text:
Jane S. Shaw
Series Editor
"The red-cockaded woodpecker
is closer to extinction today
than it was a quarter century ago
when the protection began."
--Michael Bean
Environmental Defense Fund
"I am convinced that
more habitat for the black-capped vireo,
and especially the golden-cheeked warbler,
has been lost in those areas of Texas
since the listing of these birds
than would have been lost without
the Endangered Species Act at all."
--Larry McKinney
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
"It is increasingly clear that Congress will amend the Endangered Species Act. For one thing, property rights groups, who are important constituents of the new Republican Congress, are outraged at the power the Act gives federal agents to control landowners' use of their property. For another, the Act isn't working well to save species.
Although many improvements could be made, the Endangered Species Act does not need massive changes; rather, it needs a few fundamental ones. "Takings" legislation that requires compensation when the federal government takes control of landowners' property, already embodied in a bill passed by the House, would go a long way toward correcting the ESA's major flaws. It would reduce the animosity of landowners, encourage cooperation, and force the government agencies that administer the Act to weigh their priorities. Such a law would probably spur Congress to make additional changes in the Act, but, even without further legislation, it would change the way the Act is administered.
To understand why change is needed, and why a few changes will have multiple benefits, we need to understand why the Endangered Species Act has aroused such hostility. That is the chief purpose of this paper.
The Paradox of the Act
The Endangered Species Act, which was passed in 1973, poses a paradox. On the one hand, it is enormously powerful. "In other laws," writes Rocky Barker in his book Saving All the Parts,(1) "federal agencies are required to provide protection 'where practicable.'" But the Endangered Species Act "elevated protection of all species to one of the U.S. government's highest priorities." This protection is "absolute. No equivocation." Others agree with Barker's description. The Act is "widely regarded by its proponents as one of this country's most important and powerful environmental laws and an international model," wrote M. Lynne Corn in a Congressional Research Service report.(2)
Yet evidence of its effectiveness is weak. Only 27 species have been taken off the endangered or threatened list ("threatened" species are those that are likely to become endangered; their treatment under the Act is about the same). Some of these delistings were for errors in the original listings.(3)
At most, only eight species can be described as recovered: the brown pelican, three Palau Island birds, the American alligator, the Rydberg milk-vetch, the gray whale, and the Arctic peregrine falcon, although some others that remain listed are doing well. In his 1993 book, Rocky Barker refers to five "official success stories," but discusses at length only two successes: bald eagles and peregrine falcons (not the Arctic peregrine falcon but the Eastern peregrine falcon, which is still on the list but largely recovered).
And it is difficult to give the credit for these recoveries to the ESA. Most people believe that the ban on the pesticide DDT has helped large raptors such as the bald eagles, the brown pelican, and the peregrine falcon. Furthermore, the falcon's recovery was accomplished almost singlehandedly by Tom Cade and the private organization he created, The Peregrine Fund (now called the World Center for Birds of Prey). Using techniques developed by falconers, Cade painstakingly bred peregrines in captivity. The gray whale, another apparent success, has been increasing in numbers ever since 1946, when an international treaty prohibited commercial hunting for that species of whale. It is doubtful that the Endangered Species Act had an important role. The few successes should be compared with a total of more than 1400 plant and animal species on the endangered or threatened list.(4)
How can such a powerful tool have such inadequate results? The answer is that the Endangered Species Act ignores the fundamental economic problem, the problem of scarcity. Resources for saving species are inevitably limited. They are scarce. For example, it is obvious that we can't set aside the entire acreage of the United States for wildlife habitat, and we can't set aside even a large part of that acreage without interfering with other uses. But the current Endangered Species Act, as it is now interpreted, represents an effort to avoid or disregard this fact. Government agents--primarily the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--have too often acted as though there are no limits, as though they are exempt from the problem of scarcity. Their actions have had perverse results.
The ESA, as interpreted by the Fish and Wildlife Service, calls for FWS biologists to control how land is used any time they consider it important for listed species. They decide whether farming, or logging, or building or even walking the land will be allowed. On such land, private or public, the FWS biologists become, in effect, land managers on behalf of the listed species. (The National Marine Fisheries Service has the responsibility for ocean-going fish.)
When a northern spotted owl, red-cockaded woodpecker, or other species listed as endangered or threatened is found on private property, the owners are required to meet the demands of the Fish and Wildlife Service biologists. Yet the biologists have no economic incentive to limit their demands. Since they have no requirement to compensate the owners of the land they control, other people's land has no budgetary cost to them; it is available free of charge.
In fact, however, land is a scarce good. The landowner who has listed species on his or her land, or who has habitat that might attract listed species, may not willingly offer it up free simply because Fish and Wildlife Service officials think they need it. Yet according to the law, the government has no obligation to consider the wishes of the owner or compensate the owner for taking control away.
The result is not only animosity on the part of landowners, animosity that is fully justified. It is also damage to the species that the biologists want to protect. This ability to control how property is used makes an enemy out of even the most harmless of birds or other listed species. In other words, by focusing the enormous power of the federal government on the supposed protection of rare species, the Act has made rare species unwanted and has even encouraged some people to get rid of them. This explains the paradox of the Act's enormous power and minimal results.
Like other dedicated people, Fish and Wildlife officials would like to believe that their mission transcends all others. And, at least as currently interpreted, the law appears to support them. It appears to authorize the protection of endangered species as "trumping" all other missions. But until the conflict between the fact of scarcity and the apparent ability to disregard scarcity is resolved, the ESA will not work effectively to save species.
An Illustration of the Paradox
The case of Ben Cone illustrates what happens when the government ignores the fact of scarcity.(5) In 1982, Benjamin Cone, Jr., inherited 7200 acres of land in Pender County, North Carolina. He has managed the land primarily for wildlife. He has planted chuffa and rye for wild turkey, for example, and the wild turkey has made a comeback in Pender County partly due to his efforts. He has also frequently conducted controlled burns of the property to improve the habitat for quail and deer.
In the 1970s, Ben Cone and his caretaker noted a couple of red-cockaded woodpeckers on the property. Red-cockaded woodpeckers are listed as an endangered species. They nest in the cavities of very old trees and are apparently attracted to places that have both old trees and a clear understory. By clearing the understory to protect quail and deer and by selectively cutting small amounts of timber, Cone may have helped attract the woodpecker. In the 1970s, however, the birds posed no obvious problem, because Cone did not want to log their habitat at that time.
In 1991, when Cone did intend to sell some timber from his land, the presence of the birds was formally recorded. Cone hired a wildlife biologist to determine the number of birds, which is now believed to be 29 birds in 12 colonies. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service's guidelines then in effect for the red-cockaded woodpecker, a circle with a half-mile radius had to be drawn around each colony, within which no timber could be harvested. If Cone harvested the timber, he would be subject to a severe fine, and/or imprisonment under the Endangered Species Act.
Based on biologists' estimates of the presence of the birds and the Fish and Wildlife rules, it appears that 1560.8 acres of Cone's land are now under the control of the Fish and Wildlife Service. But Cone is still required by law to pay taxes on the land's previous value.
Cone has made several changes in the way he manages the wildlife and timber. In the past, he clearcut a 50-acre block every five to ten years. That created edge for the wildlife and roughly simulated the effect of a small, intense fire, the kind that would start the cycle of succession again every five to ten years. The whole of his property was thus attractive to a variety of wildlife on a sustained basis.
But since the woodpeckers were found, and the logging stopped on more than 1560 acres to help them, Cone has clearcut 300-500 acres every year on the rest of his land. He told an investigator, "I cannot afford to let those woodpeckers take over the rest of the property. I'm going to start massive clear-cutting. I'm going to a 40-year rotation, instead of a 75- to 80-year rotation."(6) Cone's new rotation will do away with old trees on the areas he can still harvest, preventing the woodpecker from nesting in the tree cavities that would have appeared there. Eventually, the acres that have been set aside for the woodpecker will rot or burn, and his land will be free of the woodpecker.
Ben Cone is a relatively wealthy man, and to many people may not be a sympathetic figure. But we don't have to have sympathy for him personally to see that he faces a genuine problem and that his experience teaches a lesson to all landowners who learn about his situation. They may be in for similar treatment unless they do something about it. Indeed, after Cone informed the owner of neighboring land about possible liabilities in connection with the red-cockaded woodpecker, he noticed that the owner, a firm, clearcut the property.(7)
The Riverside Fires
Many other people have been affected by the ESA, some more dramatically than others. For example, in 1992 in Riverside County, California, the Fish and Wildlife Service told homeowners that they could not create firebreaks around their homes by discing the land (that is, plowing the land, although they were allowed to mow the grass). Why? Because the area had been designated as habitat of the Stephens' kangaroo rat. The Fish and Wildlife Service told them that discing could lead to criminal and civil penalties, including going to federal prison or being fined up to $100,000.
Yshmael Garcia had a house in Riverside County. He followed the instructions of the Fish and Wildlife Service and mowed, rather than disced, his property. Unfortunately, when serious fires developed in Riverside in October 1993, his home was one of 29 that were destroyed.
One of those who violated the Fish and Wildlife Service's instructions was Michael Rowe. When he saw the fire approaching about 1 a.m. on October 27, he got into his tractor and made a firebreak. He disced and saved his house.
Ike Sugg wrote about Michael Rowe in The Wall Street Journal,(8) and his story was subsequently featured in an ABC television show "20/20." And in March 1995, a CBS program, "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung," also highlighted the connection between the ESA rules against firebreaks and the California fires.
Sugg pointed out that the Riverside fires were not the only fires affected by such strictures. The fire chief of Orange County, California, said that if residents had been able to clear brush around Laguna Beach, that fire could have been stopped. But the brush was protected habitat for a bird called the California gnatcatcher. (In 1994, a federal judge took the gnatcatcher off the threatened species list on the grounds that the proper listing process hadn't been followed.)
Experiences like Ben Cone's and Michael Rowe's encourage landowners around the country to prevent their land from harboring listed species. Some landowners are managing their land now in a way that almost assures that it will not be suitable for listed species. Others may even be going to the extreme of "shoot, shovel, and shut up," a term that has become popular to describe the attitude of some. No one knows for sure that "shooting, shoveling, and shutting up" has happened, but the takeover of land for the sake of protected species is having a perverse effect. An official of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wrote in 1993 that more habitat for the black-capped vireo and the golden-checked warbler has been lost in Texas since they were listed under the Endangered Species Act than would have been lost if the ESA had not applied at all to them.(9)
Some environmentalists argue that examples like Cone's and Rowe's are merely anecdotes or isolated instances that exaggerate the negative impact of the ESA. Or they paint these individuals as placing their wealth above their social responsibilities. The National Wildlife Federation simply calls them false. In a briefing paper called "Fairy Tales & Facts About Environmental Protection,"(10) the Federation disputes the facts of some well-known cases, including Ben Cone's. It contends, for example, that Cone was offered "two practical alternatives" that "would permit him full use of his land," but he turned them down.
The brief report doesn't say what those alternatives were, but they probably included the creation of a habitat conservation plan or the use of a revised draft of the Fish and Wildlife Service's guidelines for management of red-cockaded woodpecker habitat. Preparing a habitat conservation plan would be quite costly, and the guidelines, which are still in draft form, establish very strict criteria for thinning around bird clusters. In either case, Cone would still have had to place his land under the control of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and it is difficult to see how he would have had "full use of his land."
The story of the Riverside fires has come under criticism as well. In fact, it has evoked a storm of controversy, as environmentalists, upset by the message, have challenged every aspect of the story. Congressmen hostile to changing the Endangered Species Act even brought in the Government Accounting Office to investigate the story.(11) This report confirmed that the Fish and Wildlife Service did not allow discing, but disputed Michael Rowe's claim that by discing he saved his home. The Competitive Enterprise Institute has rebutted the major premises of the GAO report.(12)
The dispute, however, is largely irrelevant. Clearly, the Fish and Wildlife Service used the authority of the ESA to place its goals above fire protection goals. At some levels of fire and wind intensity, the prohibited discing would have protected the houses, and potentially even human lives. The message is clear to landowners: If you want freedom to use your land, avoid endangered species. Perhaps simply by managing your land differently you can avoid attracting red-cockaded woodpeckers or northern spotted owls. While Ben Cone may lose the ability to harvest some of his timber, over time he can get rid of the woodpeckers by failing to burn the understory. When the buildup of brush gets too great, the woodpeckers will go away. (In fact, however, Cone continues to conduct prescribed burns to provide quail and deer habitat.)
The Problem in a Nutshell
Some environmental leaders recognize that a real problem exists. Michael Bean, an Environmental Defense Fund attorney who is often informally credited with authorship of the Endangered Species Act, told a group that included Fish and Wildlife Service officials that there is "increasing evidence that at least some private landowners are actively managing their land so as to avoid potential endangered species problems." He emphasized that these actions are "not the result of malice toward the environment" but "fairly rational decisions, motivated by a desire to avoid potentially significant economic constraints." He called them a "predictable response to the familiar perverse incentives that sometimes accompany regulatory programs, not just the endangered species program but others."(13)
It is ironic that the Constitution explicitly forbids the U.S. Army, even in the name of national defense, from requiring that a citizen quarter a soldier (that is, provide food and shelter for a soldier). Yet the government can require the same citizen to quarter a grizzly bear, a spotted owl, or any other member of a threatened or endangered species, at the landowner's expense.
If the Army had the same power to demand the billeting of soldiers as the Fish and Wildlife Service does now for endangered species we could expect to see soldiers feared, despised, and perhaps even ambushed, as listed species reportedly are today. Yet, in fact, the armed forces are nearly always welcome. The reason is that the military pays their way. The current battles over base closures are fights by communities to keep the soldiers, not to make others take them. Thanks to the policy of compensation, it is truly difficult for the Pentagon to close a base.
How to Change a Species
From an Enemy to a Friend
To make the Endangered Species Act effective on private land, it will be necessary to change the status of endangered species from the landowner's enemy to the landowner's friend. One way in which this might happen is for the courts to recognize that when government takes control of habitat under the ESA, a property right has been taken. If such recognition occurs, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have to follow the clause in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution that requires compensation when the government takes property. So far, no actions of the Fish and Wildlife Service under the ESA have been judged to be "takings" of property rights.
However, this may change. Recent Supreme Court decisions such as Dolan vs. Tigard(14) suggest that the Supreme Court is concerned about regulatory takings. In that case, the government of Tigard, Oregon, had told Florence Dolan that she must donate land for a bicycle path to be allowed to expand her plumbing-supply business. The city claimed that the path was needed to relieve traffic congestion that the expansion would bring. But the Supreme Court said that the city's demand was out of proportion to the problem, and thus was an unconstitutional taking of Dolan's property. This and a few other recent cases suggest that the Supreme Court recognizes that arbitrary control of land through regulation can require compensation. Actions under the Endangered Species Act could qualify as takings.
Change may come through the courts in an entirely different way. The Supreme Court has agreed to reconsider whether the Fish and Wildlife Service correctly interprets the Act as requiring it to tell landowners how to use their land. In the case of Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Greater Oregon v. Babbitt,(15) the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia rejected this interpretation of the Act. It stated that Congress did not intend to grant authority to the FWS to prohibit habitat modification on private land except where there is a federal role in the land use. If the Supreme Court agrees with this decision, the power of the Fish and Wildlife Service will be dramatically curtailed. So will takings, and their anti-species effects.
Even if these changes do not occur, however, we can expect congressional action. The more generalized takings legislation that passed the House of Representatives in early March would apply to the Endangered Species Act. Although final legislation may take a quite different form, that bill now would require compensation if a regulation takes away 20% or more of a property's value. Regulation that simply stopped a polluter from harming others would not be affected.
A number of groups have been trying to come up with modifications of the Endangered Species Act that would provide incentives for landowner cooperation. One suggestion is to provide property tax credits for landowners who commit themselves to long-range habitat protection.(16) Another is to pay landowners "bounties" or "rewards" for endangered species found on their land.(17) Still another is to "rent" the land that is to be used for endangered species.
All these approaches are worth considering. But the key change must be to remove the ability of the Fish and Wildlife Service to seize control of land without compensation. This may happen through court action or legislative action.
This change would have two benefits: Landowners would no longer fear finding endangered species on their property, and the Fish and Wildlife Service would have to consider costs, and thus would have to recognize the goals of others, since it would depend on funding through the normal congressional budget process. Furthermore, the Fish and Wildlife Service would find that its incentives had changed. Once the agency had to pay for what it used, its staff would begin to search for cost-effective ways of preserving species.
Now, wildlife habitat devoted exclusively to nurturing listed species is essentially costless to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and its officials have an incentive to overuse it--that is, they rely on direct control of habitat as the chief way of protecting species. Yet there may be ways of protecting wildlife that don't exclude so many other uses of the land. The captive breeding that brought back the peregrine falcon requires little or no habitat specifically for the falcon. Specially designed boxes for red-cockaded woodpeckers, replacing the cavities of old trees, might be a cost-effective alternative. (Companies such as International Paper are already using such boxes, and many more landowners could be persuaded to do so if that did not increase the danger of draconian controls should the woodpeckers nest there.)
Large Successes on Small Budgets
Putting the Fish and Wildlife Service "on budget" does not mean that protection would disappear or even diminish. There will be little incentive for covert habitat or animal destruction, and landowners will be far more amenable to cooperation. Equally important, if the penalties are removed, there is plenty of evidence that individuals and organizations will take action on their own to protect species. Private organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, have for many decades developed highly effective, low-cost habitat preservation. Removing landowner penalties will make it easier for them to gain landowner help in doing so.
Here are a few examples of what to expect. (For information about these and other groups, contact them at the addresses listed in the Appendix.) The Delta Waterfowl Foundation has an "adopt-a-pothole" program, which pays farmers who protect prairie potholes (depressions in the land that harbor nesting areas for ducks). The Montana Land Reliance keeps large stretches of agricultural land from development through voluntary donations of conservation easements. Many private refuges protect birds and other species; some of them "pay for themselves" by oil or gas drilling. The Pine Butte Preserve in Montana, owned by The Nature Conservancy, provides "eco-tourist" facilities for interested environmentalists, helping to support the preserve, which protects lowland habitat for the threatened grizzly bear. The managers of this preserve have actually created habitat for the bear by burning grasslands in the spring to allow for vegetation to grow and by planting chokecherries, a prized food of the grizzly.
Reasons for Optimism
Not everyone, of course, will act to protect endangered species simply because the penalties are removed. But in a diverse country where there is plenty of freedom and thus growing amounts of wealth, we can expect ever more protection of the environment. There are concrete reasons to believe this.
Economists have begun to document a link between economic growth and interest in environmental protection. One reason is that people with higher incomes are willing to pay more for environmental quality. Economist Donald Coursey finds that in the United States and in other industrial nations, citizens' support for measures to improve environmental quality is highly sensitive to income changes.(18) In economic terms, the "income elasticity of demand" for environmental quality is 2.5, he says. That means that a 10 percent increase in income leads to a 25 percent increase in citizens' willingness and ability to pay for environmental measures. Similarly, a 10 percent decline in a community's income leads to a 25 percent decline in that community's support for costly environmental measures.
According to Coursey, the demand for environmental quality has approximately the same income responsiveness as the demand for luxury automobiles like the BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Environment, it turns out, is a BMW!
There are other indications of this link between economic growth and environmental protection. Gene M. Grossman and Alan Krueger studied several environmental measures for many countries and found that while economic growth in very poor countries "may be associated with worsening environmental conditions," once a "critical level of income has been reached," air and water quality improves. (They found the critical level to be an annual per capita gross domestic product of less than $8,000 in 1985 dollars, or about $11,200 today; the U.S. per capita GDP today is about $26,000).(19) The relationship between economic growth and concern for the environment is also illustrated by the fact that the incomes of Sierra Club members are far higher than average incomes.(20) Simply improving our economy will spur more people to take action to protect the environment, and protecting endangered species is one such action.
But the Endangered Species Act in its current form is a roadblock to creative environmental protection. It not only imposes unnecessarily high costs on landowners; it has also created animosity between environmental groups and landowner groups. In the political arena (unlike the market), discrediting another group or individual can be advantageous. So each group castigates the other, taking advantage of every opportunity to undermine the other's claims. The bitter conflict over the role of the Endangered Species Act in the California fires is just one sign of this deep division. Environmentalists are doing everything possible to discredit the property rights movement; the property rights movement is doing the same to environmentalists.
Thus, today protection of species is a political football. That is because landowners' rights are up for grabs. The landowner fears the Fish and Wildlife Service because it is allowed to take away property rights, while environmental groups fear that property rights legislation will take away the discretionary power of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Only when rights are explicit and well-defended can landowners and environmentalists work together. Just as good fences make good neighbors (because they clearly define property rights), protection of property rights fosters sensitivity to the desires of others. One of the best examples of such cooperation is the long history at Rainey Preserve, where major oil and gas companies operate natural gas wells under controls worked out with the owners, the National Audubon Society.
Endangered Species on Public Land
Our discussion so far has dealt primarily with the effect of the Endangered Species Act on private land. The effects are important because perhaps half of all the endangered species are found on private land.(21) But the most publicized and hostile conflicts have occurred over the application of the Act to federal land. Land-use decisions following the 1990 designation of the northern spotted owl as a threatened subspecies are the most recent example. Logging was halted on millions of acres of federally-owned national forests in Washington and Oregon.
Just as the mission of the Endangered Species Act trumps all other goals on private land, it trumps the other goals of federal agencies, including the Forest Service's goal of harvesting and selling timber. Agencies like the Forest Service must bend to the wishes of the Fish and Wildlife Service, just as private landowners do, even when less disruptive actions could solve the problem equally well.
To correct this imbalance, some means of deciding how land should be managed is needed. It would be possible to require the Fish and Wildlife Service to compensate another federal agency when its mission reduces the ability of that agency to use land to pursue its goals. However, since all federal land is owned by the taxpayer and its management overseen by Congress, another approach may be more feasible. The Fish and Wildlife Service could be required to go to Congress when it believes that a parcel of land managed by another agency is necessary to protect a listed species. Congress could explicitly debate the transfer of control over any sizeable tract of federal land. In this way, the goals of all citizens could be considered; one single goal would not automatically triumph without discussion. Such debate could be triggered by the quantity of land that the Fish and Wildlife Service wants to control; perhaps the transfer of control over any parcel over 100 acres should be made only when Congress concurs.
Another reform could enlist the help of the private sector to protect endangered species on federal lands. A number of federal laws could be changed to allow environmental groups to bid for the lease or purchase of federal lands to protect endangered species habitat (or pursue other environmental goals). For example, today only someone willing to cut down timber can bid on Forest Service timber sales; it is illegal to purchase timber and not harvest. But the law could be changed so that Defenders of Wildlife or The Wilderness Society could bid for parcels and then be allowed not to log, preserving the habitat for endangered species. (Concerns over disease and fire control, however, would have to be addressed.)
In summary, any reform of the Endangered Species Act should have as its goal making endangered species the friend, not the enemy, of landowners. This can be largely accomplished by ending the Fish and Wildlife Service's power to control land without compensation.
Several results will stem from such a change. Landowners will no longer fear finding endangered species on their property and will become much more cooperative. The Fish and Wildlife Service will go "on budget." Its goals will be weighed against other desirable goals, and it will have an incentive to husband its resources, try out creative approaches, and establish priorities.
To achieve these outcomes, either judicial or legislative change is required. The Supreme Court may decide that the control of land to protect endangered species is a taking, and require compensation under the Constitution's Fifth Amendment.
Or, the Supreme Court may uphold the Sweet Home decision that the Act does not normally authorize habitat restrictions on private land.
Or, without any judicial action, Congress may, through broad "takings" legislation, require that a reduction in property value requires compensation.
Or, Congress may amend the Act itself to require compensation. This would give Congress an opportunity to specify the way in which the Fish and Wildlife Service could compensate landowners and encourage mutually beneficial land uses.
On public land, other goals than endangered species protection must be considered, too. Inter-agency compensation is one approach; a more feasible one may be to let Congress decide which goal has priority when the Fish and Wildlife Service wants to control a significant amount of federal acreage.
These changes, however they come about, will end the tragic situation that is now occurring as landowners learn that they will lose their freedom and their property if they find endangered species on their land. If property rights are respected, both landowners and species will benefit.
Richard Stroup has a doctorate in economics from the University of Washington. He is an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, and a Senior Associate at PERC in Bozeman, MT. He is the author of many scholarly articles and co-authored with James D. Gwartney Economics: Private and Public Choice.
1. Rocky Barker, Saving All the Parts: Reconciling the Endangered Species Act (Washington, DC: Island Press, 1993), p. 19, 137.
2. M. Lynne Corn, Endangered Species Act Issues (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, May 27, 1992), p. 1.
3. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants," 50 CFR 17.11 & 17.12 (special reprint, August 20, 1994). This annual list included 20 delistings. Since then, seven additional species have been delisted, reports the Competitive Enterprise Institute (Washington, DC), in "Delisted Endangered and Threatened Species," March 9, 1995.
4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants," 50 CFR 17.11 & 17.12 (Special reprint, August 20, 1994).
5. Lee Ann Welch, "Property Rights Conflicts under the Endangered Species Act: Protection of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker," PERC Working Paper No. 94-12, Bozeman, MT, 1994.
6. Ike C. Sugg, "Ecosystem Babbitt-Babble," The Wall Street Journal, April 2, 1993, p. A12.
8. Ike Sugg, "California Fires--Losing Houses, Saving Rats," The Wall Street Journal, November 10, 1993.
9. Larry McKinney, "Reauthorizing the Endangered Species Act--Incentives for Rural Landowners," in Building Economic Incentives Into the Endangered Species Act (Washington, DC: Defenders of Wildlife, May 1994), p. 74.
10. National Wildlife Federation, "Fairy Tales & Facts About Environmental Protection" (Washington, DC, February 1994), p. 4.
11. General Accounting Office, "Endangered Species Act: Impact of Species Protection Efforts on the 1993 California Fire," GAO/RCED-94-224, July 8, 1994.
12. Ike C. Sugg, "Rats, Lies and the GAO" (Washington, DC: Competitive Enterprise Institute), August 1994.
13. Transcript of a talk by Michael Bean at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seminar, November 3, 1994, Marymount University, Arlington, VA.
14. Dolan v. City of Tigard, Supreme Court Reporter, Vol. 114, p. 2309 (1994).
15. Sweet Home v. Babbitt, 17 Federal Reporter 3rd., Vol. 17, p. 1463 (D.C. Cir. 1994).
16. Jim McKinney, Mark Shaffer, Jeff Olson, "Economic Incentives to Preserve Endangered Species Habitat and Biodiversity on Private Land," in Building Economic Incentives Into the Endangered Species Act (Washington, DC: Defenders of Wildlife, May 1994), p. 1.
17. Terry L. Anderson and Jody J Olsen, "Positive Incentives for Saving Endangered Species," in Building Economic Incentives Into the Endangered Species Act (Washington, DC: Defenders of Wildlife, May 1994), p. 110.
18. Donald Coursey discussed this topic in "The Demand for Environmental Quality," a paper presented January 1993 at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in Anaheim, California.
19. Gene M. Grossman and Alan B. Krueger, "Economic Growth and the Environment," NBER Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, 1994), p. 19.
20. 1992 Reader Survey prepared by Sierra (San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club), p. 1.
21. Hank Fischer, Bill Snape, and Wendy Hudson, "Building Economic Incentives Into the Endangered Species Act," Endangered Species Technical Bulletin (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1994), Vol. XIX, No. 2, p. 4.


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This gives me some hope that Bargnani can pick up his game with time, crazy effort, and good coaching:
I found it interesting to note that Dirks primary role in the beginning was what Bargnanis is now stand at the three, spread the floor. He was the third option behind Nash, and Finley - now he is the first, and he is the clutchest of all clutch players in the league now. I think one of the big reasons is that his game starts at the elbows now, where he can pass, shoot or drive from a prime position.
If Bosh leaves, maybe that is the cue for Bargs to step it up. There is hope for Bargs yet. If he can move his game in around the elbows and add a slight fade to his shot, then maybe he can be our next Dirk when Bosh leaves??? I know, I know...it would be nice though, eh? At the least, I think Bargnani can work on a face up game closer to the rim - this driving from the three only works 25% of the time.
And if Bargs does take this next step, then we can all bitch and moan that Bargnani doesn't have someone like Bosh to play alongside to grab boards and box out.

subset: commoncrawl


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Marketer Debra Da Costa Finds Bio Engineering Useful: Women to Watch
For Debra I. Da Costa, who as marketing vice president has been defining and delivering global marketing strategies at the $3.8 billion United Nations Federal Credit Union for more than 13 years, every day provides a new chance to improve and she wouldn't have it any other way.
"There's always something you can improve upon and that's useful in your personal life as well," said the latest Women to Watch honoree. "I always go home feeling I could have done more. And that's why every morning I make a silent commitment to find a way to do it better than yesterday, whether it's working smarter or having more empathy, it's something I'll continue doing until I take my last breath."
Da Costa, who recently left UNFCU, says working at the Long Island City, N.Y.-based credit union has been a chance of a lifetime and an experience she will treasure as she makes plans for her next adventure.
"When I entered college I wanted to be a biomedical engineer, but I am a people person and being in a lab all day would've been the death of me," said Da Costa. "Although marketing may seem like a huge leap, it isn't, as both use analytical, problem-solving skills and creativity. For me, marketing begins and ends with data, the creativity gets sprinkled in. So as much as a biomedical engineer and marketer may seem worlds apart, they use some of the same skill sets so it's not that farfetched."
She added that she had an incredible mentor who constantly encouraged her to look to the next goal or challenge.
"She'd always tell me to think of the possibilities and to think big. She'd check in on me monthly to find out exactly where I was and what was the next goal I wanted to attain," said Da Costa. "I learned to be true to myself and always looked to even bigger challenges. It's definitely one of the reasons why I accepted the position at UNFCU, the opportunity to do marketing on a global instead of just a national level."
Her mentor has become a really good friend and the experience over the years has helped shape Da Costa's own leadership and communication style.
"To develop others' capabilities to contribute fully to an organization's success and see how people blossom into fantastic leaders in their own right, that is the most fulfilling thing for me," said Da Costa. "Leadership is about giving others the freedom to do something on their own and sometimes fail. Often you may be a bit cautious about letting individuals make their own mistakes or you want them to do it right the first time. But a really good leader is a coach and collaborator who gives that freedom to learn. Be on the sidelines cheer them on and when their knee is wrapped with ice give them advice, share your experiences of when you failed and how you were able to overcome obstacles. They don't have to necessarily take the same path you did but if you do not provide them with opportunities to learn from their own mistakes, how can they blossom into leaders themselves? "
She added that flexibility is essential to effective leadership.
"I'm quite direct in my communication style, but people are the most important thing to me, and throughout the years I've tried to master as many leadership styles as I can to allow me to flex my style as people or situations dictate," said Da Costa. "I try to focus on strengths. It's so rewarding to be able to build someone up. It's easy to crush confidence and ego but more difficult to build someone's confidence in a positive way by giving them the opportunity and having the trust and belief that they can be successful."
Given how quickly the marketplace changes, she said today's leaders must be more nimble and pivot to manage and identify shifts and opportunities.
"To me innovation is doing something different. Doing the same thing better is improvement not innovation. It's about connecting the dots. Having the ability to see the greater, bigger picture and identifying and connecting the tiny details to get there and do it differently," said Da Costa. "Those who are successful at innovation have the ability to see the bigger picture and I think that is critical. I do feel credit unions are sometimes behind. You'd think because credit unions compared to commercial banks are smaller that they would be more agile, yet often we can be less so because there's such a focus on the day-to-day operations and often we are too procedural in nature rather than being able to quickly discern gaps, look at past, present and future contexts and quickly go to market to meet members' needs."
Da Costa added that looking ahead, talent management and diversity are critical to helping credit unions stay relevant.
"When it comes to attracting great and younger talent, banks do that really well. My fear is when I look at credit unions, the industry is getting older, not just members but the staff," Da Costa said. "If we can recruit, develop and retain younger talent on the board, staff and also at the membership level it benefits not only the individual institution but the industry."
As far as the often touted statistic that there aren't enough women executives at top levels, she agrees but says there's a bigger issue.
"Should there be more women at top levels? Yes, there should be, but for me, it's no longer about women executives but having more diversity and multiculturalism at the top," said Da Costa. "While industry experience, insight, and expertise are critical, an equally important aspect is the wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives that individuals bring to work every day.
"By harnessing that collective varied assortment of backgrounds, an organization can and will benefit from the greater insight into the needs of its customer base and be better equipped to develop innovative solutions to help deliver exceptional value. It also helps ensure that the diversity is not just at the bottom of the pyramid but at the top as well where the decisions are being made. Rather than just talking about having more women executives, we need to focus on having a greater balance of diversity and multiculturalism at all levels of the organization."


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46.4101 Definitions.Cite as [A.S.C.A. § 46.4101]
As used in this chapter:
(a) "Adulterated" means varying from the standard of composition or quality prescribed by statute or lawfully adopted administrative rules of this Territory lawfully filed, or if none, as set by commercial usage.
(b) "Appropriate" means to take, obtain, use, transfer, conceal, or retain possession of.
(c) "Coercion" means a threat, however communicated to:
(1) commit any crime;
(2) inflict physical injury in the future on the person threatened or another;
(3) accuse any person of any crime;
(4) expose any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule;
(5) harm the credit or business repute of any person;
(6) take or withhold action as a public servant, or to cause a public servant to take or withhold action; or
(7) inflict any other harm which would not benefit the actor.
A threat of accusation, lawsuit, or other invocation of official action is not coercion if the property sought to be obtained by virtue of the threat was honestly claimed as restitution or indemnification for harm done in the circumstances to which the accusation, exposure, lawsuit, or other official action relates, or as compensation for property or lawful service. The defendant has the burden of injecting the issue of justification as to any threat.
(d) "Credit device" means a writing, number, or other device purporting to evidence an undertaking to pay for property or services delivered or rendered to or upon the order of a designated person or bearer.
(e) "Dealer" means a person in the business of buying and selling goods.
(f) "Deceit" means purposely making a representation which is false and which the actor does not believe to be true and upon which the victim relies, as to a matter of fact, law, value, intention, or other state of mind. The term "deceit" does not, however, include falsity as to matters having no pecuniary significance, or puffing by statements unlikely to deceive ordinary persons in the group addressed. Deception as to the actor's intention to perform a promise shall not be inferred from the fact alone that he did not subsequently perform the promise.
(g) "Defraud" means to swindle, cheat or trick; a deliberate deception practiced so as to secure unfair or unlawful gain.
(h) "Deprive" means to:
(1) withhold property from the owners permanently;
(2) restore property only upon payment of reward or other compensation; or
(3) use or dispose of property in a manner that makes recovery of the property by the owner unlikely;
(i) "Mislabeled" means varying from the standard of truth or disclosure in labeling prescribed by statute or lawfully adopted administrative rules of this territory lawfully filed, or if none, as set by commercial usage; or represented as being another person's product, though otherwise accurately labeled as to quality and quantity.
(j) Of another: property or services means that "of another" if any natural person, corporation, partnership, association, governmental subdivision, or instrumentality, other than the actor, has a possessory or proprietary interest in it; except, that property is not considered property of another who has only a security interest in it, even if legal title is in the creditor under a conditional sales contract or other security arrangement.
(k) "Property" means anything of value whether real or personal, tangible or intangible, in possession or in action, and includes but is not limited to the evidence of a debt actually executed but not delivered or issued as a valid instrument.
(l) "Receiving" means acquiring possession, control, or title or lending on the security of the property.
(m) "Services" includes transportation, telephone, electricity, gas, water, or other public service, accommodation in hotels, restaurants, or elsewhere, admission to exhibitions and use of vehicles.
(n) "Writing" includes printing, any other method of recording information, money, coins, negotiable instruments, tokens, stamps, seals, credit cards, badges, trademarks and any other symbols of value, right, privilege, or identification.History: 1979, PL 16-43 § 2; 2003, PL 28-3.
Research Guide: MCC 570.010, 10 ASC 1101(23), 22 ASC 1(5).


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No. 5 Hoosiers blow past No. 8 Minnesota
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana dazzled its fans with a first half to remember Saturday. Then the fifth-ranked Hoosiers had to survive a forgettable finish.
The nation's highest-scoring team produced only seven points in the final 4 minutes Saturday — barely enough to hold off No. 8 Minnesota's furious closing flurry and hang on for an 88-81 victory.
On paper, it will go down as just another win. In the film room, it will look like something very different to the Hoosiers.
"A year ago, we'd have been ecstatic with that victory and I want them to enjoy it, but we have different expectation levels now," coach Tom Crean said. "We have a lot of room for improvement. Where it takes the next step is when players understand they can play better, and I think they do."
Inside Assembly Hall, the consensus opinion was simple: It never should have been this close.
And there was plenty to critique.
Victor Oladipo scored 20 points and had six rebounds but fouled out after fouling a 3-point shooter for the third time in the game. Jordan Hulls knocked down four 3s, finished with 19 points and four rebounds but had two turnovers and missed three free throws during Minnesota's closing run. Cody Zeller had 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks, and the Hoosiers vaunted bench went 0 for 8 from the field and finished with only three points.
The mistakes allowed Minnesota (15-2, 3-1 Big Ten) to trim a 23-point halftime lead to 13 early in the second half and a 15-point deficit to three with 19 seconds to go.
What happened?
"We had a good first half, but we've got to come out with the same energy in the second half," Zeller said. "I thought the energy dropped off a little bit, but we'll be all right. A win's a win in this conference."
It certainly beats the alternative.
The Hoosiers (15-1, 3-0) have now won six straight overall, 18 in a row at Assembly Hall and beat a Top 15 foe for the fifth time in 13 months as all five starters scored in double figures.
In contrast, Minnesota's 11-game winning streak came to an end with an odd twist. The Gophers' two losses this season have both come to No. 5-ranked teams (Duke and Indiana) and the only teams to hold the No. 1 ranking this season.
"Indiana's a pretty good team and we knew it was going to be a battle. The things we knew we had to do were take care of the basketball and guard their 3s and we did none of it in the first half," coach Tubby Smith said. "We're disappointed we didn't win the game because if we put together two halves, we have a chance to compete."
All five Gophers starters also reached double figures.
Andre Hollins finished with 25 points and four steals, while Austin Hollins and Trevor Mbakwe each had 13 points. Mbakwe also had 10 rebounds.
But the poor start –a half in which three Hoosiers scored 10 or more points and Indiana made seven 3s, forced 12 turnovers and had seven steals — proved too much for Minnesota to overcome.
Hulls got the first of the two key runs started with Indiana's first 3 of the game midway through the first half. Oladipo followed that with a steal and layup, and when the spurt ended with 5:54 left, Hulls and Oladipo had combined for 16 points in an 18-2 run that made it 34-17. The Hoosiers closed the first half on a 12-2 run, too, extending the margin to 52-29 at the half.
When Smith finally got some extended time to talk to his players, things changed.
"I thought we did the things to help us give ourselves a chance, didn't embarrass ourselves by folding the tent and heading home," Smith said of the second half. "We've got a very competitive group of guys and that's what I expected from them in the second half."
It didn't take long to see a difference.
Joe Coleman opened the half with a three-point play, sending Minnesota on a 14-4 run that cut the deficit to 56-43.
Minnesota rallied again late, cutting Indiana's 77-62 lead with 4:37 to go down to 84-81 when Andre Hollins made two free throws with 19 seconds left. The groans could be heard throughout Assembly Hall, especially when Hulls missed two free throws on the ensuing possession.
Had the Gophers gotten the rebound, they would have had a chance to tie the score.
Instead, Hulls grabbed the rebound, drew another foul and made two free throws to make it a two-possession game.
"I feel good, but I know there's a lot of stuff we need to work on," Oladipo said. "We've got to see what we did in the second half and figure out what we did wrong and correct it because we've got some really good teams coming up."


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Template::Plugin::Dumper works great providing you know the name of the datastructure you want to dump - there's no way of dumping out the original datastructure you passed down in the process directive unless you do something like
$template->process($tplfile, { mydata => $real_ds_ref });, sticking
[% Dumper.dump(mydata) %] in your template, and updating all your other template variables accordingly.
My colleague didn't want to have to do this (or force
$real_ds_ref to contain a reference pointing ba
Whilst I remember, the answer to the question "why not just dump the stash?" goes something like, "you could do that, but you'll end up dumping out all the other stash stuff which you probably wouldn't want. A better solution would be to write a template plugin to essentially do that, but filter out the stash stuff TT2 adds".
It was this point I thought, "blow that".


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Are there any attractions(At MGM or anywhere in WDW) that you've just never experienced for one reason or another?
In MGM...
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Play Area - Never appealed to me in the least bit. To me, I just see a glorified play area that you'd find at McDonalds, only lots more kids. :roll:
Astro Orbiter(MK) - At first it was because I was too young and afraid to go up that high. Now it's because the lines are obscenely long. :x
There's also a few rides at AK that I've never experienced because I've only been there once and that was enough for me. :?
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I Never Rode...
Posted 16 January 2003 - 11:14 AM
Posted 16 January 2003 - 10:36 PM
MK -- Astro Orbiter. Too long of a line. I can stand in line for Dumbo or The Magic Carpets of Aladdin for a quarter of the wait time and get the same thrill.
AK -- Dinosaur. I always mean to go on it, but I just never get around to it.
AK -- Dinosaur. I always mean to go on it, but I just never get around to it.
*Leslie Ivette*
Posted 18 January 2003 - 02:00 PM
MK - Tommorrowland Speedway - I never rode this ride, I guess the long lines just always deterred me from riding it.
Astro Orbiter - Long lines always prevented me from riding this one as well.
MGM - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Play Area - Never interested enough to go there.
Astro Orbiter - Long lines always prevented me from riding this one as well.
MGM - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Play Area - Never interested enough to go there.
Posted 18 January 2003 - 07:23 PM
lilchippewa said:
MK - Tommorrowland Speedway - I never rode this ride, I guess the long lines just always deterred me from riding it.
Wow, you never rode this? Every kid dreams of being able to drive and this was the closest thing to it.
Posted 18 January 2003 - 08:08 PM
I have a fuzzy memory from my childhood so I may have rode it at some time but I can't remember if I did ride it. Maybe I did but I have no remebrance of it whatsoever.
Posted 26 January 2003 - 10:50 AM
I hsve never rode Astro Orbiter either. The lines are toooo longg.... :?
Ladies and Gentlemen Welcome to the Hollywood Tower Hotel. We would like to remind you that the Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror features a high speed drop and you should be in good health free from heart condition back or neck problems, or any other physical conditions which could be aggravated by this adventure. We are sorry but children under thee seven years of age are not, not accompanied by an adult or guest that do not meet the 40 in. height requirement may not ride. While waiting to check in we ask that you step all the way forward and fill in all thee available space around you. Food and Drinks should be finished upon entering the hotel lobby and for the courtesy of those around you smoking is not permitted. Also for your safety we ask that you and your children do not stand or walk on the garden walls. Thank you and do enjoy your stay at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. (I know they dont say this exact announcement anymore..but....I like this one so....yea........lol!!)
Tower Of Terror : 105 TIMES!!!
Posted 30 January 2003 - 11:13 AM
Hrmm...no one has ridden Astro Orbiter, yet it always has a large line. Very odd
Posted 24 February 2003 - 06:04 PM
i've never ridden Astro Orbiter, never wanted to stand in line when i was little and don't really care to now.
Posted 24 February 2003 - 06:56 PM
After my first experience at Astro Orbitor, I'm not wasting my time. And just to let everyone know, it's a glorified dumbo/alladin ride. It does give a nice view but not worth more than a 10 minute wait or so.
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October 30, 2009
NM Toys R Us Store NYC
Check out We Are The Trinty for more pics from inside Time Square's Toys 'R' Us New Moon store.
Just look at all that swag - as well as Bella and Jacob's bikes used in the movie and the Volturi thrones - eeek!
Apparently, this was the originally released location as the NY location for the cast tour but was then deleted? Hmmm...
- Lorabell
3 comments:
I want the New Moon hoodie!!ReplyDelete
Is it still there? *Wants to go check it out*ReplyDelete
Also, where are they having the cast tour in NYC?
Now why can't the ToysRus in Maine have those toys?! I'd be skipping through the isles like Geoffrey the freaking giraffe.ReplyDelete
I brought my son there a few days ago to get a halloween costume. I walked through the door and BAM New Moon merch everywhere! Needless to say I left there with an arm full of New Moon goodies and no costume. I guess I wont be getting any mother of the year awards.
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Ryan Theriot has made himself invaluable to the Chicago Cubs with his ability to play multiple infield positions and move up and down the lineup. Theriot, nicknamed "The Riot," has sparked the Cubs' lineup as a semi-regular at both shortstop and second base. The Louisiana State University alum made his Major League debut in 2005 and hit .328 in 53 games with the Cubs last season.
MLBPLAYERS.com: You've become a fan favorite in Chicago with your hustling style of play and your grasp on the fundamentals. Have you been able to enjoy your strong start?
Theriot: Getting an opportunity to come out here and help this team on a pretty-much regular basis is one thing you look forward to. Just getting that chance to do it and affect your team in a positive manner has been great. Obviously with the fans on your side, it's better. The fans appreciate hard work and they appreciate hard play. These fans in Chicago know what they're talking about.
MLBPLAYERS.com: The Cubs have a lot of hitters who are putting up good numbers, but it's not turning into a good record. Are you surprised how the team has struggled a little bit, or do you think this slow start is setting the table for a big season?
Theriot: I think we've got a lot of guys who are doing exactly what we expected them to do offensively. D-Lee (Derrek Lee) is having a great start, as well as Aramis (Ramirez). Sorie's (Alfonso Soriano) is doing well, too. So our big guns offensively are getting the job done. I feel like the rest of us, we're scoring some runs, too. It's just one or two little breaks, man. And that's just the way this game goes, whether it's offensively or defensively. That's why we play so many games and that's why you don't ever see one team run away with it from the beginning. There are almost always close division races. So we'll see what happens.
MLBPLAYERS.com: It's your first year making the Majors out of Spring Training. What's been your biggest surprise as an everyday player?
Theriot: I guess it's how the book gets out on you real fast. The advance scouts for each team do a great job seeing what a hitter's doing well at a certain time. You have to be able to adjust to the pitchers, while at the same time, they're adjusting on how to pitch to you. That's one thing where you can't just focus in one approach you have to a certain pitcher.
MLBPLAYERS.com: Does it amaze you how good the left-handed pitchers are up here?
Theriot: Traditionally, I've always hit lefties pretty good. But they figure out what it is you're having problems with, and that's how they attack you. We've run into some good ones who can control their offspeed pitches and throw a lot of strikes.
MLBPLAYERS.com: The Cubs have seemingly always been knocked for not developing position players in their farm system, but now there's you, Felix Pie, Matt Murton and Angel Pagan. You guys could become a nice core for this team. How nice is it to come up through the system with a group of guys?
Theriot: It's fun. We always knew this was coming. When we were together in low A, it was Felix, myself and Rich Hill, who is a pitcher, and once we went up to Daytona Beach, it was the same group of guys. We consistently moved up together. I think Jim Hendry, our general manager, and Oneri Fleita (director of player development/Latin American operations) did a great job keeping us all together. There was one year, 2005, when Rich and I got called up, but that was about it. We kept thinking one of us should go up to Chicago, but I think it helped us out because we learned how to play together.
MLBPLAYERS.com: Before this year, the Cubs signed Mark DeRosa to play second, where you had been playing. And they traded for shortstop Cesar Izturis last year. Were you discouraged or did that just motivate you?
Theriot: I always have confidence in my ability. I know what I can do. When you get a guy like Mark, it can only help. He's a versatile player who plays a ton of positions. He's a proven ballplayer who has been around the game for a long time. He's a leader and a guy I can go to if I have any problems or questions. Initially, I was a little disappointed, as anyone would be, but after I started to think about it, I was excited and I was right. It's been a blessing to have him around; it's been great.
MLBPLAYERS.com: You played for a legendary manager at LSU in Skip Bertman and now you're playing for Lou Piniella. How are they different or similar?
Theriot: Skip was a master motivator. He was a guy who could trick you into thinking you could run through a brick wall. He wasn't as hands-on with the game. He let his assistant coaches do most of the baseball stuff. Not that he didn't know, but he just didn't mess with it.
Lou is very, very skilled in every facet of the game. He knows about everything. He's the type of guy where if I have a problem catching ground balls, he can fix it for me. Hitting as well. He's pulled me and other guys aside and told us, "Hey, try this" or "Do that." It's pretty refreshing to have a manager who knows so much.
MLBPLAYERS.com: What's it like having a legendary shortstop like Alan Trammell around as your infield and bench coach?
Theriot: It's amazing, he was one of the greatest hitting infielders ever. Watching him play growing up, and having a guy of his status in the dugout, we're very lucky to have him as a coach. And it's not just him. Our hitting coach Gerald Perry has been tremendous, and throw in Mike Quade at third base -- he was our manager at Triple-A, so most of us young guys are comfortable with him.
MLBPLAYERS.com: Are you going to trademark, "The Riot," as a nickname and sell merchandise?
Theriot: Nah. That nickname has probably been around forever. It's funny because (Cubs TV broadcasters) Len (Kasper) and Bob (Brenly) like to try and take credit for the nickname, but they didn't come up with it.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Equine World Records Reviewed
- Nov 14, 2013
- Topics:
The tallest living horse is Big Jake, a Belgian gelding, who measured 20 hands, 2.75 inches, without shoes, at Smokey Hollow Farms in Poynette, Wis., on Jan. 19, 2010.
Photo: Kevin Scott Ramos/Guinness World Records
Each barn has a biggest horse, a smallest horse, a wildest horse, and a quietest horse. But do you know how big the world's tallest horse is? Or how long the longest tail on a pony is? Not to worry: In honor of National Guinness Record Day (today, Nov. 14), TheHorse.com staff has collected a sampling of some of the most interesting horse-related records included in the Guinness Book of World Records.
World's Tallest Horse: Big Jake, standing 82.75" (or just over 20.2 hands)
According to the Guinness website, Big Jake (pictured above) resides in a 20-foot by 20-foot stall and consumes a bale and a half of hay and 40 quarts of oats each day. In a video on his Guinness page, Big Jake's owner, Jerry Gilbert of Smokey Hollow Farm in Poynette, Wis., says that the Belgian draft horse is a "big jokester," likes to play around, and has a very good temperament. Fans can visit Big Jake and his equine friends by making a reservation with Smokey Hollow Farm.
World's Smallest Horse: Thumbelina, standing 17.5" (or just over 4 hands)
Thumbelina is a dwarf Miniature Horse mare born and raised at Goose Creek Farm Inc. in St Louis, Mo., her Guinness page says. According to published interviews with Thumbelina's owners, Kay and Paul Goessling, and her handler, Michael Goessling, the mare weighs less than 60 pounds and will never be bred.
World's Oldest Documented Donkey: Suzy, who lived to be 54 years old
According to Suzy's Guinness page, she was born in 1948 and her last owner, Beth Augusta Menczer of Glenwood, N.M., purchased her in 1973. Suzy lived until 2002.
World's Longest Pony Tail: 13'5" (more than 4 meters) long
Janine Sparks' Shetland Pony Golden Shante, aka "Topper", holds the record for the world's longest tail on a pony, the pony's Guinness page says. Topper was born in 1993.
World's Largest Horse Parade: 11,125 horses and riders
The largest horse parade took place on Aug. 9, 2013. In it, 11,125 horses and riders from each of the 21 Mongolian provinces gathered in Khui Doloon Khudag, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for the parade that spanned nearly 2.5 miles, according to the Guinness page. The youngest rider in the parade was just 2 years old, while the oldest was a 90-year-old man. A videographer was on hand to capture the historic parade, and the footage is now available online.
World's Largest Stick Horse Collection: 460 stick horses
According to the Guinness website, Dan Cavanah of Florida, has amassed 460 stick horses since he began collecting them in 1990. According to Cavanah's website, he received his first stick horse as a joke gift, but began collecting at the encouragement of friends and family. He founded the Woodin-stick Horses of America, Inc., (WHOA) and coined the word "whoadeo" to describe for rodeo-styled stick horse. Cavanah is also the author of the stick-horse based children's book, Tiny Timber Finds a Friend.
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By Lamar Johnson
Not since Pepsi proclaimed that it was the choice of a new generation has anything swept across the American consciousness as quickly as social media. Facebook is a big deal -- 400-million-users big. Twitter is part of the daily vernacular and YouTube is one of the most visited sites in the world.
Teachers, students, and parents are all using social media to stay connected. New teachers now entering the classroom have been exposed to this new technology since their formative years. Parents are turning to social media to get critical answers, form coalitions, and make sense of the world. Some studies estimate that as many as 60 percent of all teens own their own cell phone, giving them access to Facebook and Twitter as well because no Internet is required. All you have to do is send a text message.
Most school board members, however, have been slow to embrace this new medium.
It's a natural disconnect, because in general the people making the policies are one to two generations removed from those who live with the policy. As a board member who works with social networks every day, I can tell you with certainty: You need to be aware of this disconnect and integrate this powerful communications tool into your governing life.
If you don't, you are missing an opportunity.
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They say the best way to a person's heart is through their stomach. With kitchen tools customized by ePromos, you're sure to win the affections of customers and employees effortlessly! What's more, our team is available to help every step of the way. We're experts in selecting and designing personalized products for your brand ambassadors. Whether they are BBQ masters or heroes of home cooking, you'll find the perfect kitchen gadget or gift set to make your marketing initiatives more memorable.
Quality rubber, huge imprints, attractive packaging and low prices make promo Jar Openers an excellent promotional value.
Promotional refrigerator and warmer in a baseball or basketball design.


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Okay now...
I have Windows Vista Home Premium and I downloaded VirtualDub 1.7.8 because I have a project that I want to start working on. I'm using a tutorial for practice before I start my project, so I'm using the files that the tutorial provided. When I tried opening the video file on VirtualDub it said:
Couldn't locate decompressor for format 'WMV3' (unknown)
VirtualDub requires a Video for Windows (VFW) compatible codec to decompress video. DirectShow codecs, such as those used by Windows Media Player, are not suitable.
I searched for a VFW compatible codec that could be used with VirtualDub but it didn't work. Is this just my computer being stupid or did something completely fly over my head? Thank you for helping me out, my mind is completely fried right now.
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Add the WMV plugin to the 'plugins' folder in VirtualDub.
Install FFDSHOW and enable WMV.
Enable the WMV decoders under "VFW Configuration" -> "Decoder" -> "Codecs"
or look at the installation guide here.
Thank you. That seemed to do the trick. I'm probably just stupider than I thought XD
Originally Posted by sambat
I'm hoping that you can help me
Originally Posted by DarrellS
Originally Posted by DarrellS
Hm? The OP (Katsu-kohai) seems to have resolved the problem... in 2008.
Originally Posted by Katsu-kohai
Originally Posted by hezbagIf cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
Hi there,
sorry for the question but I have problems w/ this program, too.. I've installed all things required, done the things you've recommended here, and it's still not working, cannot find the vfw codec... but I'm sure I have one. I've already had K-Lite codec before, installed DivX codecs... what's the problem?
Thanks for your help, regards.
Which VfW codec?
You'll probably need to find ffdshow's folder in your Start menu, click on 'VFW configuration.' In the window that pops up, make sure you're on the Decoder tab, and that Codecs is highlighted in the left side of the window. Scroll down on the right until you find the codec that VirtualDub can't 'find.' In the Decoder column for that codec, click on the dropdown and set it to libavcodec.
Click OK, then run VirtualDub and see if the problem persists.If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
Thanks for your help!
I've tried what you said, but sadly it doesn't work. Btw I've installed the K-Lite pack, DivX, DivX Pro VFW, Xvid.. that's all I guess. They all worked pretty good with the other editing programs.
And I think it matters that it's VirtualDubMod, not 'only' VirtualDub.
It's an MKV file I want to open, and there are two error messages (if there are, because sometimes it simply froze..):
1. MKV: Subtitle stream (2) contains overlapping subtitles. Some of the may not be kept when editing. ---> I think it's not a big deal since I want to remove the subtitles from this file anyways...
2. Couldn't locate decompressor for format ???? (unknown). VirtualDub requires a Video for Windows (VFW) compatible codec to decompress video. DirectShow codecs, such as those used by Windows Media Payer, are not suitable. Only 'Direct Stream Copy' is available for this video.
VirtualDubMod's support for MKV is rather outdated, and can't handle h.264/AVC video through the VfW interface at all (that's why you get the "Cannot locate decompressor for format ÿÿÿÿ" message).
Since all you want to do is remove the subtitle stream, install mkvtoolnix instead, and use MKVMergeGUI (mmg.exe) from the package to delete the subtitle stream. (Uncheck the box next to the subtitle stream, after you've loaded the video, and remux to a new MKV.)
You might also want to install MKVExtractGUI while you're at it, to the same directory as mkvtoolnix, just to have it handy. (You won't need it for the above, but it's useful to have around if you're going to do a lot of work with MKVs.)If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
Originally Posted by ffspor_8
Use MediaInfo to get information about your files. It will tell you what audio and video codecs are used.
Originally Posted by Ai Haibara
Can I convert the MKV files to AVI with this program?
//okay, I'm silly, I figured out that I cannot... of VirtualDubMod's acting like that and I need to convert it fast, what can I do?
Right now, I'm using AVIDemux to convert MKVs to AVI. It takes a bit of getting used to, though, and may not run as well depending on your hardware (at least it did in my experience - it runs great on the system listed in my profile, but on the Vista32 system I was using before that (dual-core with 1GB RAM), it ran a lot slower, even with the process priority increased.
You might try some of the ffmpeg/mencoder GUI converters like Avanti and WinFF. It's also possible to frameserve an MKV into VirtualDub/Mod using AVISynth scripts, but that's not for beginners and may require a little experimentation to make sure the video and audio remains in sync.If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
VirtualDub directory for using in VirtualDub?
and what about mp4 format support? it doesn't see this format
Xvid: just use the pesky installer, problem solved
P.S.: bumping OLDE topics is often considered a bad practice
link's dead, it doesn't open
XviD codec installed, but anyway I can not figure out its settings, I mean where to specify the frame size, frame per sec, average bitrate and others, those utilities in XviD codec directory for me are useless
http://gral.y0.pl/~fcchandler/Plugins/QuickTime/index.html works here.
But sometimes, depending on where you are, or on the crappiness of your ISP,
you may need the intermediation of a proxy server
Ai Haibara's last post was written on 27th Dec 2009, 09:05 GMT.
Your first post was written on 21st Mar 2014, 22:46 GMT.
That is to say, 4 years ++ nearly-3 months later.
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text:
(crossposted from ES for the larger audience)
E-mail received:
Please help me decide what I should put down here. With Ken's help, I've got "Lost Wright Brother", "Lindbergh baby", "Runs car on pop rocks and coca-cola", and "18th President". I'm not planning on being truthful.Patrick Engineering Inc. Livonia
"Guess Who?"
On the lower half of this page, please write down one interesting fact about yourself that you don't think anyone in the office knows. This can be personal history, a hobby or interest, or some other "G" rated item that you don't mind sharing. Please be sure to identify your entry.
After recording your "little known fact" fold this page to make sure it is kept confidential, and place it in the marked container on Andrea's desk.
Friday, our designated Master of Ceremonies Note: That's me! will draw the entries, read them aloud to your co-workers, ask them to identify the person whose item is read. Let's see how well your co-workers know you!
Please help me with this very important matter!


text: Months later... I wonder if this short (RF version with zip and button closure) was released somewhere ???? I guess it was actually sold in Europe only (like all "zip/button" version) but really can't find any !!!!! Anyone have it ? What does it looks like in person ? Is it the very same color than the "green abyss" polo ? Thanks. –


text:
Lower South
July, 2009
Regional Report
Web Finds
Beneficial Insects
The Beneficial Insects Web site from the University of Florida provides a wealth of links and information on beneficial insects and the pests they prey upon. It includes helpful photos and descriptions. Overall this is a great resource for learning about beneficial insects and their work in your garden.
Clever Gardening Technique
Tip Layer Fall Tomatoes
In fall we get another "window" of time where temperatures are right for fruit set on our tomatoes. However, by late summer our plants are looking pretty bad after battling diseases and pests all spring and summer. To quickly establish a new plant cover a section of tomato vine about a foot from the end of the vine. Keep the soil moist around the covered vine. In a few weeks it will be rooted and you can then sever it from the "mother plant", which is removed along with its mite-infested, disease-plagued foliage. Your new plant will grow quickly for the fall fruiting season.


text:
Hey! I, like a lot of writers, love writing fanfiction! I don't really know what else I can say in this short Bio (well, it's not that short anymore), so... Enjoy! Oh and, I truly believe Ron and Hermione should get together. Same with Harry and Ginny.
Oh, and for those who care (I doubt you do, but oh well!) My favorite authors are: J.K. Rowling, Eoin Colfer, Agatha Christie, Lemony Snicket, and J.R.R. Tolkein.
Favorite Books: Harry Potter (well, DUH!), the Artemis Fowl series, The Supernaturalist, The Wish List, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, They do it With Mirrors, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Hobbit.
Note: I didn't include all the manga (Japanese comic) titles because I fear that the list would be quite extensive.
I probably have more favorites, but seeing as you're probably asleep, drooling on your keyboard right now, I'll give it a rest.
Anyway, enjoy the work I've submitted! I look forwards to receiving your reviews!
Congratulations on making Gryffindor!
Basically, you're brave, daring, chivalrous, and pretty much.. an all around good person. Of course, some see you as a goodie-two-shoes. But hey, it's true! You're really good at winning, and normally always come out as the hero. Everybody likes you.. except, maybe, the Slytherins. You're too perfect. No, really.. You're too perfect. It's annoying to watch you win, repeatedly. Oh well. Be proud anyway.
You're a Cello! You have the most sonorous and
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People like you though, and with good reason!
Go grab a cello if you haven't already... and
don't get the violinists get to you when they
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Which orchestral string instrument are you?
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It's another Thursday of Nintendo downloads, and this week we've got full retail games getting the digital treatment. You can now download The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Mario Kart 7, Star Fox 64 3D, and Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS eShop. There are also a handful of new titles which you can check out below.
WiiWare gets a new game with Reel Fishing Ocean Challenge. The game is priced at 500 Wii Points, and it tackles the activity of fishing. You know, if you're into that stuff.
On the 3DS eShop we've got Sparkle Snapshots 3D, which sounds like a hideous photo app, for for $5.99. Due out on October 22 is Style Savvy: Trendsetters for $39.99. This may be even more hideous than the photo app.
If you'd rather take a trip back in time, the NES shooter Gradius is available on the 3DS Virtual Console for $4.99. There's also a free demo for Moshi Monsters Moshlings Theme Park. Admittedly, that's kind of an awesome title for a game.
On the DSiWare front this week is a single game. Puzzler World XL features a number of puzzles including, you guessed it, Sudoku. This one's available for 500 DSi Points ($4.99 for eShop buyers).
Want to talk about indie games, Kirby, or cheap pizza? Follow me on Twitter @dr_davidsanchez.


text:
By PORTIA A. SCOTT (www.atlantadailyworld.com)
A packed audience attended final rites for Theodore Roosevelt Jones Jr., Thursday, Dec. 8, at Warren Memorial United Methodist Church. Pastor Rev. Donald K. Reed Sr. officiated, with Rev. Wimbley Hale Jr., former pastor of Warren and now pastor of Andrews Chapel UMC, bringing the eulogy.
The 11 a.m. service was a somber one for family and friends who remembered the deceased as serving more than 38 years as an educator of the Atlanta Public Schools. Jones, a native of Columbus, Ga., served as principal of several schools including Peeples Street Elementary, Ragsdale Elementary; John Kennedy Middle, Sutton Middle, Bass High, Sylvan High and Therrell High. He also served as a counselor at Dean Rusk Elementary and curriculum liaison specialist at the Instructional Service Center. He served earlier as a teacher at E.R. Carter Elementary and J.C. Harris Elementary schools.
Ted Jones, as he was affectionately known by friends and family, attended public high school in Columbus, and then went to Clark College in


text: "Spock's Brain" is probably the most MST3K worthy episode in TOS. So nit-picking it is gratuitous. However, I ran across a passage in THE STARFLIGHT HANDBOOK (Eugene Mallove & Gregory Matloff, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1989) that seemed relevant. During the opening tease, Scotty is gushing over an ion-propelled ship. "They could teach us a thing or two!" Meanwhile the Enterprise flashes between the stars at multiples of the speed of light. I guess "ion" sounded technical to the writer. Later in the episode, Scotty again remarks on "ion power"— Ooh! Do it again! In a similar vein, in the BUCK ROGERS episode "Buck's Duel to the Death," our hero must confront a gangster called the Traybor who uses electricity as a secret weapon—casting bolts like Zeus. Apparently, no one in the 25th century uses olde fashioned electricity anymore, so it's up to Buck to deal with this problem... Again, we have a writer who is unfamiliar with any physics. Electrical charge is one of the most fundamental aspects of all matter. So even if New Chicago is powered by an antimatter plant, electricity (and ions!) still comes into the picture somewhere.


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National Rentals, SHARWay
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text: Stefanie Nation on the Team USA Trials experience November 28, 2011 With the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials just a month away, BOWL.com is asking various Team USA stars to offer their perspectives on the Team USA Trials experience. In the video below, seven-time Team USA member and 2009 Women's World Champion Stefanie Nation discusses the challenges of Team USA Trials competition, what it takes to succeed in this demanding event, and much more. Be sure to check back with BOWL.com throughout the next month as other Team USA stars discuss their experience bowling the USBC Team USA Trials and representing their country throughout the world. The 2012 USBC Team USA Trials will be conducted from Jan. 2 - 6 at Texas Station's Texas Star Lanes in Las Vegas, Nev. The deadline for early entries is Dec. 5. The entry fee increases by $50 after that date. For more information on this event, click here.


text:
The article's title is equal parts moronic and hyperbolic (it's obvious he is doing it as a sensationalist piece, and is using a mundane, played out, and trite ploy at making a play on Harvard's rep).
The dumb**** writer answered his own questions at the end.
Financial certainty. Oh, and the motherucking Knicks didn't match the mother****ing offer which the mother****er Dolan pushed Lin to get in the first place.
Only a mother****ing idiot tells a player to test the open, free market, and then acts like his prom date ****ed his best friend when the open market doesn't go according to his plan (hint: your plan was moronic to begin with if you hadn't already considered situations being likely, like what happened with HOU).
This is all very simple. Hint #2: real businessmen don't read Forbes to derive actual business sense
Oh, and Lin prolly thinks Dolan is a ****, Melo is an antagonistic bitch, JR Smith is a racist thug, and the Knicks, fresh off another round of GM and Coach debacles, are mired in sub-contention for the next several years.....so why suckle up to Dolan's old dick and sell out for some extra bones?
Pretty obvious.
Reading is indeed fundamental. However, so is thinking.
*this is my last post on Lin from this perspective, as nothing else can really be said from this side of things


text:
McAllister pleased with his first rehab outing
By Mark Emery / MLB.com
CLEVELAND -- The first Minor League rehab outing is typically a big step in a player's recovery process.
On the 15-day disabled list since June 3, Indians right-hander Zach McAllister made his first rehab appearance on Saturday with Double-A Akron, where he threw 61 pitches over 3 1/3 innings. McAllister -- who has dealt with a right middle finger sprain -- was charged with four hits and two runs, while striking out five and walking one.
"I was pleased with it. Finger felt fine," McAllister said on Sunday. "That was the most important thing. I felt my command for the most part was OK. Obviously, it's the first time facing hitters in a game situation. So, I had that adrenaline and [was] probably a little amped up a little bit. But I was happy with it."
McAllister did not throw any curveballs in the outing. That pitch has been the most problematic for McAllister's ailing finger, though he plans to implement breaking balls in a bullpen session and his next rehab appearance, scheduled for Thursday.
In 11 outings for the Tribe, McAllister is 4-5 with a 3.43 ERA. The righty has 45 strikeouts and 22 walks over 65 2/3 innings. Cleveland has been cautious with McAllister, but if everything continues to progress, he could pitch for the Tribe on July 23 in Seattle.
"I'm going to do all I can to perform and pitch well and make sure my finger feels good, and do what I can to get back here," McAllister said.
Perez locking things down in Indians' bullpen
CLEVELAND -- Chris Perez has basically been a model closer since coming off the disabled list on June 27.
With the Tribe holding a two-run lead on Saturday night against the Royals, Perez entered in the ninth inning and used 12 pitches to retire David Lough, Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar, the last of whom looked at a 92-mph fastball for strike three to end a 5-3 Tribe win.
In 10 outings since his return from right shoulder inflammation -- including his 13th save in the Indians' 6-4 win over the Royals on Sunday -- Perez is 7-for-7 in save opportunities and owns a 0.90 ERA. He has issued three walks with eight strikeouts, with the lone run on Thursday, when the Tribe held a three-run lead against the Blue Jays.
"I think he's really staying down in the zone extremely well," Indians manager Terry Francona said after Saturday's win. "When they hit the ball, you're not getting it in the air with much authority. He looks really good. He's pitched, I think, six out of eight days [before Sunday]. He's done a really good job."
Since throwing a scoreless inning during the Tribe's 9-4 loss to Detroit on July 6, Perez has made seven appearances in a span of nine days. Excluding the long hair and thick beard, the closer has lately borne little resemblance to the pitcher who gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning on May 26 at Fenway Park.
Perez went on the 15-day disabled list the next day, which seemed to explain why the veteran had posted a 13.50 ERA in the five-outing stretch that ended with the meltdown in Boston. Shoulder discomfort resulted in a shortened Spring Training for Perez, as well, and Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway said the two injuries have combined to make this season challenging for the closer.
But Perez appears to be healthy now, and his recent performances are improving his season numbers. Across 26 2/3 innings over 27 games, he has a 3.04 ERA and 13 saves in 15 opportunities. Perez also has 26 strikeouts and 13 walks, while posting a 1.35 WHIP and keeping opponents to a .225 batting average.
"Right now, he's only at 25 innings and just almost kind of getting his feet wet," Callaway said before Sunday's finale of the first half. "This is the first time he's been out there consistently. I think it's starting to show up. His command's back. He's locating down in the zone. He's been really solid. It's good to have him back."
Tribe's post-break rotation starts with Kazmir
CLEVELAND -- When the All-Star festivities conclude and it's time for regular-season baseball to resume, Scott Kazmir will take the ball for the Indians.
The Tribe announced on Sunday how the starting rotation will look following the four-day break. Kazmir is scheduled to start on Friday in Minnesota, with Corey Kluber pitching on Saturday and first-time All-Star Justin Masterson set to throw on Sunday. It will be Ubaldo Jimenez's turn the next day in Seattle, with the fifth spot still undetermined.
"It was really just more of matchups for everybody going through for the first 15 days or so," pitching coach Mickey Callaway said. "No huge rhyme or reason."
Originally, Cleveland planned to have Masterson make the first start after the break. But if he pitches in Tuesday's All-Star Game, Masterson would have just two days of rest before that outing. The Indians didn't want Friday's starter to be decided by whether Masterson takes the mound in New York, so they pushed him back to Sunday, when he'd have four days' rest if he appears in the Midsummer Classic.
"Just trying to give him a little blow during the All-Star break and just get him to where [he's facing] the teams we want him to face," Callaway said.
The Indians would prefer that Zach McAllister can resume a regular spot in the rotation after the break, which he had done in the first half before going on the 15-day disabled list on June 3 with a right middle finger sprain. McAllister made a rehab start on Saturday for Double-A Akron, with another outing scheduled for Thursday.
"If he keeps up his current pace, we're hoping that that spot's there for him," Callaway said. "Obviously, when you're coming back from an injury, you don't know, so it's tough to really say. But, we're hoping that that's him."
Quote to note
"I think actually the timing was probably pretty good. I think he admitted that it was probably good for him to be able to take a breather and kind of get his swing together and everything. I don't think there was any worry about him [sulking]."
-- manager Terry Francona on Lonnie Chisenhall, who was demoted to Triple-A earlier in the year, but has hit .292 with 14 RBIs and three home runs since his return to Cleveland.
Smoke signals
• Brett Myers, on the 60-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis and a mild UCL sprain, is still a long ways off from rejoining the Indians this season.
"Right now, he's just trying to get his arm feeling right and start throwing off the mound again," Callaway said. "Hopefully, he'll be throwing off the mound by the time the All-Star break's done, and then we'll just play it by ear."
Myers last pitched for the Tribe on April 19. In just four outings (three starts), he's 0-3 with an 8.02 ERA. In January, Cleveland inked Myers to a one-year, $7 million deal that included a team option in 2014 worth $8 million.
• Trevor Bauer, the organization's top pitching prospect, was scratched from his Saturday start for Triple-A Columbus because of lower back spasms. The right-hander has made four starts for Cleveland this season, going 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA.
• Mark Reynolds wasn't in Sunday's lineup for the second game in a row. Manager Terry Francona, who was unavailable before the series finale against the Royals, had said a day earlier that Reynolds would probably start on Sunday. In his last 11 games, Reynolds is batting .081 (3-for-37) with zero home runs.
• Entering Sunday, the Tribe's starters posted a 1.81 ERA over the last seven games. As a whole, the staff had gone 51 innings without allowing a home run.
• The Indians announced on Sunday that right-hander Blake Wood was recalled from his 30-day rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus, activated from the 60-day disabled list, and optioned to the Clippers. Cleveland also outrighted catcher Omir Santos to the Columbus.
Wood, 27, is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in May 2012. In 15 Minor League games (six starts) this season, he is 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA.
Mark Emery is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.