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Pitching changes coming for the Rays
As Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and Rays Manager Joe Maddon sit in the conference room of the third floor of Tropicana Field today for the pre-draft Media lunch, they just seem to stare at the huge clock on the wall as it tick-tocks along. Both are in that room to try and put some future logic into the transactions and roster tweaks to make this team take that next step once they hit the .500 plateau again this season. Decisions must be made, either for the good or bad of the team to be able to contend later this year for their second shot at playoff gold. And each of the decision they will have to make will effect this team in some way.
Neither man wants to make these decisions. It would be so much easier if the rosters could expand to 30 players right now instead September 1st. Staying within that 25-man limit when you have 9 players currently sitting around the training table seeking some sort of medical treatment or advice.. With the influx of these untimely injuries, and some lingering mechanical situations with some of the Rays players',the season is slowly slipping away from them.
The first problem that might be coming fast on the horizon actually might have fixed itself a bit when both Jeff Niemann and Andy Sonnanstine had great outing this week to take some pressure off the coaching staff and Friedman to make a decision on the two hurlers. Sonnanstine still might be the guy on the bubble, but if he holds to the form he is showing now, the decision might be a closely guarded secret of the third floor. Just like Spring Training in 2009, Niemann is the guy who has pulled ahead of his rival with a dramatic game last night that surely set him up for a long term "tryout", or at least until the Trade Deadline in August.
Niemann put up a 2-hit complete game shutout up last night against the Kansas City Royals that easily the best pitching performance of his career. He hit the 100 pitch plateau with a swinging strike by the Royals Bill Butler. What is more amazing is the fact that Niemann has now had 1-walk or less in every game since May 18th. A total of 3 walks in 4 games is a great indicator that he might just have found his rhythm with the Rays finally. This is the kind of pitcher the team envisioned in that last week of Spring Training. He might have taken a few games to warm-up, but he is getting hotter and hotter with every start.
Steve Nesius / AP
This might be the worst decision they will have to make in 2009. Both pitchers have to be sweating bullets knowing they have given their all for the Rays this season. But with Rays veteran starter Scott Kazmir maybe only a month away from manning the hill for the Rays, it is more believable that one of these two guys will take the fall when Kazmir is reinstated. For all the heat the Rays took for even sending rookie pitcher David Price down ( I agreed with it) they are now going to face that same volume of voices if they even attempt to pop him back to Durham until September. It is considered a non-issue by most of the people in the blue seats that Price is an extreme up-grade to either of these hurlers right now.
So it might take the clever mind and crafty talents of Friedman to find a good trade partner to take some of the stress off both the duo and the Rays organization by maybe seeing if the San Diego Padres still have a need or want for either of the two come All-Star break time. You have to consider by that juncture in time, the Jake Peavy situation out west might have more clarity, and they also might have a better understanding of what pieces they have in their system that could entice the Rays. I do not know why, but it seems more logical for the pair to be considered by a National League team than anywhere in the American League. So this is going to be high on the agenda of both men here in the near future.
Both pitchers have had their share of pitfalls and triumphs in 2009. But right now you have to give the edge to the Tall Texan based on his past 4 starts and his upside right now for the Rays. It really is a different animal to see the ball coming in from a downward angle of a 6 foot 9 inches pitcher. Sonnanstine did not win the race on height (6′ 3″), but this decision might have more basis on pure pitching performance than heart and want right now.
Right now a few facts are starting to point to Niemann as the guy who might end up having a leg up on the decision making process. So far the Rays won 6 of the last 8 of Niemann's starts and are 6-4 when he takes the mound. This is the best record of any of the five starters for the Rays right now. Right now, after last nights brilliant performance, Niemann has the most wins on the Rays staff. Over his last four starts he has pitched to a 2.86 ERA. And he has been a bit of a road warrior for the team, starting 7 of his 10 starts on the road and coming back with a 3-1 record with 4.11 road ERA. And to add some offensive support, the team has scored 40 runs in his last 5 starts.
His last start was a bit of a bummer for Niemann as he only got to throw 3 innings in Cleveland before the game went into a rain delay. Even though he took the loss for the start, he did perform great against the hot hitting Indian offense. His only run given up was scored on a groundout by Victor Martinez. His strikeout-to-walk ratio has gotten better with each start, but in the last 5 games he has posted 23 strikeouts, including a career-high 9 in last night's game. The statistics are showing his confidence and his belief in the Rays way of pitching has shown on the mound. With almost no runner on base last night, Niemann looked in control both from the stretch and the wind-up. He might finally feel comfortable in his Rays skin.
As for his counterpart Sonnanstine, until Tuesday night's game, Sonny has looked a bit consistent in a bad way on the mound. But like Niemann, Sonnanstine has continued to cut down on his walks in his last outing surrendering none to the Royals. The Rays did go 4-2 in his May starts despite a 7.58 ERA. He has received the largest run support of any starter this season for the Rays. If Sonnanstine had enough innings to qualify, his ERA (7.66) and .340 opponents batting average would be the worst in the majors for a starter. But then again, he has been behind the eight ball a few times for the Rays this season. He was the lucky, or unlucky pitcher on the mound for the line-up fiasco game against the Cleveland Indians at home.
In that contest, he had to bat in the 3-hole after Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist were both inserted into the third base position for the game. Because the Rays fielded Zobrist for the first part of the inning, Longoria was disqualified from the Designated Hitter spot, so the Rays lost that AL advantage for the game. Showing some true grit and conforming perfectly for the situation, Sonnanstine went 1-3 with a RBI-double. According to the Elias Bureau,in that game he became the first Rays pitcher to bat in an AL home game, and the first to bat at Tropicana Field. He also threw 5.2 innings that day to post his third win of the season for the team.
Maddon and Friedman will
confer with Rays Pitching Coach Jim Hickey closely on both pitchers before maybe coming up with a solid decision on who might have the longest shelf life for the Rays. Considering that Niemann is in his rookie campaign with the Rays, and Sonny has had three years to ply his trade, both recently have made strides to have either of them stay with the team. Both pitchers have also been a huge part of the resurgence in the Rays since their 4 game slide in Cleveland. Niemann was not only defeated by the Indians, but robbed by the elements of putting up better numbers. In that series, Sonnanstine ran against his arch nemesis, Ben Francisco, who is now 8 for 9 lifetime against him with 4 homers in his last 4 at bats against him.
But we are done with Cleveland this season, so Sonnanstine can focus on other matters for the team. But the upcoming decision could also be made easier if a member of the Bullpen goes down, or if Maddon can see him as a long reliever for the team. That position is currently held by Lance Cormier, who has done an awesome job in that role. But the transition from starter to reliever can take some time and the meetings about Sonny might focus on the fact he might have trouble adjusting to a unconventional and limited pitching role.
2 Comments
That was a pretty impressive outing by Niemann. And I understand your wish that the roster could move up to 30 players now. With Smoltz getting ready to come back and Buchholz doing so well in Triple-A, I suspect the Red Sox would like to be able to keep more players in Boston also.
Sometimes it just seems like an extra couple players could be huge up here.
But then again, maybe in the future after the next CBA they might increase the numbers.
It would mean a few extra jobs at the major league level, which the union would love ( dues).
Rays Renegade


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'LIVING THE DREAM' -- Cubs advance to state championship game for second time in school history
GEORGETOWN, Texas - With less than six minutes remaining and the score tied, Brenham High School quarterback Ty Schlottmann pulled sophomore running back Troy Green close and told him to expect the ball with Brenham's state championship dreams on the line.
Just a few seconds later, on an option play to the left, Schlottmann fulfilled his own prophecy, pitching to Green even as the defensive end slammed into him, driving the junior signal-caller into the turf. But even from his vantage point on the ground, Schlottmann was able to watch Green shake off a defender and then win the 35-yard foot race to the end zone, scoring what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown that sent the Brenham Cubs to the Class 4A Division II championship at Georgetown ISD Stadium here Saturday.
Brenham's 31-21 victory over the Kerrville Tivy Antlers sends Brenham to the state finals for just the second time in program history. The Cubs will now meet Aledo at 1 p.m. Saturday at Royal Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.
"It's unbelievable. It's everybody's dream as a little kid and right now we're living the dream," said Schlottmann, who piled up 253 total yards while throwing three touchdown passes. "We're just doing everything that we can to keep believing. There's nothing that we can't do if we just keep believing and now we're there."
Brenham certainly has plenty of reason to believe after Saturday's performance, which saw Green run for 116 yards and catch an 11-yard touchdown pass while junior wide receiver Derek Edwards led the receiving corps with nine receptions for 111 yards and two touchdown grabs.
Brenham's defense did its part as well, holding Tivy quarterback Johnny Manziel to 152 passing yards on 10-of-27 passing and intercepting three passes on the day. Senior safety Jeremy Hall, a Southern Methodist commit, picked off his seventh pass of the season and third of the playoffs, while linebacker Jesse Baker and defensive back Rodney Hubert also intercepted passes.
After the two teams were tied 21-21 coming out of halftime, Brenham's offense took firm control of the game, running 38 offensive plays compared to just 19 for Tivy. While Brenham's two third-quarter possessions were each stopped short, the Cubs dominated the time of possession, allowing Manziel and the Antler offense to run just seven plays in the period.
But in the fourth quarter Brenham took advantage of a battle-worn Tivy defense, marching 80 yards on eight plays. The drive was capped on the option pitch to Green, a play in which Schlottmann was reading the defensive end's reactions.
"I knew Troy probably had a better chance of getting around him (the defensive end)," Schlottman said. "He tried to take me so I just pitched it off to Troy and he did his thing."
Green then shook off a defender before racing down the sideline to the end zone.
"I decided I wanted that touchdown," Green said. "I was halfway there so I had to get it."
Tivy would only have the ball for two plays before giving it back as Hall stripped wide receiver Mikhail Ironside and Brandon Fielder leapt on the fumble. From there, Brenham would burn three and a half minutes off the clock before Tanner Schmidt booted a 37-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining. On Tivy's final possession, Hall came down with his third fourth-quarter interception of these playoffs.
The game started on a negative note for the Cubs, as Tivy scored on its first play from scrimmage. With Ironside lining up at quarterback and Manziel at wide receiver, the Cubs were caught off guard. Ironside connected with Manziel on a 79-yard touchdown pass that was made easy after a Brenham defensive back lost his footing and fell to the turf.
But Brenham would answer less than four minutes later as Schlottmann found Edwards for a 29-yard touchdown.
After the two teams mostly traded punts in the first quarter, the scoring came fast and furious in the second. Schlottmann found Green on a swing pass for an 11-yard touchdown strike, the first receiving touchdown of Green's career, but Tivy answered right back with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Chad Ham.
On Brenham's next possession, the Cubs tried to set up a screen pass, but senior defensive end Spencer Thomas read the play and picked off the pass to set up a 16-yard touchdown run by Manziel that gave Tivy a 21-14 lead.
After trailing 21-0 in their regional semifinal victory over Angleton and 17-0 in their regional championship win over Dayton, the Cubs weren't worried.
"We knew we had the whole game left," Schlottmann said. "That meant nothing to us. We kept playing our game knowing that we could come back."
The interception certainly didn't frighten Brenham into abandoning the passing game. On their next possession, the Cubs called for passes on seven of eight plays as Brenham marched 74 yards, eventually scoring on a 27-yard pass to Edwards with 27 seconds left in the half. Edwards, a 6-foot-2 junior, outleapt the corner for the ball.
"Personally, I didn't even know I was that close to the end zone," Edwards said. "I just caught it, saw something orange in the corner of my eye and I kind of tripped over it. Then I saw the referee with his hands up so I just got happy."
Brenham (13-2) coach Glen West said there was never any doubt that Brenham would continue to rely heavily on the pass.
"We're gunslingers," he said. "We're going to just go for it. We're going to see what we can do and have fun with it. We started that last year and Ty Schlottmann thrives on that. If you restricted him, you'd be cutting off the hand that feeds you. You can't do that. You've got to let him do what he does."
Said Schlottmann, "The most important thing we've learned this year is our coaches have told us, 'The next play is the most important play,' so I knew I had to get that out of my head because there was a lot of game left and I couldn't let that affect the team. I just got that out of my head and kept playing football."
Brenham would finish with one of its best offensive outputs of the season, totalling 402 yards, including 210 rushing yards on 44 carries.
Schlottmann completed passes to six receivers.
"Between me, Terrell (Reese) and Emon (Smith) I don't think anyone can really hold us," Edwards said. "As we ran our short routes we had great blocks so we could get into the end zone and when the time came to throw it deep we did and we made the most of those opportunities."
Said Schlottmann, "Every single one of our receivers is great and today Derek really stood out. He just made the plays he needed to make and came down with a lot of jump balls. He took some big hits and still came down with the ball so I'm real proud of him."
Tivy (9-5) finished with 327 yards of offense, most of which came on big plays. Three of them - Manziel's 79-yard reception, Ham's 50-yard reception and a 63-yard run by Manziel - accounted for 59 percent of Tivy's offense.
"We felt like we had to get after Manziel but not pressure him too hard - pick our times - and cover the receivers hard, keep him contained and don't let him create," West said. "I thought we did a good job of not letting him create."
The game marked Brenham's fifth state semifinal appearance in program history. Brenham's only other state championship appearance came in 2002, when a senior class that included current Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Limas Sweed led the Cubs into a title tilt with Denton Ryan.
While this Cub team includes Hall, University of Utah commit Reese and Michael Walker, who has received at least one Division I offer, it has relied on something far less tangible in its playoff run.
"You don't have to have (a star). It's great if you have that, but you don't have to have that," West said. "What you have to have is a team that's willing to fight and stay together and work together. I know it's a clich/ and all that, but these guys truly, truly love each other and I'm going to say a bigger driving force than going to state is they get to be with each other another week."
Just a few minutes earlier, Edwards had voiced the same sentiment while trying to describe what it felt like to advance to the state championship game.
"I'm speechless," he said. "I'm just ready to go, ready to do it. Another week of practice, oh yeah."
RICHARD BRAY, Sports Editor, Brenham Banner

subset: commoncrawl


text: In lieu of gifts on her third birthday, Logan Oluvic of Salisbury asked guests to bring a stuffed animal to be donated to the Robert T. Adkins, M.D. Emergency/Trauma Center at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. The stuffed animals will be used to comfort young patients during their visit. Above, Ryan Killough, Clinical Manager of the Emergency/Trauma Center, was recently presented with the stuffed animals by Oluvic.


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DR hopeful to add Beltre in second round
By Paul Hagen / MLB.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Dominican Republic manager Tony Pena won't rule out the possibility that Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, who has been sidelined with right calf tightness, might be added to the club's roster for the World Baseball Classic's second round if the team advances.
Pena laughed and said he'd noticed that Beltre had played his first game of the spring on Monday.
"It's possible," Pena added.
The second round for teams that advance from Pools C and D begins on March 12 at Marlins Park in Miami.
Dominicans' unforgiving lineup on display
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Tony Pena, the manager of the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic, was saying before Tuesday's exhibition game against the Phillies that he hoped his team could score enough runs to take advantage of its strong bullpen.
That wasn't a worry, as the Dominicans pounded out an incredible 28 hits in a 15-2 win at Bright House Field.
Third baseman Miguel Tejada, who didn't play in the Majors last season, went 4-for-6 with a double. Jose Reyes, Robinson Cano and Hanley Ramirez all homered; Ramirez added two doubles and a single.
Tejada and Reyes both said they'd never played on a team that got that many hits before.
"I didn't even watch [the scoreboard]," Tejada said. "I was just talking to the guys and one of the guys said, 'We need two more to get 30 hits.' And I said, 'Wow, that's incredible.'
"We have a great lineup. I think the important part is we have a little bit of everything. We have power, we have guys who can do a hit-and-run, we have guys who can steal a base. I think that's going to be the difference for us this year."
Pena conceded that the Dominican team may not have as many sluggers as in previous years, but said he's more comfortable with this lineup.
"No question," Pena said. "For a power hitter to get his timing down at the plate is very tough. It's easier for a line-drive hitter to get his timing down, because they're going to put the ball in play and they're going to run."
Said Reyes: "It shows our lineup is very good, because we were able to face one of the best left-handers in Cole Hamels and were able to score eight runs. That's not easy to do. That doesn't happen very often. So we feel very good about our chances. We just need to continue to go out on the field and give everything that we have.
"The chemistry that we have is unbelievable. We have a lot of energy because we're hungry to play the game. We all know what happened the first two [World Baseball Classics], and we know this is our chance, our opportunity."
Paul Hagen is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Advanced Options
Christopher S. Krimmer
Aug. 20, 2014 – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is scheduled to hear oral arguments next week on whether Wisconsin's "Marriage Amendment," the state constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, is a violation of the due process and equal protection rights of gay men and lesbians.
The case, Wolf v. Walker1, has been consolidated with another same-sex marriage case, Baskin v. Bogin2, coming out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. In both cases, the lower federal court held that the fundamental right to marriage was being denied to gay men and lesbians.
The states of Wisconsin and Indiana appealed. The Seventh Circuit must now decide the issue in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling last year, United States v. Windsor.3 This article highlights the legal arguments the court will consider.
In Windsor, the Court held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act prohibiting the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages was unconstitutional.
The Court stated that when a state sanctions a same-sex marriage, the federal government cannot demean that marriage by treating it as a second-class marriage.
The Court did not, however, go so far as to state that a state must grant a same-sex marriage in the first place. This latter, more fundamental issue, of whether the right to marriage extends to same-sex couples was argued in Windsor's companion case, Hollingsworth v. Perry.4 The Court dismissed the Perry case for lack of standing so it never decided the broader constitutional issues of same-sex marriage.
As a result, the lower courts have been left to decide whether the fundamental right to marriage includes gay and lesbian couples. To date, every lower court that has addressed the issue of same-sex marriage since the Windsor decision has held that gay men and lesbians have due process and equal protection rights to marry.
com christpher b-rlaw Christopher Krimmer (U.W. 1997), is a partner at Balisle & Roberson S.C. in Madison, practicing exclusively in the area of family law. He's also an adjunct law professor at Marquette Law School. Reach him by phone at (608) 259-8702, by com christpher b-rlaw email.
The Windsor decision, in one respect, was a narrow ruling addressing only the constitutionality of a single provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, but its impact has been monumental. The decision speaks of liberty interests of gay men and lesbians and the need for them to be treated equally, but also reaffirms the doctrine that marriage has always been a matter left to the states and principles of federalism should be respected.
Although both sides of the debate can look to Windsor for support of their respective positions, so far, of the 29 case decisions addressing a post-Windsor marriage analysis, not a single decision held that federalism trumps the due process and equal protection rights of gay and lesbian couples. These marriage equality decisions include three federal courts of appeals rulings, six state court decisions, and twenty federal district court rulings, including this past summer's Wolf decision by the Honorable Barbara Crabb of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.5
The Seventh Circuit seems poised to render its opinion and has expedited the case to do so. The preliminary issue that the Court will likely need to decide is what weight to give a 1972 summary ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, Baker v. Nelson.6
Same-Sex Marriage in Wisconsin: Rights, Privileges, and Obligations
Christopher Krimmer presents at the Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference in Wisconsin Dells, Oct. 23-25. In this rapidly changing area of the law, Krimmer will discuss the unique legal position of gay and lesbian couples who reside in Wisconsin but marry in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage. The program will identify the rights and obligations applicable to these marriages, and how state and federal spousal rights interact. It will also cover recent developments in federal and state domestic partnership law, estate planning for same-sex couples, how to "divorce" same-sex spouses, and legal options for same-sex partners with children.
In Baker, the Minnesota Supreme Court held that Minnesota was not required to grant same-sex marriages under the U.S. Constitution. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which dismissed the case in a one sentence ruling stating: "[t]he appeal is dismissed for want of a substantial federal question."
This type of decision, known as a summary disposition, still has precedential value even though the merits of the case were not specifically addressed. Wisconsin and Indiana, and most states that are defending a state ban of same-sex marriage, have relied on Baker for the argument that the U.S. Supreme Court has already decided the issue of same-sex marriage and a lower federal court is without authority to overrule it.7
The federal courts acknowledge that summary dispositions do have precedential weight. However, they are different from cases in which the merits have been addressed and decided. Specifically, a summary disposition need not be followed "when the doctrinal developments indicate" that the Court would take a different view now.8
The Wisconsin and Indiana federal district courts both determined that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a far different view of the rights of gay men and lesbians in recent years from its view in 1972 when Baker was decided.
Both federal courts point to Lawrence v. Texas, in which the Court held that gay men and lesbians have a liberty interest in sexual intimacy.9 In addition, in the Romer v. Evans decision, the Supreme Court held that Colorado could not enact a constitutional amendment that prevented gays and lesbians from seeking equal rights.10
Finally, both judges cited to the Supreme Court's ruling last year in United States v. Windsor, in which the Court held that the federal government could not discriminate against married same-sex couples simply out of animus towards an unpopular group.11
In light of this doctrinal development in gay and lesbian rights, the district courts found that Baker v. Nelson is no longer good precedent.12
If the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals agrees with the lower courts regarding the lack of precedential value of the Baker decision, then it would need to engage in a due process and equal protection analysis. The due process analysis surrounds the issue of whether the right to marriage includes same-sex marriage.
If a law impinges on a fundamental right, then the Court will likely employ the highest standard of review known as "strict scrutiny." Rarely, does such a law survive strict scrutiny. If there is no fundamental right involved, then the Court will employ the lowest standard of review known as "rational basis."
If the law has any rational basis, it will be upheld. So, the question for Seventh Circuit is whether the same-sex marriage bans impinge on a fundamental right. If so, then it is very likely the bans on same-sex marriage will fall. If there is no fundamental right involved, then it is more likely that the state bans will be upheld.
Whether there is a fundamental right present in these cases depends on how the Seventh Circuit frames the due process issue. The state of Wisconsin frames the issue as "whether there is a fundamental right to same-sex marriage."
Conversely, the plaintiff couples frame the issue as "whether the fundamental right to marriage is being denied to same-sex couples."
This is not merely semantics. In order for a right to be considered a fundamental right deserving of strict scrutiny, the right must be "rooted in our Nation's history and traditions."13 Obviously, same-sex marriage, itself, has not been rooted in our nation's history or tradition. Same-sex marriage did not become legal in the U.S. until 2004 when Massachusetts legalized it in a state supreme court decision. However, marriage, in a more general sense, is clearly deeply rooted in our nation's history and tradition.
If the Court frames the issue as a "fundamental right to marriage" versus a "fundamental right to same-sex marriage," then the Court will most likely adopt the reasoning of the 20 other federal court decisions that held the right to marry was being denied to gay and lesbian couples. If the Court elects to narrowly frame the issue to whether there is a historical right to "same-sex marriage," then the Court will likely deny that right to gay men and lesbians.
In the Indiana and Wisconsin cases before the Seventh Circuit, both lower federal court judges explained that whether there is a history or tradition of "same-sex marriage" misses the mark; the inquiry should not be narrowed by the very exclusions at issue.14
For example, in Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court held that it was a violation of due process to deny interracial couples the right to marry. The U.S. Supreme Court did not frame the due process inquiry as to whether there was a "fundamental right to interracial marriage." Rather, the Court's due process analysis was whether the "fundamental right to marriage" was being denied to interracial couples.15
The Wisconsin and Indiana District Court judges both applied the same analysis provided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Loving when looking to the issue of same-sex marriage. They rejected the notion that there has to be a history and tradition of same-sex marriage itself, but rather whether the right to marriage was being denied to same-sex couples. An attorney reading the future Seventh Circuit Court decision can reliably predict the outcome of the due process analysis within the first few sentences of the opinion by looking at the language the Court chooses to frame the due process inquiry.
The Wolf and Baskin cases are marriage cases, but they are also more than that issue alone. These cases raise the issue of whether sexual orientation is a suspect or quasi-suspect class under an equal protection analysis. If gays and lesbians constitute a protected class, then the courts must employ a heightened level of judicial review.
A law that classifies on the basis of a suspect class is subject to strict scrutiny (e.g. race). A law that distinguishes on the basis of a quasi-suspect class is subject to an intermediate standard of review (e.g. gender). A law that does not involve either a suspect or quasi-suspect class will be subject to a rational basis standard of review.
If the Seventh Circuit Court determines that gay men and lesbians constitute either a suspect or quasi-suspect class, the impact of that decision will reach far beyond the issue of marriage. Anytime a law distinguishes rights or benefits on the basis of sexual orientation, the state will have to meet a higher burden of how it can justify distinguishing between heterosexual individuals and gay men and lesbians.
Although much of the current public discourse is on same-sex marriage, there are other areas of life in which gay men and lesbians are not afforded equal rights. For example, it is still legal in 29 states for an employer to fire a person because they are gay or lesbian.16 These marriage decisions may be the death knell for all forms of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
There is an interesting difference between how the judges in the Indiana and Wisconsin marriage cases addressed this equal protection analysis. U.S. District Judge Young of the Indiana District Court held that the Seventh Circuit had already determined that gay men and lesbians are not a protected class and the rational basis standard should apply to whether the denial of marriage violates their equal protection rights.17
Interestingly, even though he employed the most deferential standard of review, he still found that there was no rational basis to deny the right of marriage to same-sex couples.18 Conversely, U.S. District Judge Crabb, in the Wisconsin decision, determined that the Seventh Circuit has yet to determine whether gay men and lesbians constitute a protected class.19 The Court then proceeded to find that gay men and lesbians are indeed a quasi-suspect class similar to gender.20 Hence, if Judge Crabb's analysis is upheld, any legal classification based on sexual orientation must further a "sufficiently important state interest" that is "closely tailored to effectuate those interests."21
Whatever the Seventh Circuit Court decides with respect to sexual orientation and the designation of suspect or quasi-suspect class, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely need to make the final determination when presented with the issue of same sex marriage.
To date, the Court has not explicitly identified whether gays and lesbians are a protected class.22 When addressing sexual orientation in the past, the Court has cited language commonly used in the context of a rational basis analysis but then they have clearly applied a more heightened standard of review.23
The U.S. Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit Court will be deciding these same-sex marriage cases in a very different social and political climate from when these bans were enacted. In Wisconsin, the marriage ban was passed by a 59 percent of voters.24
Today, the numbers are reversed, with 59 percent of residents in favor of repealing the ban.25 A 55 percent majority of Wisconsin residents favor legalizing same-sex marriage.26 Fifty percent of the U.S. population believes that the Equal Protection Clause guarantees the right for gay men and lesbians to marry.27
Beyond the constitutional question, a record high of 59 percent of those on a nationwide level support same-sex marriage.28 The Courts do not operate in a vacuum. Whether society influences the law, or the law influences society, it seems that the tide is certainly moving in the direction of marriage equality.
1 Wolf v. Walker, 986 F.Supp.2d 982 (W.D. Wis. 2104).
2 Baskin v. Zoeller, 2014 WL 1568884 (S.D. Indiana).
4 Hollingsworth v. Pery, 570 U.S. __ (2013)
5 Id.
6 191 N.W.2d 185 (Minn. 1971).
7 Wolf at p. 7- 12 (Judge Crabb's June 6, 2014 Order), Baskin at p. 11 – 14 (Judge Young's June 25, 2014 Order); See e.g. Kitchen v. Herbert, 2014 WL 2868044 (10th Cir.).
8 Hicks v. Miranda, 422 U.S. 332, 344 (1975).
11 Supra at 3.
12 Supra at 13.
13 Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997).
14 Wolf decision at p. 34 (June 6, 2014 Order) ("Both Lawrence and Loving support a view that the state cannot rely on a history of exclusion to narrow the scope of the right. When the Supreme Court decided those cases, there had been a long history of states denying the rights being asserted.")
15 Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, 7 (1967).
16 Human Rights Campaign, Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
17 Baskin at p. 24 (June 25, 2014 Order) ("The Court…believes it is bound to apply rational basis because one of the cases the Court relied on in Schroeder, e.g. Romer, is still valid law.")
18 Id. at 28.
19 Wolf at p. 53 (June 6, 2014 Order).
20 Id. at 58-59.
21 Id at 63.
22 Lee v. Orr, 13-CV-8719, 2013 WL 6490577 n. 1 (N.D. Ill. 2013) ("[T]he Supreme Court has yet to expressly state the level of scrutiny that courts are to apply to claims based on sexual orientation.")
23 See e.g. Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996).
24 Election 2006, Ballot Measures, CNN.com.
25 Marquette University Law School Poll, March 20-23, 2014.
26 Chuck Quirmbach, Poll: 55 Percent Support Same-Sex-Marriage in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Radio,
27 Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement, Support for same-sex marriage hits new high; half say Constitution guarantees right, The Washington Post.
28 Id.


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Go for a non-white linen suit - or a suit in a linen/cotton blend. I reckon your main colour options are grey, blue, or beige.
Allsaints do a few for example, but steer clear of any deliberate crinkling/distressing. They'll do that themselves in no time anyway. Most of those you'll find will be deconstructed; perfect for channelling a bit of Italian style, so try pairing it with loafers.
I think this double breasted Allsaints suit ("L'Orient") would be quite a suave, on-trend choice:
66% Linen, 34% cotton. Just add loafers, blue shirt, and nice bright pocket square. Do you need a tie? Depends how fancy the invitation is


text: Having worked for cities and counties for over 30 years I'd say don't hold your breath that BMW MOA or the creator even can do much about those fees. I suppose a group contract of some sort might be negotiated with one entity for one park, but trying to ameliorate the greed or need of the local governments on any scale would be futile. We simply just don't go there while in Minnesota and a few other states. At their state park prices, I would head to the nearest commercial campground with a swimming pool, hot tub, and high speed Internet.


text: I have a 2011 R1200RT; I bought it used with only 869 miles on it. It sat unridden for most of a year I suppose. It now has 10800 and I think it needs a new battery (already!). I rode it 7000 miles on a western trip twice it would not start in the morning after sitting out all night in near-freezing temperatures. The last night in such cold conditions I got up 4 times during the night to warm the oil and keep it warm. That worked at the expense of my sleep. Sitting in the garage after a week it wouldn't start and I hooked a charger up to it. I took it out today, stopped for some gas. When I tried to restart the warm engine it sounded labored. Well, I quit on the starter button and retried to start it.. I got those clicks. I let it rest for a few minutes and it started, but again sounded labored. I have had the battery checked twice on diagnostic equipment and the techs said it passed all tests. Should I get a new battery? Should I expect the same problems with a new battery? that would be a real bummer. Should I spring for the BMW battery? It now has 10W-40 oil in it, which should be good for a lot colder temps than we have had.


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Thank you all for the terrific voter turnout this week =D Here's our winner:
Well done Yumacub =) Congrats on the win!
Please note that the submission needs to be drawn after I post this thread to prevent people from uploading old art. Thanks.
This thread is for the submissions to the thirtieth Fan Artist of the Week contest. To the newcomers to this contest: Welcome! MLK Fan Artist of the Week is a little competition I came up with to encourage artists to keep up their work, and not let their talents go to waste. It's been a success so far, and I hope we get loads of submissions this week.
Like last time, the rules are simple. The pic must be TLK related, it must be original art (i.e no art theft) and it must be drawn during the days of the contest. Of course, all pics must comply with MLK rules. Images must be no larger than approx. 600x600. That's plenty large enough for everyone to see. Images that break the size limits may be excluded from the contest :\
When the submission deadline is reached I'll start a new thread titled Fan Artist of the Week #30 (Voting) where I will post each entry and everyone in MLK will be welcome to come and vote.
On the issue of art theft, any concerns of this or other rule breaking should be PMed directly to me, as host, or to a global mod who will deal with the concern.
So without further ado, artists! Get out your pencils/paintbrushes/l33t grafix programs and create a work worthy of submission, and post it in this thread!
Submission deadline for contest #30: 4th Aug, 11:59 PM EST (GMT-5)
Welcome to the hall of fame! Here is a list of all the past winners of this contest, and the week they won. To see the winning picture click on the link ^.^
Hall of fame:
Week 1 - Simba
Week 2 - Mike
Week 3 - Zeke
Week 4 - SillydogTheGreat
Week 5 - Annie
Week 6 - Yatima
Week 7 - XaKo
Week 8 - SilverSimba01
Week 9 - Annie
Week 10 - Yatima
Week 11 - DarkLiger
Week 12 - Mike
Week 13 - 'manda
Week 14 - 'manda
Week 15 - Annie
Week 16 - Yatima
Week 17 - 'manda
Week 18 - Simba
Week 19 - Atarial
Week 20 - SilverSimba01
Week 21 - Firestar
Week 22 - SilverSimba01
Week 23 - Shembre
Week 24 - Mike
Week 25 - KovusTrueMate
Week 26 - Yatima
Week 27 - SilverSimba01
Week 28 - Annie
Week 29 - Yumacub


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Using ZA Antivirus (v9.0)
I have the program control slider set to maximum and (after pressing the custom button next to it) in the OSFirewall tab of the "Custom Program Control Settings" window, the Enable OSFirewall option is ticked, and the "change hosts file" option is set to "ask" with the blue question mark.
The problem is, that when the hosts file is edited, ZA just lets it through without asking. Even when I set it to deny (big red X) it does exactly the same.
The OSFirewall logfile registers the change when I edit the hosts file, but has it as "allowed" and down as a "personal policy."
Call me a bluff old traditionalist, but if I set the policy to ask, shouldn't ZA ask me if the edit is allowed and not just allow it and register the edit as allowed due to personal policy?
Am I missing something here? Any advice will be greatly appreciate


text: Finally going back to ride western Europe after nearly forty year absence & brushing up on my German & French. Question is, does one hear English more in France or Germany these days? Rarely heard English anywhere back in the day, suspect France most likely for no 'parlez Anglais' than 'nicht verstehen Englisch".


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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yankee Group, a division of The 451 Group, is starting off 2013 by reinforcing its focus on mobility with some new additions to its analyst team: Jordan McKee recently joined the firm as an Associate Analyst on the Mobile Money team, while Ross Rubin and James Wester joined the Affiliate Program.
"At Yankee Group, satisfying our clients' demands for actionable insight is job No. 1"
McKee's research examines the development of mobile devices being used in the physical world for payments and other forms of transactions. Before joining Yankee Group, he served as a market research analyst at OnProcess Technology, performing statistical analysis in the areas of reverse logistics, service supply chain optimization and customer experience management.
Rubin, whose research focuses on mobile and connected devices, is principal analyst at Reticle Research, an advisory services and consulting firm helping clients benefit from insights into shifting consumer technologies. Prior to founding Reticle Research, he was Executive Director and principal analyst at The NPD Group. Wester is a technology writer and industry analyst with more than 15 years' experience in the technology and payments sectors and is the founding editor for Mobile Payments Today. His work focuses on the fast moving mobile money ecosystem.
"At Yankee Group, satisfying our clients' demands for actionable insight is job No. 1," said Brian Partridge, VP of research and consulting services. "We are delighted to add these talented individuals to our growing team of mobility-focused analysts and affiliates. As we gear up to start a new year, Yankee Group's entire organization looks forward to continuing to help our global client base build and execute strategies to grow and sustain profitable growth in the new mobile economy."
About Yankee Group
Yankee Group, a division of The 451 Group, is the preeminent research and advisory firm equipping companies to profit in a mobile world. The core of our content is proprietary research and analytics on the attitudes, behaviors and usage patterns of mobile users. We provide a range of actionable data, insights and advice to marketing, strategy and product executives driving the mobility revolution in leading companies worldwide. Visit www.yankeegroup.com.
About The 451 Group
Headquartered in New York, with offices in key locations – including Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC, London, Seattle, Denver, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Singapore and Moscow – The 451 Group owns and operates three independent divisions: Yankee Group, the preeminent research and advisory firm equipping companies to profit in a mobile world; 451 Research, a leading technology-industry syndicated research and data firm focused on the business of enterprise IT innovation; and Uptime Institute, an independent provider of thought leadership, certification, education and professional services for the global datacenter and emerging Digital Infrastructure industry.


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|OCZ Agility-EX SLC SSD OCZSSD2-1AGTEX60G
|Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage
|Written by Olin Coles
|Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Page 6 of 14
System Speed Test
I doubt that when DOS was put to rest, Vladimir Afanasiev ever thought he would see his System Speed Test software used again in professional reviews. This program offers comprehensive system information, but it also has a powerful benchmarking tool for memory, processor, and disks. In terms of disk performance, it measures interface and physical transfer rates, seek and access times at the hardware level, and it does so without delay or interference from Operating System software or running processes. This is why Benchmark Reviews will continue to use this test: it polls its results directly from the hardware layer without the need for an Operating System (such as Windows).
System Speed Test does not require a partition to be present for testing, so all of our Random Access Time benchmarks are completed prior to drive formatting. To detect the Random Access Time, each device runs the full test routine a total of five times. The highest and lowest scores were ignored, and the remainder was averaged. This would be prove pointless however, because the access time benchmark for every single SSD recorded identical test results between runs.
Using the System Speed Test software, the top Random Access Time benchmarks places the OCZ Agility-EX, Vertex-EX, Mtron Pro 7500, and ACARD ANS-9010 at the very top of our results. The 0.9 ms performers include: MemoRight GT, Intel X25-E Extreme, Mtron Pro 7000, Mtron MOBI 3500, Intel 80GB X25-M, and the OCZ Summit. With a Random Access Time of 10ms, the following SSDs were included: Corsair X256, OCZ Vertex Turbo, OCZ Vertex, Patriot Torqx, Super Talent UltraDrive ME, Crucial M225, OCZ Agility, and lastly the Mtron MOBI 3000. With a lightning-fast sub 0.1 ms access time, every other SSD is forced to live in the shadow that these nearly-instant products have just created.
Some of the slower Random Access Times include the following SSD products: Kingston SSDNow V+ Series (Samsung PB22-J) with 0.14 ms, The Silicon Power SLC SATA-II SSD SP032GBSSD750S25 with 0.17 ms, the OCZ Apex at 0.18 ms, the Patriot Warp v2 with 0.19 ms, and finally the G.Skill Titan finishing at 0.21 ms. There were slower SSD products, but obsolescence removed them from our results.
The DRAM cache buffer is common link between request and response time. Solid State Drive devices have the advantage of a nearly instantaneous NAND storage bank responding to an even faster DRAM buffer. Conversely, Hard Disk Drive products depend on a fast spindle speed to reduce the delay before the buffer transmits data.
Although the SSDs at the slower end of our Response Time chart may seem less impressive, in reality you couldn't begin to perceive these subtle differences in real-world applications. Still, the slowest SSD product (0.51ms) is 14x more responsive than the fastest desktop hard drive. Hard Disk Drive alternatives are much slower to react, regardless of spindle speed and cache buffer size.
Even the very best of the desktop hard drive products, such as Western Digital's VelociRaptor, only produced a best response time of 7.15 ms. The older Western Digital Raptor took 8.53ms to respond, followed by 12.99ms for the Seagate 7200.11, and 15.39ms for the 7200 RPM Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 notebook drive. The worst performer was the standard 5400 RPM notebook drive (Hitachi Travelstar 5K160 HTS541640J9SA00), which recorded a painfully slow 17.41ms Random Access Time.
Drive Hardware


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Here are some of the notable quotes from around Major League Baseball this week:
"Andruw looks great right now. He changed his stance, went narrower, leading more out in front a little bit, instead of collapsing on the back leg. He looked totally different tonight for me, the same old Andruw."
-- Braves manager Bobby Cox on the 2-for-3 game by Andruw Jones Tuesday versus the Mets. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
"You go in there and don't have a lot of bullets to work with. You try to get that one good pitch and put a good swing on it. I was fortunate to do that tonight. It's a great feeling."
-- Marlins pinch-hitter Jason Wood on delivering a two-run double in the sixth inning Tuesday night. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
"If you know the field, you know their team, the hitters; we knew the game was not over. Even tonight's game, you can think it's over all you want. But if you think it's over, you're kidding yourself."
-- Nationals catcher Brian Schneider revealing that the club did not feel safe with a 9-1 lead against the Reds at the Great American Ball Park Wednesday night. Washington went on to win the game 12-7. (Washington Post)
"It's a pretty good blueprint. Broxton and Saito are as reliable as they come. Broxton is overpowering and Saito has 14 pitches he can throw 15 different ways."
-- Dodgers starter Randy Wolf on handing over a lead to relievers Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito. The Dodgers are 22-0 when they lead after 7 innings.. (Los Angeles Times)
"That's impressive what he's doing. Gave up two, but regrouped and kept pitching. At his age and with as little professional experience as he has -- it's obvious he has great stuff -- but just his poise out there and mound presence is very impressive."
-- Giants manager Bruce Bochy on rookie Tim Lincecum out-dueling Astros ace Roy Oswalt in a 4-2 win Tuesday night. (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Then we insulated it, sheet-rocked it and put some Berber carpet in there. We added a little weight area, a bed, a couch, a television, a little kitchen area, a bathroom ... we weren't going to live there, but it allowed us to save up money for the house."
-- Angels outfielder Reggie Willits , commenting on his young family living in a small building originally built as a batting cage while waiting for their house to be built. (Los Angeles Times)
"Ah, he was hitting some grounders and so I thought I'd lay one down to make up for it. Alex (Rios) has more power than I do, so I didn't expect to win it in the first place."
-- Toronto outfielder Vernon Wells on laying down a bunt during the Home Run Derby contest held prior to the Baseball Hall of Fame game Monday. Wells went on to win the contest with a blast over the left field fence in his next at-bat. (Toronto Star)
"It was a really good day for me. I'll celebrate it. But this is baseball, tomorrow is a clean slate."
-- Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Carlos Quentin after hitting two home runs and driving in five runs Monday to lead Arizona past Colorado 6-5. (East Valley Tribune)
"He's been dominating. It's almost to what we've seen in the past. Now not in the length, which is fine. At some point in time, when you're 43 years old, you're not expected to go out there for nine innings and throw 140 pitches. But if he gives us between six and seven innings when he goes out there in the fashion he has the last three times, we'll take that in a minute. He feels like he's letting the team down if he doesn't go out there for eight, nine innings. But he doesn't need to do that right now."
-- Arizona manager Bob Melvin on pitcher Randy Johnson, who has allowed only five earned runs in his last three starts while striking out 28 batters. (Arizona Republic)
"I don't really remember what it was like in high school, but this is the way I was in college [University of Cincinnati]. As a good hitter in college, I think you learn to have a good approach because very often you won't get pitched to. If you go to some high-powered place, where there are a lot of good hitters, then perhaps it's different."
-- Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, commenting on his deliberate approach at the plate. Youkilis has earned the reputation as a batter who never gives away an at-bat. (Boston Globe)
"I was a little surprised. I also was wondering why I hadn't thrown in four days. RJ (Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson) was telling me something may be going on up here. He told me it could be for four days, a week, a month. He (Boston manager Terry Francona) said, 'Don't expect anything, but come prepared.' I'll be ready for anything."
-- Boston pitcher Manny Delcarmen on being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket Sunday and what is expected from him by manager Terry Francona. Delcarmen pitched one inning of relief Monday night against New York. (Boston Globe)
"It's coming back. I almost felt as confident in that tonight as I did all last year. That's just a product of my arm feeling great and my mechanics starting to come around. From the third inning on, mechanically I felt pretty good."
-- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, after picking up the victory in the Cardinals' 9-4 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday. (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
"You see Willie yesterday? Threw five pitches. Struck out the first guy and got two pop-ups. I text-messaged him and said, 'It's that easy, huh?"'
-- Chicago Cubs pitcher Scott Eyre, on his brother, Texas pitcher Willie Eyre. (Chicago Sun-Times)
"My wife, she almost cried. She said that she is going to take the kids there to see that. Even if I don't ever make it, my picture is still going to be there. I was really impressed. It gives me more energy to keep playing baseball. You see all the great players and then you see your stuff in the same room. It makes you proud. You want to keep playing hard. It fired me up. It makes me want to continue to keep playing every day."
-- Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada, after a recent visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York. While visiting, Tejada came across a picture of himself, along with the jersey he was wearing when he was named MVP of the 2005 All-Star Game. (Baltimore Sun)
"You don't want to be there for a long time, you know? That's why I said I was going to play that first night because I didn't want to be there for a long time."
-- Cincinnati Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, sent to Triple-A Louisville on May 10, on his desire to get back with the Reds as quickly as possible. The Reds recalled Encarnacion on May 22. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
"It's always been my passion. I still fool around and catch in the bullpen. I'm not a Gold Glover, but I think I know what I'm doing."
-- Veteran Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney, who disclosed earlier this week that he's entertaining once again sporting the tools of ignorance and taking up catching. Sweeney last caught regularly in 1998. (Kansas City Star)
"I forgot there was a wall back there. The ball just took off and was beating me to the wall. I just ran straight into it."
-- Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter, after running directly into the center-field wall trying to track down a triple by the Rangers' Michael Young. Hunter was uninjured on the play. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Sports with your smartphone just got better. The Magellan Echo™ watch solves the biggest problem when doing sports with a smartphone -- viewing and controlling fitness apps while the phone is tucked away. Echo™ streams data and controls from your smartphone to your wrist. At a glance, you can see distance, pace, and heart rate from fitness apps in real-time.
Time, pace, distance, heart rate, and more
Get notifications from sports apps.
Start, stop, lap, next song, and more
Immediate analysis and distribution
Leveraging the power of your smartphone and sports apps, Magellan Echo™ leads the pack with connectivity and cutting edge features. Echo uses Bluetooth Smart to connect your smartphone and watch, putting the power of a smartphone on your wrist.
With your phone tucked away, remote control makes it easy to scroll through the different holes. You can easily see the distance to front, centre and back of the green on your Echo, and you are able to enter the number of shots, putts and penalties.
While using a compatible sports app, the data streams from your smartphone to Magellan Echo™ smart watch in realtime. At a glance, you can see your time, distance, pace, and much more.
With your phone tucked away, remote controls make it easy to perform App functions like Start, Stop, Lap as well as Music controls like Play/Pause, and Next Song. Tapping the screen turns the page to show additional data screens.
Apps bring Magellan Echo™ to life on its open platform. We're working with the leading apps to ensure that your favorite app works with Echo. Strava, MapMyRide, Wahoo Fitness, iSmoothRun and other apps will be announced soon. For a full list of apps, please go to active.magellangps.com/echo/apps. Developers interested in supporting Echo™ should contact us at email@example.com.
Magellan Echo™ uses the Wahoo Fitness API to give developers control of the watch when connected to their app. This open platform makes it easy for developers to communicate with Echo™, and ensures compatibility with the apps of today and tomorrow -- always fresh and up to date.
Always on and ready to go. Echo™ does not need to be recharged, it uses ultra low power technology and runs off a replaceable coin cell battery. There aren't any cables to lug around or untangle.
When you're not doing sports, Echo™ is an everyday watch showing the day, date and time. With Echo™, you'll never miss another workout. Always on, always ready.
Provides accurate heart rate to compatible mobile sports apps, including MapMyRun, Strava, RunKeeper, and more...
Soft fabric strap for comfort
Digitally coded signal eliminates cross interference at clubs and starting lines


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slaw wrote:
Your first issue is wasting your time reading Doug Smith.
Second, it wasn't fans talking about playoffs it was Colangelo and Casey. I expected this team to be garbage, so I'm not surprised but that doesn't mean that Colangelo and company get a pass. I'm holding them to their words as should all fans.
Where they should be. Bullshit. If Colangelo thought this was a high lottery team he wouldn't have traded that pick for Lowry. Or signed Fields. This roster was built to compete. Sad as that seems.
In agreement.
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Honorary Braves draftee has no regrets about his playing days
By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com
As a black boy in the Deep South in the 1920s, he'd listen to baseball games on the radio. He was 8 or 9 years old at the time -- old enough to read and write, he says. But he never heard announcers mention a black player.
Moore asked his parents why.
"They told me baseball was segregated; whites and blacks didn't play together," Moore says. "I know that we didn't go to school together. I was born in Atlanta, Ga., and they had blacks in one place and whites in another."
That was just life in America in the first half of the last century. Color was a great divider, a rigid barrier that had the force of the law propping it up.
"I never thought of playing with the white boys," Moore says.
So any dreams Moore, now 91, might have had about playing baseball for a living didn't include wearing a Major League uniform.
"My ambition was to play with one of those Negro League teams -- when I was young, coming up," he says.
He had no other choices. Yet the lack of choices didn't squash Moore's ambition. He always played baseball as a boy the way white boys did: with broomsticks, tennis balls and everything else, Moore says.
And like the white boys on the other side of Atlanta or elsewhere, Moore became good at the game. By the time he reached 17, he'd caught the eye of scouts with the Atlanta Black Crackers, a Negro Leagues franchise.
His career as a professional took roots there.
From 1936 to 1940, he earned a reputation as one of the game's premier first basemen. Moore played on three All-Star teams and three second-half championship teams. He was selected to the 1938 Southern News Services All-American Negro League Baseball Team.
Yet he had to wonder what a more open society might have done for him. No one should ask whether Moore had regrets about what racism did to him. He has no regrets -- not a one.
He never looked at the Negro Leagues as second-class baseball. Nor did he ever experience second-class treatment from the people who came to see him, for they saw greats of the game: Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Ray Dandridge, Buck Leonard and Buck O'Neil. Those fans celebrated the game.
"We were really crazy about baseball," says Moore, whose playing career was cut short by World War II. "On Sundays, we used to play, and it even looked like the pastor cut church service early so the people could come to the game. They'd come to the baseball game all dressed up; they'd leave church to come to the baseball game."
The sport didn't bring Moore big paychecks. But he didn't take a vow of poverty to play the sport either. What it did more than anything was expose Moore to a world outside the South.
They met interesting people along the way; they saw America from north and south; and they built great friendships.
"Those girls were liking them ballplayers," says Moore, smiling. "We met a lot of them girls on the road, you know."
It was a great time to be young and a ballplayer, despite the color issues.
For as a ballplayer, Moore became a figure in the growth of the game, although his star never shined as brightly as some of his black contemporaries.
As he lives in the twilight of his life, he's got reason to appreciate the legacy he and others from the Negro Leagues have left for baseball. Nowadays, so many of those men aren't alive, so their stories survive through the Red Moores of the world.
They still have plenty to tell.
Moore and 29 others who can trace their baseball lineage to the days of segregation did plenty of storytelling here Thursday. They shared their stories on a day that Major League Baseball used to welcome these Negro Leaguers into its family.
As part of a ceremonial draft, each team picked one player from "black baseball."
Moore went to the Braves, a team he follows from his home in Atlanta.
"I'm so elated to live to be a part of this," Moore says. "I just can't express in words; I can't use the big words -- the elephant words -- that I would like to use to express how I feel.
"I mean, this is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me."
Justice B. Hill is a senior writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Watch the short film "Dare," which features KC Ejelonu, and aims to stir youth participation in politics.
As Nigeria draws close to 2019 general elections, a compelling new short-film starring KC Ejelonu aims to stir youth participation in politics.
Produced by KOINONIA Entertainment, "Dare" revolves around Subomi Hughes (Ejelonu), a successful career accountant who has her life in front of her.
Her success pales into insignificance in the light of the prevailing poor socio-economic situation in her local community, inspiring her to do the unthinkable; quit her lucrative job.
Thrown into the uncertainty of her new odyssey as a political newbie, Subomi would be confronted by all the notorious challenges in politics such as blackmail, violence and a politically hostile political environment.
Speaking about his inspiration for the movie, Tolu Toluwase, popularly known as TOLUccI, said the movie is not just about adding his voice to a cliché call, but inspiring a new generation.
He said: "As a gospel musician/Producer & cinematographer focused on young people, and based on my years of interaction and counselling a wide spectrum of them on our multi-city concert tour platform – MASS, I felt that strong need to inspire them to begin to step out and take responsibility for Nigeria and Africa's next level of leadership right from their local communities."
Web administrator
what is the secret to piecing together the perfect workout playlist? Research suggests that rhythm is the most important factor for the average gym-goer
The problem is, we don't know why some girls choose ugly shoes for their big day. Can someone tell Us pleeeeeaaaassssseeee!? If it's comfort you are seeking, Honey! there
Oh, did I mention they have their own Calendar apart from the Gregorian Calendar. Their calendar presently reads 2008 while we're in 2016 and also, their time is different from the world time zones.
Oh yes, just for your information; why I fell in love with Angel? First it was her eyes, then her smile and let's be honest the rest of her body is also amazing. But the real 'this is my
They talked about the vendors they worked with and their performances. Some of the vendors include @MamzaBeauty, @EyesOfInsanity, @BridesAndBabies
The video features Ubi Franklin , Ice Prince, Daddy Shokey , Tony Tetuila , Olu Maintain , T-Boss , Annie Idibia , MC Shakara , Senator , Selebobo , Mr Jollof and a host of others
What he gave us was not what was finally being debated. It is very embarrassing and disappointing. We will not allow those who did it to go unpunished
The counsel from Ministry of Justice, Mr. Abiodun Badiora, had told the court that the convicts committed the crime On April 13, 2012, adding that Ajayi was killed for money ritual.
A Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) official told Daily Sun that five persons including a two-year old girl died while three others
An audio tape obtained by online newspaper, Saharareporters has revealed how Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) reportedly interfered with his election case in 2015.
Victor Eze reportedly passed away on Sunday night.
IT was a well planned and executed job that left a bitter taste in the mouth of its victims. However, the aftermath brought the joy of a would be couple temporarily to an abrupt end.
As industry sources continue to confirm to Thenetng that kokomaster, D'banj is indeed married to Didi Kilgow
SYDNEY-based start-up Still White is becoming a platform of choice for women looking to sell their wedding dresses to soon-to-bHusband and wife team Ingrid and Bruno Szajer came up with the idea while they were paying off their wedding bills.e brides.
Among the guests of the court wedding were Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal, Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote, Oyo state governor Abiola Ajimobi, Alaafin of Oyo, Ooni of Ife and his wife Olori Wuraola and many others
It's really sad to see what the industry has become. Nollywood actress, Esther Audu recently got married to her heartthrob, Philip Ojire and she was really disappointed by some of her colleagues
Ruggedman refused to stomach the indecent dressing according to him that he slammed the bride, who appeared in a strapless wedding gown that was exposing a lot of flesh
She goes extra length to try to get a wedding gown that would wow many, even though she wouldn't wear it again but it just have to be perfect
While the chaos was ongoing, the younger brother of the groom mistook a neutral guest for the bride's younger brother and stabbed him at the neck and he passed out
Having enjoyed his journey so far in the industry, Kazzem over the weekend decided to bid farewell to bachelorhood as he got married to his long time girlfriend, Akeju Abiodun
If you have been the subject of gossip, experienced a loud separation from your marriage and faced the backlash from all sorts of people, you will understand why Funke decided to go to London for this wedding
The delectable mother and beautiful Thespian has finally shared her wedding invitation as she prepares to tie the knot with her heart-rob in Greece.
It will be the second time the acclaimed Nollywood actress who celebrated her 39th birthday on Wednesday, August 24 is getting married
Caroline has been sending various tongues wagging with her breathe taking pictures showing her massive curves and her backside floating.
Well, she has spoken since getting married by stressing that people do not have the right to judge others because they all have their stories to tell about even situation
Such a wedding is not meant to pull large crowd and it is only those that can afford the expensive flight ticket that can get ready to attend the wedding
Although the duo is yet to tie the knot, but they are living together and they do not stop displaying PDA's on social network for the world to see how much they are into each other
Well, like the saying, "he that finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtain favor from the Lord," she is just enjoying all the favor as she keeps looking classy and chick.
The actress and mother of one had married her beau, Victor Coker traditionally on February 20, 2016 at father's compound in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a few of her celebrity friends in attendance
Since travelling to Greece for actress, Monalisa Chinda's wedding, Daniella, has decided to stay over and enjoy the country a bit before returning to her lovely Nigeria
In fact it's not even the bridesmaid alone, wedding guest that appears in white or costume that looks similar to the brides is always being looked down upon like she wants to steal the spotlight
Having people travelling Miles from their various destinations to attend our wedding, may the good Lord bless you all abundantly from this day onwards
A Spanish scuba diving instructor has found a lost 37-year old wedding ring during one of her dives.
Of course, this is being reported on a gossip website, so take with a grain of salt, but if there is any truth to this, Kylie is being super immature
That's still more than the couple had expected to get, however: They had initially cited an expected value of $20,000 for the photos in the books for the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation
We're told the couple dropped $300k on a D'Concierge wedding planner ... which means the whole thing is first class and elegant. Entertainment
She said, "The woman, Loretta Ewere, was electrocuted around 9am. She was living with one Segun Tolani, to whom she was supposed to be married next month
Yet, the movie is a plus for Nigerian tourism and culture as it showcases what can be described as the best of the country's fashion, food, music and dance
The Magistrate, Mrs. O. G. Oghre, granted them bail in the sum of N1m each with two sureties each in like sum
An introduction ceremony between both families had earlier held at the Aso Villa, Abuja on Friday, November 18, with the wedding
There's nothing contractually obligating them to shoot their wedding, but for the right price ... they'd be all about it. Remember
Although those behind the scheme stressed in a notice to participants that it had not crash, many believe it was just masking
You should have learned from your brothers and sisters here in South Africa. Our old Mavro money is gone as we speak and MMM
The guests were reportedly left surprised due to the status of the groom who opted for the least expected mode of transportation.
Over a year after getting married, D'banj has finally opened up on his secret wedding to his wife, Lineo Didi Kilgrow.
Comedian Klint da Drunk and his wife, Lilien Klint-Igwemba, are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary today, September 20th 2016.
In a press statement released today, Monday October 2, 2017, The Wedding Party 2 will be in cinemas on December 10, 2017.
Xerona Duke, who happens to be the eldest daughter of the former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke iand her fiance, Derin Phillips aka DJ Caise, had their wedding introduction over the weekend.
Celebrity Couple, Bankole Wellington a.k.a Banky W and Adesuwa Etomi have taken the final leg of their wedding to Cape Town, South Africa after they shut down Lagos last weekend with the festivities of their traditional marriage.
Nigeria's blockbuster movie 'The Wedding Party 2', made N20 Million when it was premiered at the cinemas yesterday, Friday 15th December 2017.
In a new twist to the recent drama in the House of Representatives, men close the Speaker of the House
"The principal officers must come out clean to defend themselves. They have no immunity against investigations," Soba added.
However, Mohammed, a former Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs in the 7th Assembly, denied Jibrin's $25,000 allegation.
The former deputy governor of Osun State maintained that there was no truth in the allegations because there was "no nexus in the concoction," adding, "Please, don't drag my name into the Reps crisis because I know nothing
Jibrin himself was alleged to have allocated projects worth N4.3 billion to his Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State in the budget, a development that forced his colleagues
In a message sent to our correspondent via email, Falana said, "It is the height of contempt. It is a primitive resort to self-help by the House of Representatives
Jibrin's office in the House was sealed following his suspension after he failed to appear before the Ethics Committee in relation to his allegations of budget padding against the principal officers
In his reaction, Ado-Doguwa, who argued that Jibrin's suspension was in order, told The PUNCH that members expected that Jibrin would keep reeling out more allegations, in spite of being on suspension
Mr Jibrin has claimed that all allegations against him are false and are just a machination of his detractors.
Governor Mohammed Sultan of Beheira province told The Associated Press that a vessel is being sent by British Petroleum with specialized equipment to help lift the 80-ton boat
Fatai Ganiyu to two years' imprisonment for stealing 10 bowls of uncooked rice and four bottles of alcoholic drink.
He said, "She always runs away from home. That was why we chained her. I think she is mentally ill. We planned to take her to a hospital this month
Immediately the father of the deceased reported the case, Olawumi was arrested but the seller fled. She was eventually apprehended
Either 49,900 people simultaneously lost their cell phones or most of them are just ghosts. Now, before you sprinkle your house with holy water, these are not actual ghosts
We say congrats to the Nairabet ambassador as we look forward to more funny stuffs and more feats from
The Lagos State Police Command is on the trail of a suspected burglar who allegedly posted his picture on the Instagram account of his victim.
Love rainbow hair, but think it's a tad bit much to carry off at all times? But this variation is neither over-the-top nor low key, it's just full of mystery!
Miraculously, rescuers found 6 survivors in the wreckage -- 3 players, 2 crewman and 1 journalist. 75 people have been confirmed dead.
With the new update 10.9 for iOS and Android, you can upload up to 10 photos and videos from an event, holiday or moment to a single Instagram post which followers can then swipe through
The most original new Instagram feature is the ability to type a hashtag and add it to your Stories posts as a sticker, just like a location sticker
It seems like we aren't going to be hearing the end of this rift between Psquare as Paul Okoye seems to be throwing shades at his brother.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that the woman and her children were doing their chores when the building crashed on them.
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, attends a Breakfast SDG Meeting organised by the Ghanian President
The Nigeria Police was there too and everybody admitted that they were possibly the most effective on ground there in Somalia.
The judgment of God is coming. The corrupt Nigerians that have not been apprehended will not escape the judgment of God," Osinbajo said
The Federal Government is very committed. The President in particular, has asked me to tell you, how excited he is
He gave a scenario where a policeman from Bayelsa for instance was working in Borno where he could neither speak the language nor understand
According to the governor, Osinbajo would visit the major industrial hubs of the state including Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka
Even my business I run it that way. Get the best people to do the work. I strategize and provide vision while chilling out lazily
The building project which is expected to gulp over N7b has faced a lot of criticism Nigerians. However, according to Akande, the decision to build the new residence and the
Abdullahi stressed that the region must be allowed to field a presidential candidate through the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2019 should Buhari fail to seek re-election
Great economies and great nations, prosperity and abundance of nations and communities are created by men and not spirits
Nigeria's Health Minister announced 9 regulations in the Nigeria Tobacco Control Act that would be implemented by the federal government.
Prof Osinbajo signed the budget at about 4:40 p.m.
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo warned that the Federal Government would deal with individuals or groups spreading hate speeches capable of affecting the unity of the country.
Osinbajo was quoted by his spokesman, Laolu Akande as making this remark at Iftar dinner he hosted Monday night with Northern Traditional Rulers.
Nwabueze said this during the public presentation of his book, titled, 'Save our Constitutional Democracy from Emasculation' in Abuja on Monday.
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday evening received President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, at Akinola Aguda House, his official residence.
Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, expressed concern over the rising volatility in the global crude oil market
It started when Amaechi stepped out of the Presidential Jet, with shouts of "the Lion" by APC faithful who besieged the airport, then next was Senator Magnus Ngei Abe
The six abducted students are expected to join a flight to Abuja, to meet with Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the Acting-President, Yemi Osinbajo, is unable to carry out all the functions of the President.
He underscored the point in his address presented at last Thursday meeting of PANDEF with acting President
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has approved the appointment of 21 new Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service.
Fani-Kayode said members of PDP from the North and Southern will work together towards winning 2019 election.
Akure—VICE President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday in Ondo State declared that the country's oil will no longer be profitable in no distant future.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday declared that the country's future would be better than its past. He made the declaration in his remarks at the 2017 Independence Day Interdenominational Church Service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.
The Presidency has dismissed reports that the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo approved contracts for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is to declare open the 2017 Africa Industrialisation Day (AID) in Abuja.
The decor was not the only low point of the wedding. Being a typical Ibo wedding, there was also the constant interruptions by the plenty Ibo chiefs in attendance
The color of the day was green. So many green color was seen when the parents of the couple danced in. At a point the entire place looked like a green forest of human beings.
In conclusion, crashing Chisorom and Steve's wedding was totally worth it, both for blue Ink Media and for Steve, seeing as he couldn't keep his love grips off his beautiful bride. This is
We really love how everything was kept minimal but classy. When it was time for the couple to make their entry, the bridal train along with some friends and well wishers danced in first and
Blue Ink Media


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Okay, maybe the living is not so easy these days. But unless you're the president or a member of Congress, there's not much you can do about the economy or our troops abroad. So, sit back and try to enjoy these last summer days of 2011.
Summer came late this year but it is already beginning to make way for autumn, Labor Day and back-to-school prep. Before summer becomes a fleeting memory, try using your leftover (but still sound) fruit to create this refreshing white sangria. It's perfect for a backyard party or barbeque!
==B White Summer Sangria (serves 8)==
6 cups assorted fruit (e.g. mango, pineapple, cantaloupe), sliced or cut into pieces
1/2 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
1-11/2 cups fresh basil or mint
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur such as Cointreau
1 bottle chilled white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1. In a pitcher or large punch bowl, combine the fruit, ginger, basil or mint and liqueur.
2. Mash ingredients gently with the back of a wooden spoon until the herbs are bruised and the fruit releases their juices.
3. Add the wine and lemon juice; stir to combine.
4. Refrigerate until fully chilled (and up to a day). To serve, add ice.
Want a quick and easy appetizer to go with the Sangria?
==B Eggplant & Mint Bruschetta (4 cups for a starter dish)==
1 large eggplant (1-1/2 pounds), cut into 1" pieces
1 medium red onion, quartered, layers separated
4 plum tomatoes, quartered and seeded
Coarse salt & Ground Pepper
3 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, torn
4 oz Feta, crumbled (1 cup)
Crostini of your choice
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. On two baking sheets, toss eggplant and onion with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender, 25-30 min., rotating baking sheets halfway through. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.
3. Thinly slice tomatoes lengthwise and add to bowl, along with mint leaves. Toss with 1 Tbsp each olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
4. Top with feta. Serve with crostini.
Blackberries and raspberries have been extremely sweet this season. I tried this salad recipe for a light yet hearty dinner meal. If you've a mind to, serve it with homemade biscuits or rolls. It's a quick dish to make and will work well as a lunch meal also.
==B Grilled Chicken Salad with Raspberry Tarragon Dressing (serves 4)==
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts (~1¼ lb.)
Vegetable cooking spray
1 fennel bulb, cut in half
2 heads Bibb lettuce, torn
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cantaloupe, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh blackberries
4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
½ cup honey-roasted sliced almonds
Raspberry-Tarragon Dressing (see below)
1. Pour ½ cup Raspberry-Tarragon Dressing into a large zip-lock bag. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing.
2. Add chicken to plastic bag; seal and chill 30 min. to 2 hours. Coat cold grate of grill with cooking spray and place on grill. Preheat oven to 350-400 (medium high) heat.
3. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Grill chicken and fennel bulb halves, with grill top covered, 8-10 min. on each side or until chicken is done and fennel is tender. Let chicken stand ~10 min.
4. Divide lettuce among 4 plates. Thinly slice chicken and fennel; place on lettuce. Drizzle with remaining dressing; top with berries, cheese cantaloupe and nuts. Serve immediately.
==B Raspberry-Tarragon Dressing (makes 2 cups)==
Whisk 1-12oz bottle raspberry vinaigrette of your choice, ¼ cup chopped green onions, and 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon together in a bowl. Use with salad as directed.
Until next time, stay cool. Keep cool too.


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I just caught this being mentioned over at the RGM.
Courtesy of Doug pre-game live blog.
And Smith's response to that:Which 5 Raptors would you put on the floor if you were only thinking defence?
Agree or disagree?WHo are they playing?
Seriously, there is no answer to these blanket questions. Their best defensive team now is Calderon, Jack, WRight, Bosh, Bargnani. That's as unit, not individually and I will not, and cannot, answer definitively, can't be done without knowing game, score, opponent, situation.


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Marlboro Post Office cuts hours
MARLBORO -- Walter Rowland, Postmaster of the Manchester, N.H. post office, did not have very good news to deliver when he met with a crowd of residents this week to talk about the future of the Marlboro post office.
The U.S. Postal Service is losing money at an alarming rate, about $25 million every day, he said, and about 90 percent of the post offices in the country do not bring in enough revenue to meet expenses.
The Marlboro post office is one of about 13,000 across the country that is going to have its hours cut this year and Rowland has been holding meetings like the one in Marlboro all across New England over the past few weeks.
He said the turnout in Marlboro was the highest of any of the many meetings he had been to since the U.S. Postal Service announced the cuts, but he said there probably is not very much town residents will be able to do to help the situation.
"Only 4,000 post offices bring in enough revenue. It's not a good situation right now," he told the group of people crowded into the town office, which is next door to the small post office. "Nobody wants to do this but we don't know what else to do."
About a year ago the U.S. Postal Service announced that it would be closing small post offices around the country to save money.
The Cambridgeport post office was on that list.
That idea proved so unpopular, Rowland told the crowd in Marlboro, that the U.S. Postal Service had to change its plan and was going to instead reduce the hours at post offices across the U.S.
In Marlboro the post office daily hours will be cut from eight to six.
In Windham County, post offices in Grafton, Jamaica, and Williamsville will also be cut by two hours. At East Dover, Wardsboro, Westminster Station, West Dummerston, West Halifax, West Wardsboro and Whitingham daily service will be reduced from eight hours to four.
The Cambrigeport post office will only be open for two hours a day.
The U.S. Postal Service conducted a survey across the country asking customers if they would rather have their post office hours reduced, completely eliminated, or if they wanted to have it moved to another location or office.
Rowland told the crowd that the decision to cut the hours was made in response to the survey and he said the change will go into effect before 2014.
He said the U.S. Postal Service was holding meetings to announce the change and to collect feedback but a lot of people at the meeting wanted to know what they could do help save their post office.
They wanted to know if their post office was really losing money.
They wanted to know if the mail that goes through Marlboro College could somehow make a difference.
He explained that the U.S. Postal Service was hoping to save about $500,000 annually by reducing the hours.
In an interview after the Marlboro meeting Tom Rizzo, the spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service Northern New England District, said small rural offices like the one in Marlboro do not make enough money to even meet expenses.
He said business is expected to continue to decline with the number of mail items estimated to fall from 177 billion in 2009 to 150 billion in 2020.
So not only will the reduced hours not do very much to help stop the steep losses, but the U.S. Postal Service will be forced to make more tough choices in the future.
"There is not enough business. There is not enough work there to justify being there eight hours a day," Rizzo said about Marlboro, and about thousands of other post offices across the country. "We have huge financial problems and the trend is clearly downward. It is only going to get worse."
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 279, or email@example.com. You can follow him on Twitter @HowardReformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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From the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes a rollicking, all-new urban-fantasy adventure featuring Atticus O'Sullivan. Atticus has a history of messing with the gods, and in this original novella, he'll have to outfox a deity at her own deadly cat-and-mouse game.
When he's not vanquishing villainous gods or dodging demons, 2,000-year-old Druid Atticus O'Sullivan can be found behind the counter of Third Eye Books and Herbs in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, literally minding his own business. But when an evil sorcerer - and amateur shoplifter - snatches an ancient Egyptian tome of black magic, The Grimoire of the Lamb, Atticus is not sheepish about pursuing him to the ends of the earth...or at least to the Land of the Pharaohs.
Unfortunately Atticus already has enemies in Egypt - including cat goddess Bast, who wants her own book of mischief back from the Druid. In the streets of Cairo, she sends a feline phalanx after Atticus and his Irish wolfhound, Oberon. With fur still flying, Atticus must locate the sorcerer's secret lair - where he will face killer crocodiles, spooky sarcophagi, and an ancient evil Egyptian who's determined to order the sacrificial lamb special tonight.
Includes a bonus recording of the short story "Clan Rathskellar"!
©2013 Kevin Hearne (P)2013 Random House Audio
"Celtic mythology and an ancient Druid with modern attitude mix it up in the Arizona desert in this witty new fantasy series." (Kelly Meding, author of Three Days to Dead)
"[Atticus is] a strong modern hero with a long history and the wit to survive in the 21st century.... A snappy narrative voice...a savvy urban fantasy adventure." (Library Journal, on Hounded)
"shoulda stuck with Christopher Ragland"
Great story
Lukes performance was fine.. but completely jarred when i had listened to Christopher Ragland for All the other books
"Great short short story"
Another great episode in the Iron Druids life. But no offence to the narrator of this episode but he hasn't got the voices right at all, especially Oberons. I really prefer Christopher Ragland's narration of the rest of he series. However this episode is Definatley worth a listen.
"good but can't stand the narrators voice"
good storied but can't stand the narrators voice or the voice he uses for Oberon 😏
"Novella, Side Adventures Before Book 1"
In this novella there are two stories and an excerpt for book 6 hunted (about 8 minutes). Both stories have a little of Oberon in them in case you are wondering. They take place before Granuaile as well.
The primary story involves an ancient book in Atticus's collection that leads him on a journey to Egypt. Here he must deal with Bast, God of cats, Sobek, God of crocodiles, evil wizards, and demons. This one was a lot of fun and anything that involves Oberon and cats is always a good fit.
Next, a short chapter presenting a preview of hunted is given. Then the last story is about clan Rathskeller, which takes place ten months before the book hounded. This one is about gnomes and fairies and is about fifty minutes long.
This may not be the best value for your buck on audible, but well worth it if you enjoy the series thus far. I liked this novella better than his last. Again, these are prequels to the current book and I hope Kevin Hearne in the future makes more of these side adventures.
The narration is always excellent. I don't think we could stand for having anyone else but Luke Daniels for the voice of Oberon.
"**Do not read 0.5 first! Start at Book 1(Hounded)"
I finished the six books and decided to try the novellas in the series. I enjoyed this one. I liked getting a little glimps of what all went on in his life before the big adventure he is on now. Its a cute little read and it goes right along with what you would expect him to get caught up in
He makes the Series. Ill never be able to listen to him read another series now, he is Atticus.
******************* I understand that it is book 0,5 because it took place at the begining of his adventures, but I just want to maybe recomment changing that. It was a great story, but its really not anything compareable to book 1, and I think when people go to start the series they follow the books in order. Might just be me but I am not sure if 0.5 would have hooked me on the series if I had started with it. Book 1 was so much more in depth, and made you want to read more. But thats not to say I didnt enjoy it :)
"Heads Up--There's a Second Story"
"Grimoire of the Lamb" is only two hours long on this 3-hour item. I stopped in disappointment when "Lamb" ended and the narration turned to an excerpt from the soon-to-be-released sixth novel (which, like most of us who have become hard-core suckers for this series, I will probably buy in its entirety).
Then I read the review by Brian from Santa Cruz, who points out that if you skip over the 10 minutes or so of the outtake, there's a whole second story ("Clan Rathskellar") on the selection. So it's not as disappointing as I thought at first. Thanks, Brian!
Neither story is anything spectacular, just fun sidelights for us hard-core types getting our Luke Daniels as Atticus and Oberon fix.
"Nothing there"
Very little of substance. Don't waste your time with this one. Zip, zap, and it is done.
"good but wanted more"
Ok so first off have to tell you this. Grimoire of the Lamb is the first store on the book which is about 2 hours, then you get a random chapter from the 6th book. THEN AFTER the chapter (which is about 10-12 minutes) another story, Clan Rathskeller, starts which is 45-50 minutes.
Why they choose to separate the stores with a random chapter is very strange and from the other reviews, confusing to many and those skip the 2nd story. Recommend you skip this, its not even the 1st chapter which even makes it make less sense.
Anyways Grimoire of the Lamb is a good story. I like the inclusion of different gods other than the Irish or Greek variety. Its a good story with a little bit of over the top action narration (from the author not the reader) that is ok but something that was probably a 5 minute scene takes place over what seems to be 10-15 minutes, even so its not THAT bad.
Clan Rathskeller is great too. I think this is more read like Hounded (the first book) which ties in nicely.
Overall satisfied with the stories but for the same price as the first three books it seems a little excessive. Should probably be about half the cost. I wish that Hearne would have just written these into its own full book. I understand his "9 book" reason but cmon SUPPLY AND DEMAND! Good stories, awesome Iron Druid fun. For a fan of the series, this will feed your need even if it is just for a little bit.
"Not quite what it advertised"
When I ordered this book I thought "Hey 3 hours of Iron Druid is better than 10 hours of something less fun." What I got was closer to two hours of Iron Druid and an hour of a random chapter of an upcoming Iron Druid I will buy when it comes out.
If two hours of a book are worth a credit to you go for it and enjoy!
"Luke Daniels is Atticus O'Sullivan!!!!!"
This book is a prequel to the Iron Druid series as a whole. The book is entertaining, it is just Atticus and Oberon with a brief appearance by Hal and The Widow (I really miss her). The whole Egyptian pantheon makes for an interesting story, and is something that I hope will be further explored at some point in the future. As always, Oberon gets the best lines- when he got his mind blown it cracked me up. I am not a fan of short stories or novellas within a full length series but Hearne does pretty well in that it doesn't feel super rushed and while I wished it had been longer, there weren't a ton of loose ends at the end of the story. Hunted cannot come out soon enough, all the excerpt did was whet my appetite for more. The short story was an added bonus, it's free on his website so I'd read it already but hearing Luke Daniels read it was pretty awesome. Love this series. Love Kevin Hearne. Love Luke Daniels. Love this story.
"someday I'll have a wolfhound named Oberon"
I actually prefer the novellas/short stories offered by many authors these days. The writing is tight and fast paced. The stories are clever and light. A very enjoyable tale (x3 in this case).
The excerpt is a bit of a cheat.
"Fun short story"
Funny, action, enjoyable
Any of his other books. This also is in the ballpark of Jim Butcher as they are similar in tone. Plus, this series is getting better while the Dresden files is kind of in a lull at this point.
Everything, he does a great job. Can't say enough good things about his portrayal of Oberon. I wouldn't enjoy the books nearly as much without that character
It made me laugh several times.
I don't usually spend credits on a short story but this one is worth it.
"Love me some Atticus and Oberon"
Luke Daniels is Atticus and Oberon. I have all the books in print as well, BUT Mr. Daniels is the voice
I'm not a fan of this genre BUT can not wait for each book in the Iron Druid series. The Novellas are a great way to get the back story and to pass the time waiting for the newest book.Kevin Hearne has become our family and friend's favorite author.We rarely agree on books BUT the Iron Druid series makes us all join together to enjoy them!
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Wow, it's going very well! (First post here).
As of right now,
We have raised $ 162,045 towards our goal of $180,000 so far!
Teams USMC and USN have beaten their marked goals of 45K each, leaving the Army and AF behind, so far.
It's for a good cause, and there's no reason to stop giving to your team (hint) even if they're over their target; someone has to do it.
Oh, and for personal valor, Congress awarded another posthumous Medal of Honor to a Marine. I hope it is a true consolation to his family.