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INVITATION TO BID FOR ST. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT PAVEMENT REHABILITATION - YEAR TWO - PHASE TWO (2004) Sealed bids will be received by the St. Johns County School District for the Paving and Sitework project located at the following schools in St. Johns County, Florida; * Murray Middle School, 150 N. Holmes Blvd., St. Augustine, FL 32095 * Nease High School, 10550 Ray Road, St. Augustine, FL 32095 * St. Augustine High School, 3205 Varella Avenue, St. Augustine, FL 32095 * Switzerland Point Middle School, 777 Greenbriar Road, Jacksonville, FL 32259 * Evelyn Hamblen Center, 1 Christopher Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084 * Ocean Palms Elementary School, 355 Landrum Lane, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 * Maintenance/Purchasing Facility, 299 Schoolhouse Road, St. Augustine, FL 32095 * Administration Building, 40 Orange Street, St. Augustine, FL 32095 The work shall include the following: * Minor pavement repair * Seal coasting * Striping * Curb Painting * Full depth replacement * New Asphalt * Curb installation & repair * Wheelstop installation & repair * Area regrading & sodding * Concrete pad installation * Sidewalk repair * Drainage improvements All plant, labor, and material, temporary facilities and restoration to provide work completed and in place. Bids will be received in the offices of the St. Johns County School District, Office of the Director of Maintenance Services, 299 Schoolhouse Road, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 until 3:00 P.M. prevailing local time, April 20, 2004. Bids received after that time will not be accepted. The bids will then be opened publicly and read aloud. A Prebid Conference will be held on April 1, 2004, at 2:00 pm at the Maintenance Department at 299 Schoolhouse Road, St. Augustine, Florida. All bona fide bidders are requested to attend. Drawings and Specifications may be purchased commencing March 17, 2004 from the Engineer upon payment of $50.00 (non-refundable) per set plus cost of mailing and handling. Plans will be ava ilable at: Prosser Hallock, Inc. 13901 Sutton Park Drive South, Suite 200 Jacksonville, FL 32224 Drawings and Specifications are available for review at the following Plan Room Locations: 1. Construction Market Date, NE Division, 2050 Art Museum Drive, #106, Jacksonville, FL 2. F.W. Dodge, 3947 Boulevard Center Drive, Suite 1, Jacksonville, FL 32207. All questions concerning the project shall be submitted in writing to the Engineer, Prosser Hallock, Inc. This office is the only point where information will be disseminated. All bid proposals must be on the appropriate proposal forms, properly executed, placed in an envelope, marked to identify the bid and then shall be delivered to the St. Johns County School District. Proposals may not be altered by written direction on the outside of the envelope. Bid Security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the bid in the form of a check made payable to the St. Johns County School District or in the form of a bid bond, executed by the bidder, a surety duly qualified to do business in the State of Florida and resident agent, shall accompany each proposal in accordance with Instruction to Bidders. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) days after the opening. After opening the bids, and in the event the contract is awarded to the bidder, the bidder will be obligated to execute the contract and furnish the required bond within ten (10) days after receipt of the contract. Should the bidder fail to meet the obligation, the bid security shall be forfeited and become the property of the St. Johns County School District as fixed and reasonable liquidated damages. The successful bidder will be required to furnish a 100% Performance Bond and a 100% Material Bond, which shall remain in effect until the date of final inspection and acceptance by the Owner; and shall file certificates with the Owner that he has obtained and will continue to carry Workers Compensation Insurance, Owner s Protection Insurance, Public and Private Liability and Property Damage Insurance in adequate amount for the life of the contract. The St. Johns County School District reserves the right to reject any and all bids, waive informalities and irregularities in bidding and to accept bids which are considered to be in the best interest of the School District. Contractor should be cautioned that the St. Johns County School District reserves the right to award individual school jobs to individual contractors. Shane L. Walton, Director of Maintenance Services St. Johns County School District 40 Orange Street St. Augustine, FL 32084 L608-4 Mar 15, 22, 29, 2004
Posted from 15-Mar-04 to 29-Mar-04
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Optimizing the Care and Management of Your Equine Athlete
- Mar 28, 2014
- Intermediate
- Topics:
Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease.
Photo: Erica Larson, News Editor
Reprinted from The Horse Report (Spring 2014) with permission from the Center for Equine Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis (UC Davis).
National Sportsmanship Day was March 1, and whether the athletes we most admire happen to be human or equine, they have uplifted and inspired us through the love of competition. Horses were part of the ancient Olympic games in 680 BC and have been competing with and alongside their human counterparts through the ages. The equestrian disciplines of jumping, dressage, and eventing have been part of the Olympics for more than 100 years.
The Olympic games are based on a philosophy that advocates using sport not just as a physical activity but also as a means of educating people. According to this philosophy, the good sportsmanship, sense of fair play, and respect for fellow athletes developed through participation in sports teaches men and women of all races, religions, and nationalities to work peacefully together in competition toward common goals.
The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) functions in a similar role as the International Olympic Committee, serving as the international governing body for equestrian sports. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is our national regulatory organization, regulating competitions and promoting the safety and welfare of horses and riders while encouraging excellence at every competitive level. They provide a body of rules, an effective means of enforcing them, and a judicial process that is fair to competitors while providing for optimum integrity within the sport.
The FEI and the USEF work to ensure that the welfare of the horse is paramount in all equestrian sports and that athletes—human and equine—compete on a level playing field. Anti-doping regulations exist to prevent any attempt to alter a horse's performance or to mask an underlying health problem. When competing under FEI rules, riders in equestrian events are subject as well to drug testing. Individual states also have their own rules governing equine medications. Athletes accept these rules as a condition of participation in athletic competitions.
In this Horse Report, we call your attention to some changes to drug and medication rules made by the USEF, FEI, and the California Medication Monitoring Program. Our primary focus, however, in keeping with the UC Davis Center for Equine Health's mission, is to highlight a number of evidence-based areas in which equine athletes can best be supported, possibly pre-empting or minimizing the need for medications and supplements. While these management techniques are not remedies for all conditions or all horses, they have proven effective in maintaining physical condition, alleviating pain or discomfort, and preventing injury.
Equine Anti-Doping Regulations
There has been much publicity in the last few years about the prevalence of drugs in horseracing and too many stories about fatal breakdowns involving the abuse of medications. In December 2012, the sport horse world got a taste of the same medicine when the New York Times ran a story about a hunter pony that collapsed and died after having received 15 separate drug treatments in the three days preceding his death. The substances included anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids, and muscle relaxants, according to his medication chart.
Since 2010, random drug tests at equestrian events, including the Olympic trials, have uncovered dozens of violations for substances including cocaine, antipsychotics, tranquilizers, and pain medication. Show-horse trainers have been implicated in abusing some of the same drugs that have caused widely publicized problems in racing. In response to these events, the USEF and FEI have recently instituted changes to their medication and equine welfare-related rules; these are highlighted below. For the complete rules and details concerning these changes, please visit their respective websites.
USEF Rule Changes Effective Dec. 1, 2013 (www.usef.org/rulebook):
- No horses or ponies may be injected within 12 hours of competing.
- There are only three exceptions to this rule: therapeutic fluids, antibiotics, and dexamethasone for the treatment of hives.
- All excepted substances must be administered by a licensed veterinarian and cannot be administered to a horse or pony within six hours of competing.
USEF New Rule, GR 843 Mandatory Reporting & Cooperation of Horse/Pony Collapse, Effective Aug. 1, 2013
- A collapse is defined as "a fall to the ground with no apparent cause."
- The trainer, owner, or rider of a horse must report a collapse no later than three hours after it has occurred.
- Any horse or pony that collapses is subject to drug and medication testing and inspection by a USEF-appointed veterinarian.
- Cooperation with the federation as to an investigation concerning a horse/pony collapse or death is mandated.
FEI Rule Changes Effective Jan. 1, 2014 (www.fei.org):
Three substances have been added to the controlled medication list for:
- Metformin: A potent but legitimate oral anti-diabetic drug with a potential equine welfare risk.
- Levothyroxine: An exogenous thyroid hormone replacement that could enhance performance.
- Adrenocorticotrophic hormone: This is currently classified as a banned substance and will be moved to the controlled medication section of the 2014 list due to its therapeutic value in equine medicine.
Three previously unlisted substances will be added to the banned substances section of the 2014 list:
- Injectable ammonium chloride: An injectable nerve-blocking solution that can be used to mask lameness.
- Gamma-butyrolactone: A pro-drug (biologically inactive) that is converted into gamma-hydroxybutyrate (or GHB) in the body.
- GHB: A naturally occurring substance that can elevate growth hormone levels and is associated with performance enhancement.
California Equine Medication Rule Changes Effective Jan. 1, 2014 (www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/EMMP):
In California, the equine industry has had legislation in place since 1971 to prevent misuse of drugs and medications in equines in public shows and sales. The resulting law is known as the California Equine Medication Rule and is enforced by the California Department of Food and Agriculture through its Equine Medication Monitoring Program. Exhibitors and consignors must comply with both the California Equine Medication Rule and any event-sponsoring organization's (e.g., USEF) drug and medication rule for the event, with the more stringent medication rule being applied.
Here is a very brief summary of changes to the California Equine Medication Rule:
- Modification to the definition of an event to clarify exempted events not originally intended to be covered under the Equine Medication Monitoring Program.
- Limit of one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the system.
- Elimination of drug declaration form for NSAIDs.
- Additions to the restricted permissible medications list.
- An allowance for emergency use of flunixin.
- No administration of injectable substances within 12 hours of competition.
For the complete rules and details about the changes, please visit the California Equine Medication Monitoring Program website.
In addition to specific medications, herbal and natural products have the potential to contain prohibited substances. FDA approval is not necessary for manufacturers to produce commercial herbal products; therefore, herbal products are not scientifically tested or regulated as modern medications.
When administering a product with an herbal or natural label to an equine, be aware that specific ingredients and quantitative analyses are not known for these products. Contrary to a manufacturer's claim, detection of a prohibited substance could occur after use of herbal products such as valerian root, kava, chamomile, capsaicin, and devils claw, to name a few. A complete list of herbal offenders is available on both the USEF and FEI banned substances list.
Maximizing Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease. It reflects an environment of optimal conditions for normal function, one that encourages natural healing and minimizes the need for invasive treatment. Described below are some areas of health that will contribute to maintaining your athletic horse in its best condition.
As with human athletes, physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise in horses are enhanced by nutrition that meets the body's particular needs along with an appropriate conditioning program that supports injury prevention. Since horses work on surfaces that could actually increase the risk for injury to tendons and ligaments, we will share some recent research that has been conducted in this area. Research for sport horses is still in the early stages, but enough initial work has been done to provide some interesting results.
Some injuries occur long before there are any outward signs of lameness, and early screening for injury can help prevent further damage and prolonged healing times. Daily palpation of limbs for swelling or heat is a crucial part of any successful program. Acupuncture and chiropractic have been effective as treatments for conditions ranging from musculoskeletal problems to gastrointestinal disorders, and acupuncture has been shown to be an effective early screening tool for lameness. Finally, a major contributor to keeping athletic horses sound is attention to the foot, which supports all other anatomical structures at risk of injury. The following sections will address each of these areas.
Clair Thunes, PhD, teaches equine nutrition and equine exercise physiology in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science and has competed in a number of sport disciplines including eventing, show jumping, and dressage. She is also an independent equine nutritionist and owner of Summit Equine Nutrition, LLC. She offers the following perspective on optimizing nutrition for equine athletes.
Today's performance horses lead lives that are very different from their wild ancestors. Yet physiologically, they are not so different: modern horses still have a digestive tract where more than 50% of its volume is given over to the fermentation of forages and that still secretes acid and bile 24 hours a day because it expects almost continuous grazing rather than infrequent meals.
An equine diet should have a foundation in forage, regardless of whether the horse is a retired pasture ornament or an Olympic-level show jumper.
Photo: Photos.com
Horses evolved eating grasses that for the most part were high in complex carbohydrates, requiring fermentation by hindgut bacteria. The relationship between these bacteria and the horse is mutually beneficial because the horse absorbs the byproducts of the fermentation processes as an energy source. Therefore, maintaining the health of the microbial population is a vital component of nutritional management. The bacterial population requires that adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates be provided in the diet and that the diet stay relatively static with only gradual changes.
An appropriate feeding program for any horse takes into consideration the horse's digestive anatomy and physiology. Ideally, the primary diet should have a foundation in forage, regardless of whether the horse is a retired pasture ornament or an Olympic-level show jumper. Performance horses might need more calories in their diet than can be met from forage alone; as a result, the temptation is to feed increasingly high levels of calorie-dense feeds. The focus of the ration can easily become these supplemental energy sources, with less and less attention paid to the ration's forage components.
Because many supplemental feeds fed to performance horses are fortified, this can create a perception that the forage is nothing but filler. However, the majority of horses should be consuming a minimum of 1.5% of their body weight per day as forage, or approximately 18 pounds a day for a horse weighing 1,250 pounds. Thus, in most cases the forage portion of the diet provides the majority of the calories, protein, and minerals (such as calcium and phosphorous), making it far more than just filler.
Careful selection of forages can mitigate a number of problems observed in equine athletes. For most performance horses, this forage will be hay. Undesirable hay bellies, which are caused by consuming large amounts of indigestible, poor-quality forage, are best fixed not by reducing the amount of hay fed but rather by switching to a hay that is more easily digestible. Conversely, feeding a lower-quality hay to horses that typically need calorie intakes restricted will allow a greater amount of hay to be consumed without the risk of weight gain. With careful hay selection, the amount of hay fed can be maximized for each horse, thus honoring the digestive physiology and reducing the risk of conditions such as equine gastric ulcer syndrome and stable vices like wood chewing.
The purpose of concentrate feeds and supplements should be to provide what is missing in the forage portion of the ration. For nearly all forages, this means a source of trace minerals, certain vitamins and fatty acids. For many horses competing at the entry levels of their disciplines, feeding a nutrient-dense, low-calorie ration balancer with a small serving size in combination with hay will provide nearly all of the necessary additional nutrients.
For horses unable to maintain condition on forage and a ration balancer, a more calorie-dense feed should be added to the ration. There is a tendency within certain disciplines for horses to be maintained with too much condition, which results from overfeeding. There are two major consequences of these practices:
- Extra condition adds unnecessary wear and tear on joints and soft tissues and can result in soundness issues; and
- Extra condition could produce negative behaviors.
Horses that are overfed calories can become exuberant, and when this is not given an appropriate outlet (such as turnout), undesirable behaviors under saddle can result. This is particularly troublesome in the show arena and can lead to the pursuit of calming supplements and other measures to create a more tractable mount. In most cases, the simplest and most appropriate solution would be to feed a more appropriate diet.
For those struggling to keep weight off their easy keepers, or those who feed commercial feeds in quantities less than the manufacturer-recommended amounts, a suboptimal diet can result. Horses might appear to be in good condition when, in fact, they are suffering from a level of malnourishment. For example, manganese is needed for the creation of chondroitin sulfate and copper for the formation of collagen, the foundation of tendons and ligaments. Without careful attention to the diet, these deficiencies can potentially go unnoticed. The long-term impact of suboptimal diets is not well-documented in horses; however, the harder a horse works and the greater demands made on metabolism and physiology, the more likely nutrient deficiencies will negatively impact both health and performance.
Fat sources have become a common ingredient in many performance horse feeds. Because fats are very energy-dense (2.25 times more calories than an equal weight of carbohydrate), they are an effective way of adding large amounts of supplemental energy to a ration. Fat also does not raise blood glucose and insulin the way high-starch intakes do, which is an important consideration when dealing with horses that are sensitive to nonstructural carbohydrates, such as those with polysaccharide storage myopathy or insulin resistance.
Fat is susceptible to rancidity and when a high-fat diet is fed to a horse, the horse is at a higher risk of developing cellular oxidative damage. Feeding vitamin E, a natural antioxidant, alongside a fat (usually at 1,000-2,000 IU per half-cup of oil) can help offset that oxidative damage. Additionally, high-fat feeds that have been stored in hot environments or that are not fresh could have higher levels of rancidity, so ensuring that the feeds purchased are fresh is important.
There is also much anecdotal evidence that horses fed fat instead of grains are less excitable. Research has shown that there might in fact be merit to these claims, with dressage horses fed high-fat diets being less easy to startle and having lower resting cortisol (a measure of stress) than when fed a diet higher in starch. Other research has confirmed that foals fed high fat and fiber diets cantered less often and for less time than those fed calories from starch and sugar. More is not always better though. When fed in excess, fat has the potential to disrupt hindgut fermentation and absorption of some minerals and vitamins. As always, the key is in finding the correct balance.
Performance horse managers are constantly on the lookout for inflammation, especially of the joints, but they also have to battle other inflammatory conditions such as hives and laminitis. As all of these conditions can keep a horse out of the competitive arena, there is a lot of interest in nutritional aids in the form of nutrients with potentially anti-inflammatory properties such as various joint supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, and, most recently, resveratrol and turmeric. However, potentially anti-inflammatory supplements could violate anti-doping regulations.
Flax provides a good source of omega-3 fatty acids at approximately four times more omega-3 than omega-6.
Photo: The Horse Staff
Unlike plants, horses and other mammals are unable to create omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, so these nutrients must be provided in the diet. Good-quality fresh pasture provides approximately three times more omega-3 fatty acid than omega-6. The amount of omega fatty acids is lower in hay as they are not heat stable. Flax provides a good source of omega-3 fatty acids at approximately four times more omega-3 than omega-6. Flax can be fed whole or is available for purchase in ground, stabilized forms. Unless stabilized, the fatty acids will oxidize once ground. Grains and oils tend to provide larger amounts of omega-6 than omega-3. Corn oil, for example, provides approximately 45 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acid.
The relative amount of omega-3 to omega-6 in the diet could have important implications for inflammation within the body. The ratio in good quality grass pasture is about 3:1 omega-3 to omega-6. High-grain diets will throw the ratio the other way, and this has the potential to be pro-inflammatory versus anti-inflammatory. Research conducted at UC Davis revealed a 60% drop in biomarkers of inflammation after supplementation with a product containing an omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of 4:1. Competition exists between omega-6 and -3 fatty acids at the cellular level; therefore, the dietary fatty acid composition has the potential to impact a number of important cellular level functions relevant to performance.
Approximately 15 to 25 g per day of supplemental omega-3 fatty acid is often recommended for a 1,100-pound horse; a cup of ground flax provides about 22.5 g. The National Research Council (NRC) requirement for omega-6 is 0.5% of dry matter intake, or about 5.5 g per day for a 1,200-pound horse eating 2% of body weight in feed.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects sensitive cell membrane components from oxidative damage. Currently, the NRC recommends a minimum daily intake of 1.6 to 2 IU/kg body weight per day for working horses, or about 1,000 IU per day for a 1,200-pound horse. There is research showing that levels above this could improve performance in some horses, especially those doing rigorous speed or endurance work or suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Horses who fail to develop an adequate topline despite normal development and soundness might also benefit from additional vitamin E supplementation.
Common over-the-counter vitamin E supplements will often contain selenium. The margin of safety for selenium is far below that of vitamin E, so it is important that vitamin E is supplemented alone unless a selenium deficiency is detected. Consult with your veterinarian before initiating a combination supplement.
A diet of good-quality fresh pasture provides significantly more vitamin E than the above recommendation. However, due to oxidation processes, naturally occurring vitamin E in pasture declines dramatically during curing for hay as well as in other feed ingredients that undergo processing. Losses in hay can be so great that stored forage should not be relied upon as an adequate source for performance horses. While better-quality commercial feeds provide a source of vitamin E, in some instances separate vitamin E supplementation may be justified, especially for horses in intense work and those showing signs of muscle soreness or prone to recurrent tying-up.
For maximum absorption, vitamin E should be supplemented in the natural ?-tocopherol form. Water-soluble versions exist, which are the most absorbable and are recommended for horses with neuromuscular conditions.
Vitamin E appears to play a role in a number of neuromuscular diseases including equine degenerative myeloencephalophathy, equine motor neuron disease, and muscle atrophy conditions. Further work is needed to better understand its role in these conditions.
So where does all of the above information leave us as far as making sound nutritional decisions for our horses? A good initial rule of thumb is to always remember how the horse's digestive anatomy and physiology work and to design a feeding program that honors this. This means starting with forage and selecting the right forage for the individual horse. All hay must be clean and free of weeds, molds, and dust. Select the hay that allows you to feed the greatest amount possible while still maintaining a desirable body condition. Keep in mind that access to fresh green pasture is not ideal for all horses. Consult with your veterinarian regarding individual restrictions.
Hay should be tested whenever possible, especially when several months' worth are purchased at one time. Compared with the cost of hay, testing is a very modest investment starting at around $30 for information about the calorie, protein, carbohydrate fractions, macro- and trace mineral content. Make sure that the lab chosen to run the analysis provides equine-based information. When an analysis is not viable, a thorough visual assessment can give some nutritional information. Hay with a greater proportion of leaves relative to stems is higher quality and will have a higher calorie and protein content versus a stemmy hay with lower leaf content.
Alfalfa is a higher-calorie hay than grass hay, making it less desirable for easy keepers but a good choice for harder keepers. It can be included up to about 30% of the total forage. Above that amount, protein and calcium intakes become excessive.
Once the hay is selected, nutrients not present in hay in adequate amounts need to be provided by some additional means. If the horse is able to maintain condition solely on hay, then a broad-spectrum supplement providing approximately 50 mg of copper and 200 mg of zinc (this is half of the NRC requirement for a 1,100-pound horse at rest) or a ration-balancing feed (look for feeds with a 1- to 2-pound serving size per 1,000 pounds of body weight) should to be added to provide necessary trace minerals. The benefit of the ration-balancing feed is that it will also provide a source of quality protein that could be lacking in some grass hays. For some very easy keepers, even the limited calories provided by a ration balancer might be too many, making a supplement a better option.
For horses needing additional calories to maintain condition, a performance or senior feed will be a better option. It is very important to pay attention to the feeding directions and select a feed that you can feed at the recommended amount. This is particularly important for senior feeds that are "complete" feeds, meaning that they provide all of the necessary forage as well and therefore have very large serving sizes, upwards of 15 pounds per day in some cases. Read the labels to determine the serving size for your horse's needs and purchase accordingly. Also look at the label to determine whether the feed is providing calories from fat (% crude fat) or starch. Feeds with a low percentage of crude fiber tend to have a higher starch content. Look at the ingredient list to see whether the feed includes beet pulp, soy or almond hulls—desirable sources of fermentable fiber—and do not shy away from wheat middlings and wheat mill run, which provide the same calorie content as many grains but with half the starch.
Beyond this, be sure to provide a source of salt and consider adding supplemental sources of omega-3 and vitamin E. Many horses do not consume enough salt from a block to meet their minimum sodium requirement, which is equivalent to a 2-pound block of salt a month for a horse weighing 1,100 pounds living in cool weather and doing no work. Therefore, it is advisable to add 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of white salt to the daily feed in addition to having access to a block. An additional electrolyte might be needed during hard work and/or hot weather.
Elite human athletes have come to realize that, while they might think they know how to eat properly for their chosen sport, there are real benefits to working with a nutrition professional with the expertise to fine-tune their diet for maximum performance ability. This is where working with an independent equine nutritionist can really make a difference. They can create a diet based on the forage and help with correct product selection, thus ensuring that your horse is getting everything needed while at the same time honoring digestive anatomy and physiology.
Given the large amount of money spent on feeds and supplements every month, consulting with an independent equine nutrition professional is a sound investment, with most offering a range of services priced from about $100 for an hour-long phone consultation, to $200-$300 for an in-depth ration analysis. A good independent equine nutritionist will be basing their recommendations on the available science, not the need to sell certain products.
There is still much work to be done when it comes to research in sport horse nutrition:
- Studying the effectiveness of potentially anti-inflammatory nutrients in horses such as quercitin, resveratrol, and turmeric.
- Quantifying whether mimicking natural eating habits in stabled horses lowers stress.
- Making a commitment to support general sport horse nutrition research.
Advancing our knowledge in these areas will help provide nutritionists and veterinarians with the tools they need to make sound feeding recommendations and to improve both the welfare and performance of sport horses.
Conditioning and Fitness
Numerous scientific studies support fitness as a preventative for musculoskeletal injury. Fitness is a measure of the horse's ability to deliver oxygen to working tissues under extremes of exercise. Some of this energy is delivered through aerobic or well-oxygenated conditions. When that energy is consumed, the horse must be able to create energy without oxygen, or under anaerobic conditions. The mechanisms are different and truly fit horses are able to perform well because they can deliver energy to their tissues efficiently under both circumstances. Fitness is also the adaptation of bones and soft tissues to loads they must carry during competition. A horse is not truly fit until these adaptive changes are complete.
Cardiopulmonary and muscular fitness precede tendon, ligament, and bone fitness in early training. Across disciplines, horses in the first few weeks of intensive exercise are more likely to be injured than those that have been in training for 60 days or more.
Photo: Photos.com
Cardiopulmonary and muscular fitness precede tendon, ligament, and bone fitness in early training. Across disciplines, horses in the first few weeks of intensive exercise are more likely to be injured than those that have been in training for 60 days or more. In order for bones, tendons, and ligaments to adjust to strain and load, they must be pushed gradually to endure the level of exercise expected in competition. In the past, horses were "spared" from heavy work and used lightly until show time. That thinking has changed as we have learned how the musculoskeletal system adapts to work. The trick is to achieve fitness without adding to repetitive-use injury. Once a horse has achieved fitness, it takes less work to maintain than what is intuitive and there is a great need to establish evidence-based best practices for fitness training within each equestrian discipline.
Exercise induces mild inflammation, which creates increased blood flow and stimulates musculoskeletal adaptation. This process often happens in the recovery or rest phase after work, as does the repletion of glycogen (sugar reserves) within muscle. Unfit horses tend to injure soft tissue structures that fatigue when workload exceeds the horse's capacity to deliver oxygen and sugar to the vital muscular structures supporting the limb, or if their bones and ligaments are not sufficiently adapted to carry the added load. For example, a jumper landing on the far side of a fence transmits load to the structures that support the fetlock joint: the superficial digital flexor tendon, the deep digital flexor tendon, and the suspensory ligament. The amount of fetlock drop that occurs in the landing determines the amount of strain to those structures and thus risk for injury. When horses are fit, they are more likely to endure movements without their joints exceeding their normal ranges of motion. However, fit horses can injure bones and joints when they are pushed outside of the normal physiologic range and are less likely to suffer soft-tissue injury.
Footing plays a large role in preventing lameness and achieving fitness, and current thinking suggests that working the horse on multiple surfaces improves adaptability of the musculoskeletal system. Many horses train on one surface and then go to a show with different footing and ground surface characteristics, which affect deceleration of the foot and dispersion of load. Interestingly, the warm-up ring footing is often different then the show-ring footing, which adds another variable. Imagine training for a marathon on the road and then competing in sand. Research is currently underway to identify qualities of footing that are ideal for the different equestrian disciplines. The shoe-footing interface is also an important area of future research.
Several parameters can help guide training programs in both human and equine athletes. Heart rate, during and after work, is one of the most sensitive indicators of fitness. Horses differ from human athletes in several regards when it comes to fitness and delivery of oxygen to muscles. Being flight animals, they are highly adapted for speed to escape predators. Horses are able to contract their spleens at the onset of intense exercise and literally double their oxygen delivery to cells via increased red cell volume. Horses have a greater muscle mass per kilogram of body weight and have two times the oxygen delivery system per kilogram of body weight. Lastly, the pulmonary function of the horse is compromised in the upper gaits because respiration is synchronized with stride at the canter and the gallop. This affects ability to gather oxygen and increases the horse's reliance on internal mechanisms for enhanced delivery.
In humans, a lower resting heart rate and respiratory rate are associated with fitness; this is not necessarily the case in horses. As horses become more fit through base cardiovascular training, they are able to move at higher speeds with lower heart rates, and their heart rate will come back to normal more quickly after exercise. This is known as cardiac recovery. This index is used in endurance riding and eventing to ensure that the horses are fit to proceed and that they are not overloading their capacity. Dehydration, elevated temperature, lameness, and excitement are all factors that can influence heart rate and should be considered if the horse's heart rate is unusually elevated during or after work in a relatively fit horse. Heart rate variability, which is the variation of time between heart beats, can be a more sensitive means of separating excitement from heart rate elevations associated with decompensation and requires the use of continuous electrical monitoring of the heart via and electrocardiogram.
Many riders carry heart rate monitors that attach to the tack and provide feedback to the rider's watch. This is a similar idea as Fitbit, with biofeedback being used to modify activity levels with an ideal goal in mind. Although methods of training vary dramatically and no one method is correlated with success, a common thought is that horses will benefit from initial core training, followed by interval training that is gradually escalated to the full work necessary to be successful in the show ring. Base training will often elevate the horse into the 120-150 beats per minute rate. Maximal heart rate for a racehorse in full gallop is 240 beats per minute. Racehorses are commonly timed at the gallop, whereas hunters, jumpers, and dressage horses are not.
Future research in the area of baseline heart rates of the different disciplines under different gaits could prove useful to fine-tune conditioning plans. In this day and age of smart phones and applications, it seems that establishing such a database would be a reasonable undertaking. The outside factors such as environmental conditions and the presence or absence of lameness would skew this data, so inclusion criteria would have to be set.
For horses suffering from injuries that must be rested, auxiliary forms of exercise such as swimming or underwater treadmill are very appealing because they offer maintenance of cardiovascular fitness, with decreased loading of the limbs.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
For horses suffering from injuries that must be rested, auxiliary forms of exercise such as swimming or underwater treadmill are very appealing because they offer maintenance of cardiovascular fitness, with decreased loading of the limbs. These horses will still require a ramping up of load on bones, tendons, ligaments and muscle once healing has occurred but will not need the additional time to reestablish cardiovascular fitness.
There is much interest in human and veterinary fields regarding the use of biomarkers to screen training. Stallside labs to assess excessive bone remodeling or cartilage repair or tendon or ligament strain are not far on the horizon. The enzyme lactate is used in laboratory situations to assess fitness and anaerobic metabolism. MRI tendon mapping, which is currently being investigated at UC Davis, has shown us that changes start to occur in the extracellular matrix of soft tissues before any detectable lesion is visible on MRI. If we could find changes at this level, there would be far less wastage of horses in the equine industry.
Ideally, a panel test to monitor athletes during the ramping-up phase of work would be a great tool. Extensive research is currently underway to identify targets to be measured. These tools could also be used to develop best practices for the recovery phase of work, which is the essential rest period that the body needs to repair any damage induced by exercise. The rest period is vital, and horses that are worked without such breaks will eventually succumb to overtraining.
Environmental Factors
Susan Stover, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, is the director of the J. D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of racehorse injuries and has spent a number of years studying the reasons for death and injuries among racehorses in order to develop prevention strategies.
Significant progress has been made in discovering the causes of catastrophic injury in racehorses and we now have a better understanding of the events leading to bone fracture along with better techniques to detect stress fractures in live horses. Stover and her team have identified race surface and exercise factors that place horses at increased risk for catastrophic injury and have provided horseshoe recommendations to prevent suspensory apparatus injury.
Performance horses incur a wide variety of athletic injuries that are unique to their particular athletic pursuit. Stover and her research team are working hard to discover risk factors, preventive measures, and effective treatments for these athletes.
Injuries to structures that support the fetlock and digit (suspensory ligament, superficial and deep digital flexor tendons) are the primary causes of performance limitations in show jumpers, dressage horses, and eventing horses. The likelihood of injury to these structures increases with increasing limb loads, as might occur with harder surfaces or higher or more difficult jumps. High limb loads induce extremes of carpal (knee), fetlock, and coffin joint hyperextension and can cause damage to the supporting tendons and ligaments.
While several factors affect limb loads and limb biomechanics, a key factor that can be managed for injury prevention is the arena surface that horses are performing on. There is some evidence to support the association of surface with injury and the role of surface in limb biomechanics. Unfavorable ground conditions (soft or heavy ground) were associated with failure to complete the Grand National event. In a study of hoof landing in elite jumping horses, differences were observed between sand and turf surfaces. Differences were also found in hind-limb fetlock motion and hoof slide of racehorses between a dirt and a synthetic track surface, and forelimb dynamics in horses between turf and synthetic surfaces.
Surface characteristics affect maximum limb loads, loading rates, and hoof accelerations. Forces associated with these loads and accelerations spread up the limb, with higher loads and forces causing greater joint extensions and higher tendon and ligament strains. Superficial digital flexor tendon strains differed in horses traveling on asphalt, sand and synthetic surfaces. Epidemiological evidence for racehorses on flat surfaces indicates that racetracks and race surfaces appear to affect risk for racehorse injury. Although the results of different studies are somewhat inconsistent relative to which types of surfaces have the greatest risk for injury, two larger scale studies found that injury risk in racehorses was higher for dirt surfaces than for synthetic surfaces.
In elite dressage horses, fetlock hyperextension was greater on the synthetic surface than the dirt surface (note the opposite result to that found in racehorses).
Photo: Photos.com
In a recent study with elite dressage horses, fetlock joint and hoof motion were compared between dirt and synthetic dressage arena surfaces. We found that fetlock hyperextension was greater on the synthetic surface than the dirt surface (note the opposite result to that found in racehorses). In addition, the synthetic surface had a higher load rate than the dirt surface (note the opposite result to that found in some racehorse surfaces). We found that the hoof of dressage horses at an extended trot interacts with surfaces very differently than galloping racehorses.
Not all dirt and synthetic surfaces would produce the same result, however, because surfaces vary markedly in their physical characteristics. The research study also measured the physical characteristics of the surfaces because this information is most useful in designing new surfaces for injury prevention. Thus, there is a need to customize surfaces for individual horse occupations.
Given the high relevance and broad interest in arena surfaces and the large financial investment associated with ring installation, the equine community would greatly benefit from footing recommendations based on science, with the long-term goal of establishing mixtures and management ideal for each discipline. This work could significantly impact wastage in the industry and reduce the need for medications to alleviate pain and inflammation in the performance horse.
Scott Morrison, DVM, has been a veterinarian specializing in equine podiatry at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., since 1999, bringing with him years of experience as a farrier. As the podiatry caseload increased, Rood & Riddle built a podiatry center that is staffed by veterinarians, technicians and farriers. Currently, Morrison's caseload is 100% podiatry. He has graciously provided the following information on the care and maintenance of the equine foot.
The foot as a distinct structure is designed for support, with limbs extremely dependent on the health of the entire foot for support. Structural collapse can occur due to disease (laminitis, white line), trauma, conformation, regional overloading (one area of the foot receives more than its share of the load), ratio of body weight to foot size, poor shoeing and foot care, and/or environmental conditions (overly wet).
For a foot to remain healthy and accommodate its basic functions, it needs to have proper form and structure. Balance is the term most widely used when describing the foot's form and structure. A balanced foot is believed to be functionally efficient and capable of providing support to the limb. A balanced foot is not necessarily perfectly symmetrical, but it does possess a degree of symmetry and is free of hoof capsule distortions such as flares, dishes, bull-nosed dorsal wall, crushed/collapsed wall, contracted heel, etc., which are all signs of imbalance.
For a foot to remain healthy and accommodate basic functions, it needs to be structurally strong and balanced. Characteristics of strong and healthy foot structures are:
- Strong, thick sole
- Strong, robust wall that is free of distortions (flares, dishes, underrun/collapsed heels, contracted heels)
- Well-developed bars
- Even wall growth
The heel of the equine foot functions primarily as shock absorption and houses such structures as the frog, digital cushion, collateral cartilage and an elaborate vascular system. The heel also contains various sensory receptors that allow the horse to feel and negotiate the ground surface and foot/limb position. The toe is basically designed to cut into the ground and stabilize the limb for traction. If one region of the foot is compromised or structurally unstable, it affects the foot's ability to support the weight of the horse.
Distortions, or shape changes, are a sign of over- or under-loading a particular region of the foot. These distortions are seen as collapsing or structural failure of an area of the hoof wall. These hooves do not respond well to normal loading forces and are more susceptible to trauma and injury. The point of ground contact affects the manner in which the foot and all the structures above it are loaded. This is the essential concept underlying the importance of dynamic balance and the ability of the horse's foot to provide support, shock absorption, traction, and proprioception (the perception of position and posture).
A preventative hoof care program can help ensure that foot structures are balanced and remain healthy. Keeping your horse on a short regular shoeing interval is one of the key management factors in keeping most athletes sound. As feet grow long, they become more out of balance, and when a foot is out of balance it puts all other anatomical structures at risk of injury (foot, limb, back, neck, etc).
Proper conditioning for the physical demands of specific athletic disciplines is important and goes hand-in-hand with attention to the foot.
Footing and shoe type should complement each other. When deciding what type of shoe your horse should wear, consider the type of footing your horse is on. This will dictate what kind of web width or traction devices might be appropriate. Also consider any pre-existing conditions such as conformational abnormalities, old injuries, degenerative joint disease, or chronic heel pain. There are some shoeing modifications that can help alleviate stress on these various conditions and prolong your horse's career. Foot problems or developing pain are usually indicated by performance-related issues such as jump-refusing, shortened gait, altered head carriage, tripping, forging, and overt lameness.
Signs that the hoof wall is unhealthy include cracks, shelly walls, and shoes that come loose frequently or fall off. To improve wall quality, first we evaluate the horse's nutrition to ensure that the diet is well balanced, because over- or under-supplementation can cause wall problems. Keeping the hooves painted with a pine tar-based product can help decrease the wet to dry cycles that often deteriorate the walls.
Intermittently, foot radiographs should be taken and reviewed for balance by your veterinarian and farrier.
Photo: Erica Larson
A podiatry exam and foot evaluation should be part of a routine examination of equine athletes. Intermittently, foot radiographs should be taken and reviewed for balance by your veterinarian and farrier. If needed, a plan can be devised to decrease wear and tear on the feet. Equine podiatry has been practiced by a few veterinarians over the past three or four decades and is a rapidly growing field. Many veterinarians have worked as farriers prior to going to veterinary school, and many of them have combined the two professions to advance foot care.
As we have learned more about equine podiatry, we have identified some areas of research needed in this field:
- Hoof wall quality studies. We need better diagnostics to determine why some walls are weak. Is it nutrition, mechanical, infection, management, or genetics? - More kinematic studies on how shoe modifications affect disease and what effect shoe modifications have on horses with different conformational deviations.
- What might be the role of stem cells in healing different foot diseases like laminitis, navicular apparatus disease, and soft tissue injuries in the hoof?
- Many conditions of the foot still are not completely understood such as canker and some forms of coronitis (irrritated, crusty, swollen coronary bands). Although many treatments may help alleviate these conditions, more research is needed to understand the cause of these conditions.
Complementary Medicine/Early Screening for Injury
Acupuncture is becoming more prevalent as an adjunct treatment and diagnostic modality for various conditions in horses. Many sport horses have acupuncture performed on a routine basis to maintain and potentially enhance their athletic performance. An estimated 80% of elite show jumpers and dressage horses are treated with a combination of traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture and chiropractic) and western medicine.
The use of complementary medicine in animals has closely paralleled its development in human medicine and is becoming more and more mainstream. The two most widely used are veterinary acupuncture and chiropractic. The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association, the Chi Institute, and the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association all work to promote excellence in the practice of complementary therapies through establishment of standards, educational programs, and accreditation exams.
Sarah le Jeune, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, ECVS, ACVSMR, CVA, CertVetChiro, a board-certified equine surgeon and board-certified specialist in equine sports medicine and rehabilitation at UC Davis, is also certified in both veterinary acupuncture and chiropractic. Le Jeune focuses on the treatment of various performance-related musculoskeletal injuries and lameness by an integrative approach including acupuncture and chiropractic. She received her acupuncture training from the Colorado State University and the Chi Institute in Florida and obtained certification in veterinary chiropractic by the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. Because of her personal involvement with performance horses, particularly jumpers and dressage horses, le Jeune was motivated to pursue all possible treatment and management modalities to maintain and preserve soundness in athletes.
Acupuncture therapy could be effective as an adjunctive treatment in the following conditions:
- Musculoskeletal problems: Muscle soreness, back pain, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, obscure lameness, tendon/ligament problems, laminitis
- Neurological disorders: Seizure, laryngeal hemiplegia, facial and radial nerve paresis
- Gastrointestinal disorders: Diarrhea, impaction, chronic colic, gastric ulceration, ileus
- Other chronic conditions: Heaves (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recurrent airway obstructions, asthma), anhydrosis, uveitis, behavioral problems, Cushing's disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, infertility, renal failure, geriatric weakness, skin problems
- Performance enhancement and prevention of disease: Horses experiencing performance issues associated with musculoskeletal pain, who must comply with prohibited substance policies mandated by show associations, can benefit show-side from acupuncture and/or chiropractic treatments. This occurred at the 2008 Olympics, the 2010 World Equestrian Games, and the 2012 London Games in compliance with the FEI.
The physiological effects potentially induced by acupuncture include:
- Pain relief
- Promotion of microcirculation
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Regulation of gastrointestinal motility
- Immunoregulation
- Endocrine and reproductive regulation
- Antipyretic effects
When performed by a trained and qualified veterinarian, acupuncture is a very safe medical procedure. Very few negative side effects have been reported in clinical cases and most horses tolerate the treatments well with minimal restraint and no need for sedation.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
When performed by a trained and qualified veterinarian, acupuncture is a very safe medical procedure. Very few negative side effects have been reported in clinical cases and most horses tolerate the treatments well with minimal restraint and no need for sedation. Acupuncture is not usually recommended during pregnancy as it can cause uterine contractions. It is also not recommended as the sole treatment modality in cases involving fractures, open wounds or infectious conditions. However, it can easily be combined with other traditional therapies.
Veterinary acupuncturists and chiropractors can add valuable information to the physical examination of the horse and findings can be used to localize and treat sources of discomfort. In a recent study, le Jeune and colleague Jim Jones, DVM, MS, PhD, of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine sought to obtain scientific evidence for the use of acupuncture scanning in predicting lameness in horses in a routine clinical setting. It was hypothesized that horses exhibiting a painful response during palpation of superficial acupuncture points along the neck, back, and rump (acupuncture scan) would also show signs of lameness as determined by a conventional lameness exam.
The study was conducted in 102 client-owned horses that were presented for routine acupuncture, reduced performance, or lameness. Each horse first underwent a brief (less than two minutes) screening scan of acupuncture points and was classified as positive or negative for acupoint sensitivity. Then each horse was evaluated in the conventional manner for lameness and categorized as lame or sound. In this study, acupuncture scanning had a high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (all around 80%) to detect lameness. The conclusion of the study was that an acupuncture scan could be a useful, quick screening tool during the physical exam to identify horses that should undergo a full lameness exam and other diagnostic testing.
Chiropractic care focuses on the health and proper function of the spinal column, although the pelvis, limbs and head are also considered. When a chiropractor examines a patient, he/she is looking for joints with a reduced range of motion. The common principle in all chiropractic theory is that joint dysfunction affects the normal neurological balance found in healthy individuals.
A chiropractic adjustment involves a high velocity, low-amplitude thrust that induces segmental spinal motion. This motion usually exceeds that created by normal locomotion. The adjustment activates muscle spindle cells and other local proprioceptive receptors, which provide stimulation to override the neurologically induced restrictions in that area and inhibit the perception of the painful stimulus.
The goal of any adjustment is to restore the optimal range of motion to that joint, which will subsequently alleviate inflammation in and pressure on surrounding nerves and soft tissue. The inflammation makes it difficult for nerves to transmit their messages accurately, similar to static on a telephone line. Considering that nerves coupled with the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) control everything in the body, improving their ability to communicate well enhances overall health. This is particularly important in the spine. Note that chiropractic is not recommended in cases involving fractures or infectious conditions.
To become fully accepted in the veterinary and scientific community, there is a need to perform scientifically sound clinical trials for horses undergoing acupuncture and chiropractic treatments for a variety of conditions, such as described for acupuncture scanning as a diagnostic modality earlier in this section. Other types of studies that would be very useful for performance horses include the following:
- Can acupuncture and chiropractic cause a horse to bear weight more evenly and to use its body in a biomechanically more efficient manner? Objective and noninvasive methods of assessing foot-fall patterns and lameness in horses can be performed with force plate analysis, which would be an excellent tool to quantify the response of different treatment modalities in clinical patients over time. UC Davis recently acquired a force plate to enhance lameness evaluation and research by providing objective information regarding limb loading and multifactorial lameness.
- To what extent do acupuncture and chiropractic promote gastrointestinal motility? Colic is a very common problem in horses and is frequently related to changes in gastrointestinal motility. Acupuncture and chiropractic are currently being used as adjunctive therapies to promote gastrointestinal motility. An objective assessment of motility in clinical patients could be performed with noninvasive monitoring devices such as the Smartpill. This could have significant implications for postoperative ileus, a common complication following colic surgery.
To see more articles from the Spring 2014 Horse Report, visit www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/current.cfm
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subset: commoncrawl


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From FOX Sports' Jay Glazer:
Big loss for packers. Charles Woodson broken collarbone out 6 weeks
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) October 22, 2012
This is actually "big" news in the sense that Woodson is a recognizable player. As I indicated in yesterday's Gut Reactions, he had been close to invisible through the first seven games of the 2012 season. He has been ineffective rushing the passer and seems incapable of covering receivers or tight ends one on one any more.
While the Packers will obviously be forced to go young with either Jerron McMillian or M.D. Jennings, this will not be the major drop-off some might think it is. With rookie cornerback Casey Heyward playing as well as he is, I would not be surprised if they moved him inside in nickel situations, replacing Woodson in the slot in that personnel grouping.
Woodson suffered the injury during the Packers' 30-20 victory over the St. Louis Rams. It is the latest injury setback for the Packers' defense, which played without defensive tackle B.J. Raji and cornerback Sam Shields on Sunday.
There is no preliminary word on this yet, but you have to wonder if this is a re-aggravation of the collarbone injury Woodson suffered in Super Bowl XLV.
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Top pick Almora takes first cuts at Wrigley
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
On Friday, Almora got his swings in at Wrigley.
The 18-year-old outfielder from Hialeah, Fla., took part in batting practice, hitting a couple of balls into the left-field bleachers.
"This has been one of the best days of my life," Almora said. "This is awesome."
When he signed, Almora did take a tour of Wrigley Field and checked out the view from center. But this time, he was in uniform surrounded by big league players.
"I was in center field, and I don't know how much history has been on this field, but I feel very blessed and very thankful," he said.
"It's just to let them see what the ultimate destination is and see some guys who could be their teammates down the road, if they put the work in," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said about the visit.
Almora will spend the weekend in Chicago before reporting to Mesa, Ariz., for the instructional league. When he arrives, he will have to wear his socks high. That's the rule in the Cubs' Minor League system. Almora switched before he hit on Friday.
"That's the first thing I asked -- do I have to show sock here?" Almora said. "They said, 'You're in The Show, man. You can do whatever you want here.'"
One of the Cubs' other top prospects, Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, will come to Wrigley Field on Saturday for a workout. Soler, 20, and Almora were teammates and roommates in Mesa. Did they talk about someday playing together at Wrigley?
"We try to take it one step at a time," Almora said. "We could only control Arizona. That's what we talked about."
Epstein pleased with Cubs' effort on the field
CHICAGO -- When a team is 30 games back in the standings, there's not much to play for. But the Cubs have a goal: Avoid 100 losses.
Heading into Friday's opener against the Pirates, the Cubs need to finish 7-12 to steer clear of the century mark in losses for the first time since the 1966 team finished 59-103.
"No one wants to be associated with a 100-loss team," said Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein. "We're going to try to win every game. But if we can win enough to avoid 100, it would be a very, very small victory, but certainly better than losing 100."
Cubs manager Dale Sveum said it's a matter of pride.
"It's a motivating thing and a pride thing to know you weren't part of one of those teams," Sveum said.
Sveum knew what he was getting into when he took the job.
"We told Dale in the interview, we told him that based on where we are as a franchise, we're going to try to win, but we're not even going to evaluate him on wins and losses in the first couple years, because it wouldn't be fair," Epstein said. "We knew we'd be putting out a team that had too much developing talent to evaluate him strictly on wins and losses. We'll evaluate him on a number of other criteria that we shared with him, and I think he's done a fantastic job, to be honest with you."
What Epstein and others have noticed is that the Cubs haven't quit.
"For a team that's where we are in the standings, it's been one of the best clubhouses I've been around," Epstein said. "They show up to play every day, they like each other, they prepare, they work hard. With a few very rare exceptions, we've played really hard for nine innings every game and left it all on the field. Usually, when you're losing on the field, it starts to seep into the clubhouse a little bit, but we haven't seen that happen. I've been proud of the way we've conducted ourselves."
Cubs fans will just have to be patient.
"We have a plan and a vision, and it's not going to happen overnight," Epstein said. "Given the way of things, I think this is the best way to go. We're not trying to hide the ball. We're being honest with them. There might be another Trade Deadline in our future where we trade away 40 percent of our rotation. You do that because there's going to be a day when you acquire two starting pitchers at the Deadline to cement your club.
"Our goal from the beginning is we're going to do what we need to do to put ourselves in a position to be a contending team year in and year out, and that means no shortcuts and taking the long approach," he said. "When you acquire young players and trade for prospects, it's pretty obvious it's not a quick road. I think it'll be a rewarding journey."
Rizzo, Jackson back in action for opener vs. Bucs
CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson returned to the Cubs' lineup on Friday, both still a little sore but ready to play.
Rizzo was back after a freak collision and fall trying to beat a throw to first base on Tuesday in Houston. The first baseman suffered a bruised right shoulder. He also got razzed by teammates for his somersault onto the ground.
"I got a lot of style points," Rizzo said. "I got a couple 10s, a couple 6s."
Jackson crashed into the center field wall at PNC Park last Friday while making a catch and bruised his right knee. He knows to be careful.
"You try not to ram yourself into something hard," Jackson said. "It was unfortunate that I banged up my knee, but I was also pretty lucky. It could've been a lot worse."
Cubs manager Dale Sveum will advise Jackson to be careful but not to change his style in center field.
"You never want to take anybody's aggressiveness away," Sveum said. "That's part of the game, and those are the kind of guys you want playing for you, [guys who will go] through a wall. That play changed the whole game around. That's why people like that play center field, because they make plays like that and change the game around."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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feminist wire | daily newsbriefs
Title IX Critic Nominated to DC Circuit Court
On Monday, President Bush nominated Title IX critic Thomas Griffith of Utah to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, considered the second most powerful court in the country. Griffith is currently the senior legal counsel for the Mormon-affiliated Brigham Young University and served as the director of religious education for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) in Baltimore, the Washington Post reports. Griffith was a member of the President's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics that recommended weakening enforcement of Title IX , the landmark 1972 law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education.
USA Today reports that while on the Commission, Griffith proposed removing the proportionality test as one of the three test options for schools to comply with Title IX athletics requirements. Griffith's proposal failed by a vote of 11-4. When asked by another commission member how his position stands up to the eight federal courts that have upheld the use of the proportionality test, Griffith replied, "They said it was a reasonable interpretation, not required. I believe they're wrong."
"Title IX has been instrumental in providing equal opportunities for women and girls in education, including sports. Such a detractor of equal opportunity in education must not be given this position of power to gut Title IX," warns FMF Educational Equity Director Sue Klein. "This is yet another in a line of attempts by this Administration to diminish the effectiveness of Title IX. In March, the Administration proposed weakening Title IX regs by making it significantly easier for schools to segregate classes and even schools by sex."
The Feminist Majority is working as part of a coalition of women's rights, civil rights, environment, disability rights, and labor groups to stop the federal courts from being packed with far-right nominees.
TAKE ACTION Protect the federal courts from being packed with more far-right nominees
LEARN MORE about this Administration's efforts to weaken Title IX
DONATE to FMF's work toward gender equality in education
Media Resources: Feminist Daily News Wire; Washington Post 5/11/04; USA Today 1/31/03
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Mercy Partridge Whitney: Pittsfield's missionary link to Hawaiian history
"This morning for the first time, I set foot on heathen ground," wrote Pittsfield native Mercy Partridge Whitney in an April 12, 1820 journal entry. "After a voyage of five months and a half, you need not wonder, if I tell you I found it difficult to walk much on land without being fatigued."
Whitney was writing about her arrival at Kailua, Hawaii, after a long voyage aboard the Thaddeus, a ship that carried Whitney, her husband, Samuel, other missionary families, and four Hawaiian boys who were heading back home from a mission school in Connecticut.
The passengers aboard the ship were making a sometimes-arduous journey from New England to Hawaii, which was then referred to as "the Sandwich Islands." After months of sea sickness, discomfort, a close call in which Samuel fell off the boat and almost drowned, and a tedious voyage around Cape Horn, they all finally reached their destination.
Each passenger made the trek for various reasons.
One of the students on board, George Humehume, was a Kaua`i prince ready to reunite with his family, and one missionary family even brought five children on board.
For the Whitneys and another missionary couple, Samuel and Nancy Wells Ruggles, the journey's goal was to establish a mission station at Waimea, Kaua`i.
This group aboard the Thaddeus, a ship called the "Mayflower of the Pacific," were the first missionaries to set foot on Hawaiian shores. Their journey, arrival, and early days in Hawaii are detailed in a September 1925 article in the now-defunct Honolulu newspaper "The Friend."
Using journal entries by the Whitneys, the article, which is available in a digitized version on the website of the Mission Houses Museum, offers a window to a forgotten past. Through Mercy, the story has its Berkshire ties, and touches on a local oral legend that states that the young missionary bride, who lived in Hawaii from 1820 until her death in 1872, played a role in the creation of the colorful and iconic "aloha shirt," popularly known as the Hawaiian shirt.
Mercy Partridge was born in 1795 in Pittsfield, and married Connecticut native Samuel in 1819. Members of the First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, the couple was supported by the Free Will Society, a charitable women's group at the church, to be among the first mission group sent to Hawaii. First Church historian Martin Langeveld, a former publisher of The Eagle, said he was always struck by the story of Mercy contributing to the creation of the aloha shirt.
According to Langeveld, the story alleges that the ladies of the Free Will Society sent a batch of fabric with colorful floral designs over to Mercy to make clothes for the local people of Kaua`i. This was essentially a prototype for the shirt. "One of the first things that these missionaries did when they got to Hawaii was to get the people to 'cover up,' " Langeveld said. "They did not like the fact that men were running around practically naked, and that women wore skirts that were basically topless."
While an interesting theory, the idea that Mercy played a role in creating the bright shirts is not based in much fact. Langeveld said the missionaries would most likely have wanted to "emulate Victorian patterns with checks, polka dots, and plain colors," instead of "anything pretty gaudy and bright."
Marylou Bradley, a research assistant at the Kaua`i Historical Society, said she was able to find one reference to Mercy requesting that cloth be sent to her mission. Bradley said that the only fabric with flowered material that could have made its way to Hawaii during the 19th century would have come by ship from New England, Paris, or England.
"There were no manufacturers of that kind of material in Hawaii at the time," Bradley said. "Cotton didn't do well here, there was no cold spell for the crops, and it was difficult for harvest season." Bradley said that the material that was most used was something closer to plaid or gingham check fabric, rather than anything brightly colored.
While no individual is credited with the creation of the aloha shirt, the person most referenced is Ellery Chun, a Yale University-educated Hawaiian man who returned home during the Great Depression and started to sell short-sleeve shirts that were made out of leftover material from Japanese kimonos. Other businesses did the same, and the shirt entered the popular consciousness by the time Hawaii became a state and Hollywood and surfing glamorized the style. While Mercy might not have created the aloha shirt, she did make a mark. In 1823 she compiled a written record of the Hawaiian language that was first published by the Manoa Press in 1993, and has since gone out of print. She and Samuel would go on to have four children, and even though Samuel died in 1845, she would live there until her death, and only came back to the United States once for a visit in 1860.
The Whitneys' journal entries are full of fascinating anecdotes. Sometimes their writings are culturally insensitive, especially in their depictions of the customs of the Hawaiian people. In other instances, they feature descriptions of two different cultures learning from one another. When Mercy first met the Queen of Kaua`i, it was a meeting of two different worlds and two different customs of greeting.
"The Queen, not being satisfied with my giving her my hand, wished me to join noses with her (which is their usual salutation)," writes Mercy.
Mercy eventually grew to love her new home, but did show some homesickness when writing a journal entry sent to her family in Pittsfield. "I hope you will feel no anxiety respecting your absent daughter," she wrote. "Remember she is in the hands of a merciful God."
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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The online outrage over the bullying of a school bus monitor has lead to sympathy for the 68-year-old woman. Many say the viral video of a senior reduced to tears by middle school students is heartbreaking to watch.
Karen Klein is a bus monitor in Greece, NY. She makes around $15k a year- which many say is not nearly enough to put up with the profanity and insults thrown at her about her weight, hearing air and sweat glands.
The video has prompted an online fund set up to raise money for Klein. The goal was to raise $5,000 so Klein could enjoy a "recovery vacation".
It's only been a day since the fund was set up and the site has already generated over $450,000 -with that amount going up by the minute.
Klein says she was deeply touched and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for her.
School district officials said they had received more than 1,000 calls and at least 5,000 e-mails from people all over the world, expressing dismay over the incident.
Police say four students were involved in the bullying.The investigation is continuing and Klein could change her mind and decide to press charges, he said.
But Klein said while she's not seeking criminal charges, she wants the boys to be punished. However, she said, she does not believe they are bad kids.


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Read reviews about transport and travel across the UK and Ireland. Whether you're on holiday, a business trip or it's the town where you live, don't miss the right buses, trains and ferries for your travel. Search our Transport National category by country, country region and city. Compare consumer reviews, services, prices and more. Use dooyoo to be informed about the UK and Ireland! You can also add your own opinion about a British or Irish transport system you've used.
* Prices may differ from that shown


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World AIDS day: Why do headstones outnumber headlines?
World AIDS Day is December 1. Dean Owen, senior adviser for communications at World Vision International, shares his experience with how AIDS has affected a community in South Africa -- and how this pandemic has shaped humanity since its discovery in the 1980s.
* * *
Stepping out of the car, I am overwhelmed by the sight of the cemetery, its symbolism, and its sadness. I stop, look away, take a deep breath, and then step forward.
Before this day, AIDS was represented by the living: an elderly woman lighting candles and wailing in agony outside a church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; a boy in a Mumbai slum clutching faded photographs of his dead parents; prostitutes soliciting prospective clients on a rainy night in Bangkok.
Today, the pandemic is represented in poignant silence near Bloemfontein, South Africa.
The tombstones, packed together over several acres, reveal more than a person's name and the years he or she lived. Each one reflects the individual's wealth and standing in the community of Botshabelo:
The thin sheet of black steel barely attached by one rusted bolt to a short metal post, with name and dates hand-scrawled in white paint.
The marble monument, five feet tall, extolling the deceased's virtues as a husband, father, brother -- "protected" by the bent remnant of a cast-iron bed frame.
The eight-inch weathered board propped in front of a small mound, any references to the grave site's occupant faded long ago.
Many inscriptions point to a common fact: Death came between the ages of 25 and 45, likely from AIDS. Here, and in many other South African communities, the disease still carries a pervasive stigma. Men deny they are unfaithful; women know their HIV status, but they are reluctant to disclose it.
Reading those inscriptions, my thoughts return to the wood and corrugated metal homes I visited during my reporting assignment. Here, 30 percent of the children -- probably more -- live with relatives or family friends, because their parents are buried here. Average life expectancy in this region is 52 years, according to the United Nations.
I see graves littered with shards of broken ceramic cups and beer or wine bottles -- remembrances of those who pay their respects, toast the dead with a favorite beverage, and bequeath these mementos.
Nowhere in this sprawling black township of 210,000 is more solemn. Burial service providers estimate there are more than 2,000 graves, and nearly 60 people are buried each weekend.
At the cemetery, AIDS is not a notation in a patient's file. Their symptoms are not mitigated by regimens of anti-retroviral medications. There are no bedroom arguments here between men and women over who infected whom.
As I walk among the graves, reflecting and praying, I am reminded that 30 years ago, the disease created more headlines than headstones.
Today, it is just the opposite.
World Vision works in communities affected by AIDS around the world, providing care for those who live with the disease and taking steps to prevent transmission to children whose mothers are HIV-positive.
Read this story about one such mother in Zambia who was able to give birth to a healthy baby, thanks to World Vision's assistance at the local clinic.
In recognition of World AIDS Day, join us in our efforts to bring hope and healing to those impacted by this global humanitarian emergency:
Make a one-time donation to help us prevent the spread of HIV from mothers to children. Your gift will help provide HIV testing, prenatal and postnatal care, counseling for HIV-positive mothers, HIV awareness programs, and support for local clinics in places where HIV still threatens lives.
You can also sponsor a child in a community affected by HIV and AIDS. Your love and commitment to a boy or girl in need will help deliver basics like medical care, nutritious food, clean water, and education — the foundations of a healthy, hopeful future.


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The school board has not yet taken steps to bring the new SRO on staff for the coming school year.
The Dardanelle School District currently has one student resource office on staff.
The school board also agreed to purchase additional cafeteria tables and playground equipment for schools.
Aside from the presentation and discussion of monthly reports, other actions by the board included:
• Discussion of the newly legislated School Choice policy.
• Approved student employee procedure manuals for the 2013-2014 school year.
• Approved the hiring of Drew Laughinghouse as a computer technician; Carla Keeling as a school nurse; and Rebecca George as the lead cafeteria cook at Dardanelle Elementary School.


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End of Startup Era: Chips Face Innovation Gap
34 comments
SAN FRANCISCO — The Silicon Valley venture capitalists who once nurtured the semiconductor industry have almost all moved on to greener pastures in web startups, so it's not entirely clear what will be the source of tomorrow's chip innovations.
That was the conclusion of a panel of veteran semiconductor chief executives and investors at the International Solid State Circuits conference (ISSCC) here. The group was modestly optimistic that advances will come from a variety of sources.
A few big companies such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft are getting more vertically integrated by spending more on semiconductors. Developing countries such as China and India are investing in the industry, though they debated the pros and cons of government involvement. And a handful of investors still nourish a few chip startups.
We excerpt below some of the more insightful comments and lively exchanges from CEOs T.J. Rodgers (Cypress), Scott McGregor (Broadcom) and Nicky Lu (Etron) and investors Andy Rappaport (August Capital), John Doerr (Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers), and Dado Banatao (Tallwood Venture Capital).
Rappaport -- who helped start companies such as Atheros, Silicon Image, SuVolta, and Transmeta -- kicked off the discussion with a frank assessment of what he called the semiconductor innovation gap:
The history of the semiconductor industry is the history of innovation through startups, but we are entering a new era. A steady flow of VC-financed, US-based and funded startups has slowed to a trickle. In 2012 and 2013 no one is even keeping the data anymore because the numbers are so small.
Semiconductor startups have been terrible investments. After 2011 they have not recovered anything close to 100% of the capital invested. Today if you invest in semiconductors you have a 50% chance of losing 60% of your money -- it's hard to get up in the morning. Somehow you have to get paid for risk and we haven't been paid for it.
Startups got expensive in part due to the cost of masks. The most interesting problems are very complicated and complexity is expensive -- verification is the biggest expense. Cheap things don't create enough value for startups to differentiate themselves, and it's harder these days to take big companies by surprise given the complexity of delivering new products.
There will not be a robust pipeline of startups ever again, so innovation has to come from other places. One challenge is to figure out how to harness the resources of large corporations.
Next Page: Consolidation ahead


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Related quotes
"[To simplify] is very nearly the whole of the higher artistic process; finding what conventions of form and what detail one can do without -- and yet preserve the spirit of the whole."
"We had been working on this for several years, and Barbara came in and simplified the process. She spent hours and hours working out the details. Her determination, creativity and installation of the program was so smooth. We haven't had to make any changes except in raising the enrollment fees."
"It has been extremely difficult working with the developers in that area; the idea is to simplify the process."
"We don't anticipate that this is going to slow down the process. In fact, this is a simplified process, given these items are no longer prohibited."
"This integration of MOSES with Daybreak provides Crescent Bank with a tool for simplifying the way loans are processed. This fully automated system helps make Crescent Bank more competitive by accessing the lucrative marketplace of independent auto dealers."


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Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens said Saturday the river in Scott County near the Oklahoma state line was too dangerous for search efforts and officials hope to resume the search Sunday.
Wildlife officer Joel Campora had gone with Scott County Sheriff Cody Carpenter by boat to check on two people at a home along the Fourche La Fave River after the river rose sharply in heavy rains on Thursday.
Carpenter was one of three people killed when flash flooding hit the area. His body was found Friday but Campora and the two people at the home near Y City remain missing.


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Finally, after 49 days and 24 games, Andrew Bynum will make his anticipated season debut Tuesday.
Bynum is expected to start his first game since having off-season knee surgery and Phil Jackson said he likely will play 15 minutes against the Washington Wizards. But what else can Lakers fans expect from the oft-injured center?
His presence definitely bring relief for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in means of playing times. The two have been shouldering heavy minutes the first quarter of the season and now they will have a chance at more rest.
But what will Bynum's offense look like? Will he be productive and have much timing after participating in a handful of 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 scrimmages, or will he simply look to rebound and concentrate on offense while he works himself back into game shape?
Many players have had big games after a long layoff, others not so much. However Bynum performs, he will be a welcomed sight for the Lakers.


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The joint venture will provide final design services and services during construction in future phases of the contract for a number of elements, including seven new stations and 4.5 miles of LRT right-of-way, the relocation of Lechmere station; the reconstruction of bridges along the route, and the development of a new maintenance and transportation facility.
After decades of delayed effort, MBTA in recent years has begun pursuing extending its Green Line west of Boston's Lechmere Loop to Somerville and Medford, Mass.
"We are proud to partner with the MBTA on its first expansion project in 25 years, which also is currently the largest infrastructure project in Massachusetts," said AECOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John M. Dionisio in a statement. "Our local light rail expertise, as well as our direct experience with the entire MBTA system, position AECOM well to help improve Green Line service for Boston's residents and visitors."
In April 2011, MBTA tapped the HDR/Gilbane Team, a joint venture of HDR Engineering, Inc. and GilbaneBuilding Co.,to provide program management and construction management for the Green Line LRT extension project.


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Results 11 to 16 of 16
Thread: Retirement Planning
Thought about a place on the river. It's a 45 min. ride. Told the boss I really don't wanna go up there and mow the lawn every Sat. Right now I use the river for free.My Mom said I'm not allowed to get wet!
2000 Outback LS (sold)
Exile Tunes
P5 Danielo Diamond 58"
09-08-2012, 03:36 PM #12Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Location
- Pensacola, FL
- Posts
- 1,585
I think now is a great time to purchase property, especially waterfront property. If you can pay cash, then do it. Even with low interest rates on homes, you would really be losing money in the long run if you divert funds from real investments.
The only way I could justify a property is to make it a rental. If you can find something that you can rent part of the year and generate income, then this is really a different discussion. As others have mentioned, a second home is expensive. A rental home can help make a nice income or provide the funds to pay for itself over time.1997 MasterCraft 205
2008 Moomba Outback
1999 MasterCraft Sportstar OB
1992 MasterCraft 205
1999 Malibu Response LX
1987 Marlin Magnum Skier
09-11-2012, 12:11 PM #14Senior Member
2009 Moomba XLV
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
- Location
- South Bend, IN
- Posts
- 199
We bought ours with the intention of rental income, then with all the hard wok and upgrades we tightened our belt a bit and just used it every weekend, could not come to rent it.
It looked sketchy in 08 an 09 after the purchase in march Of 07, but it has worked out greatand we use it fom April til October...
Lakes are reall nice around IN and MI should be able To get a great deal.A Day at the Lake...Priceless
A Day in Powder...Endless
Joe V
2012 Möbius XLV~ Loaded & Exiled
2007 Outback V ~ sold
09-13-2012, 09:59 AM #16Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Location
- Pensacola, FL
- Posts
- 1,585
At one point, I owned 6 rental homes. Presidents come and go and tax laws change slightly. I took a position that I needed to break even in monthly costs vs monthly rent to make a purchase (at a minimum). As, over time, the renter is paying for the asset. For my first rentals, they were generating a surplus each month. I saved that money to a minimum that I set and then I used any money over that to purchase more property.
I sold my rentals due to too much moving (military) and to meet other financial goals. I will be buying rentals again soon.1997 MasterCraft 205
2008 Moomba Outback
1999 MasterCraft Sportstar OB
1992 MasterCraft 205
1999 Malibu Response LX
1987 Marlin Magnum Skier


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- Mercedes news
W04 not currently a title contender - Brawn
- Drivers:
- Ross Brawn
- Teams:
- Mercedes
Ross Brawn does not think the new Mercedes W04 is capable of challenging for the championship in its current state of competitiveness, but believes the gains in performance from last year are real.
Mercedes got its pre-season testing off to a shaky start with reliability issues on the first two days at Jerez, but the car has shown signs of promise since. Brawn said the W04 is on target but admitted that, at the moment, he thinks it will still fall short of the best cars on the 2013 grid.
"We had some new car reliability issues, but it doesn't appear to be anything fundamental," he told the official Formula One website. "The car looks a step forward from where we were last year. The car is doing what all our simulations and modelling suggested that it would do.
"It is not so that we think we've got a championship-winning car right now, but the difference we have anticipated or predicted between the 2012 and 2013 car seems to be real, which is always an encouraging sign."
He said the loss of rear brake pressure and subsequent accident during Lewis Hamilton's first day was not ideal, but that the team had moved on.
"Of course the first couple of days were very disappointing. But what was encouraging in that situation was Lewis's attitude and approach. He was very mature and he understands these complex engineering processes. We explained to him what had happened and he understood and dealt with it.
"For sure, it was not what we wanted to happen, but it was a useful experience for the team and Lewis and vice versa. So yes, Jerez was disappointing and you don't want it to happen - not with a new driver in his first run in the new car."
With the major change in engine regulations from V8s to V6 turbos looming in 2014, teams will have to shift focus at some point this year. But Brawn said the team would still do the "maximum" it could with the 2013 car while focusing on its long-term plan for success.
"One thing is clear: we can't approach 2013 saying 'well Lewis is here for the long term; we said that we're doing 2014 properly so we don't need to worry about 2013.' We worry and are putting a lot of effort in 2013 because we want to do the maximum that we can. I think Lewis has recognized that we've got a medium-term plan and he wants to be part of it."


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here is the huge command line that caused the error, for whatever it may be worth :
perl.perl6.compiler but google complained of 'temporary error' and i lost the post.
Don't post to google groups. The perl "groups" there are only mirrors of the lists, the lists don't accept incoming posts from google, and so anything posted there is effectively lost. Just send mail to email@example.com, it will get moderator approval and soon be on the list.
The information about not posting to google groups is repeated fairly regularly on the Perl 6 list summary - I'm not sure how else it can be mad


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An elegant 1.5" custom satin ribbon printed with your logo.
This Tritan I-CY H20 Custom Water Bottle proves that when your logo looks good, you look good.
Show the competition you are above par when they see these golf logo umbrellas imprinted with your logo.
Blow away the competition with thiscustom umbrella featuring vents and a patented Windefyer design to withstand winds up to 60 MPH.
Don't let those competitor brands overshadow your department store brands; fight for the top spots with promotional products from ePromos. We are on top of the best new ideas to keep your department store moving higher and higher in the industry. Our enormous selection of promotional items can make holiday blow out sales, company events, or any other occasion bigger and better than the last.


text: This may be a familiar problem: got the latest version of ZA and the update, now all the program seems to do is update. Sometimes it even slow the progress of other programs. This is ZASS. Does any one have any idea what's going on with this program?? I'm new to this forum.


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Registration begins July 8 for the Library's Art Journaling Workshops to be held on Saturday, July 20th in the Library's Basement Program Room. Participants may choose either the morning workshop from 10:15 am to 12:15 pm or the afternoon workshop from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Graphic artist, Tricia Alexander will lead participants in combining words with art to express thoughts, dreams, or daily activities in a visually creative way. At the end of the workshop, participants will have created a personal book to take home.
All materials will be provided for this free workshop. Adults and older teens (ages 15 +) are invited to register at 972-744-4350 beginning July 8. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Richardson Public Library.
411 W. Arapaho Rd. Richardson, TX 75080-4551 PH# 972 -744-4100 | Mailing Address P.O. Box 830309 Richardson, TX 75083-0309
© 2018 City of Richardson, TX | Privacy Policy
| Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities call, 972-744-0908 or Email email@example.com


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It's alright. There are a few things I would like to tweak but for the most part it's all good.
For next years draft (if there will be a next year) I will make sure I'm on time for the draft. But I'm alright with my team, I wouldn't have spent all that money on Amare, Jamison and Yao.
Based on the interest there will be a next year.
LOL. Jeff Adrien had 11 points and 8 rebounds in a loss against Memphis. LMFAO.
I'm currently in a playoff spot, woo.
This league is pretty dead eh? Anyways I'm in a playoff spot, and looking to overtake Apollo
You're never overtaking me.
The league doesn't seem very social but is active:
Apollo, I passed you in the standings. 8-1 this week, against your 6-3.
The week isn't over until after Sunday games.
Are you serious? How many games has Yao played in the past two years? There's fantasy and then there's fantasy. That Yao stat line belongs with dragons and leprechauns at this point in the game.
I feel bad for Yao though. He was an all-star, and MVP caliber center. But yeah, he has played like 400 games in 10 years.
How's everyone feeling about the league so far? You are a quiet bunch compared to the Fantasy Football crowd.
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