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Support >
Applications >
Nucleic_Acid_Purification >
Transfection efficiency depends on many factors, including DNA quality and purity. Anion-exchange columns (such as NucleoBond Xtra) provide the purest DNA and the best transfection results. However, DNA purified with other brands of anion-exchange DNA purification columns cannot match the purity and transfection efficiency of DNA purified with NucleoBond Xtra DNA purification columns.
Figure 1. Plasmid DNA for a gephyrin-GFP fusion was purified with NucleoBond Xtra and with a plasmid DNA purification kit from Competitor Q. HEK 293 cells were transfected with plasmid DNA and incubated for 48 hr before visualization by fluorescent microscopy. NucleoBond Xtra gave higher transfection efficiency.
NucleoBond Xtra columns purify up to 2–5 times more DNA than other columns, in up to 60% less time. Plasmid DNA was isolated following each manufacturer's protocol, using the maximum culture volume and high plasmid content. Plasmid DNA yield was determined after DNA precipitation
Endotoxins are components of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. They are toxic to cells grown in culture, and unfortunately they can be found in any non-sterile environment. NucleoBond Xtra EF kits use a patented procedure to reduce endotoxins to a very low level (0.05 EU/µg) that is suitable for the transfection of highly sensitive cells such as primary neurons and for lentivirus production.
Figure 2. A 9 kbp high-copy-number plasmid encoding a neuroglin-GFP fusion was purified using NucleoBond Xtra Midi EF and used to transfect primary rat hippocampal neurons. The neurons were analyzed by fluorescence microscopy 48 hr after transfection.
The NucleoBond Xtra protocol is very simple: clear the bacterial lysate and load it onto the column, wash twice, and elute purified DNA in a high-salt buffer. Precipitate the purified DNA with isopropanol (Xtra kits) or for faster results, with the NucleoBond Xtra Finalizer (Xtra Plus kits). Endotoxin-free kits (NucleoBond Xtra EF and EF Plus) include one additional wash step.
Visit the Documents tab of the relevant product page to download the User Manual and other documentation.


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Robert Melvin Utt, born July 7, 1924, in Pratt County, died Dec. 22, 2012, at Cox South Hospital, Springfield, Mo.
He was the son of Floyd and Mary Utt. Robert was a 1942 graduate of Cullison High School. He was a U.S. Navy veteran.
He is survived by Pauline, his wife of 57 years; a daughter, Tresa (Marvin) Fullington; sons, Chuck (Mary) Gaba and Steve Widener; 14 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and sisters, Marjorie Davis, Lenexa, and Norma Lake Belding, Michigan.
Services were held Dec. 28, 2012, at Springfield. Mo.

subset: commoncrawl


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It's been noted that jazz singer Billie Holiday wore gardenias in her hair and called them her trademark. No doubt, the fragrant white flowers of our fresh gardenia plant can sing away any blues. Set in a rustic galvanized planter, it's ready to spread some sunshine anywhere. Plus, get a Free gardenia scented Yankee Candle® for more lasting fragrance.


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August 1948, I stepped on a Trailways bus in front of the First Baptist Church of Enid taking 50 of us three hours south down old highway 77 into the Arbuckle mountains to the Falls Creek Baptist Assembly where we would join more than 5,000 teens from Baptist churches across Oklahoma. Though my 65-year-old memories suffice to adequately describe that and several similar experiences subsequently, they in no way serve to explain its significance to me and other campers then and hundreds of thousands to follow.
August 1948, I stepped on a Trailways bus in front of the First Baptist Church of Enid taking 50 of us three hours south down old highway 77 into the Arbuckle mountains to the Falls Creek Baptist Assembly where we would join more than 5,000 teens from Baptist churches across Oklahoma. Though my 65-year-old memories suffice to adequately describe that and several similar experiences subsequently, they in no way serve to explain its significance to me and other campers then and hundreds of thousands to follow.
Fortunately, this week I read the biography of one of my classmates in Ms. Bertha Duerksen's first grade at Woodrow Wilson Grade School. She started us writing stories at age 6, and Calvin turned out to be the best writer in class. *
Calvin's descriptions of our years between 12 and 20 brought back the crucial insight to understanding the popularity — and significance — of Falls Creek
Because a creek ran through it, J.B. Rounds and W.D. Moorer chose that area in 1917 to establish Falls Creek as a place for annual retreats where Oklahoma Baptist youth could escape the routines of life and refill their spiritual buckets.
My first year, over 14,000 persons registered — including many non-campers who drove in nightly for the evening services. By my last year, 1951, attendance had grown to 20,000. Last year registrations reached a record 52,978.
Days began with classes in small "arbors." My first music class was taught by William [Bill] Reynolds, who accompanied singing with a small pump organ. Leading music in worship services was legendary B.B. McKinney.
Afternoons were for naps, team softball and volleyball, ping pong, and hiking. Boys and girls swam in separate pools. (They still do!) Camp evangelists drove into Sulphur to swim at the Vendome and Bellevue pools heated by artesian wells.
The name of the game for all kids was to find someone of the opposite sex with whom you could hang out. Hooking up then meant sitting together in services, senseless conversation at one another's cabin, aimlessly walking around or going to the campus center for a snack, and the homerun activity — romantic strolls in the dark holding hands. Many marriages began at Falls Creek.
Evening services involved altar calls in which scores at a time "walked the aisles." (This year, 2,469 conversions and 1,277 calls to the ministry were recorded.) Days ended with Bible studies, testimonies, and prayer. We were once kept awake by a boy from Perry playing his trumpet. Guards made him "sit on the wall" as punishment. The old wood tabernacle is gone now, replaced by a new, air conditioned one seating 7,200. It's dedicated to that boy from Perry — Johnny Bisagno. (He dated a girl from our cabin, Lova Lou Merritt.)
Back then campers stayed long enough to send postcards and letters back home — typically involving a plea for money. This week, Paul Day sent me a card I sent to his wife dated Aug. 10, 1951, which read, "Dear Patty, How is things? I am having loads of fun. I play left field on our softball team….I went to Lake Murray twice. 162 came forward in church last nite. Love, Bob" (Patty is now in Hospice care in an Alztheimer's Unit.)
Bob Williams wrote in a postcard to his mother, Bonna dated July 29, 1965, "Mom, Going to Turner falls Thursday to spend money. And I am fine. See ya Friday. Chick."
Calvin and I became Christians as children. After, we experienced a new normal in our interior life that gave us a special affinity to fellow Christians in church but tended to separate us socially from "the world." Puberty, roughly coextensive with teen years, the new normal physiologically warred with our new spiritual normal. It created 10 years Calvin called, "The most wretched years of my life [in] a world I found so unfriendly….I can hardly make any real sense of those years." *
We, the "Silent Generation," lived in the "golden years." My classmates agree our childhoods in Enid were almost magical. There was, however, a downside for Calvin and me.
There were conflicts. A boy raised by and with women might have behavioral mannerisms that incited bullies. Male groups also didn't like their buddies to be too smart either. Cursing, foul talk, inappropriate behavior with the girls, and defying school authorities were the things that endeared you to the in-crowd.
Being a Christian brought new norms, making me a part of the church crowd but separating me from my buddies, creating inner tension and social conflict. I found two places where I could escape this psychological and social discord — my church and Falls Creek. (Years later, Calvin would find a third place where he fit in and excelled e.g., OBU.) Like a terrarium, Falls Creek was an isolated, closed system within a larger, hostile society, one where we were safe, accepted, and nurtured. In microcosm, it was "Thy kingdom on earth as it is in heaven" [Mt. 6:10] where all things within and between individuals are united in love.
I'm confident that someday I'll meet Calvin again in heaven and find him a happy camper.
Calvin Miller, "Life Is Mostly Edges: A Memoir," Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.


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Products >
Fluorescent_Proteins_and_Reporters >
Fluorescent_Proteins >
Visualize subcellular structures directly and noninvasively by fluorescence microscopy. With these vectors, you can study cytoskeletal and organelle structure and function in living cells, in real time, and without chemical staining. You can monitor the location of a protein of interest relative to a given subcellular structure by labeling both the protein and the structure with separate fluorescent proteins.The Subcellular Localization Vectors encode fusions of fluorescent protein variants and localization signals or subcellular structural proteins, which target the fluorescent protein to a specific organelle or subcellular structure. The vectors are available in a variety of organelle- and cytoskeleton-targeted color variants. They are ideal for multiplex labeling experiments.
PAmCherry is a photoactivatable mutant of mCherry that is non-fluorescent until it is exposed to 350–400 nm light. By selecting which cellular regions to activate, you can track organelles against a dark background. PAmCherry subcellular localization vectors are available that target PAmCherry to the cell membrane, mitochondria, actin, or tubulin, respectively. Observe photoactivated PAmCherry with the same filter sets used for other red fluorescent proteins, such as DsRed variants and mCherry.
This kit is designed to monitor the highly dynamic behavior of the actin filament system in live cells. The kit includes lentiviral vectors encoding actin fusions to DD-AcGFP1 (green, destabilized) and mCherry (red), and the DD's stabilizing ligand Shield1. DD-AcGFP1-Actin is continuously targeted for degradation in the cell by the proteasomes, unless the cells are cultured in medium containing the stabilizing ligand Shield1. By contrast, mCherry-Actin (which does not contain the DD) has normal stability upon expression, and is constitutively present in the cell.
Adding and removing Shield1 creates a "pulse-chase" like set of conditions which allow you to monitor polymerization of actin monomers as newly synthesized DD-AcGFP1-Actin that is stabilized by Shield1 (green) is integrated into the existing (red) mCherry-Actin actin filament network.
pAutophagSENSE is a mammalian expression vector that allows you to monitor the process of autophagy. pAutophagSENSE encodes a fusion of the green fluorescent protein AcGFP1 and the rat LC3 protein. In cells not undergoing autophagy, the AcGFP1-LC3 fusion protein is evenly distributed in the cytoplasm of a transfected cell. However, if a cell is undergoing autophagy via the formation of autophagosomes, the AcGFP1-LC3 fusion protein is incorporated into autophagosomes. This process can be monitored by following the redistribution of the green fluorescent fusion protein from the cytosol to the forming autophagosomes. The readout is a change from an even cytosolic distribution of green fluorescence in cells to a punctate pattern representing the forming autophagosomes. pAutophagSENSE saves you money compared to other autophagy detection systems, because it is vector-based—not a consumable you have to buy over and over again.
Please see the product's Certificate of Analysis for information about storage conditions, product components, and technical specifications. Please see the Kit Components List to determine kit components. Certificates of Analysis and Kit Components Lists are located under the Documents tab.


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It's that time of year again …December 6, 2009 at 6:57 pm | Posted in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) | 6 Comments
Tags: Cambridge, Christmas letter, Christmas. presents, friends, R.A.
The time of year when you start to feel really guilty (instead of just a bit guilty) about all those friends you've been meaning to write to all year but actually haven't written to since last Christmas; the time when you realise in a last minute panic that you usually send said friends a small present in the post with the annual letter and you haven't got them anything; the time when you start to receive cards from more organised friends and realise that yes, we're actually in DECEMBER and it's time to get on with it.
Yesterday, after the x-rays (just routine, took about three minutes, but journey there and back took well over an hour!) and between naps (still catching up from Wales trip) I wrapped ALL my presents … or at least I thought I'd wrapped all my presents. I was briefly very pleased with myself. Then I realised that two that were mail order hadn't actually arrived yet and there were three of those annual letter friends that I'd forgotten to get anything for!
Fortunately I was visiting a friend in Cambridge today and we'd planned to go to one of these garden centres that make most of their money from non-garden related things. We didn't even look at the plants, but we spent a good long time in their cafe and browsed their giftie bits and pieces, which nicely sorted out all three said friends.
I'm now feeling quite pleased with myself again because as soon as I got back I wrote the backbone of that annual letter. Obviously it's not going to be a 'round robin' letter – there's no excuse for those these days; it's too easy to make them personal by topping and tailing them and adding salient bits about the individual friends, and points that might be of special interest to them, but the 'general' news, such as the Barcelona trip, the fact that I'm still in gainful employment in spite of the recession and so's hubby etc. etc. is all down.
I'm now worrying about the fact that the letters, 'R.A.' appear eight times on one side of A4!! It's NOT that I'm letting it define my life, honest … it's just that the Barcelona trip was a big feature of my year and well, that was all about R.A.! Tough – they'll just have to live with it. I do! At least they only get it once a year.
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So, you know you won't be getting one of the round robin letters that I printed out yesterday, don't you?
Comment by Maggie— December 7, 2009 #
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text: Ike Davis has seen the beginning of this movie before. Now, he hopes it has a similar ending.After a three-week stint with Triple-A Las Vegas to get his mind and swing right, Davis will be recalled by the Mets in time for Friday's game in Milwaukee. Following his first 55 games in which he hit .161/.242/.258 with five home runs, Davis was demoted to Las Vegas on June 9. It was the equivalent of hitting rock bottom for a player with Davis' talent.Except that it wasn't, because Davis was in the exact same spot just a year before. Through 55 games in 2012, Davis' line looked eerily similar to the line he put up before his demotion. The first baseman hit .161/.237/.278 line with five home runs to start last season as well.Click here for the latest MLB Player News, and follow @Nate_Grimm and @Rotoworld_BB on Twitter while you're at it.The cause for optimism isn't that Davis has started slowly in two consecutive years; it's what the 26-year-old did in the second half of last season that should pique the interest of fantasy players. From July 5 on, Davis hit .254/.341/.542 with 21 home runs. He finished the year with 32 homers and 90 RBI.There are no guarantees, but much like last year his recent production with Las Vegas suggests the next three months could be more kind to Davis than the first three. In 21 games with the Triple-A affiliate, Davis hit .293/.424/.667 with seven home runs. He had just one fewer walk (17) than strikeout (18) in those 21 games.There's little competition at the first base position for Davis in New York, so he's not getting recalled to sit on the bench. He'll be given every opportunity to break out and replicate last season's second half. And due to his power potential, Davis is a low-risk, high-reward flyer for owners in search of home runs and RBI.Precious CarGoCarlos Gonzalez has done plenty of damage swinging the bat this season. On Thursday, a swing inflicted some damage on him as well.Gonzalez strained his upper back during a swing in the fifth inning of Thursday's game against the Dodgers, and he was removed an inning later. He was 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored at the time of his exit.He has already expressed a desire to start Friday's game, but it would be wise for the Rockies to err on the side of caution with their star outfielder. The 27-year-old has had a monster first half, hitting .295/.362/.605 with 23 home runs and 15 stolen bases. He won't be given any hardware for it, but an easy case could be made that CarGo has been the MVP of the National League through the first half of the season.The Rockies have already said he's day-to-day with the injury, so it wouldn't be surprising if he missed at least Friday's game. A DL stint will likely not be necessary, but those in daily leagues should consider benching him before Friday's game. More should be known about his injury and availability when he arrives at the ballpark Friday afternoon.Healin' Of TroyGonzalez is the runaway MVP in the season's first half in part because his teammate Troy Tulowitzki has been sidelined with a broken rib, but that may be changing soon.Tulo has been out since June 13 when an MRI showed the rib fracture, but on Thursday he said he's improving and could be back in a matter of days."I don't know, because every day is a little bit different," Tulowitzki told the Denver Post of when asked when he might return. "In five days I might feel great. But really, getting back has nothing to do with the All-Star Game, it has everything to do with getting back for the team."A return so soon would have represented a best-case scenario for the shortstop when he went down with the injury. Estimates at the time reported he would miss anywhere from four-to-six weeks; Tulowitzki will hit the four week mark on July 11.If nothing else, Thursday's news suggests Tulo will be back sooner than later, which is good news for owners of the 28-year-old. Tulo was hitting .347/.413/.635 with 16 home runs before the injury and was clearly the class of the shortstop position. Whether it's before or shortly after the All-Star break, Tulowitzki will be returning to a lineup near you shortly.National League Quick Hits: Carl Crawford (hamstring) will likely be activated by the Dodgers on Friday. His presence will likely relegate Andre Ethier to a bench role going forward ... Edward Mujica blew his first save of the season on Thursday. He'd been a perfect 21-for-21 before the loss, and his job as Cardinals closer isn't in question ... Yasiel Puig (hip) started and drove in a run Thursday. He was day-to-day after colliding with the outfield wall in Wednesday's game ... Matt Holliday (back) returned to the Cardinals lineup on Thursday. He went hitless in three at-bats as the team's DH ... Evan Gattis (oblique) took 20-25 swings off a tee on Thursday with no issues. He could be back before the break if all goes well ... Matt Kemp homered for a second consecutive game. The outfielder had just two in his previous 58 games this year ... stop me if you've heard this one before: Heath Bell blew a save opportunity.American League Quick Hits: Alex Gordon underwent concussion tests on Thursday. He's dealing with the effects of crashing into the outfield fence during Wednesday's game, and he could be sidelined for a handful of games with a hip contusion regardless of the concussion symptoms ... Derek Jeter (ankle) says he's ready to play in rehab games. A timetable for his estimated return should be available shortly ... Josh Hamilton hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the ninth inning of Thursday's game. After an awful start, the outfielder is hitting .400 (12-for-30) in his last nine games and seems to be getting back on track at the plate ... the White Sox promoted catching prospect Josh Phegley to compete with current starter Tyler Flowers. Phegley has a .316/.368/.597 line with 15 home runs at Triple-A Charlotte this year ... Matt Tuiasosopo (strained intercostal) was activated from the disabled list by the Tigers. He's been a pleasant surprise off the bench for Detroit this season ... Eduardo Nunez (oblique) had his rehab assignment moved up to Double-A Trenton. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it's possible he could be back with the club before the All-Star break ... Wei-Yin Chen (oblique) pitched seven scoreless innings in what should be his final rehab start with Double-A Bowie. He'll join the Orioles rotation sometime next week ... Brett Wallace hit two home runs and drove in four runs Thursday. He's got three homers and nine RBI in eight games since being recalled ... Mike Pelfrey was activated from the 15-day disabled list. P.J. Walters was designated for assignment to make room for Big Pelf.


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Sponsored by Giving
The college's annual recognition event for Legacy Trust Scholarship donors and students will be held Saturday, May 10, in Dahl Centennial Union. A reception at 11:30 a.m. in Hammarskjold Lounge will be followed by the noon luncheon in Peace.
Questions? Contact Sue J. Drilling, Development Office, 563-387-1100
Learn more at https://www.luther.edu/giving/recognition-events/


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Latest update : 2012-05-21
The World This Week - May 18th, 2012 (part 2)
From Paris to Berlin to Washington...it's been a busy week for the new French president. Laura Baines' panel assess Francois Hollande's performance in the world this week.
- Anne-Elisabeth Moutet. Columnist, The Sunday Telegraph;
- Régis Le Sommier. Deputy Editor, Paris Match;
- Craig Copetas. Paris-based journalist. Author, "Bear Hunting with the Politburo";
- John Vinocur. Editorialist, International Herald Tribune.
Produced by Laura Baines, Anelise Borges, Mary Colombel, Paul Maakad.


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The man who allegedly broke into Sandra Bullock's house around 6:30 a.m. Sunday had a machine gun, law enforcement sources told TMZ.
And, apparently, he wasn't there to steal anything. He was there for Bullock.
If Chris Evans ever needed an excuse to don the Captain American uniform and move in, he just found it.
Joshua Corbett, 39, was charged with felony burglary, as well as possession of a machine gun and stalking.
Bullock was at her Southern California home when Corbett allegedly broke in. She locked herself in a room until police arrived. Her 4-year-old son, Louis, was with a nanny and not there.
Sources told TMZ this wasn't a burglary. Corbett reportedly didn't want to hurt Bullock, but did want a face-to-face conversation.
Well ... yeah. A lot of us would like face time with Sandra Bullock. But machine guns don't necessarily impress girls ... unless they're from Texas.
Prosecutors told the website that Corbett didn't have the machine gun when he was arrested, which probably is one reason why he's alive today. Officers found it later.
Bullock's publicist Cheryl Maisel told People magazine that Bullock is "unharmed and fine."
Tony Hicks provides celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Contact him at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/insertfoot.


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With the intense part of free agency passing by, expect national reporters to start focusing on teams' interests in certain draft prospects. We will do our best to filter through the smoke screens and find worthwhile information connected with your favorite draftable players and teams.But in the meantime, Kay Adams (@heykayadams) and I (@JoshNorris) ran through the latest changes to my mock draft, including two prospects who jumped up a handful of spots, and others who fell as a result.
Mock Draft Changes
Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.
1. DE Cornellius Carradine, FSU
Where he wins: Explosive off the snap and follows it up with strong hand use to keep separation or disengage. Plays with leverage to drive opposition back if need be or keep his position to set the edge as a run defender.
2. DL Datone Jones, UCLA
Where he wins: Shows disruption from defensive end or tackle. Outside, his initial strength on contact puts offensive linemen on skates. Inside, has burst and quickness to win off the snap. Length and pad level (when asked to pass rush) helps.
1. DE Bjoern Werner, FSU
Speed and burst off the edge with hand use to keep separation. Shows natural bend to work his way away from offensive tackles. Snap anticipation is very good. Athleticism to make tackles in space.
2. T Menelik Watson, FSU
Athletic mover when asked to pull out front, chases down someone to block. Obviously has strong hands, which help him recover in case waist bending or lost balance takes place. Consistently looks to extend his arms and gain hand control.


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Greek Salad (Classic)
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(Recipe ID: 133)
Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
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- 1 Large red onion, sliced into fine rings
- 1 cup Pitted black Kalamata olives
- 5 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil *
- 1 tablespoon White wine vinegar *
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine sea salt *
- 1/2 teaspoon Dry green Oregano *
- 1/2 teaspoon Dry marjoram
- Mix the first 6 ingredients into a bowl.
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- Nov 16:
- George Ruibal found guilty of second-degree murder in 2007 Longmont case
- Nov 15:
- George Ruibal trial: Jury adjourns for day in Longmont murder case
- Nov 13:
- George Ruibal trial: Fellow inmate says 'remorseful' Ruibal confessed to murder
- Nov 6:
- Longmont murder trial opens: Prosecution says Ruibal beat girlfriend, sat with her as she died
- Sep 18:
- Longmont murder trial postponed again: George Ruibal OK with wait
Attorneys in the murder trial of George Ruibal are set to make their closing arguments Thursday as both sides wrapped up testimony Wednesday with the defense presenting an alternate suspect to the jury.
Ruibal, 58, is accused of beating and strangling his girlfriend, Dana Pechin, in 2007 and then staying with her in the Longmont apartment they shared as she died from her injuries.
He was arrested and charged in April 2011 after a Boulder County grand jury reviewed the case and handed down a five-page indictment. Prosecutors took the case to the grand jury after a statewide cold-case task force and an outside police agency reviewed the Longmont Police Department's investigation.
But Wednesday, Ruibal's attorney, Eric Klein, presented jurors with another suspect, a man named Joel Dorn, who defense investigators say could be responsible. Dorn -- who has not cooperated with the defense's investigators and was mentioned during opening statements -- was arrested twice for domestic violence incidents in which the beatings were similar to those sustained by Pechin.
Ruibal's attorneys always have maintained that Pechin sustained her injuries outside the apartment at the hands of a stranger before coming back home.
The victim in one of Dorn's cases alleged that Dorn strangled her almost to the point of unconsciousness and then submerged her in a sink.
Prosecutors had wrapped up their presentation earlier in the day after showing a video interview in which Ruibal claimed he did not realize Pechin's injuries were that serious.
The jury was excused Wednesday just before 4 p.m.
Attorneys for both sides are scheduled to make their closing arguments this morning.
Ruibal faces one count of second-degree murder.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars at 303-473-1329 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge: Sony Open (Glass' Picks)
Group 1: Dustin Johnson
Group 2: Tim Clark
Group 3: John Rollins
Group 4: Steve Marino
GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge: Sony Open (Rob's Picks)
Group 3: Billy Horschel
Group 4: Richard H. Lee
GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge: HTOC (Ryan's Picks)
Group 1: Keegan Bradley
Group 2: Charles Howell III
Group 3: Rory Sabbatini
Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge: Sony Open (Ned's Picks)
Group 3: Davis Love III
Ned said, "…
Ned Brown is a long-time contributor for Rotoworld Golf. He's had documented success in Yahoo!'s game for years. Even if you're confident in your selections for that game, give his insight a read. Now, Ned also provides us with his GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge selections as well!
Full Disclosure: I am NOT Ned! He's smarter and better looking!
Charles Howell III-- He loves the Sony Open and he has three top 5 finishes in the last four starts here.
Tim Clark-- Clark played in only one event in the off season, but that was a T4 at the Nelson Mandela in South Africa. He has a solid record at the Sony with his best finish being a T2 in '11.
Brendon de Jonge, Mark Wilson, Jonas Blixt
Dustin Johnson-- He looked great in Monday at the TOC, where he opened up a three-stroke lead. His record at the Sony is solid, so he will most likely be the favorite when play starts on Thursday.
Keegan Bradley-- Played in a couple events in the off-season with the highlight being a second place at the World Challenge. He looked very good on Monday at the TOC, where he was tied for fourth and I think he can improve on the T13 finish that he had at last year's Sony Open.
Webb Simpson-- Simpson played OK on Monday at the TOC and his 2-under-par total was good enough for an overnight tie for tenth place. He has made the cut in all four of his starts at the Sony, with his best result being a T9 in '09.
K.J. Choi-- I think this spot is a flip of the coin between Choi and Steve Marino. Choi gets the nod because he is a past champion at the Sony ( '08), and despite that Marino has a very good record at the Sony, I would like to see an event or two to see how Marino has rebounded back from his knee injury before I burn a Yahoo! game start.
Matt Kuchar, Steve Marino, Carl Pettersson, Davis Love III, Zach Johnson
Scott Piercy-- Piercy played well in the off-season events, which included an impressive T2 the WGC-HSBC Champions. His play on Monday at the TOC was solid and he sat in an overnight ninth place.
John Rollins-- I was going with Ryan Moore in this spot, but a rough second round at the TOC had me looking for an alternative. Rollins had a rough end to last season, but he has two top 10s in his last two starts at the Sony, so I'll play the horse for the course angle.
Ryan Moore, Brian Gay, Matt Every, Jerry Kelly, Vijay Singh
And the analysis doesn't end here. Rotoworld's Rob Bolton and I will be co-hosting a one-hour live chat WEDNESDAY at NOON p.m. ET. We will be breaking down the field at the Sony Open and answering your questions. Simply return to the golf home page to join in on the chatter.
Sony Open
Waialae Country Club
Honolulu, Hawaii
Yards: 7,044
Par: 70 (35-35)
Greens: Bermudagrass (6,500 square feet on average)
Rough: Bermudagrass at 2.5"
Stimpmeter: 11'
Bunkers: 78
Water Hazards: 4
Course Architect: Seth Raynor (1927)
Purse: $5,500,000
Winner's Share: $990,000
FexExCup Points: 500 to the winner
Defending Champion: Johnson Wagner held off Carl Pettersson, Sean O'Hair, Charles Howell III and Harrison Frazar to claim his third victory on TOUR.
Dates: January 10-13
Format: The first full-field tournament of 2013 that will feature stroke play for 72 holes with the top 70 and ties advancing to the weekend.
Notes: In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter". Who says you don't learn anything by reading this column? After taking a beating from the wind and the rain last week at Kapalua ("arms of the sea") this is fitting!
Happy New Year and 2013!
I'll leave these opening paragraphs in the column for these first few tournaments in January so everyone can get caught up!
I hope that you were naughty AND nice in 2012 and were rewarded by the fat man in the red suit for your efforts.
Now that you have throttled the turkey dinners and swigged down gallons of egg nog, it's time to get back to being athletic by playing Fantasy Golf.
This will be my second year of trying to entertain and educate you guys as we all try to hoist the trophies in our respective leagues.
The "rules" this year are no different than they were last year: You ask, I'll answer. Whether it's via email, Twitter or carrier pigeon, all of us here at Rotoworld.com will do everything rational in our power to make sure that you have all the information you need to dominate your weekly, monthly or season-long fantasy leagues.
The Weekly Process
Each week, I go inside the course and the numbers trying to find you the players I believe who project to have the best chance of playing well. Since we are dealing with human beings, there are many factors I will consider when putting together my projections.
First, I'll always take a look at class. There's an old saying in the world that "form is temporary and class is permanent." I'm a believer in that but I'm also watching to make sure that the form is doing its part as well. It's silly to try and force square holes into round pegs (see: majors and WGC events) when the class players usually dominate.
I'll also take a look at recent form (who's hot), course history (horses for courses) and statistical trends (which players games fit the course) to develop the best projections possible. You'll see over the year that riding a hot player is easy. The hard part is determining when to jump off. There are certain players who eat up certain courses; there are guys who stripe irons; there are guys who roll the rock. Depending on the style of course, I'll make sure I cover all the angles.
Tell Me Who Are You?
Information is power. I'm here to help those of you who don't have 40 hours a week to set your fantasy roster. Here are some great resources that you should bookmark to help you set your weekly line ups:
Rotoworld.com, as you are aware if you are reading this, is the best source of up-to-the-minute news, injuries and golf information. We're glad you've found us. Now, follow us on Twitter (@Rotoworld_GF).
Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) is the Dean of fantasy golf writing. His insight for Rotoworld.com and PGATour.com cannot be missed on a weekly basis.
Ryan O'Sullivan (@RyanGolfBlogger) joined the crew at Rotoworld.com, as I did, last year and has great insight and strategy on all aspects of fantasy golf.
Please bookmark the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and Jeff Sagarin's Rankings at Golfweek.com to make your life easier.
Facebook, Twitter and player websites are another great source for information as they give us an inside-look at what makes them tick or what's going on in their lives. Remember, even know they are golfers, they still are human beings, believe it or not. They have to deal with births, marriages, divorces, health issues and everything us mere mortals experience as well. These bumps in the road are good to know before drafting players, not after.
I will answer all of your questions at firstname.lastname@example.com or @GlassWGCL on Twitter. Please don't hesitate to ask and I'll be happy to help!
Don't forget, this column will feature the weekly picks of myself, Rob, Ryan and Ned Brown in the GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge PLUS Ned's world-famous weekly Yahoo! Fantasy Golf Picks. You can follow Ned on Twitter @Esoxgolf.
Last "Week" at Kapalua…
Usually, I will write a wrap-up column, "The Takeaway" Sunday nights after the golf finishes. As we all know, the golf was going to finish Monday night of this week if everything went according to Hoyle but obviously Hoyle was still on winter break or didn't answer his phone this week. Whatever. We're tough, we're dealing with it and we're moving forward!
Since the tournament wrap-up and preview have overlapped, I'll give you a quick recap of the events at the HTOC below before I preview the Sony Open in case you've been out of the loop.
After cancelling play twice on the island of Maui, the PGA TOUR finally kicked off the 2013 season on MONDAY with 36 holes and finished on Tuesday with 18 more. Dustin Johnson avoided three-putts and lost balls over 54 holes to fire 16-under-par 203 to win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. He held off fellow U.S. Ryder Cup teammates Steve Stricker, who finished second four shots back, Brandt Snedeker (six back) and Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley (seven back).
This is Johnson's seventh victory on TOUR in his PGA career. He joins Tiger Woods as the only TOUR players to win in six consecutive seasons after leaving college. Johnson collects 500 FedExCup points and $1,140,000. Remember, since the tournament went 54 holes, all the exemptions, payoffs and FedExCup points were the same as a 72-hole finish. Johnson is the king of 54-hole victories on TOUR as this is the third one of his career. He won a rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach and a hurricane-shortened Barclays so this was old hat for him. Johnson arrived the week before the tournament and was playing Kapalua every morning. His homework and his short game work paid off this week. He was the only golfer to play all rounds in the 60's and still was 16-under in THAT weather. His driver was crooked and led to some nervy moments but when he's chipping in and holing birdie putts from everywhere, he's almost unbeatable. He's now eligible for this tournament again next year and he is a must on your radar EVERY time he tees it up.
Steve Stricker fought through a nerve problem that was giving him shooting pains in his back and leg on Monday to finish 67-69 for solo second. Stricker will have to find a victory in 2013 to make it back here next year but if he's not an automatic choice (if healthy) for you here next year, you need your head examined. In five starts here Stricker has finished second, WIN, T4, T10 and second.
Brandt Snedeker, buoyed by his quite amazing 2012, showed no signs of slowing down this week as he finished in third place by himself. The TOUR and FedExCup Champion made a run at Stricker and Johnson on Tuesday but his usually wonderful flat stick went cool on the back nine. I wouldn't worry about that one bit as the season progresses and I liked the grit "Opie Taylor" showed this week.
Here are the players moving on to the Sony Open (as of 6 pm Tuesday):
Keegan Bradley: His T4 finish should have him confident and ready to go on Thursday.
Tommy Gainey: T6 with all three rounds under par. Well done, rookie!
Carl Pettersson: Solo eighth with all three rounds under par.
Matt Kuchar: T9 after an opening round 74. Rallied for 71-69 finish.
Mark Wilson: Best finish ever, T11, even with a second round 76.
Webb Simpson: He was three under through 7 the FIRST time they threw the scores out. Didn't break 70 in three rounds but all were under par for T11.
J.J. Henry: T13 with nine birdies and six bogeys. Lots of pars.
Johnson Wagner: Three straight 72s. T13. Defending champ at the Sony.
Scott Stallings: He was seven over on the first day. Made the most of his mulligan T13.
Scott Piercy: Three bogeys and a late double knocked him out of the top 10.
Jonas Blixt: He'll be happy not to play No. 5 again for a while. He was four OVER on this par 5 at Kapalua. T18.
Ben Curtis: Four putted the first two holes on the second attempt to get things going. His middle round of 76 sunk any chances he had. T18.
John Huh: One round under par in his first time here. Experience pays usually. T18.
Zach Johnson: Another year at Kapalua, another year outside the top 10. In six events, his best finish was T6 in 2009. T18 this week.
Marc Leishman: Finally broke par in the final round 75-75-71 as the rookie here finished T23.
Ted Potter, Jr.: Ten bogeys and a double = T26.
Ryan Moore: 77-76 finish doesn't inspire confidence for Sony but I'm sticking with him as he knocked off the rust. Adjusting to the wife and kid will keep my attention. T28.
George McNeill: One top 10 in now six events. T28.
Kyle Stanley: 78-80 before his final round of 72 (-1). Nike clubs didn't' help this week. 30th.
History Lessons
Even though the Sony Open is the first full-field event of the season, now is it not the time to get caught up in the "rookie wave" that is about to hit Honolulu if you are looking for a winner this week. Experience pays at this old-style course and the last player to win this event in their 20's was Paul Stankowski in 1997. The last first-time winner here was Jerry Kelly in 2002. Ted Potter, Jr. (T13), Sang-Moon Bae and Bud Cauley (T30 for both) were the lowest rookies in 2012 and Chris Kirk (T30) was the low rookie in 2011.
Since 1999, winners here have included Ryder Cuppers and major winners such as Jeff Sluman, Paul Azinger, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, David Toms and Zach Johnson. The "other" winners, besides Jerry Kelly at the time, Brad Faxon, Paul Goydos, K.J.Choi, Mark Wilson and Johnson Wagner all have multiple wins on TOUR in their careers. Also remember that nine of the last 14 winners here played the week before at Kapalua. #Trend.
Ernie Els is the only player to win the HTOC and the Sony Open in the same season.
"Young" Guns versus "Middle" Guns versus "Old" Guns
In 46 events on TOUR in 2012 the "Young" guns knocked out the "Middle" and "Old" guns, 25-18-3.
In one event this year, the 28-year old Johnson starts the "Young" guns off in the right direction. I would be shocked if this was the last time I typed his name in this column in 2013.
"Since 2011 52% of the PGA Tour winners have been 32 years old or younger." - Billy Schroeder, PGA Tour VP Player Relations.
Well, that means just under half have been OVER 32 years of age!
Last year's winners:
For the "Young", age during their victory in ( ), Johnson Wagner (31), Brandt Snedeker TWICE (31), Kyle Stanley (24), Bill Haas (29), John Huh (21), Hunter Mahan TWICE (29) Rory McIlroy FOUR times (22), Justin Rose (31), Rickie Fowler (23), Dustin Johnson (27), Webb Simpson (26), Marc Leishman (29), Ted Potter, Jr. (28), Scott Stallings (27), Keegan Bradley (26), Sergio Garcia (32), Nick Watney TWICE (31),Ryan Moore (29) and Jonas Blixt (28) were your winners.
The "Middle" guys are Mark Wilson (37), George McNeill (36), Luke Donald (34), Tiger Woods THRICE (36), Bubba Watson (33), Carl Pettersson (34), Ben Curtis (34), Matt Kuchar (33), Jason Dufner TWICE (35), Zach Johnson TWICE (36), Scott Piercy (33) J.J. Henry (37), Tommy Gainey (37) and now Ian Poulter (37) were victorious.
Steve Stricker (44), Phil Mickelson (41) and Ernie Els (42) are the only "Old" guys to hit the board in 2012. At least 33% of their wins were majors! Stricker is the only "Old" dude teeing it up this week, although Wilson, McNeill, Henry, Gainey and Poulter are closing in on the big 4-0.
Of Course
Seth Raynor's design is the first of two (White Sulfur Springs; The Greenbrier Classic) of his masterpieces on the 2013 TOUR season. Waialae opened for play in February of 1927 but it wasn't until 1965 that the TOUR showed up for play. Waialae is known for its narrow fairways and doglegs that require the players to work the golf ball in both directions. Those who miss fairways will have to deal with 2.5-inch deep rough when judging their approach shots. Once on the green, the undulation will make the premium putters drool and the average putters sweat.
Waialae Country Club ranked 28th hardest of the 49 courses used in the 2012 PGA TOUR season. The average winning score over the last 15 years has been right around 15-under-par so the players will still have to produce birdies and avoid bogeys to win. Even though Waialae has ranked near the top as one of the toughest course on TOUR to hit fairways, Johnson Wagner, who ended 2012 152nd on TOUR in driving accuracy, has also shown that you do not have to be an accurate driver of the golf ball to be successful here. He makes putts for a living and that's what he did to be successful here in 2012. Firm and undulating greens have a way of balancing out the ball-strikers and the putters on TOUR.
Bogeys beware as well as Wilson, the winner in 2011, went his last 36 holes (all on Sunday!) without a making bogey and last year's winner, Johnson Wagner, didn't make a bogey on the back nine in four rounds.
Hang "10"
After scouring the data, form and history, these are the players I project to be at or near their best come Sunday (hopefully!) of this week!
(Editor's Note: Charles Howell III was omitted in the original submission)
Dustin Johnson: He has shown the penchant for playing tight courses with smallish-greens (Pebble Beach, TPC Southwind) and being successful. Johnson, who I believe will have a monster 2013, will be on this list frequently this year. He's working on his short game and has the chops to handle any tracks on TOUR. If you're afraid that his wildness off the tee might be a factor this week, remember that he was 26th on TOUR in GIR percentage from other than the fairway last year. He's used to being off the short stuff and obviously it doesn't bother him. With his length, he's usually has a wedge or short iron in his hands which makes hitting GIR easier and he's second in proximity to the hole from the rough. So there. In eight rounds at Waialae, Johnson has been par or better in the seven of them. He's finished T10 (-6) in 2008 and T16 (-7) in 2010 so he's been there, done that.
Keegan Bradley: Bradley is making his third consecutive trip to Honolulu to see if he can continue his improvement at Waialae. As a rookie in 2011, Bradley finished T68 an last year, he fired eight-under to finish T13. Bradley was No.1 in the all-around category in 2012 and has proven in his three wins that his game is also suited for any style of course on TOUR. All of those wins have also come on par-70 tracks (Firestone, Atlanta Athletic Club and TPC Four Seasons-Las Colinas).
Matt Kuchar: If it wasn't for Kuchar's last time playing here in 2011, he might not have been on the list this week. This will be his sixth Sony Open in seven years and his last visit, 2011, was the first time in five that he finished better than 65th (T5). He MC in the other three events. He's only missed THREE cuts on TOUR in the last two years! Kuchar's ball-striking and putting will make him a factor every week he tees it up as well in 2013!
Charles Howell III: In 40 career rounds at Waialae, CH III has played only six of them over par. Six. He also has six top 10 finishes in his 11 events as well so to say he's comfortable here would be a HUGE understatement. In his last four events here, he's finished fourth, T5, T68 and T2 last year. He finished 2012 with three events all inside the top 15 so he should be feeling pretty good about his game heading into 2013. He hasn't cracked into that elite group that we all thought he would 10 years ago but he's as steady as they come and cashed tons of checks. This week shouldn't be any different.
Zach Johnson: When you think of accuracy off the tee and strong putting, Zach Johnson is one of the first names that pop into my tiny brain inside my huge noggin. Johnson was 14th in fairways and sixth in strokes gained-putting last year and he's proven that his game suits this course with a victory in 2009 and T12 in 2010. The last two seasons he's finished T57 and T54 as weather has wreaked havoc on this event. His last two seasons have seen him make the cut in 43 of 48 events including 24 of 25 last year. DING!
Ryan Moore: He closed out 2012 with the birth of his first son so he'll probably be excited to get away and get some sleep! His lack of length off the tee won't be much of a concern this week because his ball-striking and putting should carry the load. He's 21st in strokes gained-putting and makes tons of birdies. He hasn't played here since 2006 so I'm relying on his current form to take over.
Webb Simpson: This will be Simpson's fifth attempt to conquer Waialae in the last five seasons. Last year, he admitted after the tournament that he was out of gas from the 2011 regular season and was looking forward to some time off. In 2012, Simpson took time off in July and August as his wife gave birth to their second child. Simpson should be rested and ready to go as he looks to build on finishes of T9, T77, T46 and T38 last year. Sure, he can spray it a bit off the tee that doesn't scare me off of him. He finished 34th in GIR last season 8th in 2011. Oh, and he makes tons of birdies as well which will come in handy around here!
Brendon de Jonge: If there's a tournament scheduled this week or any week, de Jonge will be entered. His four seasons on TOUR have seen him play 29, 32, 30 and 31 starts. He's made the cut in 89 of those starts including a career-best 27 (of 31) last year. He hit the top 25 11 times as well as he racked up the most money on TOUR without a victory last year. de Jonge missed the cut here in his first three starts but has finished T20 in 2011 and T10 last year. His second round 62 last year was his career-low round on TOUR. He was eighth on TOUR in GIR, first in birdies and was 24th in ball-striking last year so you know he'll have plenty of chances this week.
Carl Pettersson: I hesitated to put Pettersson on here because this is an ODD year. After MC in his maiden voyage in 2004, Pettersson has made the cut in every EVEN year tournament since. In 2006 he was T10; T25 in 2008; T5 in 2010 and T2 last year. You wanna guess what happens in the ODD years? Go ahead. In three odd year tournaments, he's broken 70 once. Statistical anomaly? Cursed like the Brady Bunch when they went to Hawaii? His final round, double-bogey on No. 2 set him in a hole but he dug out with six closing birdies to rebound last year. I'll stick with him as that can't hurt his confidence and he's coming off a career year.
Tim Clark: In his three starts here, he's been par or better in 11 of 12 rounds, including a pair of 64s. Now that Clark is healthy again, he will factor more consistently. We all had a glimpse of the "old" Tim Clark during the summer last year as he banged out six top 25s in nine events which included a T4 at the Travelers and a solo second at the Wyndham Championship. Clark's three finishes here are T12 (2009), T25 (2010) and T2 (2011).
Johnson Wagner/Jimmy Walker: This year's Johnson Wagner? Could be! He's a very solid putter whose ball-striking is a bit loose. Walker has spent time this winter working with Butch Harmon so I'm encouraged to see how that works out. Walker has played here six times and made the cut in half of those appearances. 72-68 last year saw him MC but in 2011 he finished solo fourth with all four rounds in the 60s, including 65-66 Friday and Saturday. Wagner is your defending champion who MC the three previous years before winning. Makes sense!
Horses for Courses
Based on their play over time on this course and the history of previous winners, these players deserve a thorough look this week.
Brian Gay: He'll be teeing it up here for the 14 time in the last 15 years. He's made 11 consecutive cuts after MC in his first two appearances. In those 11 years where he's made the cut, Gay has finished in the top 25 six times including the last four years running. His last four years have seen Gay finish T5, T25, T13 and T6 last year. His streak would have been even better if it wasn't for final rounds of 74 in 2007 (T54) and 75 in 2008 (T40). Gay has three career victories and fits the "past champions" profile.
Jerry Kelly: The 2002 champion has played in 15 of these so 2013 will be sweet 16. None have been sweeter than his 2002 title, his first on TOUR, but he's had plenty of close calls over the years. He has six top 10s and four of those are top 5s. He's only MC twice (1996, 2005) and in his last 24 rounds here, he's been over par TWICE (not including WD in 2010). Fill up those saddlebags and giddy up!
Chad Campbell: He's nine out of 10 at Waialae and has played in every event except the 2009 edition. His streak of T13 or better was broken up last year by MDF T71. In his 37 rounds here, he's broken par in 20 of them. Campbell made six of his last 12 cuts of 2012 and was T3, T4 and T7 in three of them after a slooooooooooooooooooooooow start to 2013. This course should help get him started this season.
Mark Wilson: He's playing in his sixth straight Sony Open and in that stretch Wilson has won in 2011 and was T20 in 2010 and T25 in 2008. He MC last year and in 2009. Fantasy gurus will know that this is the time of year to place your faith in Mark Wilson. His last three victories have been the Sony Open, the Humana Challenge and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In his victory here in 2011, he didn't make a bogey on his final 36 holes. He'll be hoping to find that form again this week after a very quiet close to 2012.
Rory Sabbatini: When you look at his record here, you'll wonder why he's not in the top 10. When you look at how he finished 2012, you'll understand why. After finishing June with T2 at the Memorial and T18 at the Travelers, Sabbatini made the cut in three of his last 12 starts (one WD). His record at Waialae is amazing so he can't be completely dismissed this week. In six starts, Sabbatini has finished second (2001), 25th (2004), T13 (2007), 17th (2008), second (2010) and T9 last year. That's quite impressive.
Davis Love III: The 2012 Ryder Cup captain is back to his playing ways with the weight of the golfing world off his shoulders. Hawaii is a great place to recharge the batteries and the golf game and DL3 should be excited and ready to go. He's made 10 of 13 cuts here. In his last four years, he was MC, T5, T9 and MC last year. He has seven top 10s here in those 13 starts. Captain!
Dark Horses
I had to dig a little for these guys but they have enough game to come from off the pace and surprise this week.
Steve Marino: His 2012 was ruined by a knee issue that never could heal properly but he's back to kick off 2013 in a place where he's been awfully good over the last few years. If he knee is healthy (I said the same thing last year and it still holds), he's worth a shot in deep fields because he has finishes of T4, T7, and T2 in three of the last five trips to Hawaii. Last year he MC with 74-69.
Marc Leishman: The Aussie secured his first TOUR win with a victory at the Travelers but the 10 events after that win, Leishman's best finish was T18 in November. In three events here he's finished T12 (2009), T20 (2010) and T27 in 2011. He fits winner profile and is playing at Kapalua.
John Rollins: He made half of his money in the first four events of 2012 so Rollins will be looking to the trade winds again to get off to a good start. In his last two appearances here he's finished T8 (2010) and T10 last year after closing with a final round 64.
George McNeill: In five starts since 2007, McNeill has quietly finished T13, T17, T7, MC and T19 last year. His last top 25 in 2012 was at the Wells Fargo Championship in May so his form hasn't been great but it's impossible to argue his record here.
Vijay Singh: The 2005 champion is 15 for 15 at Waialae. He's made 12 cuts in a row on TOUR. He's 49 for one more month…
Graham de Laet: He finished T25 in 2010 and T29 last year. In 2012 he led the field in GIR, he was T2 in driving accuracy and T18 in putting. Three doubles on top of seven bogeys didn't help but it's obvious he's close.
Excuse Me Sir, Where's the First Tee and What's the Course Record?
"Rookie Watch" If any of them are going to make noise, I would suggest these few.
Luke Guthrie: His first three starts on TOUR last summer saw him finish T19, T5 and T18. His fourth event was in October at the Frys.com where he MC. He played 10 events on the Web.com Tour where he made eight cuts, including a third, a second and two firsts. Oh, and he hit the top 10 in seven of those eight events. He can really putt!
Russell Henley: He also had seven top 10s including two wins on the Web.com Tour last year but in 26 events. His last four events were P1, third, P1 and T6. Excellent ball -striker.
Morgan Hoffmann: In 13 events on the Web.com Tour he made 12 cuts with seven top 10s that included a second and a third. In his last six events of 2012, his worst finish was T30; the other five were T9 or better. Another big putter.


text:
LOWELL -- An eight-time convicted drunken driver from Pepperell who was held without bail, but is now free on $10,000 cash bail, is allowed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but not to work.
At a bail hearing Monday, Lowell Superior Court Judge Heidi E. Brieger granted Oscar Chapman's motion to attend meetings, but refused his request to work.
Chapman had been held without bail since his arrest on Dec. 24, 2011, to last July, when he was released on $10,000 cash bail. The judge set conditions of his release: wearing a GPS bracelet with an intoxilyzer, submitting to random drug and alcohol screens, not drinking alcohol or taking drugs and to not contacting witnesses.
Chapman, 52, of 5 Groton St., Pepperell, was arrested by Pepperell police after a single-car accident near 103 Heald St. Chapman was allegedly driving while drunk when the car landed on its roof on the country road, badly injuring his passenger, Chad Pillsbury.
Pillsbury was bleeding badly from his head and arm and was flown to the hospital. He told an officer that he had six or seven highballs earlier in the day.
Chapman has pleaded not guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol -- fifth offense or subsequent, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence causing serious bodily injury, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license for operating under the influence, and operating a motor vehicle after a suspended license -- subsequent offense.
Chapman's next court date is Feb. 12 for a status hearing.


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text:
Today we're going to take the next step in leveling a Prot Paladin, moving through most of the remaining (revamped) vanilla content and pushing ever closer to the world of crappy looking gear known as Outlands.
You get to go through this level range with the majority of your primary tanking tools. You don't get your defensive cooldowns just yet, but most of the other things will be yours in this level range. The most welcome tool, in my opinion, is Shield of the Righteous which will finally allow you to spend your Holy Power on something other than just Word of Glory heals, which in this case is a bashing your target's face in with your shield.
Playing a Protection Paladin
A Protection Paladin in this level range will play much like you did in the lower level range (1-29) except that you can now get much more aggressive in combat and you can likely handle larger pulls as well. This is the level range in my questing where I stopped trying to gather 3 quest mobs at once and instead bumped it up to 5-10.
With some better defense spells opening up as well as some more powerful attacks and moving into areas where you're more likely to find undead mobs, you're able to get a lot more aggressive and really enjoy the total power trip that only a Paladin can truly be.
Protection-Specific Tips
I already covered the basics such as Holy Power usage, Judgement and Seals, Auras and so forth in the 1 – 29 Guide if you feel you need a refresher on that, so this time we're going to look a little closer at what you do to actually embrace the tanking spec.
First thing's first – USE RIGHTEOUS FURY!!! If I see one more Paladin "tank" without RF on I'm going to go into an Unrighteous Fury of killing rabbits and squirrels all over the world. Do you hear me? Cute, fluffy animals will die all over Azeroth if you don't have your Righteous Fury active! Do not test me… *cough* Alright, moving on then.
You have two abilities that generate Holy Power: Crusader Strike and Hammer of the Righteous. If you're tanking a single target then you use Crusader Strike, otherwise you use Hammer of the Righteous. That part of the equation is really that simple (though you may prefer to use CS on 2-3 targets depending on the sitation, always an exception, so on and so forth). These general rules apply regardless of where you're at or what you're doing. It doesn't matter if you're tanking in LFG or if you're solo questing or AoE grinding to farm mats – that's how you do it.
At level 39 you finally have to start making a choice for how to spend your Holy Power. Just like building the Power, you have two abilities that spend the power too. You can either get a very nice heal from Word of Glory (WoG), or you can deal a very solid amount of damage to a single target with Shield of the Righteous (ShoR). Which you use, and how often, are going to depend entirely on your situation. If you need a heal and there's not a healer with you then WoG is the obvious choice. If you need additional AoE threat then WoG can be a better solution than ShoR, even if you don't actually need the heal. If you're trying to burn down a particular mob, then ShoR is your best bet if you're not in danger on the health front.
When pulling a group of mobs I follow one of two basic strategies: Body Pulling and Avenger's Shield. Since I like to do a lot of AoE grinding the Body Pull is my most common method because I'll body pull several groups of mobs at once. The key to successful body pulling is knowing when you can just run and when you need to strafe or back pedal. If you're just running and mobs are trailing behind you then you lose all of your avoidance and just let the mobs spank you as you go. If you strafe away from them or walk backwards towards other mobs, then you don't lose all of that extra protection. Pulling with Avenger's Shield loads some threat right away as well as silencing the targets which is the much safer route in LFG.
If you're doing LFG, don't pull mobs with Hand of Reckoning. Never throw away your taunts to pull additional mobs before you know how the other people in your group play. You do get a second taunt in this level range that gives you a little more forgiveness if you do, but while HoR dealt damage to mobs not targeting you in previous patches it's now just a typical taunt that sets you back on top of the threat list. Pulling with it is a waste unless you've got complete control of all mobs. Regardless, it's a bad habit to get into, so save yourself some trouble later in your career by not getting into that habit early on.
Important Spells & Abilities
There are a lot of spells and abilities that come with being a Paladin, but I'm going to try to keep it simple and limited to only the most important ones for a Protection spec. There are other spells that you'll get in this level range as well, I leave them out only because I do not find them critical to playing a Ret paladin.
Level 30-39:
Divine Protection (30): [1 minute cooldown] Reduces all damage taken by 20% for 10 sec.
Seal of Insight (32): Fills the Paladin with divine power for 30 min, giving each single-target melee attack a chance to heal the Paladin and restore 4% of the paladin's base mana. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Unleashing this Seal's energy will deal Holy damage to an enemy and restore 15% of the Paladin's base mana.
Righteous Defense (36): Come to the defense of a friendly target, commanding up to 3 enemies attacking the target to attack the Paladin instead.
Divine Protection is one of your best defensive tools in this early stage. It also has the wonderful added effect of not being tied to the global cooldown, meaning that you can (and should) macro this to one of your attacks so that it's active as often as possible. I use a macro to cast this on myself when I cast Crusader Strike so that I don't waste any of it's uptime while I'm not engaged in melee combat.
Seal of Insight is the seal that I prefer above all others for most of my play. If you need additional threat you can get that from Seal of Truth which you get at level 44, but otherwise this is your main source of keeping your health and mana high.
Righteous Defense is the other taunt I mentioned up above. It pulls up to three mobs off of one of your party members and redirects them to you. A lot of Paladin tanks like to use this with what's called a mouse-over macro so that you don't have to target someone to actually cast it (thereby losing your current target), but I prefer assigning it to my Healbot addon which shows me when someone has threat. There are a lot of ways you can use this with macros and addons, so find one that works for. If I see the mobs leaving me soon enough I'll also just cast it on one of the mobs heading towards the target and it works as though I'd cast it on the person instead, so whatever works.
Level 40-49:
Divine Plea (44): You gain 10% of your total mana over 15 sec, but the amount healed by your healing spells is reduced by 50%.
Seal of Truth (44): Fills the Paladin with holy power, causing single-target attacks to Censure the target, which deals additional Holy damage over 15 sec. Censure can stack up to 5 times. Once stacked to 5 times, each of the Paladin's attacks also deals 9% weapon damage as additional Holy damage. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Lasts 30 min. Unleashing this Seal's energy will deal Holy damage to an enemy, increased by 10% for each application of Censure on the target.
Hammer of Wrath (46): Hurls a hammer that strikes an enemy for 442 to 488 Holy damage. Only usable on enemies that have 20% or less health.
Divine Shield (48): Protects the paladin from all damage and spells for 8 sec, but reduces all damage you deal by 50%. Once protected, the target cannot be targeted by Divine Shield or Hand of Protection again for 2 min.
Divine Plea is another great tool for restoring your mana, and one that I'll often use during boss fights if I switch to Seal of Truth. It's not as useful now as it will be later on, but it doesn't hurt to get familiar with it early. It only restores 10% of your mana, so it's not great, but it can help. It has the drawback of reducing your healing spells by 50% which can hurt in soloing situations, so while I have my WoG set to cast in my HealBot as well, I also have a WoG macro on my action bar that cancels Divine Plea before it casts the heal so that my healing isn't nerfed when I seriously need it.
Seal of Truth is for when you're dealing with single targets and need to firmly establish threat. It can help while soloing group quests as well if you really need the extra damage, though I tend to use Seal of Insight for the healing and mana restoration for those personally. If you're having threat issues on a boss though, this is your answer.
Hammer of Wrath is your execute spell. If a mob drops to 20% health or below you chuck this sucker at them to finish them off. It's not going to kill every single target you use it on (particularly bosses), but if you use it on trash mobs or questing mobs while they're low on health you can pretty well count on them being dead.
Divine Shield is the notorious Paladin bubble used for the bubble-hearth of old. It doesn't last long enough for bubble-hearthing any more, but I never really used it for such anyway so I couldn't care less. The good thing about this bubble though is that you're immune to everything the game will throw at you outside of PvP. It's total immunity to just about everything. You do take a 50% cut to your damage dealing while it's active, but the only time you'll really cast this is when you're about to die anyway. Cast the bubble, heal yourself to full, and then go right back to laying the smack down.
Leveling a Protection Paladin
Multi-Target Rotation: Avenger's Shield, Hammer of the Righteous, Holy Wrath, Hammer of the Righteous, Judgement, Hammer of the Righteous
Single-Target Rotation: Exorcism, Avenger's Shield, Crusader Strike, Judgement, Crusader Strike, Holy Wrath, Crusader Strike, Shield of the Righteous
While you're questing you have two options. The first is to just keep on doing single target like it's going out of style (it's already out of style), the second is to do multiple mobs at once. I'm still a huge fan of AoE grinding, so I like to have at least 3 mobs on me at all times.
If you're facing a boss in LFG then you might want to switch from Seal of Insight to Seal of Truth for the additional damage and threat that goes with it, but if you're doing single-target questing I'd stick with Seal of Insight since SoT isn't likely to stack high enough to matter on a mob that's not going to live long anyway. Better to keep the health and mana topped off to keep going than to save yourself 2 seconds if you're lucky.
The one exception to ShoR being primarily used on single-target is that once you reach level 49 and place a talent point in Holy Shield, ShoR triggers Holy Shield to provide an additional 10% damage reduction from shield blocks for 20 seconds. If you're doing very large pulls or are facing hard-hitting melee opponents, spending your first Holy Power on ShoR to trigger Holy Shield is a good way to help keep you alive. You'll get a feel for when to cast it, and how early/often as you play more and more.
Talent Spec: Protection 49
- Sanctuary 3/3: Reduces the chance you'll be critically hit by melee attacks by 6% and reduces all damage taken by 10%. In addition when you block or dodge a melee attack you gain 3% of maximum mana.
- Wrath of the Lightbringer 1/2: Increases the damage by 50% of your Crusader Strike and Judgement and increases the critical strike chance by 15% of your Holy Wrath and Hammer of Wrath.
- Shield of the Righteous 1/1:
- Wrath of the Lightbringer (+1) 2/2: Increases the damage by 100% of your Crusader Strike and Judgement and increases the critical strike chance by 30% of your Holy Wrath and Hammer of Wrath.
- Grand Crusader 2/2: When your Crusader Strike or Hammer of the Righteous deal damage to your primary target, they have a 20% chance of refreshing the cooldown on your next Avenger's Shield.
- Reckoning 1/2: You have a 10% chance after blocking an attack for your next 4 weapon swings within 8 sec to generate an additional attack.
- Holy Shield 1/1: Using Shield of the Righteous or Inquisition increases the amount your shield blocks by an additional 10% for 20 sec.
Slam the target with your shield, causing Holy damage. Consumes all charges of Holy Power to determine damage dealt.
Sanctuary is all about keeping you alive and keeping your mana topped off. It's one of the best talents in the tree and one you definitely don't want to pass up. Wrath of the Lightbringer is one that a lot of Paladin's go back and forth on whether to take it or leave it. It's purely a DPS increase, which in turn is a threat increase, so it's nice but not required. I take it because I like to kill stuff, but you may prefer getting more points into either Reckoning for some free melee swings or perhaps Divinity back up on the first tier for increased healing if you want more survivability.
Shield or the Righteous has a higher damage potential than everything else available to you, and it's where you'll dump your Holy Power when you don't need to heal. It's also the key to triggering another one of important defensive talents, Holy Shield, which we'll talk about in just a second.
Grand Crusader is a lot like Wrath of the Lightbringer in that it's all about giving you additional damage, but this time in the form of resetting your Avenger's Shield cooldown so that you can cast it more often. Since you're leveling in this bracket I strongly suggest it as a leveling talent, though if you're going to be a raider you'll likely not bother with it once you reach level cap. For leveling though, especially with AoE grinding, this talent is excellent.
Reckoning is a talent I go back and forth on, I'm not sure yet whether I love it or hate it. Free attacks are free attacks, but it doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to . I'll leave it to you to decide whether you want to spend more or less points in this one.
Holy Shield wraps it up for this level range, providing an extra 10% damage reduction on shield blocks. While ShoR is a single target attack, Holy Shield makes casting it when fighting groups of trash worth it. In AoE grinding you might want to spend your first Holy Power on ShoR just to trigger the extra damage reduction and then refresh it every 18-20 seconds so that Holy Shield stays up as often as possible.
I'm going to list at least two options for each glyph type that you can choose from, and below each section I'll mention why I choose them and under which circumstances I might change from one to another.
- Glyph of Hammer of the Righteous: Increases the damage of both the physical and Holy components of Hammer of the Righteous by 10%.
- Glyph of Crusader Strike: Increases the critical strike chance of Crusader Strike by 5%.
These are your two best choices for threat and damage. Do you want to have better threat against trash (HotR) or better threat against bosses (CS)? That's the question, and your choice of glyph is your answer. I prefer to go with HotR because I like to AoE while I'm questing as well, so it's just more valuable for me to take it over CS.
- Glyph of Dazing Shield: Your Avenger's Shield now also dazes targets.
- Glyph of Consecration: Increases the duration and cooldown of Consecration by 20%.
The more I play as Prot, the more I think Consecration is a thing of the past. I just don't need it. I do go ahead and use it when I'm doing some serious AoE grinding and pulling way more mobs than I really should be, but otherwise it's really just a waste of a cooldown and the mana that goes with it these days. It's good to use in LFG if you're having threat issues, but otherwise it kind of sucks right now. If you need the threat, take it, otherwise go for Dazing Shield.
- Glyph of Blessing of Kings: Reduces the mana cost of Blessing of Kings by 50%.
- Glyph of Insight: Reduces the mana cost of Seal of Insight by 50%.
As with most classes, our minor glyphs kind of suck. Most Paladin minor glyphs right now just reduce the mana cost of spells that you'll likely only cast outside of combat anyway, where casting your buffs and then drinking to restore your mana would negate the glyph's use, not to mention we don't care about mana much to begin with. But, these are the main glyphs we can use at this level range, so there you have it. If you're going to do LFG a lot, then go with Kings since you'll cast it more often, but if you're going to solo/quest more then Insight will give you more "savings" in the long run since it's duration is half as long as Kings.
Protection Macros
I don't use a whole lot of fancy macros on my Paladin just yet, but I do have a few that are particularly useful.
/cancelaura Blessing of Protection
/cast Crusader Strike [same for Judgement, Hammer of the Righteous, etc]
/cast Divine Protection [only on the Crusader Strike and Hammer of the Righteous]
This is the one that I mentioned up above that cancels my BoP right before I attack. BoP gives you immunity to physical damage, but at the expense of not allowing you to attack. Generally you want to cast this when you need to heal yourself (if you're targeting yourself), so after you're finished healing it's time to get back to combat rather than just waiting for it to end itself. Basically this one saves me the trouble of canceling the buff myself.
I use a version of this macro for all of my primary attack spells as I mention in the macro text itself. The one difference is that I only apply the Divine Protection cast to Crusader Strike and Hammer of the Righteous. I'm more likely to take a lot of damage once I close in to melee range than I am from max range for Avenger's Shield, so I don't want to waste some of the protection time while closing the gap. Using it on my melee abilities means it's going to cast at the most important time and give me the most protection possible.
/cast [modifier:alt] Consecration
/castsequence reset=combat/9 Holy Wrath, Consecration, Holy Wrath
This macro I use for my AoE, just to save space on my bar. I don't cast Consecration as often as I do Holy Wrath, and if I have an option between the two I generally go with HW unless the fight is going to last long enough for Consecration to be worth it. So using this you'll cast Holy Wrath and for the next 9 seconds or until you cast it the button will change to cast Consecrate instead. For long fights with lots of AoE I have it cycle to another cast of Holy Wrath. You also have the option of holding Alt to force a Consecrate cast if you can't or don't want to use Holy Wrath.
I actually modified the version of this that I use to just be a simple HW cast by default, or a Consecrate cast if I hold Alt when I activate it just because I almost never cast Consecrate now. Consecrate used to be the spell I looked forward to getting the most, but now it's just another crappy spell taking up space in my spellbook.
/cancelaura Divine Plea
/cast Word of Glory
This is the one that I mentioned I keep on my action bars even though I have a healing addon that casts most of my heals for me. Divine Plea cuts your heals in half, so if you've used it to get your mana back but find yourself in sudden need of a heal this will cancel your Divine Plea, meaning you don't get any more mana back but your heals will work fully.
Gearing Up as Protection
As a melee class we're looking for stats that impact our melee performance such as Strength, Attack Power, Hit, Crit and Haste. As a tank though, you also want to look for survival stats such as Stamina, Dodge and Parry.
Stat Priority: Strength and Stamina, Dodge and Parry, Other melee stuff
In short, we're going to stack Strength and Stamina first and foremost, followed by our avoidance stats of Dodge and Parry, and then on to any other DPS stats (attack power, hit, crit, haste, etc). Most of the stats that you want to cap at end game don't even exist in the early stages, so this is really all you need to watch out for.


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Sunny Russell Taking Aim as Husker Leader
Randy York's N-Sider Blog
The Official Blog of the Huskers
The vast majority of Nebraska fans have never been to a rifle meet. Many don't even know the Huskers compete in an Olympic sport so specialized that 96 percent of perfection is considered marginally competitive while 98 percent of perfection is NCAA record-setting territory. In that two-percentage point spread is greatness, and Nebraska has a junior Air Rifle, Small Bore shooting specialist from Stratford, Texas, who not only is taking aim at her sport, but also shooting higher for all 600-plus student-athletes at Nebraska.
Meet Sunny Russell, who this week was elected president of Nebraska's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). That means Russell looks at total student-athlete development in terms of lifetime success because she, in essence, leads the group that is considered "the voice" of all student-athlete experiences. Talk about a talented young lady who exemplifies the student-athlete experience.
Rifle Coach: Sunny's Name Reflects Her Personality
"Sunny is one of those people who any coach would enjoy having on your team," Nebraska Rifle Coach Stacy Underwood said. "She's obviously very coachable and also has the personality that her teammates respect. She really embraces leadership and likes to help others. She looks at SAAC as one very important way she can pursue leadership while she's still in college." Sunny lights up a room when she walks in. "Her name reflects her personality," Underwood said. "She's all sunshine and makes everyone's day a little bit better. Everyone who has ever been around her knows it's going to be good attitude and good vibes all the way around with her."
Underwood also knows that Nebraska Athletics is loaded with capable leaders, but few match Russell's skill sets. "Maybe it's because her personality isn't overbearing," Underwood said. "She just seems to be a little bit more open to others. So much so that others feel they can communicate easily at any time. I think Sunny will be a great liaison between the athletes and the Athletic Department and everyone else she will communicate with in the Big Ten. "Sunny just has that humble attitude," Underwood added. "She doesn't take life so seriously, but clearly understands when things have to be very serious. She communicates very well and interacts well and connects with all the student-athletes around her. They see her as a great advocate for them and as someone who will be on their side and represent them very well."
Given Nebraska's high level of success in academics, athletics and life skills, leadership is crucial. "Sunny sees the vision of Nebraska Athletics very clearly in terms of honoring tradition and making sure we have a top-notch program all the way around and making sure that our student-athletes are well taken care of," Underwood said. "I'm confident that her perspective and her leadership will lead to some positive changes in different ways."
Grassel, Fowler, Griess Other New SAAC Officers
Keith Zimmer, the associate athletic director who leads NU's Life Skills program, is equally confident in SAAC's new leader. "Sunny will thrive in the president's role," he said. "She's an excellent facilitator. She's inclusive, caring, genuine and committed to excellence in all that she does." Zimmer, however, points out that SAAC's other three recently elected officers also will play pivotal roles. Ryan Grassel, a junior golfer from Chesterton, Ind., will serve as vice president of SAAC. Mattie Fowler, a sophomore infielder on Nebraska's softball team from Tucson, Ariz., will be SAAC's Big Ten representative from Nebraska. Jake Griess, a sophomore shot put/discus/hammer thrower on the Husker men's track and field team, will lead SAAC's community outreach efforts.
Interestingly, three of the four SAAC officers have siblings who also compete in college athletics. Russell's brother, Rustin, is a member of the rifle team at Memphis. Grassel's brother, Kyle, plays golf at the Colorado School of Mines, and Fowler's sister, Kenzie, is a two-time senior All-America pitcher for the Arizona Wildcats.
We've all heard how leaders are people who see more than others see, see farther than others see and see before others see. If that's true, then this SAAC team should get a head start because whenever they huddle up with family members this summer, they will be honing their leadership skills for the fall. "This is a solid group of leaders," Zimmer said. "They will accomplish a lot of great things over the next year."
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KNBR Giants Fanfest
20th Annual Giants Fanfest at AT&T Park
AT&T Park and Pier 48
Saturday, February 9, 2013
10:00 am - 3:00 pm PST
AT&T Park and Pier 48
Saturday, February 9, 2013
10:00 am - 3:00 pm PST
What/Why: Some features that will be available at Fanfest -
- Trophy Pavilion at Pier 48 (Take a photo with the 2010 & 2012 World Series trophies, the National League Champion trophy, the World Baseball Classic Trophy and the America's Cup trophy)
- Live Player Q&A Stages
- Huge Giants Memorabilia Display featuring items throughout history
- Watch the KNBR Broadcast and Interviews with players in the seats behind homeplate
- Giants Highlight Theater – featuring movies and highlights from the 2012 Championship Season
- Kids Zone
- Self Guided tours of Giants Clubhouse and Press Box
- Walk or Play Catch on the Field
- Buy 2013 Single Game Tickets
*Please note that players and coaches will be signing autographs at locations around the ballpark, but fans should expect long lines and waiting periods. The Giants urge fans to take advantage of the other great Fanfest experiences that will be located throughout AT&T Park and Pier 48.
Who: More than 30 current Giants players and coaches are scheduled to be in attendance at next Saturday's FanFest. The tentative list includes:
Jeremy Affeldt
Brandon Belt
Gregor Blanco
Bruce Bochy
Madison Bumgarner
Santiago Casilla
Brandon Crawford
Tim Flannery
Mark Gardner
Roberto Kelly
George Kontos
Joe Lefebvre
Tim Lincecum
Javier Lopez
Jean Machi
Hensley Meulens
Jose Mijares
Nick Noonan
Francisco Peguero
Hunter Pence
Yusmeiro Petit
Brett Pill
Buster Posey
Dave Righetti
Sergio Romo
Dan Runzler
Hector Sanchez
Pablo Sandoval
Marco Scutaro
Eric Surkamp
Andres Torres
Ryan Vogelsong
Ron Wotus
Barry Zito
While the event is FREE, the Giants urge all fans to make a donation to the Giants Community Fund as they enter the ballpark. Parking is free in Lot A. Public transportation is also encouraged.


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unctad.org | The 2012 Liangjiang Forum
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Statement by Mr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD
The 2012 Liangjiang Forum
Chongqing, China
10 May 2012
Global Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility
Mr. Xu Ming, Standing member of the municipal committee of Chongqing,
Honourable Panelists,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be here, and to address this second Liangjiang Forum on the key opportunities and challenges facing Chongqing and western China in the current global economic context.
As you are all aware, the world economy is still reeling from the fallout of the global financial crisis. The pace of the global recovery slowed in 2011 and the world economy remains in danger of slipping into a major downturn in 2012. According to the United Nations forecast, global output growth is expected to decelerate further to about 2.5 per cent in 2012, after growing by only 2.7 per cent in 2011.
China, along with a group of other dynamic developing economies, has been leading the global recovery. However, the country has not been immune from the consequences of the crisis, owing partly to the weakening of external demand from major developed economies. Growth of world import volume slowed from 13.6 per cent in 2010 to 6.6 per cent in 2011 and is projected to decelerate even further to slightly more than 4 per cent in 2012. Unless growth is restored in some of the major export destinations in Europe and the US, East and South Asia must continue to contend with sluggish import demand.
The weakening export demand in developed regions, as well as tightening credit measures adopted by China's Government to rein in inflation and cool property markets, have already meant that economic growth in China has moderated significantly since mid-2011. GDP growth declined to 8.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2012, down from 10.4 per cent in 2010 and 9.2 per cent in 2011. China recorded its first quarterly trade deficit in seven years during the first quarter of 2012 owing to weak demand from developed economies, stronger domestic demand, higher global commodity prices and the gradual but persistent appreciation of the Renminbi in real terms.
For a major exporter like China, the changing global environment therefore provides an opportunity to adjust its development strategy towards one based on domestic demand. This will also allow the country to consolidate the gains achieved and ensure that they are shared widely, so as to build the base for sustainable growth and avoiding the "middle-income trap". In this context, I see the following key challenges facing China: Firstly, there is the need to re-orient growth towards domestic consumption. Secondly and closely related to the first, is the need to share the gains achieved in past decades more equally among the regions and to address the growing income inequality. Here, the export-oriented regions along the coastline have done far better than the inland, while urban areas have done better than rural areas. Thirdly, there is the need to strengthen the social services sector, such as health and education, so as to build the skilled workforce needed for the next stage in the development process, which is to attract more high value-added industries. Last, but not least, there is the need to support a transition towards less carbon-intensive production processes, so as to mitigate climate change, and to develop the technological capabilities needed for sustainable growth in the 21st century.
On many of these challenges, China has already made significant progress. The fact that China's current account has narrowed from 10.6 per cent of GDP in 2007 to 2.9 per cent in 2011, and is expected to decline to about 2 per cent of GDP in 2012, is a sign that China is already moving towards a more consumption-driven growth path and that its rebalancing efforts are advancing more rapidly than any other major surplus country. In fact, domestic consumption growth has been supported by rising real wages, a shift that is likely to become even more pronounced in the near future, and which will support greater equality, as well as greater access to social services. In addition, with inflation slowing, the recent easing of credit, combined with a slightly more expansionary fiscal policy stance show that China's authorities still have room to stimulate activity.
The successful development of Chongqing, and the Liangjian New Area in particular, can be a key part of this overall strategy. The establishment of major manufacturing industries in Chongqing has created a central growth hub in inland China, which has brought some of the benefits of rapid growth to western China. This has been further supported by the rapid development of infrastructure, which has been a key aspect of inland development. More importantly, its strategic position on the Yangtze river creates sound transport opportunities through access to the international ports.
According to UNCTAD's Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI), China is already the country best connected to global liner shipping networks. Not only has it the highest LSCI since UNCTAD first developed the index in 2004, but it has also further improved its connectivity above average during the last 7 years, with an increase of over 52 per cent between 2004 and 2011. This improvement reflects above all the growth in the number of ships, their container carrying capacity, and the sizes of the ships that provide regular shipping services from and to Chinese ports.
While China's connectivity to overseas markets is excellent, in-land connections are still in the process of continuous improvement. In this context, the reforms and investments to improve the connectivity of Chongqing are noteworthy. Chongqing has been referred to as "the powerhouse of the industrial movement on China's Yangtze River". I has recently opened a new container terminal, increasing the river port's capacity from 800 000 TEU to 1.6 million TEU.
Beyond the shipping connection, Chongqing has also established major railway links, both with other major inland population centres, and internationally. Already in 2009, the Asian Development Bank extended a $300 million loan to for a railway connection between Lanzhou and Chongqing. The creation of such regional infrastructure can play a crucial role in the economic development of inland China. Even more impressive, however, was the launch one year ago, on 9 May 2011, of the 5-days-a-week direct rail freight service between the Port of Antwerp, Europe's second-largest port, and Chongqing. This is a crucial step in the process of developing the Eurasian Land Bridge. Setting up this rail freight passage has significantly speeded up the process of transporting freight across Eurasia. As compared to the 36 days it takes for maritime transport from east China's ports to west Europe, the Antwerp-Chongqing Rail Freight service currently takes 20 to 25 days, and the aim is to very soon further shorten the duration of this journey to 15 to 20 days. While westbound cargo largely includes automotive and technological goods, eastbound shipments are mostly chemicals.
Through its strategic position and linkages, as well as its investment-friendly policies, Chongqing has become a regional industrial centre and growth-hub. It should now continue to draw on the presence of major international and national companies - including more than 200 of the Fortune 500 companies - to further develop infrastructure in the rural environment, and to create new industry clusters, particularly in the area of sustainable development. In Chongqing and many other parts of China, we have seen rapid infrastructure build-up over the past decade, and public-private partnerships (PPPs) have contributed to this spectacular progress.
If managed well, public-private partnerships (or PPPs) can draw on the capital and technological know-how of the private sector and at the same time serve the wider political, social and developmental objectives as set by the public sector. Characterized by the sharing of risk, responsibility and return between partners, these arrangements can combine the advantages of both the public and private sectors and, in some areas, present an effective way to address development challenges. In the context of public infrastructure, such as water and sanitation, this means ensuring universal access and affordability. A key challenge therefore is find the appropriate mix of public and private sector involvement.
Another key potential area to explore is that of Research and Development, including in sustainable technologies. UNCTAD research has shown that PPPs on R&D can ensure that R&D is more responsive to local needs and sustainability challenges. There are a number of policy instruments for host country governments to encourage this, such as targeted incentives, joint R&D and testing projects. A major challenge is to enhance knowledge spillovers from TNCs to local universities, research institutes and companies.
To maximize the benefits and minimize the risks related to PPPs, there is a need to set up a sound institutional and regulatory framework. A common misconception about PPPs is that they require less public sector involvement. In reality, they often demand more than even public investment. PPPs require a strong public sector that is able to adopt a new role and perform new skills. Weak institutions can hamper the implementation of PPP programmes. Moreover, poorly constructed, non-transparent projects can lead to failure and considerable frustration. The intrinsic involvement of the public sector is the basis of PPPs.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The proactive role of the government, at both central and local levels, in major infrastructure development in China already provides a very valuable lesson to other developing countries. I am confident that the use of similar such PPPs can be harnessed for other areas, so as to further strengthen Chongqing's contribution to the sustainable economic and social development of western China.
Thank you very much.
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