text:
Small Business Logo | What Are Logos And Why Are They Important? Logo Design Tips For Business Owners
Small Business Logo | The importance of a powerful logo can never be underestimated; it is a strong symbol and ultimately the most effective tool that helps your clients recognize your brand. A small business logo design can be described as a visual elevator pitch of your company's products and services. The key is to quickly communicate what you have to offer, your values and what sets you apart from competitors in seconds. The logo is an important element of a company's brand, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images should always be strikingly different from other logos in the same industry. Simply put, logos are used to identify.
As the core of your branding, your business logo should communicate your values and personality and leave a lasting impression. Think about it this way: If you can sum up the essence of your brand in one word, your logo is the visual representation of that word. When people think of a business, the logo is often the first thing that comes to mind. So then why is it so often considered an afterthought? Don't make the same mistake the vast majority of small business owners make! Give this vitally important branding tool the all important attention it deserves.
A Logo Identifies | Small Business Logo
The last thing you want from a business logo is to have it mistaken for a logo of a competitor. So when considering logo design, it's crucial to keep it original. Look at what's out there and find an opening for something new. You want to set yourself apart from competitors, not align yourself with them. Do your competitors use solid, conservative images, or flashy graphics and fonts? Think about how you want to differentiate your logo from those of your competition.
RELATED: Effective Photography Logo Advice | 6 Characteristics Of Logos That Encourage Trust: A Beginner's Guide To Designing Photography Logos
Convey Your Message | Small Business Logo
Decide what you want to communicate about your company. Knowing exactly what you want to express to potential clients is essential when choosing a logo, particularly for a small business. Ask yourself what you want your company logo to say about your business. Does your brand have a distinct personality; is it serious or lighthearted? What makes it unique in relation to your competition? Do you want your logo to emphasize power, tradition, speed, flexibility, health, fun, or connectivity? Any of these attributes (and many others) can be the central message of an effective design.
An Effective Logo Appeals To Your Audience | Small Business Logo
Know your target audience. If you are targeting senior citizens, make sure that the logo appeals to this audience. If your business offers professional services, such as legal advice or medical treatment, design a logo that portrays the level of professionalism expected by potential clients. Forget about humor or the cute factor for these types of companies. While it is helpful to stay up to date on design trends, it's more important to stay true to a brand's overarching personality.
Aim For Timelessness | Small Business Logo
Skip being trendy and instead stay focused on the nature and values of your brand. Remember, an effective logo should be timeless. Will yours stand the test of time? Will it still be effective in 10, 20 or 50 years? When your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key. Don't follow the pack! Even though you can adapt your logo to changing trends, you want the core design to be timeless, just like your business.
RELATED: Business Logo Design Rules | Essential Elements Of Brand Identity: 6 Tips To Design Effective Logos
Watch Your Colors | Small Business Logo
Bright and bold colors may grab someone's attention, but could also seem brash; muted tones exude sophistication, but could be overlooked. Every color has a different meaning and can bring nuance to your message — don't fall into the trap of communicating the wrong message because of a simple brush stroke. Another thing you should keep in mind as you explore color options is the cost. Your five-color logo may look stunning on a computer screen, but once it comes time to print it on stationery, the price won't be so attractive.
A Great Logo Is Versatile | Small Business Logo
A logo is your brand's public face, so it must be easily transferable to any medium that bears your brand – be it a fleet of trucks, packaging, web ads, or social media, or all of these. An effective logo is easily recognizable at a glance, both in color and in black and white, and in any size. To get the most out of your logo, first design it in black and white. This enables you to focus on the concept and shape, rather than color, which is subjective in nature.


text:
Peabody, MA (PRWEB) February 04, 2014
Mapshots and GeoVantage Announce Software Communication Link Streamlining the Aerial Imagery Order Process
GeoVantage, a leading provider of aerial imagery for the agriculture industry, and MapShots, a leading provider of precision agriculture software, today announced an integrated imagery ordering capability between GeoVantage's AgOrder and MapShots' AgStudio product lines.
The integration of imagery order and automatic delivery capabilities between the two programs, AgOrder and AgStudio, enables customers to quickly and efficiently order and utilize aerial imagery to aid in making more informed crop management decisions thereby increasing profit or reducing costs.
The agriculture marketplace is seeing a continued trend toward the adoption of precision agriculture techniques. As such, there is a strong demand for precision agriculture software services that help agricultural enterprises extract the most value from the data sets collected. Farms are getting larger and more geographically disperse while the available time for field work has remained the same. Aerial imagery allows customers to "see" all of their fields and respond rapidly to changing conditions.
"I am pleased to announce that GeoVantage's aerial imagery can now be ordered, delivered and utilized within MapShots products. GeoVantage's aerial imagery service is known for its quality and timeliness, and MapShots software is considered a market leader. This is a perfect fit," said Nate Taylor, GeoVantage Agriculture Sales and Marketing Manager.
"We are pleased to provide our AgStudio users with easy access to GeoVantage's imagery products," said Ted Macy, Vice-President of Operations at MapShots. "Having the GeoVantage data combined with other agronomic data in AgStudio will enable better crop management decisions."
For more information about GeoVantage, please visit http://www.geovantage.com and http://www.mapshots.com for more information about MapShots.
About GeoVantage: GeoVantage Inc. is a remote sensing services company located in Peabody, MA. Their unique proprietary sensors include small and medium format multispectral and thermal data collection platforms that can operate globally. GeoVantage primarily serves the agriculture, forestry and oil & gas markets. GeoVantage is the leading provider of aerial imagery for the agricultural market place operating a minimum of thirty sensors strategically placed throughout the US at any given time. Companies depend on GeoVantage to deliver timely, cost effective, and high quality data that is then turned into actionable information.
About MapShots: MapShots, Inc., headquartered in Cumming, GA, is an agricultural software development company, with a controlling interest owned by DuPont Pioneer. MapShots provides precision agronomy software applications for crop input suppliers, crop consultants, seed dealers and farmers. MapShots AgStudio® is a registered trademark of DuPont Pioneer. For more information, visit http://www.mapshots.com.
# # #
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Nate Taylor at (814) 441-1867 or email at aginfo(at)geovantage(dot)com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PINECREST, Fla., Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A Florida Jewish congregation has found that providing a drive-through sukkah can help connect an ancient holiday ritual with modern life, clergymen said.
The holiday of Sukkoth, which began Friday night and requires the faithful to say certain prayers within the shelter of a temporary structure called a sukkah, is being celebrated by Bet Shira Congregation in Pinecrest, Fla., in such a non-traditional way, The Miami Herald reported Friday.
The congregation calls the drive-through structure "McBet Shira Sukkah," invoking the first part of the name of a world-famous fast-food restaurant chanins.
"This is a drive-through that will slow us down," Cantor Mark Kula, who conceived of the idea for the drive through, said.
Any member of the public who wishes can drive into the sukkah, park, lower the car window and say the special blessings for the harvest-oriented holiday -- which include shaking a collection of branches called a lulav and a citron, or etrog.
Congregant volunteers hand out snacks to motorists at the end of their visits.


text:
Bula Vinaka and Ni Hao.
I'm delighted to join you again as your Chief Guest, along with my family, to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is, of course, the most important festival on the Chinese calendar. And this year, 2015, is the Year of the Goat.
It's good to see a New Year named after an animal that every Fijian is familiar with and that the Chinese zodiac is in line with a symbol to which we can all relate.
The New Year for your community – the Spring Festival – is a joyous time for you all, as it is for the more than one billion Chinese in China and the vast Chinese diaspora throughout the world.
I remember last year's celebrations with great fondness and this year marks an even more important occasion. Because it is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Fiji and the People's Republic of China.
Since then, our relationship has developed into a great friendship between our two countries. And Fiji will never forget the support that China has been willing to give us – especially after 2006 when some of our traditional friends turned their backs on us.
China stayed by our side because it recognised that what we were doing as a nation was for the long-term benefit of the Fijian people. And it has done a huge amount to contribute to the development and improvement of our infrastructure, including roads, public housing, hydroelectric projects, solar projects and hospitals.
So I again ask you – Mr. Charge d' Affaires – to pass on our sincere greetings, thanks and good wishes to the Chinese Government and the Chinese people and our hope for their continuing prosperity in the Year of the Goat.
Of course, our relationship reached a new height last year when Fiji had the honour and privilege to host the Chinese President, Xi Jinping. The President's historic and successful State visit was the first by a Chinese Head of State since we established diplomatic ties in 1975.
We found ourselves agreeing, face-to-face, on a great many issues and we opened up new avenues of cooperation in a number of different areas. The visit signified the depth of the relationship between China and Fiji and has set the groundwork for a new era of partnership, which Fijians deeply appreciate.
We are expanding our economic ties and strengthening our cultural and educational exchanges. I'm told that the annual volume of trade between China and Fiji has reached 695 million Fijian dollars, and is growing on current figures by 12 per cent a year.
As part of that, we are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of Chinese visitors to Fiji. Last year, 28,000 came to our shores, an increase of 5,000 over 2013. But the Chinese market has grown from just 4,000 visitors in 2009. So in the past six years, we have seen a seven-fold increase in Chinese visitor arrivals and we are determined for that number to grow.
For the first time, hundreds of new Chinese visitors are arriving in Fiji on Fiji Airways charter flights from Shanghai. So this expansion is already underway and we look forward to welcoming many thousands more of your countrymen in the months and years ahead.
In other areas, the friendship has also reached new heights. Our cultural exchanges are expanding and several Chinese artistic groups have visited Fiji in recent times, showcasing aspects of your great civilization to Fijian audiences.
We especially valued and appreciated the visit to Fiji last year of the People's Liberation Army Hospital Ship, the Peace Ark, which berthed in Suva for the first time and provided many Fijians with free medical care. Nothing could be more designed to endear China to the Fijian people than to receive such practical health care. So I again want to use this opportunity to thank China for this generous gesture. And we look forward to the Peace Ark visiting Fiji again. Maybe to another part of the country.
So, ladies and gentlemen, after 40 years, we have much to celebrate about our relationship. And today we celebrate together, not only with our new Chinese friends, but those whose families have been in Fiji for up to 160 years.
The Chinese were one of the earliest groups of foreign settlers to come to Fiji and the Chinese community has played an important role in our nation's development. We pay tribute to that contribution today and thank the community for their loyalty to our nation, their dedication and their hard work.
It has been a difficult time for the local community recently with the tragic murder in Suva of Holland Seeto, a popular member of one of Fiji's well known families.
To the Seeto family – including you Jenny, the President of the Chinese Association – I again extend condolences on behalf of every Fijian for your tragic loss and again express our thanks for your family's service to Fiji.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank the organisers of today's event and especially the co-sponsor, the Chinese Embassy in Suva. It is a time to reflect on the special relationship we share. It is a time to celebrate with old friends and new. It is a time to celebrate the Year of the Goat.
May the year to come be auspicious. May it be one of harmony and prosperity. All Fijians join me in wishing you all a very Happy New Year.
Vinaka Vakalevu and Xie Xie Ni.


text:
From the makers of Candy Crush Saga, Bubble Witch Saga and Farm Heroes Saga comes Bubble Witch 2 Saga!
It's Bubble Bouncing Magic
Stella and her cats require the assist with fight the particular darker spirits which can be plaguing their particular area. Traveling the particular sphere unfolding as numerous bubbles as you can on this interesting journey. Acquire ranges and also free of charge Witch Region bit through bit.
Carry out this specific epic saga on it's own as well as engage in using close friends to see who are able to find the best score!
Bubble Witch 2 Saga seemingly liberated to engage in however, many in-game goods including added techniques as well as lifestyles will demand settlement.
By means of accessing this specific sport you might be saying yes to terminology associated with services that you can get in http: //about. master. com/consumer-terms/terms
• The subsequent interesting instalment towards Bubble Witch team
• Fresh and also improved upon sport settings
• Wonderful artwork that can get away from anyone spellbound
• Over sixty enchanting ranges – much more additional each and every 2 weeks!
• Simply connect the experience involving equipment while connected to the net
• Leaderboards to observe your buddies and also competition!
• Particular boosters & bubbles that may help you pass people tricky ranges
• Free and very easy to play, challenging to master!
• Available to play on android mobile & tablet devices
What's New
Brrr! Things have started to feel a little chilly around here, which reminds us, has anyone seen Morgana recently?
Play on Thursday 16th July and you'll be enchanted by 20 NEW LEVELS in our 33rd episode, Igloo Bay! So dust of your broomstick as you have work to do!
Make sure you update the game to the latest version to access all the Bubblific new content!
What's in Mod
– Infinite Lives.
– Infinite Boosters (you need to have at least ONE).


text:
Thursday, 03 November 2011 05:36 PM
Estee Lauder rose 18 percent to $118.92 at the close in New York, the most since May 2009. The shares have gained 47 percent this year.
Profit for the year ending in June will be as much as $4.45 a share, excluding some items, the New York-based company said in a statement Thursday. Estee Lauder predicted in August that fiscal 2012 profit would reach $4.20. Analysts forecast $4.28, the average of 17 estimates from a Bloomberg survey.
"The company's growth is really broad-based across regions, categories, channels and brands," Chief Executive Officer Fabrizio Freda said in a telephone interview. The high-end consumer in the U.S. and Asia is "frankly doing very well," he said. "The middle is a bit soft."
Sales in the fiscal first quarter ended Sept. 30 gained 18 percent to $2.48 billion, helped by stronger demand in all of the company's markets and a weaker U.S. dollar that aided results overseas. The company said it will split its common stock 2-for-1 in January and raise the annual dividend to $1.05 a share, according to a separate statement.
Net income for the first quarter rose 46 percent to $278.6 million, or $1.40 a share, from $191.1 million, or 95 cents, a year earlier. Excluding a restructuring charge of 1 cent a share, the company said it had profit of $1.41, beating the $1.18 estimate of 18 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
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text:
|07 Jun 2013
BSOD consistently on Windows 7 Startup
I am consistently getting BSOD errors within a minute of Windows starting, even if I do nothing. The computer is also taking much longer to boot than it used to. Safe Mode is working fine. I ran memtest86 and found no errors. I also tried removing my graphics card and starting up normally. Same problem. I have restored back to older restore points, but it doesn't seem to help. I haven't installed any new hardware of software that corresponds to this problem occurring. My diagnostic zip file is attached. Any help would be much appreciated.
|My System Specs
|08 Jun 2013
Security App
BHDrvx64.sys Tue May 21 02:47:31 2013 ENG64.SYS Fri Apr 26 12:10:48 2013 EX64.SYS Fri Apr 26 12:08:58 2013 EraserUtilRebootDrv.sys Wed Aug 1 05:36:50 2012 SRTSP64.SYS Tue Jul 3 00:20:28 2012 SRTSPX64.SYS Tue Jul 3 00:20:37 2012 SYMDS64.SYS Tue May 17 04:15:03 2011 SYMEFA64.SYS Sat May 19 07:29:56 2012 SYMEVENT64x86.SYS Tue Jan 24 00:57:54 2012 SYMNETS.SYS Sun Nov 13 03:11:53 2011
Microsoft Security Essentials, Free antivirus for windows and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
Kaspersky TDSSKiller - How to remove malware belonging to the family Rootkit.Win32.TDSS (aka Tidserv, TDSServ, Alureon)
ESET online scanner - One-time virus scanner free with ESET online scanner
Start up
Keep less stuff at the start-up. Only anti-virus, this helps avoid driver conflicts and improves time to log in to windows.
Troubleshoot a Problem by Performing a Clean Startup in Windows 7 or Vista
How to Change, Add, or Remove Startup Programs in Windows 7
SFC /scannow to check windows for corruption:
How to Repair Windows 7 System Files with System File Checker
1. Click Start
2. In the search box, type Command Prompt
3. In the list that appears, right-click on cmd.exe and choose Run as administrator
4. In the command window that opens, type
sfc /scannowand hit enter.
Problem Drivers:
You should remove the software below with Revo uninstaller.
ASACPI.sys Thu Jul 16 09:31:29 2009 Asus ATK0110 ACPI Utility (a known BSOD maker in Win7 and Win8). Also a part of many Asus utilities (Win8 versions available from Windows Update as an Optional Update - but check Asus first!)
AsUpIO.sys Mon Jul 6 08:21:38 2009 ASUS hardware monitoring software related
Download and install Revo Uninstaller free from here: Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems
Opt for "Advanced Mode" and uninstall the software (also delete the leftover registry entries).
AMD OverDrive
AODDriver2.sys Tue Mar 6 15:55:00 2012
Please uninstall all AMD/ATI video stuff from Control Panel...Programs...Uninstall a program
Then, download (but DO NOT install) a fresh copy of the ATI drivers from Global Provider of Innovative Graphics, Processors and Media Solutions | AMD (in the upper right corner of the page) Use this procedure to install the DRIVER ONLY: ATI video cards - DRIVER ONLY installation procedure
If the device (AODDriver or AODDriver4.01) remains a problem, open Device Manager, select the "View" item. Then select "Show hidden devices" and scroll down to the Non-Plug and Play Drivers section.
Locate the AODDriver entry, right click on it and select "Uninstall". Reboot for changes to take affect. Sometimes the driver remains and continues to cause BSOD's.
Hard Drive/Storage
Post disk summary using CrystalDiskInfo software: CrystalDiskInfo Standard Edition
For errors on your Hard drive(s): How to Run Disk Check in Windows 7
Update these drivers:
L1C62x64.sys Wed Apr 1 11:09:17 2009 - Atheros NIC driver
viahduaa.sys Fri Jul 10 09:07:01 2009 - VIA High Definition Audio Function Driver
Hope this helps for now.
|My System Specs
|09 Jun 2013
Seems to be working now
Thank you, Koolkat for all the helpful information. My computer seems to be working now and has been for about a day. I will post again if the BSODs start happening again. I wanted to detail here what I did in case it helps anyone else. I wanted to uninstall Norton last as I had just re-upped my license for another year about a month ago.
First, I started Windows with a clean startup, nothing but the Windows processes. I was hopeful that would test Norton too because I thought it also would not start on bootup. However, you can't deselect Norton. It's selects itself again when you click apply (this makes sense as you don't really want to be able to disable your antivirus software. Otherwise, a virus could be written to do just that.) I also ran an SFC with scannow and a Windows 7 disk check. I think SFC said it fixed one or two things, but the disk check came up clean. Also, I tried to delete those drivers with Revo, but I couldn't seem to find them from the Revo UI. I did remove the AMD Catalyst Control Center and installed the newest graphics drivers (the drivers only, not the control center). After all that, I still got a BSOD a few minutes after starting Windows.
Finally, I sucked it up and uninstalled Norton and installed MSE and Malware Bytes. I ran full scans using both programs. MSE found nothing, but Malware Bytes found something, FlashPlayer_V.101575555c.exe (Adware.DomaIQ). I removed it.
So far so good. It seems like Norton was the problem, but I suppose that Adware could have been causing the issue. I may try to re-install Norton or I may just call them up and try to get a refund of the license I just paid for.
Thanks again for the clear and detailed recommendations.
|My System Specs
|09 Jun 2013
Thank you for posting back. I'm sure it will help other with the same problem.
If the BSOD's continue, please post here (Hopefully you won't have to). :) good luck
|My System Specs
|10 Jun 2013
Chipset Drivers
Koolkat, I think that when I uninstalled the graphics drivers, I may have lost my chipset drivers as well (I saw in another post that this could happen). I went to the ASUS site to download the latest chipset drivers ( ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download M4A78LT-M LE ) but when I try to install them, it wants me to install catalyst control center. I avoided this when installing the graphics drivers by installing using device manager, but I don't know how to update the chipset.
It seems that my computer is a little slow after all this BSOD cleanup work, and I thought it might be due to old chipset drivers.
Also, I see the attached image in my device manager:
Attachment 272090
Should I uninstall this? I haven't experienced any errors, but you mentioned that it could still cause problems.
Thanks again for all your help.
|My System Specs
|11 Jun 2013
About AMD Overdrive, it is to be removed.
As per M4A78LT-M LE - Motherboards - ASUS , the latest available chipset is of 2009.09.29, so updating to it might not be very helpful IMO.
Free up the startup. Windows does not need any other program to auto start with it, but the auto start programs often conflicts and causes various problems including BSODs.
|My System Specs
|25 Jun 2013
More BSOD
Thank you, Arc and Koolkat, for all your help. Unfortunately, I am starting to get Blue Screens again.
I removed the AMD Overdrive. I am still starting clean (i.e. only the Microsoft programs and nothing else). The latest diagnostic files are zipped and attached. I hope you are able to help.
Thanks again.
|My System Specs
|25 Jun 2013
Scan the system for possible virus infection with the following programs only.
|My System Specs
|26 Jun 2013
Thank you, Arc. Each of the virus programs you recommended found something. I removed the malicious software and my computer seems to be booting and running much faster. I will post an update in a few days to let you know if the problem is resolved. If I run into more problems, I will continue with the other steps you outlined.
|My System Specs
|26 Jun 2013
TDSSKiller found something? And it is killed/removed?
If so, best of luck.
|My System Specs
|Thread Tools
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text:
Take a small bakery in the basement of an old building, add two good friends, a few pounds of flour, sugar and butter and mix it all up. Spread in a pan and bake and now you have A Couple of Squares.
The year was 1997 and our hopes and dreams for a little bakery that made really good treats was born.
Our bakery is now a 9,000 square foot facility and the two good friends are still here, surrounded by thousands of pounds of flour, sugar and butter.
In the ensuing years, our focus has moved from squares to cookies – from hand-iced creations to simply delicious biscuits. Our bakers weigh, mix and scoop dough just the way you would at home. The only difference is our batches weigh 150 lbs. These mounds of dough are rolled, cut, decorated and packaged by caring, artistic and careful hands. We love what we do and we hope that love comes through in the look and taste of our cookies.
We believe cookies should taste good, look good and smell good. We strive to make cookies that live up to that promise.


text:
One of Eileen Bergin's small chain of classy convenience foodstores, with its flagship store in Mount Merrion Avenue Blackrock, Co Dublin since 1987.
The Greystones branch is now one of ten stores in the greater Dublin area and, since 2007, the kitchens have been in in Bray, Co Wicklow, where executive head chef Niall Hill researches and develops new products as well as overseeing production.
Although the scale has grown so significantly since Eileen first started out cooking and selling everything herself, the ethos remains the same ("Hand made delicious recipes from our kitchen to yours"). The philosophy of using fresh local and free-from ingredients produces great-tasting foods - and is the secret of their success.
Although best known for their quality ready meals and other fresh food for retail, party food and catering for weddings and other events is offered too, also hampers, vouchers and other gifts including Eileen Bergin's book, Recipes for all Seasons - The Butler's Pantry Cookbook (€24.95, from all of the shops).
Niall Hill's cookery demonstrations are worth looking out for - usually held at the Miele Gallery in Dublin, details on the website.


text:
The following is valid for PHP 4 and later only.
Sometimes it is useful to refer to functions and variables in base classes or to refer to functions in classes that have not yet any instances. The :: operator is being used for this.
class A {
function example() {
echo "I am the original function A::example().
\n";
class B extends A {
function example() {
echo "I am the redefined function B::example().
\n";
// there is no object of class A.
// this will print
// I am the original function A::example().

// create an object of class B.
$b = new B;
// this will print
// I am the redefined function B::example().

// I am the original function A::example().

The above example calls the function example() in class A, but there is no object of class A, so that we cannot write $a->example() or similar. Instead we call example() as a 'class function', that is, as a function of the class itself, not any object of that class.
There are class functions, but there are no class variables. In fact, there is no object at all at the time of the call. Thus, a class function may not use any object variables (but it can use local and global variables), and it may not use $this at all.
In the above example, class B redefines the function example(). The original definition in class A is shadowed and no longer available, unless you are referring specifically to the implementation of example() in class A using the ::-operator. Write A::example() to do this (in fact, you should be writing parent::example(), as shown in the next section).
In this context, there is a current object and it may have object variables. Thus, when used from WITHIN an object function, you may use $this and object variables.
Using PHP 4, I was unable to see an easy method for retrieving static constants in a library, as well as static functions. There was no need to set variables, as the library is final, used for Configuration settings.
class StaticLibrary
//static constants are set here
function finalConstants(&$Vars)
$Vars['someVar'] = 'Hello';
$Vars['anotherVar'] = 'World';
$Vars['moreVars'] = 'Keep It Coming';
//usage: StaticLibrary::vars('someVar')
function vars($v)
static $Vars;
if (!is_array($Vars)) { $Vars = array(); StaticLibrary::finalConstants($Vars); } //setup access to the static contants in our Final library
return($Vars[$v]); //return some var
//usage: StaticLibrary::staticFunction('Some string and I want to ')
function staticFunction($str)
$str .= 'freak that string!';
return $str;
I appreciate the ideas below!!
As already pointed out in a previous comment, there is no way to statically access variables, i wrote this small workaround
class A {
var $MY_VIRTUAL_CONST = 1;
function MY_VIRTUAL_CONST() { $vars = get_class_vars(__CLASS__); return $vars[strToUpper(__FUNCTION__)]; }
echo A::MY_VIRTUAL_CONST();
This magically retrieves the correct value without creating an object instance and its easily copy & pasteable, as the methods content is completly generic.
I revised this example to give a better feel for the scope and overloading rules in PHP 4.
class A {
function example() {
echo "I am the original function A::example().
\n";
function other() {
echo "I am the original function A::other().
\n";
class B extends A {
function example() {
echo "I am the redefined function B::example().
\n";
function other() {
echo "I am the redefined function B::other().
\n";
// there is no object of class A.
// this will print
// I am the original function A::example().

// PHP Fatal error: Call to a member function on a non-object in test.php on line 5
// create an object of class B.
$b = new B;
// this will print
// I am the redefined function B::example().

// I am the original function A::example().

// I am the redefined function B::other().

Robert Chapin
Chapin Information Services
I've noticed that you can't easily obtain a re-scoping of a function-to-object by external means, and it can only really be done by functions ["methods" to be proper] inside the class.
I dub this phenomon "inability to externally modifiy scope resolution of class method", 'cause I don't really know the technical name. (Maybe something else along the lines of "inability to combine scope resolution and member selector operators".)
Enough of this, on to the example:
class Base {
var $a=5;
function Func() {
echo "Base::Func $this->a
";
class Child extends Base {
function Func() {
//$this->Base::Func(); //Won't work either
echo "Child::Func $this->a
";
$obj=new Child;
$obj->Func(); //That works, outputs as expected
$obj->Base::Func(); //ERROR - See below
As for the error, I get the Hebrew "double colon", as Shachar Shemesh mentioned: "parse error, unexpected T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM"
I find it odd that I can't do this, and using C++ (where you are able to do this), I feel restricted in this sense.
And I can't think of any workarounds right now, aside from using this scope resolution in the class scope.
NOTE: I'm using PHP 5.0.5 right now (used to be using 4.x, but might've switched it in xampp)
You can simulate the PHP 5 self keyword for static objects in PHP 4 by simply using the class name:
class A {
function static1() {
return '1';
function static2() {
// equivalent to self::static1() in PHP 5
return A::static1() . ' and 2';
// treat class A as static.
// this will print
// 1 and 2
The A:: reference works just as well internally as externally.
The PHP lexical analyzer gives this token the name "T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM". It might as well have been written in Hebrew. Wait, it IS written in Hebrew. It means "double colon".
I'm writing this comment mostly so that people who are searching the web for what the #(!(@*&#$ errors such as "unexpected T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM" or "missing T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM" mean get to the right page in the PHP manual.
after doing some research as the manual was somewhat
vague, i found out that using $this in a class-function is
not fatal as the manual implied, its not even a warning.
it simply comes with a notice saying: $this is undefined.
it appears the class-function is just as a global function.
and as such the static keyword holds its value after scope
however it seems to also holds its value after the class
gets instanced. take a simple counter function thats a
member of a class. make a few calls to the counter to
let it count to lets say 3. then instance the class and let
it count it again 3 times. you think the score is now 3,
infact its 6.
so one simple way to find out if a function is called from
a instanced class or not is to have the constructor set a
class variable and then check for it using isset. since in
the class-function scope the $this is unavailable isset
will return false. but when the class has been instanced
it will return true.
btw, i tested it with php4.4.2CLI.
hope this will clear somethings up.
my last note is actually not 100% correct... as it is, trying to return a reference to an element of the class variables array won't work, even though the classVars function is declared as (possibly) returning a reference... the correct way to return a reference to one of your class variables would be
class theClass {
function &classVars($name = NULL, ...) {
static $myClassVars;
$myRef =& $myClassVars[$name];
which works as expected when you're looking for a reference. This should only be necessary when you're trying to return a reference to a piece of the array as opposed to the whole array itself. Simply doing this
works as expected, ie: you can get a reference to the whole array without needing to explicitly create a reference to it before returning.
Since re-posting a simplified version of the peterjoel.com solution to class variables in php4 was kinda lame, here's the modified solution to give you one function (per class) that allows you to use any number of 'class' variables...
class theClass {
function &classVars($name = NULL, $value = NULL) { // The classVars function is (possibly) returning a reference...
static $myClassVars; // Define a static var to hold our 'class' vars...
if (!is_array($myClassVars)) { // Initialize the array if it isn't already...
$myClassVars = array();
if (!is_null($name) && !is_null($value)) { // If we got two arguments, set the class var that was passed...
$myClassVars[$name] = $value;
if (!is_null($name)) { // If we got one argument, return the var it's referring to...
} else {
// Setting class variables...
theClass::classVars("varOne", "valueOne");
theClass::classVars("varTwo", "valueTwo");
// Getting class variables...
$myRef = &theClass::classVars("varOne");
echo theClass::classVars("varTwo");
You should be able to store anything in your class vars this way, and depending on how you call the function, you can have either a copy or a reference to the class var returned (see manual on 'returning by reference'...) Again, hope this helps someone...
'emulating' class variables in php4... peter at textstore dot c() dot il put me on the right track... I came up with the following and then before posting this realized that peterjoel.com has already posted almost the exact same thing... anyways, this is a little simpler and only involves one function instead of a getter/setter pair...
class myClass {
function &myVar($arg = NULL) {
static $myClassVar;
if (!is_null($arg)) {
$myClassVar = $arg;
// Setting the 'class' var...
// Getting the 'class' var...
$classVarRef = &myClass::myVar();
This should let you set up 'class' vars that will hold anything you can reference... with a little creative array usage, you could modify this to allow any number of class vars without having to write the same above function for each one... hope someone finds it useful...
Using an anonymous class instance via the scope resolution operator does not appear to call the constructor method of the class. Thus, any "stuff" set up within a constructor method (the method called when creating a new instance of a class) will not get set up using anonymous classes.
So for example something like this
Class A{
var $thing;
function A(
$this->thing = "hello";
function get ($var){
return $this->$var;
echo A::get('thing');
will not print anything as A::thing does not get "set up" outside of the constructor.
You would have to create an instance of class A to get any value for A::thing.
For example:
$a = new A();
echo $a->get('thing');
(prints "hello")
This is based on my observations and not from any official documentation. I may be wrong about the details.
A note to RichardBronosky's suggestion:
This is a very insecure method, never unserialize user data because they might be able upload a totally different class.
They can only specify properties, not methods but if they can research your code they might be able to do uninteded stuff or create a XSS attack.
So only unserialize user-data when you are in a controlled safe enviroment.
In reply to tim dot ward at stivesdirect dot com:
I had a need to to do a very similar thing. I wrote a class that will be used to create an object which can serialize itself into a cookie and be used to recover itself from the cookie later. To do the recovery you must use the Scope Resolution Operator (::) to call a function as a class function (vs. and object function). The recovery is very simple to initiate because there is only one line of code to call (e.g. $the_object = the_class::the_function(); ) But the function you call must do a ton of stuff, and call a few other functions within the class. This is where the problem lies.
I would like to thank <brooke at jump dot net>, <pollita at php dot net>, and <MagicalTux at FF.ST> (from http://php.net/manual/en/function.get-class.php) for leading me to the solution.
class foo
function get_object_from_cookie(...)
return unserialize($decrypted_cookie_data);
function recover_from_cookie()
...prepare to recover...
// The next line is the tricky part.
$o = call_user_func(array(__CLASS__, 'get_object_from_cookie'), $encryption_secret, $cookie_name);
$temp = $o->get_stuff();
$o->other_stuff = $o->do_calculate($temp);
return $o;
$bar = foo::recover_from_cookie();
I hope that saves someone an hour. It sure would have saved me one.
I didn't see where this issue was addressed so in regards to this post:
when using "::" operator inside class functions, you can achieve quite interesting results. let's take this example:
class cCat {
function Miew(){
// cCat does not have a member "kind", but cDog has, and we'll use it
echo "I am ".$this->kind.", and I say MIEW\n";
// here things are even stranger: does cCat class
// support WhoAmI function? guess again...
class cDog {
var $kind = "DOG";
function Bark(){
// let's make this dog act like a cat:)
function WhoAmI(){
echo "Yes, I'm really ".$this->kind."!";
$dog = new cDog();
echo $dog->Bark();
I am DOG, and I say MIEW
Yes, I'm really DOG!
The interesting thing here is that cDog is not descendant of cCat nor vice versa, but cCat was able to use cDog member variable and function. When calling cCat::Miew() function, your $this variable is passed to that function, remaining cDog instance!
It looks like PHP doesn't check if some class is an ancestor of the class, calling function via '::'.
The problem here is not that PHP is not checking ancestry. The problem is that "$this" refers to the calling object $dog even though it is referenced inside the cCat class definition. Since a cCat is never instantiated, $this has not been scoped to it.
To further illustrate the point, if you never instatiate dog (or any object for that matter), $this will never be set and when you statically call the miew function, you will get the following output:
"I am , and I say MIEW"
This flexibility of member handling, PHP does not afford to methods and as such the second line of the miew function will generate a fatal error reporting that the method has been called from a non object.
If you did want to take it one step further in the whole ancestry guessing issue, try instatiating cCat and calling the miew function. You will get the same result as above *EXCEPT* the fatal error will inform you the function has not been defined.
So, there you have it--PHP DOES NOT guess at inheritance.
Carrying on from the previous note, it is possible to call a member function statically using a variable for the name of the class, i.e.:
class MyObject {
function myfunc() {
return "Hello! ($this)"; // '$this' to determine whether it is being called statically
$type = "MyObject";
$object = new $type();
$message = $object->myfunc();
$message = MyObject->myfunc();
$message = call_user_func(array(&$type, "myfunc"));
O.K., so it's not using the scope resolution operator, but it does what you want... it calls 'myfunc' statically from the class named by $type.
It's worth noting that you can't use a variable with this operator.
The following is legal:
class MyObject {
function myfunc() {
return "Hello!";
$type = "MyObject";
$object = new $type();
$message = $object->myfunc();
(Puts "hello" in $message)
You can also use the scope operator:
$message = MyObject::myfunc();
However, the following is NOT legal:
$message = $type::myfunc();
It's a pity, 'cos right now I've got a situation where it'd be really handy, but that's the way it goes!
peter has a good point to suggest the use of static function variables instead of static class variables that PHP 4 does not support.
Unfortunately, also the first sentence of the manual is misleading "... refer to functions and variables in base classes or to refer to functions in classes that have not yet any instances. The :: operator is being used for this.".
You cannot use the :: operator on class variables since there are no static class variables. I lost some time trying to refer to class variable with this operator, so I think it may be useful to post a warning.
>> That's how to make class' static variable in PHP4.
Note, that nobody seems to have a way of actually making a global static server-wide object in PHP.
All the static/class var ways above work only within a single PHP page.
If you want to do something like:
class Logger
function Logger($filepath)
in some global include file:
$logobj = new Logger("mylogfile");
and then in all of your pages:
$logobj->log("my message");
and there is no way you can make this logobj static (such that all your pages can refer to without making unncecessary copies).
Can't be done with using uninstantiated Logger::log() funcs either, because you are not setting the logfile filepath parameter anywhere persistent.
The only kludge seems to be to use the filepath as a global variable and use Logger:: syntax.
Using a class function is a good way to write a Singleton pattern in php 4 using a static variable.
The sample code below shows the pattern in action :
class Singleton
var $_info = null;
function Singleton() {
$this->_info = 'Original value';
function getInfo() {
return $this->_info;
function setInfo($info) {
$this->_info = $info;
function &getInstance() {
static $instance = null;
if (is_null($instance)) {
$instance = new Singleton();
return $instance;
$a = & Singleton::getInstance();
$b = & Singleton::getInstance();
$a->setInfo('Hi, my name is A');
echo $b->getInfo();
I have seen some Singleton pattern implementations that were using an external function to instanciate the object, but I don't think it is the best way to implement the pattern.
You may want to force the getInstance() function to be called in a static way with the :: operator by testing if $this is set and raising an error or returning a null value (depending on your design).
Regarding the note by "gk at proliberty dot com". No, eval() isn't superior to call_user_func(), eval() has security issues and performance overhead.
To achieve the same results using your example with call_user_func, simply pass $this_class by reference. This is probably because call_user_func is passing a copy of $this_class.
function init(&$this_class, $current_class, $params= NULL ){
$this_class->classFiles[] = __FILE__;
if( !empty($parent_class)){
// call_user_func() NOW DOES CORRECTLY UPDATE $this_class->classFiles :)
} // init()
But please note, call-time pass-by-reference has been deprecared, or at least, PHP 4.3.2 says so.
Conclusion: Minimize using eval as much as possible, many projects had major security issues because they were using eval().
Someone mentioned that eval was better than call_user_func because the latter would not result in updates to the objects. I'm not sure this is the right place for such a debate, but if it is, then the right way is:
call_user_func(array(&this, $method), $arg1, $arg2);
You put a reference to (instead of a copy of) this in the array which you pass on.
when using "::" operator inside class functions, you can achieve quite interesting results. let's take this example:
class cCat {
function Miew(){
// cCat does not have a member "kind", but cDog has, and we'll use it
echo "I am ".$this->kind.", and I say MIEW\n";
// here things are even stranger: does cCat class
// support WhoAmI function? guess again...
class cDog {
var $kind = "DOG";
function Bark(){
// let's make this dog act like a cat:)
function WhoAmI(){
echo "Yes, I'm really ".$this->kind."!";
$dog = new cDog();
echo $dog->Bark();
I am DOG, and I say MIEW
Yes, I'm really DOG!
The interesting thing here is that cDog is not descendant of cCat nor vice versa, but cCat was able to use cDog member variable and function. When calling cCat::Miew() function, your $this variable is passed to that function, remaining cDog instance!
It looks like PHP doesn't check if some class is an ancestor of the class, calling function via '::'.
Contrary to the comment above, I have found that call_user_func()
is inferior to eval() because call_user_func() does not correctly
update objects passed by reference.
In the example below, each of my subclasses calls init(), passing
a reference to the current object, whose class variables are
initialized by classes in the hierarchy. The class variable
$this->classFiles contains the paths of each file for classes in
the hierarchy. It is not updated correctly using call_user_func()
but eval() works fine.
xobj( );
SUBCLASSES MUST NOT have any constructors
function xobj( $params= NULL ){
$this->init($this, $current_class, $params);
// $this->classFiles[0] is the file containing the final subclass
print_r($this->classFiles); exit;
void init(&$this_class, $current_class, $params= NULL );
this class MUST be overridden to set $this->classFiles correctly:
initialization requires __FILE__ to get the path of every class file
function init(&$this_class, $current_class, $params= NULL ){
$this_class->classFiles[] = __FILE__;
if( !empty($parent_class)){
eval("$parent_class::init(\$this_class, \$parent_class, \$params);");
// call_user_func() DOES NOT CORRECTLY UPDATE $this_class->classFiles:
} // init()
RESULT, using eval():
[0] => /usr/local/apache/htdocs/common/php/xobj/xobj_subclass.php
[1] => /usr/local/apache/htdocs/common/php/xobj/xobj.php
RESULT, using call_user_func():
[0] => /usr/local/apache/htdocs/common/php/xobj/xobj_subclass.php
While the method described by robinv at ecosse dot net to call a method of an arbitrarily named function will work:
There is another way to do so without using eval():
This will do the same thing without the performance hit of eval and without the added security concerns.
You can implement a getter/setter pair to emulate a class variable. The syntax isn't so weird:
class A{
function getVar($val=NULL){
static $class_variable = 0;
if($val != NULL){
$class_variable = $val;
return $class_variable;
function setVar($val=0){
return A::getVar($val);
print A::getVar();
My approach to using class constants is by making them functions.
Instead of
$var CONSTANT = 1;
I use
function CONSTANT { return 1; }
Now, when using this:
$i = ConstantClass::CONSTANT();
You can do anything with it: comparing, addition, multiplication. The syntax is a bit weird, but it works perfectly.
It's possible to access class member variables:
class Test {
var $vA = "hello world";
$class_var = get_class_vars(Test);
echo $class_var["vA"];
It's sound to be an ellegant way to acces them, no ? ;)
Re: email@example.com 08-Aug-2002 05:49
While it would be nice to have static instance variables you can simply create a method with the same name which returns the value you require. This means you don't have to instantiate an object when you only need its static content. For example:
class Colour {
function default () { return "black"; }
var $backgroundColour = Colour::default ();
According to the documentation, there is no way to have a class variable, only class functions. There should be class variables, because there's no way to implement CONSTANTS. Something like this won't work:
class Employee {
var $ACTIVE_EMPLOYEE = 1;
echo Employee::ACTIVE_EMPLOYEE;
//Also tryed:
echo Employee::$ACTIVE_EMPLOYEE
Parse error: parse error, unexpected ';', expecting '(' in /home/x/public_html/Test.php on line 9
It forces you to create an instance of the class:
$emp = new Employee();
echo $emp->ACTIVE_EMPLOYEE;
Note that if you have two classes, 'foo' and 'bar', and a function in foo called with $instance_of_foo->func() calls bar::func2(), $this will be defined in func2, and it will point at an object of class foo. In fact, you can redefine $this to point to an object of any class before calling bar::func2() to have $this to be a reference to that object. This means that you can't have functions that can be called either as static (::) or member(->), since you won't be able to tell the difference. This is a quite unfortunate consequence of the combination of references not containing any type information and it not being possible to call an explicitly chosen base class member function (that is, if x extends y there's no clean way to call y::f() on an object of class x (The unclean way is to assign $this to $instance_of_x, call y::f(), and reset $this to its old value.)).
And now, encapsulated in constructor. Isn't it nice? Ye, and it WILL work when more objects of class are serialized & unserialized ONLY when serialized in array / hash by one serialize() call - as serialize() should be used. However, when unserialized, it doesn't affect actual instances' "static" variable - thus, there will be 2 or more static variables after unserialization... but you can still change __wakeup() and to access "real"(actual) class' static value's reference, thus you have to use special function for every static value, as in example above... Ye, PHP is good!@
class O {
function O() {
static $statValue=0;
$this->statValue= &$statValue;
$o1= &new O;
$o2= &new O;
echo "\$o1: ".$o1->statValue."
";
echo "\$o2: ".$o2->statValue."
";
$o1->statValue= 5;
$o2->statValue= 10;
echo "\$o1: ".$o1->statValue."
";
echo "\$o2: ".$o2->statValue."
";
That's how to make class' static variable in PHP4. That means reference returned by function value() is the same for all instances of class O, thus they can share common data. This reference is common just for instances on same PHP page, of course.
<? class O {
function &value() {
static $val=0;
return $val;
$o1= &new O;
$o2= &new O;
echo "\$o1: ".$o1->value()."";
echo "\$o2: ".$o2->value()."";
$ref1= &$o1->value();
$ref1= 5;
$ref2= &$o2->value();
$ref2= 10;
echo "\$o1: ".$o1->value()."";
echo "\$o2: ".$o2->value()."";


text:
I don't think there is one answer for everyone. It really depends on the persons investing skills.Actually, not really so much a persons individual skills as much as their knowledge of what's actually available in the hands-off safe growth options... *AND* probably even more importantly; their ability to have their reason and logic override their emotions And probably most important, how they choose to spend their time & effort.When I retired early, many co-workers dropped by to chat and ask how I could afford to retire at 58. I said that for the last 10 years I spent 10-25 hours a week at investing, both learning and doing, but mostly learning. 40 hours working at Motorola, 10 hours working for myself at home = 50-60 hours working a week.They generally lost interest at that point.My (also retired) friend & neighbor chooses to spend his time puttering in the garage and holding down a part-time job as janitor/handyman at a church (not his church, another one). I have given him some basic & simple papers & books -- such as how to buy Preferred Stocks that pay 5%-8%. He moans about the bank paying 0.10% interest rate, but he never bothered to even read the 10-page paper I gave him, let alone discuss it with me, even though I offered.As the guy at http://www.controlyourcash.com says, poor people are poor largely because they choose to be.
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text:
Northern Ireland
Mainland UK
Price Charts
About Emergency Oil
Some service stations sell 20 litre containers of kerosene that you can use should you need oil in a hurry.
These containers are labelled "emergency oil" and it is not difficult to see why - they can retail at twice the price per litre than what a distributor might charge.
Considering that the average price per litre in October 2008 was 47p a litre (for orders of 900 litres) and that included a supplier making a profit and a driver delivering it and filling your tank for you then £1 a litre for a diy plastic container can seem excessive.
However, for around £20
(October 2008 quote)
, a 20 litre container can keep your home warm while you wait for your delivery to arrive. When you can be charged £15 to have your boiler bled should you need it after running out completely then shelling out £10 more for oil might not be so bad.
Please remember that the prices quoted here are an example only at the time the article was written and will vary.
Emergency Oil directory
Check out our new site at


text:
Who Was the Best American President?
Who Were the Best Presidents? An Introduction
The debate about who was the best U.S. President continues to rage, and it can be difficult to answer this question. While Lincoln is still the President who stands out for many, the debate over the best U.S. President, or even the five best, still rages on. So here is a list of seven former Presidents who have all been considered among the best either by historians, political science professors, or the good old masses of common people.
There are three Republicans, three Democrats, and the only unaffiliated on the list, placed in chronological order. So enjoy, and please feel free to leave feedback, but keep it civil and factual in discussions: if you want to debate give positive reasons for your favorites, don't cut others down!
Books on U.S. Presidents
Seven of the Best U.S. Presidents
George Washington, Federalist Party. The very first President, he definitely belongs on this list. During his time as President, the office of the Presidency actually had really little power during this time. Washington was President when the Bill of Rights was ratified, he refused to be king (the offer was there) and voluntarily stepped down after two terms, setting a precedent that helped democracy in the United States form and survive. Correction: The Federalist Party was started during Washington's first term, but when he took office he was not affiliated, making John Adams the only "true" Federalist President. Good catch by Tim.
Thomas Jefferson, Republican Party. Not only did Jefferson get a huge amount of land with the Louisiana Purchase, but he also saw the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy as well as the Lewis & Clark expedition. Jefferson was also quoted as saying: "The government is best that governs least," a sentiment that many Americans wish both parties would adopt. He was not repudiated to be a particularly nice man, but he was an excellent President.
Abe Lincoln, Republican Party. A major part of being remembered in history is being in the spot light during a historical crisis. The Civil War threatened to tear the nation apart, and Lincoln refused to allow this to happen. He was one of the least popular Presidents ever during his lifetime, but history has certainly vindicated him. Lincoln preserved the union, and his letters indicate his steadfastness came from a vision of the future that seemed almost prophetic. The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves, and the Union after a bloody war, held together as one. Lincoln is generally the most popular choice for best President ever, though critics do point out his suspension of habeus corpus and the first military draft.
Teddy Roosevelt, Republican Party. Teddy was known as a President who was gutsy and stubborn, and surprisingly progressive. He was the first President to be on a submarine or an airplane, and was a major conservationist. Over 125 million acres of nature were made into National Parks while also gaining a reputation as a trust buster, bringing the robber barons to their knees and forcing open and fair capitalism. The first laws were passed forcing a minimum quality for food. Teddy also won a Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace between Russia and Japan, and stated unequivocally to European powers that they had no right to interfere with the Western Hemisphere. Not bad for a President only elected to one term.
FDR, Democratic Party. Beloved by Democrats and Independents, demonized by Republicans, FDR is nonetheless the only President to be elected to more than two terms, and saw the country through the Great Depression while deciding it was better to intervene and keep tens of thousands, or even millions, from starving to death rather than let the markets that caused the Depression simply "take their course." FDR founded the TVA, helping to bring the South (still being punished for the Civil War) into the 20th century, created Social Security to prevent severe or life threatening poverty among the elderly, and had the first form of welfare - one in which people worked to build roads and national parks to earn money.
FDR's WPA program, in fact, employed some 3.3 million people who were set to work on tasks that gave America lasting improvements. In 8 years the WPA built 40,000 buildings, 8,000 schools, built or improved 650,000 miles of roads, 124,000 bridges, 8,000 parks, 18,000 playgrounds, and over 2,000 swimming pools. This program was later referred to by President Ronald Regan as one of the best and most successful government social programs in history. Oh, yeah, they also built New York's La Guardia Airport.
He also repealed Prohibition, and brought America's industrial strength to full force before entering World War II and becoming a world power, although there was that shameful attempt to pack the Supreme Court.
JFK, Democratic Party. During JFK's tragically short time as President he created the Peace Corps, saw the first American sent to space, and gave residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote in Presidential elections. During the Cuban Missile Crisis his cabinet wanted to use nuclear weapons, the generals wanted to use nuclear weapons, and Kennedy refused to listen and brokered peace, averting nuclear war. Say what you want, any President who prevents nuclear war is automatically on my top five.
Bill Clinton, Democratic Party. Although his Presidency was full of controversy, it is hard to argue with the numbers. The lowest unemployment rate ever, the biggest economic boon in history, a five trillion dollar deficit paid off, budgets balanced, and minimum wage raised. The negatives were all the scandals, some which were definitely political witch hunts, others which appear very legitimate. He left office even after all the scandals with a 65% approval rating, the highest since FDR shortly after his death. Love him or hate him, there's no denying the economy of the 1990s was far superior to anything before or later.
Widely Considered the Greatest U.S. President Ever
Who are your choices for the best U.S. Presidents?
Lincoln and Obama are the best
Agree with the top ten except for Clinton and JFK. Not that I think Clinton and JFK are bad presidents, but I would replace them with Polk and Madison.
First of allI'm not a historian,but I'm very interested in American history and although I revere Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln and Ronald Reagan for their particular intellect and leadership during the specific times that they served, I have a renewed sense of admiration for George Washington, recently having read a few books about his service in the Revolutionary War. He seems to have had a bravery and integrity that was palpable to people around him. A true leader, and one who trusted in God, rather than himself, to show the way through what seemed like unimaginable odds. He showed through his example what courage for the sake of freedom truly meant, because it would have been much easier for him to continue to be a part of the English colonies and not risk all of his worldly treasures for the sake of an autonomous America. I'm not sure we would have had the same country had he not been the first leader of the United States of America. Thanks for a great hub and giving me something to think about this morning!
Interesting choices; there is no doubt that Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Jefferson were exceptional men. You can keep the rest of them though. I always preferred the guys who took office and administered government without trying to make an expensive splash at the cost of blood and treasure. That pretty much leaves John Quincy Adams, the Whig presidents, Grover Cleveland, Taft, Coolidge, and Hoover. I would even like Harding were it not for the scandals.
Here's my personal list for what it's worth.
1. FDR: Social Security, New Deal, TVA, 4 terms, radio addresses, WWII, overcame polio...
2. Lincoln: Freed slaves (duh!), saved union, possibly gay, studied law by candlelight in log cabin...
3. Washington: Won our independence, kept a fragile young Republic together, couldn't tell a friggin' lie!...
4. LBJ: War on Poverty, Civil Rights Acts, Affirmative Action, Medicare, master of the Senate...
5. Kennedy: Cuban Missile Crisis, started space program, peace corps, inspired 60s...
6. Teddy Roosevelt: Trust-busting, conservationism, Rough Riders, speak softly/carry big stick...
7. Eisenhower: WWII general, Interstate Highway System, Korea, military/industrial complex, our 50s president...
8. Reagan: Definitely enabled end of cold war, battled malaise, made some people mad loot, America's grandpa...
9. Jefferson: Louisiana Purchase (kinda big deal), developed own religion, wrote declaration of independence...
10. Clinton: Turned deficit to surplus, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, no major wars, sax playing, non-inhaling charmer...
Kennedy may have averted the cuban missle crisis, but his short-term success also came with a long-term anxiety for America. He established continuing the arms race based on the belief that America had the nuclear advantage. Russians believed that America was superior in nuclear striking and so the Soviets built up their navy and destroyed America's lead in nuclear missiles.
I'm not much into politics because, frankly I believe most politicians are just a higher form of criminal. However, during my tenure on this planet. The best president I've seen was the team of Bill and Hillary Clinton. I could not care less who Bill was having sex with my pockets were full of money, and the economy was great back then. Now I go from month-to-month wondering whether I'll be homeless or not.
Clinton was definitely one of the best US presidents ever and was instrumnental in bringing peace to Northern Ireland something which eluded all his predecessors
Before making the list, it might have been helpful to explain what your criteria was. If your criteria is who were the most progressive presidents, then I think the list is pretty accurate with the exception of Washington. If the criteria is who was the most Constitutional President (ie, followed the Constitutional constraints of his office), then an entirely different list would emerge. The first 15 Presidents, in general, obeyed the Constitution. Garfield and Hays did as well (both managed to tick off members of their own party for vetoes on bills they deemed unconstitutional.)
Most of the 20th century Presidents would not make the grade. And if Constitutionality is our criteria, then I would have to say that FDR and Lincoln would be tied for last place. Both spent their entire time in the White House stomping on the Constitution. FDR stated on many occassions that the Constition was suited for "horse and buggy days and no longer applies". Lincold suspended Habeus Corpus and the Bill of Rights, and imprisoned anyone who was a critic. In fact, Lincold even went so far as to have an arrest warrant written out for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (Roger Taney) because Taney had declared several laws unconstitutional. (The warrant was never served because it was written the day before Lincoln's assassination.)
Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan, Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Jackson
Yes I know: an assortment of conservatives, liberals and progressives; hawks and doves; saints and sinners. But then as Solomon said, "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."
It's all a matter of how the respective ideologies are constitutionally expressed; according to the times; and for what cause, that counts.
It can get complicated, but let's not forget that Washington's first order of business was to tax spirits to pay for the war. When the people who fought with him, and were now taxed by him, stood up against the taxes, he sent in the army who literally shot down crowds of our own citizens, i.e. the Whiskey Rebellion.
Lincoln at the time of the war was an extremely contentious name, and not because of only race issues. During the entire war, he was allowing and the Union was profiting from the supply sales to the Confederates by business interests in the North. The more you read about this, the shadier it gets.
Reagan, as many mentioned, had double digit unemployment in his 3rd year of Presidency, expanded the deficit beyond any President before him, gave amnesty to 4 million illegals, carried out an illegal war, sold arms to the very country that took our citizens as hostages a few years earlier, sold them to drug running "freedom fighters" in South America, and allowed Oliver North to fly in cocaine to be used for funding by the CIA, resulting in the crack epidemic in the late 80s and early 90s. When you delve into them, they all have questionable actions.
James Buckhannon is called the worst president becouse he didn 't stop the southern states from seizing Federal territory and leaving the union.Well there is nothing in the constitution that says states cannot walk away,nothing at all.President Lincoln did not care that this important piece had been left out by our founders,he used military force to get what he wanted he did not care that the constitution in fact does not give the Federal government the right to force the states to remain in the union.But he is not the only president to ignore the constitution,the Marxist that's in there now and his communists healthcare bill is another prime example.
One last thing to the reagan fans out there,prove he defeated infation,prove he won the cold war,that's all im saying i want to see proof so far i have seen nothing at all just heard a lot of bragging about things which are hard to establish-prove it!
Yes i do get mad when i see reagan's name at all.I grew up when he was president and i remember people living in their cars,people homeless and the chronic unemployment.reagan gave the rich all the breaks,i thought he didn't believe in government intervention hmmm what do you call his tax cuts for the rich?Im sorry but the man was a dirt bag.His deficits were a result of needless military spending like i said before unacceptable losses.The Soviets could not destroy all our SLBMs and we could retaliate destroying their cities and they did not want to lose St.Petersburg or Moscow anymore than we did not want to lose Washington or NewYork.So like i said reagan was a dirtbag,Carter who people have used as their punching bag for years was right all along about our suicide dependency on overseas oil.He saved social security from bankruptcy,he did goof when he left the embassy open but hey no one is perfect he said he did not believe Iran was even in prerevolutionary stages.besides he was a champion of human rights and the shah was a brutal dictater.Also Carter normalised relations with China in 1979 so it was he not Nixon who opened up China.He was right about cancelling the B1 bomber.The B1 was expensive and vulnerable while we had better options the cruise missile and stealth technology.The B1 lobby was determined to get the contract even though America had better alternatives.They waited until dumby got in there in 1981 and got what they wanted,however wastefull for America which it was.Just becouse reagan had the pure luck of having Gorby to work with people want to give him credit for winning the Cold war what a joke.reagan's rhetoric in his first term the pre-Gorby days actually emboldened Soviet hawks and actually drew the conflict out a little longer.reagan's first term was the most dangerouse since the Cuban missile crisis and dumby made it even worse by running his big mouth and his needless nuclear buildup.I can't stand the guy or anyone who goes around trying to say he was great.
Sorry but i like to fight,i just hate reagan people their so stupid but i guese your right i did not take the time to read your lists and to you i apoligize but to anyone who voted for reagan in 1980 well im ready to fight!
I see you didn't put up my posts why?My posts was the most intelligent one of all.Well as usual people are to stupid to accept the facts and go the stupid rout just like 1980.You people should have put up my posts!reagan fans i bet!
Jimmy Carter was the greatest,look at nuclear proliferation the energy crisis
James Earl Carter Jr. was the greatest president.Look at the facts he created this countries first comprehensive energy policy,created the Department of education,saved social security from bankruptcy,created the rapid deployment force to gourd our oil flow from the Persian Gulf.Helped create a lasting peace between Egypt and Israel.He warned us about the energy crisis and he was right however people only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear not the bad stuff.Carter was the smartest man that has ever lived in the white house,he placed human rights at the forefront and like the Soviets said called them out in public always in public!His descision to allow the Shah into America was egged on by Nelson Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger.His carefullness in handling that crisis averted war,the hostages being killed and may have even averted World War 3 since the Soviet Union was always looking to intervene whereever possible.President Carter followed the détente process and pushed for deep cuts in both sides nuclear arsenals.reagan the dumby undid all Carter's work,he wasted billions of dollars on our armned forces when they had already been strenghtened by President Carter.Yes the Trident submarine was deployed in 1979!Read the book The myth of Soviet military supremecy,it will tell you about how after we reached a certain number of nuclear warheads there was no reason to build more becouse the Soviets could never destroy all our SLBMs & if they struck first we still had the power to render unacceptable losses down on their cities.Yes they did not want to see their cities wiped out anymore than we did.So the reagan buildup was a total waste.President Carter was mostly a victim of events beyond his control and he had a congress that worked against him as well,Bob Byrd said we had a saying back then im the senate's man not the president's man.President Carter was looked at in more favorable light by the mid-80s when reagan's deficits nearly bankrupted the country.People who liked to use Jimmy as their punching bag realised that he did try to curb inflation and solve the unempoyment crisis.Unlike reagan who actually said that the minimume wage was the couse of unemployment if you don't believe me watch the carter reagan debate online.People can say what they want but Jimmy carter is my favorite president and the facts are there to prove it.
I mostly agree with this list. My personal favorite president was James Polk because he laid out an agenda and actually acomplished it, something that rarely happens today. Jefferson, TR, and Lincoln follow close behind, but Polk accomplished more in one term than most presidents did in two. I also agree with the authors views on Reagan and I would put him in the same boat with the three presidents before him as they were all in office during crappy political and economic times in the country. I also believe that once we get some perspective, the Clinton adminstration will go down as one of the best because, all scandals aside, it was just a great time to be an american in the 90's. The economy was expanding like never before, more people were working than ever before, and the deficit was completely erased and actually gave way to a surplus in 2000. Another plus for Clinton is to look how far things have gone south in just a decade after his departure. While opinions of him may be biased now because his scandals are still fresh in peoples minds, I believe that a few years down the road people will begin to realize just how good they had it with Clinton in the White House.
Lincoln was the worst president ever he had more americans killed than any other and he freed the slaves which at the time was a great descison but today it was the wrong thing to do but he had killed more americans ever. I say Truman, Roosevelt, and W. Bush were the best they kept this country safe from anything W. Bush after 9/11 but after that i never felt in danger but with obama i feel scared we are going into a dangerous mission in afghanistan and hes firing a general cause he used freedom of speech. so the best:truman, roosevelt, and W.Bush. the worst lincoln and obama
very good list. definitely agree, and i cannot say how thankful i am that you did not include reagan.
I would agree with most of your choices and, as many have pointed out, Washington is definitely in a class of his own. Even though I thought Clinton was a good President, I wouldn't have put him on the list....yet. Time will tell his true impact on our Nation. And let's face it, he won't be heralded as one of the best presidents until we put some time between those who remember voting against him and the present.
Doll: I'm a fan of Jimmy Carter too, but that might have something to do with the fact that I'm from GA. I think he made a better ex-President than President though. Now he gets the opportunity to promote peace and help out charities without having to deal with the ugly side of politics.
Personally, I would replace Bill Clinton with Ronald Reagan.
Carter? A good president? Go get some fresh air! I'll give Carter credit for one thing, I think he did what he felt was right. The problem was we was wrong.
So what if Andrew Jackson had good intentions? Everyone has those. He gained Florida at the cost of the Mexicans and massacred Indians. He may not have been a horrible president, I admit I don't know a lot about him, but I know enough to say I wouldn't consider him one of the best.
Jimmy Carter is my favorite President. I don't know why people don't like him, but he seemed to me to be more for peace than any other President.
No mention of Andrew Jackson! While his Indian removal policies surely seem harsh by today's standards, they were intended to improve the welfare of the "common man." He helped win the War of 1812, gained Forida, balanced the U.S.budget and extended the voting rights to many.
Jerry G2 this is a very good post. Thanks for the info. I will become a fan.
Jefferson was in my opinion the best President. Clinton and Reagan were Popular Presidents, not the same thing as a great President. Not saying either were horrible either. However I would include FDR, LBJ, Carter and Nixon on my list of horrible Presidents.
FDR should be on that list.
REGAN should not. And I firmly stand by it.
And please, don't say "Well I was there and he did great things" blah blah blah.
I lived in Poland and the US during his time, and trust me, he didn't have anything to do with the fall of the USSR, Berlin Wall, etc. Sure he got hostages out, but so did Bill Clinton- a couple of months ago!
I admire and I respect to President George Washington for keeping the country together. Having Democratic leadership and steping down volontary after second terms. He left great example for all presidents of the world. God bless him and keep him in heaven........
Ronald Reagan should be on this list; definitely ahead of everyone there except maybe George Washington. Reagan secured the release of our American hostages from Iran. Khomeini knew Reagan would retaliate... Abe Lincoln is crediting with ending slavery - his only aim was to preserve the Union. He really didn't care if there was slavery or not. During Clinton's presidency, we saw an economic boom. Unfortunately, a lot of the boom was due to dot.com/internet businesses that subsequently went under and contributed more to hurting the economy... FDR did help propel the US out of the Great Depression; however, his policies gave rise to our current "welfare" and "entitlement" society. FDR only intended to use many of the fixes to do just that - FIX the economy after the Depression (regulating the stock market and banking insurance, etc., were good). Making the US a welfare state was not.
I agree with Austin's comments... Don't blame you for moving North of there. Nice place to visit, though.
the Shark: Reagan under reagan that ceo salaries skyrocketed and he raised taxes six times and the Iranian Release was secured before Reagan was president Economy is not the responsibility of the president and surely the policies of the previous president have no impact on economy during the first term in office. Also I think we can all agree that funding an giving weapons too Iraq and the Mujahadeen were bad ideas. And the whole Iran problem can be largely placed on president Eisenhower sin he approved operation Ajax which ousted a popular democratically elected leader whom though his countries resources should line the pockets of his country and not of anothers. And I really don't see how the Russians ever truly had the upper hand MAD was on and all that mattered was that we had launch nukes to Nuke them and we had the capability to use those nukes when we found out that they had used nukes. And the Soviets never had a good navy we've had a first line Navy since Teddy Roosevelt.
I agree with The Shark, you can't discuss GREAT Presidents without Ronald Reagan. My only disagreement with your list (Reagan aside) Is JFK and FDR. I don't think either one did anything extraordinary! Just one last thing, I can see why you are not a Reagan fan. Being from Austin Texas does not lend itself to rational thought concerning conservatives! I was born there and moved North about 20 miles just as soon as I could, now you know where I'm coming from! Other than those 3 items your list was good.
Just kidding about Austin, maybe.
I will disagree with Jerry G2 on Regan. It is easy to forget recent history, but in 1979 we had stagflation, extremely high credit interest rates, (20%) and skyrocketing inflation. Let's not let the facts get in the way here, you can argue cold war stuff all day, but economics don't lie. Just go to the web and look up a macro economics chart for growth in the 20th century. You see the moderate ups and downs. The downs are steeper during the depression and again in the 70's. Then there is an unprcedented climb like no other period that was sustained for twenty years. If we are going to blame Presidets when things go bad, then we need to give credit when things go well. In addition to economics there was the general feeling in the country that the great days of our country was behind us. Carter had said Americans need to learn to live on less. He had even gone so far as to suggest we should cordon off our homes with plastic in summer and put an ac in one room. Regan said he not only did not accept America's greatest days being behind her, but that her greatest days were still to come. Instead of seeing events on TV like Americans held hostage and being paraded blind folded every night for eager cameras and seeing US War ships crippled in the Gulf after being attacked by missiles, (USS Stark), we saw strength. While Regan was being sworn in, the hostages were quickly scuttled to an aircraft and were in German airspace by the time the inauguration was over. Libya learned quickly too and the threats from that country stopped when the F15's took out the Presidential palace. Under Carter we saw our military strength slip to second in strength to the Russians for the first time ever .Regan rebuilt our military strength and we have never looked back. I know we are in a new reach out to our enemies and negotiate by getting them to like us era, but peace has never been won through weakness. Just look at the Great Seal of the US, it was crafted to clearly send a message. First an Eagle, a bird of great strength and pride, second an olive branch in the right claw signifying the desire for peace, third the cluster of arrows in the left claw signifying weapons and strength and the willingness to use them if necessary for peace. In other words, peace through strength. Whenever we have a weak president our enemies become emboldened. Just look at No. Korea, with this new reach out diplomacy, they are not only developing nuclear missiles, but have promised a launch toward Hawaii on the 4th of July. Can you imagine No Korea threatning a launch at a US State if Regan was President? In addition to the anti missile ship being sent to Hawaii there would be a warning to No Korea. I am sure we ould say, if you launch a missile at US territory we will take that as an act of hostility and a require a respone.
No, I am sorry. regan belongs on that list. Put you personal feelings aside and do some reading on him and the Regan years. I know about these things, I was there, I saw them. The Shark
I would say Washington, he was the first and therefor had no other to model his presidency after. In fact he set precedent for all Presidents that followed on what the Presidency was and what kind of power the office should have. He was in a unique position being the first, he was offered what in effect was kingship, and turned it down, thereby solidifying forever that the office is seved by a civilian. He demonstrated what it meant to be the Commander in Chief, when he personally led a military contigent as President to put down the Whiskey Tax Rebelliion. Understanding the need for the young country to raise revenue, and the fact that unlike the tea party, these people were being taxed with representation. This is not to diminish the role and great challenges that Presidents that followed faced, certainly Lincoln faced the challenge that no president before or after has faced, saving the union. Still Washington provided the model for all Presidents. The Shark
Only one real standout. George Washington. The prsidency was formed with him in mind for his integrity and leadership qualities. He very easily could have become our first monarch and also he was the one to tell them to refer to him as Mr. President, not Your Excelency or Your Majesty, etc. He also willingly stepped aside as you pointed out. His biggest problem I think was the Whiskey Rebellion. Lincoln would be my 2nd choice as he really had the hardest time of all of our leaders and was not so well loved until after his death.
Here is my list of best presidents (so far). I'm not counting in Obama because he hasn't finished a term.
1) Abraham Lincoln - he managed to hold the Union together during the Civil War, and deal with slavery above that.
2) Franklin D Roosevelt - He got America out of the Great Depression and lead us to victory in World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
3) Harry Truman - He made one of history's hardest decisions: The Atomic Bomb. He also dealt well with Civil Rights. Too bad the whole senate was against his progressive ideals on civil rights.
4) John F Kennedy - He had to deal with Civil Rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam. It's a shame he was assassinated.
5) George Washington - he was the founding father.
6) Ulysses S Grant - he dealt very well with the KKK in the 1870's
7) Dwight D Eisenhower - He dealt with Little Rock, and the Korean War.
8) Bill Clinton - Did a lot for aid in Kosovo, and helped with the Education program
9) Lyndon B Johnson - Signed the Civil Rights Act. Brought America a lot closer to equality.
10) Thomas Jefferson - Expanded America's influence
Dude! You have Bill Clinton in a pantheon with George Washington? My goodness! Don't bogart that joint my friend; pass it over to me again . . .
Seriously, TR, FDR, Abe, Tom . . . not bad. JFK? Well loved—I loved him—but more for his persona than anything he accomplished.
Is this really Bill Clinton behind this screen name? Come on!!
How about, one Mr. Ronald Reagan? Berlin Wall, freedom for 400 million enslaved people, that guy. I don't know your age, but you would have to have lived through Jimmy Carter to understand what Reagn actually did because the word on the street at the time was—we were done, but a fork in us.
where is Regan at...he is the one and only great president...REPUBLICAN FOR LIFE
A good list with some nice information, but you have another mistake as to party affiliation. Jefferson was the founder of the Democratic-Republican party, the first modern political party. It later dropped the Republican part of the name and was the direct ancestor of the Democratic party (some would say they are the same party). So while Jefferson can be considered either a Democrat, or a member of a now defunct party he was by no means a Republican. In fact the Republican party was not even founded until well after Jefferson's death.
great choices this were the best presidents in usa..
Lincoln was a war criminal his actions the deliberate targeting of civilans and his action toward the Sioux rebellion can not be frogiven. You do not Free the slaves then enslave the Free.
Washington and Jefferson are the best.
G Washington put his whole way of life at risk and set a standard that has yet to be equalled. Clinton, on the other hand, belongs in the bottom half. Gingrich's Contract with America led to the balanced budget and deficit reductions.
George Washington did not belong to any politcal party as incorrectly stated above as being a member of the Federalist Party. In fact, if you take the time to read Washington's farewell address, you will see that he railed against the idea of politcal parties being formed and would be appalled to see how childish the political wars are today between the Republicans and Democrats.
I'm glad to see a lot of my favorite presidents here. Teddy Roosevelt can be awfully polarizing, but for the most part, he was popular :)
Great Choice. I liked them all. Anybody but you know who.


text:
* Poll is latest to show leading parties deadlocked
* Voters still upset by Parliament's suspension
OTTAWA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Canada's governing Conservatives and the main opposition Liberal Party are virtually tied, and an election now would most likely result in deadlock, according to a poll released on Wednesday.
The Harris-Decima survey for the Canadian Press put the Conservatives at 32 percent in public support, with the Liberals at 31 percent. The left-leaning New Democrats had 15 percent.
It was the latest in a series of recent polls to show the Conservatives — who two months ago were up to 15 percentage points ahead of the Liberals — now in a dead heat with their main rivals.
Support for the government began to slide sharply last month after Prime Minister Stephen Harper moved to have Parliament suspended for two months so he could "recalibrate" his agenda.
Harris-Decima pollster Allan Gregg told Canadian Press that voters still appeared to be upset by the suspension and were paying little attention to the government's speedy response to the Haitian earthquake.
Under Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system, a party needs around 36 percent of the vote to win a minority of the 308 seats in the House of Commons.
The Conservatives won a strengthened minority in October 2008, but still need the support of at least one opposition party to stay in power. Harper says neither he nor the Canadian public wants an election now.
The Harris-Decima poll of 1,000 adults was carried out between Jan 21 and 24 and is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Rob Wilson)


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THE BASEBALL NERD: CC's Slider and Damon's Slide
A brief note on Game 3: Yeah, Johnny Damon and A-Rod ended their slumps, but this game may have been won, and lost, on a sacrifice fly by a Phillie in the bottom of the 2nd inning. In fact, that at-bat might have been the turning point of this entire World Series.
Yankee starter Andy Pettitte was foundering: he had thrown a first-pitch strike to only one of the inning's six hitters, and to three of them he'd thrown three straight balls. He had just walked Jimmy Rollins, on five pitches, with the bases loaded. The Phillies were a hit or a walk away from driving Pettitte from the game (he'd already thrown 47 pitches) and exposing the deep flaw in his team, its non-Rivera bullpen.
Center fielder Shane Victorino came to bat with a reasonable hope of working a three-ball count, which with the bases loaded would put enormous pressure on Pettitte. So what did Victorino do? He swung at the first pitch, a low cutter nowhere near the zone. And at the second, which was even lower and wilder. And at the third, an 84-mph slider inside, on which which he flew out to left field. When Utley, the next hitter, struck out, the inning was over, and when Pettitte returned to the field in the bottom of the 3rd, his control was noticeably sharper. He gave up just one more hit over the next four innings, a solo homer to Werth, and as a result the Yankees would need a reliever other than Rivera for only one inning, the 7th.
Given the circumstances—this was a World Series game with the bases loaded, and hitters are taught from an early age to take the first pitch when a pitcher's struggling—Victorino's strategy (or lack of one) is inexplicable. In a home game the Phillies urgently needed to win, he actually helped the team they were trying to beat.
Last night's Game Four was decided by CC Sabathia's sliders and Johnny Damon's baserunning.
CC Sabathia's sliders
Last night, Sabathia's game plan was to work offspeed—curveballs, changeups, and sliders—particularly to the trio of Victorino, Howard, and Ibanez. As ESPN's Stats & Information Team has noted, Sabathia threw his slider prior to the World Series at a rate of 14%, but yesterday he threw it nearly twice as often, 26%. The Yankees have more advance scouts than any other team in baseball, and they've evidently recognized that the Phillies' hitters, particularly their lefties, would be vulnerable to this pitch. To cite one example, Sabathia thoroughly discombobulated Howard in his first at-bat last night, throwing eight pitches, all but one of them sliders, and striking him out swinging with a runner in scoring position. The only Phillie who actually got a hit off a Sabathia slider yesterday was Utley, Sabathia's nemesis, who homered.
Johnny Damon's baserunning
With the game tied 4-4 in the top of the 9th inning, Charlie Manuel brought in Brad Lidge, a closer who sometimes slams the door on opponents and at other times swings it obligingly open for them like an electric eye. After having the worst season ever by a full-time closer in 2009, Lidge seemed to have recovered both his confidence and his wickedly veering slider; he hadn't given up a run in eight previous appearances. Last night he coolly took down the first two Yankee hitters, getting Matsui to pop out to Rollins and striking out Jeter, on a full count, with a slider that fooled him so badly he practically stooped to swing at it (as if he were dusting off a banquette seat for Minka Kelly). At this point, Lidge was one out away from sending his team to the bottom of the ninth to try to win the game against the decidedly un-daunting Yankee reliever Phil Coke.
Lidge started Damon with a fastball that nearly hit him, then threw a slider Damon fouled off, then another slider he fouled off, then another he fouled off—and this one Ruiz, the catcher, nearly caught to end the game. (He whacked his glove in chagrin.) At this point, Lidge abandoned his slider for some reason and threw five consecutive fastballs, the last of which Damon lined to left field.
As they've done throughout the Series, the Phillies overshifted on Mark Teiira, who was batting lefthanded. In other words, they rotated their entire infield one position clockwise, so that the third baseman Feliz stood perhaps ten feet to the left of second base. Lidge must have felt confident he could handle Teiira, who was 1 for 10 liftime against him with 6 strikeouts, because he decided against a warning throw to first, where Damon, a threat to steal, had a good lead. On the first pitch Damon took off, sliding safely into second ahead of Ruiz's bouncing throw, and popping to his feet. Behind him, Feliz had the ball, but Damon suddenly sprinted for third. Feliz chased him, but Damon had realized that with the overshift on, there was nobody to throw the ball to; Brad Lidge had forgotten to cover the base. It was a stunningly intelligent piece of base-running.
Lidge, apparently unnerved, hit Teiira with a four-seamer, then faced A-Rod. With the go-ahead run on third, Lidge may have been afraid of throwing his slider, which can hit the dirt and richochet away from the catcher. He threw two consecutive 92-mph four-seamers, the second of them a meatball on the inner half of the plate that A-Rod lined into deep left field—a double that scored Damon, and the game-winner.