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There are a multitude of hunting and trapping opportunities available after the holidays for those hearty enough to get out.
There are a multitude of hunting and trapping opportunities available after the holidays for those hearty enough to get out.
One of those pursuits happens to be for the largest rodent found in Pennsylvania; the species responsible for the exploration of much of the interior of the US.
Beavers are found in many lakes, ponds, rivers and streams throughout the Poconos. While they may look cuddly and innocent, unchecked beaver populations can destroy many acres of farmland or other valuable habitat, not to mention damage to roadways via flooding caused by blocked culverts and similar activity.
Beavers are adaptable rodents and can make a home in a variety of locations. In lakes and ponds, they often build a "hut" out of sticks and mud that is visible from a long way off. In rivers they will dig up under an embankment and hollow out a den. As rodents, their teeth grow constantly and a beaver needs to chew to keep them from literally growing right through their own skull as they curve up and around.
Chewing trees and damming up waterways are what beavers do. Not a problem as long as it does not interfere with human doings. When there is a problem or an area has excess beavers, it is the trapper that everyone depends upon to reduce the situation to a manageable level.
Beaver trapping season runs from Dec. 26 through Mar. 31. It is a cold, wet and even dangerous pursuit. Wading or boating around cold water in potentially lethal. But trappers love what they do and the work is not really for the money as pelts are not worth all that much.
It is an outdoor heritage to be enjoyed for exercise, adventure, a few dollars, some good meat for the table and a way to help with problem populations.
Yes, I said some good meat for the table.
Beaver meat is highly prized for its culinary value. It is a rich, dark, red meat similar to beef in flavor but slightly sweeter. My family actually won first place in a game dinner contest last year with our meatballs made from ground and seasoned beaver meat!
Trapping is highly regulated to protect the resource. Trappers working in Wildlife Management Unit 3D may take up to 20 beavers per season using foot-hold traps, body gripping traps or snares. In addition to general trapping regulations, it is unlawful to destroy, disturb or interfere with a beaver dam or house.
Trappers may not set, tend or operate more than a combined statewide total of 20 traps or snares, no more than 10 of which may be traps. No more than two of the traps may be body-gripping traps, except in WMUs 1A, 1B & 3C where the two body-gripping trap limit does not apply.
It is against the law to touch anybody's traps unless they are present with you. The Pocono region maintains a very healthy population of beaver colonies through an availability of diverse, secluded and not so secluded habitat.


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The Drifters
- Clyde McPhatter
- Ben E. King
- Rudy Lewis
- Johnny Moore
- Bill Pinkney
- Gerhart Thrasher
- Charlie Thomas
Mellow yet savvy, the Drifters painted vivid New York scenes with their syrupy-sweet voices.
The Drifters took the ardent fervor of their gospel days and channeled it into soulful R&B arrangements about typical lives, elevating the everyday to a state of sanctity.
The Drifters served to link Fifties rhythm & blues with Sixties soul music.
They epitomized the vocal group sound of New York City. Theirs was the sweet but streetwise sound of R&B suffused with gospel influences. The material the Drifters recorded came from a variety of sources, including the songwriting teams of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and Gerry Goffin and Carole King. All were New York-based songwriters who wrote evocatively of romance and everyday life in the big city, and the Drifters made an ideal vehicle for the convincing delivery of such scenarios. The records they cut with Leiber and Stoller (who doubled as producers) introduced the sound of strings and Latin-tinged rhythms into the vocabulary of popular music.
The name "Drifters" was chosen by Clyde McPhatter, the honey-voiced singer who was the first in a long line of lead voices. He could not have chosen a better name, as members drifted in and out of the band from the very beginning. The Hall of Fame inductees span the group's history: McPhatter, Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore, Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher and Charlie Thomas. All the same, a consistent high standard was maintained throughout the Drifters' recording career at Atlantic Records, which lasted from late 1953 to early 1966. During that time, they cut numerous records that stand as milestones of sweet soul music.
So important were the Drifters to Atlantic Records that label co-founder Ahmet Ertegun proclaimed them "the all-time greatest Atlantic group." They had Number One singles with three different singers—McPhatter, Moore and King—which must stand as some kind of record. The era of Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, which lasted only from 1953 to 1954, yielded "Money Honey" (a Number One R&B hit), "Honey Love" and "White Christmas." Their groundbreaking doo-wop version of the latter song remains second only to Bing Crosby's in popularity. Thereafter, McPhatter served a term in the army before embarking on a solo career on Atlantic. With Ben E. King as lead vocalist, the Drifters began working with Leiber and Stoller in 1959. The first fruit of their union was "There Goes My Baby," a pop-R&B classic with a swirling string arrangement and a "baion" rhythm borrowed from Latin sources. Other hits of the King era include "Save the Last Dance for Me," the Drifters' only single to top both the pop and R&B charts, and "This Magic Moment." King, too, departed for a solo career, recording "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me," both of them soulful classics that have stood the test of time.
King was replaced by Rudy Lewis, who fronted the group for its third million seller, "Up On the Roof," in 1962. It was followed by "On Broadway," another New York-based slice-of-life sung with great feeling by Lewis and set to a daringly theatrical arrangement. Just as the Drifters were finally beginning to enjoy sustained musical success, Lewis died of a drug overdose in 1964, and the group lost yet another magical voice. Johnny Moore, who had sung with an earlier version of the Drifters, stepped in and the group immediately cut the classic best seller "Under the Boardwalk." Such resilience was typical of the Drifters, verifying the great store of soul and conviction within them that was evident from their recordings.
Inductees: Ben E. King (lead vocals; born September 28, 1938, died April 3, 2015), Rudy Lewis (lead vocals; born August 23, 1936, died May 20, 1964), Clyde McPhatter (lead vocals; born November 15, 1932, died June 13, 1972), Johnny Moore (backup vocals, lead vocals; born December 14, 1934, died December 30, 1998), Bill Pinkney (vocals; born August 15, 1925, died July 4, 2007), Charlie Thomas (vocals; born April 7, 1937), Gerhart Thrasher (vocals; died 1977)

subset: commoncrawl


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30 year old Laskar Harianja sits with his children, Masri (L), and Josua (C), at their house in Simpang Bangko, Rokan Hilir, Riau Province, Indonesia. He is a single parent and pineapple farming is his only source of income he has to provide for his family however his plantation has recently been destroyed by forest fires.
© Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace
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Gucci Bucket with Charms Authentic Pre Owned
This item is no longer available
Authenticity code: Gucci 1628989420This authentic Gucci Tote is stunning! It feature Gucci monogram canvas with brown leather trimmings for the handle straps. It is an amazing everyday bag because of its versatility, stylish for any occasion.
Authentic: Pre Owned
Exterior: Like new
Interior: Like new
Measurements: 14"L x 9"H x 3"D with 5" drop
Product Code: 104313
All photos are of actual item being sold. © 2007-2019 LuxeDH.
This Gucci® item is guaranteed to be authentic. Gucci is a registered trademark of Gucci. LuxeDH is not affiliated with or represents Gucci in any way or form.
New Arrivals


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This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
Cancer prevention is action taken to lower the chance of getting cancer. By preventing cancer, the number of new cases of cancer in a group or population is lowered. Hopefully, this will lower the number of deaths caused by cancer.
To prevent new cancers from starting, scientists look at risk factors and protective factors. Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor; anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor.
Some risk factors for cancer can be avoided, but many cannot. For example, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors for some types of cancer. Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may lower your risk but it does not mean that you will not get cancer.
Different ways to prevent cancer are being studied, including:
Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. The prostate is just below the bladder (the organ that collects and empties urine) and in front of the rectum (the lower part of the intestine). It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid that makes up part of the semen. Anatomy of the male reproductive and urinary systems, showing the prostate, testicles, bladder, and other organs.
As men age, the prostate may get bigger. A bigger prostate may block the flow of urine from the bladder and cause problems with sexual function. This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is not cancer, but surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of BPH or of other problems in the prostate may be like symptoms of prostate cancer. Normal prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A normal prostate does not block the flow of urine from the bladder. An enlarged prostate presses on the bladder and urethra and blocks the flow of urine.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States.
Prostate cancer is most common in older men. In the U.S., about one out of five men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die of it.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information about prostate cancer:
Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.
Avoiding cancer risk factors may help prevent certain cancers. Risk factors include smoking, being overweight, and not getting enough exercise. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and exercising may also help prevent some cancers. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about how you might lower your risk of cancer.
The following risk factors may increase the risk of prostate cancer:
Prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 50 years of age. The chance of developing prostate cancer increases as men get older.
Family history of prostate cancer
A man whose father, brother, or son has had prostate cancer has a higher-than-average risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer occurs more often in African-American men than in white men. African-American men with prostate cancer are more likely to die from the disease than white men with prostate cancer.
The prostate needs male hormones to work the way it should. The main male sex hormone is testosterone. Testosterone helps the body develop and maintain male sex characteristics.
Testosterone is changed into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme in the body. DHT is important for normal prostate growth but can also cause the prostate to get bigger and may play a part in the development of prostate cancer.
Vitamin E
The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) found that vitamin E taken alone increased the risk of prostate cancer. The risk continued even after the men stopped taking vitamin E.
Folic acid
Folate is a kind of vitamin B that occurs naturally in some foods, such as green vegetables, beans and orange juice. Folic acid is a man-made form of folate that is found in vitamin supplements and fortified foods, such as whole-grain breads and cereals. A 10-year study showed that the risk of prostate cancer was increased in men who took 1 milligram (mg) supplements of folic acid. However, the risk of prostate cancer was lower in men who had enough folate in their diets.
Dairy and calcium
A diet high in dairy foods and calcium may cause a small increase in the risk of prostate cancer.
The following protective factors may decrease the risk of prostate cancer:
Folate is a kind of vitamin B that occurs naturally in some foods, such as green vegetables, beans and orange juice. Folic acid is a man-made form of folate that is found in vitamin supplements and fortified foods, such as whole-grain breads and cereals. A 10-year study showed that the risk of prostate cancer was lower in men who had enough folate in their diets. However, the risk of prostate cancer was increased in men who took 1 milligram (mg) supplements of folic acid.
Finasteride and Dutasteride
Finasteride and dutasteride are drugs used to lower the amount of male sex hormones made by the body. These drugs block the enzyme that changes testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Higher than normal levels of DHT may play a part in developing prostate cancer. Taking finasteride or dutasteride has been shown to lower the risk for prostate cancer, but it is not known if these drugs lower the risk of death from prostate cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) studied whether the drug finasteride can prevent prostate cancer in healthy men 55 years of age and older. This prevention study showed there were fewer prostate cancers in the group of men that took finasteride compared with the group of men that did not. Also, the men who took finasteride who did have prostate cancer had more aggressive tumors. The number of deaths from prostate cancer was the same in both groups. Men who took finasteride reported more side effects compared with the group of men that did not, including erectile dysfunction, loss of desire for sex, and enlarged breasts.
The Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events Trial (REDUCE) studied whether the drug dutasteride can prevent prostate cancer in men aged 50 to 75 years at higher risk for the disease. This prevention study showed there were fewer prostate cancers in the group of men who took dutasteride compared with the group of men that did not. The number of less aggressive prostate cancers was lower, but the number of more aggressive prostate cancers was not. Men who took dutasteride reported more side effects than men who did not, including erectile dysfunction, loss of desire for sex, less semen, and gynecomastia (enlarged breasts).
The following have been proven not to affect the risk of prostate cancer, or their effects on prostate cancer risk are not known:
Selenium and vitamin E
The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) studied whether taking vitamin E and selenium (a mineral) will prevent prostate cancer. The selenium and vitamin E were taken separately or together by healthy men 55 years of age and older (50 years of age and older for African-American men). The study showed that taking selenium alone or selenium and vitamin E together did not decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
It is not known if decreasing fat or increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet helps decrease the risk of prostate cancer or death from prostate cancer. In the PCPT trial, certain fatty acids increased the risk of high-grade prostate cancer while others decreased the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
Regular use of multivitamins has not been proven to increase the risk of early or localized prostate cancer. However, a large study showed an increased risk of advanced prostate cancer among men who took multivitamins more than seven times a week.
Some studies have shown that a diet high in lycopene may be linked to a decreased risk of prostate cancer, but other studies have not. It has not been proven that taking lycopene supplements decreases the risk of prostate cancer.
Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to prevent cancer.
Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Some cancer prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer but who have an increased risk for cancer. Other prevention trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and are trying to prevent another cancer of the same type or to lower their chance of developing a new type of cancer. Other trials are done with healthy volunteers who are not known to have any risk factors for cancer.
The purpose of some cancer prevention clinical trials is to find out whether actions people take can prevent cancer. These may include eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, quitting smoking, or taking certain medicines, vitamins, minerals, or food supplements.
New ways to prevent prostate cancer are being studied in clinical trials.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials can be found in the Clinical Trials section of the NCI Web site. Check NCI's list of cancer clinical trials for prostate cancer prevention trials that are accepting patients.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Changes were made to this summary tot match those made to the health professional version.
If you have questions or comments about this summary, please send them to Cancer.gov through the Web site's Contact Form. We can respond only to email messages written in English.
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. A trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
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The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
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For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use the search box in the upper right corner of each Web page. The results for a wide range of search terms will include a list of "Best Bets," editorially chosen Web pages that are most closely related to the search term entered.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether a certain drug or nutrient can prevent cancer. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients and those who are at risk for cancer. During prevention clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new prevention method and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new method is better than one currently being used, the new method may become "standard." People who are at high risk for a certain type of cancer may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised: 2012-05-25
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Collecting DNA needs high standard: Our view
Collecting DNA from people arrested for violent crimes sometimes leads to a big payoff for the police. That's what happened in Maryland in 2009, when DNA taken from a man arrested on assault charges, for threatening people with a shotgun, matched DNA collected six years earlier in an unsolved rape case.
Thanks to the DNA match, Alonzo King was convicted of that 2003 rape and sentenced to life without parole. On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction, saying it was fine for police to collect DNA from anyone arrested for a "serious offense," such as assault, rape, murder, armed robbery or burglary.
On its face, this case looks like a slam dunk. A guy is booked on a serious charge, and a quick, minimally intrusive DNA test shows he's implicated in a far more serious crime that has been unsolved for years. Who could object?
OPPOSING VIEW:Use science to catch criminals
The fact that the Supreme Court split 5-4, in an unusual ideological mix, in deciding the case should be a clue that it's not so simple.
Collecting DNA is a deeply personal "search" that can reveal far more than a fingerprint or a mug shot. More important, testing people who have been arrested for one crime to see whether they're guilty of some other crime is the sort of suspicionless search that violates one of the most significant protections the Founding Fathers wrote into the Constitution.
Enraged by the British practice of using vague "general warrants" to justify intrusions into Americans' homes, the Founders said authorities could conduct searches only when they had probable cause to believe a crime was committed and, in most cases, had a warrant from a judge.
Imagine a slightly different context in the modern era: You're arrested for a non-violent crime, such as bouncing a check or letting your dog off the leash in a national park. But instead of collecting DNA, authorities use your arrest as a reason to rummage through your home, with no warrant, for evidence of other crimes. Under current law, the home search would be prohibited, but the principle is the same.
That's why the Supreme Court's majority, in an opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, turned itself into a pretzel claiming that collecting DNA has nothing to do with checking for other crimes but everything to do with identifying arrestees.
In his dissenting opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia demolished Kennedy's logic, noting that authorities never even checked King's DNA to identify him. They knew who he was. Instead, they tested his DNA against a database of unsolved crimes.
Scalia warned of a slippery slope that could lead to the Transportation Security Administration swabbing every air traveler. But with robust safeguards, that needn't happen.
Going forward, states would do well to limit DNA tests to people who've been convicted, or at the very least to those arrested for sharply defined major violent offenses. Better yet, the court would use some future case to tighten the rules on who can be tested.
Those limits would help the nation strike an appropriate balance between crime-solving and Fourth Amendment privacy rights. And people like King could still be linked to cold cases, if authorities are a little bit more patient.
USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view -- a unique USA TODAY feature.


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I have a memory of the first letter I ever wrote to Santa Claus. I was probably 5 years old, and had not started school. I can't remember all of the details, of course, but I think I asked my mother if I could write Santa, even though I hadn't yet learned to write. She assured me that I could, as Santa would understand what I was asking him.
So I put marker to paper, and scribbled lines across the page, filling it with my five-year-old's in imitation of what writing looked like.
I must have given the note to my mother, as it turned up years later in her collection of things saved from our childhoods (at enough of a remove that I was not angry that she had interfered with the duties of the U.S. Postal Service).
I can't tell you what I was "asking" for, nor what I actually got from Santa that Christmas. What I'm remembering is that magical state of mind where I could believe that my secret intentions could be carried by a child's remote approximation of written language to a special man who would somehow understand what no other could.
By now you may see where I'm going somewhere with this.
When I was thirteen I prayed the prayer shown in the back of a religious "tract" (the well-known "Bridge to Life" tract from The Navigators) and became a Christian. About a year later I found myself at a Charismatic home prayer meeting, kneeling on the floor, surrounded by fellow believers as I prayed to receive the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit". (For those who don't know, the "sure sign" of the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit is taken to be one's new-found ability to "speak in tongues". This "new" language is believed to be a "secret" language with which the believer can speak his or her innermost needs and desires directly to the Holy Spirit, who is able to interpret them.)
I remember the feeling of that moment, and the burble of the unfamiliar sound of "speaking in tongues" falling on my ear as those who surrounded me prayed to the Holy Spirit on my behalf. There was an intensity to the moment — a certain forcefulness to the voices so near my ears as they worked (I now understand) to will the Holy Spirit into me. And soon I began to babble as well, tentatively at first, but then with more confidence as my first attempts were greeted with a swelling of the volume of those whose hands rested on my back, head and shoulders. It all reached an electric crescendo as the act was completed — when my own "prayer language" came — and then quieted into whispered prayers and, finally, a sort of silent afterglow.
The other day — as I looked at some paintings on a coffee shop wall with a gallery director colleague– I mused on the idea that young artists can move through a phase where — lacking the maturity to make more confident marks — they may believe that any mark made on a canvas will somehow magically carry intention, even if the mark (or the collection of marks that make up the whole) lacks any accessible coherence. As I considered this I remembered my letter to Santa and the acquisition of my prayer language, and these three moments allowed me to triangulate an idea.
In each of these three cases of magical thinking, there is a childlike thrill to uncoupling the critical mind from the seat of pure desire and then (to use the examples I've presented) freely splashing paint across a canvas or scribbling lines across a page or babbling nonsense syllables to an invisible spirit. This is the joy and the appeal of magic — the kind of moments that make the skin tingle or give that widening in the base of the throat (which is where where I feel it) and offer, I think, a welcome departure from the watchful eye of our cool reason.
Little wonder, then, that they appeal to us so much as children and now — perhaps even more so for their rarity — as adults.
But a common thread to the experience of magic is this uncoupling of reason from desire — which is essentially the act of erecting a temporary barrier between two active levels of our consciousness. What we do, in effect, is put a blindfold on our frontal lobes so that we won't be embarrassed by whatever irrational thing we're about to do (or, more precisely: shamed by our reason for doing it).
I think we all do (or have done) this. And there is no shame in such pleasures (it's why we love professional "magicians", and a part of what we grieve for in the passing of childhood). But the part of it that interests me today is the uncoupling aspect, and the belief-motivated actions that follow. For when I wrote that letter to Santa (or when I first "prayed in tongues" to The Holy Spirit), I could not actually have told you what I was really asking for, because I had disengaged the part of my brain that can actually articulate anything I am thinking!
Now the teachers of these magical techniques would counter that this was exactly the point: to get my own "worldly" (read: critical, reasoning) mind out of the way and let spirit talk to spirit without interference.
The problem with that idea (and it's a huge one) is that the "mind" and the "spirit" are not the separate entities we tend to conceptualize them as. Well, at least no more separate than one part of our brain is from another. The notion of a discrete trinity of mind/body/soul is a device to describe what are essentially different levels of the consciousness that are the product of the physical processes of our brain. That we often then externalize these parts of ourselves, assigning them a sort of cosmic autonomy, is much more a testament to our propensity for magical thought than a reflection of any verifiable reality.
But oh, the magical appeal of this idea, despite the fact that there is nothing to back it up! (Nothing, that is, except our seemingly inexhaustible craving for magic). And to many (if we're honest about this) the craving alone is considered sufficient "evidence" for the object we so crave. Even the Bible offers our desire for God as proof of his existence. But this is proof only of our desire, and the roots of our desire are not so difficult to discern. To put it another way: would we think that a child's belief in Santa Claus is evidence that Santa really exists and lives at the North Pole? I think not. And yet many adults use just this kind of "evidence" to support their belief in the divine.
Magic (and magical thinking) are curious and pleasing byproducts of this consciousness that we carry. This is the only thing we can say with any confidence about magic. This is the only notion of magic that reality offers us.
I realize that such a suggestion is nothing but a wet blanket to many, but I am not saying that our experience of magic is invalid. How can any of our cognitive experiences be called "invalid", at least in the sense of not existing or occurring? Yet such experiences are always products of the way we perceive reality, and since we are clearly able to perceive things in ways that would never align with any physical reality (we can "see" things that are not there) such an experience alone is confirmatory evidence nothing other than the cognitive experience itself. This is how I view everything spiritual: I believe in the experience, I differ only in the explanation. So when someone tells me that God spoke to them, I do not for a second doubt their experience, I simply translate their God language into materialist terms: I credit their story to its actual source (their own consciousness) and not the supposed source (God).
For I know all too well that we carry in our skulls a brain that runs several (or many) levels of consciousness at one time (though there seem to be primarily three major levels: conscious, unconscious and involuntary). And I know from my own experience that the "voice" that we experience as god or spirit is an actual phenomenon of that level of our consciousness that talks back when we talk to it. (In this sense, I would have to say that god does, indeed, exist, insofar as the thing we experience as god exists. Where I would quibble is in the magical leap of making a natural cognitive event into evidence of an actual God in His Heaven).
I like coherence. I like to make sense of as much as I can reasonably make sense of in the world. Yet I expect I will always carry an ear for the siren song of magic as long as I live. The difference between me and a believer is that I have come to understand that the source of the magical experience is resident inside of me, and through understanding that a large part of the allure of the magical impulse has been removed (namely that it can actually mean something or be predictive or life-changing in some dramatic way).
To give in to magic is to give in to the incoherence of a child's scribbled letter to Santa, or a mumbled gibberish prayer that is going not to heaven, but right back to its source. In each case we are playing with ourselves, really. And though there's nothing wrong with that, we don't generally like to be seen doing it in public.
t.n.s.r. bob


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For those of us in the US and Europe, Venus has completed its transit across the sun. If you missed it, too bad: it won't happen again for another 105 years.
The transit has huge historical importance, as in the past it's what enabled us to calculate our distance from the sun. This video, constructed from images recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the transit in high definition. NASA explains:
"The videos and images displayed here are constructed from several wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light and a portion of the visible spectrum. The red colored sun is the 304 angstrom ultraviolet, the golden colored sun is 171 angstrom, the magenta sun is 1700 angstrom, and the orange sun is filtered visible light. 304 and 171 show the atmosphere of the sun, which does not appear in the visible part of the spectrum."
If you missed it, don't worry too much: thousands of talented photographers around the world have been recording the event, and we'll bring you some of the best images before too long. [NASA]


text: Deinococcus radiodurans (ex Raj et al.) Brooks and Murray (ATCC® BAA-816™) Strain Designations: USUHS / Type Strain: no / Biosafety Level: 1 General Information Characteristics Culture Method History Documentation Print Email Share Share this product Facebook Twitter Google+ Permits and Restrictions View Permits Strain Designations USUHS Isolation Animal-derived foodstuff, irradiated canned meat, 1956 Biosafety Level 1 Biosafety classification is based on U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their facilities comply with biosafety regulations for their own country. Product Format freeze-dried Storage Conditions Frozen: -80°C or colderFreeze-Dried: 2°C to 8°CLive Culture: See Propagation Section Preceptrol® no Genome Sequenced Strain Yes Type Strain no Comments Genome sequenced strain Medium ATCC® Medium 123: TGY medium Growth Conditions Temperature: 30°C Atmosphere: Aerobic Name of Depositor MJ Daly Special Collection NSF - Bacteriology Chain of Custody M J DalyK W MintonB E Mosley Isolation Animal-derived foodstuff, irradiated canned meat, 1956 Year of Origin 1956 References White O, et al. Genome sequence of the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans R1. Science 286: 1571-1577, 1999. PubMed: 10567266 . Corrections and Clarifications: See Reports:. Science 303: 766, 2004. Cross References Nucleotide (GenBank) : AE000513 Deinococcus radiodurans R1 chromosome 1, complete sequence. Nucleotide (GenBank) : JN571419.1 Deinococcus radiodurans strain ATCC BAA-816 single-stranded DNA binding protein gene, complete cds Permits These permits may be required for shipping this product: Customers located in the state of Hawaii will need to contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to determine if an Import Permit is required. A copy of the permit or documentation that a permit is not required must be sent to ATCC in advance of shipment. Basic Documentation Product Sheet Certificate of Analysis SDS


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Is Leon Logothetis compassionate or crazy—or both?
Logothetis, you may recall, bought a 1985 London taxi, dubbing it the Kindness Cab, and drove it from New York to Los Angeles, doing good deeds—driving a veteran to a VA Hospital for cancer treatment, taking a down-on-its-luck family out for ice cream—along the way.
The way included some car trouble, most memorably in the mountains, which the cab demonstrated a decided reluctance to scale. At the end of his journey, he donated $11,500 to charity. That would have been the total of the fares that he and cameraman Steve Priovolos would have collected.
Logothetis also drove from London to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, as part of last year's Mongol Rally, a 10,000-mile trip after which he donated to FirstBook one book for every mile driven. He blogged about this adventure (which, by the way, ended badly on a previous try when his car was totaled) for The Times.
Now he's at it again. He leaves Saturday from Los Angeles for…Los Angeles, a circumnavigation of the globe, which, in and of itself, is interesting, but he's doing it on a bright yellow motorcycle with a sidecar. He's calling this machine Kindness One.
He visited The Times last month to talk about the journey and piloted the bike, carrying me in the sidecar. We got lots of stares and smiles and waves as we toodled around downtown; it's hard not to grin when you see this yellow thing bopping down the street. As a motorcyclist myself, though, I also found it hard not to worry. The words "powerful" and "substantial" did not jump immediately to mind in describing the bike.
But he's determined to show the world that you can make a journey like this sustained only by kindness. Like his journeys detailed in his "Amazing Adventures of a Nobody," in which he traveled on only $5 a day, he will rely again on the kindness of strangers.
"I've always had a thirst for travel," he said, " and I love connecting with people."
He's grown weary, he said of being bombarded with negativity. "People think that's our normal state," he said.
He's out to prove them wrong.
In the coming weeks, you may see blog posts from him, detailing his adventure. You can see more about his route at Kindness One. Then decide for yourself whether he's slightly unhinged or the ultimate ambassador of goodwill.
Click on a point to read more about Logothetis' journey. View larger map on latimes.comFollow us on Twitter @latimestravel and like us on Facebook


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A Band Called Death
Punk before punk existed, three teenage brothers in the early '70s formed a band in their spare bedroom, began playing a few local gigs, and even pressed a single in the hopes of getting signed.
But this was the era of Motown and the emerging days of disco. Record companies found Death's music— and band name—too intimidating, and the group was never given a fair shot, disbanding before they even completed one album.
Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family love story, A Band Called Death chronicles the incredible fairy-tale journey of what happened almost three decades later when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of the attic and found an audience several generations younger. Playing music impossibly ahead of its time, Death is now being credited as the first punk band and is finally receiving long overdue recognition as true rock pioneers.
Join us for a screening and a post-viewing Q&A with filmmaker Mark Christopher Covino.


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The son of murdered soldier Lee Rigby will be forced to see "images of his dad that no son should ever have to endure", his widow has said.
Rebecca Rigby's impact statement has been read to the Old Bailey today, where her husband's murderers Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, are due to be sentenced later today.
Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC read excerpts of the statement, in which Mrs Rigby described the effect of suddenly being in the public gaze after the brutal killing.
Outside the Old Bailey earlier
She said: "I was also living in the public gaze. I couldn't go out or do anything. I felt like I didn't want to go on. I saw people nudging and looking at me if I tried to walk down the street, it was surreal.
"Of all the feelings I have, the one thing that overrides everything is that I know my son will grow up and see images of his dad that no son should ever have to endure, and there is nothing I can do to change this."
Islamist fanatics Adebolajo and Adebowale hit Fusilier Rigby, 25, in a car before hacking him to death near Woolwich barracks in south east London on May 22 last year.
Mrs Rigby said that she had accepted her husband would be at risk when he went to serve in Afghanistan, but not in Britain, where he was based when he died.
She said: "When you wave someone off you accept that there is a chance you will never see them again. You do not expect to see this on the streets of the UK.
"Lee will never be forgotten. We will always love him and miss him every day."
The court also heard part of a statement from the soldier's stepfather, Ian Rigby.
He said: "After all he had been through in Afghanistan all Lee was doing was just walking through London. Just seeing on the television and seeing the violence of it you just can't comprehend. You take it all in and it doesn't click in your head, it is like being somewhere else.
"You're watching it without being actually there."
Mr Whittam said that the family's lives had been devastated.
He said: "The scale of the impact on them of the nature of the murder of Lee Rigby in the circumstances made so public during the trial and after such a killing causing a son to pre-decease his parents and stepfather and leave those others who loved him without a husband or a soul mate is too obvious to set out in detail.
"He had, as your lordship knows, a young son. All their lives have been irreparably changed for the worse."
A large group of protesters gathered outside the Old Bailey in London for the sentencing, with some chanting 'There's only one Lee Rigby.' Others were seen with a noose as police tried to hold back groups.
Adebolajo's defending barrister David Gottlieb argued against his client being handed a whole-life order, with no hope of parole.
Mr Gottlieb said: "He should not in these circumstances be deprived of any hope of release."
The barrister said Adebolajo was "not someone incapable of change without proper encouragement".
Adebolajo, who has two children and four stepchildren, did not intend to physically injure anyone other than the victim, he said.
Mr Gottlieb went on: "There's no evidence that the defendants were part of a wider network or cell or support group."
While the killing of a British soldier had caused anger, Mr Gottlieb said, his murder can not be likened to a mass casualty event like the 7/7 attacks in London.
Fusilier Rigby's murder shares characteristics of a hate crime or the killing of a police officer, more than a murder to advance a political cause, Mr Gottlieb said.
The barrister said it was accepted the defendants ran the soldier over in a car to render him unconscious.
Nor is there any evidence they deliberately mutilated Fusilier Rigby's body, he added.
"There's evidence he can be rehabilitated now, not much evidence but some evidence," Mr Gottlieb said.
Abbas Lakha QC, for Adebowale, said that the 22-year-old should not be sentenced to die behind bars "unless the court is driven to the conclusion without any doubt at all that it is a just sentence".
He cited the case of Pavlo Lapshyn, who was also sentenced by Mr Justice Sweeney for the racist murder of Mohammed Saleem and a series of mosque bombings, but escaped a whole life term.
Mr Lakha said: "There was no evidence they were part of a larger organisation or group, nor was there any evidence that in carrying out the act of the killing that they did any more than what they believed was the command of God, certainly not in furtherance of a religious or ideological cause supported by a group that they were members of."
The court heard that the pair did not plan to kill anyone else, having been acquitted of a count each of attempted murder of a police officer, and that Adebowale's relatively young age should be taken into account.
"He is still a young man, we respectfully submit that his age is a significant mitigating factor which must be borne in mind," Mr Lakha said.
He also told the court that psychiatric problems that Adebowale has suffered, while not a defence, should be taken into consideration when passing sentence, and that although the murder was a joint enterprise the pair should be sentenced as individuals.


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by Scott Boyle
Sports were happenin' all over Blanding on the Fourth, in big numbers. Running, softball, football, volleyball. It was awesome.
5K race
A colossal group of more than 260 runners participated in the annual Fourth of July 5K race in Blanding. And that doesn't include the group that ran in the 1-mile fun run. The overall winner is Adam Jensen of Utah Valley, who blitzed the 5K course in 18:09. Close behind in second place was Tanner Anderson (18:31) and third place was Jensen's cousin, Ashton Jensen (18:48).
Since you may not know the name (and their family line runs close to mine) I can give the genealogy of the winner. Adam Jensen - David Jensen - Buckley Jensen - Ned Adams Jensen - Della Adams Jensen Bronson - George Adams - William Adams - ... - Noah - ... - Adam. He is apparently named after his great grandfather.
Top overall female finisher is Madeline Kaufmann, who finished in 20:12. Leesa Jones is the second place female in 21:28 and Camille Broderick is third (22:16).
Other winners include Kenneth Merrell, Male 14 and under winner with Matthew Jones and Grange Simpson second and third.
Female 14 and under, Jessica Walker first,Tallie Chamberlain second, and Skyler Jensen third.
Male 15-19 winners Tanner Anderson, Ashton Jensen, Braden Meyer.
Female 15-19 Alexia Stash, Kira Simpson, Brielle Francom
Male 20-29 winners Taylor Francom, Tom Walsh, Stuart Grisham
Female 20-29, Camille Broderick, Cindy Bradford, Beth Millward
Male 30-39 Dennis Shumway, Ian Nielson, James Lewis
Female 30-39 Leesa Jones, Kaci Griffith, Jeanetter Primich
Male 40-49 Ryan Heck, Ricky Aurthur, Nate Jones
Female 40-49 Shana Brown, Lana Merrell, LeeAnn Parker
Male 50+, Kevin Webb, Kent Roper, Steve Parker
Female 50+. Kris Darrington, Lillian Bayles, Joni Lyman.
Proceeds from the race benefit the San Juan High Cross Country team.
Softball tourney
Twenty four teams, yes, you heard that right, 24, participated in the annual all-night Shane Warenski Memorial Slowpitch Softball Tournament that began on July 3 and didn't finish until well after "dawn's early light" on July 4.
The winner, for the third year in a row, is Diamond C. The Diamond C crew circled the diamond numerous times on the way to the finals of the double-elimination tournament. They faced the Native Guns in an exciting, but bleary-eyed championship game. Proceeds of the tournament benefit the San Juan High School baseball team.
7 on 7 football
The San Juan High School football team is the beneficiary of the inaugural 7-on-7 football tournament. Five teams participated in the event, with another Diamond C team, loaded with recently graduated Broncos, claiming the top prize. Diamond C faced Chris Lee's team in the championship game.
Other teams included the San Juan County Sheriff's office, the Steve Duke - Skouson family reunion team and another unnamed team.
Volleyball tourney
The volleyball tournament was a success. Still trying to track down results but I'll wager that the Diamond C team won!
The Hideout
There was also some sports news in Monticello Friday evening. The Hideout was the scene of a Midnight Mania High School Golf fundraiser. Yep, the annual play golf in the dark tournament.
The front nine is played in the twilight but the back nine is played in the dark with glow in the dark golf balls, and glow sticks in the cup so golfers can see where to putt.
Thirteen teams tried their luck with two teams finishing tied for first, and as of press time on Monday, it was still to close to call.
The Eardley team, Tanner and Terry Eardley, Kraig Black and Jeremy Redd, tied with the Holy Mr. Oakers, Michael Holyoak, Shane Brewer, Josh Keyes, and Nathan Chamberlain with identical 62s.
The Eardleys had matching 31s on both nines, while curiously, the amazing Holy Mr. Oakers shot better in the dark than the light, shooting 32 in the light and 30 in the dark. Hmmmm.
#66 cliff swallow, #67 lesser goldfinch, #68 barn swallow, #69 sage sparrow, #70 Brewer's blackbird, #71 Bullock's oriole, all observed at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM.


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text: Emmy Rossum's Hot-Body Secrets\\nThe Shameless and Beautiful Creatures star, 26, gives you the real deal on how she stays this fit (without the "I eat doughnuts and never work out" BS).\\nView the Behind the Scenes video »\\nEmmy Rossum has no shame. She'll fess up to being an idiot in Spin class, wear a funny knit raccoon hat and openly admit that she looks crazy fit these days. It's understandable—such unapologetic confidence comes with having a career that is taking off. Besides starring in Showtime's hit drama *Shameless*, she has a new movie, *Beautiful Creatures*, out February 13, and a new album, *Sentimental Journey*. But despite the übersuccess, Emmy couldn't be sweeter or funnier. We got her to spill a few secrets.\\n\\nLeft: Bra, Jill Stuart, $198; 212-343-2300. Pants, Kate Spade New York, $198; [KateSpade.com](http://KateSpade.com). Earrings, Apt. 9, $18; [Kohls.com](http://Kohls.com). Watch, TAG Heuer, $1,800; 201-368-0710\\n\\"I like Physique 57, Burn 60 and SoulCycle or Flywheel, because I get positive energy from the people around me. You just can't be the slacker. And I raise my hand like an idiot whenever the instructor asks if anyone is new to the class. I'm, like, 'Yep, I'm the loser who hasn't been here before.' At least I'm not going to screw myself up by doing it wrong!\\"\\n\\nLeft: Bra, Jill Stuart, $198; 212-343-2300. Shorts, Milly, $195; [MillyNY.com](http://MillyNY.com). Earrings, $385; [CourtneyLeeCollection.com](http://CourtneyLeeCollection.com)\\n\\"When I want to drop weight quickly, I cut back on my cardio and do a lot of weights instead. It's counterintuitive, because you would think, I should stay on the treadmill for five hours. I also cut out all fruit and eat a lot of protein and vegetables. My go-to moves are walking lunges, leg raises and my favorite: four sets of 15 ballet pliés, holding 8-pound weights.\\"\\n\\nLeft: At a benefit for children, 2010.\\n\\"If I've had a meh workout the day before, and I'm still not feeling it, then I'll do another meh one that day, too. I think you should just do something every day.\\"\\n\\nLeft: At the 2008 Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute gala.\\n\\"I'm working on my obliques. I do that standing straight up, holding the 8-pound weights and bending to the side. I'm going for that indent—my friends are, like, 'OK! We get it! You don't have to go all Terminator on us.'\\"\\n\\nLeft: Dress, Ralph Lauren Black Label, $1,598; [RalphLauren.com](http://RalphLauren.com). Earrings, $385; [CourtneyLeeCollection.com](http://CourtneyLeeCollection.com)\\n\\"I don't want to do the Ironman or run 10 miles, but I do want to go up into space one day. It costs [hundreds of thousands] right now, but I hope eventually it will be $500. And I want to make sure my heart is fit enough to handle the trip when I'm 50.\\"\\n\\nLeft: Rockin' red at the Academy Awards, 2005.\\n\\"I'm extremely focused. But as focused as I am, I'm silly as well. I'll have friends over [Justin Chatwin, Jake Abel, Shay Mitchell], and we'll drink a bottle of wine and play silly games like charades. Oh, they get very loud.\\"\\n\\nLeft: At the Golden Globes, 2005.\\n\\"I don't always make my bed. If my life is in a state of chaos, then I have to make it. But if I'm happy in my life, then I'm OK leaving a little chaos in my house.\\"\\n\\nLeft: At Donna Karan's fall runway show, 2012.\\n\\"When I was filming *Beautiful Creatures*, I ate 1,500 calories a day—nutritionist Carrie Wiatt sent me meals from L.A. But I also gave myself two cheat days a week. I'd eat a steak and fries, an ice cream sundae and then go to Pinkberry. Of course, then I'd wake up the next morning and go, 'Oh, great, I'm eating one poached egg and a green apple. Shoot me in the face.' But it was totally worth it. Now I can gain back those 6 pounds that I had lost to do the movie.\\"\\n\\nLeft: *Beautiful Creatures* is your new fit-speration.\\n\\"I was raised on a macrobiotic diet, so I was more interested in eating the junk food that other kids were eating, although I'd have to make sure my mom didn't know. My mom has never owned a saltshaker. Now I have to sneak these contraband little salt packets from take-out restaurants into her house so that I can salt my food.\\"\\n\\nLeft: At the Fashion's Night Out benefit, 2009.\\n\\"I'm not going to wake up like Gisele tomorrow. That's just not going to happen. She's a genetic freak—and stunning. I'm a human being. I'm fit because I make it a priority and it's part of my job. I also try to stay confident, so 5 pounds up or down doesn't affect my brain.\\"\\n\\n\\"I don't like a guy if he doesn't like my animals. I have a dog, Cinnamon, and a cat.\\"\\n\\"Right now I'm probably in the best shape that I've ever been in, although I don't consider 'best shape' to necessarily mean the skinniest. I've been fatter and I've been skinnier than I am right now, but I'm more at peace than ever.\\"\\n\\nLeft: At Marchesa's spring 2010 show.\\n\\n__[Get This Nashville Star's Hot Body](/healthystars/2012/12/hayden-panettiere-happiness-secrets-slideshow)__\\n\\n__[Nina Dobrev on How to Get Sexy](/healthystars/2012/11/nina-dobrev-secrets-to-getting-sexy-slideshow)__\\n\\n__[Stars' Workout Secrets!](/healthystars/celebrity-workout-secrets-slideshow)__


text:
Microsoft has confirmed its UK pricing for Windows 8. It will launch on October 26 for £24.99.
There were fears that UK customers would have to pay considerable more for their downloadable copy of Windows 8 than the $39.99 US price. As reported by the Daily Mail, though, those fears seem to be unfounded.
Customers who bought a Windows 7 PC after 2 June 2012 will be able to get their digital copy of Windows 8 even cheaper – a mere £14.99 via windowsupgradeoffer.com.
Amazon.co.uk is currently offering Windows 8 on pre-order for £49.99, although this will get you a physical disc, and such prices are always subject to change.
Microsoft has planned a special launch event for Windows 8 on October 26. The new OS will see a radical UI overhaul, with the old desktop style being replaced by a touchscreen-friendly alternative that takes a number of cues from the Windows Phone 7 OS.
Along these lines, Windows 8 will be compatible with desktop PCs, laptops and tablets alike. Meanwhile Windows Phone 8 will be built on the same foundation, making cross-platform use much easier.
A number of manufacturers are set to show off their Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 plans at this week's IFA 2012 event in Berlin. Samsung, for example, has already unveiled both a Windows 8 tablet and a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, called the ATIV Tab and ATIV S respectively.
Via The Mail


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Burnett and the Blue Jays
Anyone notice that Blue Jays starter A.J. Burnett still hasn't filed for free agency? That's not a mistake, but all it means s Burnett's contract situation is a tad different than that of other free agents. When Burnett informed Toronto that he was opting out last week, he put in motion a process that will terminate his current contract on Thursday.
"It's a little different situation," explained Darek Braunecker, Burnett's agent. "It's an actual termination of contract, is what it is. He becomes eligible for free agency via termination of contract, so it's a little different filing process. We had to notify the club, both verbally and in writing, and then it's passed on to the Commissioner's Office."
So, on Friday, Burnett can begin listening to new contract offers from other clubs. The Blue Jays are still interesting in retaining Burnett, as unlikely a scenario as that is beginning to seem, but the club will likely have competition for the pitcher in the Yankees, Orioles and possibly the Braves, among others.
As the free-agent period opens, the Jays are also in the mix for a power bat, a shortstop and possibly a backup catcher — the latter an issue Toronto may be content with solving internally. As for the bat, Toronto has some interest in Manny Ramirez, though the club probably can't afford him, while Jason Giambi, Milton Bradley and Raul Ibanez might also be targets. At short, the Jays have been rumored to have interest in Rafael Furcal and also talked to the Padres about a possible trade for Khalil Greene.
In the pitching department, if the Blue Jays insist that they can't get into a bidding war to keep Burnett, it seems unlikely that the club will be able to make a push for the top available arms. Even so, it's been reported that Toronto is believed to have already approached the representatives for Ryan Dempster, Derek Lowe and maybe even Ben Sheets. The Jays are rumored to have interest in Brad Penny as well.
22 Comments
Here it comes! I almost get more excited this time of the year than I do all season, even though I don't expect THAT much from the Jays, given their financial situation. Yankees just got Swisher, wonder if this means Abreu will not be there next year?
Can someone please explain to me why Burnett is eligable for a raise? He played well last year, but the previous 2 he was mediocre AT BEST. If I went into my boss's office and said: " I know that I goofed around and missed a lot of work for the first 2 years, but I was pretty good this year and my sales totals were among the best, how about a raise?"… I'd get laughed at. And most people would. But not Burnett. He's going to get a raise for 2 half-assed, injury filled years and only 1 good season. Good luck to whomever signs him, but I see things turning out a lot like they did in the Carl Pavano Situation.
Abreu is a free agent… And the Yanks have made it clear that he is not a priority to sign (He is way down the list behind Sabathia, Ramirez, Texeira, Burnett, Sheets, etc). The Jays should be all over him. Yes, I am aware of their OF depth, but he would be a much better addition than any of Giambi, Bradley or Ibanez (all of whom the Jays are rumoured to be interested in).
Speaking of last minute free agents, the BIG UNIT filed just under the wire. He'd look great in a Jays uniform! He'd be a great fit. Sign him to a 1 year $8M deal. He only needs to keep the seat warm until Marcum comes back in 2010. Plus he'd be great trade bait at the deadline if the Jays aren't in contention.
I'd like to see Bobby here too but i'd want them to try and trade Rios for an arm first (Matt Cain maybe ?).
Assuming the Jays don't make any deals i'm predicting they end up with Milton Bradley, Orlando Cabrera, and one of Dempster, Johnson, Pedro Martiniz, Freddy Garcia or Brad Penny.
I'm not going by anything, they're just guesses.
What i'd like them to do is see if they can find any takers on Ryan or Overybay and use that money to help land the bigger fish (Ramirez) though i'd still be reluctant to give him 6 years.
I'd like to see Bobby here too but i'd want them to try and trade Rios for an arm first (Matt Cain maybe ?).
Assuming the Jays don't make any deals i'm predicting they end up with Milton Bradley, Orlando Cabrera, and one of Dempster, Johnson, Pedro Martiniz, Freddy Garcia or Brad Penny.
I'm not going by anything, they're just guesses.
What i'd like them to do is see if they can find any takers on Ryan or Overybay and use that money to help land the bigger fish (Ramirez) though i'd still be reluctant to give him 6 years.
The Jays won't be able to trade for Matt Cain, the sanfrancisco GM said that he isn't going anywhere, and it is possible Rios just had a bad year so there is no way we can trade him and get equal value if he plays up to his potential. Aren't we all regretting that the Linecum for Rios deal didn't go through. I would like to see the jays get a DH to hold a spot until Snider is ready to go full time, but they've got to be cheap about it and all of the big name options i can think about are to expensive if they are just gonna be holding a spot for Snider. If we could possible trade Overbay and move Snider or Lind to first i could see spending some money on a big name DH, but thats really the only way i would see that happening. The Jays should just let Burnett go and look at cheaper options- Johnson and Martinez are too expensive and likely to break down, Garcia and Penny might look alright if they are cheap enough and Dempster would be nice to have but i am not sure if he is worth the price and he is likely to not repeat what he did last year. Ultimately I think if the Jays want a chance to contend they need to get rid of Overbay…. maybe for a shortstop, move Lind or Snider to first, let Burnett go and shore up their pitching with some less expensive options sign a good DH for a reasonable price and hope everybody is healthy and playing to their full potential.
If you look at the contract they gave Wells it is loaded on the back end,So why can't they give Manny or someone like him a contract something like that,Most of the Jays contracts run out after the 2010 season,So if they give Manny and a good starter a similar contract as Wells I'm sure they can make a deal with at least two good free agents.
Garry it's an interesting idea but I don't think it would be fair to the next G.M. of this team. If he comes here with a bunch of backloaded contracts it would be a very difficult job to get rid of them should he choose to do so.
Forget about Burnett. Lets go after Adam Dunn. It's the AL East. We have no power hitters on the entire team. Dunn averages 40 home runs and 100 RBI consistently and he is 29 years old. Sign him up. He is worth much more than A.J. and would cost less. Secondly, lets get Ryan Dempster. Take a look at his starting numbers this year. He was awesome. The Jays could steal him immediately by giving him a 5 year tender. Lets stop wasting money on bums with big names and get some lesser named stars on this squad. (No more Frank Tomas).
NEW YORK — The Yankees made a record-breaking six-year, $140 million offer to free-agent starter CC Sabathia on Friday as the first part of their plan to overhaul their starting rotation, Hal Steinbrenner, one of the team's co-chairmen, confirmed.
And offers to pitchers A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe won't be far behind.
**That's an average of over 23 mill per year for Sabathia. I'd expect the offer they give Burnett will be in the 20 million range, but likely not as long.
If the Yanks sign all 3, which I'd expect they will, they will be damn difficult to beat next year.
According to the hotstove on MLB.com they're now interested in Jake Peavy as well. I can't see them signing all 3 but 2 is a definite possibility.
They certainly will be damn difficult to beat next year.
I think it could be worse than you think. I believe the Yank's salary drops $90 million from last year and because of their new stadium, it's likely they no longer will contribute to revenue sharing or at least not as much as they have in the past which probably saves them another $30 mill.
They could sign Sabathia, Burnett, Tiexeira, Manny, Lowe, trade for Peavy and still have money left over. I think Steinbrenner Jr. wants to win the first year in the stadium.
TB will be stronger simply because they'll have David Price all Year. Boston continually re-tool so I expect they'll improve and New York could end up being the team to beat.
That's why I think, given our injuries to McGowan and Marcum while losing Burnett, we should be sellers this year instead of buyers and re-build to contend in 2-3 years. Frankly, I don't think we have a chance in 2009.
The two bad things about free agency , Boras and the Yankees . Both make it impossible for there to be any type of equality. They drive the price of players up so other teams can't possibly afford them . I guess the state of the economy and the ceiling on payroll ( i know there is a luxury tax ) doesn't apply to either of them
The Yanks have the highest gate revenue and own their own tv network which is now valued at over $2 billion dollars. They might not face the luxury tax any more Indigo, because they now own their own stadium and can charge all stadium costs against the formula, or at least that's my understanding of how it works. So the poor equality that has existed is only going to get worse unless MLB change the equalization rules. I expect they're going to have to; BUT other teams are going to have to bitch and complain to make it happen and 5 years from now the rules might change.
But, you do have to give the devil it's due; they planned to have all these free agent contracts expire this year and now they re-tool and win again. But this year, we have the two boys trying to impress father, moving into a new stadium, wanting to win and have a bank account up to 120 million which they're antsy to spend. It's not nice to have to compete against that.
The Jays will never be in the playoffs again as long as we are in against the Yankees and Boston,Lett's face the facts.
I guess we at least get to watch A Canadian team play the game.Also I don't think Rogers cares about winning the World Series,The only reason he bought the team was for a write off,and if anyone thinks not you are only fooling yourselfs.
Oh we can be in the playoffs and win, BUT we have to do it the way Oakland and Tampa Bay do it, through a good minor league system and trading expensive stars for good prospects and develop them into stars.
But, if we do not re-build this year, we could be out of the playoffs for 7-10 years, because Halliday, Downs and Ryans (hopefully by mid spring) value is not going to get better than it is right now. If we trade them smartly now through to mid spring with Ryan, we should get maximum value and could be back in the hunt within a couple of years.
The Tigers are looking for shortstop help, and may have the Red Sox's Julio Lugo on their radar screen. The Boston Globe reported on Sunday that Detroit is contemplating a deal with Boston to send either left-hander Nate Robertson or left-hander Dontrelle Willis to Boston for Lugo, but that some money issues would have to be resolved.
If Willis gets back to his form of 2005-6, he will be a major help to Boston. Regardless of whether it's Willis or Robertson, Boston would be getting the best of this deal. Baseball hasn't invented a glove big enough yest for Lugo to become a quality SS.
If you read this blog at all, and I hope you do, please listen to "gsjays" and put into motion a process that will allow us to build a contender like you did in the 80's – through the draft. It is our only hope to compete down the road. Move our assets now, for tomorrow.
I noticed that John Garland is a free agent but yet I haven't heard anything about the jays showing interest. I think it could be worth while because he's still in his prime and not suspect with a lot of past injuries. He has always been a 200 plus inning guy, with playoff experience. I bet he wouldn't cost as much as what Lowe and Burrnett are demanding. I think he would make a good fit.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, was charged Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission with insider trading.
According to the SEC, Cuban sold 600,000 shares of Internet search company Mamma.com in June 2004 using non-public information.
Cuban is accused of calling his broker and instructing him to sell all of his stock from Mamma.com after receiving the confidential information from the company.
The SEC said Cuban learned that the company would raise money through a public offering, and he knew the stock price was about to fall.
When the offering was made public, the stock fell 9.3%, and Cuban avoided losses in excess of $750,000 by selling stock the day before, the SEC report said.
**I guess this means his offer to buy the Cubbies or a portion of the Cubbies is down the river.
Indigo-Looks like there's hope for you. lol
TOKYO — A 16-year-old schoolgirl is making a unique pitch to become the first woman to play professional baseball in Japan.
High school student Eri Yoshida was drafted by the Kobe 9 Cruise, a professional team in a new independent Japanese league that will start its first season in April.
"I always dreamed of becoming a professional," Yoshida, who is 5-feet tall and weighs 114 pounds, told a news conference Monday. "I have only just been picked by the team and haven't achieved anything yet."
Yoshida throws a side-arm knuckleball and says she wants to follow in the footsteps of Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who has built a successful major league career throwing a knuckleball.
Yoshida took part in a tryout held earlier this month and passed with flying colors. The right-hander held male batters hitless for one inning in the tryout and her successful outing helped her become one of the 33 players picked in the draft.


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Pitney Bowes signs lease for new Stamford location
One of Stamford's most venerable companies has followed up on a commitment made in November and announced that its headquarters is remaining in the city.
Pitney Bowes, the document and information technology management company that reported $3.9 billion in revenue last year, plans to move its headquarters this summer from 1 Elmcroft Road to 3001 Summer St., the owners of the seven-story office building said in a statement on Wednesday.
Pitney Bowes, which in late 2012 named former IBM executive Marc Lautenbach its president and CEO, accepted a deal from the state that includes a $15 million loan and tax credits that could total $12 million as it grows its operations in Stamford, Danbury and Shelton. If the company adds 200 jobs within five years to the 1,600 it employs in Connecticut, Pitney Bowes won't have to repay $10 million of the state loan.
No one from Pitney Bowes was available for comment Wednesday, but in November company spokeswoman Leigh Walton said it was going to keep its headquarters in Stamford and was looking at several locations in the city.
"For more than 90 years, Pitney Bowes has been an integral part of the Stamford community," Lautenbach said the November news release. "Our long-standing commitment to Stamford and the state of Connecticut is stronger than ever."
Jack Condlin, president and CEO of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the company's decision, stressing the Pitney Bowes' importance not to just the city's tax rolls and employment levels, but also to its psyche.
"Pitney Bowes was born here and spent its entire life here. Losing Pitney Bowes would not just result in losing a company and jobs but losing a part of our heritage," he said. "In today's world, corporations move easily and quickly," he said.
Stamford Mayor David Martin was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
The departure of Pitney Bowes from 1 Elmcroft Road begs the question of what will happen with the 442,455-square-foot building.
With the arrival of Pitney Bowes, the building is about 64 percent occupied, said Ed Tonnessen, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle, which represents the property. The company will occupy the sixth and seventh floors of the building, filling 74,190 square feet.
$12 million remodel
Pitney Bowes' decision to come to the building, which is owned and managed by The Ashforth Co., validates the recent remodeling of the complex, Ashforth Co-CEO Darrell Harvey said in a statement Wednesday announcing the move.
"The repositioning of our property addresses the needs and changing working environment sought by growing companies today," Ashforth Co-CEO Andrew Ashforth said in the statement. "Our new expansive lobby and adjoining cafe with outdoor seeding provides additional areas for congregating and for work, and our state-of-the-art new fitness facility adds to the overall healthy work environment."
Pitney Bowes joins KPMG, Genworth and Navigators as tenants in the 290,000-square-foot building, where Ashforth completed $12 million in renovations at the end of 2012, designed by Roger Ferris + Partners of Westport.
Represented by Tom O'Leary, senior director of Cushman & Wakefield, Pitney Bowes spent "several months" before agreeing to a long-term lease for the space, Tonnessen said, commenting that before its arrival the building was about 34 percent occupied. According to the Ashforth website, the sixth and seventh floors were being offered at $38 per square foot.
`Best bones'
The building is served by a dedicated shuttle service that completes trips to or from the Stamford Transportation Center in about 12 minutes, Tonnessen said.
"I'd argue that it offers some of the best bones in the marketplace in the quality of building management and infrastructure," he said.
Tonnessen said he hopes Pitney Bowes' decision encourages other businesses seeking space to consider the property.
"We have a couple of other negotiations going on. Hopefully, this continues the momentum," he said.
Pitney Bowes conducted a search throughout the tri-state region, O'Leary said, but was impressed by the improvements, the ownership and the location.
"It shows the vibrancy that they (Pitney Bowes) sees in Stamford, and it bodes well for the area and the market," said O'Leary, commenting that Cushman & Wakefield has represented the company on several other occasions.
Founding council member
The move to Summer Street comes as Lautenbach steers Pitney Bowes in a new direction to further diversify its product line.
Despite reporting net income of $90.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, down from $110.3 million in the same period in 2012, Lautenbach was optimistic in comments of Jan. 30 when he discussed the results.
Noting that revenue was up slightly to $1.03 billion in the most recent quarter over the fourth quarter of 2012, Lautenbach said the company was meeting its overall strategic objectives.
Pitney Bowes was a founding member of the organization that eventually became the Business Council of Fairfield County, and it remains an active participant, said Christopher Bruhl, president and CEO of the council, who took an upbeat approach to the company's decision to relocate.
Companies need to adapt to the times, he said, and Pitney Bowes' new leadership must consider what is best for business.
"It's about continuous change," Bruhl said. "It's a new direction for the company."
firstname.lastname@example.com; 203- 964-2236


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Church Planting in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic
Who are we?
The Anglican Church in North America unites 112,000 Anglicans in nearly 1,000 congregations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico into a single Church. On April 16, 2009, it was recognized as a province of the global Anglican Communion, by the Primates of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach is the Archbishop of the Church.
Members of the Anglican Church in North America are in the mainstream, both globally and historically, of Christianity—the biblically-faithful way of following Jesus and being part of the "One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." As Anglicans, this orthodoxy is defined by and centered on our church's classic formularies—the Book of Common Prayer, including the Ordinal, and the Thirty-nine Articles—which all point back to the authority of the Holy Bible and articulate foundational principles of the Anglican tradition throughout the world. We wholeheartedly embrace the The Jerusalem Declaration [PDF], the founding declaration of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.
In 2009, at the investiture of Bob Duncan as the first Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Archbishop Duncan challenged our newly forming province to aggressively pursue the work of church planting by starting 1,000 churches in the first five years of our existence.
From this call Anglican 1000, the first provincial church planting initiative, was born to teach the value and importance of church planting and keep it at the forefront of conversation during our seminal years. Through the work of Anglican 1000 and our faithful dioceses, almost 500 new churches were planted in our first half-decade.
In 2014, Foley Beach was elected as our second Archbishop to carry the torch of leadership in our Province. At his investiture, Archbishop Beach very clearly called us to press onward with the mission of the church and the call of planting new congregations. His clarion call was, "Forward. Always Forward. Everywhere Forward." Archbishop Duncan's challenge was for the starting of something new and unknown, Archbishop Beach's call is for the carrying on of what was started to continued maturity, effectiveness and fruit.
Anglican 1000 has grown into our new church planting initiative, Always Forward. What began as an initiative focused on inspiration, education and conviction regarding church planting has grown to also include practical strategies, resources and collaborative work in support of a long-term church planting effort.
The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic is regional diocese of the Anglican Church in North America dedicated to reaching North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ. Equipping church planters is essential to the mission of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. The diocese recruit, assess, train, resource, deploy, coach, network, oversee, and mobilize prayer for church planters. The diocese supports church planting churches and rectors with internships, residencies, training, coaching, and resources.
What is L10-2?L10-2 is the Church Planting Team of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, and is part of the work of the Diocese's Great Commission Committee. We work to stimulate, coordinate, and support the planting of new worshiping communities in our region.
Our churches are currently in Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, and northeastern North Carolina. We are 40 Congregations and Missions, and Mission Fellowships. Several more are in formation as Church Plants. We support the planting of churches throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.
For locations of current churches, missions and church plants in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, click here. For target locations for new plants, click here.
Equipping church planters is our main focus. We recruit, assess, train, resource, deploy, coach, network, oversee, and mobilize prayer for Planters. For more info, click here. We support church planting churches and rectors with internships, residencies, training, coaching, and resources. For more on how we support planters and churches, click here.
We also discern strategic areas to plant. Click here to learn more.
If you are passionate for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and and want to learn more about helping to plant a church in the Mid-Atlantic, contact:
• The Rev. Dr. Tom Herrick
• The Rev. Rick Wright
• The Rev. Tim Howe
L10-2 seeks both lay and ordained pioneers. We're praying that God will send both planters and those who come alongside them—people like you. We'll have an initial phone interview, and suggest next steps. To apply to be a planter with us, click click here.
Church Planting ResourcesClick here for more information on Church Planting Resources.
More informationContact The Rev. Dr. Tom Herrick, Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic at firstname.lastname@example.com.
(includes L10-2 Church Planting Team)
*The Rev. Dr. Tom Herrick, Chair
*The Rev. Rick Wright, Vice Chair
*The Rev. Joe Acanfora
The Rev. Jay Baylor
Desiree Barker
The Rev. Nathan Dickerson
The Rev. Pamela Meeks
The Rev. Clancy Nixon
Michael Seawright
The Rev. Tim Howe, Executive Assistant
*GCC Executive Committee


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The filmmakers behind an "Arrested Development" documentary have almost reached their fundraising goal four days into a campaign on Kickstarter.
Jeff Smith and Neil Lieberman took a page from the "Veronica Mars" playbook by using the crowd-sourced fundraising site Kickstarter.com to raise money for the film.
They were less than $500 away from their $20,000 goal, as of Friday afternoon. All they need now are the rights to the Fox network's photos.
"These photos are extremely relevant to the story, and we can't move forward with the release of the documentary until our fees are paid to the network," they wrote on their Kickstarter profile.
The fundraising effort comes a week after Rob Thomas, the creator of another cult hit "Veronica Mars" raised his goal of $2 million in less than 11 hours to fund a movie remake of the television show.
The news sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry as rumors that other commercially unsuccessful, but critically acclaimed shows could use Kickstarter to return to the limelight.
As for Smith and Lieberman, not only are they promising a documentary brimming with interviews with the cast, the show's creators and "Arrested Development" superfans, they're also giving out rewards to donors. Those who pledge $25 or more get a digital download of the documentary. A $5,353 donation will get come with an exclusive screening.
"Arrested Development," a mockumentary-style show about a formerly wealthy, but dysfunctional family, was canceled in 2006 after three seasons due to low ratings. The critically-acclaimed comedy received six Emmy awards.
The show is returning in May for its fourth season on Netflix and there have been rumors of a film adaptation that picks up where the series leaves off.


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Legend (noun) "One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame"
The word "legend" is thrown about all too often. In fact, that last sentence is too. Who, though, would dare argue that Brian Dawkins is not worthy of the title?
I talked episode 135 about why Brian Dawkins is so special to me as an Eagle and as a human being. The way he gave absolutely everything on every single down would have been enough for most players, but Dawk gave more than that. He gave leadership, inspiration, fight and a lot of heart. If the fate of the world had rested on Brian Dawkins' shoulders each week during his career, he wouldn't have been able to play any harder. That's the greatest compliment I could ever offer him.
Lots of people have shared their thoughts on Brian's greatness, most of them far more qualified than I am. Old team mates, coaches and members of the media have all heaped praise on our eternal #20 and there's nothing I can add to that. What I would like to do, however, is share my experience from inside the Linc for those who were not privileged enough to be there.
Walking around central Philadelphia during the morning, I was greeted with shouts of "Go Birds!", "BDawk!" and many others. But then, I was wearing a Brian Dawkins jersey and it was his day. When I arrived at the tailgate, the party was already in full swing. Eagles fans were out in force and the threatened rain was nowhere to be seen. There were a few Giants fans about, but they were very heavily outnumbered as you'd expect. Chuck and I were joined by Eagles Girl and the time flew by. After cheesesteaks and beers, it was time to head to the stadium.
As we entered the Linc, we were handed posters of Brian as Weapon X. The challenge was to keep them in perfect condition over the next few hours and Chuck did a great job with a little assistance from my jacket! We found our seats and the atmosphere really started to build. The Giants ran onto the field to a chorus of boos and then it was the turn of the Eagles.
The Offensive starters were announced one by one, before the screen flashed up images of Brian and Weapon X. I nudged Chuck and said, "he's going to exit the tunnel", scarcely able to believe that I could be so lucky to see it live. I'm not sure Chuck believed it either as all he could say was, "I hope so." I had seen Brian "acting the fool" plenty of times on TV, but never at the Linc. We waited anxiously for the video on the huge screens to finish and then it was Brian's moment. And mine. And every other Eagles fan.
It's difficult to put that moment into words. Right there was my favorite Eagle, my hero, bounding onto the field at the Linc for the final time and the crowd went nuts, I mean NUTS. Every Eagles fan was standing, applauding, cheering, thanking Brian from the bottom of their hearts. As I looked around, a little embarrassed that I had a tear rolling down my cheek, I saw that I was far from alone. Even as I write these words I feel very emotional, such was the power of that moment.
We reached half-time and the players left the field. Just as we were about to discuss the first half, all of the lights in the stadium went out and the crowd roared. The video screens showed a tribute to Brian as various laser messages flashed across the field; "#20", "Weapon X", "determination", "heart" and many more. Fireworks on the field erupted into the sky and then Merrill Reese introduced the man of the moment.
"HALLELUJAH!", exclaimed Brian as the crowd pumped up the volume. He thanked a number of people, Jim Johnson's name receiving the biggest cheer of course. Then came something even more memorable, even more emotional. Brian asked if the fans would do him a favor; could we all sing the Eagles Fight Song together one last time? While "Fly Eagles Fly" was being sung by 60,000+ Eagles fans, Brian pumped his fist in the air and soaked up all the energy. He was excited, he was pumped, he could have played the second half! He thanked us, but really it was us thanking him.
I was truly honored to have been at the Linc for this very special game. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I loved every second of it. After the game, we headed to a bar near the Linc and partied like it was 1999! After a late night cheesesteak, I arrived back at my hotel around 4am. Could I sleep? No way! If I was still on such a high, I can't even imagine how Brian felt.
Oh and we beat the Giants!
Cheers from Philly and GO BIRDS!
Image courtesy of Steve Brown


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Corticosteroids may be given orally or
injected into the spinal canal (epidural) or near a spinal nerve to treat
herniated disc symptoms. These medicines may help
reduce swelling and
inflammation in the area surrounding the herniated
disc and may help relieve pressure on the
nerve roots.
Epidural and spinal nerve
corticosteroids can be used for people who have symptoms of nerve root compression
and inflammation and whose symptoms have not improved after several weeks of
nonsurgical treatment. Sometimes corticosteroid injections are used sooner
to treat acute disc herniations that are causing severe symptoms.
Corticosteroids may be used to
delay or even eliminate the need for surgery for some people who have severe
pain caused by a herniated disc.
There is evidence that
corticosteroid injections can help you feel better. There is also evidence that
the injections do not help any more than a
placebo.1 Research continues
on both oral and injected corticosteroids. Oral corticosteroids have not been
shown to help relieve symptoms of herniated discs. But some doctors use them
because they are safe and simple for short-term use, and they seem to help some
Corticosteroid treatment does not provide long-term pain
relief by itself. But if corticosteroids can help calm down the acute
inflammation, the body's normal healing process may lead to long-term
Mild side effects may include:
Rare but serious side effects may include:
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug
Reference is not available in all systems.)
An imaging test, such as
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
computerized tomography (CT scan), or myelogram is usually
done before a corticosteroid injection to find the exact location of the
herniated disc and nearby nerve roots.
Some doctors prefer to use two to three
epidural corticosteroid injections. Others will prescribe only one, repeating
the treatment only if symptoms recur and if the first injection was
Repeated use of corticosteroid injections or pills may
cause serious side effects.
Despite a lack of solid research
supporting the practice, corticosteroid injections are commonly prescribed to
treat herniated disc symptoms that haven't responded to a few weeks of
treatment with other methods.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.
CitationsJordan J, et al. (2011). Herniated lumbar disc, search date June 2010. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Last Revised:
March 12, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine & Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


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