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October 23, 2012
Scientists Build 'Mechanically Active' DNA Material
Researchers at UCSB have designed a "smart" material made of DNA that responds with movement when stimulated
Artificial muscles and self-propelled goo may be the stuff of Hollywood fiction, but for UC Santa Barbara scientists Omar Saleh and Deborah Fygenson, the reality of it is not that far away. By blending their areas of expertise, the pair have created a dynamic gel made of DNA that mechanically responds to stimuli in much the same way that cells do. The results of their research were published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This is a whole new kind of responsive gel, or what some might call a 'smart' material," said Saleh, associate professor of materials, affiliated with UCSB's Biomolecular Science and Engineering program. "The gel has active mechanical capabilities in that it generates forces independently, leading to changes in elasticity or shape, when fed ATP molecules for energy—much like a living cell."
[Pictured above: The DNA gel is composed of stiff DNA nanotubes connected to each other via long, flexible DNA linkers. A motor protein, FtsK50C, binds to special sites on the linkers. When ATP, a biochemical fuel, is allowed to permeate the gel, the motor molecules reel in the linkers to which they are bound, drawing nanotubes together, and stiffening the gel. Credit: Peter Allen, UCSB]Their DNA gel, at only 10 microns in width, is roughly the size of a eukaryotic cell, the type of cell of which humans are made. The miniscule gel contains within it stiff DNA nanotubes linked together by longer, flexible DNA strands that serve as the substrate for molecular motors.
"DNA gives you a lot more design control," said Fygenson, associate professor of physics and also affiliated with UCSB's BMSE program. "This system is exciting because we can build nano-scale filaments to specifications." Using DNA design, she said, they can control the stiffness of the nanotubes and the manner and extent of their cross-linking, which will determine how the gel responds to stimuli.
Using a bacterial motor protein called FtsK50C, the scientists can cause the gel to react in the same way cytoskeletons react to the motor protein myosin—by contracting and stiffening. The protein binds to predetermined surfaces on the long linking filaments, and reels them in, shortening them and bringing the stiffer nanotubes closer together. To determine the gel's movement the scientists attached a tiny bead to its surface and measured its position before and after activation with the motor protein.
[Pictured above: A typical DNA gel used for the active mechanics study. In this fluorescent micrograph, the stiff DNA nanotubes are visible as glowing green and red fibers. Credit: UCSB.]The breakthrough, said Saleh, is that this gel "quantitatively shows similar active fluctuations and mechanics to cells."
"This new material could provide a means for controllably testing active gel mechanics in a way that will tell us more about how the cytoskeleton works," Saleh said. Like a cell, which consumes adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for energy, the DNA gel's movement runs on ATP, allowing for faster, stronger mechanics than other smart gels based on synthetic polymers.
"The development of active gels represents a water-shed event for the broader materials community," commented Craig Hawker, director of the Materials Research Laboratory at UCSB: an NSF MRSEC, which provided seed money for their research. "By exploiting cellular building blocks, it offers unique design parameters when compared to existing gel systems that can be used in a wide range of both established biomedical applications as well as totally new applications."
The project has potential applications for a variety of fields, including smart materials, artificial muscle, understanding cytoskeletal mechanics and research into nonequilibrium physics, as well as DNA nanotechnology. Long-term implications of this research are significant, Hawker added, with the final result being "a fundamental breakthrough in soft-materials science and engineering."
Having created a gel that can replicate contractions, Saleh and Fygenson are now looking to refine their technique and enable distinct movements, such as twisting and crawling, or using other motor proteins that would allow the gel to mimic other cell behaviors, such as shape-shifting and dividing.
"Biology provides a wide range of motors that we have only begun to explore," Saleh said.
"And the suite of nanostructure designs and geometries at our disposal is nearly limitless," echoed Fygenson.
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Copyright © 2016 The Regents of the University of California, All Rights Reserved.


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VIDEO: Oxford Papershow turns the pen into digital whiteboard marker
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Liquavista's e-paper design concepts
Watches, phones, an interactive shower head and a plug socket that changes colour as you use power are just some of the e-paper prototypes shown off by Liquavista. Created by design agency Seymourpowell the concepts use full colour flexible video e-paper... >>
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HP has revealed a new flexible plastic e-paper display prototype, which it says uses less energy and is more cost-effective than most other displays available today. Developed in conjunction with Arizona State's Flexible Display Center, this material... >>
Hitachi mobile with e-ink screen launches
Hitachi's new "W61H" handset ain't-never-gonna launch in the UK, but we still thought it worth a mention for its striking looks. As well as all the other tech-spec that's de rigeur for a phone in Japan, it boasts an interesting 2.7-inch e-ink display... >>
e-Paper updates the slap bracelet
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The Slidell City Council will start off its new year with a special meeting to consider proposed amendments to the city's home rule charter.
The council Tuesday night called the meeting for Monday, Jan. 4, once it realized that proposed charter amendments require State Bond Commission approval before being placed on the ballot.
The proposals, if approved, would determine the mayor's ability to transfer money within a city department, how much of the city budget should be devoted to capital improvements and to salaries and benefits, and the council's ability to hire independent counsel, among other changes.
Calling the changes an attempt to micromanage the administration, Mayor Ben Morris has been an outspoken critic of the amendments, which Slidell Charter Review Committee members Kim Harbison and Bill Borchert voted against.
Members Ray Canada, Lionel Hicks and Joe Fraught voted for the changes, which they say will ensure fiscal responsibility.
The Charter Review Committee last month finalized the list of charter changes to send to the full council for consideration on Jan. 12, but Council Administrator Tommy Reeves said the city needs to send a resolution calling for the amendments to the bond commission by Jan. 5.
City officials did not realize bond commission approval was necessary because the amendments did not concern monetary issues such as millage rates, Reeves said.
Two of the proposed changes state that 4 percent of the city's operating revenue must be devoted each year to infrastructure projects and that no more than 54 percent of the city's operating revenue can be allocated to salaries and benefits.
Another item would prohibit the mayor from transferring money within a department without council approval. Now, the mayor needs approval only to transfer money from one department to another.
The committee also approved a proposal to let the council hire its own attorney, a move council member Fraught said is necessary because, while the council now may hire its own legal counsel, the mayor retains power over the attorney's selection and pay.
The council will consider the proposals on Jan. 4. Any approved changes will be put before voters in the March 27 election.
Kia Hall Hayes can be reached at email@example.com or 985.645.2848.


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MOUNT PLEASANT, MI — Central Michigan football has officially kickstarted the 2013 season with a conditioning test and the Chippewas' first practice Monday, Aug. 5.
The team reported over the weekend where they moved into the residence hall and were fitted for equipment before attending meetings.
CMU ended 2012 on a four-game winning streak with a win over Western Kentucky in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
Leading rusher Zurlon Tipton returns after rushing for nearly 1,500 yards with 20 total touchdowns, while leading receiver Titus Davis also returns. Andy Phillips and Nick Beamish lead four offensive linemen who come back with starting experience.
The Chippewas also return five of their top six leading tacklers, including Justin Cherocci (132 tackles) and Shamari Benton (126).
CMU begins two-a-days on Saturday, Aug. 10 with its first scrimmage scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 17 before opening the season on the road against Michigan on Saturday, Aug. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
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The Maine Warden Service is asking for the public help in the search for a missing or lost 15-year-old from in York County.
Jaden Dremsa, 15, was last seen at 3 p.m. on Thursday near the Twin Pines Trailer Park in North Waterboro, Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service said in a release.
Dremsa stands 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, has shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information about his location can call state police dispatch in Gray at 207-657-3030.


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NORTON SHORES, MI – Tom DeVoursney, the subject of a high-profile Muskegon County case, is expected to be arraigned today on a five-year felony in Muskegon County 60th District Court.
Authorities have also confirmed that DeVoursney, president of Shape Corp. in Grand Haven, had no alcohol or drugs in his system on Sept. 18, 2011, when he crashed his sports car along a busy Norton Shores road.
DeVoursney is being charged with reckless driving causing serious injury, a felony punishable up to five years in prison, if convicted, said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brett Gardner. A warrant has been signed.
DeVoursney was in court early Tuesday waiting for the hearing to start with his wife, Deb, and his Muskegon attorney, Eric Boeschenstein.
Authorities said he turned himself in.
For months the public has speculated as to why DeVoursney crashed his 2006 Ford GT that day with a well-known Muskegon-area physician, Dr. Anthony Wilson, as his passenger. But early Tuesday authorities confirmed that DeVoursney had no illegal substances in his system at the time of the fiery crash.
Witnesses had reported seeing DeVoursney traveling at a high rate of speed in the high-performance sports car around 1:50 p.m. that Sunday in a busy area of East Sternberg Road — the 1100 block near G & L Restaurant and an Exxon Mobil gas station, just west of U.S. 31.
DeVoursney lost control of the vehicle, hit a curb and slammed into a utility pole. Both the vehicle and the pole were split in half. The vehicle then burst into flames.
DeVoursney managed to free himself from the vehicle before collapsing nearby. Wilson had to be pulled out of the passenger's side by passersby.
Wilson was wearing a seat belt, police said. It was unclear whether DeVoursney had on a seat belt when the crash occurred.
Both men were seriously injured.
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A-to-Z Vegetable Guide:
How to Grow Vegetables»
Cucurbita pepo
Summer squash—which include crookneck, zucchini, straightneck and scallopini—is a serious ally for dieters and health-minded cooks. Steamed, grilled, fried or baked in a casserole, squash delivers the nutritional goods.
Hardiness: Annual.
Planting advice: In well-draining soil, sow four or five seeds in a 1-inch-tall hill. When seedlings reach 2 or 3 inches tall, thin to two healthy seedlings per hill.
Harvest tips: Pick all varieties when they're immature, or they grow tough and woody. Pick long, narrow varieties before they're 2 inches in diameter and are 6 to 8 inches long; 3 to 4 inches in diameter for pattypan and scallopini varieties.
Recommendations: Sundance (crookneck), Aristocrat (zucchini), Goldbar (straightneck), Peter Pan (scallopini).
More Zucchini Recipes»
Source: Birds & Blooms "Grow Veggies for Less"


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Results tagged ' John Lackey '
John Lackey spoke to the Boston media prior to Tuesday's Red Sox-Cardinals game, just days after being traded by the team he won the World Series with to the team he beat in the clinching game.
Reuniting with old teammates: "Oh yeah absolutely. it's great to see some friends, for sure. Talked to a couple of them yesterday on the phone and stuff. definitely some guys you'll miss but kind of part of the deal."
Going to the Cardinals: "Pretty excited, actually. I wasn't really surprised. Honestly, it was about as good a place for me to be right now. I was pretty happy with where it happened, I guess."
The way the Red Sox were dismantling last year's team, maybe it was best he left? "I mean, yeah, you could see it kind of heading in that direction for sure. I'm happy to be here and happy with what happened and the way Ben handled it was first class so everything was cool."
Chance to get back to the World Series: "That's the only reason I'm still playing. I'm still playing to try to win a ring. That's the only reason I'm still here. to be able to be here and have that opportunity to make a playoff run or try to get into the playoffs is where I want to be."
Three rings for three teams? "That's getting a little bit too far ahead of ourselves. Let's see how I do in my next start."
Any talks with Red Sox about an extension before you left? "No, not … not really. We didn't get that far ahead."
Why not? "I'm glad to be here."
Was Lackey hoping for a trade? "I'm not going to go that far. I wasn't surprised."
Your time in Boston: "There were definitely some ups and downs, for sure, some fun and some not so fun, I guess."
What will you remember most? "I'll concentrate on last year and winning a championship and really enjoying that year and having fun with those guys."
Were the tough times he had in Boston toughest of his career? "I've moved on."
Glad he didn't have to pitch in this series against Boston? "I would have been OK pitching against the Red Sox, yeah. Yeah."
But five or six days after the trade? "That would have been a little crazy, for sure, for it to be that quick. I'm going to concentrate on getting outs and I would have gone on and done my thing."
Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy tells Lackey he doesn't seem very sentimental about Boston: "I mean, I don't know what you want me to say."
Talk to Lester much lately? "Oh yeah. We talked every other day at least. We've already talked a little trash. Hopefully I'll see him later on."
How about a chance to face Lester in the World Series? "That's what we talked about, yeah. Hopefully it works out, we'll see."
You said you have no problem pitching for the player minimum next year with Cardinals. Would you have done that for Boston? "I don't know about that honestly. I didn't get that far ahead to think about it at that point."
What is different about doing that in St. Louis vs. Boston? "You guys are trying to stir stuff up. I didn't get that far ahead thinking about it."
After sleepless night, Cherington completes eventful day
So, how much sleep did Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington get on Trade Deadline eve?
"Didn't [sleep] last night and maybe not much the previous couple nights," Cherington said. "A lot of coffee and other stuff. We had to see what we could do and try to take advantage of the unfortunate position we're in. Hopefully we were able to do some things that give us a headstart on that."
The first domino fell between 3 and 4 a.m. Thursday, when Cherington and Billy Beane created a rare blockbuster of All-Star Players. Jon Lester, along with Jonny Gomes, went to the A's. Yoenis Cespedes, who could give the parking lot behind the Green Monster a workout, comes to the Red Sox.
"I don't know if I'm going to get the time exactly right — but we had an agreement in principle on like the structure, it was probably between 3-4 this morning," Cherington said. "And then, you know, you've got to get through medicals and Major League approval and all of that stuff, so it doesn't get really official until later. So sometime in the middle of the night."
Then, there was the deal that sent John Lackey to the Cardinals for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly. Then, the one that sent Andrew Miller to the Orioles for lefty prospect Eduardo Rodriguez. And finally, the one that sent shortstop Stephen Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson.
Cherington put his battle plan in motion about a week ago, when the Red Sox went through yet another slide that took away the momentum of winning eight of nine.
"We've made a series of trades today that we believe give us a good head start on building again and hopefully building towards a very good team as quickly as possible," Cherington said. "Our intent going into today and really this week was just, given where we were, given where the team was in the standings and given the math that we're fighting coming into this week, our intent was to try to see what opportunities are out there for us. There was a lot of interest in our players and we wanted to see if there were opportunities to turn that into moves that like, I said, could give us a head start on building again and becoming better as quickly as we can. That was our general sort of guiding philosophy this week and hopefully we turned it into some moves that make us better now and give us a real head start the rest of the season and going into the offseason with the full intent of building a strong contending team for 2015."
It was a collaborative effort, as Cherington and much of his staff worked into the wee hours of Thursday to re-shape the roster.
"We had a group of 15 or so of us that were sort of consistently in the room, and that's a combination of front office folks and scouts and ownership's in and out," Cherington said. "Roughly 15, and then that gets bigger, gets smaller sometimes. It gets a little smaller by 4 in the morning. But yeah, you know, we were here the whole time."
That's been the case for the last week or so.
"Long days and long nights. As everyone knows, you all know, for every trade you do make, there's 20 or 30 other iterations that don't come together. Even for the ones you do make, especially bigger ones, and some of these are bigger ones, those require a lot of phone calls, a lot of work from a lot of different people. We haven't slept much the last three or four days," Cherington said. "You can probably tell. But we knew coming into this week that we had a job to do: We had to find a way to take advantage of the unfortunate position that we're in and try to kickstart a little bit building the next team. So that's what we try to do. It was a great team effort from a lot of people, including ownership, but certainly baseball operations, and John Farrell is involved. We worked around the clock, literally."
"I think I'm proud of the group that I work with because it's a group that literally worked around the clock for about 4-5 days to try to do this. And again, time will tell what the results are, but I'm proud of the people I work with for how hard they worked. They were prepared and ready and, you know, everything we needed to give ourselves a chance to make decisions was there thanks to the people that I work with. As far as challenging, I just think this year has been challenging. Use any word you want. It's been frustrating, disappointing, hard to explain at times, and certainly as I said before, I take responsibility for where we are. So I think the year, it's not the last two days, it's the whole year's been challenging. We've got to get better. We know that."
Thursday might have been the first step back to contention for 2015 and beyond.
Cherington on the state of reeling Red Sox
For the second time in 15 days, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington expressed faith in his highly-underachieving team and forecasts an in-season turnaround that may not have to occur because of blockbuster trades.
Trades aren't the be all-end-all at this point: "I don't know about moves. We're obviously not happy with where we are. Ultimately, we're 18-25, that's not up to our standards, that's not where we want to be ultimately. It's up to me to find a way to make it better. We still believe it's gonna get better. We believe we've got a very good team ahead of us this year. Most of that is still going to come from within with guys here performing, getting back to a level they're accustomed to and then if we can do that and start playing a little better and win some games and hang in there, we'll try to find anyway we can to make improvements to the team as the summer goes on. At this point, this early in the season, we're still just mostly focused on the guys that are here and finding a way to play better with the guys that are here."
Pressed again about making moves, Cherington offered this: "I think there's a need to play better and there's the need to find ways to get better and all sorts of ways and again, that's my responsibility. Not saying we wouldn't consider moves. It's just that this early in the season, typically, you're sort of talking other teams into doing things and that doesn't always leave you in the best position to make deals. I wouldn't rule it out but, we'll see. Because of that, look, we're gonna get Victorino back, we're going to get hopefully our core lineup out there more consistently moving forward and we believe in that core lineup and that core group of players and we believe we have a lot of wins in us with that core, without adding to it. if we can add to it, whether it's sooner or later or towards the deadline in a way that makes sense, of course we're going to work to do it in a way that makes sense. Again, that's up to me. But just mostly focused still on the guys who are here."
Injuries no excuse: "I wouldn't assign it to injuries. We've had some injuries. Every team has injuries. I think our job is to be good enough and deep enough to play through the injuries and still win games and hang in there through the tougher times. So I wouldn't assign it to injuries. It would be better not to have injuries. I don't know. it's a variety of things. I think we would have guessed coming into the year that in all likelihood we would face a little more adversity this year than we did last year. it's just the way baseball goes and we have in different ways. Offensively, we just haven't clicked in any sort of consistent way. we've been in most games because we've been running pretty good pitchers out there most often whether it's the starters or the bullpen mostly keeping us in games. We just haven't clicked offensively and I can't point to one thing. for the reason, we know we have to get better. We believe we will. We're not there yet."
How much longer can they go with Grady Sizemore and Jackie Bradley Jr.? "You know, we've got to play better and you're talking about two very different players there so in jackie's case, he's playing really good defense, he's grinding, he's making offensive adjustments. He's here working every day to get better.He's a very important guy for us and we feel he's the right guy to be our center fielder. In Grady's case, we've seen flashes, as I said 10 days ago. I think he would tell you he hasn't' been as consistent as he'd like to be. Hasn't made the impact as he'd like to. Look, we're all in this together, we know collectively we've got to get better. We all have to perform better, that starts with me. And we just have to make that happen. we're not ready to proclaim that this has to happen or that has to happen or there needs to be any particular move. We just have to play better."
Pressed again on Sizemore: "He's here. He's one of our 25 guys. John's trying to put him in positions to succeed. We believe Grady Sizemore is going to be a good Major League player again. We're going to do whatever we can to help him be that guy here. We'll see. We just have to play better, the whole team has to play better. I have to do my part. If we all do that, we'll look up and things will look a lot better 10 days from now."
On the struggling offense of the outfield: "Well it's still evolving you know? We came into the year obviously thinking in left field we were going to have something analogous to last year, a combination with Gomes and Nava or some other left-handed hitter. In right field we certainly expected Victorino out there, we hope that he will be out there soon. And in spring training the question was on center field and ultimately Grady played his way onto the team and then we had an injury so Jackie ended up on the team and his defense was so good that he kind of takes over. Look we expected Jackie to be our center fielder of the future back this winter, we just didn't know what date that was going to start on. I don't think anything has really changed there. We just haven't had that corner group out there consistently and we haven't had the production out of the corners that we thought we would and need to have.
Cherington didn't say if part of the agreement of Drew's contract was that he be recalled after the minimum 10 days were used in his Minor League option: "I don't want to get into the specifics of our discussion before signing him but we definitely felt like given where he was physically at the time of the signing that it wouldn't take him a long time in the minor leagues to be able to help our team. There's a different between being at maximum capacity and full speed with perfect timing and all that, there's a difference between that and helping a major league team. And we felt like Stephen drew made us a more complete roster, a better, deeper roster, even if he was still working on some things. So we signed him with the understanding that assuming he physically checked out that he'd be on the team son, as soon as we could and that's the way it turned out. We don't have any regrets for that. We also knew we might have to manage his playing time a little bit early on, so it's not unexpected that he's getting a day here and there. All the reasons we signed him are still in place and we'll see how it works out."
In hindsight, did Cherington need more outfield depth going into the season? "I guess you can never have enough right? We felt we did. There was a combination of guys including Nava, Carp, Gomes, Victorino, Bradley, Sizemore, Brentz and down the line we felt we had enough good players, enough good options to be deep enough in the outfield. There has been a combination of underperformance to some of those guys and injuries to others that kind of tapped into that a little bit, so it showed up. Ultimately it's my responsibility to figure that out and get better. We felt that we did have enough depth. To this point we haven't gotten the production out of the outfield that we need to. We still feel like we can and it's up to us to figure that out.
Cherington was stunned to see it written somewhere that the Red Sox signed Stephen Drew because of pressure in the media, and staunchly denied it: "False. I was really surprised to see that today. We know Stephen Drew really well. We signed Stephen Drew because I made a recommendation to ownership to sign Stephen Drew. We had been talking internally for a little while, and then on a Friday, our third baseman got hurt, and we expected, based on the initial evaluation, that Will might miss a significant amount of time. At that point, during that game, we were 20-20, and scratching and clawing for every win and certainly right in the mix in the AL East. We had known, if there was an area on the team that we wanted to add some depth to, it was the left side of the infield. It wasn't a reflection on any of the players we had. We want as many good players as we can for each spot. It happened to be that Will got hurt, Stephen Drew was still out there, he was a free agent, and we felt like, if we didn't sign him, we might be in position to have to make a trade at some point and give up talent to address, potentially, an area of need, so we have a guy who we trust, who we like, who's a good player, who's a trustworthy player, who's been here and done that who's available to sign without giving talent, so we did it. I made that recommendation, and I would make that recommendation again."
Trade Jon Lester if the team falls out of contention and there is no progress with his contract situation? "We haven't even thought about that. Jon's focus is to go out and pitch every five days and help us win, and he's done a very good job of that this year. We're trying to support him in any way we can. Our position hasn't changed. We hope to have a conversation again about his contract. We'd love to find a way to keep him here. But right now we're just trying to win games and stay in this thing. I believe we will. When we do, we're going to want Jon Lester pitching for us down the stretch."
John Lackey might retire rather than pitch for the player minimum that his contract dictates next year? "No. I have not heard anything about it. That's the first I've heard of it. I don't know — I'm not sure I'm the person to respond to it. This is more of a question for John, I guess. But I know that, the way he's pitching right now and what I know of him as a competitor and how much he likes being in the clubhouse and how important it is for him to compete and be a guy, I would certainly expect him to want to keep playing, and he certainly looks like a guy who's going to keep pitching for quite some time. I haven't heard anything about that, and obviously our expectation is that he's going to be here."
On Clay Buchholz: "Physically, he says he feels good, and we were able to identify a couple of things in the delivery that he thinks and we think can help him. It's likely a gradual thing, right? It's not going to be — typically players don't go from struggling to lights out overnight, but there are some tangible things that he's identified that will help him, and he's been doing that. He's been working on that. He'll pitch in the minor leagues a little bit to start, and we'll see where we are."
Game 1 of the Division Series
Under cloudy skies, everyone at Fenway Park is getting ready for Game 1 of the Division Series against Matt Moore and the Rays.
Here is manager John Farrell's lineup:
Ellsbury; Victorino; Pedroia; Ortiz; Napoli; Gomes; Salty; Drew; Middlebrooks … with Jon Lester starting.
No earth-shattering news in the pre-game hours. Felix Doubront made the final spot on the pitching staff over Matt Thornton.
Rays manager Joe Maddon had a great line, talking about how John Lackey helped pay for his daughter's wedding in 2002. Lackey won Game 2 of the World Series that year for the Angels, the team Maddon was serving as bench coach for. Obviously Maddon's postseason share increased greatly with the Angels winning the World Series,
Lester gets the nod for Opener
Jon Lester might have had a down year in 2012, but the Red Sox still view him as an ace. And that's why the lefty will take the ball at Yankee Stadium on Monday for Opening Day.
After weeks of speculation, manager John Farrell finally made it official on Wednesday morning. Lester will be Boston's first pitcher out of the gate for the third consecutive season.
The news was revealed just hours before Lester got ready to make his final start of Spring Training against the Miami Marlins.
"The way he was lined up, he was probably targeted all along," said Farrell. "At the same time, we didn't want that to be a focal point. His work that was needed and the adjustments that he's continued to reinforce and repeat on the mound were the priorities. We felt like it was important to focus on the needs of Spring Training for every pitcher, including Jon, before we got into the rotation [order]."
In his first five starts of Grapefruit League action, Lester went 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA, looking a lot more like the pitcher who dominated in 2008-11 than the one who stumbled last year.
"He's gotten back to a delivery that was similar to what he had in the past," Farrell said. "I think he's executing pitches with the consistency we saw before that made him one of the top left-handers in the game. He's had a very strong Spring Training. "
Right-handers Clay Buchholz and Ryan Dempster will follow Lester in New York, pitching Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Left-hander Felix Doubront and righty John Lackey will round out the rotation, pitching the first two games in Toronto.
Buchholz is on tap to pitch the Home Opener on April 8 against the Orioles.
Lester was 9-14 with a 4.82 ERA in 33 starts in 2012.
"I didn't really like what happened last year as far as me and the way I pitched," Lester said earlier this spring. "That's solely on me – that's not on anyone else, that's not on the revolving door of pitching coaches, that's not on our manager, that's not on anybody but myself. I want to prove that last year was a fluke and it's not going to happen again."
Deep in the heart of Texas
If the Red Sox seem a little more comfortable in Texas than other road spots, there's good reason. Their team is surrounded by players who have Texas roots.
Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey all hail from the Lone Star State, as do Scott Atchison, Matt Albers, Kelly Shoppach, Carl Crawford and Will Middlebrooks.
Monday was particularly special for Middlebrooks, who grew up a Rangers fan, living about two and a half hours from Arlington. This was his first Major League game in Arlington, though he played here in high school All-Star Games.
"I remember how hot it was. It was in July before my senior year of high school. I don't remember much. It was an All-Star game or something," said Middlebrooks. "I grew up in Texarcarna which is like two hours from here. But I live here in the offseason now. I have a lot of friends here. I came to a lot of games out here. I'm excited to play here. It's a fun place. When I was a kid, i remember watching Juan Gonzalez, Pudge. Who else was here? Rusty Greer. A-Rod for a little bit."
Manager Bobby Valentine also has deep roots in Texas, as the Rangers gave him his start in Major League managing from 1985-92. His son still lives here, and Valentine said he has several friends in the Arlington area.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who hit a mammoth home run tonight, played for the Rangers for parts of four seasons before coming to Boston. Adrian Gonzalez played 59 games for the Rangers over two seasons.
Henry, Lucchino talk Epstein, other things
In a wide-ranging interview with WEEI this morning — and simulcast on NESN — Red Sox owner John Henry and president/CEO Larry Lucchino ran through the gamut of topics that have engulfed the club since the season ended way earlier than anyone could have expected.
How stunning is this that you didn't play in October?
Henry: "I think, weren't people writing at that point of the season that this was the greatest Red Sox team ever?"
Did you assume the Sox were in? Henry: "You never assume. In other business as well, you never assume that you're going to accomplish your goals until you accomplish them."
Lucchino: "I think that was a reasonable assumption at that point, given the lead, where we were in the season. and the statistical probabilities of what would happen. Certainly none of us anticipated a collapse of biblical proportions that we endured."
Tito was a little cryptic about where it all went wrong, Henry: "Uh, there was some cryptic-ness when we met. You remember, we had problems over the years with certain players. Like Manny Ramirez, for instance, was a problem at one point for the manager. But he had his back, because that's the clubhouse culture. As a manager, you don't throw your players under the bus. You do everything you can to make them productive and keep them that way. In this case, we didn't get any information along those lines at that point."
Allegations that starting pitchers were drinking in the clubhouse during games? Lucchino: "There are certain principles that are important within the clubhouse culture. I think that's one of them. it's not something that we think should be tolerated. There's a rule about it and it should be enforced. It was much after the fact that that was brought to our attention. We're still trying to dig in, trying to figure out how pervasive it was, how extensive it was and not try to superficially conclude that it was a major factor in anything."
When did Titanic hit iceberg? Henry: "We didn't just hit an iceberg. Every day we went, what, 7-20? This was a team that was going 20-7 and suddenly went 7-20. So it was throughout that process that we began to wonder, why is this team breaking down? This is the second straight year that on Aug. 1 we looked great and looked like we were headed for a potential World Series and second straight year that the team broke down physically. I've been reading somewhat what the media has been saying. I haven't heard enough about that. that was the concern that started at some point during that decline. The biggest concern we had was we're just not doing well physically."
Subpar physical fitness? Lucchino: "It's certainly an issue that's important to us, physical conditioning. That's another one of the issues we are looking into examining. It's our responsibility to try to right this ship and give the fans what we promised when we got here, which is a team worthy of their support. We're going to do that. We're going to look into the whole conditioning issue. I take exception to pointing to any individual. I don't want to talk about any individual in particular. But I will talk about the general notion that our team has to be in first class physical condition. And as John said, the last couple of years, we've seen a dramatic decline at the end of the season. That is one of a myriad of issues to look at going forward."
Pitchers out of shape? You looking into that. Henry: "Yeah, the day before yesterday, I spoke with a couple of our medical people and the trainers and so forth just to try to get an idea. We're still early in this process and that's one of the reasons there hasn't been a lot to say. You don't want to go off half cocked because one person said this. Talking to a few people, one thing thus far that I've been able to establish is that the pitchers did their work. They did their cardiovascular. This organization is as good as any in baseball, I'm told, at doing their work. What is their work? Cardiovascular, shoulder exercise is very important. Very important. We have very little in the way of shoulder problems, as compared to other clubs. They did their leg work. Some of the people, including the person you mentioned [Josh Beckett], are adamant. That's what they do. They don't shirk those responsibilities.
"Were there nutritional issues was another question I asked? Yes. I believe there were nutritional issues and there's just, one of the things we've learned in getting involved with English football is they have sports science and the science of fitness is very advanced among football teams around the world, at least the top football teams. So we've learned a lot just recently. Our people within the Red Sox have learned a lot. I think there's much more we can do. to me, the most important thing is this is the third time in six years, and certainly the second straight which a great team just couldn't make it through 162 games physically. And it wasn't just one or two players. We were really banged up. We were really struggling to put healthy players on the field. every team has to be able to make it through 162 games. Two years in a row we didn't do it."
Tito mentioned something about lack of support/encouragement from ownership as things unraveled: Henry: "I don't engage in encouragement. My way of encouraging the manager is generally, if we win, I'll go down and say hello. My experience over the years is they really don't want a lot of interracation from our level when things aren't going well. But every once in a while, I will send over the years, I would send Terry an e-mail and basically say, you're doing a great job, which I did this year, or we're going to be fine. I'm probably the person inside among Tom and Larry and Theo and Tito, among all of us, I'm probably the person who most often says, we'll be fine. The problem is we weren't fine this year. "
Lucchino: "We did make an effort as things were proceeding in the wrong direction in September, certainly we made an effort before games. I would go down on the field and certainly not pep talks, but just try to engage some conversation to show that we were in this together and to try to beat as comfortable as I could around players, the manager and coaches."
If you had picked up Tito's option, he would have stayed. Why did you leave that until after the season? Lucchino: "It was certainly something we considered during the course of the year. you have to go back a step and understand the contract arrangement we had with Tito which was, we gave him a long term deal and we agreed we would not talk about options until the end of the fourth year. We said there would be a 10-day period. The first order of business after the season would be to talk about options but we don't want the distraction of that happening during the year. because we had it during '08. The first part of the '08 season was all about contracts and his situation, dealing with agents and all that. so I think he understood. It's not something that was going to happen during the course of the season. In fact, to his credit, he never said what do you think about my option. His agent never called us. There were never any discussions. We always anticipated that discussion would take place as understood, the first 10 days, the first order of business in the offseason."
Was this mutual with Tito? Henry: "Well we really didn't get a chance to make it mutual. Thinking about it, would we have ended up in the same place he ended up? Based on the things we heard and the things we saw, there's a strong likelihood that we would have. So you could say it was mutual. The way it took place, in my mind, wasn't really mutual, the way it took place."
Lucchino: "We had a conversation about, again, that first day after the season, we sat for an hour and a half, two hours, talking about the season. We went through challenge after challenge and various reasons for the breakdown. We talked to tito about whether he was ready for this challenge, given all the challenges he had enumerated. He made clear to us that he wasn't. You need a new voice down there. I'm not your man for next year. I think my time here is up. In some ways, he took that position and that is a very determinative factor when your manager feels like there needs to be a change. He did a fantastic job for us over the years. remember, he was contemplating his ninth year in this pressure cooker that is Boston. Different teams require different skillsets or different talents and I think he made an assessment with which we concurred that to that extend, it was mutual, and the word mutual does fit. Still, it was a sad occasion nonetheless. There was no joy that day. we had a myriad of problems identified for us and a manager who suggested in pretty clear terms that we should [move on]."
If they made the playoffs, does Tito still leave? Lucchino: "I'm not sure. I think the same process would unfold. We'd sit down as planned the first 10 days. the first order of business after the season, sit down and talk and find out. it takes to tango. Again, we're talking about the ninth year. Tito was the second longest duration in Red Sox history, 110 years. you have to find if the manager is still ready for the challenge."
So the Cubs requested permission to speak with Theo, eh? Henry: "How do you know that? how do you know that?
Lucchino: "Those things are supposed to be kept private and we have a policy of not discussing whether permission has been asked for x or y or z. In fact, every year we get requests for people. We never discuss them publicly. It's been our policy and our practice."
You haven't denied it though, right? Lucchino: "But our position on that is that we don't comment on requests. We have gotten requests every year. sometimes one or two or three a year. we don't talk about them publicly. A few years ago, we got a request from another team about Theo Epstein. You heard nothing about that because we didn't discuss it publicly. I think there's good reason for it too. There's some privacy considerations here. I don't know that people would want their career development or their job decisions to be debated publicly, for people to know what they're considering or not considering. And I'm not sure the other team would like that to be made public. Our consistent policy and practice is not to discuss whether there's been a request made for permission."
Do you usually give permission? Lucchino: "I'll tell you what we have done. We have done both in the past. There are numerous individual. I mentioned that Theo was one of them in the past. We've had a number of our high ranking people move on."
If Team A comes to you and says, we'd like to talk to Theo, would you grant them permission? Henry, "There is a certain protocol in this game. if someone asks permission for a job that's not lateral, you give them permission. Now I'm sure there are examples where it didn't happen. I'm sure we've done that in the past."
Lucchino, "We don't mean to sound evasive on this but this is one subject where we don't think there needs to be full disclosure. Our fans have a keen interest in knowing as much about this team as we can possibly know. There are some thigns that come up against the lines of personal privacy, where there are some considerations that should be factored into it, and that's where we are with respect to this thing."
Can you hire a manager without knowing who your GM is? Lucchino, "We're actively engaged in that search for a new manager. We're not sitting around twiddling our thumbs. There's a lot to be done. Theo is actively engaged day to day in that search. We just had a meeting with him the other day going through a list of candidates, possibilities. Ben Cherington is actively involved in the process. Certainly John, Tom and I are involved in it as well. That process is moving ahead. It's not going to happen overnight. There will be some time that will pass. There's a lot to work to be done and Theo and Ben are knee-deep in doing it. "
Interview anyone yet? "Not yet. I think one point needs to be made. As I look out over the landscape of what's been said over the last couple of weeks, I don't think people understand the governance of the Red Sox. when we talk about a manager, general manager issues, when we talk about important decisions that are made here, this isn't John or it isn't Larry. We really, over the last 10 years, have consistently done things collectively. This is a collective process. We're intimately involved in the managers search. It's not just theo that's involved. With regard to what happened with the manager's situation previously, we made collective decisions. We build consensus. When we signed Adrian Gonzalez, that's not a one person decision. It's not just the general manager. That being said, we're very good, sometimes we're too chain of command; Larry and I don't make baseball decisions."
Lucchino: "Let me just add that Tom Werner is a critical part of this as well, though he is not here today. In this instance, he is an active part of this process. We are a better organization because of the collaboration, the input. If you take Tom and myself, we've probably got like 45 or 50 years collectively of running major league baseball franchises. We take advantage of that experience. We collaborate , we debate."
Theo's recent struggles with free agents: Henry: "I think that's one of the problems in baseball. It's hard to predict things. it's hard to predict performance going forward. When I look back over the last 10 years, and the last eight years with Tito being here and the last nine years Theo has been here, I look at what we've accomplished, every year, including this year, I felt we were headed to a World Series. Not the only thing, but the biggest thing to us every year is playing in October. that's what we do. that's we spend all our time doing is trying to create an atmosphere. People talk about, we're business oriented. Well we're business oriented for one reason. This guy is a tremendous revenue generator for one reason, and that is to be able to give the right people the amount of money it takes to be successful. You can criticize the things he's done but we've averaged, what, 92, 93 wins?"
Horrific finish: Lucchino: "We are not unmindful of that. This was a disappointing torturous end of the season. As John said earlier, we watch every game. we suffer. We're in this because we're competitive people. Go back to December 21st, 2001, our very first press conference. The very first thing we said was, we have an obligation to field a team that's worthy of the fans support. We feel that now. Believe me, it hurts not to be playing right now. This kind of weather. Walking around the ballpark, I keep thinking, we should be playing. It's cold comfort, the sense of schandefraude that comes from the Yankees losing. That's not a noble emotion. We have it. but we should be out there playing. We want that every year and we've had a good run at it but the challenges next year are real, they're there and we're prepared to deal with them."
Is Theo the right guy to keep spending John Henry's money? Henry: "He is but I think everyone has to understand a couple of things and I think Tito alluded to it. I think there's a certain shelf life in these jobs. You can only be the general manager if you're sane. You can only be the general manager …. You can only be the manager for a certain amount of time. There's a tremendous pressure cooker here — 162 games. It's a long season and the pressure here is 365 days. Theo is not going to be the general manager forever. Just as , if Tito had come back for the last two years, would he have gone past 10 years, I can't imagine that he would have. I think that Theo will … he's the guy now, he's been the guy. We've had tremendous success. We fell apart at the end of the season. As Larry expressed, we're upset about it. No fan could be more upset than I am about the result this year. He's done a tremendous job for us over the last eight years."
Can you hire a manager until you are sure who your GM is? Lucchino, "I think it's not desirable to proceed that way if you don't know who this person's immediate boss is. I've been in situations where that has happened. I think the more desirable scenario is the one you first outlined, that there's a certainty and a continuity with respect to general manager that would be in place before you pull a trigger on a manager but I've seen the opposite occur. Let me remind you that we hired Tery Francona some time in late November, it may have even been the first couple of days of December in 2003. There is time to address this issue. This is an important issue, the manager of this team and the manager of this team in this pressure cooker that is Boston."
Why Tito over Joe Maddon eight years ago? Lucchino: "Theo should be here to discuss that as well. He certainly had a strong opinion on that. They were both good. Two different flavors of ice cream but they were both good. I think at the time, the sense was that Francona's history was clearer and that maybe the kind of easy rider we understood him to be would be appropriate for that team. That was my recollection of it."
What do you want in a manager, Henry: "Well, I think what we were looking for last time, in that we have a certain organizational philosophy and we want someone that is highly intelligent. Someone who can communicate with the players and be able to get the best out of the players. I think we lean in general toward player managers. The most important thing for me, if I had to choose one aspect, is that he really fits into our organizational philosophy."
Could you kick the tires on someone like Joe Torre or Bobby Valentine: "I'm not going to talk about anyone individually. Would we consider experienced well established managers who are not young, who have been around a bit? The answer is yes."
Can John Lackey bounce back? Henry: "I think so."
Lucchino: "Absolutely. Absolutely."
How can you say that? Lucchino: "Can he come back? I say yes he can. I'm not predicting necessarily when he will or if he will. But I'm saying can he? Yes. He's a guy with an established track record. You have to look beyond the past year or so. Again, it depends on what your level of expectation is for various individuals."
Just because of the recent difficulty with the success of free agent signings, will the Sox shy away this winter? Lucchino, "We're not going to turn off any avenue to improve this team. Particularly this year. We're not going to say, no, we're not going to dive into the free agent market because of the recent record has not been as successful as we might like. No, we're going to explore free agency, we're going to explore trade,s we're going to explore waiver wire, minor league free agents, international signings. We're going to look at the whole of possibilities. The challenges are very real for this next year so yes, we will explore free agency."
Do you keep Ortiz and Papelbon because they've proven they can produce in this market? "Those players you identify have leverage because of their performance. Their performance has been substantial here and with that comes a bit of leverage, to be sure. Does that mean we can not find players elsewhere that can fit in? we think we can. It doesn't mean we're always right but we think we have a process that theo and our baseball operations takes into consideration makeup and ability to deal with this city and Carl Crawford has had one bad year. This is one year of a long term commitment. It's too early to say this is a guy who cannot play in Boston. We'll see about that."
When it rains, it pours
Not only was John Lackey getting hit hard tonight, but then he joined the seemingly unending barrage of injuries that have inflicted the Sox of late.
Lackey left tonight's game at Tropicana Field after being belted on the left calf by an inning-ending groundout by John Jaso. Lackey actually made a nice play to get Jaso out, but had to be taped in the dugout after that and could not continue.
So Lackey joins Josh Beckett, Erik Bedard and Clay Buchholz as Sox starting pitchers who can be classified as the walking wounded. And that's without mentioning Kevin Youkilis, who is back in Boston having his ailing left hip looked at.
Just a few days ago, the Red Sox were hoping to win the division. Now a large chunk of Terry Francona's focus has to be just getting his team to the postseason in one piece.
Still hanging by a thread
The Red Sox managed to stave off elimination on Monday night, not only riding another strong Clay Buchholz performance to victory in Chicago, but also having the Blue Jays do them a favor by beating the slumping Yankees.
Tonight's battle for survival figures to be far tougher, given the fact the Yankees have their ace going North of the border in CC Sabathia. The Blue Jays counter with Kyle Drabek, a prospect seeking his first Major League win.
The Red Sox go with John Lackey. He will be opposed by Edwin Jackson.
One thing to keep an eye on down the stretch for Boston is milestones. Adrian Beltre and David Ortiz both got to the 100 mark in RBIs last night. Beltre is two homers from 30. Jon Lester can get his 20th win on Thursday night.
Mysteriously mediocre
There have obviously been a whole lot of subplots to digest from the Red Sox's first half. There was the rough first month. Then the resurgence. Then all the injuries, with the team still managing to keep its head above water.
But one thing has perplexed me for the last couple of months. What is the story with John Lackey?
Obviously, there were great expectations, and rightfully so, when the Red Sox signed Lackey for five years at $82.5 million.
The righty has been decidedly mediocre in the first half, culminating with today's performance, when he gave up eight hits and seven runs over 4 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays.
Overall, Lackey is 9-5 with a 4.78 ERA in 18 starts. That ERA is nearly a run higher than his career ERA of 3.88. Opponents are hitting .298 against Lackey, 33 points above his career average.
Is it pitching in the American League East? Is it pitching in the pressure cooker of Boston? With the All-Star Game in Anaheim, it would have been a nice story for Lackey to get a ticket back here in a Boston uniform to pitch in his former home. But he never gave that much of a run.
Lackey has given precious little insight into why he isn't the pitcher he was for all those years in Anaheim. It's not as if Lackey has been horrible. Far from it. There have been plenty of nights when he's given the Sox a solid chance to win. It's just that he hasn't really gotten locked into any kind of groove.
If he can do so in the second half, it would mean a lot to the Red Sox.


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The offer list keeps on growing for Amir Williams. The center from Detroit (MI) Country Day High School had an excellent finish to his high school year and a good start to the AAU season as well. T...
Williams hearing from more schools
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SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Armor received the 16th and final pick of the first round of the 2011 NBA Development League Draft through a lottery conducted Tuesday night at the annual coaches' meeting in Denver.
The pick, which had been traded to the Tulsa 66ers last season in exchange for the rights to Scottie Reynolds, will be followed by the first selection in the second round, which will belong to the Armor.
The draft will be held on November 3.
"We're thrilled to be nearing the start of the regular season," said Armor President Alex Schwerin. "This is an exciting time for us and we're looking forward to bringing that excitement to Armor fans both on and off the court."
The order of the first round will be:
1. Los Angeles D-Fenders
2. Austin Toros
3. Maine Red Claws
4. Sioux Falls Skyforce
5. Texas Legends
6. Iowa Energy (to Bakersfield)
7. Erie BayHawks
8. Bakersfield Jam
9. Idaho Stampede (to Erie)
10. Fort Wayne Mad Ants
11. Tulsa 66ers
12. Dakota Wizards
13. Reno Bighorns (to Bakersfield)
14. Rio Grande Valley Vipers
15. Canton
16. Springfield Armor (to Tulsa)
The draft is "serpentine" or "snaked," which means the order will be reversed in each of the eight rounds. For example, after picking first, Los Angeles' next selections will be the 32nd and 33rd overall. Springfield received the last pick in the first round (acquired by Tulsa) but will select first in the second round. Each of the NBA D-League's 16 teams will be given one pick in each round. No trades will be permitted during the draft, and only players signed to an NBA Development League Standard Player Contract are eligible to be selected.
In addition to the 17th overall pick, the Armor will also select 48th, 49th, 80th, 81st, 112th and 113th overall in the 128-player draft.
The Armor tip off the 2011-12 NBA D-League season on November 25 when they host the Maine Red Claws at 7 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.


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This print started out as a baseball card more than twenty years ago. Every aspect of it is designed to preserve the original look and feel of the card, from the printing pattern to the slightly worn edges. In fact, this print started by finding the actual card in our vault and then painstakingly re-mastering it with a team of designers. The authenticity extends to manufacturing; each print is made on high-quality, cotton fine art paper that measures 1/64 inches in thickness. Framed prints feature 2-inch flat wood or metallic frames with high-end, glare-resistant glass. And all prints are officially licensed by MLB and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bobby Grich was part of the first mass-market free agent re-entry draft after the 1976 season. He landed with the California Angels after making three All-Star teams with Baltimore. Grich played in only 52 games his first season with the Halos, going back to shortstop.
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Tyrone Rodriguez, co-founder of Nicalis games (Isaac Rebirth, Cave Story, VVVVVV), has made clear his opinion of the Wii U GamePad in a recent tweet. Beyond pure dislike the exact nature of the game designer's complaint is a bit difficult to unravel, as many on Twitter pointed out in an ensuing conversation. A response from Mr. Rodriguez helps clarify his statement.
Clearly then he believes Nintendo is the one cheating its customers (and the one that should feel the regret). Nintendo should, and likely does regret many things about the Wii U. Does Microsoft regret certain aspects of Kinect's design and marketing strategy? Absolutely. However it is untrue that consumers aren't using the GamePad. Developers, Nintendo included, are responsible for showing the users in what ways technology can change the way we play games.
Giving Mr. Rodriguez the benefit of the doubt, he is most likely referring to developers and not consumers. Wii U owners enjoy the GamePad most often for things indirectly related to new or paradigm-shifting types of gameplay (i.e. off-TV play). But then we must ask you Mr. game developer, if you (not us) are given the GamePad as a tool, why don't you create something more substantial?
What do you guys think?
[via Twitter]
Continue reading:
- Nintendo Switch trailer doesn't represe
- Analyst: Nintendo Switch could cost $250 and
- Check out these awesome themed Nintendo Switc
- Nintendo: Switch is a new platform, not a suc
TAGS: gamepad, Nicalis, Nintendo, Twitter, wii u


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Marco Belinelli has been here before, experienced games when his shot was clanking off the time instead of hitting the bottom of the net.
"I am happy for that," Belinelli said Wednesday, as he entered the game having missed 23 of 34 shots in New Orleans' three consecutive losses, with single-digit point production in five of the team's past seven games.
"You know, when I was in Golden State and Toronto, if I would miss the shot, I was going to the bench. So that was really tough for me. Now, I've got the confidence from coaches, organization, my teammates. I just want to score. It's not easy to tell you that, but that's my job. I want to score."
Belinelli said he is being encouraged to continue to shoot to work his way through this extended slump, with dire consequences if he passes up open looks.
"I speak with the coach and the assistant coach (Michael Malone, who works tirelessly with Belinelli before and after practice)," Belinelli said, "and they told me, 'Shoot the ball. If you don't shoot the ball, I send you on the bench.' "
Against the Kings, Belinelli finished 3-of-9 and had nine points as the Hornets erased a 23-point deficit and snapped that losing streak with a 94-91 win.
Hornets Coach Monty Williams has pointed out Belinelli, a Bolgna, Italy native, hasn't enjoyed the kind of confidence Williams and his staff have in him when it comes to prolonged, or even brief, dry spells.
Williams laughs when recounting his own NBA experience in those matters.
"If I had that kind of a run," Williams said, "I always got taken out of the lineup. I know the other side. But I think for him, it just gives him a pressure release to know that he doesn't have to look over his shoulder and at the same time, it can't be an excuse to not do what you're supposed to.
"Again, we have guys on the bench who are ready to play. My job is to put us in a position to win games. It's not something I want to become a trend. But we have that word (trust) on the wall. You can't talk about it and not do it."
And one of those guys who was ready to play Wednesday was reserve guard Marcus Thornton.
Thornton scored 13 points in the third quarter – and a season-high 19 – to spark the Hornets' comeback and played 24 minutes, his most since playing 30 minutes and scoring 17 points against the San Antonio Spurs in the third game of the season.
As well as Thornton played, though, it probably won't shake the staff's confidence in Belinelli.
Instead of beating down Belinelli's confidence, the coaches have encouraged him to shoot his way out of his inaccuracies by making different choices.
"We talked to Marco about running more and not settling for that first jump shot," Williams said. "A lot of times he's running to the break, where that 3-point line breaks. He's running to that spot like that's his home. A 'show-and-go' would help him out a lot because he's got the size to draw fouls.
"I think a lot of it has to do with the scouting report. He and Jason (Smith) aren't getting the same looks they got the first 10 or 11 games because teams are rotating to those guys hard. So you've got to get in the film room, see where you can drive, and try to get to the free-throw line. That's a way to cure any shooting slump, or whatever you want to call it."


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Splice (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) Sci-Fi
- Summary
- Reviews / Ratings
- Photos
- Videos
- Events
Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, they secretly take their experiment underground--risking their careers to push the boundaries of science and serve their own curiosity and ambition. The result is Dren, an amazing, strangely beautiful creature of uncommon intelligence and unexpected physical developments. At first, Dren exceeds their wildest dreams. But as she grows and learns at an accelerated rate, her existence threatens to become their worst nightmare.
Features Include:
A Director's Playground: Vicenzo Natali on the set of Splice
More Details
- Starring - Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley
- Directed by - Vincenzo Natali
- Distributed by - Warner Home Video
- MPAA Rating - R


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13 Things We're Excited About for 2013: #1
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we're counting down 13 things we're excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#1: Next Year Is Here
This offseason may have seemed torturously long. The sudden void of passion from the greatest season in franchise history coming to a screeching halt might have made the winter months seem like years. That's what happens when your team's games mean more. It is an unavoidable side effect of winning.
Last season was all about potential, about the new car smell of a winning franchise. But we are not here to rehash last year any longer.
We've come here to bury Pete Kozma, not to praise him.
Once the reality of last season was accepted, the focus turned to next year. And now, as you sit reading this, next year has, at long last, become this year.
This year is about expectation. The return of Adam LaRoche. The additions of Dan Haren, Denard Span and Rafael Soriano. Full seasons of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper for the first time.
The stakes have been raised. Make no mistake, that's a good thing. Before Sports Illustrated, or ESPN, or anyone else had a chance to raise them from the outside, Davey Johnson set the tone – just as he did last year. And just as we did last year, when we told you that the clock had started on the Nationals window of contention, on this Opening Day, we'll tell it to you straight.
We'll never forget Game 5, but we'll always remember Game 4 as well. We have experienced the joy of must-win victory, but we yearn for more, for the chance to savor it this year. However, we also know that nothing is guaranteed.
October is not an entitlement. It is earned every day, in Washington and in the 18 cities across the nation to which the Nationals will travel this year. Because there is no October until after September, and August, and July, all the way back to April, to right here, right now.
It's time to launch the journey that will define this year, and possibly many years of Washington baseball past and present.
It's time to begin.
4 Comments
I've been born and raised down Baltimore but I liked Adam Dunn and his last year was my first year liking the nationals and after that I just stayed with them because we built a good squid and we are gonna be champions this year!!! GO NATIONALS
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The White House is considering two community bankers to fill an open Fed seat, two people with knowledge of the process said earlier this month. The bankers are Mehlum and Rebeca Romero Rainey, chief executive officer of Centinel Bank of Taos, N.M., according to the people, who asked not to be identified because nominations haven't been announced.
Mehlum last year left Summit to become associate administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Capital Access.
Senators Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, have urged the White House to nominate a community banker to the Fed board.
banks share the interest we all have in reducing the systemic risk posed
by firms that are large, complex, and interconnected, and also in
reducing any potential competitive advantages that such firms may enjoy
as a result of too-big-to-fail," Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday in a speech in Washington to the Independent Community
Bankers of America.
Yellen said the Federal Reserve will tailor its supervision of community banks to reduce their regulatory burden, and that small lenders shouldn't face the same sort of oversight as the biggest financial firms.
"We are taking a fresh look at how we supervise community banks and possible ways that supervision can be smarter, more nimble, and more effective," she said. "A one-size-fits-all approach to supervision is often not appropriate."
Many executives leading almost 7,000 U.S. banks with assets below $10 billion are struggling to adapt to the Fed's overhaul of the financial supervision under the Dodd-Frank Act.
-Bloomberg News


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When it was all said and done, South Plainfield's resume was simply the best.
South Plainfield, the NJSIAA Group 3 champion for the second time in three seasons, has risen to the top of The Star-Ledger's Final Top 20 to secure its second No. 1 ranking -- its second Top 20 Trophy for the second time in three years.
Those losses proved South Plainfield (31-2) human but stole little luster from a season-long performance that kept the team among the top-three ranked squads in the state.
In a recent fan poll, it was Bergen Catholic receiving the most votes for No. 1 with over 4,000, more than 45 percent of the vote. South Plainfield was second with 34 percent and Phillipsburg third with 11 percent.
South Plainfield, which earned its first No. 1 ranking in 2010 and boasts an 80-8 record over the past three seasons, received a few assists down the stretch to open the gate to the No. 1 ranking.
Bergen Catholic, which won the state Non-Public A championship and finished No. 4, knocked off then-No. 2 St. Peter's Prep in the North Jersey, Non-Public A final. That same evening, Feb. 10, Brick Memorial, already with a victory in hand over St. Peter's Prep, defeated No. 1 Jackson in the Central Jersey, Group 4 final.
That opened to door for South Plainfield, ranked No. 3 at the time.But Brick Memorial had thrust itself into the No. 1 discussion, too, and furthered that thought by defeating Southern Regional in the Group 4 state semifinals on Feb. 12. Phillipsburg then defeated Brick Memorial in the Group 4 state final to knock the Ocean County school out of the equation.
Phillipsburg now had a stake in the debate, but it had lost to St. Peter's Prep, too, earlier in the season, and owned an early-season loss to unranked Franklin. So the long-time state power from Warren County ends up No. 2 in the rankings.
South Plainfield's consistency over the long haul won out and is shown best by its victories over four teams that walked away with titles on Feb. 12 at Toms River North -- the Groups 1 and 2 and Non-Public A and B state champions.
The Middlesex County school defeated the Non-Public a winner, Bergen Catholic, 34-24, on Dec. 22, knocked off the Group 2 champion, Raritan, 47-18, on Jan. 7, defeated the Non-Public B champion, Camden Catholic, 40-27, on Jan. 20 and dominated the Group 1 champion, Bound Brook, 52-15, on Feb. 3.
It also defeated No. 12 Timber Creek, believed to be South Plainfield's biggest threat in Group 3, twice, and edged No. 9 Ocean Township, 30-27, in the Group 3 final on Feb. 12. In all, South Plainfield was 8-1 against Top 20 teams, defeating the Nos. 4, 9, 10, 11 (Delbarton), 12, 13 and 15 teams.
And "Murderer's Row" was just that.
Sophomore Ray Jazikoff (30-6 at 113 pounds), Troy Heilmann (34-3 at 120), two-time state champion Anthony Ashnault (37-0 at 126) and Scott DelVecchio (37-0 at 132), each a junior, senior Tyler Hunt (37-0 at 138) and juniors Corey Stasenko (37-0 at 145) and Dylan Painton (32-4 at 152) combined for a staggering record of 244-13 that created an intimidating force.
Equally important, the rest of the South Plainfield lineup proved no easy out.
Alex Lundy (20-16 at 170), Mike Molinaro (20-12 at 182), Sam Bermudez (15-14 at 195), Tony Russell (25-12 at 220), Tyler Calderon (14-6 at heavyweight) and Ryan Walsh (12-21 at 103) were a strong complement to the stars who shined the brightest in the South Plainfield lineup.
Just this past Saturday, South Plainfield extended its district championship winning streak -- a state record -- to 28 straight years when the team captured the District 12 title in its own gym.THE FINAL STAR-LEDGER TOP 20
1-South Plainfield (31-2)
2-Phillipsburg (16-3)
3-Brick Memorial (18-4)
4-Bergen Catholic (16-5)
5-St. Peter's Prep (15-3)
6-Jackson (19-1)
7-Southern Regional (11-3)
8-Howell (22-4)
9-Ocean Township (22-2)
10-Bound Brook (20-4)
11-Delbarton (16-5)
12-Timber Creek (22-2)
13-Raritan (24-6)
14-Delsea (21-2)
15-Camden Catholic (25-5)
16-North Hunterdon (17-5)
17-Delaware Valley (14-4)
18-Morris Knolls (17-2)
19-Watchung Hills (20-4)
20-Kittatinny (16-5)


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LSM Lunar (470 nm) LED String – 3 LEDs
*Use this string of LED in combination with your Apex system and Lunar Simulation Module (LSM)
When you purchase the Apex Controller and Lunar Simulation Module you need to outfit i...
Precision of +/- .01
10` coax cable
Sealed Ag/AgCI reference.
Standard BNC connector
The Lunar Simulator Module (LSM) allows the AquaController to control and vary the intensity to a 2 to 5 LSM Lunar LED String for a realistic moon cycle simulation. The moonrise and set times follow the true lunar cycle. LSM Lun...
10` coax cable
Platinum band electrode.
Standard BNC connector


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Police say the chase started around 8:45 this evening in the Grant and Garfield area .. not far off Kemp.
Police have one male in custody right now. And a K9 is helping in the search and several police units are looking for a second suspect. No names or ages are being released, but we're told the amount of marijuana confiscated is significant.
Copyright 2016 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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As Robert Pattinson's career rises to new levels of stardom, the London born actor is constantly dong interviews to promote his news films. Here is a look at the top ten things that scare Pattinson according to him.
1. The Dark: When Rob was asked by Bravo magazine what scares him he replied: "Darkness! I can't fall asleep without a light! …And I don't like driving. Even in a taxi."2. Clowns: He…
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|[TowerTalk] Driving ground rods in rocky soil
|Peter Dougherty <firstname.lastname@example.com>
|Thu, 24 May 2007 15:57:11 -0400
Hi 4 hours of back-breaking labour has resulted in my being able to get a ground rod down 14" using a 10# hand sledge. My soil is extremely rocky and this rod MUST go in within a foot of a 100+ year old oak (for a K9AY loop - Gary sez it must be right at the base). I don't know if I'm hitting roots or rock, but I can tell you I'll do anything or pay anything to get this driven in, no questions asked. I've tried 6 tool rental places, Home Depots, etc, and nobody rents ground rod driving tools in this part of the state (no idea why, they just don't). I've come this close to hospitalizing myself over this project and don't know where to turn. I've run the hose for two hours and it loosens up that top foot of earth real easy. I've tried driving it within about a 2' circle and the best I can do anywhere else is about 6: before hitting something. Is there a trick to getting this done that I can try, or am I looking at hiring a heavy construction firm for thousands of dollars? Cheers, Peter, W2IRT _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ TowerTalk mailing list firstname.lastname@example.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
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The first sentence in a news release pretty much sums up PennEnvironment's assessment of the General Assembly's efforts to protect the Earth.
"Only two of Pennsylvania's state senators and thirteen of the Commonwealth's 203 state representatives received an environmental score of 100%" in the group's new scorecard, which will be distributed to 100,000 households.
"In order to protect and preserve Pennsylvania's environment, we need our elected officials voting for the strongest environmental protections possible," said PennEnvironment Director David Masur. "These scorecards detail the environmental voting records of elected officials so that citizens can hold those officials accountable."
Here's how some midstate lawmakers were rated: To view the full scorecard and all members, click here:
Rep. John Bear (Lancaster County), 22%
Rep. Scott Boyd (Lancaster County), 22%
Rep. Ronald Buxton (Dauphin County), 78%
Rep. Thomas Creighton (Lancaster County), 0%
Rep. Bryan Cutler (Lancaster County), 22%
Rep. Gordon Denlinger (Lancaster County), 0%
Rep. Eugene DePasquale (York County), 86%
Rep. William Gabig (Cumberland County), 33%
Rep. Mauree Gingrich (Lebanon County), 20%
Rep. Glen Grell (Cumberland County), 22%
Rep. Susan Helm (Dauphin County), 33%
Rep. David Hickernell (Dauphin and Lancaster Counties), 22%
Rep. Mark Keller (Perry County), 13%
Rep. Beverly Mackereth (York County), 22%
Rep. Ronald Marsico (Dauphin County), 33%
Rep. Dan Moul (Adams County), 11%
Rep. Ronald Miller (York County), 11%
Rep. Jerry Nailor (Cumberland County), 33%
Rep. Steve Nickol (Adams County), 22%
Rep. John Payne (Dauphin County), 33%
Rep. Scott Perry (York County), 0%
Rep. Stanley Saylor (York County), 11%
Rep. Mike Sturla (Lancaster County), 89%
Rep. Rosemarie Swanger (Lebanon County), 22%
Rep. Katie True (Lancaster County), 22%
Sen. Gibson Armstrong (Lancaster County), 43%
Sen. Michael Brubaker (Lancaster County), 40%
Sen. Jake Corman (Centre, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry Counties), 29%
Sen. Mike Folmer (Berks and Lebanon Counties), 0%
Sen. John Gordner (Columbia, Dauphin, Montour, Northumberland, and Snyder Counties), 29%
Sen. Jeffrey Piccola (Dauphin County), 0%
Sen. Terry Punt (Adams and Franklin Counties), 29%
Sen. Patricia Vance (Cumberland County), 50%
Sen. Michael Waugh (York County), 43%


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Against the Grain: 'Milo Festival' Has Few Fans of the Guest of Honor
Notoriously Itchy Crop Peaked in 1957, but a Kansas Celebration Lives On
BEATTIE, Kan.—In this self-designated Milo Capital of the World, hundreds come from miles around to celebrate at the annual Milo Festival.
Milo is painted on the side of a downtown building and festivalgoers wear T-shirts with milo emblazoned on the sleeves. "Keep Calm and Milofest On," the shirts say.
But the town of 200 residents is an island surrounded by a sea of corn, soybean and wheat fields. Milo, a crop also known as grain sorghum, hasn't been grown here widely for decades.
Celebrating a Crop's Heyday
Most of the farmers who lined the parade route to celebrate milo at the recent 44th annual festival had long ago abandoned the hassles of drying and weeding the bushy-headed, notoriously itchy crop.
"I quit it and went to corn," said Earl Schwarz, 86 years old, a local farmer, as he wandered through the festival's Milo Head Exhibit in search of the perfect stalk.
There wasn't much milo on display at the milo exhibit. Laid out on two-by-four planks were a handful of young milo tops interspersed amid dozens of canary-colored ears of corn. After several years of waning interest from milo entrants, organizers finally allowed corn to be displayed too. It quickly took over in popularity among contestants.
"If this wasn't such an old, traditional festival we'd probably change the name," said Todd Sandmann, who enjoys the festival but lives on a farm south of town where milo hasn't been planted in years.
Beattie and other similarly tradition-bound communities love their festivals. But as modern interests and conveniences take over, sometimes the guests of honor at these celebrations are relegated to no more than a cameo role, or none at all.
In Traer, Iowa, residents created the Winding Stair Festival to hail a curlicue iron stairway built outside a downtown storefront in the 1890s that draws tourists to the town of about 1,700.
This year the stair festival had a pirate theme, adopted to appeal to youngsters, organizers said. It featured a Yo Ho Ho family game night, a Walk the Plank pool party, free Czech pastries called kolaches, a marshmallow-eating contest, a hypnotist, laser tag and a beer garden with Jell-O shots.
"There were no events around the stairway," said Ellen Young, one of the festival organizers. "We were a half a block away."
The reason she said the 19-year-old festival is still named for the staircase: marketing.
"We use the winding stairs as kind of the town logo," said Ms. Young, who said Traer's motto is "Wind up in Traer."
In the town of Chadron, Neb., where trappers once came from miles around to swap buffalo pelts at a popular sod-covered trading post, the annual Fur Trade Days draws huge crowds.
One of the festival's highlights is the Buckskinners' Primitive Rendezvous featuring re-enactors who camp out in teepees and show off muzzleloading guns and tomahawks. But Rendezvous organizer Norman Martin said no one has demonstrated how to trap and skin a varmint at the event in years.
"It's really labor intensive, and most of us have jobs to do," said Mr. Martin, who runs Mar-Bow Archery & Music where modern hunters can buy bows and arrows. Mr. Martin doesn't sell animal traps but he does outfit school band members with flutes and clarinets.
"If you're going to trap, you have to check it every cotton-picking day," he said. "It's not something that everybody likes to do."
In Beattie, where the theme of this year's Milo Festival was "The Good Ole Days Are Here To Stay," advances in genetic research and spruced-up herbicide convinced milo farmers to largely switch to corn and soybeans as primary crops. While there is still demand for milo, prices for corn generally have shot up.
Milo's floppy, full heads take too much time to dry during harvest, some farmers say, and dust from the dry plant is unbearable when it comes in contact with skin.
"It's very itchy and a harder crop to deal with," says Amy Studer, who is one of the proud organizers of the Milo Festival and like most others in Beattie doesn't farm milo.
Milo, used in feed for pigs and chickens, was once a popular crop across the Midwest, with the numbers of milo acres peaking in 1957, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The United Sorghum Checkoff Program, from its offices in Lubbock, Texas, is trying to convince communities to return to milo. Program officials tout its use in biofuel production and its potential value in overseas markets, and boast of gluten-free products for humans such as milo-based beer, bread, pancakes and lollipops.
They may encounter resistance from people such as Joel Naaf, 33, who weeded his family's milo fields when he was a boy. Mr. Naaf shivered a little at the Milo Festival as he recalled clouds of milo dust he described as "itchy, horrible, nasty stuff."
"The pollen it emits is just razor-blade-like," said Mr. Naaf, a special-education teacher who helps his father and brother now farm corn and soybeans.
But he couldn't deny milo's virtues as a hearty crop.
"You could plant it on this tennis court and it'd probably grow," he said, pointing to the slab of concrete where contestants in a frog-jumping contest tickled and goosed plump bullfrogs.
"It's the standby people can count on," he said, adding that the little milo planted around Beattie is "mostly ornamental." "It's a weed, let's be honest."
Even the toddler contestants in the Milo King and Queen contest didn't seem to envision a future involving milo. During the question-and-answer session, youngsters decked out in sparkly crimson banners labeled with sponsors such as Don's Tractor Salvage were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. Doctor and firefighter were among the answers.
At the greased pig contest, Mason Creek, a 6-year-old with a blond mohawk who lives in Beatrice, Neb., won one heat after pouncing on a tan-and-white piglet doused in Dawn dish soap. He said he honed his skills practicing on his 12-year-old sister. His family doesn't farm.
Write to Dionne Searcey at email@example.com


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An editor was last month sentenced to 11 years in prison, for "defaming" the country's king. Geoffrey Cain reports on how Thailand's lèse majesté laws have chilled free speech
Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a Thai political activist and former editor-in-chief of the Voice of Taksin and Red Power partisan news magazines, was last week charged with two offences of lese majeste for two separate articles deemed critical of the royal family published in his now-defunct Voice of Taksin magazine. Lese majeste charges in


text:
Introducing our new 2014 C7 Corvette Footwell LED Lighting Kit. This kit will light up the entire footwell area not just a small area like the factory light. This 2014 C7 Corvette Footwell LED Lighting Kit includes LED strips with 15 Bright or Super Bright LEDs per side. Covers driver and passenger footwells and retains the "theater" effect of the factory interior lights.
With all our available colors other Corvette owners will be checking your car out!


text:
For faceframe construction use rear mount socket
Grass America, Inc. ("Grass") warrants to the homeowner/consumer its hinges, drawer slides, and accessory hardware manufcatured by Grass against defects in materials and workmanship, as determined by Grass, for the lifetime of the hinges, drawer slides or accessory hardware. This warranty does not cover any casues of malfunction other than defects in materials and workmanship, such as malfunctions caused by misuse, abuse, accident, modification, improper installation, or usual and customary wear. Grass will send a replacement product to the homeowner/consumer for a Shipping Handling Fee currently in effect. This warranty specificially does not include costs for removal of the defective product or installation of the replacement. If the defective product has been discontinued, Grass reserves the right to replace the defective product with a comparable product currently manufactured. There is no guarantee of full interchangeability offered, and the warranty does not apply to a discontinued product if at Grass' discretion a comparable product is not available.


text:
By utilizing the latest technology and design practices, Smartrise™ has created a simpler, more reliable, and more capable elevator controller system. With a universal design that is shared across all Smartrise controllers, the software-centric design reduces the number of boards, relays, and wiring.
Open Market Control—the next step in non-proprietary.
What good is a non-proprietary elevator controller if you can only get your spare parts from one source? Smartrise™ introduces the revolutionary concept of "open market" to the elevator controller industry. Parts can be purchased from us or on the "open market"—now you have a choice!


text:
I have no idea!
The guy I've been crushing on for the last 3years came in to my work again today. He smiled for me but didn't smile for my coworker. Last night I dreamt that I worked up the nerve to call him, invite him out, and then finally tell him how I felt. Oh boy. I honestly don't know what I should do. :/ Numerous mutual friends have told me that they thought we had been dating or they thought we should date.
I'm so unsure of everything. This is all new to me. I mean, after being with one person literally right out of high school and for 14 subsequent years really didn't prepare me for adulthood quite the right way. I have no idea how to behave, no idea how to approach someone I like. I feel like I'm in high school all over again with this. *sigh*
I wouldn't mind being in HS all over again. It would bring back the many memories I had. Yet, I think of only one when I left HS and sometimes would like to talk to him. So many things to say, yet he's no where to be found.
Just be yourself and have a little fun, flirt and enjoy.
I'm shy so I would probably have one of my mutual friends inquire about if he's single
I'm shy so I would probably have one of my mutual friends inquire about if he's single[/quote
I'd def make sure he is single first. If he is, get a bit more chatty and see if you can find a common interest...then suggest doing it together sometime.
If you already know he's single then just ask him out!! :)
If you're already friends, then why not suggest going to dinner or something?
Quoting kjdama: The part I didn't mention is that I currently am friends with him. :) I do know he was dating someone but recently she broke up with him. That's when I suddenly started running into him everywhere and seeing him at my work. I hadn't seen him or talked to him since December at the town Christmas festival.
I say go for it! Take a chance. If it isn't reciprocated, at least then you can move on without always wondering "what if?"


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By Dr. Parker Griffith
Alabama's Fifth Congressional District is at a crossroads. We all know our economy is threatened and families are hurting. Our future is at stake.
Throughout the campaign, we have addressed the critical issues facing North Alabama -- our jobs, our defense, our security, our quality of life. We must make certain the region of North Alabama thrives by preventing tax increases; protecting, restoring, and creating new jobs and investment; and by safeguarding our defense and space programs.
As I have said, North Alabama is a unique environment in the country and serves a vital role within our national security. Persistent and emerging threats demand that our region continue its work sustaining our military and providing new technologies in order to maintain our superiority.
Our leadership must work effectively with others to keep those critical space and defense programs here. With the new rounds of BRAC announced, the competition throughout similar communities will become even more intense. A positive image and the ability to work effectively with others will be more important than ever.
As a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, I believe I am the best choice to lead our region in portraying the strength and diversity of North Alabama -- our brain trust, our economic potential, our ability to meet and exceed the expectations of the nation at such a significant time in our history.
In discussing some of the important issues, The Times has asked that I address some specific questions regarding policy and my platform.
QUESTION 1: How do you balance the need to reduce the deficit against pressure to keep federally funded projects in the district?
A: First, in reference to the deficit balanced against the need to keep federally funded projects in the district, I believe that the best approach to reducing the federal deficit is one of prioritization. National security must be the first priority, and North Alabama plays a crucial role that must be protected.
It is clear that many items in the budget can be reduced, but we must make certain that our military preparedness is not compromised in the process. As your congressman, I will work with other districts that share our national security mission to negotiate areas in our national defense programs that can be streamlined while working to reduce the size of the federal government.
QUESTION 2 Medicaid is a government-funded health insurance program primarily for the poor. It is very unpopular among both its beneficiaries and medical service providers, such as physicians. Should Medicaid be preserved? And, if so, how should Congress change it?
A: On the subject of our federal medical programs, I believe that Medicaid should be preserved but not in its present form. Medicaid monies and grants should be allocated to the states without the burdensome regulations imposed by the federal government. A model would be the state of Louisiana that has received a waiver that allows four separate HMOS to compete for state-controlled Medicaid services.
Although this example is not a completely free market solution, it is a vast improvement to our current system. With these parameters, quality control rests with the states. It is also clear that if changes are not made within the Medicaid system, the financial implications to the State of Alabama could be disastrous. I will work tirelessly to formulate solutions that can work.
QUESTION 3: Congress has become very partisan. What actions have you taken or would you take to nurture bipartisan discussions about national problems?
A: On the subject of bipartisanship, I have always believed that negotiated solutions are possible. Developing positive relationships is essential to the legislative process -- knowing who is across the table and understanding the needs of their individual districts.
As a businessman, I know that even the most intense disagreements can be resolved without personal attacks that result in hard feelings. In Congress, there will always be issues that bring you to the table that require a negotiated solution. At times, you will share the views of your colleagues. At others, you will not. Long before those situations arise, you must establish positive relationships with those you may have to challenge. Then there is the opportunity for serious, productive debate and solutions good for North Alabama and America.
QUESTION 4 What national imperative or crisis, if any, might cause you to vote for an increase in taxes or fees, or the end of certain deductions or a combination?
A: Regarding a need for additional revenue, we know that crises occur most often without warning. So many variables can come into play -- another attack on our national security, a natural disaster, events that lead to an outbreak of an infectious crisis. All of these would require a national response -- such as what occurred with polio and Sputnik. Any additional funding required for a specific event would be clearly defined and temporary.
Dr. Parker Griffith is the former U.S. representative of Alabama's Fifth Congressional District.


text:
Griffin's Survivor Military-Duty custom iPad case is designed from the inside out to protect your iPad Air from extreme conditions.
Made of cowhide leather this custom padfolio features a ballistic nylon trim and 210d nylon interior.
Made from pebble grain leather, this custom iPad case is the perfect gift for the tech savvy customers that want to protect their investment.
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This iPad custom tablet stand with Bluetooth keyboarddoubles as a protective carrying case and as a presentation stand.