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Thought you knew everything about Vice President Dick Cheney? Think again. From the COMMENTARY Roast of Dick Cheney:
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Dick Cheney: Behind the Music
Must-Reads from Magazine
Shut Down Senselessness
Podcast: Government shut down, ???, profit!
John Podhoretz is out today. In his absence, the remaining COMMENTARY Magazine hosts untangle the complicated policy and politics behind a short-lived government shutdown. Who benefits, who doesn't, and what was at stake? Did this brief cessation of non-essential government activity change the political landscape ahead of 2018? Give a listen.
Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.
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The Democrats' CHIP Hypocrisy
Mixed messaging.
Congressional Democrats appear to have meandered into a cul-de-sac. Ostensibly, the federal government shut down last week during an impasse over whether to make the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) permanent this month or next. Democrats had threatened to shut down the government over DACA recipients before but backed off amid mounting objections from the party's moderate governing wing. As public polling has confirmed, Americans are in favor of legal status for this deserving set of illegal immigrants who suffer that status through no fault of their own, but voters do not believe that outcome is worth a government shutdown. It's therefore reasonable to expect that Democrats will soon shift gears, leaning into the other ostensible reason why the government shut down: lapsed funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Yet here, too, the Democrats and their allies in media are playing a double game.
The tale of how CHIP became a political football is the story of congressional dysfunction in microcosm. Like DACA, CHIP is a program with bipartisan support that few lawmakers want to see expire. The federal funding for the program, which provides insurance for approximately 9 million children and hundreds of thousands of pregnant women, lapsed on September 30, 2017, but the majority of states had enough funds in reserve (supplemented by their own state-level funding mechanisms) to maintain the program into 2018. In the interim, it was hoped, the stalemate over how to continue funding for the program would be worked out.
Negotiations continued throughout October. Proposed solutions ranged from charging Medicare recipients earning over $500,000 annually higher premiums to decreasing from 90 to 30 days the grace period for people who file to pay their ObamaCare marketplace premiums. Yet another proposal would have redirected funds from the Affordable Care Act's prevention and public health fund to community health centers, which provide care to as many as 27 million Americans. All the while, Democrats balked at these compromises. They argued, as one Democratic aide put it, that CHIP's funding "has become a vehicle to sabotage the Affordable Care Act."
"I reject the notion we have to rob Peter to Pay Paul," said Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell during a debate over a five-year extension of CHIP in November, "or, in this instance, jeopardize Medicare." In the end, however, that extension did pass the House with 242 votes. Only 15 Democratic members voted with the majority. That bill, which conflicted with a Senate compromise, stalled in the upper chamber, but that did not seal CHIP's fate. On December 8, the House narrowly passed a stopgap government funding bill that maintained CHIP and authorized the Department of Health and Human Services to shift funds internally to keep the program going. Eighty-one Senators affirmed that bill and the president signed it. Finally, on December 21, Congress passed and the president signed another bill to prevent a government shutdown, which allocated another $2.85 billion to keep CHIP running.
This brings us to last Friday when Democrats were presented with a short-term deal to fund the government for three weeks while funding CHIP for another six years and repealing some of the Affordable Care Act's most unpopular taxes. That bill did not, however, provide legal status for hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients. Democrats declined the compromise.
Democrats will insist that their objection to the compromises offered by the GOP was righteous. Their recalcitrance preserved some of ObamaCare's most imperiled provisions. What's more, they might say, if Republicans are so eager to extend CHIP's funding, they could have put forward a bill that does that and only that, absent any offsets or unrelated provisions. But Democrats are not in the majority and they do not control the process. If securing long-term financing of CHIP is a cause burning with moral urgency, as Democrats say it is, they've taken every opportunity available to demonstrate that their priorities are elsewhere.
In the interim, the Democratic Party's supporters in media have allowed the emotionality of children's health care to overtake their capacity for reason. Retiring Senator Orrin Hatch, one of the original authors of the CHIP program and a sponsor of a bipartisan bill that would have saved CHIP's funding prior to September 30, became the target of an egregious smear campaign for, essentially, elaborating on conservative philosophy. Late night comedians like Jimmy Kimmel alleged that Republicans have turned on the program in order to offset revenue lost due to tax code reform—a conflation of two distinct issues that earned the comic a thrashing from ombudsmen like the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler. That embarrassment hasn't led to any introspection or humility from Kimmel. On Friday, the comedian accused Republican leadership in Congress of using CHIP "as a bargaining tool" and "children's health as leverage."
If Democrats have any strategic objective they intend to achieve as a result of this shutdown, it is a closely guarded secret. Right now, the party's message is muddled—negotiations broke down over DACA recipients, children's health, President Trump's flighty negotiating style, Republican recalcitrance, and any number of prevailing conditions Democrats resent. Meanwhile, the party's own members are itching to end the standoff, which has put children's health in the balance—precisely what Democrats have long said they alone hoped to avoid.
For weeks, the conventional wisdom in Washington has held that a government shutdown was a low-stakes engagement for Democrats because, as the majority party, the GOP would get the blame no matter what. Democrats may have been misled.
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Democrats Go Soft on Anti-Semitism
I don't always agree with Kenneth L. Marcus, the founder and president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. But he is without question the kind of person who might have been nominated in any Republican administration to serve as assistant secretary of education for civil rights. In fact, Marcus served in the same role in the George W. Bush administration on an interim basis. Yet Marcus received not one Democratic vote in the Senate Health, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which just voted 12-11, on party lines, to advance his nomination.
In explaining the controversy over Marcus's nomination, the New York Times led with an event at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I have written about that event here. The Associated Students of Madison's Council last year advanced a resolution to aid an anti-Israel divestment effort on the second day of Passover, over the objections of the sole Jewish representative. In the course of the debate over the resolution, the concerns of Jewish students were not only dismissed but also ridiculed.
Marcus's crime here is that he wrote a letter urging, among other things, that some of the students responsible be disciplined for their behavior. We are supposed to believe, I suppose, that this letter is a sign that Marcus has an authoritarian streak. But in fact, the student judiciary at UW-Madison, not exactly a bastion of the alt-right, determined that, in the case in question, "Jewish students were the subject of discrimination by their elected representatives." Although no students were disciplined, one representative was ordered to issue an apology while another was urged to apologize and attend a training course on religious tolerance.
In other words, if the New York Times is to be believed, Democrats stood against Marcus because he is not far enough to the left of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the most left-leaning universities in a universe of left-leaning higher education institutions. He is just too damned hard on anti-Semitism.
To be sure, Marcus has also been criticized for failing to adopt the Obama administration's deeply controversial positions on how schools should handle sexual assault allegations and for having–as nearly any Republican appointee in any of the past several administrations would have–reservations about affirmative action policies. But, in his capacity as president of the Brandeis Center, Marcus is best known for being a tireless opponent of anti-Semitism. The Brandeis Center has also condemned hatred of and violence against Muslims. The Times acknowledged that, during his stint in the Bush administration, Marcus "reinforced protections for women and Jews as well as Muslims and Sikhs who faced religious discrimination in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."
The Democrats knew that they did not have the votes to block Marcus. So their vote was symbolic. But what does it symbolize that a mainstream Republican appointee with an extraordinary record of combating anti-Semitism, and a respectable record of combating other forms of discrimination and hatred, merited not one Democratic vote? The only answer I can think of is this: It is all right to say you are against anti-Semitism, but it is unacceptable to act too vigorously against it. Such action offends those on the left who will tolerate no opposition to their mission to demonize the Jewish state. Democrats, sure of their Jews, seem determined to hold on to those who do Jews harm.
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Pod Shut Down America
But they fight.
On the eve of an ill-fated government shutdown in 2013, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof published a column that captured the sentiments of liberal opinion makers perfectly: This was all talk radio's fault.
Senator Ted Cruz, the avatar of the ill-conceived effort to prevent ObamaCare's implementation, had undertaken this quixotic campaign at the explicit behest of right-wing radio hosts and their listeners. Kristof observed that liberals had spent the last 20 years feeling victimized by the explosive popularity of conservative talk on the AM dial, but it was, in fact, the right that had been bamboozled. Ted Cruz and his blinkered constituents were about to charge headlong into a meat grinder in service to the careers of a handful of entertainers, none of whom had skin in the game. Whoever got crushed in the shutdown circus, they'd come out with ratings intact.
"The right-wing echo chamber breeds extremism, intimidates Republican moderates and misleads people into thinking that their worldview is broadly shared," Kristof wrote. "And that's why Republicans may lead us over a financial cliff, even though polling suggests that voters would blame them."
Kristoff and the cadre of progressive opinion-makers who agreed with him had a point. To the extent that millions of conservative talk-radio consumers had become convinced that a shutdown designed to "de-fund" the Affordable Care Act had any chance of success and was not destined to backfire on Cruz and his party, the right had locked itself into a "suffocating echo chamber." Republicans are still struggling to break the hold talk radio's lotus-eaters have over them. But even as Republicans are making an effort to extricate themselves from that trap, liberals are settling into it.
"Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket," reads the apocryphal quote attributed to Eric Hoffer. "The Resistance" has matured past the movement stage and is now an enterprise. A number of industries have sprung up with the aim of commoditizing anger at the Trump administration and nostalgia for the last one.
Few have enjoyed more success in this venture than Obama administration alumni Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Jon Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer. Their podcast—Pod Save America—has become a sensation, generating 1.5 million listeners on average per episode. These former Obama speechwriters and communications officials travel the world, preaching the gospel of Resistance and blending entertainment with activism. They've built a modest media empire around their brand: "Crooked Media," named in honor of the epithet with which Donald Trump branded Hillary Clinton.
Like talk radio in 2013, the Obama administration in exile is making demands of Democratic legislators. If Democrats adhere to them, they would force the government into a shutdown. And Crooked Media is organizing effectively to achieve their aims.
"At least 41 Senate Democrats need to say: we will not fund a government that rips away health insurance from 9 million children or deports 700,000 young immigrants from the only home they've ever known," the website insisted. That is to say, Democrats should insist on a long-term funding extension for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as well as legislation making the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) permanent. All of this, they insist, should be tacked onto a short-term continuing resolution that funds the government for another month. That's not happening; it's an unrealistic ask that only hardens liberal partisans in the grassroots against an achievable compromise. It's therefore not unreasonable to conclude that an achievable compromise is not in this media outlet's interests.
Pod Save America isn't just offering a suggestion for their would-be activist listeners; they're holding their hands through the process. The podcast has published a regularly updated "whip count," featuring the names of Democratic senators and their office telephone numbers, identifying who is publicly for or against a continuing resolution that doesn't include their demands. They not only ask their listeners to call Democratic lawmakers on their behalf, they provide a script for listeners to follow to make sure their demands are heard. And in case you are confused, the podcast's hosts have included a video of their call to Senator Dianne Feinstein—a reliably liberal California Democrat who is nevertheless facing a potent primary challenge in her one-party state because she is viewed as too accommodating toward Republicans in the minds of a liberal activist class.
If there is a government shutdown, it would be folly to lay the blame at the feet of the hosts of one popular podcast, or even its many imitators. The folly would belong to Senate Democrats who, as NBC News accurately put it, "have enough votes to block the spending bill in the Senate and prevent Republicans from keeping the government up and running." But these lawmakers are only following the will of their voters. And their voters, much like Republicans in 2013, seem more interested in the fight than what that fight is supposed to achieve. That's a familiar kind of inchoate rage. These and other liberal entertainers are following a trail blazed by Republicans. And if Congress avoids a shutdown at the last minute, don't worry. We'll be here again in a month.
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Harvard Rewards an Iranian Hate-Monger
Another dubious honor.
What is it with the Harvard Kennedy School's penchant for celebrating dishonorable characters? First came a speaking invitation and fellowship for the traitor formerly known as Bradley Manning. The Kennedy School disinvited Manning following a public outcry in September, but now its leadership has awarded a fellowship to an equally odious figure.
I'm speaking of Hossein Derakhshan, an Iranian blogger and vehement apologist for the Tehran regime. Last week, the Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy named Derakhshan a fellow for the spring semester. The fellowship brings together "experienced journalists and practitioners who focus on some of today's most pressing issues: race relations, the urban/rural divide, the role of algorithms in society, and climate change, among other topics," Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele said in a news release.
Derakhshan's fellowship will focus on technology entrepreneurship, presumably drawing on his experience as one of Iran's first bloggers in the early aughts, work that won him the moniker "the blogfather." The Shorenstein release presents Derakhshan as a dissident of sorts, who "was imprisoned in Tehran for six years for his writings and online activism." Yet spending time in the mullahs' jails doesn't necessarily make someone a dissident–or worthy of a top journalism fellowship. Derakhshan has spent years viciously assailing real dissidents, and he has a long record of public statements in support of the regime, its leadership and security apparatus, and its conspiratorial and anti-Semitic worldview.
Start with the anti-Semitism. In December 2015, amid the popular frenzy over Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Derakhshan took to his English-language Twitter account (he also maintains a Persian account) to note that the villain of the movie was identified as "Supreme Leader," which is also the title of Iran's ruling theocrat. Wrote Derakhshan: "A Supreme Leader in the new star wars [sic]? What is the very pro-Israel J. J. Abrams hinting at?"
The tweet played on the canard, rampant among Iranian Islamists, that Jews use Hollywood influence to plant pro-Israel and anti-Iran messages in the minds of global audiences. In the real world, there is no evidence that J.J. Abrams is "very pro-Israel"–other than his Jewish last name, of course.
Uncovering devious Jews based on their last names is something of an obsession for Derakhshan. When a Georgian-American chess champion, Nazi Paikidze Barnes, announced that she was boycotting a 2017 tournament in Iran over the hijab requirement, Derakhshan blasted a message to like-minded activists on the social-media network Telegram, asking them to "research her name in Hebrew." The "Barnes" last name (her husband's) had Derakhshan wondering: "Perhaps her husband is Israeli-American?" Eventually one of his comrades wrote back to say that Barnes "doesn't appear to be a Jewish name."
Then there are the odes, published on his blog, to the Iranian regime. In June 2007, Derakhshan declared that "I'm proud to be Iranian, not because of Cyrus [the Great], but because of Khomeini, a true anti-colonial leader who created the only true post-colonial state in the world, Islamic Republic of Iran." That would be Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, who executed thousands of secular dissidents, issued a death fatwa against the British novelist Salman Rushdie, and transformed Iran into an Islamist total state.
Derakhshan has similarly warm feelings for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the U.S.-designated Iranian terror army that, among other things, has been spearheading the slaughter in Syria on behalf of Bashar Assad. The IRGC, wrote Derakhshan in August 2007, is "associated with pure patriotic and Shiite ideals about justice and sacrifice." He added: "It's no accident that the birthday of Imam Hossein, the central icon of the Islamic Republic's ideology, was chosen as the official day to celebrate the" IRGC. In June 2008, Derakhshan railed against the "Iranian reformist-turned-exiled opposition" for attacking Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust-denying former president, "to justify themselves and make their puppet masters at the State Department and Hoover Institute [sic] happy."
Most egregiously, Derakhshan has accused prominent Iranian dissidents and thinkers of spying for the U.S.–while the regime imprisoned these figures. As Haleh Esfandiari, a scholar at the Wilson Center, was languishing in the nightmarish Evin Prison in 2007, Derakhshan blogged:
I know speaking against Haleh Esfandiari is like suicide these days. . . . [She] has become a symbolic victim of the 'most repressive regime on the planet.' . . . Haleh Esfandiari was the first Iranian fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in 1995. . . . And we all know about NED's roles and functions in countries where the U.S. wants to bring about its favorite governments such as in Venezuela and the rest. Some even suggest that the links between the CIA and NED are undeniable. . . . Given what we know about NED today, I believe, anyone in any country who has had any ties with NED and its affiliate organisations . . . deserves to be charged and fairly and justly prosecuted.
When another jailed scholar, the Iranian-Canadian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo, confessed to fomenting a "soft" revolution in a statement broadcast on Iranian state television, Derakhshan insinuated that Jahanbegloo was likely guilty as charged:
In a key section of the interview – which is not yet available in full in English translation – the political-science lecturer and philosopher describes how some American think-tanks provided him with research opportunities and financial support so that he could conduct comparative analysis of socio-political change in contemporary east-central Europe and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Jahanbegloo describes how this research gradually led to a strengthening of his ties with these think-tanks, and how he eventually realised that the main people interested in the research were intelligence officials and those associated with the United States state department, who sought to use it to help form their polices towards Iran.
Jahanbegloo then expresses regret that he was deceived by a quasi-academic structure that effectively treated him as an unofficial analyst for foreign intelligence services. He says that if he knew politicians were exploiting his purely academic activities, he would have never got involved with such institutions in the first place. The last point strikes me as a little odd, since I know Ramin personally from the time he lived in Toronto; I know that he is not so naive as not to realise what think-tanks do and where the research they pursue ends up being most useful. But I also understand how, for professional and economic reasons, a serious scholar could be dragged into such a dark and dangerous game.
He concluded: "Sometimes the trigger for a person to confess to his or her mistakes is not torture by a brutal bunch of interrogators but his or her honest and couragous [sic] encounter with the larger picture to which he or she is contributing."
A spokesman for Harvard told me that Derakhshan's fellowship didn't concern "Iran or politics related to Iran." Indeed. The real concern here is the Kennedy School's revolting moral negligence.
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I know dude posted about who should start at PF, i think Thomas is gonna start Frye...but with the roster the way it is, who's gonna play small forward? We're in the same division as Paul Pierce, Richard jefferson, Vince Carter, some of the best wing players in the game..eventhough we got some good scorers at the position, we've struggled guarding good wing players for the last couple of years...So, who should start at the 3? Here's who we got-
David Lee-Strengths: Good rebounder, has high basketball IQ, scrappy and very athletic; in a running offense can fill the lanes, provide second chance opportunities and is a good finisher..Is also a good passer and can score inside...On our six game winning streak, he started at this position. Weaknesses: Questionable jumpshot, lacked lateral quickness to guard opposing small forwards, didn't look for offense much
Quentin Richardson- Strengths: Gives us outside shooting, is a decent defender and rebounder and in an uptempo offense could be more effective...
weaknesses-when he's not hitting threes he takes himself out of the offense, has been injury prone and has a degenerative back condition.
Qyntel Woods-last year was our most athletic small forward..Has the size and quickness you like at the 3...Showed flashes of a jumpshot, great finisher on the breaks and really runs the floor, can also create his own shot...weaknesses-lapses on defense, erratic shooting
Jalen Rose-strengthsrobably best all around scorer at the 3 we have, can handle the ball, distribute, knock down the 3, and abuse smaller defenders and expose larger ones. Could Provide veteran leadership. weaknesses: Is a defensive liability, and with no intimidating defenders on the roster, this is a problem.
Reynaldo Balkman-From what I've seen is as freakishly athletic as Woods. From what i've heard he is a good defender, which means he'll play cause we don't have any good defenders at the wing spots. Hustles, gets steals and is a decent rebounder. Also block shots every now and then...Shows a good basketball IQ, something else we lack, and is in constant motion even when he doesn't have the ball...Great finisher and should consistantly beat his man down the floor.. Weaknesses: He's a rookie, and has no real offensive game.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/12OGfNl ) Randall Christy is trying to raise the money by midnight Monday to stop Cornerstone Bank of Eureka Springs from taking over the 700-acre Great Passion Play property in lieu of foreclosure.
Christy is the president and founder of The Gospel Station Network of Ada, Okla.
He says paying $75,000 before the deadline would allow the Great Passion Play to continue operating. Officials announced earlier this year that the play was closing because of financial troubles.
Mike Bishop, president of the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, says donations totaled $16,720 as of Friday afternoon.


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Belle - Kitchen textiles - standard kitchen apron red pepper
Product information
|Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies
|Fruugo ID
Product description
Belle - Quality 'English made' kitchen textiles
standard kitchen apron red pepper
Belle fabric is the best quality 100% cotton. All oven gloves and gauntlets are tested to British Standard BS6526 for heat protection and insulation.
Belle 100% towelling has been developed and manufactured for us in the UK.
Belle kitchen gauntlets are just a little bit longer than our competitors making them infinitely more practical for home bakers.
The Belle premium range has an integral steam grease barrier for extra heat protection.
Belle apron neck straps and back ties are not all made of tape, they are made from the same fabric and are cut and folded to give a professional finish.


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Scallop-shaped Snuffbox, Jean Ducrollay, Paris, 1744
This unique gold and enamel snuffbox is the only known example to combine the two design features of a scallop shell and peacock feathers.
Made as an airtight container for powdered tobacco, known as Snuff, this would have been one of many owned by the duc d'Aumont. He was the first gentleman of the Bedchamber to King Louis XVI and well known as a connoisseur of art and this box was valued at 360 livres at his death, but the actual price it went for at auction after d'Aumont's death was more than double this valuation. This shows that though the fashion for this shape of box had passed, this was a much admired box at the time. To put this price into context, 300 livres was an unskilled labourer's pay for the year.
Snuff taking was a very fashionable pastime in France during the 18th century. A pinch up each nostril was taken by both men and women and was considered to cure headaches and all manner of ills. However, it was also a luxury pastime – tobacco was an exotic ingredient and therefore expensive. It allowed noblemen and women to show their wealth through their gold box collections, but also helped to
form alliances by sharing snuff. As a box containing snuff was handed round to guests there was a very strict etiquette about how to use it. It would have been passed around in the left hand, and when open displays the beautiful lid and peacock feathers to the receiver.
The peacock feathers on this box are made with painted enamel. Each colour was hand painted on, and because all the colours had different chemical compounds they all had to be fired at different temperatures. This meant they had to be applied in order of the colour that required the highest temperature downwards. The enameller for this piece is unknown, but he must have been very good and experienced in order to get every single feather almost exactly the same.
The box itself was created by Jean Ducrollay, one of the most famous goldsmiths of his time. It was made by moulding strips of hammered gold around a block of wood called lignam vitae shaped like the interior of the box. Once the shape is formed, the edges were soldered together and the base soldered to the body. The hinge too was an immaculate piece of engineering, which allows the box o be opened and close smoothly without spilling any of the precious powder within.
In order to become a goldsmith at this time, it was obligatory to undergo extensive training. Ducrollay was apprenticed to his uncle in 1722 and became a master in 1734. He had a workshop with two other makers: Ouzille, and Drais. Together they worked and kept a scrap book of designs now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, not only as a source of inspiration for their designs but also to show prospective customers the kind of snuffboxes they could own. Sadly, there is no existing design for this box,
but there is a picture of a peacock, although the colours in the feathers don't quite match our box. However, it certainly shows that they were experimenting with designs and form, and it may well have inspired the design of this beautiful box.
Gallery Talks
August 6 and 20 at 1pm with Carmen Holdsworth-Delgado
Further Reading
Charles Truman, The Wallace Collection: Catalogue of Gold Boxes, London, 2013


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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge has approved a settlement that ends a discrimination lawsuit filed by female jail guards in northeast Ohio.
The women said they had been effectively demoted because Summit County officials in Akron didn't want them overseeing male inmates while the inmates showered or were strip searched.
A settlement in the case was initially announced in December.
The U.S. Justice Department, which got involved in the lawsuit last summer, announced the consent decree last month.
Akron federal judge Sara Lioi (lee-OY') on Wednesday called the decree fair, adequate, reasonable and consistent with the public interest.
All jail jobs will be open to female deputies under the agreement. The county agreed to pay $400,000, more than half in damages to 21 deputies and the rest in legal fees.


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Related quotes
"IU Kokomo has always focused on giving students a well-rounded education in the liberal arts, but that has been a detriment to some of the students focusing in the hard sciences. When Chancellor Michael Harris came to the campus, it was one of the first things he recognized. He felt the university needed to offer more Bachelor of Science degrees to go with their Bachelor of Arts degrees. Student swith B.S. degrees spend more time taking classes in their major"
"Juan Peron, I think in the end, had become a little resentful of Eva. She was so popular. She was so much more loved than he was. And he never wanted to be buried in the same tomb with her. So she was buried in her family crypt; he was buried in his own crypt."
"Ages ago men realized that being emotional brings out their weakness, but they haven't realized that showing no emotion implies that they are heartless."
"Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. You become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions."
"What is a fine person or a beauteous face, Unless deportment give them decent grace; Blessed with all other requisites to please, To want the striking elegance of ease; Awkward, embarrassed, stiff, without the skill Of moving gracefully, or standing"


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671 Sandpiper L179 Drive, Vonore, Tennessee 37885 -
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Wie to Face Pros in Long-Drive Test
The 13-year-old from Hawaii has been invited to play in a skins game Sept. 15 featuring John Daly, Hank Kuehne and Nancy Lopez during the week of the Albertsons Boise Open.
Wie accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the Nationwide Tour event.
Daly has led the PGA Tour in driving distance the last eight years. Kuehne is threatening to end that streak and leads the tour this year at 318.1 yards per measured drive. Daly is second at 310.4 yards.
Wie averaged 281.1 yards in driving distance at Pumpkin Ridge, and her longest drive was 328 yards. She tied for 39th in her first U.S. Women's Open.
The Albertsons Boise Open will be the second time the 6-foot teen plays against men. She also plans to play on the Canadian Tour the last week in August.
McIlroy gets back on track
There's only one way to view Rory McIlroy's performance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
He is well ahead of schedule.
Sure, McIlroy is probably disappointed that he couldn't chase down Ross Fisher (and then Tommy Fleetwood) on the final day at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. But against a recent backdrop of injuries and apathy, his tie for third was a resounding success. He reasserted himself, quickly, and emerged 100 percent healthy.
"Overall, I'm happy," he said after finishing at 18-under 270, four back of Fleetwood. "I saw some really, really positive signs. My attitude, patience and comfort level were really good all week."
To fully appreciate McIlroy's auspicious 2018 debut, consider his state of disarray just four months ago. He was newly married. Nursing a rib injury. Breaking in new equipment. Testing another caddie. His only constant was change. "Mentally, I wasn't in a great place," he said, "and that was because of where I was physically."
And so he hit the reset button, taking the longest sabbatical of his career, a three-and-a-half-month break that was as much psychological as physical. He healed his body and met with a dietician, packing five pounds of muscle onto his already cut frame. He dialed in his TaylorMade equipment, shoring up a putting stroke and wedge game that was shockingly poor for a player of his caliber. Perhaps most importantly, he cleared his cluttered mind, cruising around Italy with wife Erica in a 1950s Mercedes convertible.
Full-field scores from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
After an intense buildup to his season debut, McIlroy was curious about the true state of his game, about how he'd stack up when he finally put a scorecard in his hand. It didn't take him long to find out.
Playing the first two rounds alongside Dustin Johnson – the undisputed world No. 1 who was fresh off a blowout victory at Kapalua – McIlroy beat him by a shot. Despite a 103-day competitive layoff, he played bogey-free for 52 holes. And he put himself in position to win, trailing by one heading into the final round. Though Fleetwood blew away the field with a back-nine 30 to defend his title, McIlroy collected his eighth top-5 in his last nine appearances in Abu Dhabi.
"I know it's only three months," he said, "but things change, and I felt like maybe I needed a couple of weeks to get back into the thought process that you need to get into for competitive golf. I got into that pretty quickly this week, so that was the most pleasing thing."
The sense of relief afterward was palpable. McIlroy is entering his 11th full year as a pro, and deep down he likely realizes 2018 is shaping up as his most important yet.
The former Boy Wonder is all grown up, and his main challengers now are a freakish athlete (DJ) and a trio of players under 25 (Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm) who don't lack for motivation or confidence. The landscape has changed significantly since McIlroy's last major victory, in August 2014, and the only way he'll be able to return to world No. 1 is to produce a sustained period of exceptional golf, like the rest of the game's elite. (Based on average points, McIlroy, now ranked 11th, is closer to the bottom of the rankings, No. 1928, than to Johnson.)
But after years of near-constant turmoil, McIlroy, 28, finally seems ready to pursue that goal again. He is planning the heaviest workload of his career – as many as 30 events, including seven more starts before the Masters – and appears refreshed and reenergized, perhaps because this year, for the first time in a while, he is playing without distractions.
Not his relationships or his health. Not his equipment or his caddie or his off-course dealings.
Everything in his life is lined up.
Drama tends to follow one of the sport's most captivating characters, but for now he can just play golf – lots and lots of golf. How liberating.
Crocker among quartet of Open qualifiers in Singapore
Former amateur standout Sean Crocker was among four players who qualified for the 147th Open via top-12 finishes this week at the Asian Tour's SMBC Singapore Open as part of the Open Qualifying Series.
Crocker had a strong college career at USC before turning pro late last year. The 21-year-old received an invitation into this event shortly thereafter, and he made the most of his appearance with a T-6 finish to net his first career major championship berth.
There were four spots available to those not otherwise exempt among the top 12 in Singapore, but winner Sergio Garcia and runners-up Shaun Norris and Satoshi Kodaira had already booked their tickets for Carnoustie. That meant that Thailand's Danthai Boonma and Jazz Janewattanond both qualified thanks to T-4 finishes.
Full-field scores from the Singapore Open
Crocker nabbed the third available qualifying spot, while the final berth went to Australia's Lucas Herbert. Herbert entered the week ranked No. 274 in the world and was the highest-ranked of the three otherwise unqualified players who ended the week in a tie for eighth.
The next event in the Open Qualifying Series will be in Japan at the Mizuno Open in May, when four more spots at Carnoustie will be up for grabs. The 147th Open will be held July 19-22 in Carnoustie, Scotland.
Got a second? Fisher a bridesmaid again
Ross Fisher is in the midst of a career resurgence - he just doesn't have the hardware to prove it.
Fisher entered the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with a share of the lead, and as he made the turn he appeared in position to claim his first European Tour victory since March 2014. But he slowed just as Tommy Fleetwood caught fire, and when the final putt fell Fisher ended up alone in second place, two shots behind his fellow Englishman.
It continues a promising trend for Fisher, who at age 37 now has 14 career runner-up finishes and three in his last six starts dating back to October. He was edged by Tyrrell Hatton both at the Italian Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in the fall, and now has amassed nine worldwide top-10 finishes since March.
Full-field scores from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Fisher took a big step toward ending his winless drought with an eagle on the par-5 second followed by a pair of birdies, and he stood five shots clear of Fleetwood with only nine holes to go. But while Fleetwood played Nos. 10-15 in 4 under, Fisher played the same stretch in 2 over and was unable to eagle the closing hole to force a playoff.
While Fisher remains in search of an elusive trophy, his world ranking has benefited from his recent play. The veteran was ranked outside the top 100 in the world as recently as September 2016, but his Abu Dhabi runner-up result is expected to move him inside the top 30 when the new rankings are published.
McIlroy (T-3) notches another Abu Dhabi close call
Rory McIlroy's trend of doing everything but hoist the trophy at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is alive and well.
Making his first start since early October, McIlroy showed few signs of rust en route to a tie for third. Amid gusty winds, he closed with a 2-under 70 to finish the week at 18 under, four shots behind Tommy Fleetwood who rallied to win this event for the second consecutive year.
The result continues a remarkable trend for the Ulsterman, who has now finished third or better seven of the last eight years in Abu Dhabi - all while never winning the tournament. That stretch includes four runner-up finishes and now two straight T-3 results.
Full-field scores from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
McIlroy is entering off a disappointing 2017 in which he was injured in his first start and missed two chunks of time while trying to regain his health. He has laid out an ambitious early-season schedule, one that will include a trip to Dubai next week and eight worldwide tournament starts before he heads to the Masters.
McIlroy started the final round one shot off the lead, and he remained in contention after two birdies over his first four holes. But a bogey on No. 6 slowed his momentum, and McIlroy wasn't able to make a back-nine birdie until the closing hole, at which point the title was out of reach.


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I found this caterpillar quietly noshing bindweed (hooray!). I would suspect the Convulvulus Hawkmoth which we do have in the garden, from its size and what it is eating. But my Collins guide says they should be purplish brown or apple green , while this one is black with a cream stripe. (We live in SW France)
You are quite right in your suspicions - it is convolvulus hawk moth, Agrius convolvuli.
The pattern on the front of the 'head' is distinctive.
The Collins guide simplifies the state of affairs with larvae of this species.
In fact there are lots of colour schemes; scroll down this page to get a better idea of the variation
- http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Agrius_Convolvuli
Thanks Mike.
Bit envious of some of those pictures on the German website. A couple of summers ago we were entertained at dusk as this huge (for us in Europe) moth dined on the nectar of Nicotiana Sylvestris - the only insect with a proboscis long enough for the trumpet shaped flowers. But sadly could not get a good enough photo.
They are wonderful creatures, indeed!
Earlier in the year, one was a regular visitor to Stephanotis flowers on my terrace (here in Cyprus).
Silver Y moths, also, will have a go at Nicotiana flowers, but I have no idea if they are successful in reaching the nectar.
Sometimes the best images defy photographic capture.
I am reminded of a particular visit to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park in S. California many years ago. It had been a clear sunny day, and I had been busy photographing the majestic scenery and the flowers, accompanied by the meadows' denizens going about their buzziness. But now the sun had set and dusk was gathering rapidly, stealing along the canyon. The depths were becoming inky, but the white mountains towering above reflected a magical violet glow. I pondered briefly, camera in hand. I sighed. I put my camera away, sat on a rock, and gazed. I could not open my eyes wide enough to take it all in. It had only just begun but now it was fading. There was no way a camera was going to do it justice, and the idea of attempting a photograph seemed sacrilegious. The memory of that fleeting beauty haunts me.


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Healthy and under contract with the San Diego Padres, Randy Wolf wants to get back to being the 200-inning-per-season pitcher he was with the Phillies in 2002 and 2003.
Wolf and the Padres finalized their one-year deal, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Wolf was 9-6 with a 4.23 ERA for the Dodgers last season, but made only 18 starts due to soreness in his left shoulder. He is recovering from surgery he underwent in September.
"My shoulder's doing great," Wolf said during a conference call. "I'm on my third week of throwing now. Everything's progressing great."
Wolf has battled injuries since pitching 200 innings in 2003. Over the next three seasons he experienced a sore elbow, needing reconstructive surgery in July 2005 that knocked him out of action for more than one year. Wolff expects the injury bug to be behind him.
"I have every expectation to be 100 percent and make every start," Wolf said. "If I make every start, and am making quality starts, I expect to throw 200 innings. Unfortunately, for three years I battled with my elbow and didn't know I had a torn ligament. It was tricky."
Inge ready to find new home? Brandon Inge is a professional, and to that end you're not going to hear him doing a lot of complaining when it comes to the Tigers' newest addition, third baseman Miguel Cabrera. General manager Dave Dombrowski has said that Inge has handled the apparent loss of his starting position with nothing but class.
"He very much loves it here and has very mixed emotions," Dombrowski told MLB.com. "We think the world of him also, but with the acquisition of Cabrera, we don't have that role for him [at third base]. His desire would be to go somewhere and have an opportunity to play at third base."
As for his attitude, it sounds like Inge is upbeat -- but probably anxious to resolve his own situation.
"He was super when I talked to him on the phone," said Dombrowski. "He's a tremendous person. He didn't act angry with me, but I'm sure there's a part of him with mixed emotion."
Gibbons, Roberts get their kicks out of kids' day: Jay Gibbons, along with teammates Brian Roberts, Jeremy Guthrie and Jamie Walker and former Orioles Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor and Dave Johnson, were the Orioles representatives at the party at the Inner Harbor's ESPN Zone, where the Orioles played host to 90 students from George Washington Elementary School last week.
Gibbons loves events like this so he can be around the children.
"It's about the kids," Gibbons told the Baltimore Sun. "[Longtime Orioles coach Elrod Hendricks] got me into this about five years ago, and I love it. Seeing the kids smile and playing the games with them, I'm not going to miss this for anything."
"Maybe you let them experience something they don't get to experience during the holidays," Roberts told MLB.com. "They may not have Santa and they may not have gifts. Some of them may not even get to eat like this at home every day.
"It's important for them to experience something good during the holidays, and it's fun for us to see them smile, go up there, play games and have a good time. It kind of puts everything in perspective."
A new dog, trip to the White House for Lowell: Mike Lowell was joking about how his life has changed since being named the World Series Most Valuable Player this past season. Not only did he sign a new three-year deal to remain with the Red Sox, but he has a new acquisition as well.
"We got a new dog," joked Lowell to the Boston Herald, "but that wasn't because we won the championship."
Life has changed for Lowell, however. He and manager Terry Francona were recently invited to dinner at the White House with President George Bush for an event to be held in January.
"It seems like a very exclusive invitation," Lowell said. "I guess it's just another perk from being on a world championship team."
Lowell said he is relaxing this winter, but he knows that his new deal will bring added pressure when the 2008 season roles around.
"I think it's a three-year motivating test," he said, "for me to prove that despite everyone thinking it's just for three years, it's the beginning of something that is going to last more than three years."
Phillies add Blackley for pitching depth: Looking to fill their fifth starter spot, the Philadelphia Philliies last week picked up left-handed pitcher Travis Blackley in the Rule 5 Draft. Last season at Triple-A Fresno in the Giants organization, Blackley won 10 games with an ERA of 4.66.
Mike Arbuckle, the Phils' assistant general manager of scouting and player development, said the team was glad to get Blackley with the 24th spot in the draft.
"He's a guy with a chance to compete for that fifth-starter job, a left-hander who can give you innings," Arbuckle told MLB.com. "We still think he's on the upswing from [shoulder surgery], and he continues to get better. He has good command, a fringe fastball, good changeup, good breaking ball and a feel for pitching. If he doesn't end up as a fifth starter, his stuff may allow him to pitch out of the middle."
If Blackley doesn't make the Phillies' rotation, he's also been mentioned as a possible middle-innings reliever.
Gagne signed, sealed and delivered to Brewers: The Milwaukee Brewers finalized their one-year deal with reliever Eric Gagne, adding another arm to a revamped bullpen.
Signing Gagne wasn't cheap, and general manager Doug Melvin credits owner Mark Attanasio for understanding what it was going to take to sign the right-hander. Boston manager Terry Francona also recommended Gagne to Brewers manager Ned Yost during the winter meetings.
"Mark stepped up," Melvin, who tried to acquire Gagne in July before Boston prevailed, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We kept saying a closer is very important. It's a one-year deal and with what we've done with the bullpen, we decided it was worth a shot."
Gagne took a physical on Monday and looked trim after resuming his running program. Gagne looks more than ready to take over the closer's role for the Brewers.
"With our club making the strides it did last year, it's very important that we go into next year knowing we have someone of Eric's ability at the back end of our bullpen to close out ball games," Melvin said.
Gagne is anxious to join a bullpen that has undergone a radical transformation since the end of the season.
"I've been part of really good bullpens in the past," said Gagne. "Being here is a great thing because they've got three or four guys who could be closers. We just need to get to know each other and complement each other."
Rays' right field spot in hands of Baldelli, Gomes: The Tampa Bay Rays traded away right fielder Delmon Young as part of the deal that brought pitcher Matt Garza to the team. The trade opened a spot in the outfield, and the Rays hope Rocco Baldelli can remain healthy enough to fill it, along with Jonny Gomes.
"Rocco's the issue; we're still not exactly sure what he's going to be able to do yet," Rays manager Joe Maddon told the Tampa Tribune about Baldelli, who was limited to 35 games last season due to hamstring problems. "Once we're able to answer that question, we can be a little bit more specific, I think. Jon Gomes, I still have a lot of faith in him -- I think, specifically, Jon against left-handed pitching does a nice job."
Gomes hit .313 against lefties last season but only .218 against right-handed pitchers. In all likelihood, Gomes will share time in right field with another outfielder while Baldelli is slotted in the designated hitter role. Gomes hit better when starting in the field than at DH last season while Maddon praised Baldelli's hitting when he saw action as the DH in 2007.
"We've thought from last year, if Rocco could at least come back as almost an everyday DH, that would be great, because he does handle it well," said Maddon. "He keeps himself prepared between at-bats and he kind of likes it. A lot of young guys don't like it, but he's OK with it. He's got the mentality that plays in that role, which definitely matters."
Lo Duca likes Nationals' chances in East: The Nationals signed free agent catcher Paul Lo Duca to a one-year deal. Lo Duca will take over for Brian Schneider as the starting catcher for the Nationals. Schneider was traded to the Mets, Lo Duca's previous team, earlier this fall. The Nationals hope Lo Duca will replace Schneider as a clubhouse leader, too.
"I don't think you have one leader in the clubhouse," Lo Duca told the Washington Times. "I think you have a lot of leaders. I don't care if you have one year in the big leagues or 20: If I'm out of line, I want somebody to put me in my place because I'm going to put you in your place."
In addition to his leadership, general manager Jim Bowden wanted Lo Duca because his teams have been above .500 for seven consecutive seasons.
"He's a gamer," Bowden said. "There's a reason he's won seven straight years. His team has never had a losing record. He's been a No. 1 catcher, and they always win. He's a winner."
Lo Duca chose the Nationals over the Blue Jays, in part because he wanted to stay in the National League East.
"I'm excited to be part of a team that's young and has a chance to win this division," Lo Duca said. "I really feel that way. I feel the NL East is wide open."
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Spec recommendations
(31/5/0) discipline PvE spec This spec will let you practice using Smite, Evangelism and get some pretty angel wings in the process while skipping out on some mandatory Cataclysm talents. Sadly, we aren't high enough level to go deeper into the holy tree to get Surge of Light yet, but we've got plenty of new toys to play with for now.
(5/31/0) holy PvE spec Unlike discipline, where you can choose to shun some of the new healing mechanics, there isn't a lot of variation with holy because you basically have to pick up every single talent in the tree to get to the bottom. That's why you'll notice this recommended spec takes talents like Lightwell and Improved Power Word: Shield both of which you can swap about if you like. I do recommend getting some practice using the new Lightwell, since it's becoming increasingly important to group survival in beta. When you finish in the holy tree I recommend you put three points in Twin Disciplines, and you can use the last two to either buff up your Power Word: Shield, get 2/3 of Darkness or max out Test of Faith at the bottom of the holy tree. Again, because mana isn't a problem, I skipped Mental Agility.
"4.0.1 Wrathful Gladiator" disc PvP spec OK, so the name of this spec is a joke. I use it because most hardcore PvPers don't really take anything seriously about the game in the patch right before a new expansion. Regardless, it can be a lot of fun, and there are a ton of possible specs you can pick up and experiment with as a PvPer. Thus, the tree I've linked isn't really a recommendation so much as it is an example of one direction you can take. I honestly suggest finding something that works well for you, because I don't even think I'd use this spec given my current gear.
Still, if you want to build off this tree, it mixes up some defensive, offensive and healing talents. If you want to go a bit more defensive, then I recommend you grab more from Inner Sanctum by maybe dropping points in Borrowed Time or Reflective Shield, depending on what kind of healing style you want to use. Just take in mind that at level 80 only half of Inner Sanctum is usable, since we don't have Inner Will yet. Maybe you'll even want to move some points over to Darkness so you've got more haste on your shadow spells. Experiment! My guess for now is that you won't see much use of Strength of Soul just because there aren't many penalties for using fast spells like Flash Heal right now.
"A brave new world" holy PvP spec So you're going to be one of the pioneers into the new world of holy PvP, huh? All I have to say is good luck. I mean that sincerely. You'll want to do as much direct healing as you can, since that will stack up your Echo of Light HoT. This, along with talents like Blessed Resilience, tell me that holy's main PvP defense is being able to heal for more when you're being assaulted. Who knows if that will actually be viable, but I'd recommend the Heal stance in Chakra since it will let you refresh the duration of your Renew (which should be glyphed for 25 percent buffed win) and will gain some nice burst healing when you use Holy Word: Chastise and Revelations.
Since you'll be do a lot of single-target casting, you may want to scrape together a couple extra points out of the holy tree and dropping them into Darkness in the shadow tree. What you drop is real dependent on your strategy and your environment though.
Glyph recommendations
Since the new glyph system is getting launched in the next patch as well, I've decided to make my recommendations for what glyphs you'll want to use. I've listed more than you can possibly slot, so if you want to know which ones I think are best, I've ordered them from my most recommended to my least recommended. If it's not listed, I don't recommend it for anything other than specific cases.
Holy -- Prime Glyphs
- Guardian Spirit Even though the glyph is nerfed, it's still a really important cooldown for PvE and PvP.
- Prayer of Healing If you're raid healing with the Prayer of Healing Chakra stance, you'll need to cast Prayer of Healing a lot. This glyph will make it go a little further.
- Renew If you're tank healing as holy, you can refresh your Renew with Chakra and Heal. That makes this glyph really strong, since you'll constantly be refreshing it. If you're still trying to Renew spam, then it's up to you if you want this glyph or not. Obviously, with the Renew Chakra stance, you'll have less need for it.
- Lightwell More charges are particularly useful for Lightwell in beta, but for right now, this glyph is probably overkill.
- Flash Heal If you're inclined to cast Flash Heal, then by all means, grab this glyph. Just remember that come Cataclysm, using Flash Heal often will run you dry.
- Circle of Healing Your mandatory raid healer glyph, just the same as it ever was.
- Dispel Magic Because there simply isn't anything else.
- Holy Nova There isn't much else to get, so go ahead and grab this glyph for emergency filler heals.
- Mass Dispel If you PvP, you'll want this, but if you don't, you can save slotting this glyph for fights where you actually need to use Mass Dispel.
- Penance This glyph remains mandatory for discipline.
- Power Word: Shield No change to this glyph either, so go ahead and grab it.
- Power Word: Barrier (No tooltip: Increases the healing received while under the Barrier by 10%.) I'm not sure about this glyph being available with patch 4.0.1 either, but again, if it is, it will give your Power Word: Barrier a little buff.
- Flash Heal A disc tank healer will enjoy this glyph while we're still able to spam Flash Heal for a few more months. Just don't get used to it.
- Divine Accuracy This glyph is absolutely mandatory for using Evangelism and Archangel, but again, we'll have to wait and see if it can be crafted before Cataclysm.
- Holy Nova Holy Nova was nerfed in build 12984, but I suspect disc priests will still find a use for it, even with our new AoE shield.
- Mass Dispel Since there aren't many major glyphs for disc priests to choose from, you can go ahead and keep this one slotted all the time.
That's it for this week. I'll let you know if this all turns into rubble.
Want to find more great tips for carrying out your priestly duties? Spiritual Guidance has you covered with all there is to know. Check out Holy 101 or Disc 101 for an introduction to healing as a priest; for the party-minded healer, check out a priest's guide to tanks.


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7.1202 Sick leave.Cite as [A.S.C.A. § 7.1202 ]
(a) "Sick leave" means absence from duty because of illness or other physical disability or exposure to contagious disease.
(b) An employee given leave with pay on account of sickness for longer than 3 working days must supply on demand a certificate from a physician or medical practitioner evidencing illness.
(c) Sick leave shall accumulate at the rate of one-half day per biweekly pay period, and the accumulation is not limited.
(d) Employees terminated for reasons other than retirement, employees who are medically separated and employees who retire with the maximum service credit of 30 years are entitled to compensation for unused accrued sick leave at the rate of 50 percent of sick leave in excess of 239 hours.History: 1962, PL 7-22; 1970, PL 11-107; amd 1984, PL 18-32 § 1.
Amendments: 1984 Subsection (d) added.


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HOUSTON - Eight years ago on September 24, Hurricane Rita was bearing down on Louisiana and threatening Texas. The 2005 storm was the most intense storm ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita's strength wasn't the only unique thing that made the hurricane a rarity.
"You can still get a storm, but it's fairly rare this time of the year," KPRC Local 2 Hurricane Expert Bill Read said.
The southeast Texas coast has been hurricane-free so far in 2013. However, you shouldn't let your guard down.
On Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle declared the Texas hurricane season was over.
Bill Read, who is also the former Director of the National Hurricane Center, isn't ready to call it yet.
"I have an old rule of thumb that is very conservative," he explained. "I wait until there have been three good fronts that push off of the coast and into the Gulf before I raise the flags and say we're done."
Our first cold front of the season swept through this past weekend, a good sign the rest of the season will stay quiet for Texas. Those fronts help steer hurricanes away from southeast Texas and push them east.
"Now we start looking to the Caribbean for where they will form, and then they will move north of the Caribbean more towards Florida or the Bahamas," said Read.
The calendar is on our side too. Since 1842, only four hurricanes have hit the Texas coast after September 24. That means there's about a one in 50 chance that Texas is impacted this year.
In the short term, Read mentioned at least for the next seven to 10 days he doesn't see anything "in the [weather] pattern that would suggest a storm coming our way."
A hurricane-free 2013 would mean five years without a direct hit on Texas. The last was Hurricane Ike which struck five years ago this month.
Hurricane season officially ends November 30.
Copyright 2013 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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We have received some
interesting info on AMD's new range of Socket AM2 processors.
According to internal AMD documents, system builders will be able to
purchase the new AM2 processor starting on May 15th.
core and single core Athlon 64 processors will be available as well
as 64-bit Sempron processors.
According to our previously
AMD's Athlon 64 FX-62 will be the company's top desktop offering for
the remainder of the year. It is not until Q1 of 2007 that we will
see the FX-64 hit the market. All other AM2 processors are officially under embargo until June 6, 2006.


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What They Didn't Tell You in Engineering School, Part 1
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Surprisingly enough, engineering school doesn't teach you everything.
As a mechanical engineer in manufacturing with around 10 years of work experience, I've discovered that I use some techniques on the job that were never taught in school. I'm sure more items could be added to this list, and feel free to "call me out" if you see things differently, but here is my list of the discrepancies between an engineering education and engineering in the "real world."
Part 1: Education
Wait, I learned calculus?
I'm embarrassed to say that after four semesters of calculus/differential equations, I remember very little of it. The derivative of x is 1 if I remember correctly, but anything past that would have to be reviewed. I do, however, feel that I understand the concepts and could, hopefully, go back and relearn them much more quickly than someone who had never cracked a calc book. Additionally, I still remember the trig concepts behind much of this math, as I do have to use them fairly often. Maybe passing the more-advanced math classes cemented the lower "maths" in my brain for a longer period.
One subject I wish I'd paid more attention to is statistics. I only had one class on this and, after passing all my calc requirements, didn't give it the effort I should have.
With the emphasis on statistical manufacturing methods like Six Sigma, these concepts can be quite important, depending on your role. (Oddly enough, reverse the words and it becomes "Sigma Six" -- a line of GI Joe toys. Adding to this subtle paramilitary theme is that you can get your "black belt" in Six Sigma. Probably just a coincidence...)
Sometimes you don't have to understand everything
Sadly, some might say that education is more about training you to fit in, than actually teaching you to think well. I always had the opinion, likely instilled by the many engineers in my family, that it was absolutely necessary to understand what I was being taught. Knowing the fundamentals is critical, and the amazing thing to me about our field is that everything can be derived from very simple concepts.
It is excellent to understand basic concepts, but on a test, it can be much more expedient to simply memorize a more refined equation that you think will be needed. When you're applying for a job, for better or worse, employers generally look at your GPA, rather than give you some sort of aptitude test. That being said, some employers (Google, for instance) do have a test like this, so maybe there is hope for those who prioritize understanding over getting an excellent grade.
Getting a doctorate isn't always an advantage
More education is generally thought of as a good thing by society, however, past a certain point it really depends on your situation. A good friend of mine graduated with his doctorate, and a pretty spectacular resumé, but when it was presented to my supervisor, he seemed skeptical of hiring a "doctor."
In the end, he ended up working at a another job that he very much enjoys, for an excellent starting salary. He also was paid while in school, so that certainly helped. For some, getting a doctorate means a lot, and it could open up some future possibilities that you wouldn't otherwise have. Like a PE, it's a remarkable accomplishment, but it's not for everyone.
Be sure to check back for part 2 to see what else I think I've learned in my several years of working in the real world.
— Jeremy Cook is a manufacturing engineer with 10 years experience and has a BSME from Clemson University. You can find him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JeremySCook


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Obama unable to throw out first pitch
President's presence to be felt during Civil Rights Game
By Mark Newman / MLB.com
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who spent his first 10 Major League seasons with the Reds and has a statue of himself right out front, will throw out the first pitch instead. The election controversy in Iran this week officially nixed the First Fan's first throw.
"North Korean and Iran have changed that original game plan, but you'll still hear his voice," said Charles Ogletree, moderator of Friday's Civil Rights Game roundtable discussion and Harvard Law School professor whose past pupils included Obama and wife Michelle.
"Oh, yeah, he was disappointed that he couldn't make it. He loves baseball. He loves the White Sox. He's been educated in the northeast, but his heart is always with Chicago.
"He couldn't come because of issues of national security, and specifically this issue of Iran's elections and the testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea."
Obama was not able to throw out a first pitch for his new hometown Washington Nationals yet this season, nor was he able to accept an invite from the White Sox to do so for their home opener or any subsequent game -- as he had done for them once before during the early campaigning days. There are countless connections between baseball and the Oval Office -- Reds manager Dusty Baker got to know Obama while managing the Cubs and was planning to appeal as well -- but priorities are priorities.
"We understand he obviously has a very busy schedule," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations. "It's no surprise that he has some priorities that mean this is not at the top of his list. But I think we have a pretty nice backup."
The Civil Rights Game is expected to be at or near sellout. It will be streamed live on MLB.TV, and it will feature a Fox Sports Ohio broadcast feed that will include fewer commercials and more after-inning segments pertaining to civil rights history.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Self-Help FCU Purchases $141 Million in Mortgages
The $412 million, 43,000-member Self-Help Federal Credit Union of Oakland, Calif., the federally chartered counterpart to the state-chartered Self-Help Credit Union in Durham, N.C., has purchased $141 million in Chicago mortgage loans from the FDIC.
The deposit insurer assumed the loans of the failed Second Federal Savings & Loan Association, a roughly $200 million financial institution that the Comptroller of the Currency closed in July of this year.
The Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company in Hinsdale, Ill., accepted Second Federal's depositors and roughly $14 million in assets, mostly cash. The bank did not accept any of Second Federal's loans.
Self-Help FCU paid $59 million for the loans and assumed the loans as part of a partnership with The Resurrection Project, a community development organization in Chicago that had raised the alarm about the possible eventual fate of the loans. Resurrection had feared that FDIC would sell the loans to the highest bidder which might, in turn, increase foreclosures on the lenders.
"The mission of both TRP and Self-Help is to build healthier communities," said Raul I. Raymundo, Resurrection's CEO. "But to do so we need to also thwart the deterioration of our neighborhoods. With the acquisition of these loans, we will be helping hundreds of families remain in their homes. The disorder created by foreclosure hampers economic growth."
Self-Help CEO Martin Eakes added "We plan to aggressively assist struggling homeowners to avoid foreclosures. Too many families have been hurt by the recession and as partners, TRP and Self Help are poised to restore confidence and assist working families build wealth once again." The Resurrection/Self-Help partnership has received widespread support from local businesses, elected officials and community leaders, according to the organization's announcement.
It quoted Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, who represents the area where most of the Second Federal loans are concentrated, as saying, "Their partnership will save taxpayers millions in the ripple effects of foreclosures, such as a depreciation of property values, an increase in violent crimes, and a destabilization of the family unit." Self-Help and TRP also said they plan to set up a local community development credit union which will offer payday loan alternatives and other mainstream financial services.
David Beck, director of Policy and Media for Self-Help Credit Union, said about 20% of the loan portfolio is "nonperforming" which he characterized as either delinquent to some degree or as approaching foreclosure. None of the loans purchased were actually in foreclosure, he said.
One of the credit unions first goals would be to see if it could work with borrowers to keep the loans current or bring them current if they had become delinquent. Beck did not know how many of the loans might qualify for a modification or might have already had a modification that failed. He was confident, however, that the loans were not those dating back to before the housing finance crisis.
"These are loans from an area that has been hit very hard by the recession," he said.


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The mother of a 13 year old boy with autism discovered this letter from a neighbor.
Speaking as a scientist here, I'm not at all interested in dismantling young boys for their organs, so I'm going to have to reject that suggestion. However, I do think someone with such a serious case of exclamation point abuse and hatefulness ought to be condemned to live in a small trailer in the wilderness with no other people about, with the Canadian government airdropping occasional packages of supplies (moose meat and poutine? Timbits for dessert? Whatever Canadians eat) so that she can live without the interruptions from other human beings. It's the only humane thing to do. We'd all be better off.


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Campus begins quest for second triple crown at radiological conference
Campus begins quest for second triple crown at radiological conference
A team of radiological science students from Penn State New Kensington gained experience and earned recognition in March at the annual Pennsylvania Society of Radiologic Technologists (PSRT) conference in State College, Pa.
Debra Majetic, coordinator of the radiological science program, and Marcia Curler, instructor in radiological sciences, escorted 15 second-year students to the annual meeting. The students will graduate in August with an associate degree and will be eligible for examination with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) for professional certification.
"Students are our future and will service all our imaging needs," said Majetic, who is a graduate of the campus' radiological sciences program and holds a master's degree in higher education from Geneva College.
"We hope this experience sparks an interest in our students to get involved with professional organizations after graduation."
The purpose of the trip was two-fold. Students had the opportunity to meet with soon-to-be colleagues in a conference setting and compete with fellow students in various categories – research presentations, image analysis and Techni-bowl.
"The PSRT meeting was a valuable learning experience that I got to share with the other members of my class," said Jennifer Sekowski, a resident of Saxonburg. "The meeting showed what we have to look forward to in our careers and where our education can take us in the radiology profession."
"The conference was very informative, especially for a student and future x-ray technologist.," said Brittany Rathman, a Gibsonia resident. "I am looking forward to continuing going to these meetings throughout my career."
Beth Hollinger, Bhawani Harrell, Jennifer White and Sekowski won the top award for their research project, "Radon in the Home." The project focused on the health effects of radon and how to use radiation protection precautions to prevent future biological cell damage. Forty projects, presented in poster format, were entered into the competition.
"I was shocked when I heard our poster and our group names called," said Beth Hollinger, a Gibsonia native. "The competition was steep, and I am proud that all our hard work really paid off."
In the Techni-bowl, the campus teams of Brittany Rathman & Jennifer Sekowski and Hannah LaTour and Kelsey Nulph earned fourth-place ribbons.
"The Techni-bowl was a great review for the boards and showed me how to prepare for them," said Kelsey Nulph, who hails from Ford City. "I learned many new things about the radiology field that I never knew before."
Garnering awards and accolades at the society meetings is becoming a tradition for Majetic's students. In the past five years, the up-and-coming radiographers have won each of the competitive categories.
Leah Brown, Anne Boyd and Megan Walters started the winning streak in 2010 by capturing first place with their research project, "Radiation for Safety." Two years ago, Bill Henry and Lydia Johnson won the Techni-bowl. Stephanie Fox, Samantha Miller and Nicala Wisnik's image analysis victory last year completed the "triple crown" for the campus.
"The opportunity for our students to not only participate in the competition but to also attend the state meeting was invaluable," said Majetic, who joined the campus faculty in 2005. "Imaging professionals recognize the importance of networking with others, sharing new technologies, promoting the profession and supporting education and new technologies entering the field."
Besides classroom work and intercollegiate competition, students in the radiological sciences program are active with community service projects. In the fall, Majetic's students created welcome baskets for 7 international students who enrolled at the campus. During the Christmas holidays, they collected gifts for the Toys for Tots campaign. This semester, they are collecting coupons for troops stationed at the United States military base in Japan.
About the Radiological Sciences Program
Radiography is a science combining medical imaging technology with human compassion. Radiographers use their knowledge of physics, human anatomy and physiology to create permanent medical radiographic images. Imaging professionals provide a wide range of services using technology founded on theoretical knowledge and scientific concepts.
As a part of the health care team, radiographers provide patient care using safe radiation practices, operate sophisticated technical equipment and make independent judgments and decisions daily. Radiological services are offered in a variety of settings such as hospitals, health care facilities, physicians' offices, research centers and equipment sales offices. Careers in radiography offer flexible work schedules that accommodate various lifestyles and employment needs.
The radiological sciences program at Penn State New Kensington offers students an associate degree, and graduates are eligible for examination with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. The 72-credit, academic- and clinical-based curriculum begins in the fall of each year and requires 24 consecutive months of study, including summer sessions.
"In the past two years, the certification examination pass rate for our graduates was 100 percent," Majetic said. "The five-year average is 96 percent."
For more about the radiological sciences program, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/Degrees/44310.htm
Bill Woodard
Alumni and Public Relations Specialist


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ByRebecca Ballhaus
Texas Gov. Rick Perry sounded a forceful alarm Thursday about the growing terrorist threat in Iraq and Syria, calling for the U.S. to more aggressively attack Islamic State, the Sunni militant group also referred to as ISIS or ISIL.
In remarks at the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation—coming just days after he was booked at a Texas courthouse on charges of abusing his authority—Mr. Perry said the U.S. should increase airstrikes and send more special operations forces to the region, and equip Kurdish forces with the weapons they need to combat Islamic State.[wsj-responsive-more-in tag="Rick Perry" category="" ]
"They need to be eliminated. They need to be eliminated now," Mr. Perry said of the group.
Mr. Perry, seen as a potential 2016 Republican presidential contender, said the U.S. shouldn't rule out ground troops. "I think all your options have to be open," he said. "I think signaling to your enemy what you're not going to put on the table is very, very bad," he said.
"We have come to one of those moments where American action will be decisive, and inaction will be consequential," Mr. Perry said.
He criticized the Obama administration's limited military action so far, citing the lack of forceful intervention to help Syrian rebels as an example. "Syria could have been spared a lot of violence and other trouble instead of becoming the ISIS stronghold that it is today," he said. "We heard from the White House that [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] must go – but that was an opinion, not a policy, and so it all came to nothing."
Aggressive action by the U.S. is needed to reverse the "momentum of the fight," he said, calling for lawmakers from both parties to unite in "fundamental matters of security."
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama called for a broadened international campaign to eradicate the Islamic State from the Middle East.
Mr. Perry levied heavy criticism against the Obama administration for its handling of security at the border, calling the president's action on immigration a "misuse of presidential power."
"He won't fully and consistently enforce the laws as they're written, that is requiring the protection of our borders against unlawful entry," he said. "And he wants to establish new laws, such as the amnesty of 2012, without the consent of Congress," he continued, referring to new rules the Obama administration announced two years ago that would allow many young illegal immigrants to legally live and work in the U.S.
Mr. Perry said the federal government must deal with the problem of border security before tackling immigration reform, legislation that Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans had advocated in the last year. (President Barack Obama declared the efforts dead in June.) Until the border is secure, "all talk of immigration reform is pointless, because Washington has no credibility on the matter," he said.
Mr. Perry briefly touched on his indictment at the start of his address, saying he is "very confident" in his case. "I aim to defend our constitution and stand up for the rule of law in Texas," he said, to applause from the audience.
A grand jury indicted Mr. Perry last week on two felony counts for allegedly improperly threatening to veto $7.5 million in funding for the Travis County Public Integrity Unit, which handles political-corruption investigations in Texas, if Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg didn't resign following her arrest for drunken driving. Ms. Lehmberg did not quit, and Mr. Perry carried out the veto last June. He has pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Perry's lawyers have cast the charges as a partisan attack by Democrats, with one calling the indictment "banana republic politics."
Responding to a reporter's question Thursday, Mr. Perry said, "When David Axelrod, Lanny Davis, Alan Dershowitz, Jonathan Chait all say that this is sketchy, outrageous, totalitarian and McCarthyite, I agree with them—and that's just on the Democratic side."
Perry Charges Put Spotlight on Prosecutor


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Melvin got goose bumps watching Neshek pitch
By Jane Lee and Doug Miller / MLB.com
The reliever, taking to the mound with a heavy heart in the seventh inning just three days following the unexpected death of his first-born child, 1-day-old son Gehrig John, showcased what manager Bob Melvin deemed to be his most domineering outing of the season, all under grim circumstances.
With runners on first and second and one out, Neshek forced a potential double-play ball from Alex Avila that only resulted in one out, leaving Neshek no choice but to strike out Austin Jackson in dramatic fashion. Oakland's dugout erupted, its two-run deficit of no worry for the moment.
"It made me feel good. I got goose bumps," Melvin said Sunday. "I was watching him in the bullpen, just to see if I could see anything different, and I didn't. When I got on the mound, when I gave him the ball, he was the exact same he was every other time I've given him the ball. He wants the ball, he wants to talk to the catcher real quick and he wants to get going and work quick, and he did. Pitches were all crisp. I thought he threw really well, and I think everyone felt good about that."
Neshek's brave ways were again on display in the clubhouse just moments after the game, when he faced the lights of several cameras and the sound of reporters talking over one another with question after question.
"I don't see stuff like that, but it doesn't surprise me," Melvin said. "I talked to him real briefly when I came into the clubhouse, and he was very happy to be here around his teammates and his wife wanted him to come, too. So I think that was probably a good thing for him to be here and around those guys, and maybe just as medicinal as getting out in a game and pitching right away as opposed to having to wait around and trying to find the right spot.
"There's really no soft landings in the postseason, so he came into the game when we needed him to get those outs, and he did it."
Anderson declares himself OK to start Game 3
DETROIT -- A's lefty Brett Anderson didn't need an official announcement to declare his status for Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday.
"I'm ready to go," said Anderson, his right oblique injury no longer a concern. "You don't know how many times you're going to make it to the postseason, so I'm going to cherish this moment. Everyone's got nicks and nacks at this point in the season, so just put Icy Hot on it and get after it."
Oakland, however, waited to name its starter for the third game of the best-of-five series against Detroit until Monday, shortly before the club's afternoon workouts. With the A's on the verge of elimination in the ALDS, Anderson's presence in Game 3 will be all the more significant.
That puts rookie righty A.J. Griffin in line to start a potential Game 4 on Wednesday.
"I think the better [Anderson] feels day to day, hour to hour, we'd like to be able to pitch him in [Game] 3," manager Bob Melvin said. "So we still hold that out to potentially be the case, but I think we're probably more prudent to announce that tomorrow.
"It's mostly how he feels. We want to try to get him in a game as soon as we can -- and that's regardless. So if he feels good enough to go, whether we win, lose, we'd like to pitch him sooner than later."
Anderson, 24, played catch on Sunday morning and claimed his oblique "definitely good enough to pitch," noting that come Tuesday, "I also think the adrenaline and the magnitude of the game will help get me through."
There will seemingly also be an extra dose of motivation on Anderson's side, given the fact he may feel he has a job to finish, having suffered his injury in the third inning of a start against the Tigers, having already given up three runs in an eventual loss.
"That would be just another awesome ending to an adverse chapter this team's had," Jonny Gomes said.
Despite not starting, Gomes cheering on teammates
DETROIT -- It goes without saying that right-handed-hitting veteran Jonny Gomes, on standby in the dugout during this best-of five Division Series against the Tigers as the A's face a string of righties, is cheering for wins. His desire to contribute to this postseason run has him cheering even harder.
"I was telling the guys, 'Just let's get to the next series,'" Gomes said, smiling. "Baltimore's got a few lefties, and so does New York, so I'm these guys' No. 1 fan right now. Just get us to the next one so I can get my fighting license back."
Manager Bob Melvin is rather strict when it comes to his many platoons, as he rarely strays from his strategic plan of playing to matchups just to hand away playing time for the sake of it. It's one of the traits Gomes appreciates and respects most about him.
"That's how the A's work, it really is," Gomes said. "That's why Bob Melvin's been great. We've had all these platoons, and I think once you cross over the platoon once, you've got to cross over with them all.
"I'd like to be in there. I'm sure we'd all like to be in there, but that's how the A's have won this year, and we've done a good job. So just because we're in the playoffs doesn't really mean we've got to mix it up."
Oakland essentially employs platoons at Gomes' designated hitter position, as well as catcher, second base and first base, where Brandon Moss drew his second consecutive start Sunday. His other half, the right-handed Chris Carter, sits in the same boat as Gomes, and Melvin said Sunday he wouldn't be afraid to use either should the Tigers bring in a lefty.
"And even if they want to bring in a lefty and want to turn it right back around, we feel good about both those guys against those pitchers, too," Melvin said. "We hope to get Jonny in a game here at some point in time, and if that's not the case today, hopefully and potentially we even look to get him a start. We don't want him sitting around too long. He has hit certain right-handers pretty well, so we're always looking to get him in the game."
Melvin learned a lot while under Leyland's tutelage
DETROIT -- The A's and Tigers are making their own history in the American League Division Series, but there's also a unique story involving Oakland manager Bob Melvin and Detroit.
Melvin came up with the Tigers as a rookie catcher in 1985, the year after Detroit won its last World Series title, to begin a 10-year Major League playing career. Four years before that, in instructional league, he played for an up-and-coming manager named Jim Leyland, who now helms the Tigers.
Melvin said he wasn't around Leyland for very long that year, because Leyland got the third-base coaching job for the Chicago White Sox in the middle of that season, but that didn't matter.
"There were so many things you could learn from [him] as a young player, and then as far as playing for Jim Leyland ... it didn't take you long to be around Jim Leyland to realize the impact that he has around players and people," Melvin said.
"I remember losing three or four games in a row to start, and he came in, had a little tirade, in instructional league, that got my attention very quickly. Some of the points were made that because this is winter ball doesn't mean we [don't] go out there without the intensity to win. [I] learned a lot in a very short period of time with Jim Leyland, one of the great managers of all time."
As for Detroit, Melvin remembers entering a clubhouse full of champions and learning his place very quickly.
"It was more like do your thing and [don't] be heard, just kind of do your thing," Melvin said. "That's the way it was back then when you were a rookie type player. It's a little different now, but being able to come in behind the Lance Parrishes and Kirk Gibsons and Alan Trammells and Jack Morrises. I watched those guys very closely coming up through the system, and I really was proud of the fact I came up in the Tigers system.
"I only spent one year in college. Then you go up in your system, which was for me it was a Tiger system. It was almost like being at a university."
Leyland recalled a few things about the younger Melvin.
"Well, I just remember Bob was an excellent catcher," Leyland said. "He was like all of us, there was a question mark whether he was going to hit or not.
"But he was always a very bright student of the game. You could see that right from the get go. He's done a wonderful, wonderful job."
Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Major Lee-ague, and follow her on Twitter @JaneMLB. Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @DougMillerMLB and read his MLBlog, Youneverknow. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Fixing the bullpen was one of Jerry Dipoto's primary offseason goals, and the Angels general manager is hoping he made an incremental improvement in a deal that essentially cost the team nothing.
Hours before the Angels would have spent $1 million to buy out Ervin Santana's $13 million option for 2013, the Angels sent the enigmatic right-hander and $1 million to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor-league left-handed reliever Brandon Sisk on Wednesday.
The Angels actually exercised the option before the deal, but the net affect is the same as declining the option, with the bonus of getting a player.
"In all likelihood we weren't going to exercise the option on Ervin Santana and we were able to bring back a piece that we didn't have," Dipoto said. "He'll be given the opportunity to compete for a job, and the worst-case scenario is we're building much needed depth that eluded us in 2012."
Sisk, 27, had a 2.54 ERA at Triple-A in 2012. He has never pitched in the majors. In his minor league career, Sisk has allowed an impressive 6.8 hits and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He's also walked 3.6 per nine innings, a sign of questionable control. He has a career 2.59 ERA in the minors.
Dipoto said Sisk will have a chance to make the Angels bullpen, as more than just a situational reliever because he's shown an ability to handle righties and lefties. Sisk is 6-2, 220 pounds, with an average fastball.
"He's done about as much as you can do in the minor leagues to be worthy of an opportunity," Dipoto said. "We're going to bring him in and let him complete."
Sisk has never been on a 40-man roster, but he is eligible for the Rule 5 draft, so the Angels will have to add him to their roster in the next month if they don't want to risk losing him. He still has all three options left.
Santana, 29, was 9-13 with a 5.16 ERA in 2012 for the Angels. In eight seasons with the Angels, he went 96-80 with a 4.33 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2008, and he pitched a no-hitter in 2011.
"Ervin had a lot of really great moments with the Angels and has always been an Angel," Dipoto said. "His time here was greatly appreciated. From a no-hitter to All-Star experience to playoff exposure, Ervin had an impact. Like all good things, they come to an end. This is the start of the something new for Ervin."
Speaking to Kansas City writers via conference call, Santana said his struggles in 2012 were "bad luck." He also said he was prepared to be traded.
"I have to realize that this is a business," Santana said. "They traded me, and I just have to accept it and move on. It's going to be hard because I've known my teammates for a long time, but now I'm going to have new teammates. I can't wait to meet them in person and hang out."
Next up for the Angels is the Dan Haren situation. Haren has a $15.5 million option that must be exercised by Friday at 9 p.m. PT. The buyout is $3.5 million.
Dipoto said the Santana move will have "no impact" on how the team proceeds with Haren.
The Angels were reportedly shopping both Santana and Haren. Even if Haren's option is exercised, the Angels could still trade him later in the winter, particularly if they are able to re-sign Zack Greinke.
The Angels also must decide by Friday whether to make a $13.3 million qualifying offer to any of their eligible free agents, although Torii Hunter is the only one even worth considering. Greinke is not eligible because he was acquired midseason.


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2014 Acura RDX AWD with Technology
Friday December 6th, 2013 at 3:1212 PM
Posted by: aquadog


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I have been writing (and scrapping) stories out of my own imagination since the age of 6. Now I am enjoying creating stories using the characters from the imagination of another: J.K. Rowling.
I have wanted to travel to England ever since I first started reading the Harry Potter series, so, obviously, I am not British.
I am an avid reader, which is, I can most confidently say, what inspired me to write.
My favorite ship to read (and write) is tied between Ron/Hermione and Molly/Arthur, followed by Lupin/Tonks and any well written Harry/Ginny.
I'm rather canon strict. Canonical mistakes can totally ruin a story for me. I don't read fics whose shipping contradicts J.K. You know, Ginny/Draco, Hermione/Snape, etc (ok, maybe once a year... ).
I am obsessed with Harry Potter, Shakespeare, and musicals.
If you are ever looking for a good, clean, mostly innocent story, stop by and read some of mine- I don't write anything above 3rd-5th years.
My fanfiction:
Not All Gold Glissters
*New* My first mystery. This story features Next Gen character Dominique Weasley and OC Alexander Jameson.
Arthur's Obsession
My favorite of my fanfics at the moment. An Arthur/Molly romance. Mainly from Arthur's point of view with deviations into Dirk Cresswell and Molly Prewett's minds.
Through Different Eyes
My earliest fanfic on the site. I have recently been going through and redoing the chapters. This story is five pieces of DH from Hermione's POV. Completed.
Beauty and the Beast, or The Metamorphmagus and the Werewolf
In which Remus and Tonks tell Teddy their love story as a bed time tale. Temporarily on Hiatus.
*New* Harry's life from infancy to his first year at Hogwarts, from Lily's perspective. Rather bittersweet, I think.
For Them
A fluffy Ron/Hermione story written for my fellow Romione lover and friend, Lori (WeasleyMom).
My first Dark/Angsty piece. It concerns Michael Corner during the Trio's absence from Hogwarts.
And I Step Forward
A drabble that became too lengthy, this story is about Albus Potter's Muggle bride.
Two drabbles put together to make a one-shot because of their common theme: jealous teenagers on either side of the noble ship, Romione.
Don't tell me
Ginny's POV. What was that year without Harry really like for her?
In Silence
Harry and Hermione's friendship outlined. Hermione's POV.
A villanelle based on a quote by Dumbledore and inspired by a challenge from the Board's Poetry Anyone.
I Fall
*New*A poem about a nameless Hogwarts student during the Battle of Hogwarts.