The insidious worry about losing them made me sick but Unless we have such great companies who strive for cusotmer satisfaction will surely succeed and will be a benchmark for others.
Words are not enough to thank you.
Abdul Mannan
Where are my Kodak picture at its been months and they are still not on this site as I was informed. It was supposed to be an easy transition but seems that its being ignored. Can you please find my pictures and albums? I have no idea how to get in touch with anyone that admins this site so i'm trying this. email email@example.com the same one I used for Kodak. Suzette G.
Hi Suzette,
Please contact our Customer Service team for assistance with this issue, at http://bit.ly/zlP7bL. Thank you for your patience.
I lost all my pictures from kodak gallery..Can I please get an update or at least some help? and how much time it will take, please let me know.
Hi Swarna,
I can see that you have 134 images waiting for you, you just need to activate your account.
Follow the steps on this page: https://www.shutterfly.com/kgal/authParms.sfly
Hi All,
Kodakgallery has closed almost nine months ago and I cannot believe that there are costumers that are still having problems with the move. According to all the topics regarding the move of all of kodakgallery pictures to shutterfly, i thought people will finally understand what is expected of them.
Swarna, way back in May last year you were supposed to recieve an instruction e-mail from kodakgallery & shutterfly as to how to go about acssesing your photos that were moved to shutterfly. I guess you can follow intructions on this link http://forums.shutterfly.com/hives/8bf89e3e89/summary
or just contact costumer service:
Contact us by email
Chat with Live Help
Phone: 888.225.7159
Monday - Friday, 6am - 8pm Pacific Time
Saturday - Sunday, 8:30am - 5pm Pacific Time
Good Luck
can someone help me please all my picture has gone from kodak my email is firstname.lastname@example.com thats my kodak account email
Kodak closed 3 years ago.
You can go to the link below to contact the Shutterfly customer care team and they will be happy to try to assist you with this matter.


text:
When I learned that the clinic where I provided psychotherapy to children, adolescents and their families in the South Bronx was closing for good, it felt like a punch in the gut. I'd never been unemployed before. I left jobs--jobs didn't leave me! Million of people have suffered recent job loss but I had no idea how devastating it could be for me.
After I first heard the news I went home and laid on my bed for a long time, stunned. A small voice in my head said "go lay down there on your mat." I moved off my bed to my yoga mat and did Savasana, corpse pose, with my bolster under my knees to support them. Finally I was able to cry. I rolled over into child's pose and then, spent, pushed up into downward dog. The world was falling apart around me but I could hold myself up. The attention that normally flowed outward turned inward. I focused on ujjayi breathing, on ensuring my weight was evenly distributed over my hands and that my hamstrings were stretching out but not overly so. Attending to downward dog took all my attention and I was grateful for it. I could not control my livelihood. But I could manage each moment-to-moment experience in my body at this time.
It's been two weeks since I learned my full time job was ending. I am continuing to breathe through it on the mat. I am using yoga to cope with something that is not going to be easily or quickly resolved.
When I'm feeling depressed and/or anxious, I do the Rick Coe videos that address those issues. They help a lot. Some days when I feel so drained from saying goodbye to my patients that I can't even imagine moving but know I need what it can give me, I alternate with child's pose, downward dog and upward dog. Repeating this sequence even just a few times helps me release stress and grief. Then I finish with one of Bernie Clark's meditations on emotions, thoughts or sensations.
As the new reality settles in and I approach my final days at the clinic, I am drawn to the power yoga educational videos. New material stimulates my brain and gets me excited about starting a fresh chapter in my life. I draw comfort and strength from Brand Spanking New and the challenge of the little stories my body learns and tells moving through vinyasa sequences.
A new period will stretch before me that will involve a lot of time at my computer networking, sending out cover letters and resumes. There is no doubt that my yoga practice and My Yoga Online will continue to be an essential part of my life. There is always a community comment, article, meditation or yoga video to challenge or comfort me or ground me. Yoga will by my companion for living in the moment as I plunge into the unknown.
Merryl Reichbach, LMSW, ACE, MA She is a Clinical Social Worker and art therapist with children, teens and their families. She also has a private practice as a certified holistic health counselor (graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition) ACE Certified Personal Trainer and loves integrating art, yoga, writing and dance into her life and her work.
Website: Jumping Woman Wellness


text:
Howard's tea (Holy basil). Fluoride in water. Tires for mulch? A new book from Howard; the Newsletter (Go to www.dirtdoctor.com). Fleas. Muenster dog food. Lightning strikes tree. A frightened dog. Corn gluten meal. Diatomaceous earth. Fertilizer.
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text:
Farewell to Pope Benedict XVI
VATICAN CITY -- Italians often show up for events at the last minute, and the gathering to say farewell to Pope Benedict XVI in the main square of Castel Gandolfo was no exception.
As the clock struck 4:15 p.m. local time, the crowd of a few hundred seemed to swell almost at once to a few thousand well-wishers packing the tiny, rectangular square.
Yellow-and-white paper pennants in Vatican colors were selling briskly at (euro) 1 euro ($1.50) apiece as the town awaited the pope's arrival in about an hour.
The helicopter taking Pope Benedict XVI to Castel Gandolfo is waiting on the pad at the Vatican.
Emblazoned with the words "Repubblica Italiana," it is due to depart at 11 a.m.
It will circle over St. Peter's Square before heading to the scenic town, where Benedict will make his final public appearance as pop


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FLINT, MI -- Police are investigating a robbery that occurred around 9:45 a.m. today at a Citizens Bank at 4813 Clio Road.
Police say three men with guns and masks entered the bank and demanded money. The men then fled in a blue Monte Carlo. The vehicle was found parked in front of a vacant home on Greenlawn Drive near Wisner.
Witnesses said two men got out and entered a gray Dodge Stratus and went south on Wisner, according to scanner traffic. A K-9 unit was called out the the scene.
There were no reports of any arrests.
No one was injured.
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text:
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds visited kids at Golisano Children's Hospital today. The Thunderbirds are in town for the Rochester Air Show this weekend. They went around room to room, greeting children, and signing autographs.
Golisano Children's Hospital's, Nichole Kolb, said it was cool experience meeting the pilots, "They were really tall, and their shoes were like, shiny. It was cool."
Gates open at the Rochester International Airport at 9am Saturday and Sunday. The show runs from 10am until about 4:30pm.
Copyright 2016 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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The Orlando Magic have made inquiries to the New York Knicks about their willingness to package power forward Amare Stoudemire and center Tyson Chandler in exchange for Dwight Howard, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reports (via I am a GM).
The Magic are denying this, according to Smith.
Howard has given the Magic a list of three teams with which he's willing to sign a long-term deal—the Mavericks, Lakers and Nets. But would the opportunity to team with Carmelo Anthony in New York appeal to him? Seems like it might.
The Magic have been unmoved by any offers from teams on Howard's wish list and have maintained that they'll remain patient in negotiations for their star center, so it's entirely believable that they'd make a call to a team like the Knicks.
SI.com's Chris Mannix notes via Twitter, "If there are any legs to ESPN report about conversations about Amare/Chandler for Dwight, remember this: TC can't be traded until March 1st."
Orlando would probably insist that the team to which they're trading Howard takes on the contract of Hedo Turkoglu, who, including this season, has three years and about $34 million left on his deal.
-- Story originally appeared on SportingNews.com.


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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A California man posed as a teenage boy over Skype and enticed three Jefferson County girls into earning points with increasingly lewd behavior on camera, according to the FBI.
Dennis Whitt, 40, of Marina Calif., was charged this week with the production of child pornography by tricking the girls, ages 9, 15, and 16, into undressing and performing sex acts over Skype, according to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Stephen Vizvary.
The two older girls were in a video chat with strangers in May 2013 when they encountered someone using the name Lucas and claiming he was 16, the affidavit said. In their video chat, Lucas could see the girls, but they could not see him, the affidavit said.
All three girls began appearing on Skype with Lucas, but he did not appear -- only a skull and crossbones symbol, the affidavit said.
"'Lucas' and the three girls began to play a game whereby they would do things on camera to 'earn points,'" Vizvary wrote. "Tasks began with things like waving and blowing kisses but progressed to showing 'Lucas' their genitalia."
Lucas then started telling the girls to perform sex acts on camera and they did, the affidavit said.
The Skype activity continued until September 2013, when the 15-year-old girl's father notified state police that she and a friend had been engaged in sexual video chats with an unknown man, the affidavit said.
State police recovered the 15-year-old girl's Skype chat logs, then got a subpoena for Google to provide records that led the Skype account to Whitt, the affidavit said.
FBI agents executed a search warrant at Whitt's home on Tuesday. He admitted to FBI Special Agent Alix Skelton that he'd met the three girls online and suggested sex acts for them to perform over Skype, the affidavit said.
Whitt admitted he captured a video of the girls in sexually explicit conduct and stored it on his computer, the affidavit said.
Police recovered 48 video files and 20 images of the three girls from Whitt's computer, in a folder labeled, "My Girls," the affidavit said.
Whitt is in custody in California and is expected to be extradited to Syracuse to face the federal charges.
Contact John O'Brien at firstname.lastname@example.com or 315-470-2187


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Residents of Blue Lake and Holton townships who have been blocked from Internet use because of their rural locations will have access to inexpensive wireless service by January.
That's the word from Arialink Broadband of Lansing, which is using a $2.2 million federal grant to provide high-speed wireless Internet to Muskegon County, including rural areas where there are no other options for high-speed service.
The Blue Lake Township board this week approved a lease agreement with Arialink that will enable the company to erect a 160-foot transmission tower behind township hall, 1491 Owasippe.
Raymond Signs, vice president of Arialink, said he expects the tower to be completed by the end of the year, and service to be available in early January.
The cost to residential customers will be $18.99 per month for at least the first three years, after which the price could rise to $25. Annual contracts are not required.
"We are ready to roll," Signs said of the Blue Lake Township project. "We are trying very hard to have the tower constructed by Christmas. But it's a little tight on schedule."
The service range will include an area reaching from Blue Lake Township to the northwest section of Holton Township and nearly to Twin Lake, Signs said. Portions of Holton and Blue Lake townships already are being served by a tower Arialink erected near downtown Holton and one its using along U.S. 31.
"Blue Lake Township has a very persistent supervisor -- Don Studaven -- and that's why Blue Lake Township is getting the attention it's getting," Signs said. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
Blue Lake Township residents have been stuck with "slower than slow" dial-up Internet service, said township Clerk Fred E. Arbogast Sr. They are not served by Comcast cable, nor DSL service.
Township officials had been trying for two years to find a solution to the lack of high-speed Internet, and had determined that getting DSL service from Verizon would be too expensive, Arbogast said.
"It was like 'Oh my God,' it's never going to happen," Studaven said.
Then officials learned about Arialink receiving the federal contract and Studaven sought Signs out at a conference in Big Rapids on wireless Internet.
"We haven't let go since," Studaven said, acknowledging his "persistence" in pursuing Arialink.
"I'm very happy about it now," Studaven said. "I'll be happier when I get it at my house."
Arialink was awarded the $2.2 million federal "digital divide" technology grant to provide affordable wireless Internet throughout Muskegon County. Since the grant was announced, Signs said the company has had "many inquiries" about service.
Residents will be notified and invited to sign up as the service goes live in their areas, he said.
Arialink will pay Blue Lake Township $300 per month for the first year to use the township's property for the tower. Payments will be $400 per month the second year and $500 monthly the third year, Studaven said. Payments for the rest of the 20 years of the township's agreement with Arialink to use the property have not been negotiated.
The tower will be sunk 20 feet in the ground and surrounded by a 20-by-20 foot fence.
Once the Blue Lake Township tower is up and transmitting, the company will move into the Whitehall area. By the middle of next summer, it's expected nearly all households in Muskegon County will be able to get Arialink service.


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By Jim Bastian
Journal Sports Writer
NEW ULM - Weeks 2 and 3 will see all three New Ulm football teams playing at Johnson Field.
Friday night, New Ulm opens its home and South Central Conference season when it host St. Peter in a 7 p.m. contest.
Saturday will see a football doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. when New Ulm Cathedral and Red Rock Central clash in a Southern Minnesota Conference tilt before Minnesota Valley Lutheran caps off a weekend of high school football with a 7 p.m. meeting with Wabasso.
ST. PETER (1-0, 0-0 SCC) AT NEW ULM (0-2, 0-0 SCC), 7 p.m. on Friday at Johnson Field
Last week, the Eagles lost their second straight game of the season, falling to Belle Plaine 34-13 while the Saints opened their 2013 campaign by beating LeSueur-Henderson 41-7.
NUHS coach Tony Ortmann saw the St. Peter win firsthand because New Ulm played Thursday.
"They are an athletic team and very similiar to last year," Ortmann said. "They like to use their option game to their advantage and use all three threats with the dive, quarterback keeper and the pitch so we will have to be a very disciplined team defensively against them."
Ortmannn said that defending option football is one where his team can defend it successfully 20 times in a row but then a player can miss an assignment and it turns into a big play.
This will be the second option offense that New Ulm will see having played Luverne the first game of the season.
"That was a game where our defense played very well in," Ortmann said. "They were more of a 'bring every one in tight' option team while St. Peter is more of a spread option team."
The Saints will show a 3-5 defensive alignment.
"Their linebackers play very fast so we will try and slow them down a little bit with some misdirection," Ortmann said.
In both of the Eagles' losses this season, they have seen second-half collapses turn into losses.
"We are putting more stress on the conditioning level of our players," Ortmann said. "If we can keep our players going for four quarters and have the energy to finish that fourth quarter we will be in good shape."
Ortmann also hopes to lessen the turnovers.
"The throws from the quarterback become more clear as they get more reps," Ortmann said. "We have not had a lot of reps at our quarerback yet this season as both [Blake Piotter and Nate Glaubitz] are new to the position. But we have not put to many balls on the ground, which is a good sign."
Ortmann said that the starting quarterback will be a game-time decision.
RED ROCK CENTRAL (0-1, 0-1 SMC) AT NEW ULM CATHEDRAL (0-1, 0-1 SMC), 3 p.m. on Saturday at Johnson Field
Both the Greyhounds and the Falcons suffered season openimg losses last week. Cathedral fell to Martin County West 42-20 while RRC dropped a 55-0 game to Springfield.
"Last week was every team's first game of the season," said Cathedral coach Denny Lux. "Every team improves from game 1 to game 2 so we know that coach Isaac Jenniges and his team will be well-prepared."
Lux said the Falcons have typically been a running team.
"I watched their game Friday with Springfield and it sure looked like they wanted to establish the run against them," Lux said.
Lux and his coaching staff not only watch film of RRC's last game but, like they have on all teams, have files on each team that they play.
"We keep files for a few years and look for trick plays that they have used and formations that maybe you have not seen recently," Lux said. "But we know that their coaching staff will add to their offense that they ran last week."
The Falcons will show a five-man defensive front and try to get their linebackers active while letting the secondary play the pass.
Cathedral did suffer some bumps and bruises in its game last week, but had an extra two days of preparation thanks to its Thursday kickoff and upcoming Saturday game.
"When you are used to playing 'B' squad and then jump to Friday night it takes a while to get caught up with the speed and timing."
Lux said that field position and not getting caught on any trick plays will be some of the keys Saturday.
WABASSO (1-0, 1-0 SMC) AT MINNESOTA VALLEY LUTHERAN (0-1, 0-1 SMC), 7 p.m. on Saturday at Johnson Field
Minnesota Valley Lutheran head football coach Jim Buboltz said that Wabasso is an athletic team. Last week the Rabbits beat Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 34-8.
"They mix in the run and pass, they use a bunch of formations to try and keep you off-balance defensively," Buboltz said. "They have a lot of athletes - they have kids that can do a lot of things."
Do teams make the most improvements from Week 1 to Week 2?
"Some people believe that but the truth of the matter is I really think that your opening game is really big," Buboltz said. "Just because it shows what you did from the scrimmage in one week. I really think from the last scrimage to the opening week is what I see as a big change either way."
Buboltz said adding more plays on offense is a natural progression.
"You do not want to give the kids any more than they can handle," Buboltz said. "We feel that we came into the first week with a plan and then from there we go ahead and make a few additions."
Buboltz said that his team is ready to get back on the field Saturday night.
"We need to take care of the ball Saturday night, we need to take care of the big play," Buboltz said. "We gave up one big play against Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, but we had a bunch of tackles for losses so we need to keep that up for this week."


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Title says it all.
Title says it all.
healer priest. dps wise, hunter(but everyones best dps partner right now is hunter...)
You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish.
I have gotten to 1900 with 2 enchant shamans as a mistweaver.
Time...line? Time isn't made out of lines. It is made out of circles. That is why clocks are round. ~ Caboose
And maybe enh/rogue
Basically anyone who has on demand burst to blow someone up together.


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Forever 21, a trendy chain that sells clothing for the "average teenager or 21-year-old," has stirred up some controversy for launching a new line of maternity clothes.
The maternity line, which chain executives describe as "sophisticated, on-trend styles for moms-to-be at affordable prices," was launched at the end of June in five states - Arizona, Alaska, California, Utah and Texas.
Writers at the fashion website The Gloss pointed out last week that three of those states (Arizona, California, and Texas) are among those with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country.
Taylor Levins, with The Gloss, writes, "From a marketing standpoint, it's a genius move. The companies that are the most successful know who their target audience is and where to find them. But something about this just seems wrong. Forever21 makes no secret of being a religious oriented company. They even print 'John 3:16,' a well-known Bible verse, on the bottom of their shopping bags."
A barrage of criticism for Forever 21 quickly followed The Gloss report.
"Let's just say the brand clearly has a targeted marketing plan," The Huffington Post said. The Stir blogger Cynthia Dermody notes, "Even some teen girls interviewed by the local ABC affiliate said they believe the clothes will inspire some of their friends to have sex and deliver a child." And, Salon.com's Sara Libby adds, "The chain is going the Bristol (Palin) route of unwittingly glamorizing teen pregnancy."
Forever 21 executive vice president Larry Meyer addressed criticism in a statement on Monday: "Forever 21 did not create, design or distribute Love 21 Maternity to target, or appeal specifically to pregnant teens. Any relationship between teen pregnancy rates and the locations of our stores is unintentional."
What do you think - Is Forever 21 targeting pregnant teenagers? Leave your comments below.
» CNN: Forever 21 asked about maternity line
» The Gloss: The Ads and 6 People Who Could've Used This Line
» Salon.com: Is Forever 21 glamorizing teen pregnancy?


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COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 13 (UPI) — The Texas state climatologist says it might be another problem dry summer for parts of the Lone Star state, with some areas already facing drought.
Texas A&M University Professor John Nielsen-Gammon, who also serves as the state's climatologist, said those drought conditions persist even as other sections of the state are awash in rainfall.
Nielsen-Gammon said much of the Texas area from Houston to Beaumont and north to the Lufkin area is far behind in normal rainfall for this time of year.
"A lot of that area has only received one-tenth of the precipitation it should have received in the past few months," he said, adding if those areas don't get some rain, it could mean another hard summer.
That's in stark contrast to the Amarillo-Lubbock and Midland regions, where some areas have received two to three times the normal amount of rainfall for this time of year, he said.
"One of the factors contributing to the Texas drought was the El Nino cycle. In an El Nino, with warm east Pacific sea surface temperatures, winters tend to be wet, while the opposite happens during a La Nina," Nielsen-Gammon said. "Two consecutive La Nina winters helped to make last year's drought particularly severe."
Since the current El Nino in the Pacific appears to be abating, it could mean warmer and drier weather for much of Texas and the U.S. Southwest next winter, he added.
Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.


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The Somerset County Business Partnership, Somerset County's regional Chamber of Commerce, is providing business people the opportunity to make 2013 the year to transition to a path to prosperity by learning about the advantages offered through Business Partnership membership.
The April "Let's Get Started" session, a casual introduction to Business Partnership opportunities for growth and profitability, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, from 8-9 a.m., at the Business Partnership offices, 360 Grove St. at Route 22 east in Bridgewater.
"Let's Get Started" is an interactive discussion that will provide information on activities, programs, and opportunities that will positively impact business. Included in the hour-long discussion will be "Who is the Business Partnership?" How will the Partnership help my business?" How to make the most of membership," "How to get involved in the community," "How to become engaged," "How have others used the Partnership for success," and "What's next?" The session also provides a networking opportunity for attendees.
There is no charge for the "Let's Get Started" session but seating is limited and reservations are requested. Reservations may be made online at web.scbp.org/events or by calling the Business Partnership at 908-218-4300, ext 12. Light refreshments will be served.
Business Partnership, Bridgewater offers enhanced opportunity to learn about membership advantages
The Messenger-Gazette By
on April 08, 2013 at 4:19 PM, updated April 08, 2013 at 4:22 PM
on April 08, 2013 at 4:19 PM, updated April 08, 2013 at 4:22 PM


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Even the most ardent Shakespeareans have rarely seen a live staging of each and every one of the plays in the Bard's canon. This summer's New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane is fixing that.
No, the casting capabilities, production venues and sheer budgets of the annual festival have not increased a thousand-fold, which is about what it would likely take to be able to offer all 38 plays in repertory. But with just three actors in a smaller workshop theater space, the festival presents "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)."
This comical and energetic production is a "Fractured Fairy Tales" approach to Shakespeare, revealing amid its broadly humorous attitude, just how deeply so many of the playwright's characters, plot and very words have saturated our culture and society.
Beginning with what appears to be a typically tweedy academic lecture on Shakespeare, the show quickly becomes a rollicking revue, engaging in storytelling formats ranging from cooking shows to sock puppets to a football game. Under the crisp direction of Carl Walker, through it all the three exceptional actors – Andrew Vaught, Brendan Bowen and Clint Johnson – keep the audience engaged and in stitches with their breathless pace.
First performed in the mid-1980s, the show quickly became a hit both in London and New York. It has previously been staged locally, and remains particularly popular on college stages. Maintaining its currency in regards to incorporating pop culture to showcase the long-reaching influences of the plays, a number of references have been cleverly updated. Some ad libs are bitingly fresh.
- What: A trio of actors – Andrew Vaught, Brendan Bowen and Clint Johnson – perform all 38 plays of the Bard of Avon utilizing a variety of theatrical means in the energetic hit comedy. Carl Walker directs. The production is part of the 20t anniversary summer season at the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane.
- Where: Lab Theatre, McWilliams Hall (next to Dixon Hall), Tulane University. 865.5105.
- When: Performances at 7:30 Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays through July 17. Jess Winfield, co-founder of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and co-author of the comedy, will join the audience for a talkback following the performances of the show on June 25 and 26.
- Admission: $15, general admission seating. For information, visit the festival's Web site.
- Festival summer season: The Shakespeare Festival's season continues with a main stage production of "Romeo and Juliet," running July 11-27. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" continues through June 29 (See review here.) The educational All Things Shakespeare program, featuring a high school student production of "The Taming of the Shrew," will be offered Aug. 8-11. For specifics on dates and times of these performances, check the festival's Web site.
Bowen, Vaught and Johnson coalesce into a comic ensemble with excellent timing. Much of the comedy is played as broad slapstick, but there's also genuine wit running throughout the work. These young actors have the stamina to meet the physical demands of the show, as well as the prowess to manipulate the language of Shakespeare, mining all the clever laughs along with the pratfalls.
Forced audience participation is usually a risky business, but in the intimate space of the Lab Theatre in Tulane's McWilliams Hall, the three actors make it work. If you're lucky, some of the festival's Shakespeareans from the other productions will be in the audience, leading to some additional inside improvisational moments.
Many of the jokes are inherent in the set-ups of each piece, so to avoid giving away the punch lines, a few brief descriptions will suffice. Bowen's would-be lecture introducing Shakespeare's life and times is suffused with colorful mixed metaphors that go so awry as to make Mistress Quickly blush. The gory "Titus Andronicus" is presented as a cooking show, giving new meanings to kicking things up a notch. The trio raps through "Othello." (Be sure to listen for the brief explanation of why they won't do it in blackface, drawing one of the night's biggest laughs.) And the silly complexities of the Shakespearean comedies, recycling the same three or four basic plots again and again, all get rolled into one hilarious sketch.
With all of its energy and high-jinks, the show does start to lose its freshness by the second act, which is devoted solely to its audience participation take on "Hamlet." Trimming some of the repetitive bits in that act, and more importantly, forgoing an intermission, would tighten things up and prevent the show from losing the momentum so strongly built up through the first hour.
Nevertheless, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" remains a treat. Even those less familiar with the plays will be able to revel in the circuslike atmosphere the show establishes. Get thee to this funnery.


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Auburn, NY -- The 2012 New York State Maple Tour is scheduled for July 22-24 in the Finger Lakes region.
The headquarters for the event will be the Holiday Inn in Auburn. There will be a trade show and social on July 22, tours of area maple producers, a reception, banquet and trade show July 23 and more tours on July 24.
Some of the sites on the tour include: Cedarvale Maple in the town of Onondaga; Smokey Hollow Maple in Jordan; Schoolyard Sugarbush in Moravia; Komrowski Maple in Lysander; Happy Jack's Maple in Locke; and the Old New Hope Mills in New Hope.
The event is being held to showcase sites where niche marketing, energy saving technologies and organic production are used.
The deadline to register is July 11. Go to this website link to fill out the registration form.
The cost ranges from $40 for the banquet only to $170 for the full tour package.


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FOR 24 NORTH AMERICAN FOOD RETAILERS TRACKED BY SN, AT THE CLOSE THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008 MARKET SUMMARY gainers 14 losers 10 unchanged 0 United Natural Foods +6.36% Spartan Stores +5.59% Supervalu +4.32% MOST ACTIVE BY VOLUME Wal-Mart 68,038,955 Costco Cos. 32,669,114 Target 28,208,783 AS PERCENTAGE OF SHARES OUTSTANDING A&P 13.98% Whole Foods 9.16% Costco Cos. 7.51% Empire -23.24% Metro -11.38% Village -9.00% Continuously updated stock quotes of 19 retailers and wholesalers at ...
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Hello I have just ordered a set of these as a different type of darts, I use Adrian lewis 23g silica's but thought I would get a set of these.
A freind say's that you have to use the Phase 5 stems and I take it that the information is incorrect and you can use any stems with them?
As they have not arrived yet I am unsure just ordered them today, they look like they have slik stick design shatfs which I totaly hated when I tryied them in my adrian lewis darts, but I can see they have a metal scew in point in rosa which looks cool, Also Am i right in saying you get spare swer in tops for the metal rosa attachment that goes into the barrel?
any advise on this would be great.
I have found that I like the following stems, Target laro's, HArrows Dimplex, Harrows Supergrip will all of these stems work just as well with the phase 5 dart?
Or would you advise I use the Phase 5 shafts ? I total hated DMX flights in my adrian lewis darts so again will these stems take standard flights?


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Former Alabama high school basketball star DeMarcus Cousins is one of the 12 players on the USA Basketball team for the FIBA World Cup. The United States reached its 12-man roster limit for the world basketball tournament by dropping four players after its 112-86 victory over Puerto Rico in an exhibition game in New York on Friday night.
Cousins starred at Erwin High School in Birmingham and LeFlore High School in Mobile. After one collegiate season at Kentucky, he's now the center for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. He'll accompany the U.S. team as it seeks to win basketball's World Cup in a 24-team tournament starting next week in Spain.
On Friday night, Portland Trail Blazers' All-Star guard Damian Lillard along with Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz, Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks and Chandler Parsons of the Houston Rockets were released from the U.S. team.
Joining Cousins on the team are Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, Golden State Warriors guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, Houston Rockets guard James Harden, Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis, Kings forward Rudy Gay, Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond and Brooklyn Nets center Mason Plumlee.
"Since taking over the USA Basketball Men's National Team program in 2005, this was without doubt the most difficult selection process we've gone through," Jerry Colangelo, USA National Basketball Team managing director, said in a press release. "I can't stress enough the outstanding effort and commitment that has been given by each finalist. I also want to make it clear that this is not just about talent. Each player is incredibly talented, and each player offered us unique skills. In the end it was about assembling the best team, selecting guys who we felt would be able to best play the kind of style we envision this team playing."
The U.S. team lost Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George to a horrific leg injury during an intrasquad game before 2013-14 NBA MVP Kevin Durant removed himself for consideration after training with the team.
The U.S. team will complete its training in Bilbao, Spain, the site of its World Cup preliminary-round games. The United States has an exhibition game against Slovenia on Tuesday.
"To select 12 was difficult, because our pool is so good," USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said in the USA Basketball release. "I'm excited about the 12 players selected and feel we have excellent versatility and the makings of a really good defensive team."
Cousins' candidacy was in doubt when he hurt his knee during practice on Aug. 14. He missed the exhibition game against Brazil last week, but the injury turned out to be a bruise.
The United States is in Group C for the World Cup. It starts the tournament on Aug. 30 against Finland and plays Turkey on Aug. 31, New Zealand on Sept. 2, the Dominican Republic on Sept. 3 and the Ukraine on Sept. 4. The top 16 teams from the four pools advance to a single-elimination tournament.
The winner of the tournament receives an automatic spot in the 2016 Summer Olympic tournament.