text:
The event was put together by Brooke White and Christie Proctor to help the brothers pay for funeral expenses and to help pay for college.
"Since it's such a small town, when stuff like this happens, the community gets together to help," Ryan Delgado said. Delgado attends Center Valley Church of God and helped White put together the event. "We thought it was a good idea, just to show our support towards them."
Ten percent of sales between 5-8 p.m. will go to the Lott Brothers.
Originally, a smaller percentage of sales was scheduled to be donated, but Delgado said Russellville Chick-Fil-A franchise owner Tim Douglas upgraded the amount after being told how many people had already shown interest in attending.
"We knew Chick-Fil-A sometimes did stuff like this," Delgado said. "So we thought it was a good way to show our support. Brooke set it up with the marketing department of Chick-Fil-A to see if they would even want to do that. We explained the situation and they said they wanted to help."
White and Proctor set up a Facebook event and began inviting everyone they could think of. Before long it became clear they were going to get a good turnout.
"There were a lot of people showing interest," Delgado said. "That's when he told us that 10 percent of everything made between 5-8 will go to the boys. They're not going to do receipts like they originally planned."
The Lott brothers do not attend Center Valley Church of God, but Delgado said it was the church's responsibility to reach out to those in need.
"We just felt like it was our duty," he said. "It's a very close knit, small town. This sort of thing is just the right thing to do."
Those interested in donating an additional sum to the Lott brothers may do so at the event. Cheerleaders, classmates and football players are encouraged to attend, hold signs and wave in drivers to help raise more money for the Lotts. Purchases made at the drive-thru will also go to the brothers.


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US Court ruling 'undermines the most successful sovereign debt restructuring process'
Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said the US Supreme Court's decision to reject Argentina's appeal on the hedge funds case "undermines the most successful sovereign debt restructuring process" and that it buffets "the foundations of a new perspective on international finances and economy".
"The Court's ruling is the last phase of a series of decisions by US Judiciary that tends to undermine the most successful sovereign debt restructuring process in recent times," the Kirchnerite official said in his daily press briefing at Government House.
Capitanich pointed out that the debt restructuring process was carried out without any intervention from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that it allowed Argentina to save between 75 and 81 billion dollars. He also highlighted that 92% of creditors joined it voluntarily.
The Cabinet Chief said the ruling means that "a minority" wins over a "huge majority". He stated that "what can be inferred [from the verdict] is that the foundations of a new perspective on international finances and economy are being buffeted".
"It is no coincidence that the world is structurally unfair, that 1% of the population concentrates between 43 and 47 per cent of the world's wealth," Capitanich said. He pointed out, as the President had done last night, that the ruling gave the vulture funds a 1,608% profit over Argentina's debt.
The Kirchnerite official said Argentina has showed its will to pay its debts since Néstor Kirchner's arrival to office on May 25, 2003 and that the country's stance is "legitimate".
"We are defending national interest […] the Argentine people's interest," Capitanich said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Chainsmokers / Frank Apollonio
By Rami Abou-Sabe
The Chainsmokers are back at it again, teasing their still-unnamed single. Snapchat friends of the duo were treated to a couple behind-the-scenes previews this week.
Related: The Chainsmokers Hilariously Respond to Nickelback Comparison
The short video clips show the pair in the studio and references their upcoming Memories Do Not Open tour, where concertgoers will be able to hear the extended cut.
Check out the preview below.


text:
Fear is a Liar
The "Penguin" daily threads were originally conceived to emphasize that all members of the community have a place on the boards. Encouragement, motivation, a little love nip (you will love one, give it a try!) or even a little kick in the pants when needed -- it can happen here. Basically, we celebrate just getting out there and moving our tails!What is "slow"? "Slow" is a perception but one of the common benchmarks is the 10:00/mi pace; but there's no firm line. In fact, there are many of us that have slipped past this, and just hope that no one notices and revokes their "igloo privileges." It can be confusing for the forum newbies, but we're not one of the teams in any of the fine games. It's a totally open group, so stop lurking, post an introduction of yourself dive in and join the fun! No application necessary! There might even be a lovely picture for Scotty (we love pics!)
I'm so vegetarian I don't even eat animal crackers!
Bad Ass
Morning! 10 miles tonight.
Gustav, morning!
"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."
It's always fucking hot in Miami!
Good Morning Damaris and other penguins soon to follow!
From yesterday :
RickDecker - welcome to the colony!
Jack - I sing mostly rock. Can narrow that down to southern rock as in Lynyrd Skynyrd
Zel - I see people doing high intensity on the gym treadmill. They run like mad on level 10 and lean over the console grabbing it like a sea sick sailor!
Damaris - good luck on the 10!
My wife and i doing one of those fun color runs. I found out yesterday that my son can do it and we can take the baby in a jog stroller. This is going to be a family fun run. I am happy, excited, and nervous at the same time.
I slept better before my marathon than I did last night. My wife told me yesterday on the way to packet pickups that she wants to get to the point where we can run races together. This is pretty exciting to me
I will try to get some pictures up sometime.
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right."
Skirt Runner
Getting ready for the gym. I am going to mostly do the elliptical....but the PLAN is to jump on the treadmill for a very, very, short run! Fingers crossed for pain free!!!
And then this evening I am signed up for a 90 minute massage with a medical massage therapy specialist. It's going to be crazy expensive, but I am hoping worth it!
T-Rod enjoy the color run! I was going to do one of those in March with a group of friends but the race got postponed due to them not being able to clean up the park fast enough from Hurricane Sandy damage. They rescheduled it to 4th of July weekend and I can't commit to it because I may be going away. Have fun!!!
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to
Sleep in and missed LR again. What is going on with me?! Need someone to slap me to wake up my idea.
Managed to squeeze in a 4M while DS is attending some lesson. Hope to do my 14M tmr.
2015 Races
2XU HM - 29 Mar
Hmmm, remember what I told you!
Sleep in and missed LR again. What is going on with me?! Need someone to slap me to wake up my idea.
Managed to squeeze in a 4M while DS is attending some lesson. Hope to do my 14M tmr.
Morning All!
I am scheduled for a LR of 11, but it will be snowing all day, so I'm not sure what the roads/sidewalks are going to be like tonight.
Thank you all for the welcome. Someone asked if I was signed up for any races yesterday. I am signed up for the Flying Pig HM in May. I will be my first HM after running numerous 5ks and 10ks the last two years.
Miles to Go
Snowing in ChiTown, so we will definitely be back to one of the tracks in the afternoon when the seniors will be napping.
Have a fun, Fun Run, Tomas.
Last:: 10/22 ScotiaBank Waterfront HM
Good morning everyone!!
6.6 miles done this morning, first part of a double. I dropped the car off to get inspected and ran home, so I'll run back later when it's done to pick it up. I love that I have the ability to do this now, never would have been an option in the past!
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
Good morning! Just 5.5 easy today to round out a very successful week of training. I have 5 more weeks of pretty aggressive mileage build, but then the miles come back down even more quickly.
I like the Sauconys that I have so much that I'm really tempted to go try on some Kinvaras.
D- Enjoy the 10 later.
Gustav- Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Or they'll do the jog, run, sprint maybe 5 times then be done. Hope you have a good day!
T-rod- Sounds like a great run with the family. I hope that you enjoy it, and that you can get the colors out of the stroller.
Kristin- Fingers crossed for you!
Bin- Hope you are able to get out of your funk.
Rick- Hope you are able to get your run in with the snow! Do you have a specific plan that you will be following for your half?
Jerry- Have a good "frogger" run later!
D2- That's one way to make sure you get your double in!
Damaris, I remembered your wise word. I think it should not be overtraining as my miles are only 30 last week. When I did my 4miles this afternoon, I felt I can run more but I had to head back to pick up DS from his class.
Should be just plain laziness. Haa. So embarrassing. Need to come out of this lazy spell.
Will run for beer.
Mornin' gang...
14 miles on the treadmill for me. 11:47 pace overall... not bad. I kept the heart rate under 135 for the first half then pick up the pace and then under 150 for the second half. Good stuff. I'll be on a very large "boat" someplace warm in 9 days. I can't freakin' wait. I'm going to run on the deck side track freakin' DAILY. LOL Bring on the vitamin D!
Vance Will Run Blog
Overtraining and doing too much are two different things. It does not mean that Pfitz is too much for you but it may be that Pfitz + life stuff are too much for you and that you should adjust a bit.
Damaris, I remembered your wise word. I think it should not be overtraining as my miles are only 30 last week. When I did my 4miles this afternoon, I felt I can run more but I had to head back to pick up DS from his class.
Should be just plain laziness. Haa. So embarrassing. Need to come out of this lazy spell.
Just returned from the gym. Elliptical for 25 minutes, stretched, then....
TREADMILL FOR 10 MINUTES!!! Ran a 12mm pace comfortably for 10 minutes. I cut it off there not because it hurt, but because it felt really, really good and I didn't want to risk it. It is my first run in 3 weeks afterall. Then I did a few exercises from the myrtl routine and a few from the strength running ITB routine, regular plank for a minute, and a minute on each side, pylometric jump squats, and then a real good long stretch session. Now sitting with my coffee, catching up on DVR, icing the knee (just in case) and hoping for no delayed onset ITB pain. Can't wait for my massage tonight!
Have a great day, lots of great runs going on!


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With a flick of the wrists by Teemu Selanne and an outstretched left pad from goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the Ducks greatly enhanced their Stanley Cup playoff chances Tuesday night.
While Selanne managed the lone conversion in a four-round shootout, and Giguere turned out the lights by stopping Radek Bonk of the Nashville Predators to give the Ducks a key 2-1 triumph, those developments merely made up the closing act in a fascinating drama at Sommet Center.
When the curtain dropped, the Ducks (36-31-6) had tied Nashville (35-30-8) for eighth place in the NHL's Western Conference, but the Ducks own the tiebreaker by virtue of having one more victory. With a four-game winning streak for the first time since late November, the Ducks have climbed into the top eight, and playoff position, for the first time since Feb. 16, after they had dropped as low as 13th place.
The Ducks also are within a point of the seventh-place Edmonton Oilers after the Oilers dropped a 3-2 decision to the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
"Obviously, the points are so important, and tough to get," Selanne said. "You have to be happy with two points, and just move on."
The Ducks seized a 1-0 lead when Drew Miller scored at 17:38 of the second period to cap a brilliantly executed three-on-two rush that featured nice plays by Selanne and rookie center Andrew Ebbett, but the Predators got even on a power-play goal by defenseman Shea Weber 4:12 into the third period.
Nashville's third manpower advantage of the game resulted from a delay-of-game penalty on Ducks right wing Corey Perry, who inadvertently lifted the puck over the glass deep in the Ducks' zone.
"I was just trying to slap it into the corner, but the puck rolled," Perry said. "I hit it, and it went straight up in the air. That's two minutes."
After the teams had traded 13 shots apiece through the first two periods, the Predators tilted the ice significantly in the final 20 minutes of regulation, out-shooting the Ducks 15-4.
Still, the Ducks nearly regained the lead just past the 13-minute mark. Perry, who had missed two glorious scoring chances earlier, shot the puck off the short-side goal post after having made a tremendous move around a defender near the right-wing boards.
Nashville's Steve Sullivan then had the game on his stick after breaking in alone on Giguere three minutes into overtime, only to lose control of the puck before he could lift it over the prone goalie.
"He came in with speed and he tried to beat me wide," Giguere said. "Fortunately, the puck just kept going, and he lost track of it. God knows I couldn't stretch any further than that. I was at my limit at that point."
Sullivan also had Giguere beaten in the second round of the shootout, but his bid rang off the crossbar. Finally, having watched 6-foot-5 Predators rookie goalie Pekka Rinne deny Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, Selanne went to his backhand and beat Rinne top-shelf.
"He's so big that when he goes down he can cover the whole bottom," Selanne said. "My goal, whatever I did, was I had to get the puck up high. It worked this time."
Selanne's second-period assist was the 628th of his career, moving him past Mike Gartner into 65th place on the all-time NHL list. … The Ducks failed on their only man-advantage opportunity as Nashville stretched its franchise record to 12 consecutive home games without surrendering a power-play goal. The Predators have foiled a team-record 34 consecutive opposition power-play chances during that stretch. … By coaching his 811th career game, all with Nashville, Barry Trotz tied former Detroit coach Sid Abel for eighth place on the all-time list of games coached with one team.
1. JEAN-SEBASTIEN GIGUERE: Ducks goalie came up big with 31 saves, and was unbeatable in the shootout
2. TEEMU SELANNE: Veteran right wing set up the lone Ducks goal, and bagged the shootout winner
3. SHEA WEBER: Rising star's 20th goal of the season set a Nashville franchise record for defensemen
Related stories:
- Nashville rookie goalie Rinne stands in Ducks' way
- Records in sight for Ryan, Selanne
- Ducks take newfound confidence into Nashville


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Yanks add reliever Aardsma to bullpen
Righty will start season on DL after Tommy John surgery
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
Aardsma will arrive in camp on Monday and will earn $500,000 this season, plus contract incentives if he actually pitches in 2012. The Yankees also hold a club option on Aardsma's services for the 2013 season.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that Aardsma could return as early as July, coming back from surgery performed last July 24 by Dr. Lewis Yocum. Cashman said that Aardsma is about a month behind the continuing recovery of Joba Chamberlain.
"The move could help us in 2012, but has a lot more eyes toward 2013," Cashman said. "[Aardsma is] another power arm choice for us at a cost-contained price."
Aardsma, 30, last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2010, when he saved 31 games for the Mariners while posting an 0-6 record and 3.44 ERA. He saved 38 games with a 2.52 ERA in 2009.
In six Major League seasons, Aardsma has compiled a 13-15 record and 4.20 ERA with the Giants (2004), the Cubs ('06), White Sox ('07), Red Sox ('08) and Seattle (2009-10).
Cashman said that he had negotiated with Aardsma throughout the winter, noting that the signing has nothing to do with Mariano Rivera's future.
"If we're willing to commit a little bit of money here, and Major League time and service, the benefit would be on the back end going into 2013 on a very favorable contract," Cashman said. "[He is] someone who obviously can pitch the seventh, eighth or ninth inning, because he's done it before. That's the concept."
If Aardsma pitches for the Yankees, he would supplant Jim Abbott as the first alphabetical player in franchise history. Aardsma took over baseball's top spot from Hall of Famer Henry Aaron when he made his Major League debut.
In a corresponding move, the Yankees placed left-hander Pedro Feliciano on the 60-day disabled list, making room on the 40-man roster. When Eric Chavez's signing becomes official, the Yankees will transfer Aardsma to the 60-day disabled list.
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Dr. Doom Still Obsessed With Our Gentle Ribbing
Tra la, our superstar economist friend Nouriel Roubini is back in the news! Roubini, a.k.a Dr. Doom, is still upset with us for the whole "Vagina Loft Party Facebook" thing. But we like him regardless!
The Guardian profiled Roubini this weekend, and his insights into the bleak prospects for the global economy in 2009 and beyond are well worth reading. Of course, since British journalists are all cold-blooded character assassins, they ask him about his funktastic loft parties (of which we approve!), which have dogged his reputation, and his subsequent mindless Facebook rant at our boss:
I ask Roubini if he regretted that course of action, and he gives me a look of such angry disappointment that I want to hide under my chair.
No, he says, he didn't regret it. He then reprises the rant, embellishing it with references to the KGB, Denton's sexual orientation and a sweary suggestion of what the man might do with himself, which he belatedly asks me not to quote. For the sake of the record, I feel obliged to clarify that the piece of art in question is described by Roubini as the work of a highly regarded feminist artist whom he won't name and which doesn't, he assures me, look anything like a vulva.
Just because Nick Denton is a KGB-controlled Jewish "Anti-Semite with a Nazi Mind and a McCarthist Bigot" doesn't mean you can shame him for it, Nouriel. One day I know that you two will be good friends! See you at the next roof party. [Guardian UK]


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Under the soft glow of the indoor arena at the Medicine Horse Center in Mancos, Cassidy Larick steered her horse, Jay Jay, around cones and over obstacles.
To most, this would look like a fun day on horseback, but to those at Medicine Horse, it is much, much more.
It is therapy.
There are 11 horses at the facility in Mancos and each one is on duty the minute a person comes in contact with them.
"Horses are the most honest mirrors of human behavior," said Lynne Howarth, executive director of Medicine Horse Center.
Most clients at Medicine Horse Center have therapeutic goals, whether it be overcoming abuse, cerebral palsy, autism, sensory processing disorder, ADD/ADHD, neurological disorders, cognitive disorders, traumatic brain injuries, stroke impairments, developmental delays or learning disabilities.
"The horse always knows what a person is feeling, even if they say they are fine," Howarth said. "A therapist and a horse professional watch very carefully how a horse reacts. A flick of the ear can mean something."
On Monday, Larick smiled as she steered Jay Jay around obstacles, she smiled as she brushed Jay Jay when the ride was over and laughed out loud when Jay Jay decided to roll in the sand.
"This is really good for them," said Melissa Yoakum, with Community Connections.
Certified PATH instructor Rachel Cantor spoke to both Larick and Rhiannon Uhler as they rode their horses.
"Focus on the horse. Be one with the horse," she told them.
Cantor said that, as an instructor, she realizes that it is the horse that helps. If a rider is tense, so is the horse. If they relax, so does the horse.
"It is amazing because horses provide instant biofeedback," she said.
The center recently celebrated 10 years in Mancos. The Center itself started in 2000, but moved to Mancos in 2002. Last year, the center in Mancos and the center in Durango served 220 people. The center in Mancos not only works with adults but also students from surrounding schools. The center is currently taking applications for the spring and summer therapeutic riding programs and will likely offer summer camps. In addition, the center is always looking for volunteers and donations.
The program is always in need of grass hay, pasture for horses, help with landscaping, marketing, fund raising and donations are appreciated, Howarth said. Most of the funds for the nonprofit group come from grants.
"They leave here with an awareness for their actions, words and a respect for others and themselves," Howarth said.
The biggest thing, she said, is having a animal that is so large trust a client and treat them with kindness.
"A lot of what we teach is kindness and respect and that we all have something to give in this world," Howarth said.
Volunteer Linda Farnsworth agreed.
"I really believe in the program. Every session you see breakthroughs," she said. "Horses force you to think outside yourself."
Howarth said all the hard work is worth it when she sees a breakthrough in a client.
"We have had people speak for the first time after coming here," Howarth smiled. "I had a teenager smile for the first time and her parents were there to see it."


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How to Detect and Capture Farting Bedbugs
Everyone knows that bedbugs are gross jerks that attack war veterans. But were you aware that they're also gassy? Luckily, you can use their flatulence against them thanks to an "exciting newly patented product" called the BBD-100.
Ostensibly manufactured with loving care by these people, and more helpfully described by these other people, the BBD-100 is a $299 hand-held bed bug detector that takes in samples of air and tests them for bedbug emissions. Supposedly it's very accurate and easy-to-use:
When emissions are detected the unit will sound an alarm and lights will move from amber to red in the unit's display. The presence of even one hidden bed bug will be detected. (A bed bug must be hiding where its emissions can build up for about five to ten minutes in order to be detected by the unit.)
Because it's portable—it kind of looks like a Walkman, but without the headphones (it would be cool if you could actually listen to the bedbugs farting, no?)—you can take the BBD-100 to all of your usual hang-out spots, as well as places that aren't as interesting, and use it to find all the bedbugs hiding in your bed. You can also use it to discover bedbugs living inside your stuffed-animal bedbugs. If your BBD-100 goes off, then you'll know it's necessary to flee the premises and head for a safer locale. If the infested area is your house, then you should probably abandon your house and buy another one.
Of course, with the economy as it is, buying new houses might not be an option for you. Sadly, the BBD-100 doesn't actually capture or kill any bedbugs, which you could say is a shortcoming of sorts. How to capture bedbugs on a budget? Consider trying out this method:
- Go to a Mexican restaurant (Taco Bell will do, but it's better to buy local) and buy a bean burrito. Order it to go.
- Take the burrito home, unwrap it, and place it at the bottom of your bed.
- Put on some camouflage clothing, crouch down by the side of your bed, and wait for the bedbugs to show up. Don't get discouraged if it takes a few hours—they're nighttime snackers. They'll show up.
- Resist the urge to eat the burrito. That would defeat the whole purpose.
- Smile with glee when the bedbugs finally arrive. They'll probably notice the burrito right away and start eating, but you might want to put some signs in various areas of your bed to guide their way. Hopefully the bedbugs will not be the Mexican food-hating kind (no guarantees).
- Use your BBD-100 to verify that the bugs are definitely bedbugs and not some other kind of harmless bugs.
- If things check out, capture all the distracted bedbugs with your hands and put them in a bag.
- If you have slow reflexes, get someone else to capture them.
- Throw away the bag and the remainder of the burrito, unless you're also gross.
Some people have used this same technique with other types of food, with varying degrees of success. One thing that will NOT work: politely asking the bedbugs to leave.
Bonus fun fact: We rarely talk about farts for etiquette reasons, so we probably won't bring then up ever again. But we'll say the horrible-sounding, tacky word if you give us a million dollars (or $10,000... it's negotiable).
[Stern Environmental Group, via Gothamist; image via Shutterstock]


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Most of the students Paul Gray, who teaches geography and world religions, and Amber Hodges, who teaches U.S. History, see in their classes have vague memories of the historic day etched into the minds of many Americans.
These students were largely in preschool at the time, and Hodges said many of their memories are limited to seeing that their parents were upset, but not really knowing why.
It's a unique challenge, Hodges noted, because textbooks haven't caught up with the evolving history yet. In fact, she said historians generally don't teach events as history that are so recent.
"Historians would tell you, if something is 20 years old or less, you can't teach it as history, because you haven't developed a context, but I think it would be malpractice, really, not to teach Sept. 11 to these kids — but knowing that historical context is still being created," Hodges said.
So the challenge then becomes this: How do you teach the significance and impact of Sept. 11 to a group of students who have no understanding of a pre-Sept. 11, 2001, world?
Hodges said the first challenge is to help students understand what they know about the events of Sept. 11 in a broader context. She said that, growing up, children are told a narrative about the events on a level that they can comprehend. As they enter into high school, however, the time has come to understand the complex issues behind the terrorist attacks in a more mature way.
"Now that they're in high school and about to go to college, they really need to have the analytical skills necessary to really think about this and realize it wasn't a one-dimensional event," she said.
Gray said as a teacher of geography and world religions, he tries to frame the discussion in a different way, noting Sept. 11 is the first memory many have of Islam and the Middle East.
"When I teach about Islam, or I teach about the Middle East, there's nothing positive these kids have to hang their hats on, which becomes my job to help them understand this whole Sept. 11 and how it fits into context, both historically and in the present time," he said. "... They have zero knowledge of the region other than the World Trade Center."
Gray said his goal is to get students to truly think about the "why" — admittedly a difficult question — behind the events and attempt to understand the broader context.


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Hepatitis B and C: Risk of Liver Cancer
Hepatitis B and C: Risk of Liver CancerSkip to the navigation
Topic Overview
People who are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV) virus may develop a chronic infection that can lead to cirrhosis . The damage that results increases the risk of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).
The risk of liver cancer is greater for people who have chronic HBV or HCV infection than for the general population. footnote 1
If you have chronic HBV infection:
- You may develop liver cancer even if you do not have cirrhosis. But most people who have HBV and liver cancer also have cirrhosis.
- Receiving antiviral therapy to treat chronic HBV infection may lower your risk for developing liver cancer.
If you have chronic HCV infection:
- The strain (genotype) of HCV infection does not appear to affect your risk for developing liver cancer.
- You are not at significant risk of developing cancer unless you also already have cirrhosis.
- You are at greatly increased risk of liver cancer if you have alcohol-related cirrhosis in addition to hepatitis.
- Receiving antiviral therapy to treat chronic HCV infection may lower your risk for developing liver cancer. footnote 2
Screening with ultrasound of the liver, liver function tests, and blood tests (including alpha-fetoprotein [AFP]) every 6 to 12 months is recommended for people at risk of liver cancer.
Health Tools
Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
Related Information
- Malet PF (2008). Chronic hepatitis. In DC Dale, DD Federman, eds., ACP Medicine, section 4, chap. 8. Hamilton, ON: BC Decker.
- Dienstag JL (2010). Chronic viral hepatitis. In GL Mandell et al., eds., Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 7th ed., vol. 1, pp. 1593–1670. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer W. Thomas London, MD - Hepatology
Current as ofMay 24, 2016
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Current as of: May 24, 2016
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & W. Thomas London, MD - Hepatology
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text:
Slideshow: ARM A57 core revealed
21 comments
SANTA CLARA, Calif. ARM provided the first peak at its Cortex A57 high-end 64-bit core at ARM Tech Con here Wednesday (Oct. 31). The A57 aims to provide maximum performance in a mobile power envelope, extending ARMs reach into networking and server systems.
The out-of-order design will deliver performance measured at 1250 SpecInt2000 at 1.7 GHz, or about 25-30 percent more umph than todays 32-bit A15 cores. It can be clocked at up to 2.5 GHz in a 20 nm process, said Mike Filippo, principal design architect for the part.
Click on image to enlarge.
Filippo declined to provide detailed performance and architecture figures such as performance per watt. However, in a series of slides reproduced below, he outlined the main features of the core. It will provide three times the performance of todays high-end smartphones. In configurations with up to 16 cores on the new ARM CoreLink interconnect it will deliver a ten-fold performance increase over the current A15, ARM claimed.
The A57 will also deliver slightly greater power efficiency than the A15, but it could require as much as 30 percent more die area, Filippo said. The core was designed for equally effective use on 32- and 64-bit code, he added.
Its a straightforward translation of the A15 to 64-bits-- not a revolutionary microarchitecture but a new ISA with optimizations, said David Kantor, an independent microprocessor analyst at Real World Technologies. Its a pretty cool part, though it will eat more power."
In a separate talk, ARM outlined its little brother companion, the A53, an in-order, 64-bit part focused on minimizing power consumption. Its expansion to a 16-way set associative L2 cache was one of the remarkable features of an otherwise straightforward architecture, said Tom Halfhill of the Microprocessor Report.
Related stories:
ARM tips 64-bit 'big-little' processors, partners
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Discussion in 'Odds & Ends' started by jamesblakefan#1, Jan 18, 2011.
I'll be online for a while if anyone wants to play
Oh it was you!
Awesome game! That was so much fun! I'll beat you next time! The best thing I can do against Serve and volley points is try to crack them down the line. It's quite hard to hit cross court passing shots.
Next time I'll play you with my serve and volley player and we'll see how I do!
^Hey, can you play now?
I can play in about 45 minutes if that's okay! My PS3 is being hogged for a movie from my parents right now LOL!
Question: Does the matchmaker set up matches against players around your rank on 2K open?
Nope, u can get someone terrible or someone great.
Hey everyone! Going on PSN now for a bit! Anyone interested in a match?
PSN: As_Bold_As_Lions
I just found out that Amazon is selling Top Spin 4 for PS3 for $19.99.
I played the demo and thought it was decent but got turned off by the inaccurate player motions (e.g. Federer's pinpoint stance on his serve).
But for 20 bucks it seems like a pretty good deal. What do you guys think?
take it, I paid 60 for it
Very hot deal, pounce on it while you still can. Even Top Spin 3 hasn't reached the $20 mark, it's still hovering around the $30 mark at most retailers.
I keep coming back to TopSpin 4 every week or two to give it another try but every time I just get really pissed off at it and have to walk away.
Some of the things about this game are just total bs.
Im at the tail end of my career lvl 20 and just keep encountering matches where the computer gets to pull of shots that are just not possible by a player. Im all about being fair an nothing pisses me off more than the computer being able to make shots that are just not possible for a human controlled player to do.
Return of serve: computer can just crack a 100+mph return out of no where. as a player you just dont get time to do this because you have to hold down your shot button and wait for the meter to fill up. I have "instant rocket" and still get nowhere close to a full meter before having to hit a 2nd slow serve return.
Running winner forehand/backhand: again same principal as return of serve. Computer on flat out run can hit the super hard winner but as a player you cannot because to fill up your meter all the way you have to stop and set up.
Off balanced falling backwards shots: computer can pull off super short severe angled shots or 100+ mph shots so its impossible to know what type of defense to prepare for.
No dont get me wrong I am not necessarily saying the computer should never be able to pull off a shot like these because it is certainly possible to do in real life. What I am against though is the fact that they make it impossible for a human controlled player to pull off that shot. Its almost like a built in cheat for the computer.
At least in every other past version of the TopSpin series there was always a way to pull off a super high risk shot like that for human controlled players.
If there is a way in TS4 please let me know.
You don't really need to charge up a full power shot to get a big return of serve.
The best thing I have found is to time it perfectly and you can club it back pretty hard more often that not with a flat shot. Also it's usually easier if its a hard flat serve coming at you too. The powderpuff ones seem to be the hardest to smack back. Finally it should be easier with a high reflex good returner like Djokovic/Murray/Agassi. No need for instant rocket.
The hardest return I have seen was when I served flat one time to an expert-AI Murray. It was like Blake's return against Huta Galung at the USO this year but in the corner instead of down the middle :shock: If I used a topspin or slice serve I doubt that would have happened.
They can seem unfair at times but are still beatable with the right strategy.
I was disappointed at not being able to see a win/loss record for the 2K Open? It only shows your wins...It has it in WT but that place is annoying. Especially direct matches where it can stall in the lobby for ages. Tried to help a guy play some DM's recently and it was a pain :-?
Sure, the AI cheats. Novak Trollovic and Andy Murray are the worst by far, as far as cheating goes. However, do not despair, there is a way to beat them.
First of all, you absolutely must move them! Even an Expert AI can't blow you off the court if you move them around well enough. The importance of variety can't be understated. Topspin, topspin, then slice. Keep them guessing. If you hit the same shot over and over again, the AI will cheat into the court.
Second of all, watch for patterns. Novak Djokovic will go DTL 9 times out of 10, use the CC opening against him. Murray will slice excessively. Come in off his short slices, or drop-shot them.
At the net, unless you've got a volley skill of higher than 70, use the slice volley for everything except sitters. Passing shots will almost always come crosscourt. Go for placement, move your opponent around. Draw him up to the net, then volley behind him.
When serving, placement over power. A hard, flat serve in the middle of the box will be smacked back faster than you can react. A moderately hard one in the corner of the box will send your opponent reeling. Wide serves are your best bet if you can't hit straight aces.
I'm done with this game. The online cheaters just took the fun out of it. I run into force laggers with super teleportation powers pretty much every match now. It's ridiculous.
To all those I've played with from TW, thanks for all the fun matches
So how do you guys deal with those robots who seem hit the ball into one of the 4 corners (2 at the service line, 2 at the baseline) EVERY time they get to the ball, at the maximum pace? There are no rallies basically. I make one sub-optimal shot, and it's all over. Are some people just this good with their reactions and controller? )
Also, what is your typical "go to" shot - flat (A) or topspin (B)?
Weird, that hasn't happened to me in FOREVER.
I slice, use topspin, and go flat each about the same percent. So 33/33/33% for me.
Top Spin about 80% of the time, just like everyone does in real life. You get control and margin.
Flat shots very rarely as you only really need them on a short ball to finish a point or to push the point to your side if you're at the baseline and it's a ball that you can be SURE to get the timing perfect.
Slice usually to slow down a rally. Together with topspin it's very useful if you play a deep ball to the middle in a tough rally. No matter what your opponent level is they will usually miss.
New balancing update released.
I LOVE this update!
Hmm im ready to try that out
Good update. I was getting tired of those super-powerful weirdos, dropshot abusers and magicians hitting slice winners from improbable defensive situations. )
I am slowly getting better. However, there are still quite a few people (especially from the very top of the rankings) who dismantle me 0 and 0 without any serious rallying. I find comfort in telling myself that I, unlike them, actually have a life and career. )
I noticed that once I play on some particular surface, I get the timing grooved in and the game becomes all about who makes the "first strike" - corner shot at the maximum power. In 2K Open, however, surfaces are random, so by the time I get used to one, the match is mostly over. /
The update is ok, but I think drop shots already had to be precise enough. Now they float too much.
The new update is odd! I play as Roddick most of the time these days, and I serve and volley with him mostly now. I can't play defense with him because he's too slow and slices just float up!
I still have to play around more with the update and keep working at it!
Most Roddicks i play online play 10 miles behind the baseline and whack the ball at full power whenever they can....
Good. No offense but the super slices from defensive positions was one of the biggest flaws in the game. Glad that they no longer exist.
Just had an angry moment where I was Fed against Djokovic online and Djoker broke me to win a set and did his stupid little chest bump thingy.
I just wanted to rip his face off! :twisted:
Gladly I won 10-8 in the 3rd TB. All in all I think the update is ok. Still not as many UEs as I would like, though I did have 29/15 W/UEs so who knows. But still good that the slice has finally been toned down.
I don't really like the update too much. Why hit a slice if it doesn't stay low? Why drop shot when it lands past the service box? They ruined Becker for me (who I was best with) now im best with Murray and Roddick.
Same with me! I'm playing pretty good with Roddick now that I got used to it, but it was nice being able to play A LITTLE bit of defense! Now it's hard to win unless you are able to transition to offense right away!
Too many UE's on routine shots too, to me it was perfect after the first or 2nd update, however it was before this one. Now this one is too sketch. Im still gonna play though, but I don't feel as good as I was before at all.
my guy I made was all about def. Now, his slice is crap. New update makes it harder to go from def. to kill shot
Slices are such crap now, it makes me mad bc I loved my backhand slice. Same with droppers.
Exactly! Also I saw that today, A TON of people were getting robbed on there serves. I was playing at RG and these guys were serving really well, IN THE BOX IN THE CORNER, EVEN LEAVING A BLOODY MARK, and the game would call it out. It did this to at least 20 first serves! I don't like winning when the game is calling good shots out.
The biggest improvement I've actually noticed was my serve and volley guy! His volleys seemed to get a bit of a boost when they weren't "perfect", but still "good". Before a "good" was only mediocre, but now I am able to hit winners off of "good" volleys!
i could never hit drop shots on the game, but my bh slcie was my money shot
Well it's more realistic, before on defense you could hit unrealistic laser slices that would instantly turn the point for you. Does that happen in real tennis when a guy is 10 ft behind the baseline? Of course not. So all in all it's more realistic.
Sounds like a lot of you were slice cheesers, which this update finally killed. The slice was overpowered anyways, how many slice FH winners do you see in a real match? In TS4 before the update the slice FH was one of the strongest shots, lol. Now slice is actually a strategic defensive shot instead of a powerful offensive shot. I like it.
I agree, this patch definitely made the gameplay a great deal more realistic. But I suddenly feel that post patch, the slice isn't even practical in a defensive position. Sure the sniper slice shots that turned the tide of a rally were annoying, but I can help but feel they nerfed the slices a tad too much. Guys like Fed are meant to have great slices, they could've at least nerfed the fh slice and tweaked the bh slice so as to make it less of an offensive weapon and more defensive but still make it so that it still stayed low.
Btw sorry I didn't respond to your invite, I was downloading resi 4 and ust left my Xbox on while I was doing homework.
Fed should have a good slice but there is nothing in the game that gives him that advantage. Guys with Slice Invasion/Poisoned Slice like Murray/Simon/Chang should be better but I'm not sure that I noticed much difference.
Should be better with slower slice at least, I mostly liked it for the low bounce which isn't as effective now or playing a control shot to kill the pace.
Drop shots are still ok for me, the update doesn't seem like it will make me play that much different.
Gameplay tweaks are alright, wouldn't mind some DLC pros/venues/gear though. PSN store link is still empty
Took some time to test this patch out some more and played for an hour or two and now I realized that this patch is terrible. It's one thing to balance and tweak slices so that you're not hitting impossible winners from defensive positions or hitting ridiculous slices on the defensive that changes the dynamics of the rally; but its another to nerf the slice to the point where it's impractical to use it under any circumstances. This patched has practically relegated the slice to being a shot that, no matter what position you're in and how time you have to set up, will land short and is practically a guarenteed winner for your opponent.
Not to mention this slice patch only makes Fed worse (who was already a crap character to begin with) who at least had a decent slice to compensate for his poorly distributed stats anyways. Now he doesn't even have that anymore. I'm playing Fed, there's no reason why his slice is on par with Nadal's despite both reality and his in-game slice ability.
You dun' goofed 2K.
I don't agree. I've used the short slice quite a bit to force UEs from my opponents. If I had to choose to have the slice overpowered or underpowered I'd say underpowered would be the way to go. So in that regard I'm ok w/ the slice.
I know your guy is slice invasion so you relied on the slice quite a bit, but from other players' perspective the slice was far too dominant and you'd see things like slice rallies and slice passing shots which barely ever happen IRL. And it's still possible to hit good slices, just not as easy and not as strong. All in all I have no problem w/ that part of the update.
And FWIW I have played a few matches w/ Fed since the update and am still able to win with him. You can't rely on the slice as the main aspect of your game, which again I'm ok with since what pro does? The slice is primarily a defensive shot meant to draw errors as a change of pace, not an offensive shot. So in that regard the update has it spot on.
And from what I've seen slice returns are still quite useful when use correctly.
It doesn't seem so bad to me although I haven't played online since the update.
Played expert-Djokovic @ Miami with Fed using a lot more slice than normal and still won a hyper TB 20-14 with 16W/0 UE.
The depth looked alright, even hit the baseline a few times when I got perfect timing. Actually the bonus for getting perfect timing seemed more noticeable which I liked.
Sure, slices were a vital part of my guy's game and I definitely agree that they were overpowered. But tweaking it to the opposite extreme is hardly a suitable remedy. Why not establish a good medium and have it still be a practical shot?
And i'm still winning matches with Fed, but it's harder. It's not that I relied on Fed's slice too much, but it was definitely a shot that I used to tie his game together. Sure slices are predominantly a defensive shot, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility to change the rhythm of the rally with a decent slice during a neutral rally. It was only uber defensive slices that raised eyebrows. And this patch , IMO, I feels completely neglects this.
Hm, I havent been connected to online for about a month now, so I'm wary to connect my xbox to Live again for a while. Drop shots are terrible with the latest update I received, but I'm satisfied with the game how it is right now I suppose.
I agree. They RUINED Becker for me like I said, the funny thing is i've played with a few guys now. I used to HATE Nadal, but now out of the 5 guys I tried, his slice is the best. Weird!?! I don't think they nerfed his at all. Nadal slices as well as everyone else used to. Try it out if you don't believe me. Now im Him/Murray/Roddick the most, and can't play with Becker to save my life.
The update definitely increases errors, slice isn't as effective.
Overall though I don't hate it, it's definitely more realistic.
How cute is this? Lol
LOL! I really like that!
Dead topic, no bueno. So guys what would u say is your best strength and or weakness in this game when you play online? A strength of mine is im not afraid to mix it up, I never get predictable, and always go for my shots. I'll throw in a dropshot when down match point like it's the first game of the match. You?
I guess I go with consistency, although its harder in online play than offline. Not sure if I'm better than average at figuring out peoples patterns, but that is usually key to winning. If you are predictable, you will probably get beat unless you are really good at what you do.
Not great at holding serve all the time. I think when I played jlan I had one service hold, but three breaks. Don't really have a reliable go-to plan. Not so great at the net online as well.
Also good at trolling people by winning with Bouchard ;D
Yeah I love playing guys that S&V bc I always figure out ways to break them down before the match is over.
Well with my created pro I'm the master of attacking the short ball and finishing at the net. I come to net at least 20+ times in a best of 3, 6 game match. But lately when I play I've been playing 2K Open w/ Fed and using the big FH and coming to net to finish points. So yeah, net play is essential for any player I use. Though I still can win w/ Blake even though his net stats aren't as high.
I've started to really mess people up! I made my counter puncher almost totally defensive baseliner, but then I practiced serve and volleying with him with great success!
I usually just play with Wozniacki now.
17 wins and counting
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Was Darwin Wrong?
Step into the world of writers and photographers as they tell you about the best, worst, and quirkiest places and adventures they encountered
in the field
Get the facts behind the frame in this online-only gallery. Pick an image and see the photographer's technical notes.
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David Quammen
Photographs by
Robert Clark
The work of the 19th-century English naturalist shocked society and revolutionized science. How well has it withstood the test of time?
Get a taste of what awaits you in print from this compelling excerpt.
Evolution by natural selection, the central concept of the life's work of Charles Darwin, is a theory. It's a theory about the origin of adaptation, complexity, and diversity among Earth's living creatures. If you are skeptical by nature, unfamiliar with the terminology of science, and unaware of the overwhelming evidence, you might even be tempted to say that it's "just" a theory. In the same sense, relativity as described by Albert Einstein is "just" a theory. The notion that Earth orbits around the sun rather than vice versa, offered by Copernicus in 1543, is a theory. Continental drift is a theory. The existence, structure, and dynamics of atoms? Atomic theory. Even electricity is a theoretical construct, involving electrons, which are tiny units of charged mass that no one has ever seen. Each of these theories is an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact. That's what scientists mean when they talk about a theory: not a dreamy and unreliable speculation, but an explanatory statement that fits the evidence. They embrace such an explanation confidently but provisionally—taking it as their best available view of reality, at least until some severely conflicting data or some better explanation might come along.
The rest of us generally agree. We plug our televisions into little wall sockets, measure a year by the length of Earth's orbit, and in many other ways live our lives based on the trusted reality of those theories.
Evolutionary theory, though, is a bit different. It's such a dangerously wonderful and far-reaching view of life that some people find it unacceptable, despite the vast body of supporting evidence. As applied to our own species,
Homo sapiens
, it can seem more threatening still. Many fundamentalist Christians and ultra-orthodox Jews take alarm at the thought that human descent from earlier primates contradicts a strict reading of the Book of Genesis. Their discomfort is paralleled by Islamic creationists such as Harun Yahya, author of a recent volume titled
The Evolution Deceit
, who points to the six-day creation story in the Koran as literal truth and calls the theory of evolution "nothing but a deception imposed on us by the dominators of the world system." The late Srila Prabhupada, of the Hare Krishna movement, explained that God created "the 8,400,000 species of life from the very beginning," in order to establish multiple tiers of reincarnation for rising souls. Although souls ascend, the species themselves don't change, he insisted, dismissing "Darwin's nonsensical theory."
Other people too, not just scriptural literalists, remain unpersuaded about evolution. According to a Gallup poll drawn from more than a thousand telephone interviews conducted in February 2001, no less than 45 percent of responding U.S. adults agreed that "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so." Evolution, by their lights, played no role in shaping us.
Only 37 percent of the polled Americans were satisfied with allowing room for both God and Darwin—that is, divine initiative to get things started, evolution as the creative means. (This view, according to more than one papal pronouncement, is compatible with Roman Catholic dogma.) Still fewer Americans, only 12 percent, believed that humans evolved from other life-forms without any involvement of a god.
The most startling thing about these poll numbers is not that so many Americans reject evolution, but that the statistical breakdown hasn't changed much in two decades. Gallup interviewers posed exactly the same choices in 1982, 1993, 1997, and 1999. The creationist conviction—that God alone, and not evolution, produced humans—has never drawn less than 44 percent. In other words, nearly half the American populace prefers to believe that Charles Darwin was wrong where it mattered most.
To print the whole
National Geographic
click here.
Maneuver through the
series of images
that kept photographer Robert Clark organized in the field.
Why is Darwin's
theory of evolution
so hard to accept for so many people? What do you believe?
to the early 1900s when a prospector in Alaska dug up these
woolly mammoth tusks
In More to Explore the
National Geographic
magazine team shares some of its best sources and other information. Special thanks to the Research Division.
Where do you bury someone like Darwin, a man who admittedly had lost his Christian faith and declared himself an agnostic? When he died on April 19, 1882, his family planned to bury him in the local churchyard beside the graves of his children. Some of Darwin's countrymen, however, had other ideas and quickly began lobbying leading scientists and members of government to come together and ask the dean of Britain's Westminster Abbey to allow Darwin to be buried there. The dean, Reverend George Granville Bradley, responded that his "assent would be cheerfully given," and so Darwin, the agnostic, was buried in Westminster Abbey on the afternoon of April 26. Darwin's old friend, botanist Joseph Hooker, was among the pallbearers, as were Alfred Russel Wallace, the young naturalist whose writings had pushed Darwin into publishing his own theory, and James Russell Lowell, the United States' ambassador to Britain. In a part of the Abbey known as Scientists' Corner, Darwin lies a few feet from the burial place of Sir Isaac Newton and next to that of the astronomer Sir John Herschel. It was Herschel that Darwin referred to in the introduction of
The Origin of Species
as the great philosopher who coined the phrase "mystery of mysteries" to describe the change of Earth's species through time.
—Patricia Kellogg
This interactive and entertaining website is a companion to the PBS series on evolution. Explore Darwin's life and the theory he proposed, find resources for teachers and students and a library of additional resources.
The Writing of Charles Darwin on the Web
This site claims to be the most extensive collection of Darwin's writings ever published and includes
The Origin of Species
and other books, volumes of letters, and articles published in periodicals. Although the site appears to come from the British Library, it is produced by a historian affiliated with Cambridge University.
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: The Evolution Controversy
A fascinating look at both sides of the issue from a University of Missouri law professor. Includes links to websites supporting evolutionist theory and creationism.
More about Darwin himself than about evolution, this entertaining site offers great detail about Darwin's life and science in the late 1800s. It includes a long list of links.
Center for Science and Culture
This website presents the non-Darwinist and non-creationist point of view known as intelligent design, which holds that the universe is the product of intelligent thinking.
Answers in Genesis
A very large young-Earth creationist website. Although most material is in English, it includes pages in ten Asian and European languages.
The Talk.Origins Archive
This website is built around essays and articles addressing the evolution/creationism controversy from a mainstream science viewpoint. Lots of links to websites on both sides of the issue.
National Center for Science Education
The NCSE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the teaching of evolution in public schools.
Robert Clark
Preview the diverse work of this award-winning photographer at this site, which includes photo galleries, a short biography, and more.
The National Academies
This organization provides a committee of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor and gives independent, objective advice on critical international and national issues.
Browne, Janet.
Charles Darwin: Voyaging
Vol. 1. Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.
Browne, Janet.
Charles Darwin: The Power of Place.
Vol. 2. Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
Darwin, Charles.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.
John Murray, 1859. (Modern editions are available from many publishers.)
Desmond, Adrian, and James Moore.
. Michael Joseph, 1991.
Eldredge, Niles.
The Pattern of Evolution
. W. H. Freeman and Company, 1999.
Larson, Edward J.
Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory
. Modern Library, 2004.
Chapman, Matthew. "Islands of the Fittest."
National Geographic Traveler
(April 2003), 46-57.
Lange, Karen E. "
Wolf to Woof
National Geographic
(January 2002), 2-11.
Benchley, Peter. "Galápagos: Paradise in Peril."
National Geographic
(April 1999), 2-31.
Plage, Dieter, and Mary Plage. "A Century After Darwin's Death, Galápagos Wildlife Under Pressure."
National Geographic
(January 1988), 122-45.
Gore, Rick. "Seven Giants Who Led the Way."
National Geographic
(Sept. 1976), 400-7.
Villiers, Alan. "In the Wake of Darwin's
National Geographic
(October 1969), 449-95.
Peterson, Roger Tory. "The Galápagos, Eerie Cradle of New Species."
National Geographic
(April 1967), 540-85.
Johnson, Electa, and Irving Johnson. "Lost World of the Galápagos."
National Geographic
(May 1959), 680-703.
© 2005 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
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Ithacappella - Block 3 Concert!!
Contributed by Cody Ripa on 03/26/13
Got the wintertime blues? Well not for much longer! Come out to Emerson Suites this FRIDAY and join your favorite Ithaca College studs at the Ithacappella Block 3 Concert!
So, many of you may remember getting a "Welcome to Ithaca College" packet back in the day. If you flipped through that packet you may remember reading something along the lines of "10 things to do whilst at Ithaca College"...ringing any bells?!
There are no tickets and there is no cost, BUT make sure you get in line early, because we all know what happens when we dilly dally getting to an Ithacappella concert...you stand...in the back...alone.
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Anyone ever experiment with wider bars on a K75? I spent a 1000 miles on a new GS (not my own), came home and found my old K75 felt really funny. That's odd since I have so many more miles on it than a GS.
I have a feeling it will be a real pain to widen (bars, cables, etc.), but it could give more control and leverage.
Any thoughts?


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ORLANDO — Two years ago following their NBA Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Orlando Magic looked like a team on the brink.
With center Dwight Howard quickly emerging as one of the NBA's biggest talents, it seemed like the Magic needed just some minor tweaking to hoist their first NBA title.
"We won 59 games two years in a row," Magic guard J.J. Redick recalled recently. "The year before that we only won 52 games, but we won or tied the season series with every team in the NBA. So we were a team that was very competitive."
But two seasons later, the team that in the last four seasons trails only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in regular season wins may need a miracle just to keep the guy most responsible for that run from leaving town.
Howard's preseason request to be traded not only has dominated the Magic's shortened regular season preparations, but will certainly nag them until the situation is resolved. If he stays the Magic could be a threat this season, while his departure could usher in the first of several rebuilding seasons.
Howard has said that if certain roster moves could be engineered, his preference would be to remain in Orlando. Though, he is adamant his trade request stands entering the season.
"The back and forth for me is based on the people here, the talent's that's here," he said. "I'm at peace (with the trade request), but I know a lot of other people are gonna be upset and not at peace with it. I've gotten every message you can think of, from Twitter to Facebook, to this and that and I'm this kind of guy."
And that stated goal since the Magic selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft has been to win a championship.
Magic general manager Otis Smith has given Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, permission to explore potential trades with Dallas, New Jersey and the Los Angeles. But Smith said recently that any trade discussions involving Howard could go until the end of the season.
"Like I said before, the Orlando Magic franchise is what it's about," Smith said. "We like to make this into an individual game, but the fact of the matter is it's a team sport. And we'll continue to move forward.
"...Anytime you lose one of your best players it's a huge loss. But it's not new to anyone who's in our league or professional sports. Anytime you lose the best player on your team you have to adjust to that."
The Magic have made moderate attempts to show Howard they are trying to improve the talent around him during the brisk free agency period following the end of the lockout.
They acquired some much-needed toughness and help for him in the paint by trading big man Brandon Bass in exchange for Boston's Glen Davis and guard Von Wafer.
They also re-signed starting shooting guard Jason Richardson, who has already promised to be more assertive offensively than he was last season when he came over in midseason trade from Phoenix.
Forward Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark — who was also re-signed — were also a part of that deal with the Suns. Turkoglu said his struggles with consistency since he left the Magic for Toronto after the 2009 Finals' run are behind him.
The Magic are hoping to see the player in Turkoglu who averaged 19.5 points per game, made a career-best 166 3-pointers and won the league's most improved player in 2008. Not the one who managed just an 11.4 points average and knocked down 127 3's last season.
"It's a new year for me" Turkoglu said. "I came in here last year trying to do things in middle of the year. Now I'm starting off the season and just trying to be focused and do the things I'm really good at and trying to be what I was a couple of years ago."
Redick is expected to maintain his role as the Magic's sixth-man this year and said that though the team is certainly trudging largely into the unknown this season, having dealt with previous roster shakeups recently should be a plus.
"It's difficult. And it can be a distraction," Redick said. "...For the guys who've been here, we've seen the trades the last couple of years. So we're used to the circus and frenzy. And obviously it's only going to be amplified more this season with what's going on with No. 12."
New Magic chief executive officer Alex Martins is confident that the Magic will remain on their feet in the end.
"This organization has proven time and time again that we're going to put a winning product on the floor," he said. "This is about the Orlando Magic. And yes, there are pieces that come and go along the way, but we've proven we're a winning organization..
"And we're going to continue to win games."
Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.


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• Steven Porter, 21, domestic battery and terroristic threatening — $7,500.
A Pope County Sheriff's investigator said Porter allegedly used a .22-caliber pistol to threaten a woman who complained about his cleaning ability at a Hector residence on Tuesday. Porter was paying rent at the residence by cleaning the house while she, who pays the bills, was at work. The victim told police Porter allegedly grabbed her, pointed the pistol at her head and threatened her. She had visible scratch marks on her neck, and she told the investigator she scratched Porter while attempting to get away from him.
• Rasean Smith, 42, two counts of delivery of a controlled substance — $30,000.
A Pope County Sheriff's investigator said in the past six months the Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force, with the assistance of a confidential informant, allegedly purchased methamphetamine from Smith on two occasions.
Smith was released from prison in 2012 and is currently on parole.
• Ashley Martinez, 21, possession of a controlled substance — $5,000.
A Pope County Sheriff's report stated a witness called police Monday about a verbal disturbance in Hector. A deputy found Martinez sitting in an automobile at a family member's house, where she admitted to having methamphetamine in a wallet. Martinez told the deputy she was holding the drugs for someone else.
• Theresa Anderson, 38, aggravated assault — $7,500.
A Russellville police report stated Anderson allegedly threatened a person who gave her a ride to visit relatives on Tuesday. Anderson allegedly pulled a folding pocket knife from her purse and threatened the driver of the vehicle after getting angry. The driver exited the roadway into a church parking lot where Anderson got out of the vehicle and then allegedly cut both front tires. Anderson left the scene and ran behind the church. Officers later found her with the knife in her purse.
• Cody Burch, 23, three counts of delivery of cocaine — $20,000.
The Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) had Burch under investigation for six to eight months. A confidential informant (CI) working for the DTF met with Burch on three separate occasions in May 2012 to purchase cocaine. The CI exchanged money for more than 2 grams of alleged cocaine for $160 during the first meeting. The second meeting yielded .3 grams for $30, and the third meeting had 2.5 grams of the illegal drug for $260.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney David Gibbons petitioned for a warrant for Burch's arrest in August 2012 for alleged delivery. Circuit Judge William Pearson found probable cause and issued a warrant for his arrest. Pope County deputies served the warrant Monday.
• Avery Edwards, 25, failure to appear — $200,000.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney David Gibbons petitioned for a warrant for Edwards' arrest after he failed to appear in circuit court in March. Circuit Judge William Pearson found probable cause and issued a warrant for his arrest. Pope County deputies served the warrant Monday.


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text: I've long been an advocate of the right to bear arms. Now, I think "Children of Earth" illustrates the reasons for that more eloquently than I ever could. "Children of Earth" is science fiction. However, there's no denying that the government officials depicted here are even more monstrous than the 456 aliens. And sadly, I think the depictions of the government here may be all too plausible. There may come a day when the government decides, in the "national interest," to come for you or your children. If that day comes, it would be best for the populace to be as well armed as possible. We have an inalienable right to defend our own homes & families. No government has the right to interfere with that and any government that tries should be met with deadly force. ~The Borgified Corpse, proud to be an American. Long live the 2nd Amendment.


text:
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"The interdisciplinary nature of Ethnic Studies provides a broad foundation for viewing the world around us through a variety of lenses. Moreover, the emphasis on critical thinking gives us the tools to penetrate the smokescreen that masks alternative truths." — Ethnic Studies Alum.


text:
A few lingering snow showers will still be possible today…mainly over the mountains. Otherwise skies are expecte twitpic.com/c3ycrj
— NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) February 15, 2013
Perfect way to start the holiday weekend. Up to 10″ of new #snow in @colorado. j.mp/5OCuqC #cowx #celebratewinter
— Snow.com (@snowdotcom) February 15, 2013
One final upper level disturbance in northwest flow aloft will result in periods of moderate snow for the northern twitpic.com/c3x3fd
— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) February 15, 2013
From The Mountain Mail (Joe Stone):
Arkansas River basin snowpack ended January at 63 percent of average, second lowest among Colorado river basins. Only the South Platte basin recorded a lower snowpack percentage, 54 percent, according to data compiled by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
From the Roaring Fork Conservancy:
Current snowpack for the entire Roaring Fork Watesrhed is 70% of average. The snowpack is still lower than both last year and 2002 measurements. The Crystal River sub-watershed is holding the most snow of the entire watershed while the Independence Pass and Nast (in Fryingpan sub-watershed) sites are holding the least.
From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):
Weekend snows helped, but they hardly heaped up hopes for an improved water outlook in the Colorado River Basin. If anything, the storm underscored just how dry the winter has been. "Seriously, what snowpack?" Colorado River Water Conservation District spokesman Chris Treese said when asked about early indications from weekend snows.
"This is bad. It may not be desperate — yet. We can still creep closer to normal, but it's going to take a very wet spring, and that's not the long-term forecast."
The first look at new snowpack on Grand Mesa feeding Ute Water Conservancy District was marginally more encouraging. Ute's watershed reached 78 percent of average in the Mesa Lakes area and 72 percent of average at Park Reservoir, while the overall Colorado River Basin is at 78 percent of average, spokesman Joe Burtard said.
"While this snowstorm has helped our snowpack levels, it is still not enough to ease the concern of domestic water providers in the Grand Valley.
At this point, we will need an above-average snowpack by the time spring hits our mountains" in early April.
Rick Brinkman, water services manager for Grand Junction, said he noted about a foot of new snow atop the mesa over the weekend, but cautioned that little can be concluded for one or two months. The city's watershed was at 98 percent of normal snowpack at the beginning of February.
The Drought Response Information Program, a joint effort of water providers in the valley, is still gearing up for water restrictions, said Chairman Dave Reinertsen, also the assistant manager of Clifton Water District.
From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Bobby Magill):
Meanwhile, the snowpack in the South Platte River Basin, which includes the Poudre River Drainage and all of Larimer County, remains the weakest and driest in Colorado. Water content of the snow in Northern Colorado was 61 percent of median for the season and 66 percent of average for the year, according to U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service Snotel data for Feb. 14. That's about 30 percent drier than the region's snowpack was on the same date in 2012 — one of the driest winters on record that led to the most destructive wildfire season in Colorado history. The water content of the snow for Feb. 14, 2012, was 95 percent of median for the season and 94 percent of average for the year.
Today, the wettest region of the state is southwest Colorado, where the snowpack is about 90 percent of normal and drought conditions are improving.
All of north-central Colorado, including most of Larimer, Jackson and eastern Weld counties, are seeing severe drought conditions, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture Drought Monitor data released Wednesday. The eastern edge of the state remains under extreme and "exceptional" drought conditions.


text:
Fox Valley Technical College officials said they are excited to break ground on a new addition this April.
The addition will be located between the current FVTC building and the parking lot on the north side of the building. "Although we will lose the patio area, there are plans to move that to another location," FVTC Director of Regional Operations Colleen Schnell said.
The 68 foot by 30 foot addition will add 2,040 square feet to the college and will house a medical lab. "It will be a medical lab that includes both nursing and medical assistant programs with a smart classroom between," Schnell explained. "The nursing lab will be set up with four beds similar to a hospital or extended care setting which will enable the students to have real life experiences in the controlled lab setting before they go to clinical locations and deal with patients and residents."
Also included for the Medical Assistant Program will be two phlebotomy chairs and three exam tables to simulate a doctor's office or lab setting. "The students will have real life experiences in the controlled lab setting before they go to their externship working in a clinic," Schnell added.
According to Schnell, the shared smart classroom will allow for guided instruction for both programs with the classroom also available for use by other areas of the college as space permits.
The addition will house a storage room and an office that will double as a patient exam room.
Schnell said funding for this addition as well as the purchase of the building was provided by the Fox Valley Technical College referendum on April 3. 2012.
Schnell explained the need for the additional space. "We have run the Certified Nursing Programs for over 10 years along with parts of the Practical Nursing program for two years by pulling the equipment out of a closet for each class period," Schnell said. "This is not only hard on the equipment, but also not a true realistic setting for the students before going to clinical."
FVTC has been offering the MA program for three years and is currently using the craft room for a classroom. "Although it is working, it again does not give the students a true realistic medical office setting to practice before going to their externship of working in a clinic," Schnell said.
"With this addition and allowing the medical programs to have their own designated space, this will open up the craft room and the seminar training room for other opportunities," she added.


text:
(Custom Weapon) - Rebellion
Rank: S
Type: Weapon
Range: Short - Long
Chakra Cost: 40 (+ 30 for blocking each fire attack)
Damage: (20 base attack for normal use) (+15 damage to every fire based jutsu)
Description: the Rebellion sword is made out of a special metal that is able to use the user's fire chakra , it has a large white blade with a silver skull shaped handle ,it's worn on the user's back like Kakashi's sword when he was young , when the user channels his fire chakra into the blade, a fire Aura surrounds the white blade making the sword more lighter and enhancing the user with faster reactions and turning the blades color into bloody red, as long as the user is wielding the blade he can perform any fire technique with the use of only a single handseal, also by adding the +30 fire chakra of the user to the blade , the blade can block fire techniques up to A-rank negating the fire and absorbing it but still receives a certain amount of damage from the attack.
~ Cannot be used without mastering the fire element.
~ User takes -10 damage when absorbing a fire technique.
~ Can only block fire techniques 3 times per battle.
~ Can only be weilded by ~Crow~
Feel free to edit ~_~
(Katon: doki no Rebellion) - Fire Style: Rebellion wrath
Rank: S
Type: Attack
Range: Short- Long
Chakra Cost: 40
Damage: 80
Description: The user grabs his Rebellion and concentrates a massive amount of fire chakra into it , then makes a crescent shaped pattern with rebellion horizontally or vertically while releasing the fire chakra causing a large cresent shaped wave of fire that races in the desired location.
~ Crescent shaped waves can only be used 3 times per battle.
~ the user loses the ability to block fire techniques with the sword when he uses the Crescent shaped waves 3 times.
~ The user can't enhance the damage of a fire technique any further if he used the crescent shaped waves 3 times.
(Kuchiyose no jutsu: Kuro) - Summoning Technique: Black (Boss of Crows)
Rank: Forbidden
Type: Summoning
Range: Short - Long
Chakra Cost: 50
Damage: N/A (depending on the used technique)
Description: The user summons "Black" the boss of Crows, he is slightly larger than gamabunta and has an evil personality like Manda, he is a dead black colored and has thick feathers making him immune to lightning techniques up to A-rank , he can use lightning techniques up to S rank, also with his large wings he can use the wind element up to B rank , he can perform lightning and wind techniques that doesn't require the use of handseals, but in addition to that the user can make the handseals when he's on top of "Black" allowing Black to use any technique in the lightning element up to S-rank and every technique in the wind element up to B-rank, once per battle he can shoot a forbidden ranked lightning blast , but it extremely exhausts his chakra.
~ Only stays on the field for 5 turns
~ Can't use wind and lightning techniques in the same turn.
~ when shooting the forbidden lightning blast he can't use lightning techniques higher than A-rank and he can't use wind techniques at all.
~ must have signed the Crows contract
~ Can only be used by ~Crow~
~Declined, what no damage to yourself, its a forbidden ranked technique
(Fuuton: uyoku enzeru) - Wind Style: Take Flight
Rank: A
Type: Supplementary
Range: Short
Chakra Cost: 30
Damage: 60
Description: the user gathers a lot of wind chakra into his back creating 2 large wings and 2 small wings made out of wind , the 2 large wind wings can be used to fly or to guard the user against incoming attacks, and the 2 small wings are made to increase the speed of the user while he's flying in the air, when the user activates this technique , he's pushed into the air upwards from the thrust of the wind that comes out of his back.
~ 4 times per battle.
~ as long as this technique is active the user cannot use any fire based techniques
~ Can Only be used by ~Crow~
(Suiton/Raiton: kyougaku Nami) - Water and Lightning Release: Shockwave
Rank: Forbidden
Type: Attack
Range: Short - Long
Chakra Cost: 50
Damage: 100 (-10 to the user)
Description: the user will manipulate pre-existing water and rise the water up creating a large wave of water at the size of the Sand Avalanche technique , then the user creates a very powerful lightning current into the water creating a large water and lightning wave that shocks in contact with the enemy and burns their bodies due to the highly concentrated lightning current in the water.
~ 2 times per battle
~ Must use a water source
~ can't use Lightning/water techniques above A rank for 3 turns including this turn
~ Can Only be used by ~Crow~
~Declined, -10 damage for a forbidden ranked technique is insufficent ,and 2 times per battle i dont think so


text:
Chinese have been showing off their military prowess lately. The
communist nation has trotted out its first stealth aircraft dubbed the J-20. To
many observers, the aircraft looks similar to the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor,
but the J-20 is a larger aircraft that appears to be more appropriate for a
mixed role fighter and ground attack mission than a pure air superiority
fighter like the Raptor.
Many have speculated on how far along the Chinese are in getting the aircraft
into its Air Force fleet. Some predictions have put the aircraft as far out as
nine years from entering into service. However, some in the U.S. government
have already conceded that China is further ahead than they originally thought.
The J-20 has already had its maiden flight.
However, the stealth technology China uses in the J-20 is the subject of debate
and some think that the technology China is using may have come from American
aircraft. Specifically, many think that the some of the technology that China
is using in the J-20 came from an Air Force F-117 that was shot
down and crashed in Serbia in 1999. The aircraft was the first of the stealth
fighters to have even been hit by enemy fire.
The aircraft was hit on March 27, 1999 and the Pentagon chocked the downing of
the aircraft up to sheer luck and clever tactics. The pilot of the aircraft
ejected safely and was rescued. The aircraft crashed over a wide area of
farmland in the area and apparently, parts from the fighter were collected by
local farmers as souvenirs.
The AP quotes Adm. Davor
Domazet-Loso, the Croatian military chief of staff during the operations in Kosovo,
"At the time, our intelligence reports told of Chinese agents
crisscrossing the region where the F-117 disintegrated, buying up parts of the
plane from local farmers."
A Serb military official did confirm that some of the parts of the downed F-117
did end up in the hands of foreign military attaches. Of particular interest to
the foreign military forces according to repots was the coating the F-117 used
to absorb radiation to prevent the aircraft from bouncing back radar signals.
Parts of the F117 are in a Serbian aviation museum today. The deputy director
of the museum, Zoran Milicevic said, "I don't know what happened to the
rest of the plane. A lot of delegations visited us in the past, including the
Chinese, Russians and Americans ... but no one showed any interest in taking
any part of the jet."
The Chinese were known to keep an intelligence post in the embassy in Belgrade
during the Kosovo war. Alexander Neill, head of Asia security program at the
Royal United Services institute in London, said, "What that means is that
the Serbs and Chinese would have been sharing their intelligence. It's very likely
that they shared the technology they recovered from the F-117, and it's very
plausible that elements of the F-117 got to China."


text:
My 2730's digitizer screen has died and I tried contacting Garmin to see if they could repair. The Garmin service department is they no longer repair the 2730's.
Anyone know of a company repair/replacing the digitizer screens on the 2730's?
Will digitizer screens from the 26xx or 28xx series work?


text:
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Thread: This is the Texas Rangers's year!
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This is the Texas Rangers's year!
What do I think of my favorite team? Who I think will win it all? Well, it's a question that might make you think deep and hard. For me, that first question is going to have an answer that depends on individual and team performance. Now, I support the Chicago Cubs, and I think we all know that they'll never be the best. But I think that eventually, the Cubs will develop. Currently they have a decent pitching rotation, including the hurler from Tampa Bay, Matt Garza, and lots of young talent to work with. Starlin Castro has been solid since his call-up on May 7th back in 2010. And Darwin Barney has been playing great! Also, I think Dale Sveum and Theo Epstein are looking to make a statement for the Cubbies.
Yes, the Cubs suffered a 12 game losing streak, but it was followed by a sweep. When the Cubs get their act together, they are a winning team! But it also requires pitching. And they do have good pitchers, but it's like they expect the same pitchers to lead the team to wins every year. Maybe it's time for some new talent! How long has Jeff Samardzija, Ryan Dempster, and Carlos Marmol been around? Almost all of the Cubs new pitching talent is in the Minors. When the organization realizes that it's time to start fresh on pitching and develop the young players in the roster-they might actually get through the season with more wins than usual and end up in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. I also think that so far, the Cubs Chairman and Managers are thinking more about how they can get more fans to the "Friendly Confines" and what they can do to roll in the cash. They might even be cutting players to earn money for the team. What happened to one of the team's best-Marlon Byrd? They let him loose for David DeJesus! He has helped the team, but I really think Marlon was the better choice in that situation. Plus, they have really good prospects! Like Dillon Maples and Brett Jackson! But why haven't they been called up? Well, I'd say it's either because of money, or the Cubs just want to stick with the players they can rely on to play well but not necessarily do what the team needs it to do. Such as score runs, get on base, etc. If it was the reason involving money, what will you do with the cash? Give it all to the team's best player and say "Here's all of our money. Play hard, make us win, and bring in the fans." Not so sure that will help the team, Theo.
Usually, though, the Cubs aren't a team that gets win after win early on in the season. When it gets to about July, we might actually see that over time the Cubs are getting more wins than losses. It all depends on choices the team makes and if the players can put their individual talent together and perform as a team, not just get hits to increase their own, personal batting average. It's a team effort.
Now onto the second proposed question. Who will win it all? It's really difficult to tell from this early on, but I actually think the Texas Rangers might have a chance. As well as the Tampa Bay Rays. Also, the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals are contenders. I'm not really sure that the Rays or the Nationals will go that deep into the playoffs, though. Yeah, they are both solid teams that WILL get to the playoffs, but I can guarantee you, those teams can't handle the 7-game October series. I honestly think that the Orioles might be going far this year. But the team that will take home the Commissioner's Trophy will be the Texas Rangers. They have been disappointed in the World Series TWICE IN TWO YEARS. Knowing that Nolan Ryan is a part of the organization, I can tell you this. The man is a legend. Legends that join a team's organization don't like losing in the World Series. That's why Nolan isn't going to blow another opportunity when he has a team like the Rangers. Josh Hamilton is on fire. Yu Darvish is throwing the heat. Ian Kinsler's flashing the leather. All-in-All, this 2012 Rangers team is looking great. We all remember the games that Texas played hard and well, but lost. But the Texas Rangers aren't looking back on what DID happen. They're looking forward to what WILL happen.
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text: Just a thought i had so bear with me. Although fed and nadal have since done it and it had been done before i think agassi's achievement may be greater due to the more vast differences in surfaces. The modern homogenising of the surfaces slowing grass and speeding up clay has meant that we have a case of "usual suspects" at every slam. Could nadal have coped with sampras, goran etc on super quick low bouncing grass? Laver did slam i believe with 3 of the 4 on grass (i might be wrong but i sure i heard that) Anyway thats my opinion.


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4-24-2011 Safeco Field
A lot has been happening this week so I apologize that this Sundays blog has came so late. I will tell you about the game in a minute. I need to get some other things covered before we start talking baseball. First things first. My charity projects have been totally awesome. And thats mostly in part by my awesome fans that have pledged some money per baseball that I snag this year. So far I have snagged 26 baseballs this season and next week the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Whitesox come to town. So I am uber excited about that. ( First time using the word uber in my blog ) Also. A good friend of mine has put up $10 large towards Snagging Baseballs for Puppies. I think that is very thoughtful of him. So thank you, Ryan.
Something else I need to get off my chest. For years Ive had specific rules when I snag baseballs at games. One rule that Ive been sticking to is that I only count baseballs that I go home with. Well, on Saturday, David DeJesus threw me a baseball that I didnt count. But I caught it. Now we all know in professional sports if a player catches a ball and has positive control over it, its ruled a catch, right? Well, the same should go for me when Im snagging baseballs in the stands. I also looked back into my previous games and found that I had indeed caught a baseball, gave it away, and then counted it in my collection. It happened last year at Kauffman Stadium when I caught a career high of five baseballs. So naturally I should count the one thrown to me from DeJesus. Everyone agree? Good.
Oh, one last thing. Because I have SiriusXM radio in my car which means I normally dont listen to AM/FM radio but since my car is in the shop I had to drive a loaner today. So no SiriusXM. I know. Youre like, "So?". Well, its about to get interesting. On my way to school I tuned into 99.9FM KISW the Rock of Seattle. The BJ Shea Morning Experience radio show was on and these guys were talking about how President Obama showed his birth certificate finally and then they asked the audience what sort of things are we tired of having to prove but no one believes us. Well, I texted in " Ive snagged 124 baseballs from 7 different stadiums." As I was pulling into the school parking lot the KISW radio team called me! They asked me if I wanted to be on the air and talk about this. I was all for it, of course… so here is the radio interview for your listening pleasure. Just fast-forward to about the 18 minute mark.
So lets talk about Sundays game. Shall we? Sundays game looked like this during batting practice ( Or lack there-of ) practically the entire time.
So it was pretty boring. Then the Athletics came out to stretch, and do their thing. More boring-ness.
Like I said. There wasnt a whole lot going on. Before the game on Sundays its pretty mellow and boring. I did have some Athletics fan chew my ear off for about 30 minutes though. So I kind of enjoyed that.
I did finally get the chance to give Brad Ziegler some U.S Army wristbands Ive been wanting to get to him. He has a foundation that I mentioned in my last few blog entries. Its actually a pretty awesome foundation. You should check it out. Brad Ziegler was sort of busy talking to what seemed to be a reporter. I overheard him mention his foundation but then they hugged. So Im not sure who the woman was. Then I waited for another Athletics fan to get his autograph, and then I moved in to hand him the wristbands. I briefly explained that I was in the Army for ten years, and I wanted him to have the wristbands. I was going to go on about giving one to David DeJesus but he seemed kind of taken back from the whole thing, and quickly thanked me as he was stepping away to go to he dugout. I thought it would be a better experience then that. I was sort of disappointed at first…but he probably receives so much stuff from fans. I left it at that.
So I pretty much spent the entire game standing in the new area at Safeco Field called "The 'Pen". And let me tell you. If you havent gone there yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Well, actually. I take that back. Friday and Saturday games the 'Pen is full of drunks. So its really not my scene. But Sundays game was calm, quiet and lots of older couples were in there. So it was pretty mellow. I ate here.
Remember how I said I was going to eat at a new venue every Sunday game and blog about it? Im telling you. If youve ever had good pizza you havent had great pizza until you eat a slice of heaven here. I had two slices of pepperoni and a small soda. It ran me about $14 and some change but so worth it. Its very messy so make sure you get lots of napkins. They are located on the left and right side of the venue. The awesome part about it is that this pizza didnt give me any heartburn.
Before I settled in the 'Pen area I made sure to get on the board with at least one baseball today. I bet you cant guess who I got it from? I got it from Mark Ellis of course. My first baseball that Mark Ellis ever threw me happened at Busch Stadium on June 18th 2010. My second baseball from Mark Ellis happened a game later at Busch Stadium. And if youve been following this years blog entries youll know that Mark Ellis tossed me a baseball on Friday. So Mark Ellis is now tied with Todd Helton and Jonny Gomes for most baseballs tossed up by players. So todays baseball that he tossed me would give him the lead with four! I anticipate that he will continue to climb the ladder of most baseballs tossed to me by any player because Oakland comes to town two more times this year.
Unfortunatly, no home run balls were hit into the 'Pen. I thought I would have dibs on anything hit into there too. So I was kind of disappointed. And I figured Id get a baseball from Brad Ziegler at the end of the game as well. But he threw one to some girl. I also didnt keep my Athletics hat on either while I was down there. So that probably made him think twice of who I was. I knew he remembered me though. So when I got home after the game I made sure I Tweeted him a thank you Tweet for accepting my wristbands. And sure he enough! He Tweeted back!
Game; April 24th 2011 Oakland Athletics vs Seattle Mariners
Gameballs; One
Attendance; 16,530
Snagging Baseballs for Puppies has raised; $20.00 this season.
Snagging Baseballs for Relief in Japan has raised; $6.25 this season.