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Good times in the Bay Area. That's the storyline coming out of Week 5, with the Niners and Raiders producing huge wins. One was the biggest blowout of the year, while the other was the emotional let-out of 2011.
Think You Can Do Better?
Disagree with Elliot Harrison's power rankings? Head to NFL.com/fanrankings to make your own, Nos. 1-32, in whatever order you choose.
» Expert rankings | Consensus rankings
The deciding factor in both games was each organization using its blueprint to win: Jim Harbaugh running power plays with an appropriate mixture of Alex Smith passes, while the Raiders won with Exhibit A and B of Al Davis' oft-criticized draft strategy. Oakland simply doesn't win Sunday in Houston without Darrius Heyward-Bey and Sebastian Janikowski. Kudos to colleague Adam Rank for pointing that out on Monday's "NFL Fantasy Live."
While those franchises climb up the power rankings, everyone else shifts. It was difficult to keep the teams on a bye in place, try as I might. With four of the top 12 from last week losing, clubs like the Chargers moved up by default. The real mosh pit was the middle of the pack, the nine-hole through 18, where all sorts of jockeying took place.
Thus, let the dissension commence ...
PREVIOUS: Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason
The Packers learned what the Steelers already knew from last week: It's tough running an offense with two offensive linemen out. Aaron Rodgers' decision-making and mobility made all the difference, and the latter continues to be the difference between his game and other elite level quarterbacks. What a second half by Green Bay's corners Sunday night. Lights out.
Sitting in the makeup room at NFL West, where real football is talked about, Tom Waddle spun some yarn about tight ends, and specifically, how good Jimmy Graham is (eight catches, 129 yards against Carolina). That's the deal with Drew Brees and the offense: It's a new culprit every week. In Week 1, Darren Sproles was unstoppable (250 all-purpose yards); Week 2 was Devery Henderson (103 receiving yards); Week 3 was Graham (100 receiving yards); and Week 4 was Sproles again with 177 all-purpose yards. There's always a different guy to stop on this team.
Lions fans will be very happy that nothing complimentary is written about their team here. The reverse jinx worked last week for the Bolts, as they survived getting Tebow'd. Plus, 6-0 would be just too cool to spoil. Can anyone name the Lions quarterback the last time they were 5-0?
Those throwback uniforms look awesome. I don't care if they remind you Pats fans of Tony Eason getting swarmed under by a guy who didn't want to attend President Obama's White House re-vite. Consider this an unusual comment after they allowed four sacks, but the most underrated aspect of the 2011 Patriots is the play of the offensive line. Considering how much Tom Brady throws, how little the Pats max-protect with their tight ends, and the fact that New England averages 4.7 yards per carry this season, the O-line deserves some love for the 4-1 start. The Pats and that front line racked up 152 yards rushing on Rex Ryan's defense.
Bye week in Baltimore. Bye week in Owings Mills, home of Ravens headquarters. I went to the mall once in Owings Mills. I was in town to interview Art Modell and had broken out like a 14-year old on steroids the night before. There was no one at the makeup counter, so I drove around town looking for something to do. Owings Mills in frigid December: Not awesome. By the way, interesting matchup Sunday: The Ravens' front seven vs. Arian Foster.
So many big plays Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. We had Marshall Faulk on "NFL Fantasy Live" on SirusXM Radio last Wednesday, and the former Rams great said there were two backs playing today who reminded him of his style of play: The Bears' Matt Forte and the Bills' Fred Jackson. Fast Freddie put up 196 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown vs. the Eagles, reprising his role as queen on Chan Gailey's chessboard.
San Diego squeezes by yet another team. A win is a win in the NFL, especially on the road, but it would be nice to see the Chargers put somebody away. Ryan Mathews racked up 125 yards rushing before hurting his calf. Even Jacob Hester provided 47 yards on only 11 carries, with several of those runs coming when Denver knew the Bolts would be running the football.
Geez, what do you say? The suddenly effective Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter combined for 190 yards on the ground. The defense gave up three measly points. If you're a Niners fan, you just have to be encouraged by Alex Smith, who had three touchdown passes in 19 pass attempts. That's a score every 6.3 throws. Coming into 2011, Smith had one touchdown pass every 29.7 attempts. Oh, and that's the second week in a row that Jim Harbaugh's passing attack has been surprisingly effective against a secondary that was supposed to be superior.
What a huge win for the Oakland Raiders. After Al Davis passed away Saturday, I popped in a DVD of the NBC broadcast of Raiders at Chiefs from 1983. Jim Plunkett led a big comeback in a game the team needed to have, the first in a string of wins that would lead to the franchise winning Super Bowl XVIII, Davis' last championship. I wondered if the current Raiders were capable of the kind of resilience that great '83 team maintained. I think the tough road win in Houston showed us all something.
The Texans came down to Earth without the strength of their team ( Andre Johnson and then Mario Williams for three quarters) and because of the strength of an emotionally charged team. Tommie Kelly, Richard Seymour, and the rest of the Raiders seemed to want it more than the Texans. Matt Schaub put up gobs of yards (416 yards), but didn't play particularly well with two big picks.
Oakland beat Houston, who beat Pittsburgh, who beat Tennessee. Thus you have much of the logic behind 10 through 14 on our list. After allowing the Titans to march down the field on the opening drive, Dick LeBeau's defense tightened up considerably. Every Steelers fan I know was worried about Chris Johnson gaining 2,000 yards Sunday. He came up only 1,949 yards short. Also, way to go, Jonathan Dwyer.
How do the Giants lose that game? Eli Manning made a few too many throws in traffic Sunday, including one he got away with on the electrifying touchdown pass to Victor Cruz. Part of the problem was the ground attack's inability to get it going. Uhh, 25 attempts for 69 yards isn't effective, and puts more pressure on No. 10 to make plays. Those feisty 4-1 Bills are next up on the sked.
That was more than a hiccup. Some Titans fans hammered these very rankings for the conservative placement of their team at 14 last week. Hey, there's still a lot to like about Tennessee, but allowing five touchdown passes to the opposing quarterback is not one of them.
I don't want to rub any salt in the wound. Then again, I don't want to rub Hydrogen Peroxide in there, either. So these words won't make things better. Tampa fans were fired up two weeks ago when their team sat under Pittsburgh, Dallas among others in the rankings. Some were even disappointed that the Bucs were below San Diego last week. I hesitated to put the Bucs as high as I did (ninth), but so many teams in the middle ground like the Steelers, Jets, Cowboys, and Eagles were dreadful, so I had little choice. But after a complete breakdown on offense and the run defense, the Bucs are the biggest droppers.
Hoping Mark Sanchez would play lights out and be the reason the Jets win, was not too dissimilar from watching The Mummy again and hoping Brendan Fraser wouldn't be in it. Nice to see Shonn Greene back intimately involved in the offense again, though.
I started to write this blurb about the Bears, and then my hand jumped offsides. The offensive line was terrible Monday night in Detroit. But at least the safeties made up for it by taking bad angles. It would have been nice to see more draws and screens -- anything to slow down that pass rush of the Lions. The only things keeping the Bears over the Bengals in these rankings is Jay Cutler, and the fact that Chicago's three losses came against the Saints, Packers, and Lions, who are a combined 14-1.
That was one ugly win Sunday in Jacksonville. Guess what? Bengals fans will take it. Don't look now, but the Bengals are 3-2. This, from a team that was supposed to win four games. I wonder what jerk predicted that?
Not to beat this point to hell and back, but Atlanta's ability to run the football has been the key to its success over the past three seasons. Falcons followers don't want to hear it, but while Matt Ryan doesn't throw Romo-like picks to lose games, he also doesn't make enough spectacular plays like a Roethlisberger, Rivers, or Romo does, either. He missed a couple of deep balls Sunday night that really hurt his team. Still, if Mike Smith can get Michael Turner (56 yards) and the ground game going, the Falcons will be playing in January again.
Philadelphia's pass rush didn't get many sacks Sunday, and the linebackers -- as a group -- produced nine solo tackles. Much-maligned coordinator Juan Castillo's defense didn't allow many big plays in the passing game, but produced only one turnover and continues to be hampered by general suckiness. Meanwhile, the offense was a giveaway machine with five turnovers. The Eagles are still good on paper, but you don't win too many games with a minus-four turnover differential. In fact, well below 10 percent since 1970.
Bye week in Cleveland. Boy, all those fantasy owners who pinned their hopes on Colt McCoy and Mohamed Massaquoi were stressing over whom to start in their stead. Or not. Pat Shurmur's goal during the bye week: How to get more production from the offense. The running game averages only 85.8 yards per game and 3.4 yards per pop. A healthy, rested Peyton Hillis would help.
Ron Rivera said last week that his team needed to "grow up" after a tough loss to the Bears. Well, it didn't get any easier for the rookie head coach, who had to sit through yet another fail. Panthers fans were tortured by a final Saints drive that chewed 6 minutes of game clock and saw Drew Brees go 8 of 9 for 80 yards. Still, Carolina continues to impress league observers.
In 2010, the Giants had the game in Seattle won in the second quarter and rolled to a 41-7 victory. The Passion of the 'Hurst's entrance to a chorus of cheers was about the only thing memorable. What a difference a year makes. Seattle is 2-3, and has played surprisingly well the past three weeks. Give Pete Carroll some credit. Many fans wanted the Seahawks to play in NFL Europe after an 0-2 start, and that league hasn't existed since Blink 182 was relevant. Look for the offense to lean on Marshawn Lynch more on running downs when his ankle heals.
What happened to those cracks people were making about the Chiefs not winning a game after all their injuries? Kansas City could've beaten the Chargers in Week 3, then took down the Vikings and Colts the past two Sundays. Granted, Minnesota is 1-4, and the Colts are starting Curtis Painter, but it's hard not to be impressed with the fight in this club. Next up: The hated Raiders in two weeks in NoCal. If Matt Cassel plays like he did in Indy (21-29, four touchdowns), there's no reason Kansas City can't make it to .500.
Sunday's win had to feel pretty darn good. Of course, any enthusiasm was tempered Monday morning when they recalled that Donovan McNabb is still under center. Quarterback worries aside, Adrian Peterson was a monster in Week 5, and the defense shut down both the Cardinals' ground attack and passing game. The Vikings are in Chicago next week. Expect more of the same, with the burden of success falling on AP and Fred Pagac's defense. If you're not familiar with Pagac, the former linebackers coach took over running the defense after Leslie Frazier was named interim head coach in 2010. He also played two years in the NFL, the last as a tight end on the 0-14 Buccaneers expansion team of 1976. Thought you might like to know.
Lost in Tebowmania might be this stat line: 16 carries for 125 yards from one Willis McGahee. Talk about underreported, undervalued, and less-than-sexy free-agent signings. McGahee has been a steady presence in a Broncos backfield that struggled most of last season.
"Watching Kevin Kolb, it's almost as if he hasn't decided how good he is yet. Some plays he's decisive and a risk-taker, then suddenly he's indecisive and Craig Krenzel-like the next set of downs." That's what I wrote last week on the Cardinals. Well, let's just say he was more Krenzel and less Kolb on Sunday in Minnesota, which begs the question: What kind of player is he? Beanie Wells got his 20 carries, but the Vikings bottled him up, allowing only three yards per rush. It will be a long two weeks in Arizona with the bye coming up.
Jack Del Rio says it's a "pretty crappy feeling right now." With Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston coming up, it's going to be difficult not to have hope crushed by midseason. Maurice Jones-Drew is one prideful dude, and while he continues to play hard (95 yards rushing per game), there's just not enough offensive talent around him -- at least not until Blaine Gabbert develops. Defensively, the Jaguars only allowed the Bengals 239 yards and played well enough to win. Except they didn't.
Since I took a jab at NFL Europe, it should be noted that the Colts' Adam Vinatieri kicked for the Amsterdam Admirals, a team that could have given Indianapolis or Kansas City a good game Sunday. That was a tough loss to stomach for Colts fans, especially considering the Monday night loss in Tampa was more than winnable. I like what I'm seeing from Curtis Painter. Don't snicker. If you think Painter's hair looks Point Break-ish now, check out the Posh Spice-esque bob he's sporting on NFL.com.
NFL.com's homepage editor, an erudite Brit named Henry Hodgson, practically begged me to rank the Dolphins 32nd. I understand, he wants his favorite team to be good at something. You know things have gone awry when David Garrard says thanks, but no thanks. Is Sage Rosenfels or Matt Moore the answer with Chad Henne out? Was Jay Fiedler? Or Brian Griese? Or Daunte Culpepper? Trent Green? Here's a vote for Cleo Lemon.
We end with yet another team on a bye. Our 32nd and final ranking doesn't move, partially because the news only got worse for the Rams this week. The 49ers continue to pull away with the division, and now Sam Bradford's most reliable weapon -- Danny Amendola -- is out for the season. The Rams are at Green Bay on Sunday. Oh man, what an upset that ... would ... be ... nevermind.


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No Lost Generation/Min Ila was Lebanon's only child-focused social assistance program for refugee families, reaching around 50,000 children over two years with regular, predictable social assistance. Through the provision of a regular cash transfer, household visits, and an integrated referral mechanism, families were supported to invest in their children themselves, demonstrating significant positive impacts.
Our Work
Find specific work or narrow your results by type, topic, program, project, or service by selecting your criteria from the choices at right.
12 May 2017
Policy Brief
Most Syrian refugees in Lebanon have arrived with limited savings and have struggled to earn steady incomes to meet their families' basic needs, such as food, health care, and shelter. This sudden influx has created an education crisis in Lebanon that affects Syrian and vulnerable Lebanese children. The Min Ila cash transfer program is designed to address the income-related barrier to school attendance alongside existing interventions addressing non-income constraints. This policy brief provides a summary of the preliminary education impacts generated by the program.

subset: commoncrawl


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One of my players wants to play a character like Bullseye from Dare Devil, being able to throw any object, including paper clips, marbles, playing cards , etc. as a ranged weapon. He also wants to have a (undefined) number of small objects (marbles, a card deck...) in the pockets of his coat.
I've already asked this in the open forum, but there are issues remaining:
http://www.mutantsandmasterminds.com/ph ... php?t=9504 (my own thread)
http://www.mutantsandmasterminds.com/ph ... php?t=7925 (some other thread regarding Throwing Mastery)
- is it sufficient to simply buy Throwing Mastery or would that be abusing the rules?
- does TM also work with tiny objects or only with small objects (its description reads "small")
- does TM really make, say, a marble a +[DexMod] ranged weapon?
- or should he better use Energy Blast?* With or without a Device/Uses flaw?
- or would the Marksman power from GGtG more appropriate?*
* as suggested by some in the threads listed above.
Thanks for any enlightenment
Bullseye clone - how?
These questions about M&M's first edition were posed to Steve Kenson--and then he answered them! Steve's now providing official answers to second edition questions, but we've archived this forum for you to search.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Mastermind
- Posts: 4118
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 5:20 am
- Location: Freedom City, USA
- Contact:
Throwing Mastery alone should be sufficient. In fact, that's the sort of character is was created for.
Steve Kenson - email@example.com
Green Ronin Publishing
Green Ronin Publishing
2 posts • Page 1 of 1


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Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker traveled to New York City for a series of events and meetings with business leaders from a variety of sectors. The trip also included a meeting with New York City Michael Bloomberg in his City Hall "bullpen."
The Secretary's first stop was to a give remarks at the Association for Better New York, a leading organization of business leaders dedicated to improving the quality of life for those that live and work in New York City and for those that visit. In her remarks, Secretary Pritzker discussed her message that America is "Open for Business" and the work that the Obama Administration and the Commerce Department are doing to help grow the economy and create jobs.
Next, Secretary Pritzker met with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his City Hall office. The discussion focused on ways to improve skills training efforts, spur infrastructure, immigration reform, cities as key drivers of growth, and ways the Commerce Department and the City are collaborating to strengthen the economy and create jobs.
Finally, the Secretary participated in the fall dinner of G100, a private peer-learning community of current, future and recent chief executives of global companies. Secretary Pritzker talked about ways to create jobs, economic growth, immigration reform, and the need for putting an end to the manufactured crises in Washington.
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Primary tabs
"Privacy Preserving Error Resilient DNA Searching through Oblivious Automata", in ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 2007, pp. 519–528.,
"A Secure Multidimensional Point Inclusion Protocol", in ACM Workshop on Multimedia and Security (MMSEC), Dallas, Texas, USA, 2007, pp. 109–120.,
"Watermarking security: a survey", Transactions on Data Hiding and Multimedia Security I, vol. 4300, pp. 41-72, 2006. survey06security.pdf (268.87 KB),
"Zero-Knowledge watermark detector robust to sensitivity attacks", in ACM Workshop on Multimedia and Security (MMSEC), Geneva, Switzerland, 2006, pp. 97-107.,


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Gardens & Grounds
Stroll acres of formal and informal gardens designed by America's foremost landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. From the beauty of the Italian Garden to the breathtaking trees in America's first managed forest, Biltmore's lush landscape is a living tribute to Olmsted's genius. Our horticultural experts continually work to preserve the original vision for the gardens and grounds, including our Rose Garden that features more than 250 varieties.
As a century-old model for forest conservation (and, more recently, for sustainability, thanks to six acres of solar panels), Biltmore continues to honor Vanderbilt's legacy of environmental protection.
Explore the Grounds for Yourself
Hike the grounds of our estate at your own pace with our extensive network of trails. Enjoy a walk along the French Broad River, through lush green forests, or the open meadows of Deer Park. Take a stroll on the 2.5 miles of paths in our manicured gardens.
View a timelapse video of Biltmore's gardens throughout the changing seasons.


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FRIES — Residents of Fries could pay more for water and sewer service beginning July 1 — but the increase is minimal.
During Fries Town Council's public hearing to take comments on the proposed 2008-09 budget, figures showed a 50 increase in both water and sewer use for the first 2,000 gallons, beginning July 1.
No other increases were noted in the budget, but a few categories did go down.
Mayor Mike Spears said the federal government has mandated a new water test, which will cost the town an additional $250 per month.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Gazette, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
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OnLine residual chlorine monitor
The HF scientific CLX OnLine Residual Chlorine Monitor is an economical and low maintenance instrument for chemical or industrial processes that require continuous monitoring and control of residual Free or Total Chlorine levels. Unattended operation and low chemical usage equates to low operating and maintenance costs. User selectable cycle times, 4-20mA and RS-485 with Modbus output that can be used to control feed pumps and user selectable alarms allow complete manual or automatic control of chlorine dosing. The instrument is housed in a strong, shatterproof case with easy access to all service functions and reagents.
- Free or Total Chlorine Can be used for Free or Total Chlorine measurements
- Low Operating Costs Low Reagent use translates into low operating cost of pennies a day.
- Simple Operation Designed for unattended operation up to 30 days.
- Colorimetric DPD Chemistry Uses inexpensive DPD chemistry rather than expensive electrodes.
- User Selectable Cycle Times Cycle times can vary between 90 seconds to 10 minutes
- Microprocessor Based Technology Microprocessor based technology ensures high quality at the industry's lowest price.
- Alarms Two User Selectable Alarms for Sample Concentration.
- Drinking Water, Wastewater and More
- 4-20mA and RS-485 with Modbus
- USEPA Accepted


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Diamond Education
The 4Cs of Diamonds
This short tutorial explains the 4Cs of Diamonds - cut, color, clarity, and carat weight - the most important characteristics to understand when making a diamond purchase.
The most important of the 4Cs is cut because it has the greatest influence on a diamond's sparkle.
The second most important of the 4Cs is color, which refers to a diamond's lack of color. The less color, the higher the grade.
Often the least important of the 4Cs because the tiny imperfections are often microscopic.
The term carat actually refers to the diamond's total weight and not its size.
Each diamond shape has different attributes that affect price and quality grade.
Unbiased diamond grading reports are offered with every Blue Nile diamond.
As the largest online diamond retailer, Blue Nile offers the largest collection of the world's finest cut diamonds. Pre-selected for exceptional quality, the cut, color, and clarity of our loose diamonds are evaluated based on a standardized grading scale. Also, each loose diamond is accompanied by a grading report from either GIA, AGSL, or GemEx, independent diamond grading labs with stringent grading and certification guidelines.
Price Match Guarantee
If you find a comparable GIA-graded diamond at a lower price, we'll review to match the price.
Diamond Upgrade Program
We offer a lifetime diamond upgrade program on all GIA and AGSL-graded diamonds.
Conflict Free Diamonds
Blue Nile diamonds are ethically sourced with a zero-tolerance policy for conflict diamonds.
Customer Creations
Check out our customers' recent creations and find inspiration for one of your own.


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Christine can best be described as one funny mother! She is a widow and has a twenty-something son who lives at home, a divorced daughter and three grand-kids. This gives her a full portfolio of material to draw from. A lot of people ask Chris why she began a career in comedy so late in life. Well, it's not a coincidence that she started immediately after her daughter began having babies! Chris does not like to baby-sit! Sure, traveling around the country telling jokes to drunks in smoky nightclubs was not the most practical way to get out of baby-sitting, but she decided it was definitely worth a try. (It was either that, or go to truck-driving school and she hates the way she looks in flannel shirts! ) So far, this desperate attempt to distance herself from family obligations has worked out quite nicely. She's come a long way from her early years in comedy. She currently headlines in some of the top clubs in the country and has become a favorite at "The Comedy Stop" in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. In 2006, she was chosen to compete in Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America. She appeared in six episodes and made it all the way to the finale where it came down to only 5 finalists. Okay, so she didn't win... but, just ask anyone who has seen her perform and they will tell you that she is definitely one funny mother!
Ticket Price - $14.00! Call 815.223.5085 to purchase tickets and for table reservations.


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An Indiana feed mill is now selling more grain byproducts than ever.
By: MICHAEL RESCHKE, The Herald-Times
MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — About 600 pounds of corn gluten falls into a buggy at Morgan County Feed. It's just after 8 a.m., and the morning sun is illuminating the particles of feed swirling through the air inside the county's oldest ongoing business.
"We've been here for 150 years," said owner Scott Whaley.
Well, he hasn't been there that long. Whaley bought the business in 1998, and he soon thought he'd made a mistake. Back then, they were doing a lot of 500- and 600-pound orders. Now, they could do 50 tons in a day.
"The feed business has been very good," Whaley told The Herald-Times.
There's a couple of reasons for that. The first is a lack of competition.
"None of these places are left," he said. "Feed mills are few and far between."
The other is having the foresight to seize an opportunity.
Out back, beneath the massive steel grain bins, Whaley explained that most of what he sells now is byproduct.
"I got in on the ground floor with soy hulls," he said. "When I first started out, you could buy them for hardly nothing. Now, they're one of the hottest commodities on the market."
It appears one man's bust is another's boom, because many of the reasons byproducts have become so popular are the same reasons you're paying historically high prices for beef.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created the country's first renewable fuel volume mandate in the United States. Now corn is being used not only for food and feed, but also for fuel. The historic 2012 drought reduced the total production of corn, but not the renewable fuel standard.
With less corn to go around, the price spiked.
Corn prices dictate the prices of other grains, so feed costs increased. To cut costs, cattle farmers decided to thin their herds. That reduced the supply of beef, but not demand, so beef prices increased.
In the meantime, the cattle that remained still needed to be fed. Looking to cut costs more, farmers turned to byproducts.
Corn and soybean byproducts are essentially what's left over when those crops are processed. For example, soybeans are grown for their oil content, said Ron Lemenager, beef extension specialist with Purdue University. Soybean oil is used in a variety of products for human consumption, such as salad dressings. What's left is soybean meal and soybean hulls, which are actually the skin of the soybeans.
Corn, in addition to being used in ethanol production, is milled for a variety of products such as starch and sweeteners. The residue that's left behind is used to create corn gluten feed, Lemenager said.
These byproducts are high in protein and fiber. Humans can't digest them, but ruminant animals, such as cattle, can. Ruminant animals have four stomach compartments, the largest being the rumen, which contains billions of microorganisms that allow it to break down coarse vegetation such as grass.
As it turns out, not only can cattle digest byproducts, they can thrive on them.
"Corn and soybean byproducts make really good beef feed," Lemenager said.
Whaley said byproducts sustain cattle well. He said they can be fed to calves as well as older cows, which can't founder on it as they might on other grains. Founder, or laminitis, is an inflammation of the lamina surrounding the hoof bone, which can cause pain and permanent damage. It usually occurs in animals that have gorged themselves on large quantities of grain, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.
"I've not used corn at my house in six years," Whaley said.
That's not just because of the quality of byproducts; it's also because of the price. Whaley said a feed mix using corn and bean meal costs close to $300 a ton. A feed mix of soy hulls and corn gluten starts at about $260 a ton, but longtime customers who buy in bulk don't pay that much.
"We used to not make a lot of cattle feed," he said. "Now we make a lot."
Dean Foods Withdraws Forecast Amid Dairy Market Volatility
U.S. Beef, Pork Exports on Record Pace through June


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About Us
Access you Favourite Bookmarks and more from anywhereDayoba is your own unique homepage. Dayoba enables you to safely access and store all your Bookmarks and personal Favourites from any computer anywhere in the world. Dayoba gives you the option of having your own choice of RSS feeds making your Dayoba your own unique personalised homepage.
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Are you ready to win a totally sweet prize?
Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies has once again kindly offered up a $50 gift certificate to one lucky winner! I'm sure you'll have no trouble putting it to good use on cute cupcake and baking accessories: they've got some fantastic cupcake liners, sprinkles and other garnishes, and display items too!
How do you put yourself in the running? It's easy: just submit a drawing of a cupcake, cake, cookie, or pastry.
Nope, you don't have to be a cupcake artiste -- or even very artistic at all, because the winner will be chosen at random, not by merit! (Although we may give a shout-out to some of our favorites!)
It can even be a stick figure cupcake, an MS paint cookie. Or even just supply a link to some favorite dessert-related artwork by someone you love. We just want to see some totally sweet art! Feel free to link to a picture that is on a blog, flickr page or even via Twitter--just be sure to leave a comment telling us where we can find it so your name can be entered!
Since the winner will be receiving a gift card, this one is open to anyone, anywhere; you might want to browse their shop in the meantime to pick out what you'd get, or, you know, just to shop! The cake poll will close at 12 p.m. PST on Wednesday, March 31 (goodbye, March!). Good luck!


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CEO Compensation
#25 James C Mullen04.28.10, 06:00 PM EDT
|Previous: William H Swanson
|Next: Mark V Hurd
|Total Compensation
$24.775 mil
5-Year Compensation Total
$61.84 mil
James C Mullen has been CEO of Biogen Idec (BIIB) for 6 years. Mr. Mullen has been with the company for 21 years. The 51 year old executive ranks 4 within Drugs & Biotechnology
College: Rensselaer Polytech BS '80
Graduate School: Villanova MBA '84
|James C Mullen's Compensation Vs. Drugs & Biotechnology Medians
|$1.19 mil
|$1.40 mil
|$2.40 mil
|$2.71 mil
|$3.38 mil
|$2.00 mil
|Stock Gains
|$17.81 mil
|$0.60 mil
|Total Compensation
|$24.775 mil
|$8.27 mil
|Biogen Idec
14 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
|Previous: William H Swanson
|Next: Mark V Hurd
|Rank |
Name |
Age |
Company |
Total Compensation | 5 Year Compensation | Market Value
Compensation rank is based on total compensation for latest fiscal year. Total compensation for each chief executive includes the following: salary and bonuses; other compensation, such as vested restricted stock grants, LTIP payouts and perks; and stock gains, the value realized by exercising stock options. Efficiency rank is based on our chief executive's performance/pay score. Ranks are given only to chief executives who have a six-year tenure and six-year compensation history. The most efficient rank is 1 and least efficient is 189.
Compensation data is from the latest available proxy statements filed through April 9, 2010. Total returns and value of stock owned (including all classes) is based on Apr. 8, 2010 stock price. Compensation percent change is based on combined salary and bonus. Annualized total return during tenure covers the tenure of the executive or from the time of the IPO or available stock history. Relative to market is the ending value of $100 invested in the stock, divided by the ending value of $1 invested in the S & P 500 (a score of 100 = the S & P 500). NA: Not available or not applicable.
2Four-year total.
3Three-year total.
4Less than 0.01%.
5Prior-year data.
6New chief executive; compensation may be for another executive office.
7Less than $100,000.
8Includes shares indirectly held.
*Return is for less than tenure.
Sources: Company SEC Filings; Interactive Data and LionShares via FactSet Research Systems; Salary.com's CompAnalyst Executive; Forbes


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Our private tours in Eastern Europe feature the best of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Experience the beauty and romance of Prague, Budapest and Krakow. Tour fascinating historic neighborhoods, important Jewish sites, beautiful churches, former royal palaces and outstanding UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Browse antiques markets, artisans' workshops, design boutiques, and stores specializing in local crafts such as Herend porcelain and Bohemian glass. Enjoy day cruises on the Danube River and private excursions to ancient Roman ruins, crafts villages, castle towns and scenic natural attractions.
We can further customize any of our tours to include in-depth activities related to modern art and architecture; beer and wine; Hungarian, Polish and Czech composers; Jewish heritage (including visits to historic synagogues, former Jewish neighborhoods and Holocaust memorials); the legacy of Communism; Catholic history; and more.
We can also arrange for assistance in researching family history and customize touring to include places that are significant to the family heritage or cultural background of each traveler.
Our Eastern Europe tours can easily be combined with our private tours in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, the Baltic States and other countries.
Our luxury tours of Eastern Europe feature:
- Preferred rooms in the region's premier luxury hotels
- Your own private guide and driver for flexible touring based on your interests
- Luxury vehicles for touring and transfers
- Highly personalized itinerary planning and expert advice from our in-house Eastern Europe specialists
- Restaurant reservations, shopping recommendations, tickets to cultural events, and exclusive access to local activities and experts
- Private access and special viewings at museums, palaces and other cultural attractions
- Local contacts at our associate offices in the Eastern Europe
- Private airport and restaurant transfers
All tours are private, depart daily, and can be customized to suit individual interests and schedules. Please contact us at (800) 214-8144 for more information about our private tours in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.


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PXIe, 43 MHz Bandwidth, 1-Channel, 16-Bit Onboard Signal Processing, PXI Waveform Generator—The PXIe‑5442 is a 43 MHz arbitrary waveform generator capable of generating user-defined, arbitrary waveforms, standard functions including sine, square, triangle, and ramp, as well as signals that require onboard signal processing. Some of these signal processing operations include FIR and CIC interpolation filters, digtal prefilter gain, numerically-controlled oscillator, and I/Q mixing for quadrature digital upcoversion. The PXIe‑5442 also features advanced synchronization and data streaming capabilities.
Explore a wide range of support content, including examples and troubleshooting information.


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Neotropic ecozone
The Neotropic ecozone is one of the eight ecozones constituting the Earth's land surface.
Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of both Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
- 1 Overview
- 2 Major ecological regions
- 3 History
- 4 Endemic animals and plants
- 5 Neotropic terrestrial ecoregions
- 6 References
- 7 External links
In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical zone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands, and southern Florida, because these regions share a large number of plant and animal groups.
The ecozone also includes temperate southern South America. In contrast, the Neotropical Floristic Kingdom excludes southernmost South America, which instead is placed in the Antarctic kingdom.
The Neotropic is delimited by similarities in fauna or flora. Its fauna and flora are distinct from the Nearctic (which includes most of North America) because of the long separation of the two continents. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama joined the two continents two to three million years ago, precipitating the Great American Interchange, an important biogeographical event.
The Neotropic includes more tropical rainforest (tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests) than any other ecozone, extending from southern Mexico through Central America and northern South America to southern Brazil, including the vast Amazon Rainforest. These rainforest ecoregions are one of the most important reserves of biodiversity on Earth. These rainforests are also home to a diverse array of indigenous peoples, who to varying degrees persist in their autonomous and traditional cultures and subsistence within this environment. The number of these peoples who are as yet relatively untouched by external influences continues to decline significantly, however, along with the near-exponential expansion of urbanization, roads, pastoralism and forest industries which encroach on their customary lands and environment. Nevertheless, amidst these declining circumstances this vast "reservoir" of human diversity continues to survive, albeit much depleted. In South America alone, some 350–400 indigenous languages and dialects are still living (down from an estimated 1,500 at the time of first European contact), in about 37 distinct language families and a further number of unclassified and isolate languages. Many of these languages and their cultures are also endangered. Accordingly, conservation in the Neotropic zone is a hot political concern, and raises many arguments about development versus indigenous versus ecological rights and access to or ownership of natural resources.
Major ecological regions
The WWF subdivides the ecozone into bioregions, defined as "geographic clusters of ecoregions that may span several habitat types, but have strong biogeographic affinities, particularly at taxonomic levels higher than the species level (genus, family)."
Laurel forest and other cloud forest are subtropical and mild temperate forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. Tropical rainforest, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests are highlight in Southern North America, Amazonia, Caribbean, Central America, Northern Andes and Central Andes.
The Amazonia bioregion is mostly covered by tropical moist broadleaf forest, including the vast Amazon rainforest, which stretches from the Andes mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, and the lowland forests of the Guianas. The bioregion also includes tropical savanna and tropical dry forest ecoregions.
Central America
Central Andes
Eastern South America
Eastern South America includes the Caatinga xeric shrublands of northeastern Brazil, the broad Cerrado grasslands and savannas of the Brazilian Plateau, and the Pantanal and Chaco grasslands. The diverse Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil are separated from the forests of Amazonia by the Caatinga and Cerrado, and are home to a distinct flora and fauna.
Northern Andes
The Orinoco is a region of humid forested broadleaf forest and wetland primarily comprising the drainage basin for the Orinoco River and other adjacent lowland forested areas. This region includes most of Venezuela and parts of Colombia.
Southern South America
The temperate forest ecoregions of southwestern South America, including the temperate rain forests of the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests ecoregions, and the Juan Fernández Islands and Desventuradas Islands, are a refuge for the ancient Antarctic flora, which includes trees like the southern beech (Nothofagus), podocarps, the alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), and Araucaria pines like the monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). These magnificent rainforests are endangered by extensive logging and their replacement by fast-growing non-native pines and eucalyptus.
South America was originally part of the supercontinent of Gondwana, which included Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand, and Antarctica, and the Neotropic shares many plant and animal lineages with these other continents, including marsupial mammals and the Antarctic flora.
After the final breakup of the Gondwana about 110 million years ago, South America was separated from Africa and drifted north and west. Much later, about two to three million years ago, South America was joined with North America by the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, which allowed a biotic exchange between the two continents, the Great American Interchange. South American species like the ancestors of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and the armadillo moved into North America, and North Americans like the ancestors of South America's camelids, including the llama (Lama glama), moved south. The long-term effect of the exchange was the extinction of many South American species, mostly by outcompetition by northern species.
Endemic animals and plants
31 bird families are endemic to the Neotropical ecozone, over twice the number of any other ecozone. They include rheas, tinamous, curassows, and toucans. Bird families originally unique to the Neotropics include hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) and wrens (family Troglodytidae).
Mammal groups originally unique to the Neotropics include:
- Order Xenarthra: anteaters, sloths, and armadillos
- New World monkeys
- Caviomorpha rodents, including capybaras and guinea pigs, and chinchillas
- American opossums (order Didelphimorphia) and shrew opossums (order Paucituberculata)
43 fish families and subfamilies are endemic to the Neotropical ecozone, more than any other ecozone (Reis et al., 2003). Neotropical fishes include more than 5,700 species, and represent at least 66 distinct lineages in continental freshwaters (Albert and Reis, 2011). The well-known red-bellied piranha is endemic to the Neotropic ecozone, occupying a larger geographic area than any other piranha species. Some fish groups originally unique to the Neotropics include:
- Order Gymnotiformes: Neotropical electric fishes
- Family Characidae: tetras and allies
- Family Loricariidae: armoured catfishes
- Subfamily Cichlinae: Neotropical cichlids
- Subfamily Poeciliinae: guppies and relatives
Examples of groups that are entirely or mainly restricted to the Neotropical region include:
- New World monkeys
- Sloths
- Tinamous
- Hummingbirds
- Toucans
- Ovenbirds
- Antbirds
- Tanagers
- Caimans
- New World coral snakes
- Poison dart frogs
- Gonyleptidae
- Sphaerodactylus
- Gonatodes
- Anolis
- Andean brown butterflies
- Agrias butterflies
- Morpho butterflies
- Ithomiinae
- Heliconius butterflies
- Catagramma butterflies
- Riodinidae
- Eumaeini butterflies
- Firetips or firetail skipper butterflies
- Pronophilina butterflies
- Polybia occidentalis (swarm-founding wasp)
Plant families that originated in the Neotropic include Bromeliaceae, Cannaceae and Heliconiaceae.
Plant species originally unique to the Neotropic include:
- Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
- Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
- Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), source of cocoa and chocolate
- Maize (Zea mays)
- Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus)
- Cotton (Gossypium barbadense)
- Cassava (Manihot esculenta)
- Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)
- Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus)
- Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)
Neotropic terrestrial ecoregions
- Albert, J. S., and R. E. Reis (2011). Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes. University of California Press, Berkeley. 424 pp. ISBN 978-0-520-26868-5 [1]
- Bequaert, Joseph C. "An Introductory Study of Polistes in the United States and Canada with Descriptions of Some New North and South American Forms (Hymenoptera; Vespidæ)." Journal of the New York Entomological Society 48.1 (1940): 1-31.
- Cox, C. B.; P. D. Moore (1985). Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach (Fourth Edition). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
- Dinerstein, Eric; David Olson; Douglas J. Graham; et al. (1995). A Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean. World Bank, Washington, D.C.
- Schultz, J.: The Ecozones of the World, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2nd ed. 2005. ISBN 3-540-20014-2
- Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander, and C. J. Ferraris Jr. 2003. Check List of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Edipucrs, Porto Alegre. 729 pp.
- Udvardy, M. D. F. (1975). A classification of the biogeographical provinces of the world. IUCN Occasional Paper no. 18. Morges, Switzerland: IUCN. [2]
External links
- Media related to Neotropic at Wikimedia Commons
- Map of the ecozones
- Eco-Index, a bilingual searchable reference of conservation and research projects in the Neotropics; a service of the Rainforest Alliance
- NeoTropic
- WorldHeritage articles needing clarification from March 2013
- Articles to be expanded from April 2012
- All articles to be expanded
- Articles with empty sections from April 2012
- All articles with empty sections
- Articles to be expanded from January 2011
- Articles with empty sections from January 2011
- Neotropic ecozone
- Neotropic ecozone flora
- Ecozones
- Tropical flora
- Biogeography


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» ATL writers weigh in on NFL wide receivers debate
Around The League's Dan Hanzus tackled the NFL's top 30 running backs, and Marc Sessler outlined the top 30 quarterbacks last month.
Now it's time to turn our attention to the top 40 wide receivers. The most obvious takeaway from this exercise is the depth at the position. Elite young slot receivers such as Victor Cruz and Randall Cobb barely cracked the top 20. Sidney Rice and Anquan Boldin were squeezed in at the end of the list.
This is not meant to be a mere reflection of raw 2012 statistics. These rankings are based purely on projected impact for the 2013 season. As such, aging players might have been demoted to reflect the possibility of a sharp decline while breakout candidates have been bumped a few spots as they threaten to reach the next level.
Injured players such as Michael Crabtree and Santonio Holmes have been left off the list. A healthy Crabtree would rank in the second tier. Holmes would rank near the top of the last tier. As was the case with running backs and quarterbacks, rookies are not eligible.
On to the list.
Well-rounded playmakers
1. Calvin Johnson
2. Larry Fitzgerald
3. A.J. Green
4. Julio Jones
5. Dez Bryant
6. Brandon Marshall
7. Demaryius Thomas
Gil Brandt's opinion notwithstanding, Johnson is the king of the hill after breaking Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards record. There's no tougher matchup at the position. ... Fitzgerald is a probable first-ballot Hall of Famer one year removed from a 1,400-yard season with John Skelton as his quarterback. I can't blame anyone for preferring a young stud such as Green or Jones, but I think Fitzgerald has earned the benefit of the doubt. ... Green and Percy Harvin were the best receivers in the NFL for the first two months of last season. Green's production tailed off down the stretch due to bracket coverage and Andy Dalton's regression in the pocket.
Jones' numbers would be off the charts if not for the Falcons' share-the-wealth passing game in which Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez are heavily featured. He's about to embark on a half-decade stretch straight out of Terrell Owens' prime. ... Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson is still checking under his bed and in his closet for Bryant before he turns off the lights. The final eight games of Bryant's 2012 breakout campaign project to 1,758 yards and 20 touchdowns across a full season. ...
Marshall has been a ticking time bomb for the majority of his career, but he appears finally to have gained some sense of inner peace and maturity. His numbers will go down in 2013 if only because he was targeted on roughly 40 percent of Jay Cutler's passes last season -- nearly eight percentage points more than the next-closest receiver. ... Thomas does everything Jones does, but with a more checkered injury history. He's electric after the catch.
Go-to receivers
8. Percy Harvin
9. Andre Johnson
10. Vincent Jackson
11. Steve Smith
12. Roddy White
13. Reggie Wayne
14. Hakeem Nicks
I wanted to leave Smith in the first tier, but he wasn't quite as explosive (early season knee injury?) after the catch or separating from coverage as he was in 2011. Now 34 years old, Smith could be entering the slow fade. ... Speaking of slow fades, Reggie Wayne's might already have begun. He took a backseat to T.Y. Hilton down the stretch after a running series of highlight-reel catches in the first half of the season. ... White continues to crank out 1,300-yard seasons. ... Nicks would be in the first tier as a well-rounded playmaker if he could stay healthy. Alas, he can't.
Not quite true No. 1s
15. Jordy Nelson
16. Mike Wallace
17. Dwayne Bowe
18. Victor Cruz
19. Randall Cobb
20. Marques Colston
21. Greg Jennings
The Green Bay Packers realized prior to last season that Nelson had overtaken Jennings as the best receiver on the roster. ... Wallace is the most lethal deep threat in the game. He has to prove that he's not one-dimensional after a disappointing 2012 season. ... Bowe might be the garbage-time king at the position, but he has No. 1 receiver skills. He should benefit from the quarterback upgrade.
Cruz and Cobb have strong arguments for higher rankings, but slot receivers don't typically take on the task of beating double coverage. If NFL teams don't place a high value on slot receivers, why should we? ... We know what we're getting from Colston year-in and year-out: Not quite Pro Bowl-level, but awfully close. My efforts to stick him with the "Catch-Radius" Colston moniker have been in vain.
Prove it
22. Torrey Smith
23. Cecil Shorts
24. Pierre Garcon
25. Jeremy Maclin
26. Antonio Brown
27. Eric Decker
28. Steve Johnson
29. Wes Welker
30. Miles Austin
31. DeSean Jackson
The Ravens are counting on Smith to graduate from vertical threat to go-to receiver this season. He has the talent to pull it off. ... Shorts' game tape looks like 90 to 95 percent of Victor Cruz. ... Garcon was the engine that made the Redskins' passing offense go last season. Can he stay healthy? ... I might have underrated Eagles Maclin and Jackson on this list. They both have top-20 talent, but they spend too much time in the trainers' room.
Brown has feasted off the single-coverage provided by Mike Wallace the past two years. Can he succeed as the focus of the opposing secondary? ... I'll take Decker over Welker at this stage of their respective careers, and I think their 2013 stats will reflect that. ... Johnson has been stretched as the Bills' No. 1 receiver. ... Austin took a clear backseat to Dez Bryant in the second half of the season.
Trick or treat
32. Sidney Rice
33. Kenny Britt
34. Danny Amendola
35. Mike Williams
36. James Jones
37. Denarius Moore
38. Josh Gordon
39. Anquan Boldin
40. Danario Alexander
Rice and Britt have the No. 1 receiver skill set, but Rice isn't targeted as such and Britt's knees were a season-long issue in 2012. ... If more people saw Amendola play last season, they wouldn't be asking why the New England Patriots preferred him to Welker. ... Williams and Jones are among the game's best second fiddles. ... Moore and Gordon are obscenely talented breakout candidates. ... Boldin wins with physicality, but has been known to disappear against superior cornerbacks due to his inability to separate. ... Alexander is a top-20 talent with the game's most fragile legs.
Just missed: Hilton, Lance Moore, Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


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Bradley lives up to billing in spring debut
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- D-backs top pitching prospect Archie Bradley certainly made an impression on his team -- as well as the rival Rockies -- on Monday night.
Bradley struck out six, including five projected regulars, in three innings of the D-backs' 5-0 victory at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in front of 7,566.View Full Game Coverage
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- D-backs top pitching prospect Archie Bradley certainly made an impression on his team -- as well as the rival Rockies -- on Monday night.
Bradley struck out six, including five projected regulars, in three innings of the D-backs' 5-0 victory at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in front of 7,566.View Full Game Coverage
The Rockies also used one of their top pitching prospects, righty Eddie Butler, who became the first Colorado pitcher this spring to work beyond two innings. Butler was scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings before yielding two runs on a walk and a double by Mike Jacobs. In total, Butler gave up two runs on one hit and two walks.
Bradley, who was picked seventh overall in the 2011 Draft and made it to Double-A Montgomery last year, was making his first career Cactus League start. He saw just one inning last year. This one was memorable. He twice caught Rockies leadoff man Drew Stubbs looking at strikes, and also had strikeouts of Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado and starting pitcher Christian Friedrich.
The last came with the bases loaded in the second, after Bradley walked Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu and gave up his lone hit to Wilin Rosario.
Bradley's fastball was clocked at 92-96 mph, and he showed an effective slider and the ability to pitch inside.
"I had a lot of fun out there," Bradley said. "It was fun to finally face someone without a Diamondbacks jersey on. It felt really good to be on this side, in big league camp. Obviously, you couldn't ask for a better debut. I got the adrenaline going, I got to compete and it felt good."
Friedrich pitched for the Rockies in 2012, but a lingering back injury limited him to four Triple-A appearances last year. In his return to the mound, Friedrich gave up one run, on Mark Trumbo's first-inning RBI single, and three hits, with three strikeouts and two walks. One out from reaching his scheduled two innings, Friedrich was removed because of a high pitch count.
"I said beforehand, no matter what happens, it's going to be a lot of fun," Friedrich said. "It just felt good to see pitches go where I wanted sometimes, seeing a nice flip out of the curveball when it was in the zone. I'm happy to be back out there."
Now that he has cleared the hurdle of game competition, Friedrich can concentrate on competing for a rotation spot. The Rockies have opened competition for a spot held by righty Juan Nicasio, and righty Jhoulys Chacin could miss some early starts because the club doesn't want to rush his recovery from a shoulder strain.
Butler walked the first hitter he faced in the fifth, then was smooth until he walked Shelley Duncan to open the seventh. Jacobs doubled Duncan home and later scored on a sacrifice fly.
It was a big day for Rockies prospects on the mound. Butler, who was a supplemental first-round pick in 2012, compiled a 1.80 ERA while pitching at three levels last year, topping out at Double-A Tulsa. Righty Jon Gray, last year's top Draft pick and third overall, threw two scoreless innings in the Rockies' 8-1 loss to the Mariners in Monday's earlier split-squad game.
Up next: The D-backs take to the road to play the Padres at 1:05 p.m. MT at Peoria Sports Complex. Randall Delgado will make the start in place of Bronson Arroyo, who was scratched with lower back stiffness. Addison Reed, who is competing for the closer's job with J.J. Putz, is also scheduled to see action.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb.


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The sunny courtyards of Akaldema in Jerusalem's Hinnom Valley near the City of David contrasts sharply with the story it tells. This Greek Orthodox convent marks the site of the "field of blood" (Akaldema in Aramaic) – the cemetery for foreigners purchased with the money Judas received for betraying Jesus, and where he hanged himself (Matt. 27:3-8; Acts 1:18). Map.
Alakdema, built atop a medieval church in 1874, and now home to four nuns, is dedicated to St. Onuphrius, a desert-dwelling fourth-century monk. The church is built around one of the site's many Second Temple-era burial caves, where the saint is said to have lived in solitary contemplation. The view from its balconies is also an opportunity to consider the Hinnom Valley (Josh. 15:8) as the place where the Fire God Moloch was worshiped (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7: 31; 32:35).
The Convent is open Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning and late afternoon.


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Welcome to Breck's!
Click Here to Sign Up for Special Offers from Breck's!
Blueberry Tart Dwarf Bearded Iris
- Light: Full Sun, Partial Shade
- Size: #1 Rhizome
- Zone: 4-9
- Bloom Time: Early flowering, reblooms (Mid spring, re-blooms late summer to early fall)
- Height: 11 inches
- Soil Requirement: Well drained preferred. Quite tolerant of a wide range of soils.
- Availability: In Stock
For each offer ordered, get 1
- Botanical Name Iris 'Blueberry Tart'
- Form Perennial
- Hardiness Zone 4-9
- Flowering Time Early flowering, reblooms (Mid spring, re-blooms late summer to early fall)
- Light Requirements Full Sun, Partial Shade
- Flower Color Blue standards and reddish tan falls
- Flower Form 4" flowers are fan-shaped, with three drooping petals called falls and three upright petals called standards.
- Foliage Type Glaucous-green, sword-like fans of stiff upright leaves with some dying back in colder climates in winter.
- Growth Rate Medium
- Height/Habit 11 inches
- Spread 12 - 15 inches
- Planting Instructions Set rhizome so bottom half is below ground level. Firm well and water thoroughly. Plant where they will get at least 5 hours of sun per day.
- Soil Requirements Well drained preferred. Quite tolerant of a wide range of soils.
- Will Tolerate Acidic Soil, Clay Soil, Loamy Soil, Sandy Soil
- Pruning Remove spent flower stems after blooming. In late fall, cut back foliage to 6" fans. Clean plant debris before winter to prevent borers overwintering.
Breck's Shipping Schedule
We will pack and ship your order based on the following schedule.
|2019 Fall Shipping Schedule
|8/12/19 - 11/1/19
|8/19/19 - 11/11/19
|Last Order Date
|Fall Bulbs from Holland
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|8/26/19 - 12/9/19
|Last Order Date
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|9/15/19 - 11/29/19
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Shipping Notes:
The type of product you order or the weather in our area or your area may affect the anticipated shipping schedule above.
Based on the contents of your order we always strive to ship your order complete, and as early as possible in the planting season to allow for the best root development once planted.
To promote optimum stress protection in transit and your success in the garden, bareroot perennials are kept in the ground in our nurseries until fully dormant. In the Fall these plants tend to arrive at the later end of the shipping window above.
In all cases, we choose the fastest, most efficient way to delivery your orders via the USPS or FedEx. Large orders may be shippied in more than one package.
Bulb and perennial shipments direct from Holland are harvested in July and August dependent on the season and crop. Once fully inspected and packaged they are shippied direct to you in the most efficient manner to follow the dates above.
Upon placing your order you will receive an email confirmation with the details of your order and a delivery estimate.
You will also receive an email notification when your order actually ships with an updated arrival estimate.
At any time after you place your order you can check your order status on our website using your email or the account number found in your order confirmation email.
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Find us on:
Aspirin can improve the flow of blood to the heart and brain. This reduces your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Review Date: Monday, November 30, 2015
National Health Information Center - NHICU.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Aspirin has been shown to be helpful when used daily to lower the risk of heart attack, clot-related strokes and other blood flow problems. Talk to your doctor to learn whether the risks of long-term aspirin use may be greater than the benefits.
Review Date: Monday, January 28, 2013
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Learn about the use of aspirin therapy for patients who've had or are at high risk for a heart attack, unstable angina, ischemic stroke (caused by blood clot) or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs or "little strokes").
American Heart Association
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are placed in public and/or private places where large numbers of people gather or where people who are at high risk for heart attacks live. Information on AEDs, including training, purchasing, and apprporiate use of the device is provided.
Review Date: Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack may save your life. Take this quick quiz and find out if you know the signs.
Review Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The decision to use aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke is safest when made in consultation with a health professional.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
This risk assessment tool predicts a person's chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. This tool is designed for adults aged 20 and older who do not have heart disease or diabetes.
Review Date: Monday, December 01, 2014
NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - NHLBI
It is important to measure your risk of having a heart attack and to make a plan with your doctor to reduce your risk. Answer the questionnaire to discover your risk of heart attack.
Review Date: Friday, March 29, 2013
Heart attack,stroke, and cardiac arrest are life-and-death emergencies -- every second counts. If you see or have any of the listed symptoms, immediately call 9-1-1.
Find out what your cholesterol numbers mean and what treatment your doctor may prescribe to help lower your cholesterol level. Includes a tool to estimate the risk for having a heart attack, and outlines ways to reduce risk through diet, exercise and drug treament.
Review Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2014
People living with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as heart attack or stroke. Learn what you can do to reduce your risk of CVD.
Heart disease in women is often mistaken for panic attack with shortness of breath, anxiety, palpitations and indigestion. Only by having testing beyond the standard EKG can a correct diagnosis be made.
Review Date: Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Women's Heart Foundation
This page presents risk factors for heart and blood vessel disease and what one can do about them. Risk factors discussed include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, stress, and family history.
Review Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Hope Heart Institute
Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, for women as well as men. Find out about heart disease risks for women, subtle signs of heart attack, and more.
Review Date: Monday, July 14, 2014
NIH National Institute of Nursing Research - NINR
Should you take aspirin? It's always a good idea to talk with your provider before taking aspirin to prevent a heart attack.
Review Date: Monday, June 01, 2015
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
This online guide lists the symptoms that commonly signal a heart attack.
Know the common signs of a heart attack.
Review Date: Thursday, April 02, 2015
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked. Learn the symptoms and how acting fast can save your life and limit damage to your heart. If you think you or someone you're with is having a heart attack, call 9–1–1 right away.
Review Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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Two maids punished - New maid Lizzie has been punished by her employer and shows her roommate Clover the marks left by her first ever beating. The master of the house finds the...
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Biden: Gun violence proposals to Obama by Tuesday
Updated: 4:10 p.m. ET
After consulting with a series of stakeholders in the ongoing debate over gun control, Vice President Joe Biden will present his recommendations for reducing gun-related violence in America to President Obama on Tuesday, he said today.}
The vice president, speaking to reporters before a meeting on gun violence with sportsmen and women, and just minutes before another school shooting was reported, outlined a series of the recommendations he said are emerging in the course of his conversations with various stakeholders in the conversation. Among those possible proposals include universal background checks, restrictions on high-capacity magazines, and increased federal capabilities for effectively researching gun violence. Biden also stressed ongoing discussions about the importance of including the mental health community in the conversation.
"If you look at every one of the tragic events that have attracted so much attention, it's hard to be able to pinpoint what you would have done to assure it wouldn't have happened. But there's also things we know, we know, that there's certain actions we take that have diminished the extent of the gun violence that otherwise would be occurring in the United States," he said. "There's an emerging set of recommendations, not coming from me, but coming from the groups we've met with, and I'm gonna focus on the ones that relate primarily to gun ownership, what types of weapons can be owned."
- Biden: Obama may side-step Congress on parts of gun control agendas
- White House gun task force forging ahead
Biden also met with the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups, and will meet this evening with entertainment interest groups, including the Motion Picture Association of America. Former Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., now the president of the MPAA, will be in attendance. Additionally, Attorney General Eric Holder will discuss the subject today with retailers like Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Bass Pro Shops.
The White House did not provide a readout of the meeting with pro-gun groups, but the NRA released a statement this afternoon blasting the task force for allegedly attempting to "attack the Second Amendment."
"We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment," the statement said. "It is unfortunate that this Administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation's most pressing problems. We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen. Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of [C]ongress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works - and what does not."
Biden, the author of the original Assault Weapons Ban, was tapped by Mr. Obama to lead a task force aimed at developing actionable solutions to gun violence in America in the aftermath of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut last month.Yesterday, he met with representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations like the Brady Campaign, as well as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
In comments surrounding the meetings, Biden has acknowledged the difficulty of pushing gun control legislation through Congress, including among his "former colleagues in the Senate, who have been pretty universally opposed to any restrictions on gun ownership, or what types of weapons can be purchased, etc."
But he argued that, in the aftermath of the recent violence, there's a growing consensus around a certain set of ideas.
"I've never quite heard as much talk about the need to do something about high capacity magazines, as I've heard spontaneously from every group that we've met with so far," Biden argued. "And maybe one of the most important things we've been focusing on is the mental health community... There's an argument among health providers that this is a major component to deal with, particularly a lot of suicides as well that we're seeing today."
Regardless of what path Mr. Obama chooses to pursue, much depends on Congress's will to implement the administration's plan -- and the White House faces an uphill battle in overcoming immense pushback from powerful pro-gun lobbies, as well as longstanding Republican opposition to any tightening of gun laws. One possibility for sidestepping congressional opposition, Biden suggested yesterday, is that the president advance his agenda through executive order rather than pushing legislation through the House and Senate. It's unclear, however, how much Mr. Obama might be able to accomplish through that means.
A number of public officials -- including Bloomberg and former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., herself a victim of gun violence -- have also launched campaigns aimed at building public support for what they say are common-sense solutions for reducing gun violence. And new evidence suggests that support is growing: According to a December CBS News poll showed, 57 percent of Americans believe gun laws should be made more strict.
But the NRA, the most powerful of the pro-gun groups, is promising to pose staunch opposition to any such laws.
In the meantime, the vice president is urging both sides to seek common ground amid the fraught political debate.
"I'm not sure we can guarantee that this will never happen again. But as the president said, even if what we do only saves one life, it makes sense," he said. "And I think we can do a great deal without in any way imposing on or impinging on the rights of the second amendment, that the second amendment guarantees. That's what this is all about."


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AG,I sincerely apologize for my lack of posting. I really have enjoyed the game, but I admittedly have a hard time following it sometimes. It's probably more my fault reading than your writing. I was hoping I could keep up, but with student teaching this semester and getting things prepared for my wedding, I guess I will only be able to be part of one game. With all due respect and regret, I withdraw from the game. I do hope it will continue to be a success without me. Thank you for all your hard work.-Dozus
I'll go with SE, so "leave town" I guess But then again I would love to RP a bit in Abak Loett's tent...sigh..I've just been too busy and "unfantasyfocused" (hehe, new word I created)sorry, but there are good reasons for my recent absence.RL.


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If you are like me and you like to make your own pumpkin puree then you probably go through a lot of pumpkin seeds. It is such a shame to just throw all of them away when it is so easy to make toasted pumpkin seeds. After separating the seeds from the stringy bits, you rinse the seeds and toss them in some oil and seasonings. The seasoning can be as simple as salt and pepper but you can do pretty much whatever you imagine. I like to add some spicy heat to my pumpkin seeds and smoky chipotle chili powder is a wonderful way to do so. After seasoning you just need to bake them in the oven until they are nice and crunchy. The toasted pumpkin seeds make for a great snack or they can be used to garnish soups and other dishes.
Chipotle Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- the seeds from one pumpkin (cleaned and rinsed)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (optional, or other seasoning)
- Toss the pumpkin seeds in oil and chipotle chili powder.
- Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until golden brown, about 10-20 minutes. They may start to pop and that is ok.


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Friday, December 3, 2010
Tea Wreaths
15 comments:
- Brooke said...
This is an AWESOME idea!!
- December 3, 2010 at 1:09 PM
- Astrid said...
Thanks, Brooke. It's all about making sure there's always time for tea, you know!
- December 3, 2010 at 1:18 PM
Astrid, I was thinking of you when I wrote the "red" post and hoping you'd join in. It was all I could do to not slip "red red completely red" into the post somewhere...Thanks!
- December 3, 2010 at 4:04 PM
Love the pegs on Kojo's design. Tea Wreaths - could not confusing if you'd got a lisp! ;D
- December 4, 2010 at 4:28 AM
Okay - I meant could 'get' confusing. That's what I get for taking the micky out of a speech impediment.
Although when I was young and I had a brace my parents repeatedly made me say sausages!
- December 4, 2010 at 4:30 AM
- Jadyn said...
So nice to see this line-up of tea wreaths. I am so glad you shared this idea!! Thanks for including me as well - Tazo-tastic, I love it. :)
- December 4, 2010 at 12:42 PM
- Margie S said...
I love this unique advent idea. I'm going to link to you on my blog!
- December 4, 2010 at 9:47 PM
- Buckeroomama said...
I've never seen these before... what a great idea!
- December 5, 2010 at 6:10 AM
- MaryjoO said...
found you via a photo on the pinterest site -- LOVE the idea (from a fellow non-stop tea drinker!!
- December 5, 2010 at 8:41 AM
- Astrid said...
Thanks for all the lovely comments! We are loving our daily tea, and hope this inspires you all to try it, too!
Kiley -- yes, I loved your red theme! Thanks for stopping by.
Feresa -- that sounds awful! And awfully funny :)
Jadyn -- I love your wreath! Sorry again you missed out on this round of advent tea, but next year, I'll make sure you get to take part.
Margie -- thanks! You've got a lovely blog!
Buckaroomama -- glad you like them! We'd love to see if you make one, too.
Mary -- yay for Pinterest! Hope you give it a try!
- December 5, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- another donkey design by kate said...
Such a great idea - if only i wasn't so stuck in my ways and only drank one type of tea! Make sure you keep me in mind for your pegs next year!
- December 5, 2010 at 9:29 PM
- Astrid said...
Kate, you could have a single-colour wreath, where every day is the same type of tea! Yes, I'll keep you in mind, thanks.
- December 6, 2010 at 8:27 AM
- Jen said...
that is ingenious!
- December 8, 2010 at 3:00 PM
- saganaga said...
the tea wreath advent calendar is a very clever idea !!!
- December 16, 2010 at 11:42 AM
veldig interessant, takk
- January 21, 2011 at 4:44 PM


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Thanks to John Ferguson and his staff for hosting the continental breakfast at his shop, Domestic Diesel in Chino.
Members, family, and friends were treated to coffee, juice, fresh fruit, and a selection of pastries and baked goods that would put StarBucks to shame.
We had fun having breakfast and chit chatting about diesels and world events. Then a caravan of 8-9 diesel pickups left and traveled to the gun range/show.
The gun event was interesting as it always is...lots of vendors and every major gun manufacturer was there.
Lots of people and the event was very well run.
Several political candidates had booths there...all playing up how they support the 2nd Amendment. Of course that was their position today at a gun event...I wonder what it was yesterday or will be tomorrow. Politicians...I don't think we ever really know where they stand?
Bobby was looking at buying some steel targets he can use in his backyard for target practice...I would like to get some for my yard, but I don't think my neighbors would approve. I'd guess with Bobby, living in the high desert has some advantages (wide open spaces!!).
I think a good time was had by all...........
(My ears are still ringing from the big guns some people were firing!! )


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Gene Cassidy thought he was lucky to survive being shot in the head twice 25 years ago when he was a Baltimore policeman, so a second near-death ordeal recently seemed unreal.
Just 27 years old, Cassidy lost his sight after a man he was trying to arrest on an assault warrant fired at him.
The shooting, and his survival, made Cassidy a legend in Baltimore police ranks and became fodder for "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," the book by David Simon, and later a TV series, about crime in Baltimore.
Last year, bad news struck again. This time Cassidy was diagnosed with end-stage cirrhosis of the liver caused by hepatitis C. He contracted the disease from blood transfusions while being treated all those years ago — in the days before blood was tested for the disease.
Once again, Cassidy faced death. And again he has survived.
In June, the now 52-year-old Cassidy received a desperately needed liver transplant. He shared his story Friday at a news conference at University of Maryland Medical Center, where the surgery was performed.
It wasn't an easy journey. He had to wait months for a transplant, and Cassidy said his body and mind deteriorated. He refused to give up and tried to stay positive, continually telling himself he was a fighter; that he would continue to live.
"You keep going and swinging away," he said.
Cassidy and his family began to suspect something was wrong in May 2011. His entire body was swollen and his feet hurt so much that he couldn't walk. Doctors couldn't figure out what the problem was until a blood test revealed the hepatitis.
He became one of the thousands of baby boomers who contracted the slow-progressing disease unknowingly and have been walking around with it for years. It is so prevalent that the federal government recently called for all members of Cassidy's generation to be tested for the disease.
After the shooting, Cassidy learned to live without sight. He earned a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University and went back to work teaching at the city's police academy. His presence was a powerful message to recruits about what could happen in the line of duty.
His children, Lauren and Kevin, now 24 and 21, respectively, hadn't been born when their dad was shot. All they knew was the strong father who took them to Ravens games and loved his job.
"He was like any other dad, except he couldn't drive," said Lauren, who works for a staffing agency.
Kevin said his dad didn't allow negative talk.
"He always told us to stay positive and to never give up, no matter what it is," Kevin said. "He would tell us there is always someone in a worse position than you."
It was rough watching their dad succumb to hepatitis, they said. He dropped 60 pounds from his muscular frame, developed over years of daily workouts. He was always tired and eventually had to stop working.
Despite his illness, Cassidy kept the rest of the family hopeful.
"Every time we would get down, he would say it's just a bump in the road," said his wife, Patti.
Simon chronicled Cassidy's story in a March article in The Baltimore Sun. As he interviewed Cassidy, the once-vibrant man looked gray and weak. Simon said the sight of Cassidy worried him. But Cassidy himself wasn't worried.
"We were scared. Gene wasn't," Simon said. "There is something very Zen about the way he's dealt with everything since the shooting."
As the disease progressed, doctors said Cassidy needed a transplant to survive.
But getting a transplant is not easy. There aren't enough donated livers for everyone who needs one. Nearly 16,000 Americans, including 500 in Maryland, are waiting for a liver transplant, said Dr. John LaMattina, Cassidy's transplant surgeon.
The medical community uses a scoring system to give livers to the sickest patients as the organs become available. Cassidy was never sick enough to get an organ.
His doctors suggested he try living organ donation as an alternative. For this procedure, a living person donates half of his or her liver. The liver halves eventually regenerate, allowing both people to live. These donors need to be the healthiest people and are often family members or close friends.
There was no shortage of people willing to give Cassidy a piece of their liver. Lauren, Kevin and Patti all wanted to, but couldn't for various reasons. Lauren's liver was too small, for instance. Hundreds of police officers also came forward — all claiming to be his brother.
"It was the most tremendous outpouring of support I have ever seen," LaMattina said.
Meanwhile, Cassidy's health continued to decline. He was disoriented and became confused when talking to people. His abdomen was constantly swollen, even as the rest of him became skeletal.
When a living donor was located finally, Cassidy's body was too frail for the operation. Meanwhile, his sickness moved him higher on the list for a traditional liver donation. He would just have to wait.
"People have to be so sick to get a transplant," LaMattina said.
The wait worried the doctor. Without a transplant soon, there was a chance of death, LaMattina said. But one became available in June.
Before the surgery, Cassidy told his family, "We will win."
He told the team of doctors: "You know I'm a fighter."
"I heard you are a fighter," one responded.
The surgery went well, and LaMattina said Cassidy should live a normal life.
The jaundice he had been suffering from disappeared right after the surgery. Cassidy has had some complications common with transplants, including a hernia. And he will have to take drugs for the rest of his life to prevent his body from rejecting the new organ.
But those are small inconveniences, he and LaMattina said.
"Taking the medicine will become like brushing his teeth," said the doctor.
Those who know him said Cassidy has a natural resiliency.
"If anyone was going to pull through this, it was going to be him," said Terrence Patrick McLarney, a detective sergeant in the homicide unit when Cassidy was shot.
Simon said it would have been a tragedy if a liver hadn't been found for Cassidy — someone who has made such an imprint on Baltimore.
"We would have failed him if we had not gotten him a liver," Simon said.
Cassidy doesn't have a long bucket list now that he has eluded death twice. Throughout his latest ordeal, he said, all he wanted was a sense of normality. And it is still the simple things he looks forward to doing again, like going back to work and attending Ravens games, as he has every season since the team came to town.
He's not sure when he'll be strong enough to do either, but he hopes it is soon.
"You never know how many miracles you may see," Cassidy said. "I have to say I've seen one with this transplant."


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Ian MacDougall's cross-border odyssey to track down one of Hollywood's premier heavyweights may have turned him into a short-term online sensation, but continues to prove that brushes with true stardom are far more fleeting.
Months after the 22-year-old film student teamed up with a friend to convince Morgan Freeman to narrate a class project, he's still chasing the goal that sent him on his madcap adventure in the first place.
MacDougall plans to devote part of the upcoming year to sifting through the hours of footage he gathered last April on his quest to track Freeman down. He and collaborator MacKenzie Warner are ultimately hoping the 20-minute short film they cobbled together in less than a day can be turned into a full-length documentary, ideally featuring a voiceover from the film industry's consummate narrator.
"I think we really have a solid story regardless of whether Morgan does sign on in the end," MacDougall said in a telephone interview from Barcelona, Spain. "I'm looking forward to just being able to show it."
The story began unfolding a week before MacDougall was slated to hand in his final project for a film course at Simon Fraser University. A hard drive crash wiped out an entire year's worth of work on the film he planned to present just seven days before the scheduled screening.
In a panic, the Yellowknife native called Warner, who had once floated the idea of preparing a documentary on the process of tracking down Freeman and getting the A-list star to narrate the details of the hunt. Classmates had dismissed Warner's idea out of hand, but MacDougall felt desperate times called for desperate measures.
Through some online detective work, the friends discovered Freeman was scheduled to be the master of ceremonies at a blues concert in Clarksdale, Miss., two days after MacDougall's hard drive bit the dust. The pair booked tickets to the show, maxed out MacDougall's credit card on last-minute flights and headed to the deep south to find the star.
Luck smiled on them through most of their travels. A friendly fellow flight passenger hooked them up with a ride to the small town. Some local hotel owners gave the students a steep discount on their accommodations. But luck ran out when MacDougall and Warner missed connecting with Freeman by seconds at the end of the show.
The cycle repeated itself again the next day when they heard rumours that the Shawshank Redemption star was still in town.
The information was accurate, but the star slipped through their fingers yet again. This time, however, MacDougall and Warner convinced his business partner to track him down on the phone, where he referred future inquiries to his agent.
MacDougall and Warner had to take care of the school assignment first and devoted their immediate energies to paring down their footage into something they could screen for the class, but Freeman's words lingered with them after the film was handed in.
"If he really didn't want anything to do with the project, then I guess there's not a whole lot we can do, but we figured he said talk to his agent, so we'll talk to his agent," MacDougall said.
Three days after airing their makeshift short, MacDougall was on the road again, this time bound for Los Angeles to contact Freeman's agent in person.
In some senses, lightning struck twice. MacDougall narrowly missed his quarry in person, but secured a meeting with his assistant and even managed to connect with the agent by phone.
That conversation, too, had highs and lows. The agent expressed skepticism that the project was little more than a publicity stunt meant to exploit Freeman, MacDougall said, adding the frantic travel pace and ensuing sleep deprivation had given him qualms of his own.
"I didn't feel like we were really overstepping our boundaries, but I guess I was questioning the morality of it in pursuing this guy if he doesn't want to be pursued," he said.
Eventually, though, MacDougall was able to allay most of the agent's concerns and secure his agreement to at least view the final product.
MacDougall plans to focus on getting it ready when he returns from some overseas travel, with the aim of having a full-length documentary ready for presentation later this year.
After that, however, he has to come full circle. All the hype over the Freeman short wasn't enough to persuade MacDougall's professor to accept it for his final grade.
He was pleased with the effort I'd put into at least making something... but I wasn't marked on the project because I basically have to re-edit the one that was lost."
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