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Posts Tagged Nature
37 Million Bees Found Dead in Canada After Large GMO Crop Planting
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, GMOs, Health, Natural Environment & Weather, News on November 10, 2014
via: NaturalSociety.com
Christina Sarich
November 9, 2014
The makers of neonicotinoids, the bee-killing insecticide that was banned all over Europe, won't be able to refute this latest phenomenon. Millions of bees were found dead after GMO corn was planted in Ontario, Canada. This isn't new news, but it should be known news.
The keeper of these bees, Dave Schuit, who produces honey, reported that he lost over 600 hives – around 37 million bees.
"Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions," Schuit said.
With increasing bee deaths and consumer petitions targeted to places like Home Depot and Lowe's who sell neonics, the US Department of Agriculture has failed to ban neonicotinoids, manufactured primarily by Bayer CropScience Inc., as well as other biotech companies.
Two of Bayer's best sellers are suspect this time around: Imidacloprid and Clothianidin. They are both known to seep into pollen and nectar, damaging beneficial insects such as bees.
The more widely they are used, the more bees seem to die.
Schuit's report of dead bees is corroborated by other farmers, too. Nathan Carey is another local farmer who noticed a disappearance of bees on his farm this past Spring. There were so few that he could not count on them as he normally did to help pollinate his crops. He correlates their absence to the use of these toxic insecticides.
While many scientists are still unconvinced that "colony collapse disorder" (CCD) is caused by neonicotinoids, there has been a consecutive die-off of bees in the U.S. for seven years now – directly correlated to higher insecticide spraying.
Even US scientists have found 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax and pollen, lending credence to the notion that pesticides are in fact a problem.
The corn, soy, and beets are on fire… let the GMOs burn!
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Cancer, Economy, GMOs, Health, Monsanto, Natural Environment & Weather, News on August 8, 2012
via: NaturalNews
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
By: S. D. Wells
[NaturalNews] It is EPIC IRONY that certain genetically modified vegetables, namely corn, soy and beets, are burning up in the summer heat and drought that is devastating the entire Midwestern United States. There is a certain serendipitous irony, like bad karma coming home to roost for the greedy corporations that continually put profits ahead of human health and wellness. There's always a price to be paid for unethical business practices, and just about every vegetarian and vegan knows the truth about the detriments to your health from eating vegetables that come from seedlings which are bred with pesticide in a laboratory.
Right now, as you read this, massive amounts of dried up and cracking dirt is strangulating nearly 40 percent of the genetically modified CORN, SOY, and BEET roots, and in some hauntingly similar way, those toxic vegetables have been slowly strangulating the masses who have been consuming them for the past 15 to 20 years.
GMO equals short term profits and shorter human life
Pesticide is now growing inside of the most popular vegetation, thanks to the last two decades of "Ag-science," (agricultural science) figuring out how to engineer toxic pest killers as part of the plants' genetic makeup. Now, thanks to plant immunity to RoundUp pesticide, at least five to ten times more pesticide is dumped onto the vegetation as it grows in America's fields. This means fewer worms, fewer insects, and fewer turtles and rabbits eating away at the plants, which means higher profits for "sell out" farmers and the contributing corporations. Or does it? Human beings can't eat pesticide or we get cancer, and so as we do "EAT CANCER," huge pharmaceutical firms prosper, and it just further assists them in running the country, the politicians, Western Medicine and the mainstream media. (http://programs.webseed.com/Dont_Eat_Cancer__TV.htm)
The greatest monopoly to ever besiege mankind is the merger of the U.S. food industry with the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. (http://www.naturalnews.com/030394_GMO_plant_pharmas.html) Perpetuated myths invade the masses via media tricks and ad campaigns, and most people have no idea they are eating pesticide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. The cleansing and detoxifying organs, like the kidneys, pancreas and liver are being overwhelmed with GMO toxins and food additives.
Soy myth!
It's becoming very difficult to find any soy which is truly organic. Most soy in America is genetically modified, processed, and causes extreme health detriment. Do you drink soy milk because you're trying to avoid dairy? Switch to almond milk or rice milk right away. Why? Soybeans contain HAEMGGLUTININ, which is a clot promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together. This is what leads to strokes. Also, soy beans contain natural toxins or "anti-nutrients" and are considered enzyme inhibitors, because they block the action of trypsin and other enzymes that humans need for protein digestion. These can produce serious gastric distress and cause chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, they cause enlargement of pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.
Soy consumption also increases estrogen. Research shows that hamsters fed with GM soy were unable to have offspring and suffered a high mortality rate. Also, steer clear of soy protein isolate, found in most protein shakes and protein bars. Hexane, a petroleum solvent similar to gasoline, is used in the processing phases of soy, and remnants are found in all non-organic soy based food. Oh, but you will never find hexane on the label.
Corn plague!
Genetically modified corn does NOT feed the entire world, it poisons the entire world. Frankencorn is laden with pesticides inside and out, and America breeds it and feeds countries and most livestock this toxic, insidious food product, as if it's just normal daily business. This drought is more like some ancient Egyptian plague for these huge biotech corporations like Monsanto and Dow. This drought is like something out of the Ten Commandments.
Monsanto's Bt-sweet "Frankencorn," the agri-giant's first ever GM corn product, is made available as whole ears right on the cob, so it's not just the processed corn products to watch out for anymore. (http://www.naturalnews.com)
"What will farmers use to feed livestock if there's no corn?!" The behind-the-scenes-truth is that corn and grain based animal feed cause digestive infections and disorders in the animals. Those "corporate" infections (and the antibiotics given to treat them) are passed on to carnivores all over the world.
"Agent Orange" corn on the rise like a Grim Reaper: Enlist, known by its critics as "Agent Orange" corn, is created by Dow AgroScience and is engineered to be immune to 2,4-D, an ingredient used in Vietnam that lead to thousands of soldiers coming back from the war with cancer. Farmers can douse their crop with this lethal pesticide and boost profits, all while fueling the $100 billion cancer industry. Studies show that 2,4-D exposure is associated with various forms of cancer, Parkinson's Disease, nerve damage, hormone disruption and birth defects.
Monsanto GM beets for MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE; who knew?
Anyone wondering why the biotech giant Monsanto would patent beets and prosecute organic farmers for keeping their seeds? You may be thinking that there can't be massive consumption of beets, like there is of corn and soy, but think again. That concentrated salt (MSG) that gives you migraine headaches, causes your children to vomit, and gives infants brain damage, is mass produced and mass distributed in nearly every salty, non-organic product known to mankind. You'll even find it in products that claim to be "all natural." (http://www.naturalnews.com/024417_sugar_Roundup_beets.html)
Plus, the sugar beet pulp is a processed by-product widely used as feed supplements for livestock. Farmers across the country are planting Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beet, genetically engineered for resistance to Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate (marketed as Roundup). Up to 95 percent of the sugar beet crop in Idaho alone is GM, totaling 150,000 out of 167,000 acres. Half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from pesticide laden sugar beets, creating UNPRECEDENTED health and environmental risks.
When did all the MSG mayhem kick into full gear? Back in 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the classification of Roundup Ready sugar beets from regulated to "deregulated." Basically, the USDA and the FDA failed to conduct research into the impacts of humans eating Roundup pesticide.
The great 2012 drought – A blessing in disguise
Unfortunately, there are many innocent organic farmers suffering from the drought too. However, we don't need GM corn, soy and beets, so let those prices rise. If corn and soy prices went up 100 percent instead of what the media is warning about (four percent), it would be a blessing. Maybe then the masses who think GM means the "evolution of farming" would stop buying cancer causing food and start buying organic food that heals the body and PREVENTS DISEASE. It's your choice every day, every meal. Every penny you spend can feed pollution and disease, or promote nutrition.
Here are some helpful links for donating funds and/or joining the organic food mission:
1. http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/action.cfm
3. http://www.naturalnews.com/031784_organic_foods.html
4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com
5. http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/
Join the movement and the life-long mission, if you have not already. Buy organic food and easy recipe books and videos/guides and start making your own chips and dips, with organic spices and herbs. And don't you dare complain that you can't afford it, because what you can't afford is to get DIABETES, CANCER, HEART DISEASE AND ALZHEIMER'S.
Sources for this article include:
Decade-Long Feeding Study Reveals Significant Health Hazards of Genetically Engineered Foods
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, GMOs, Health, News on August 8, 2012
via: Mercola
by: Dr. Mercola
August 7, 2012
Scientists in Norway have released results from experimental feeding studies carried out over a 10-year period, and the verdict is in: If you want to avoid obesity, then avoid eating genetically engineered (GE) corn, corn-based products, and animals that are fed a diet of GE grain.
As reported by Cornucopia.org1, the project also looked at the effects on organ changes, and researchers found significant changes that affected weight gain, eating behaviors, and immune function.
How Genetically Engineered Corn and Soy Can Wreak Havoc on Your Health
According to the featured article2:
"The results show a positive link between GE corn and obesity. Animals fed a GE corn diet got fatter quicker and retained the weight compared to animals fed a non-GE grain diet. The studies were performed on rats, mice, pigs and salmon, achieving the same results.
… Researchers found distinct changes to the intestines of animals fed GMOs compared to those fed non-GMOs. This confirms other studies done by US researchers. Significant changes occurred in the digestive systems of the test animals' major organs including the liver, kidneys, pancreas, genitals and more."
Their findings (which were published July 11, 2012 in Norway by Forskning.no, an online news source devoted to Norwegian and international research3) showed that animals fed genetically engineered Bt corn ate more, got fatter, and were less able to digest proteins due to alterations in the micro-structure of their intestines.
They also suffered immune system alterations. The impaired ability to digest proteins may be of particular concern as this can have far-reaching implications for your health. If your body cannot digest proteins, your body will be less able to produce amino acids, which are necessary building blocks for proper cell growth and function.
As noted by Cornucopia.org:
"This not only may relate to a rise in obesity, but to increases in many modern diseases. These diseases include diabetes, digestive disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (ADD), autoimmune diseases, sexual dysfunction, sterility, asthma, COPD and many more.
…[Lead author] Professor Krogdahl explains: "It has often been claimed that the new genes in genetically modified foods can't do any damage because all genes are broken down beyond recognition in the gut. Our results show the contrary; that genes can be taken up across the intestinal wall, is transferred to the blood and is left in the blood, muscle and liver in large chunks so that they can be easily recognized… The biological impact of this gene transfer is unknown."
Bt Toxin Found in Blood of Women and Fetuses
This is not the first time scientists have revealed significant biological impacts and related health problems as a result of eating a diet of genetically engineered foods. More often than not, unless the research is tainted by industry ties, studies into the effects of genetically engineered foods demonstrate that it is anything but safe. This isn't so surprising when you consider that simple logic will tell you it's probably not wise to consume a plant designed to produce its own pesticide, for example.
So-called "Bt corn" is equipped with a gene from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt), which produces Bt-toxin—a pesticide that breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them. This pesticide-producing corn entered the food supply in the late 1990's, and over the past decade, the horror stories have started piling up.
Monsanto and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) swore that the toxin would only affect insects munching on the crop. The Bt-toxin, they claimed, would be completely destroyed in the human digestive system and would not have any impact on animals and humans. The biotech companies have doggedly insisted that Bt-toxin doesn't bind or interact with the intestinal walls of mammals, and therefore humans.
The featured research proves all such claims false.
Prior findings have already shown that Bt corn is anything but innocuous to the human system. Just last year, doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood4 of:
- 93 percent of pregnant women tested
- 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies, and
- 67 percent of non-pregnant women
Bt-toxin breaks open the stomach of insects. Could it similarly be damaging the integrity of your digestive tract? If Bt-toxins can damage the intestinal walls of newborns and young children, the passage of undigested foods and toxins into the blood from the digestive tract could be devastating to their future health. Scientists speculate that it may lead to autoimmune diseases and food allergies. Furthermore, since the blood-brain barrier is not developed in newborns, toxins may enter the brain causing serious cognitive problems. Some healthcare practitioners and scientists are convinced that this one mechanism for autism.
If Bt genes are colonizing the bacteria living in the digestive tract of North Americans, we might expect to see an increase in gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and childhood learning disorders since the advent of Bt crops in 1996, and that's exactly what's being reported. For example, between 1997 and 2002 the number of hospitalizations related to allergic reactions to food increased by a whopping 265 percent. One out of 17 children now has some form of food allergy and allergy rates are rising.
Genetically Engineered Foods Trigger Adverse Immune System Responses
There's plenty of evidence showing that the Bt-toxin produced in genetically modified Bt crops like corn and cotton plants is toxic to humans and mammals andtriggers immune system responses. For example, in government-sponsored research in Italy5, mice fed Monsanto's Bt corn showed a wide range of immune responses, such as:
- Elevated IgE and IgG antibodies, which are typically associated with allergies and infections
- An increase in cytokines, which are associated with allergic and inflammatory responses. The specific cytokines (interleukins) that were found to be elevated are also higher in humans who suffer from a wide range of disorders, from arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, to MS and cancer
- Elevated T cells (gamma delta), which are increased in people with asthma, and in children with food allergies, juvenile arthritis, and connective tissue diseases.
Rats fed another of Monsanto's Bt corn varieties called MON 863, also experienced an activation of their immune systems, showing higher numbers of basophils, lymphocytes, and white blood cells6. These can indicate possible allergies, infections, toxins, and various disease states including cancer. There were also signs of liver and kidney toxicity.
GMO-Fed Hamsters Become Infertile, Have Stunted Growth
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, GMOs, Health, Monsanto, News on August 7, 2012
via: NaturalSociety
by: Lisa Garber
August 7, 2012
Yet another study has concluded that feeding animals GMOs results in higher rates of infant mortality and causes fertility problems. Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov and other researchers fed Campbell hamsters (which have fast reproduction rates) Monsanto GM soy for two years. It should be noted that hamsters do not evolutionarily eat soy—just as cows fed Monsanto corn are actually ruminants and would not naturally eat corn.
"Originally, everything went smoothly," Surov told broadcasting service The Voice of Russia. Surov and the researchers fed the same diet to three generations of the hamsters, and that's when they noticed things going awry.
GMO Causes Fertility Problems, Slow Growth, Hair Growth in Mouths
"We noticed quite a serious effect when we selected new pairs from their cubs and continued to feed them as before. These pairs' growth rate was slower and reached their sexual maturity slowly." By the third generation, the hamsters were infertile.
Many animals on the GM diet even displayed rare, strange pathologies like hair growing in recessed pouches inside their mouths. "Some of these pouches contained single hairs," said Surov in Doklady Biological Sciences, "others, thick bundles of colorless or pigmented hairs reaching as high as the chewing surface of the teeth. Sometimes, the tooth row was surrounded with a regular brush of hair bundles on both sides. The hairs grew vertically and had sharp ends, often covered with lumps of mucous." Surov and other authors concluded that because rates of hairy mouths occurred more frequently in third-generation GM-fed animals, the condition may have resulted of the GM feed. Surov says contaminants and herbicide residue (like Roundup) could be to blame as well.
Other Victims of GMOs
Other than fertility problems, the GMO phenomenon has been noticed elsewhere—even in our own United States. Farmers using GM feed have reported infertile pigs and cows. Other incidents involving GMOs include:
- Austrian researchers reporting 4th generation "Frankencorn"-fed mice totally infertile.
- Thousands of dead sheep, buffalo, and goats in India after grazing on GM cottonseed.
- Offspring of mother rats fed GM soy dead within three weeks and recorded smaller sizes.
- Cooked GM soy with up to 7 times the amount of a soy allergen.
- Organ lesions, altered liver and pancreas cells, and changed enzyme levels.
- Excessive cell growth in the stomach lining of GM-potato-fed rats, potentially leading to cancer.
- GMO corn contributing to human obesity and organ disruption.
Overall, GM sounds like a sweet deal only for Monsanto (and our own FDA and USDA, repeatedly found in bed with them). It remains a bad deal for us, the consumers.
Additional Sources:
Bill Gates, Monsanto, & Eugenics: How One Of The World's Wealthiest Men Is Actively Promoting A Corporate Takeover Of Global Agriculture
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Eugenics & Depopulation, Health, Illuminati, Secret Societies & Ruling Families / Global Elite, News on August 6, 2012
via: AgainstTheWall
by: Ethan A. Huff
August 6, 2012
After it was exposed that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic brainchild of Microsoftfounder Bill Gates, purchased 500,000 shares in Monsanto back in 2010 valued at more than $23 million, it became abundantly clear that this so-called benevolent charity is up to something other than eradicating disease and feeding the world's poor (http://www.guardian.co.uk).
It turns out that the Gates family legacy has long been one of trying to dominate and control the world's systems, including in the areas of technology, medicine, and now agriculture.
The Gates Foundation, aka the tax-exempt Gates Family Trust, is currently in the process of spending billions of dollars in the name of humanitarianism to establish a global food monopoly dominated by genetically-modified (GM) crops and seeds. And based on the Gates family's history of involvement in world affairs, it appears that one of its main goals besides simply establishing corporate control of the world's food supply is to reduce the world's population by a significant amount in the process.
William H. Gates Sr., former head of eugenics group Planned Parenthood
Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates Sr., has long been involved with the eugenics group Planned Parenthood, a rebranded organization birthed out of the American Eugenics Society. In a 2003 interview with PBS' Bill Moyers, Bill Gates admitted that his father used to be the head of Planned Parenthood, which was founded on the concept that most human beings are just "reckless breeders" and "human weeds" in need of culling .
Gates also admitted during the interview that his family's involvement in reproductive issues throughout the years has been extensive, referencing his own prior adherence to the beliefs of eugenicist Thomas Robert Malthus, who believed that populations of the world need to be controlled through reproductive restrictions. Though Gates claims he now holds a different view, it appears as though his foundation's initiatives are just a modified Malthusian approach that much more discreetly reduces populations through vaccines and GMOs.
Gates Foundation has invested heavily in converting Asian, African agricultural systems to GMOs
William Gates Sr.'s association with Planned Parenthood and continued influence in the realm of "population and reproductive health" is significant because Gates Sr. is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/leadership/Pages/william-gates-sr.aspx). This long-time eugenicist "guides the vision and strategic direction" of the Gates Foundation, which is currently heavily focused on forcing GMOs on Africa via its financing of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Insecticides Modified in GM Corn Polluting U.S. Waters
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, GMOs, Health, Monsanto, Natural Environment & Weather, News on August 6, 2012
via: NaturalSociety
by: Elizabeth Renter
August 6, 2012
Corn, a crop most likely to be genetically modified – with 70 percent of corn engineered simply to drown in Monsanto's best-selling herbicide Roundup – is casting off its GMO contaminants into surrounding waterways, and likely making it into your drinking water. According to researchers, the insecticides modified into the corn are being detected in streams up to 500 meters away from corn farms, and quite possibly further.
The research was conducted in the states of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, where corn fields are abundant. Scientists found the bacterial protein washed off the corn and directly into the streams. While they won't say for certain what this means for human health, the consensus is that it can't be good.
According to U.K.'s Independent, U.S. corn has a gene from the Bacillus thuriengensis (BT) bacterium inserted into it to repel bugs. This gene produced the Cry1Ab protein, which "has insecticidal properties." It's this protein that is being found in the water system.
It's believed the protein is making its way to the water because of the practice of leaving plant material on the field until the next season. This "no till" method is used because it prevents erosion, but it also provides an opportunity for the potentially dangerous protein to be washed away.
And while the GM corn is a culprit in polluting our waters, research has pointed to GMO farming in general and chemicals like glyphosate for being significant causes of water pollution. One explosive study confirmed that glyphosate, the active ingredient residing in the ever-so-popular Roundup product from Monsanto, is making its way into groundwater across the nation through widespread contamination of aquifers, wells, and springs
Needless to say, this isn't the first time Bt has been in the news. This spring we reported on a study linking Bt insecticide to the death of human kidney cells.
Despite this and other troubling news about GMO crops, the United States remains steadfast in its protection against agri-giants like Monsanto, preferring to please them rather than protect the people.
In 2009, more than 85% of American corn crops were genetically modified, but that number has likely increased since that time. All the while, other countries in Europe don't even allow the GMO corn or at the very minimum label food sources that contain GMO ingredients. No similar protections are provided in the United States.
Canadian firm ready to unleash genetically engineered Frankenapples in U.S
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, GMOs, Health, Monsanto, News on August 6, 2012
via: NaturalNews
Monday, August 06, 2012
By: Tony Isaacs
[NaturalNews] Move over Frankenfish, corn, soy, cotton and beets. Now we have new genetically modified Frankenapples with unnatural proteins designed to keep apples from browning when sliced or bruised. British Columbia-based Okanagan Specialty Fruits has submitted an application to the USDA for approval of new browning-resistant GMO apples.
The GMO apples, which are likely to first appear in the Golden Delicious and Granny Smith varieties, contain a synthetic gene that sharply reduces production of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme responsible for normal apple browning. Okanagan believes their new browning-resistant "Acrtic Apple" could improve apple industry sales the way "baby carrots" did for carrot sales.
Fooling the public
Presumably, improving apple industry sales means fooling the public with the new apples similar to what happened when "baby carrots" were rolled out. "Baby carrots" are not young, tender carrots but instead are specially shaped slices of peeled carrots which were invented as a way to use carrots which were too twisted or knobby for sale as full-size carrots.
The new GMO apples will enable apples to be sold as an industrialized product. Instead of being sold as fresh, whole fruit, less than fresh browning-resistant apples can be sold as slices in plastic bags. As Canadian Biotechnology Action coordinator Lucy Sharrat asked "Is it a rotten apple that looks fresh?"
Sharrat noted that a consumer poll commissioned by BC and Quebec apple growers associations found that 69 percent of Canadians did not want the GE apples. U.S. polls have similarly found the large majority of consumers opposed to GMOs, but public sentiment thus far has done little to stop the proliferation of GMO products endangering us, our food chain and our environment.
GMO dangers
More worrisome than the issue of freshness is: while only one changed gene is being used to keep the apples from browning, it is likely that other apple genes have also been changed in the process of creating the new GMO apples, the same as has happened with other GMO crops.
Kirk Azevedo, a former Monsanto employee who worked on genetically engineered cotton, was told by one of Monsanto's PhD researchers that other proteins besides the one Monsanto wanted were produced as byproducts of the genetic engineering process. Azevedo, who had also been studying protein diseases reported that such proteins could be toxic, and he tried without success to warn Monsanto that seeds from the GE cotton should be destroyed and not fed to cattle.
Azevedo said, "I saw what was really the fraud associated with genetic engineering. My impression, and I think most people's impression with genetically engineered foods and crops and other things, is that it's just like putting one gene in there and that one gene is expressed….But in reality, the process of genetic engineering changes the cell in such a way that it's unknown what the effects are going to be."
There has been no testing done to assure the apples' safety in the long-term. Already, scientists have reported birth defects, abnormal growth, high infant mortality rates, and sterility in hamsters, rats, and livestock fed genetically engineered soy and corn.
Some growers, especially organic ones, are worried that genes from the new apples will spread to their crops. Though apple pollen does not usually drift very far in the air, it can be carried by bees. Once introduced, there would be no way to control cross-pollination.
The USDA has opened a 60-day public comment period on Okanagan's application for approval of GE apple trees. You can send your message to the FDA about GMO dangers and tell them to keep apples natural here:
Sources included:


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Today's Spotted Fox deal is fantastic: Snag a voucher good for 50% off frozen yogurt and smoothies at Yoplicity Frozen Yogurt! You have two options to choose from: $20 voucher for $10 or $10 voucher for $5. With over 50 toppings to choose from, this would make a very inexpensive treat night or family outing.
The fine print:
* Limit 3 per person, plus 1 additional as gift
* Limit 1 $5 voucher per group of 2, 2 vouchers per group of 4
* Promotional value good through 3/21/14
* Can not be used towards t-shirts
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on these links, you are supporting this blog. Thanks!

subset: commoncrawl


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A sprig of mint will keep your feet minty fresh throughout the day – but coffee? Some serious sock scientists say "sure!" and it's really got us buzzing. Gizmodo has the story:
You can buy them via Kickstarter today!
Now you can wear coffee socks, use coffee bath products, take coffee weight loss pills, and drink plain old brewed coffee! What's next for the future of coffee infused things? Here are some of our guesses:
Coffee underwear? That'd really perk us up!
Coffee soda water? For some brew with some bubbles!
Coffee helium? It can give you a high pitched voice with some pep!
Coffee pizza? A little slice with a lotta zip! But what does Serious Cat think?


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Public Phone Booths Get Artistic Makeovers [Pics]
A telecom company in São Paulo, Brazil sponsors 100 artists to custom design pay phones.
Vivo, a Brazilian telecom company, is sponsoring a widespread public art project titled Call Parade. This São Paulo-based initiative is pairing 100 artists alongside 100 phone booths (aka "orelhões"). Each artist is presented with the fun challenge of transforming the fixture.
By visiting Vivo's website, each entry can be voted on, found on Google Maps, and is associated with an artist bio and title. Participating artists ranged from designers and illustrators to jewelers and tattoo artists, both the young and the well-established. Click through the thumbnails below to see more of the makeovers.
Check out the full gallery here.
Roundtable: Engaging Customers In A New Beauty Landscape
Roundtable: Engaging Customers In A New Beauty Landscape
Bogar Alonso
August 7, 2012


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
The Forbes Global CEO Conference got rolling this morning with a few skunks showing up at the current investing picnic--one that sees an energized emerging market riding financially off the back of a benign interest-rate regime in the becalmed developed economies. That world is one in which so-called carry trades keep passive money chasing growth-economy returns.
What the delegates in Sydney heard, most clearly from credit-market commentator Marilyn Cohen, was to watch out. The investors who've piled into low-yield bond funds could be looking at a historic rout: first as the credit risks of American states and localities become clear, and then as an inflation risk is manifested as the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve move to bail out those public borrowers with massive monetary easing. A similar warning was heard about Japan, where enormous public debt levels are only sustainable at the micro rates of domestic borrowings that ultimately are exhausted as the population ages.
Steve Forbes, flagging a gold price nearing $1,300 an ounce, started off the alarm with more of his warnings about Fed looseness. This was not seconded by panelists such as vulture investor Wilbur Ross Jr., Macquarie banking group CEO Nicholas Moore, and ORIX chairman Yoshihiko Miyauchi, all of whom saw deflationary conditions persisting to one degree or another.
But when it got to a subsequent investing panel involving Cohen, long published at Forbes; J. Todd Morley of G2 Investment group, who co-founded Guggenheim Partners hedge fund, and Michael Hintze, a City of London veteran and CEO of the CQS hedge fund. All saw a potential for "violent" moves in the credit markets from today's depressed yields. Public defaults, where legally possible at the municipal level, may be a trigger. Or it may only take an extended fiscal crisis at the state level. The rapid deterioration of Greece's credit profile was cited as a parallel.
Cohen singled out the pensions-stressed states of California, Illinois and New York, echoing Steve Forbes, and wondered, "What is the put?" or backstop mechanism that Washington can devise when those states cannot meet their obligations. She fears a "quantitative easing II" strategy that invites a "dollar disaster." However, she couldn't put a time frame on the danger, saying that a turning point could still be six or even 16 months out. But all three of these panelists agreed that when the turn occurs, it is likely to be abrupt, leaving vast numbers of baby-boomer bond investors exposed.
No one in this group was recommending gold at current levels as protection. Morley touted floating-rate bank instruments, multifamily real estate or farm land. All the morning session long in Sydney, both camps (inflation or deflation) saw food commodities in a continuing bull market. What no smart money seems to want to feed on is pricey paper, of the bond variety.


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Traveling Luck for Fitzsimmons Island, Ontario, Canada
Where is Fitzsimmons Island?
What's around Fitzsimmons Island?Wikipedia near Fitzsimmons Island
Where to stay near Fitzsimmons Island
The timezone in Fitzsimmons Island is America/Pangnirtung
Sunrise at 06:03 and Sunset at 18:41. It's light
Latitude. 46.3168°, Longitude. -79.3663°
Weather near Fitzsimmons Island; Report from North Bay, Ont., 7.8km away
Weather :
Temperature: -1°C / 30°F
Wind: 11.5km/h North
Cloud: Solid Overcast at 2500ft
Weather :
Temperature: -1°C / 30°F
Wind: 11.5km/h North
Cloud: Solid Overcast at 2500ft
Satellite map around Fitzsimmons Island
Loading map of Fitzsimmons Island and it's surroudings
Geographic features & Photographs around Fitzsimmons Island, in Ontario, Canada
- island;
- a tract of land, smaller than a continent, surrounded by water at high water.
- Poplar Island (0km)
- Fitzsimmons Island (0km)
- Murdoch Island (1.5km)
- Little Joe Island (1.5km)
- Shaftesbury Island (1.5km)
- Dave Island (1.5km)
- Trout Island (1.5km)
- Dunn Island (2.1km)
- Hemlock Island (2.1km)
- Joe Island (2.6km)
- Hughes Island (3km)
- Cedar Island (3km)
- Dellview Island (3km)
- Payne Island (3.7km)
- Louisville Island (3.7km)
- Falconbridge Island (4.9km)
- Rolph Island (6.3km)
- area;
- a tract of land without homogeneous character or boundaries.
- Trout Mills (3.6km)
- Sage (4.4km)
- Birch Haven (4.4km)
- Eastview (5.9km)
- Camp Champlain (5.9km)
- Graniteville (6.3km)
- Fricker (6.3km)
- Wallace Heights (6.3km)
- Nipissing Junction (6.6km)
- Thorncliff (6.6km)
- Marshall Park (7.3km)
- Tweedsmuir (7.3km)
- Feronia (7.8km)
- Hornell Heights (7.8km)
- Widdifield (8.5km)
- lake;
- a large inland body of standing water.
- Camelot Lake (3km)
- McLean Lake (3.7km)
- Trout Lake (3.7km)
- Hillside Lake (4.3km)
- Dreany Lake (4.5km)
- Depensiers Lake (4.9km)
- Pasmore Lake (4.9km)
- Circle Lake (5.1km)
- Delaney Lake (5.9km)
- Jennings Lake (6.3km)
- bay;
- a coastal indentation between two capes or headlands, larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf.
- One Mile Bay (2.6km)
- Dugas Bay (2.6km)
- Delaney Bay (3.6km)
- Milnes Bay (4.4km)
- Four Mile Bay (4.9km)
- stream;
- a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
- Doran Creek (0km)
- Hogan Creek (2.6km)
- Lees Creek (3.6km)
- Four Mile Creek (3.7km)
- Cook Creek (7.1km)
- meteorological station;
- a station at which weather elements are recorded.
- North Bay, Ont. (7.3km)
- N. Bay Weather Office (7.4km)
- North Bay Remote Environment Automatic Data Acquisition Concept (7.8km)
- point;
- a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water, less prominent than a cape.
- Pilot Point (1.5km)
- Doran Point (2.6km)
- military base;
- a place used by an army or other armed service for storing arms and supplies, and for accommodating and training troops, a base from which operations can be initiated.
- Canadian Forces Base North Bay (6.8km)
- Base des Forces canadiennes North Bay (6.8km)
- lakes;
- large inland bodies of standing water.
- Twin Lakes (4.9km)
- islands;
- tracts of land, smaller than a continent, surrounded by water at high water.
- Three Sisters Islands (3km)
Wikipedia entries close to
Fitzsimmons Island
- North Bay Water Aerodrome airport airport
- Feronia, Ontario city city o
- North Bay/Jack Garland Airport airport airport
- Powassan, Ontario city city o
- North Bay, Ontario city city g
- Chisholm, Ontario city city g
- Kiosk, Ontario city city o
- Mattawa Airport airport airport
- Témiscaming
- Mattawa Water Aerodrome airport airport
- Mattawa (Ontario) city city m
- South River, Ontario city city o
- South River/Sundridge Airport airport airport
- Témiscaming/Lac Kipawa Water Aerodrome airport airport
- Sundridge, Ontario city city o
- Arnstein Airport airport airport
Airports close to Fitzsimmons Island
North bay(YYB), North bay, Canada (7.8km)
Sudbury(YSB), Sudbury, Canada (132.8km)
Muskoka(YQA), Muskoka, Canada (173km)
Timiskaming rgnl(YXR), Earlton, Canada (180.9km)
Petawawa(YWA), Petawawa, Canada (188.6km)


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Jurnaldiva.com - Cross Andromeda A2, Dual SIM Android Phone 1GHz Processor 5-inch screen.
Cross Mobile released the latest android phone with the code "Andromeda", namely Cross Andromeda A2. This Android-based smart phone Smart Note category, and priced at a bargain price of 1.2 million rupiah.
Cross Andromeda A2 uses a capacitive touch screen measuring 5 inches as its main interface. This phone uses the Android operating system 4.0.4 ICS, which combined with a 1GHz processor 512MB RAM plus sponsorship and 4GB ROM. Not only that, there is also a microSD expansion memory slot with capacity of up to 32GB for extra storage space.
Besides favor processors and large screens, Cross Andromeda A2 also supported the two cameras. The front of the powered VGA (0.3 megapixel) that can function as a webcam or video chat. While the back side, embedded resolution 5 megapixel primary camera plus LED flash as an additional facility.
As for the need for online, smartphone-enabled Dual SIM GSM plus HSDPA network support alternatives such as WiFi connections that can serve as a Portable Hotspot. Cross A2 also supported the standard amenities such as Google's Android Play Store, Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps that can be used to guide navigation with integrated GPS.
Specifications Cross Andromeda A2:
Network: Dualband GSM (900/1800 MHz) / UMTS 2100 MHz & Dual SIM;
Screen: 5 inches, TFT Capacitive Touchscreen, WVGA (480 × 800 pixels), Multi-touch 5 points;
Processor: 1GHz;
OS: Android 4.0.4 ICS;
Internal memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB ROM;
External Memory: microSD up to 32GB;
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, IM;
Camera: Dual camera (VGA front, rear 5MP), Video recorder, LED flash;
Data transfer: HSDPA, 3G, EDGE, GPRS;
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b / g, Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, micro USB data cable, 3.5mm audio jack; Browser: HTML;
Other Features: Polyphonic (MP3), Audio / video player, FM radio, Google Play Store, Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, GPS, light sensor, proximity sensor, 3D gravity sensor, E-Compass, tethering and portable hotspots, video chat , calendar, calculator, alarm clock, games;
Battery: Lithium ion;
Price Hp Cross Andromeda A2
Price: Rp 1,275,000, -
Andoid Phone
Cross Mobile
Cross Andromeda A2, Dual SIM Android Phone 1GHz Processor 5-inch Screen


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Item # K3SG
The Norton K-Grade is a harder wheel that keeps its shape better than softer wheels. The harder grade is great for sharpening high speed steel tools without wearing grooves in the wheel. If you're a turner, you know what we're talking about. However, the harder wheel isn't for all situations, as we recommend the softer Norton I-grade Wheel for high carbon steel tool grinding applications. This wheel is available in a 46 grit for coarse work and a 80 grit for finer work. The 8" wheel has a 1" arbor hole with bushings for 7/8", 3/4" and 5/8" arbors. The 6" wheels have a 1" arbor hole with bushings for 7/8", 3/4", 5/8" and 1/2" arbors.
Norton Numbers 6 x 1 x 1 - 46 Grit: 3SG46-K, Part No. 07660705413 6 x 1 x 1 - 80 Grit: 3SG80-K, Part No. 07660705414 8 x 1 x 1 - 46 Grit: 3SG46-K, Part No. 07660705421 8 x 1 x 1 - 80 Grit: 3SG80-K, Part No. 07660705422
Q#. Do you recommend this K grade wheel for turning tools?
A#. Yes, turning tools are made of high speed steel. High speed steel has greater heat resistance so the harder compound of this K grade wheel won't overheat the tool. The harder wheel is recommended because it will not groove or lose its shape as a softer wheel might do with turning tools.
Q#. Is this wheel good for high carbon steel tools?
A#. No, we don't recommend it for high carbon steel tools. The harder wheel will more easily overheat high carbon steel found on tools such as chisels and plane irons. For high carbon steel we recommend the softer Norton I grade Wheel.


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Logo of the Month: South Bend Cubs
Affiliate: Chicago Cubs
Home Field: Four Winds Field
League: Midwest League (Single-A)
Notable Alumni: Justin Upton, Brandon Webb
Fun Facts: One of the teams we hope to see next summer is the South Bend Cubs. South Bend came into the Midwest League in 1988, as the South Bend Silver Hawks, named after the Studebakers that were once produced in the city. They started out as affiliates of the Chicago White Sox, and became a long time affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks (17 years!). In September, the franchise announced they signed a four year affiliation with the Chicago Cubs, and changed the team name accordingly. The franchise has won the Midwest League Championship on three occasions: 1989, 1993, and 2005. We were able to watch the Silver Hawks back in 2009, before they chanced the stadium name from Coveleski Stadium to Four Wings Field. The franchise has made some great improvements to the ballpark in the last five years we're looking forward to also. The new logo was just released this afternoon, and I'm sure the boys, as Cubs fans, will be begging for some merchandise.
South Bend Cubs official website
It's MiLBy time, again!
Yes, it's that time of the year again when we get to vote for the very best of Minor League Baseball this past season. As usual, a few of the local players made the list. I'll be voting as much as possible, and hoping some of them can bring home an award or two.
Top Offensive Player: Former Great Lakes Loons short stop Corey Seager had a fantastic season for the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He led all of the minors with 50 doubles, and was tied for first with a .349 batting average. Throw in 20 home runs and 90 RBI's, and you have a player worthy of being named a top offensive player.
Breakout Prospect: Most Tiger fans knew outfielder Steven Moya was a top prospect going into the season, but he really earned that moniker in 2014. Hitting .276 with the Double-A Erie Seawolves, he also belted 35 home runs and drove in 105. He also showed some speed, stealing 16 bases this season. Those stats were good enough to be named the Eastern League MVP, but will they be good enough to be the breakout prospect? As a former West Michigan Whitecaps, he'll be in completion for that crown with hurler that pitched for the 'Caps this season. Kevin Ziomek quickly moved up the Tigers prospect list with his accomplishments this season. A member of a rotation stacked with top prospects, he led the Midwest League with a 2.27 ERA, and his 152 strikeout were second in the league. With is 10-6 record, he can certainly be considered a breakout prospect.
Photo of the Year: No monkey business here, as the 'Caps are up for the photo of the year award. The above photo was taken during one of the promo nights (Team Ghostrider) where the monkeys ride around on dogs and heard sheep. We didn't get to see the act this season, but last year in West Michigan. It's a funny photo and I'm voting for it to win! You can vote for your favorites HERE.
Seager and Ziomek photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Monkey photo courtesy of MiLB.com
Whitecaps Update 10/14
Players of the Year: The Detroit Tigers have named outfielder Steven Moya their Minor League Player of the Year, and Austin Kubitza the Pitcher of the Year. Moya, playing for the Erie SeaWolves this season, hit .276, with 33 doubles, three triples, while stealing 16 bases. He set records with Erie with 35 home runs and 105 RBI's this season, also. Moya lead the Eastern League with 70 extra-base hits and was named the league's MVP. He's ranked as the Tigers' No. 7 prospect by MLB.com. Kubitza pitched for the West Michigan Whitecaps this season, but we never had a chance to see him on the mound. He was named the Midwest League's Pitcher of the Week on two separate occasions, and had an impressive 2.34 ERA this season. He had a 10-2 record for the 'Caps and had 140 strike outs.
Executive of the Year: The Whitecaps' vice president of ticket sales Steve McCarthy has been named the Midwest League Executive of the Year. This season the 'Caps averaged 5,595 fans per game, good for fourth in the league, and their total attendance of 391,000 was the most through the gates of Fifth Third Ballpark since 2002. In all, this was one of West Michigan's best seasons for advertising revenue, attendance, and ticket revenue. McCarthy was in intern for the Whitecaps in 1995, then with Van Andel Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills. He worked for the Detroit Pistons as a ticket sales account representative and Director of Group Sales, before returning to West Michigan in 2001. He was promoted to vice president of ticket sales in 2005.
Tigers call up…Reatini? The Whitecaps' clubhouse attendant Sam Reatini has been temporarily called up to the Detroit Tigers. He has been the clubhouse attendant in West Michigan for the last two seasons, and is now sitting in the opposing teams clubhouse at Comerica Park. If he needs any supplies for the 'Caps, he contacts John Nelson, who is the assistant equipment manager for Detroit and handles minor league equipment needs for the affiliates. Nelson asked Reatini to join him when his college interns left toward the end of the season to go back to school. With the Whitecaps season over, this is a great opportunity for Reatini, and I'm sure at least heard the Tigers' celebrate winning the Central crown for the other side of the field.
Henneman leaving: The Whitecaps pitching coach Mike Henneman has informed the Tigers he won't be coming back next season. To be closer to his family, he is returning to the D-Bat baseball academy, where his duties include pitching coach and camps coordinator. Starting with West Michigan in 2013, he greatly improved the teams' ERA from 3.62 to 3.05 this season, one of the best in the Midwest League, and in the teams history. Henneman pitched for the Tigers for nine of his 10 years in the majors. We'll miss Mike at Fifth Third Ballpark, as he was one of my favorite players as a kid. We did have a chance to meet him, though, and he signed some cards for the kids. We wish him the best down in Texas. UPDATE: Henneman has come back to the Tigers organization, and will become the pitching coach for the Erie SeaWolves.
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
Season ends for Whitecaps
The dream season has come to an end for the West Michigan Whitecaps. With a year starting with a fire to Fifth Third Ballpark in January, it would have been a nice story book ending for them to take home the Midwest League crown. Despite falling in the first round to the Fort Wayne TinCaps, in controversial fashion, the 'Caps still had a stellar season filled with more highs than lows.
Game one of the playoffs saw the Whitecaps and TinCaps tied at five all in the bottom of the eighth innings. With the TinCaps having the bases loaded and nobody out, a ground ball was hit to short stop Domingo Leyba, who was interfered with and couldn't make the play. Despite the rule clearly stating that the base runner must avoid the defensive player fielding the ball, the umpires let the play stand, and Fort Wayne won by the score of 7-5. In game two in Comstock Park, the Whitecaps used their pitching staff to strike out 15 batters in route to a 2-1 victory. Bennett Pickar's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Dominic Ficociello for the go ahead run. Zac Reininger earned the win, working 2.1 shutout innings. In the deciding game three, the Whitecaps fell by the score of 6-2 to be eliminated. After the one hour and 44 minute rain delay, the 'Caps just couldn't get anything going.
Despite the early playoff exit, this season has to be regarded as a success. After all, with a 82-58 record this was the Whitecaps first division title in seven years, and it was a positive step just to be back in the playoffs. The 'Caps also hosted the MWL 50th All-Star Classic that was a huge success, and the early construction to the ballpark didn't keep fans away, as 391, 653 fans visited Fifth Third Ballpark, good for the largest total since 2002. Wynton Bernard was also the first 'Cap to be named the MWL Player of the Year since Gorkys Hernandez in 2007. Bernard was also the first batting champion since Robert Fick in 1997, and broke the Whitecaps single-season hit record with 158. He was joined on he post season All-Star team by pitchers Buck Farmer and Kevin Ziomek. New manager Andrew Graham did a great job in West Michigan this season, and I'm looking forward to see how he progresses as a manager as well as the progression of this seasons players through the system. I will certainly miss visiting Fifth Third Ballpark, and can't wait until next April. The winters are so long and brutal up here, the only way to pass the time is dream about sunshine and baseball!
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
Whitecaps earn League honors
Midwest League MVP: For the third time in history, a member of the West Michigan Whitecaps was named Midwest League Most Valuable Player, in Wynton Bernard. The 23 yr-old outfielder leads the league with a .328 average, first in run scored with 89, hits with 159. He's second in the league in total bases with 217 and on-base percentage with .401. Bernards' 159 sets a Whitecaps' franchise record, which he set on Sunday at South Bend.
"It feels so amazing," Bernard told MLive.com. "Just thinking about all that I've been through the past year…it's pretty special."
What's amazing, is that he was released by the San Diego Padres in January, and joined the Tigers via an open tryout in March in Lakeland. Now, he joins Robert Fick (1997) and Gorkys Hernandez (2007) as Whitecaps named league MVP.
Post-season All-Stars: Joining Bernard in the MWL post-season All-Star Team, are pitchers Buck Farmer and Kevin Ziomek. Farmer, who's made two appearances with the Tigers this season, went 10-5 during his time in West Michigan. He posted a 2.60 ERA with 116 strikeouts, which lead the league at the time. Ziomek is currently 10-6 with a league-leading 145 strikeouts. He leads the league with a rate of 11.15 strikeouts per nine innings, that could also be a franchise record when the season is done.
Pitcher of the Week: Although he didn't make the post-season All-Star squad, pitcher Jon Maciel was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for August 18-24. Maciel was brilliant during the 'Caps' 5-0 win over Dayton on Thursday, giving up one hit in seven shut-out innings. The 21 yr-old hurler struck out a career high 10 batters, including six straight. Maciel was an 18-round pick in the 2013 draft out of Cal State-Long Beach. So far this season he's 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA and 85 strikeouts. He joins Austin Kubitza (x2) and Jonathon Crawford as recipients of the award this season.
Photos property of Minoring in Baseball
Farmer debuts in Detroit
It seems like it was just yesterday that we saw Buck Farmer pitch for the West Michigan Whitecaps. Not exactly, but it was earlier this season that we saw him on the bump at Fifth Third Ballpark. Last night Farmer did become the first to play in West Michigan and Detroit in the same season, helping the Tigers break their four-game losing streak. Farmers' spot-start wasn't a spectacular performance, but it was good enough to keep his team in the game, and he pitched a solid five innings giving up four runs. He shut down the Pirates in the first inning, but struggled a bit in the third. Down 4-1, Farmer was bailed out by some other Whitecaps alumni, as Nick Castellanos hit an RBI triple in the first, then broke the tie with a home run in the sixth. Alex Avila also homered in the game to cut into the Pittsburgh lead. Detroit ended up winning the game 8-4, with Farmer not getting the decision.
George Runie Farmer, nicknamed Buck, was a 5th round draft pick by Detroit in 2013 out of the Georgia Institute of Technology. This season he started in West Michigan, going 10-5 with a 2.60 ERA and 116 strikeouts. We also saw him in the Mdwest League All-Star Classic in June. He was promoted to the Erie SeaWolves, but only has a 1-0 record there with a 3.00 ERA. After his spot-start in Detroit, they assigned him to the Toledo Mud Hens. Best of luck to him the rest of the season. I'm sure fans will be seeing more of Farmer in a Tigers uniform in the future.
Photo property of Minoring In Baseball
A Ballpark Birthday
West Michigan Whitecaps vs. Peoria Chiefs (Midwest League)
Fifth Third Ballpark-Comstock Park, MI: I had the night off from work, rare for a Thursday, so I decided to take the boys downstate for a ballgame for my birthday. What can be better than a birthday at the ballpark with family, right? When we got to the ballpark, the team had a dunk tank out front, so this gave the boys a chance to show off their arms a bit and dunking a couple of the Whitecaps players.
The giveaway was an Oyo (like Lego?) figure of Whitecaps outfielder Ben Verlander (now with the Connecticut Tigers). Brian loved this, and had to get one put together right away with a little help from his Papa. The kid is starting to become a master builder, if there ever was one!
We still had time before the first pitch for Brian to play on the playground, also, while Trevor and I watched the Whitecaps warm up.
As a birthday bonus, the Fox Sports Detroit Girls were on hand to mingle with fans, also. They were nice enough to sign a baseball for my birthday and Trevor had his picture taken with them. The boys had their hats signed, but Brian was too shy for a picture. Stephanie and Angela each threw out a first pitch, too.
And finally on to some baseball! The game itself, though, only lasted just over six hours, with the pitching leading the way. For West Michigan, Jonathon Crawford threw five solid innings, giving up one earned run, one walk, one strikeout, and giving up only four hits. Will LaMarche came in to pitch three innings, striking out three, and only giving up one hit. Scott Sitz earned the save by pitching a scoreless ninth. Dominic Ficociello led the way offensively, going 3-4 with three runs scored and two doubles. Francisco Contreras was 1-3 with two RBIs, while shortstop Willy Adames knocked in a run, also. Catcher Grayson Greiner added two hits in the game as well. It's always good to have the Whitecaps win, especially on my birthday. I hope my schedule works out so we can make it back down this way and see them in the playoffs. This was a great birthday at the ballpark, and I'm very blessed and lucky to have spent the day with my boys and dad. We need to drag Lily down to another game this summer, though. Final: Whitecaps 3, Chiefs 1.
Here's a video:
Photos and video property of Minoring In Baseball
Aye, aye, Captains
Lake County Captains vs. South Bend Silver Hawks (Midwest League)
Classic Park-Eastlake, OH: All I can say about Classic Park, is that it is truly a classic! We still arrived at the ballpark plenty early, despite a busy day in Cleveland, so we decided to play a little catch in the parking lot until more cars started to arrive. I really like how the parking is set up, with the large parking area across the street, and the have a bridge so fans can walk across the busy highway. I took a photo from the top of the bridge above. There was a line up to get in because it was free hat night, so we waited patiently in line and finally made it into the park. The layout and concourse are very nice, but I was disappointed the gift shop didn't sell any team pennants, as I collect those and decorate Brian's room with them. Our seats were right behind the Captains dugout, so we had a great view of the action. The Captains mascot, Skipper, waddled by a few times. I'm really not sure what he is, but he seemed to be pretty entertaining.
The Captains were taking on the Silver Hawks, who the Whitecaps just edged out for Eastern Divisions' top spot in the first half. The Hawks were still a pretty good team, so the home town boys had their work cut out for them. It was also raining lightly to begin the game, but both teams just played through it like it wasn't there, and we were right there with them enjoying the action. This ballpark has such a great look and baseball atmosphere, that we really didn't notice anything but the game going on anyway. Unfortunately for the Lake County fans, the Hawks were off to a 4-0 lead early, and the Captains couldn't get anything going offensively.
The rain ended up letting up, and it became an extremely beautiful night. Since it was a free hat giveaway, I thoroughly supported the Captains, and took a quick selfie between innings, showing off the new lid.
With the score still a little lopsided, I decided to explore this amazing ballpark a little bit more. The concourse doesn't go all the way around the outfield, but it's pretty close, which allowed me to get some decent photos from out there.
In right field, there is a wall dedicated to all of the players who have suited up for the Captains that are now in the majors. I'm sure this includes the franchises time in the South Atlantic League!
Out in center field, the Captain himself was trying to rally his troops! Lake County did finally get one across the plate, when short stop Ivan Castillo scored on an Eric Haase RBI. Center fielder Clint Frazier went 2-4 on the night for the Captains, also. Too bad for Cap that South Bend answered their lone run with three of their own in the ninth.
In all, this was a great baseball experience. A great ballpark with some great fans. The Captains put on a spectacular show, and win or lose, it's a very satisfying night. Along with all of our other adventures of the day, this was a perfect way to end it. This one's highly recommended, also, baseball fans. Final: Captains 1, Silver Hawks 8.
Here's another video from my YouTube channel. This one turned out a lot better than the last one.
All photos and video property of Minoring In Baseball
50th Midwest League All-Star Classic
East Division vs. West Division
Fifth Third Ballpark-Comstock Park, MI: We started off this seasons' baseball trip with a bang this year, right here in Michigan with the 50th Midwest League All-Star Classic. The doors opened at 4:00, so when we arrived we were able to watch some of the West players during batting practice. We were really lucky it turned out to be such a beautiful day, too, as the forecast called for some rain, and thankfully we never got a drop.
There were plenty of things going on to keep fans entertained during the three hours until the first pitch, also. Joining the hometown mascots Crash, Franky, and Roxy, were Big Lug (Lansing), Johnny (Fort Wayne), Lou E. Loon (Great Lakes), and Fang (Wisconsin). The mascots did a great job all night and throughout the game. Crash and Lou E. Loon really stood out from the others, though, in entertaining the crowd.
Fans were also lucky enough to get down on the field and get some autographs from the all-stars. They didn't give us a whole lot of time, but I was able to get most of the East team to sign a baseball for the kids. It was fun talking to the players, also, even the ones from opposing teams we don't get to see that often. All the players were great with the fans, and seemed very happy to be participating in the game.
Another pre-game activity was the 'Lost Art of Bunting' contest. Players from each team had a chance to try bunting the ball onto select targets down the first and third base side. This year's winner was Mallex Smith, and outfielder for the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Also on hand to sign some autographs was Detroit Tigers' legend Willie Horton. Being a World Champion for the Tigers in 1968, he was someone my parents watched back in the 60's and 70's. We made sure he signed a ball for both of them, and I tried to get Horton in a photo with my dad, but there was some bad lighting. Still better than nothing, though. There was a long line for autographs, but it moved pretty quickly. Almost comical, though, as you couldn't have him personalize an autograph or get an actual picture with him.
Now, on to the game itself…which was a blowout. You'd think an all-star game would be pretty competitive, but the West shut down the hitters from the East almost the entire game. In fact, the East was no-hit for 7 2/3 innings, before South Bend's Marty Herum wrecked it. The Whitecaps' starting pitcher Jonathan Crawford took the loss for the East, giving up one run in two innings of work. The 'Caps Buck Farmer came in and pitched a scoreless fifth inning. He struck out one, walked one, and hit one batter. He leads the Midwest League with 87 strikeouts. Wynton Bernard played left field the entire game, going 0-3 with a walk, and leaving two runners on. Second baseman Javier Betancourt came into the game in the fifth inning. Although he was tied for the league lead in hits, he went 0-2 with a line-drive out and a ground-out. West Michigan pitchers Austin Kubitza, Chad Green, and reliever Joe Mantiply did not make an appearance.
The MVP award went to Hershel 'Boog' Powell of the Beloit Snappers. Boog went 1-3 with two walks, two stolen bases, and a two-run double. Even though the games wasn't a close one, it was still an exciting experience for any baseball fan. And, hey, at least I caught a game ball! Final score: East 0, West 7.
Here's a video from my YouTube channel:
All photos and video property of Minoring In Baseball
Midwest League All-Star Rosters Announced
Kicking off our annual baseball trip this season will be the 50th Midwest League All-Star Game in Comstock Park, MI in less than two weeks. This will be the first All-Star game of any kind that we have attended, and it will possibly be the highlight game of the trip. The gates to Fifth Third Ballpark will be opening at 4:00 p.m., and we'll be able to see both teams take batting practice and be able to take part in an on-field autograph session. Also in attendance, joining the Whitecap's own Crash the River Rascal, will be Big Lug (Lansing), Lou E. Loon (Great Lakes), Fang (Wisconsin), and Johnny (Fort Wayne). There will also being jugglers, stilt walkers, and face painters on the concourse before the game. Sounds like a great place to be a kid, and it's almost guaranteed we'll be seeing some great baseball. The Midwest League has announced the rosters for the event, also.
The West Michigan Whitecaps lead the way with five (or six?) players selected. Infielder Javier Betancourt (.272, 68 hits) and outfielder Wynton Bernard (.298, 14 doubles) were picked as the position players representing the 'Caps. On the mound, pitchers Buck Farmer (5-4, 2.81 ERA), Austin Kubitza (5-0, 2.02 ERA), and Joe Mantiply (4-1, 2.00) will represent West Michigan. Jonathan Crawford (2-1, 2.27 ERA) is listed on the 'Cap website, but has yet to be added to the official roster. That's a very good group for the home-town fans to root for.
The Lansing Lugnuts will be sending four players north on I-96. Starting for the Eastern Division will be first baseman Matt Dean (.297, 3 triples, 2 home runs) and third baseman Mitch Nay (.267, 31 RBI's). Outfielder Derrick Loveless (.287) will come off the bench, as will pitcher Griffin Murphy (2-2, 1.73). Not a bad group to represent the Lugnuts this year.
Three members of the Great Lakes Loons will also be all-star bound. Starting for the Eastern Division will catcher Kyle Farmer (.308, 15 2B, 33 RBI's) and outfielder Joey Curletta (.314, 72 hits, 95 total bases). On the hill will Mark Pope, with a 1-0 record and miniscule 0.41 ERA. What the Loons lack in quantity, that definitely make up for in quality. All three players are having great seasons in the Midwest League this year!
You can see the full Eastern Division roster HERE, and the Western Division roster HERE.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball


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Social media reach is plummeting. Edgar is the only tool designed to help.
- Posts made by Facebook pages reach only about 6% of their followers. (Time, data from February 2014)
- Only 46% of Twitter users visit the site daily - and only 29% visit multiple times per day. (Pew)
- The half-life for a tweet is only about 24 minutes. For a Facebook post, 90 minutes. (Wisemetrics)
Edgar is the first and only tool made specifically to address this issue.
Edgar is a social media scheduling tool that automatically builds a library of every update a user uploads, so they can share them again and again over time. The app pulls updates from that library to automatically fill the user's queue. That way, they never run out of things to post, and their updates get the chance to be seen by new people in their audience. This breaks the constant cycle of manually refilling an empty update queue, and gives every update multiple chances to find an audience.
How Edgar Works
Unlike tools that publish an update once and discard it, forcing users to constantly refill their queues with completely new updates, Edgar saves every update you publish in a limitless, online library. All of your updates are sorted into categories you create and published on a schedule that you choose, so Edgar publishes what you want, when you want it. No manual scheduling, no busywork, and no hassle.
Because Edgar saves every update you write, he's able to publish each one more than once, ensuring that they reach as wide an audience as possible. A single social media update reaches only a small segment of your audience - by publishing it more than once, Edgar exposes it to more and more people, giving your work the exposure it deserves.
Edgar publishes what you want, when you want it, automatically.
Because users categorize their social updates as they upload them, they're able to design a publishing schedule based on their analytics - something never before possible. You control what types of updates get posted at which times, so you can do things like:
- Ask questions at the times when you get the most responses
- Post links at the times when you get the most clickthroughs
- Promote offers and contests at the times when you get the most shares
Edgar automatically populates a category-based schedule using updates pulled from your library, so your queue is always filled with the content you want to share at the times you want to share it.
Never let an update go to waste again.
Finding your audience on social media is harder than ever. Between Facebook algorithms that limit your reach and the relentlessly fast pace of Twitter, a social media update doesn't have much time or opportunity to be seen.
With Edgar, you never have to feel like you've wasted your time on an update that didn't hit its mark. Because he saves them in an online library, he's able to automatically re-post updates later on, giving them additional opportunities to be seen by brand new segments of your audience.
Social media is finally personal again.
Too many marketers, whether they're solo entrepreneurs or major agencies, stretch themselves too thin on social media. The constant grind of writing and scheduling new updates day after day takes time away from what really matters: genuine, personal, real-time connections with an audience.
With Edgar, users finally have the freedom to use their time on social media the way it was meant to used. Edgar puts a stop to the never-ending hassle of constant content creation, so users have more time available for forging real-time connections.
Edgar Stats
- Edgar is currently adding almost 21 new users every day, with more than 6000 new memberships created since opening invitation-only signups in late June 2014
- Edgar is connected to 111 new social media accounts every day
- Users are currently adding almost 2700 pieces of new content every day, and have already stored over 506,000 pieces of content in Edgar's libraries
- Edgar has sent nearly 2,000,000 social media updates
- The average Edgar user has connected four social media accounts and stored 198 pieces of content in their library
Edgar Walkthrough Video
What Our Users Are Saying
"LOVING Edgar. Very addictive for an overachiever like me." - Jennifer Gresham, via email
"I seriously can't get over how amazing Edgar is! Raving reviews from Chicago!!!" - Ariel Frey, via email
About Our Founder
Laura Roeder is a social media marketing expert who gives businesses of all sizes the tools they need to make their mark on the web. In addition to creating Edgar, she has developed social media marketing web courses like Creating Fame and Social Brilliant.
Laura Roeder on Edgar
"Edgar is not just a social media scheduling tool, but a full social media content management system."
"Most tools send your update out once, never to be seen again, but stats show us that maybe a maximum of 10% of your followers have seen that update. A small company can't afford to write so much unique content that will be seen by so few people."
"Edgar stores a library of all of your social media updates so that you can stop dealing with unwieldy spreadsheets. It just makes sense for your social media updates to live in your social media tool."
"Our most successful users are small businesses (and the agencies who manage them) who are actively looking to cut down the time they spend on social media grunt work. They want to spend more time crafting quality updates and engaging with their community, and less time on the tedious work of scheduling."
"Edgar organizes your updates into categories, which ensures you have a nice mix of content on your social accounts."
"You wouldn't spend the time, money and energy to create an advertisement and then only run it once. Why would you do the same thing with a social media update? When you pay for a promoted tweet or Facebook update, you show it many times to the same user."
"Simplicity is one of Edgar's greatest strengths. All you have to do is write high-quality, engaging social media updates and Edgar takes care of the rest."
For interview inquiries, please contact us here.
Relevant Social Media Marketing Statistics and Information
Industry thought leaders on repeating social media updates:
- The New York Times - How Many Times Can You Tweet the Same Tweet?
- Alltop - The Art of the Repeat Tweet
- Gary Vaynerchuk - Tweeting Multiple Times a Day (Video)
- Social Media Today - Twenty Ways to Repeat Tweets (Without Being Annoying)
- Guy Kawasaki - How to Drive Traffic with Repeat Tweets
- C-Net - Guy Kawasaki's Social-Media Advice: Repeat Your Tweet
Why social marketers should be posting outside normal working hours:
- KISSmetrics - The Science of Social Timing (Part 1)
- Buffer - A Scientific Guide to Posting Tweets, Facebook Posts, Emails, and Blog Posts at the Best Time
- Convince & Convert - B2C Facebook Results Are 30% Above Average on Sundays
- Clickz - Facebook Posts See More Engagement After Hours, Weekends [Study]
- Search Engine Watch - Retweets Most Likely to Happen After Hours [Study]
- Search Engine Watch - Blog Posts Published on Weekends Get More Social Shares [Study]
The half-life of a social media update:
- Wisemetrics - Your Tweet Half-life Is 1 Billion Times Shorter Than Carbon-14's
- Moz - When Is My Tweet's Prime of Life?
- Post Planner - Shocking New Data About the Lifespan of Your Facebook Posts
The relation between update frequency and overall engagement:
The overall decrease of online engagement:


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American TV getting too trashy? NO WAY!
If you haven't met 6-year-old reality TV starlet Alana Thompson aka "Smoochie" aka "Honey Boo Boo," you've been living under a rock.
DETAILS: Damn Son! Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Beats The RNC
Initially gaining fame on TLC's hit pageant series Toddlers & Tiaras, Honey Boo Boo, made national headlines with her neck rolling, go-go juice drinking, redneck talking ways and now, she's the star of a hilarious series about her family, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo highlights the life of this average pageant-loving redneck family of America, which includes buying pigs, mumbling words, playing in the mud, hitting up the redneck olympics, oh, and farting.
And after the first episode premiered a few weeks ago, America is hooked!
PHOTOS: Honey Boo Boo Gets A Sugar Rush During Family Photo Shoot!
With family nicknames like "Mama June," "Sugar Bear," "Pumpkin," "Chubbs," "Chickadee," and who can forget "Honey Boo Boo," America has decided that they find Alana and her family way more interesting than the Republican National Convention.
Over three million Americans tuned in to watch this week's episode of the redneck family, which beat out the ratings for the RNC.
GlobalGrind staffers are big fans of Honey Boo Boo and her neck rolling antics, so we decided to round up her best finger snapping, belly flopping, sh*t talking, downright hill billy moments.
Check out Honey Boo Boo's best neck rolling moments below!
1. The Return Of Honey Boo Boo
2. Honey Boo Boo turnt up off "Go-Go Juice"
3. Honey Boo Boo's mom June says farting 12-15 times a day can help you lose weight
4. Honey Boo Boo shouts out her gay fans
5. Honey Boo Boo speaking Spanish
6. Honey Boo Boo says "a dolla makes me holla…honey boo boo"
7. Mama June breaks down the art of "extreme couponing"
8. Honey Boo Boo's "special juice" song and dance
9. Honey Boo Boo's bloopers
10. Mama June makes a BIG splash at the water park


text:
For Robert Pollard, writing songs is practically a compulsion. And though he's written or co-written over a thousand songs as a soloist and with Guided By Voices over the years, every hard-rocking, sunshine-filled, under-two-minute gem he churns out feels like a fresh take. Class Clown Spots A UFO, GBV's second (of three) albums to be released in 2012, doesn't come out until June 12, but you can hear the title track below. (Via Rolling Stone).
Guided By Voices – "Class Clown Spots a UFO"
Iron & Wine - "One More Try" (George Michael Cover) | Oneohtrix Point Never "I Only Have Eyes For You" (Cover) |


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Cryptozoology, BioForteana, Zoological Oddities, Unusual Natural History | |||||||||||||
BioFortean Review, (November 2006, No. 1) An Additional Account of an Alleged 'Long-tailed Wild Cat' Chad Arment In Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation (2004), I reviewed accounts of felines that were supposed to be long-tailed "wild cats" or "bobcats." Most of these accounts have come from Pennsylvania, so it was not particulaly surprising when I came across the following story, to see that it is from Ohio, just west of Cleveland. What interests me about these reports is that they hint to an undercurrent of folklore that may be overlooked by even outdoors enthusiasts when given the "educated" plausible choice of feral housecats. Whatever the root cause of the folklore, there does appear to be a consistency in physical description (these aren't stray calicos or gingers) that produces the appearance of a truly wild small cat. This description, by the way, is not all that different from several recognized species of smaller felines with bushy ringed tails: the European wildcat, the Chinese mountain cat, the Andean mountain cat... (Maybe this should be called the Appalachian mountain cat.) In any case, the account that follows is from the Elyria, Ohio, Chronicle-Telegram, January 14, 1966, in an outdoors column, Don Miller's Afloat and Afield. This states: |
Ohio Division of Wildlife officials are interested in getting a look at pictures, and possibly the pelt, of a "wild cat" killed recently by Joseph Filipiak, 1060 Cleveland St., Grafton. A number of persons are convinced it was a wildcat rather than a domestic cat which has turned wildor gone feral, if you like $10 words. To me, it wild cat is a bobcat or lynx, short tail and all. But two callers this week were shocked at my lack of knowledge of long-tailed wild cats. In all honesty, I have to admit to never having seen one or knowing about them, although I've hunted and taken a few cracks at bobcat, lynx and cougar. The obvious thing to do is turn to a biologist, preferably one versed in Ohio's game population. Don Thompson, game management supervisor of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, was my contact. "It's been 15 or en years since we've had a verified bob cat in Ohio," Thompson said. "And in my terminology, wild cat is synonymous with bobcat or lynx. Use two words, and put quotation words around 'wild cat'," Thompson said. Thompson joined me in one thought. He never heard of a long-tailed cat, either, which was a true wild cat. "Mark it down as a feral domesticated cat," Thompson advised after a description, relayed to this corner by two persons who saw the cat, was given to him. According to Filipiak's son, the cat had pointed ears and a tail similar to that of a raccoon. It was treed three times, squalled, and apparently was a young cat, probably aged around a year and a half. Wells Mole Jr. also saw the cat, and described it as having about an 8-inch tail, quite furry but about half the size of that of a coon; big feet; fairly heavy; long, sharp claws; and having stripes all around the body. The cat had the start of tufts on the ears, Mole said, and was of gray tiger coloration. "Skip" Banks, Crook St., Grafton, took some movie footage of the cat, and maybe those can help lead to a positive identification, one way or the other. To keep the record straight, we're not trying to belittle anyone or to identify with conviction anything we haven't seen. But I never heard of a long-tailed wildcat, and it was comforting to have a veteran biologist say the same. And if that sharp-clawed character really was a bobcat a bit out of shape and with a long tail, it's the first in Ohio for many years. |
I haven't yet been able to track down any remaining evidence for the animal, so there is no way to determine whether this story concerns a potential unknown species or an odd-looking feral domestic. I'm wondering if this region might supply further reports of a similar animal within the hunting-trapping community, so I will add it to my list of areas to explore as I have time. | |||||||||||||
BioFortean Review Articles: