text:
Definitely check out Earl Bloom's slideshow on the Angels' shortstop options. He gives us 10 scenarios, any number of which may be reasonable, but only one the best. In two sentences or less, let's do some ranking:
10. Khalil Greene: Home runs and nothing else, an OBP that resembles a good bowling score and an overrated glove? Maybe the Angels could just see if Alex Gonzalez is still kicking around.
9. David Eckstein: There once was a child who tried so hard that he accomplished far, far more than anybody in his small town ever imagined he would. His story of greatness was an inspiration to all, until he moved out of the hamlet and everybody realized he had really just drugged the town water supply with hallucinogens, and but for a season or two he could hardly play at all.
8. Maicer Izturis: Making Izturis the full-time shortstop would be such an act of uncreativity that I simply won't acknowledge it.
7. Chone Figgins: His most valuable season was 2005, when he played six positions, including four semi-regularly. The Angels should enjoy the roster flexibility he provides, not stretch Figgins past his limits as an everyday shortstop.
6. Edgar Renteria: A shortstop with two good years in the past three seems like a nice option, while a shortstop with two good years in the past five sounds like a terrible one, and Renteria is both. What we know is he's a below-average glove whose power and speed are gone and whose greatest ability is hitting into double plays.
5. Orlando Cabrera: Alone among the available veterans he will stay on the field, and by some measures he's still very good defensively. The power isn't coming back, though, and even Aybar is a good bet to outhit him for 1/20th the cost.
4. Sean Rodriguez: You try to be cautious with Pacific Coast League/Salt Lake City numbers, but 21 home runs in 248 at bats, a ridiculous .340 isolated power and the best OPS on the team dwarf anything Aybar has ever done with the bat. He'll be 24, and while the Angels still seem unconvinced he can play shortstop, second base is blocked and it's probably time to see.
3. Erick Aybar: His first 580 major league at-bats have been awful, but his glove — fourth in all of baseball, according to the Fielding Bible vote — is so good it might be worth giving him 580 more to see whether something clicks.
2. Rafael Furcal: The best reason to sign him might be that it keeps him from Oakland, who get absolutely killed by Bobby Crosby's presence in the lineup. Still only 31, and don't be surprised if his 30s look a bit like Ray Durham's — a bit fragile, a bit more power, and quite a bit of value.
1. Brandon Wood: Forget about the recent struggles — the scouts and analysts who worry about his bat are judging his bat as a third baseman's. He's a good bet to outhit everyone on this list, and he was originally moved off shortstop because of organizational depth — Aybar — not for poor defense.
Previous Angels news:


text:
By Ben Golliver
The drama in the first half of Thursday's double-header was provided by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich electing to sit his starters, drawing harsh words from NBA commissioner David Stern. Thursday's nightcap between the Warriors and Nuggets at Oracle Arena, on the other hand, featured good old-fashioned on-court action.
With three seconds remaining and the Nuggets trailing 106-103, Denver wing Andre Iguodala was granted three free throws on a questionable foul call. Warriors guard Jarrett Jack was hit with a foul for contacting Iguodala a few feet behind the three-point line. The refereeing crew deemed it a shooting foul as Iguodala followed through to simulate a shot attempt, earning the continuation call over the protestations of Warriors coach Mark Jackson. This story was just getting started.
Iguodala proceeded to make his first two free throws and miss the third, but the Nuggets caught a lucky break by somehow retaining possession during the loose ball scramble. Down one, 106-105, Denver guard Andre Miller then threw a sideline inbounds lob, apparently intended for 5-foot-11 point guard Ty Lawson. Not surprisingly, the lob failed to connect and the ball went out of bounds again. The Nuggets, miraculously, retained possession for a second time and still had time left on the clock, although there was only 0.5 seconds remaining.
That brings us to the moment shown in the video above. Iguodala corralled the crosscourt inbounds pass, pumped a bit to slide by Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and then buried a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded. While Iguodala ran straight to the locker room, celebrating the apparent victory, video review determined that the ball was still in his hands when the clock hit zero, giving the Warriors a dramatic 106-105 victory.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Infertile Mare
- Jul 30, 2003
- Topics:
Sometimes it can be quite difficult to get a mare pregnant, especially if she has fertility problems. There are several reasons that a mare might be infertile, many of which can be treated. Two reproductive specialists from Lexington, Ky., shared their extensive knowledge of several of the problems that mares can face with attendees of the Thoroughbred International Exposition and Conference in Lexington, Ky., June 20-22.
Karen Wolfsdorf, DVM, Dipl. ACT, reproductive specialist at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Equine Associates; and Michelle LeBlanc, DVM, Dipl. ACT, reproductive specialist at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, have specialized in reproduction since 1995 and 1982 respectively.
Wolfsdorf began her presentation with the three natural physical barriers of the mare's anatomy that help prevent contamination of the reproductive tract. The vulvar labia is the lip-like outer portion of the mare's genitalia. The vulvovaginal fold, part of the the hymen, is a fold of mucous membranes found at the opening of the vagina. And finally, the cervix is the narrow opening at the beginning of the uterus. Compromise or failure of these barriers can cause particulate matter or air to enter (pneumovagina) to enter the reproductive tract. The resulting contamination could result in cervicitis (cervical inflammation), vaginitis (vaginal inflammation), or endometritis (inflammation or infection of the endometrium or uterine lining).
Conformation problems of the reproductive tract or changes over time, possibly as a result of multiple foals, can result in retention of urine in the vagina. This is called vesicovaginal reflux, or more commonly urine pooling. This problem results in reduced conception rates, changes in lumenal pH, periglandular fibrosis (formation of scar tissue), or inflammation.
Wolfsdorf said that mares which have had numerous foals usually develop poor reproductive conformation because of the loss of muscle tone and damage to the vulvar suspensory ligament, retractor muscle, and the vulvar constructor muscle. She said it is best to examine older mares when they are in heat since the effects of estrogen will increase the vascularity and relaxation of the muscles, giving the veterinarian a better picture of what problems might have to be dealt with before breeding.
Other less common causes of mares pooling urine an ectopic ureter, cystitis, and urolithiasis. An ectopic ureter is one in which the ureter (the tube that conveys urine from the kidney to the bladder) opens somewhere other than the bladder. Cystitis is inflammation of the urinary bladder, and urolithiasis is the presence of calculi, or mineral deposits, within the urinary tract.
Diagnosis of reproductive problems, specifically urine poolers, involves a reproductive exam, which can include a speculum exam (best done during estrus), uterine culture and cytology to check for inflammation and contamination, a biopsy for long-term prognosis, transrectal ultrasound for uterine fluid, and enzyme tests to check the fluid for changes in pH, creatinine levels, and urea.
Treatment will depend on the findings of the exam and various tests. For urine pooling, if the problem is mild and is caught early, then the urine can be removed and the horse's physical condition can be improved to strengthen the muscle tone. In more severe cases, medical management is needed. This might include uterine lavage (flushing), use of the medications oxytocin or bethanecol, which might improve urethral sphincter tone (the opening of the urethra into the vagina), acupuncture, or surgery to extend the urethral sphincter closer to the opening of the vulva.
Another problem that Wolfsdorf said might cause infertility is fungal endometritis, which occurs when a fungus or yeast contaminates the uterus and causes infection and inflammation. She said this problem is hard to treat and has a high rate of recurrence. Causes can include poor vulvar conformation, repeated and/or lengthy intrauterine antimicrobial treatment, and excessive manipulation of the reproductive tract. The most common culprits are the Candida spp. and the Apergillus spp. Diagnosis of fungal endometritis can be confirmed with uterine cytology and culture, ultrasonography which reveals highly particulate fluid, and the presence of vulvar/vaginal discharge.
Treatment can involve uterine lavage with large volumes of fluid, the use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), diluted betadine or vinegar, or antifungal agents such as clotrimazole, amphotericin, fluconazole, and nystatin. Wolfsdorf said that the disadvantage to antifungal agents is that they are expensive and the duration that treatment is necessary is unknown. Despite treatment, prognosis might still be poor since treatment only affects certain stages of fungal development, the organism might have attached to the endometrial folds, or the mare might have delayed uterine clearance. The chance for re-infection is high as it is hard to destroy or flush out all of the organism.
LeBlanc focused her part of the presentation on problems of older mares. She said that 30% of mares over the age of 14 will need veterinary assistance to conceive. One problem older mares face is persistent follicles, or cystitic follicles. These follicles do not ovulate in response to the normal signal from the brain. These follicles will show up on an ultrasound as a black area with white strands, which indicates blood clots. (Normal follicles show up as all black areas on an ultrasound.)
LeBlanc recommends that breeders continue to tease the mare until she goes out of heat. Five to six days after she is out of heat, her progesterone levels can be measured. If they are between one and four ng/ml, then prostaglandin might help. If the progesterone level is less than one ng/ml, then there is no luteal tissues surrounding the cystic follicle and all one can do is wait for the mare to come back into estrus on her own. LeBlanc said these follicles do not respond to human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) or the hormonal drug Ovuplant.
Human chorionic gonadotropin should only be used on follicles that are at least 35 mm, for the best response, since the follicle must be "sufficiently mature" before it will respond to HCG. It has been found that as mares get older, some do not respond to HCG.
LeBlanc explained that uterine inflammation is a normal process after breeding. The mare's body treats sperm as a foreign object it should attack. After the attack, immune cells then engulf the sperm, and try to clear it from the body. All of this happens after 15-30 minutes, so any sperm that has not reached the oviduct during that time will be under attack.
Another problem of older mares is accumulation of fluid in the uterus. This could be due to decreased cervical drainage as the uterus loses the ability to contract properly, or due to decreased lymphatic drainage (which removes particulate matter and fluid swelling). If treatment is started after too much fluid has accumulated, it's hard to get rid of, said LeBlanc. Oxytocin can be used to produce uterine contractions for 20-40 minutes, four to six hours apart, which helps clear the fluid.
The prostaglandin cloprostenol (Estrumate) can produce contractions for up to five hours for clearance of fluid and a return to normal of the lymphatic system. LeBlanc warns against using cloprostenol longer than 12 hours after ovulation.
She said there is no magic bullet for treating infertility. "You must treat each mare as an individual, and it takes time, money, and diagnostics."
About the Author
Sarah Evers Conrad
Sarah Evers Conrad has a bachelor's of arts in journalism and equine science from Western Kentucky University. As a lifelong horse lover and equestrian, Conrad started her career at The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care magazine. She has also worked for the United States Equestrian Federation as the managing editor of Equestrian magazine and director of e-communications and served as content manager/travel writer for a Caribbean travel agency. When she isn't freelancing, Conrad spends her free time enjoying her family, reading, practicing photography, traveling, crocheting, and being around animals in her Lexington, Kentucky, home.
Related Content
Reproduction (AAEP Convention 2012)
Mare Fertility
Riding and Exercising Broodmares
Uterine Therapy Options in Broodmares
Recombinant Hormones Make Mares Cycle in Winter (AAEP 2011)
New Deslorelin Formula Improves Pregnancy Rates (AAEP 2011)
Breeding Soundness Exams for Stallions
Controlling Reproductive Behavior in Performance Mares
Mare Response to Endometritis Treatment
Insulin Sensitivity Changes in Pregnant Mares


text:
Ghost WP Full Screen Video, Image with Audio
Experience the New and Impressive touch to HTML5 and CSS3 whit GHOST MODE
Leave behind the "Modal Boxes" and ski among your images and video files, enjoy with your audio player…
It is Enhanced with AJAX, Seamless and Fastest experience.
Special features
- Enhanced with HTML5 and CSS3
- Ghost Mode
- Maximum audio control with Advanced Playlist
- Ajax Load function *Optional
- 8 Post Formats
- Fresh looking Scroll Bar
- With "No more Modal Window", you can surf amongst the visual contents
- Optimized features for IPhone, Ipad and Android devices
- Portfolio filter
- Deeplink Support
- 12 columns design options
- BG image stretching (optional)
- Video backgrounds can be started as paused (optional)
- .po and .mo files are added to translate
- 404 page
- Color picker like our demo site (optional)
- Valid HTML
- 617+ Google fonts
- Contact form validation
- Google map
- Footer Twitter Tool
- Share Icons
No more Modal Window
Did you get bored with "Modal Windows"? Enlarge your visual contents with a single click and you will be able to swim in your content.
Advanced Playlist
Winamp style playlist allows you to make your playlist.. Stop, start, loop and seek.. Adjust the volume.. You have full control over it. And it is not Flash !
Mobile Browsers
This theme is not responsive but it can view on Ipad and Iphone
The music and Images are not included with the item. However you can purchase it from;
Keep in contact for new updates !
UPDATED v1.5.4 / 26 FEB 2016
- Dummy_content file updated
UPDATED v1.4.0 / 01 Dec 2013
- Timthumb plugin has been removed
- Uploadify plugin has been removed
- Video shortcode bug has been fixed
- wp_mai support has been added [optional]
UPDATED v1.3.0 / 16 July 2013
- Twitter api v1.1 has been integrated
- Background randomized feature has been added
- Google fonts update feature has been added
- Quickstand plugin has been updated for IE10
- Toggle button heigh problem has been fixed
- Google map problem while page refresh has been fixed
UPDATED v1.2 / 31 Jan 2013
- Fixed with wordpress 3.5
- Background image sorting problems
- Contact form loading fixed
- Twitter fixed
UPDATED v1.1 / 19 Nov 2012
Attention Please! If you use old version please read Ajax section in documentation before update.
- HTML5 History Api Support
- Uploadify multi upload plugin updated
- IOS menu bug fixed
- Ajax comment bug fixed
- Ghost Mode Active text disable option added
- Installation and Demo Content Video added
UPDATED v1.0.1 / 07 Sept 2012
- Google Analytics fixed for ajax
- New feature added; Menu Always Open Mobile


text:
By Brooke Vermillion
The Pope County Quorum Court Budget Committee had a change of heart Tuesday when they voted in favor of a pay increase for county employees. The issue was revisited after it was voted down, 8-5, at last month's full quorum court meeting.
The 2.7 percent cost of living pay increase was approved, 9-2. Justice Phil Bourne moved that the members of the quorum court be excluded from the increase. Justices Larry Pettus and Roger Freeman voted against the increase altogether, and Justice Scott Sanders was absent.
The increase would cost the county almost $135,000, with money taken from the county general, county road, county ambulance, county library, district court and E911 funds.
An obvious concern with approving the county expense last month was the mandatory future purchase of electronic, touch-screen voting machines by next May's party primary elections. JPs were not sure where the money would come from before Tuesday when Justice Madelyn Ginsberg and County Clerk Don Johnson gave updates on the situation.
Ginsberg said the voting technology is being funded through a federal grant made available by the Help America Vote Act. The Pope County Election Commission selected an option that would place one touch-screen voting machine at each polling place, the minimum number allowed by the HAVA.
"First we thought we were going to have to spend $150,000 on the new voting machines," Ginsberg said. "Now we've found out that the state will give us $272,000 for the voting machines, and that will more than take care of the money we need.
"A lot of us didn't vote for the raise (last month) because of this, and now we know that the money will be there and won't have to come out of our funds."
She said there should even be money left over from the grant because the machines are only projected to cost $212,000. The excess funds, however, can only be used to buy more machines.
Johnson said because HAVA is sponsored federally, the grant is more guaranteed than a state grant would be. The machines will not be purchased until January 2006.
Freeman added after the announcement that although he was in favor of giving the employees a raise, he was concerned that a 2.7 increase would still bring the county general fund too low. He suggested a compromise with a lower percentage increase and compensation of extra vacation days.
"The reason I voted against this was not just because of the voting machines," Freeman said. "The main reason I voted against it was because I don't want to take county general that low. Because you never know when you'll have unexpected expenses come along."
Pope County Treasurer Donna Wall, in an effort to ease the skeptical members' minds, told the committee that she could possibly find a way to transfer the needed money from other areas, as an alternative to appropriating it. She added that there have been new developments since the May meeting that could make a difference in the vote, such as the Workmen's' Comp audit that will allow excess funds to be transferred. She also said that she would ask department heads to transfer excess salary funds created by vacancies.
The county's personnel committee suggested the increase for all county employees at the court's May meeting. Pay increases are usually decided in December, but the decision was delayed until the Justices of the Peace could get a better idea of what the county could afford.
The final vote on the pay increase will be taken at 7 p.m. today in the county courthouse.