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The September issue of Harper's Magazine contains a fascinating story about Dean Singleton, owner of MediaNews Group, the privately held media behemoth that currently owns 56 daily newspapers including our very own Times-Standard.
According to "The Only Game In Town," David Sirota recounts instances when Singleton:
- Ignored or killed stories critical of candidates he supported
- Concealed evidence that would hurt his friends and allies
- Strong-armed endorsements from his editorial boards
- Ran competitors out of business and then gutted staff
The article states that Singleton also, "without a hint of modesty," allowed the Denver Post which he owns to run an article labeling himself "the Superman of the American newspaper industry."
Aw, shucks!
Since forcing the Post's competitor the Rocky Mountain News out of business, Sirota writes, "Singleton has become even more blatant in his embrace of Charles Foster Kane's famous dictum: People will think 'what I tell them to think.'"
What a guy. While he cuts newspapers to the bone, Singleton brags about how many ranches he has, and how good the view is from his new $85 million headquarters building in Denver.
Meanwhile, we've got three news reporters at the Times-Standard, an editor determined not to stick her head out of the hole for any reason, and a citizenry that knows almost nothing about what goes on around it.
As for prospects for the future, Sirota holds out little hope:
But with newspaper monopolies hanging on for now, using their trusted brands to tilt the political and cultural terrain, things will almost certainly get worse before they get better.
Filed under: Humboldt County | Tagged: complete douche, Dean Singleton, Harper's Magazine, Mean Simpleton, Times-Standard | 7 Comments »


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Pricey pets
There are more than 150 million dogs and cats in the United States and nine in 10 homes count a feline or canine as a member of the family. Most of those animals were saved from shelters or purchased from a pet store, costing no more than $100 or so, but pet owners looking for more specific breeds can shell out a lot more money than that getting an animal with breed certification papers.
Then there are pet owners who willingly throw down tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for an animal that will provide comfort and companionship — and might also make their friends jealous. Some of the most expensive cats and dogs in the world are intensively bred to be hypoallergenic while others are simply rare. Whatever the reason for the eye-popping price tags, the following cats and dogs can set you back an arm and a tail.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sometimes in life, we embark upon a quest. A noble pursuit of glory that takes us on an unforgettable journey, forging a path toward our ultimate destiny and the greater good of all mankind. It shapes us, challenges us, builds our character and strength. For some, the quest is providing food to the poor. For some, it's curing an incurable disease. For some, it's inspiring children to pursue their dreams.
And then there's me. Me and my sweet potatoes.
For as long as I can remember, I have been caught up in the baffling conundrum that is the sweet potato fry. If it's baked in the oven, it's healthy, but soft and mushy. If it's deep-fried in oil, it's crispier than the crispiest thing in crispyland, but it's a calorie-laden gauntlet, unveiling just how little self-control any of us actually possesses. There's simply no way you can have it all—or so I thought.
Several days ago, while blog-hopping around the internet, I came across this amazing article at The Art of Doing Stuff, which outlines a way in which one can have the healthiness of oven-baked french fries, but the crispy texture of the deep-fried goodies. Follow me along on this photographic journey and you, too, will be enlightened.
It's a simple equation really. First, you prep a bunch of sweet potatoes…
Once you've got your sweet potato fries all sliced up into whatever thickness you prefer, the top secret magic starts to happen. In a plastic bag, dump the fries and a poof of cornstarch.
Shake it all around.
Add a spot of olive oil…
…and shake it all again.
Space them evenly on a baking sheet—if they're too close together, they'll steam instead of crisp. Not what we want.
From there, it's just a quick trip to the oven before you end up with a plate of these beauties!
Crisp, browned, gorgeous steak fries in all their sweet potato-y glory. Pair them with a dollop of super-easy Sriracha mayo dip and you've got something beyond delicious. Quest completed.
I tell ya, if I had a penny for every time I've said "quest" and "crisp" in this blog post…
Anyway, as for your own quest, before you embark upon writing that Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of the century, make a plate of these as a warm-up. Even brilliant people like yourself need their yummy vitamins.
Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Sriracha Mayo Dip
Recipe adapted from The Art of Doing Stuff
Sweet Potato Oven Fries
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
Sriracha Mayo Dip
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 teaspoons Sriracha sauce, to taste
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil, or regular aluminum foil coated well with cooking spray. Set aside.
Rinse the sweet potatoes, scrubbing the dirt off the skins with a brush. Dry, then peel. Cut each sweet potato in half. Cut each of those pieces in half. Then cut each of those pieces in half.
Note: This recipe is more geared towards thick-cut, steak fries, with a crisp exterior and soft interior. If you want thin fries that are 100% crisp all the way through, cut each potato as small as you'd like. Just keep an eye on them in the oven, as they may take less time to cook.
Place half the potatoes in a large plastic bag and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Seal the bag and shake it all around to evenly coat the potatoes with cornstarch. Open up the bag and add 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sealing and shaking again until coated.
On the baking sheet, evenly space the fries with plenty of room in between each one, so they get crispy instead of steamed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Place in the oven. After 15 minutes, use a pair of tongs to flip each fry and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how dark you like your fries. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Prepare the other half of the potatoes in this same way—coating, cooking, flipping, etc.
While the final batch of potatoes are in the oven, prepare the Sriracha mayo dip by whisking the mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl until well combined. Chill.
Serve the sweet potato fries warm, with Sriracha mayo dip.
Serves 4.


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Alia Baroque, the creator of Fallen Gods Inc., sim builder and sponsor of Sanctum, shares with us the process of creating Fairelands, the story behind Sanctum and his vision of the Faire, his reasons for returning to the Fairelands year after year.
You are one of the true Faire veterans, your builds have been a part of the Fairelands for many years. You create a whole sim — a fantasy world — out of nothing in a short span of months and nerves. How do you do it every year? What makes you return and do it all over again?
As the years go by we learn the emotions and mind training that involves an effort like this; the biggest challenge about building for the Faire is not the actual prims nor the technique, but the expectations we lay upon ourselves. Building for Fantasy Faire itself is a chain of common support, it's not about individual sims, it's not a competition, but a dance. Every sim holds each other's hand in a circle, it's a mutual effort where the success of one world depends on the respect of the other one. We are all genuine fans of imagination and creativity resulting in art the winner over lag, restrictions, personal issues and low LOD factors.
The sims you visit every year are children created by our imagination, visually immersive stories adapted to SL capabilities where we become containers, they are a world for everyone, but they do not exist without the eye with which they are seen and experienced. This is mainly the reason that makes me come back: contributing with my imagination and giving a world for others to experience while being part of an incredible huge virtual effort that allows me to help in a consistent manner a cause I believe into.
How many Fairelands have you built? Tell us about them, is there something that ties them together as a theme, as a development?
This is the 4th year I build a sim (Enchanted Mysts, Tides, Magnificat, Sanctum), the 5th year I sponsor a sim, and 6thyear I participate to Fantasy Faire.
The thread that connects my worlds is visual and emotional, what I wish for visitors is immersion, a song that follows them through the walk, a poem of scenarios, colors, images and sounds to make them think, feel and live there, for a while. A living book where everyone can read what their mind is focused at.
I enjoy reproducing classical architecture and landscaping I am familiar with, being European I love taking the heritage of old stones and ancient gardens and their growth and offer them virtually, then add a symbolic twist that is the tool to bring a concept to life, a metaphor.
I don't believe much in explaining my creations as well as sim builds, I use too many metaphors and symbols that would make them look as intellectual philosophical exaggerations, prefer to let others see what they wish and enjoy perhaps a quiet garden or nice façade and wonder what is it all about, as we often do during our lifetimes: ask what it is all about afterall.
What are you bringing to the Faire this year?
Pieces of Sanctum stone brought to life, the Lacrimosa skin line, Anima petites, Ethos Purple auction skins and a live auction Sanctum memory, Enigma and Sanctum's rest hunt gifts, jail and bail special edition Nirvana skins… and of course, Sanctum itself.
What calls you to fantasy? When was the first time you encountered the genre and realized you enjoyed it?
I fell into fantasy without warning, on personal liking I was always more of a science fiction fan, expecially concerning books. From Herbert, to Anderson, to Sturgeon and Van Vogt I stopped sometimes only a moment over Howard, Martin and Tolkien, to immediately grab my latin classics which are my main passion. I believe also my love for classical art forms pushed my illustrative style over fantasy which tends to use old school canons of aesthetics, so I ended up working as fantasy cover artist and character designer RL mainly for my painting style. But what still drives me genuinely to Fantasy it's the connection with epic ballads and legends, our historical imagination that is the base of all contemporary fantasy: most of it you can find in greek, celtic or scandinavian legends, so I wonder: did we really add anything new in the past 2500 years?
What are you looking forward to most this year?
Stability. The faire passed its initial newborn phase and started having solid foundations. A delicate phase of transformations made the Faire stronger and so all the backbone pieces that is the whole team is feeling more secure and less volatile. The faire is like a system of transparent layers, each of them is light and fragile, but when you merge them all it becomes a strong solid element. Fantasy Faire is all the selfless people taking part in it, from organizers to visitors, with visions, fantasies, emotions, battles and challenges: the real thing that glues us, we transparent layers, is the will to contribute and relay, giving further as an act of gratitude for being merely alive and able to imagine. I simply wish the Faire to live long and, well… prosper.
Friendship. Because it's the most beautiful thing in the world and what makes Friends Fighting Cancer.
Good looking pretty girls. Because you expect me to say it and who am I to disappoint you.
How was Sanctum born? What inspired it, what is its story?
It was late January. I was taking 3 months of nomadic life in New Zealand, my personal other side of the world, mostly spending time in the rainforest, chasing penguins and whales and making the great tracks, trying to work along the way and paint non PG appliers in toilets with good wifi. While getting ready for the Milford sounds series of walks I got a very close encounter with some vampires (sandflies) that knocked me down for a week in bed drunk of antihistamines, and also simply drunk. Covered in plague and itching to the edge of insanity, sleep deprived most of time by getting woken up by the itch, in one of the rare spans I fell asleep I had a dream: I saw the Sanctum. It was louder, the chains were shaking, the souls were hovering and rotating in circles around the chapels and their noise and lament was unbearable. As I recovered, and happily continued my kiwi journey, Sanctum changed and became a land of peace. I gained consciousness that we all are heading for the same direction, the same journey, a shaky and unstable one between two fates, the hell of our regrets that keeps us chained and unhappy, or the one of acceptance, dancing with the scary death, which is the only big truth and final checkpoint. I realized that all I have to do is make it worth, my own journey, and try to contribute as best I can to improve life for others around me, which is all what life is it about.
Thank you, Alia, for taking the time to share your view of the Faire with us and thank you for bringing so many Fairelands to being.


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Theatrix Hawaii specializes in events throughout Hawaii. Whether you are on Oahu, Maui, Kauai or the Big Island of Hawaii, we can help make the event you envision a reality. In addition to the equipment and services for Lighting, Audio, Video, Staging, Rigging and Decor - We also handle other services including Special Effects, Entertainment Structures, CAD Design, Fabrications and Heavy Equipment Services.
Royal Cosmetics held their 30th Anniversary Convention at the Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian. [ ... ]READ MORE
Theatrix Hawaii was a part of the 40th annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards that was held at the Hawaii [ ... ]READ MORE


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Bako National Park, MalaysiaKirsty Turner
Situated in Sarawak in East Malaysia, the large and lively Bako National Park is a great place to spend a day or two. With 27 square kilometres of dense rainforest and a number of beautiful beaches, this is one of the real highlights of Malaysia. Bako National Park officially opened in 1957 and is home to a diverse range of animals such as monitor lizards, long-tailed macaques, plantain squirrels and silver leaf monkeys. Visitors who are blessed with keen eyesight and a little luck may be able to catch a glimpse of the rare and weird looking proboscis monkey, which features a bulbous nose and can sometimes be spotted up in the treetops. Well-worn jungle trails also lead visitors past a diverse range of flora and fauna, while those who want to view the park from a different perspective can wander along the elevated wooden walkway.
As you explore the national park you will have the opportunity to discover a number of different habitats. The park is comprised of vegetation from seven complete eco-systems, namely beach vegetation, cliff vegetation, kerangas, mangrove forest, mixed dipterocarp forest, grasslands vegetation and peat swamp forest.
Visitors can stay at Bako National Park overnight in one of the bungalows or dorm rooms. Spending the night is a good option for those who want to go on a guided night hike, while waking up in the wilderness is an awe-inspiring experience. The best times to spot wildlife are just before dusk and dawn, so staying the night is the best option to get the most out of this unique experience.
While you're in the area, take a boat trip to the nearby island of Palau Lakai for fantastic views. This tiny island is unpopulated and offers the perfect deserted island experience.
To get to Bako National Park you will need to take a boat ride from the nearby village of Kampung, which serves as an interesting introduction to the area. Although you are free to explore alone, it is a good idea to hire a guide to make sure you catch all the highlights of the park.


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Posted 8 years ago
(144 items)
Three high-quality, original Koloman Moser Lithographs – "Das Buch vom Kaiser" title page, "Hymne," and a dedication page to Kaiser Wilhelm's daughter. All of these lithographs are from a deluxe version of Viribus Unitis: Das Buch vom Kaiser (translated as "With United Forces: The Book about the Emperior"). Edited and published in 1898 by Max Herzig of Vienna, Budapest & Prague.
The title page and "Hymne" lithographs are pictured in Fanelli, G. & Godoli, E. (1990). The Dictionary of Symbolist and Art Nouveau Illustrators (Vol. 2), pg. 72, and Fanelli, G. (1989). La Linea Viennese, pgs. 224-5., respectively.
Aside from these Moser lithographs, the book was designed by Joseph Hoffman (1870-1956), who also provided the decorative endpapers, and features an inset bronze medallion of the Kaiser by Josef Tautenhayn (1837-1911).


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Weekly political rail, now with Video of the Week and more news briefs, plus your usual favorites.
Pol Polls
Wondering what the presidential polls looked like at this point four years ago?
Here are the numbers from a CNN/Gallup/USA Today poll taken in late May 2004:
John Kerry: 50 percent
George Bush: 44 percent
Ralph Nader: 5 percent
And here are the Gallup results from polls taken in early June 2004:
John Kerry: 47 percent
George Bush: 46 percent
Ralph Nader: 4 percent
Video of the Week: Parrot backing Obama for president
Notebook News: Chelsea for president?
Bill Clinton recently told People Magazine that politics might be around the corner for his daughter Chelsea. While the 28-year-old heretofore hasn't expressed much of an interest in politics, she has become quite the campaigner, the former president said. The defining moment came when Hillary Clinton lost Iowa in January. "She realized her mother lost Iowa 100 percent because of younger voters. She was upset, bawled, went to her employer and said, 'Look, you got to let me go or give me an indefinite leave of absence. I'm not letting my mother go down like this,' " Bill Clinton told the magazine.
Notebook News: Hanging chads are back
An HBO movie about the 2000 presidential election will debut this weekend. "Recount" -- starring Kevin Spacey (as Al Gore), Laura Dern, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Denis Leary and more – brings to life the controversy surrounding the Bush-Gore election, and politicos who have seen the movie say the film captures the intensity of the actual event. Show time is 9 p.m. EDT Sunday.
Political Battle of the Week: McCain vs. Pastor
First the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, now the Rev. John Hagee. While there hasn't been as much uproar over Hagee as there was over Wright, Hagee – who was backing John McCain for president – is now in the spotlight because of incendiary statements. He is accused of saying, among other things, that God's will was fulfilled in Adolf Hitler's treatment of Jews and that the Catholic Church is "the great whore." McCain rejected Hagee's endorsement this past week, although according to published reports, McCain earlier this year sought out the endorsement.
Quote of Note
"I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history."
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, in a statement endorsing Barack Obama for president.
The List
According to Betfair.com, here are the top contenders for the Democratic vice presidential spot (with Barack Obama as the presidential nominee), with the odds:
Hillary Clinton: 4.4
Jim Webb: 5
Kathleen Sebelius: 6.8
Bill Richardson: 7.2
John Edwards: 7.8
Ted Strickland: 9.5
Political Pun-dits: Traveling President Bush
"The White House has announced that next month President Bush will be making a trip through Europe. … President Bush says he's really excited to go to Europe because he's never seen a kangaroo." -- Conan O'Brien
"President Bush was just in Saudi Arabia meeting with King Abdullah. He gets a little confused. He kept saying, 'So where's Paula Abdullah?' I don't think he understands." -- Jay Leno
"Ladies and gentlemen, President Bush is back from his trip to the Mideast. And he did accomplish one thing -- he found the crystal skull." -- David Letterman
This Week in Political History
May 25, 1925 - Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.
May 26, 1830 - The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later.
May 27, 1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Paula Jones can pursue her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton while he is in office.
May 28, 1863 - Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first African-American regiment, leaves Boston to fight for the Union.
May 29, 1790 - Rhode Island becomes the last of the original colonies to ratify the Constitution and is admitted as the 13th state.
May 30, 1868 - Decoration Day (the predecessor of Memorial Day) is observed in the United States for the first time.
May 31, 1971 - In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
GateHouse News Service


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Behold the exquisite French Lady Barbie® doll in a gown that was all the rage in Napoleon's court. Its empire styling mimics the elongated elegance of a classical Greek column; its predominant color is French blue, a color much favored by royalty in France. The underskirt is dotted with golden fleurs-de-lis, a long-lived symbol of French royalty. French Lady Barbie, from the Great Eras® Collection, has hair gathered into a golden mesh headpiece and her lovely face is trimmed in tiny chestnut curls. Her skin is fair, her eyelashes rooted, while her faux turquoise jewelry complements the French blue of her gown. She truly captures the magnificence of the great Napoleonic Age.


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If the Gold Coast hinterland was home to a supermodel it would most certainly be Springbrook with its Antarctic beech trees, native wildlife and luscious lookouts. After all, where else can you find a place named The Best of All Lookouts? Your biggest issue here will be where to start.
Visitors are spoiled for choice with four sections to Springbrook National Park which sits 36 kilometres from Nerang. Springbrook plateau offers loads of lookouts and the fabulous views you can expect from this World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest. Mount Cougal, which sits to the east, offers an insight into the area's logging history while Natural Bridge to the west is home to a beautiful waterfall by day and glowworms at night. Numinbah also sits to the west.
Pack a picnic and enjoy lunch along the shaded banks of the Nerang River at Forest Park. There's also camping in the Settlement Area and wildlife galore including lace monitors, black skinks and carpet pythons. More than 100 bird species live in this park and visitors are most likely to hear, rather than see, the elusive and unique Albert's lyrebird who lives here. Among the creeks and waterways you'll find frogs, crayfish and eels.
Boasting nine walking tracks, and a guided walking program, it's your boots you'll need most of all here. Take your time and wander through cool forests and paddle among mountain streams. Enjoy the subtropical and temperate rainforest, open eucalypt forest and montane heath. Talk to the animals. Go on, take a hike, in the nicest possible sense, along nature's colourful catwalk.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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1 Indian Trail
Rockwall, TX 75087
Sq Ft
Darling totally redone home needs a new tenant.
Dolores Burch
AssociateEbby Halliday, Realtors Rockwall/Heath/Lake Ray Hubbard Office
(972)979-0144Contact Me
Rental Information
Additional Property Details
Lot & Land
*Note: All room dimensions, including square footage data, are approximate and must be verified by the buyer.
The information contained herein is furnished by the owner to the best of his/her knowledge, but is subject to verification by the purchaser, and agent assumes no responsibility for the correctness thereof. The sale offering is made subject to errors, omissions, change of price, prior sale, or withdrawal without notice. In accordance with the Law, this property is offered without respect to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. This is not intended to solicit property currently listed.
**Assumes 4.25% APR, 20% down payment, and conventional 30-year fixed rate first mortgage. Rates cited are for instructional purposes only; current rates are subject to change at any time without notice. You should not make any decisions based simply on the information provided. Additional required amounts such as taxes, insurance, home owner association dues, assessments, mortgage insurance premiums, flood insurance or other such required payments should also be considered. Contact your mortgage company for current rates and additional information.Listing Agent:Dolores Burch
Broker:Ebby Halliday, REALTORS


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Real-time bidding, which heated up the display ad market in 2010, will continue to gain share in 2011 and become an increasingly significant force for advertisers, publishers and ad networks.
For this type of ad buy, marketers bid on impressions based on the site, the location of the ad, the number of impressions desired and any potential cookie data they can use for retargeting or other segmentation. Publishers "auction off" ad inventory in real time, automatically looking at the bids made by advertisers for various ad slots and which ad should be served based on the user currently visiting the page.
For advertisers, real-time bidding helps them buy audience instead of inventory. For publishers, the process of real-time bidding promises the greatest possible revenue on their remnant inventory, bringing it closer to premium pricing. This in turn means real-time bidding will also have an effect on the position of ad networks, which publishers often turn to in order to fill remnant inventory. Currently, according to Q3 2010 research from STRATA, more than four in five US ad agencies buy online ads through networks, while fewer than half buy direct from publishers.
"The display advertising market is showing continued intense growth, with a projected 14% increase in 2011," said David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst. "That gain will be partially due to real-time bidding, which will make monetizing more pages easier for publishers. Furthermore, the growth of real-time bidding is also partially due to brand marketers' increased interest in buying display advertising."
In addition to choosing between buying from ad networks and publishers, advertisers will increasingly be faced with another choice. On one side is classic ad targeting based on a site's content, or the characteristics of its visitors, and on the other side is the idea that audiences matter but sites don't, that marketers should follow their target audience wherever they go.
The techniques marketers use for ad targeting can, depending on circumstances, be employed either to advertise on particular sites or reach audiences across multiple sites. For instance, demographic data—the targeting used by the largest share of respondents in a Collective survey—can be used to identify the best way to advertise in either method.
In many ways, the battle between targeting tactics is a battle between web publishers and advertising networks about who owns the data. And from the marketer perspective, the battle affects whether their ad targeting is more effective at particular sites with particular demographic groups, or whether it's more effective when advertisers buy specific audiences found across multiple sites.
For more information at http://www.emarketer.com


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This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.
Organization(s): FSEC
Publication Date: October, 2010
Document presenting a cost effective method that was used by four builders in the Gainesville, FL area to construct interior ducts in over a dozen site built homes.


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NEW YORK – One year after becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel didn't become the second player in history to repeat as the award winner.
But that doesn't mean he won't win another one.
Although it's largely assumed Manziel, who is eligible to turn pro because he has spent three years on campus, will declare for the NFL draft, he didn't rule out the possibility of returning to Texas A&M for his junior year. Or senior season.
"That's the thing," he said when asked about the possibility of winning another Heisman, "I still have two years of college football left, when I'd have the opportunity to play."
Manziel finished fifth in the Heisman voting this year, announced here Saturday night, behind Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, Northern Illinois coach Jordan Lynch and Boston College running back Andre Williams.
Winston became the second freshman to win the award.
"We all had a good sense of how things were going to play out," Manziel said of he and the other five finalists here.
Manziel said he will decide after the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl game against in Atlanta against Duke whether to declare himself eligible for the NFL draft. He will consult with others, including Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin and their former offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, now head coach at Texas Tech.
Projections on how high he might be drafted will play a role in his decision, he said.
Manziel, who turned 21 this month, said he was grateful to have options.
"I don't really see any problems in my life right now," he said.


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RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS: It feels to Carlos Hyde as if he's been here before.
His junior year in high school back in Naples, Fla., he rushed for 970 yards � just like he did a year ago as a junior for Ohio State.
"In my senior year I just came out on another level," he said of topping the mile mark with 1,653 yards rushing. "I kind of feel it's all happening again."
To be clear, Hyde won't reach that figure again. After all, he was suspended for the first three games. But he could very well hit 1,000 yards to become the first running back in Urban Meyer's 12 years as a head coach to top the 1K mark.
He's certainly making up for lost time.
Since breaking in with 41 yards in the final regular-season game with FCS member Florida A&M, the 6-foot, 230-pound battering ram with speed has gone for 85 yards against Wisconsin, 168 yards and three TDs at Northwestern, 149 yards and two scores against Iowa and 147 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State.
He's averaging 118 yards a game, which would be good enough to get him over the 1,000-yard mark if the Buckeyes, as expected, expand their schedule by making it to the Big Ten championship and also playing in a major bowl.
Also, the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) play teams with porous defenses over the final four games on the schedule (at Purdue on Saturday, then at Illinois, home to Indiana and at No. 21 Michigan).
Despite all the talk about his cutting-edge spread offense, more than anything Meyer loves jamming a football down a defense's throat. With a big, burly line and a big, burly tailback, that's been almost a given this season.
"Having Carlos Hyde back there really makes a difference," offensive guard Andrew Norwell said. "We're just mauling people."
Hyde credits his suspension, surprisingly, for helping turn him around. He was linked to an alleged altercation with a female at a Columbus bar last summer. No charges were filed, but Meyer still sat him down for three games.
It was a humbling experience for the senior. But instead of moping around, he threw himself into the scout team, helping to prepare the starters by taking hits from the first-team defense all week.
"Mentally, it was an unbelievable advantage for him," running backs coach Stan Drayton said. "Having to play a service role to this football team on the scout team made him hungry, made him extremely hungry. It also made him not take for granted the opportunities that he has in front of him."
Meyer was down on Hyde. Now he's up on him.
"Every Thursday is called player-development day and we go through every player on the team," he said. "Our strength coach and academic people and our training staff rate them for me. (Carlos) has been very high on each one's list, which usually means a fairly mature guy. I like where he's at."
Hyde has a blend of power and speed like the best backs. He's strong enough to run through an arm tackle at the line and fast enough to slip a linebacker or safety rushing into a hole to stop him.
Asked to describe his running style to someone who had never seen him play, he said, "I'd probably keep it simple and tell them I'm a violent runner that can break away."
The Buckeyes were tied early in the fourth quarter against Iowa three weeks ago and had the ball at the Hawkeyes' 19. Hyde took a handoff on a play called "13 dash" and bounced off right tackle. He rumbled to the 7-yard line, where he was hit hard by free safety Tanner Miller, the blow knocking him off balance. He retreated to the 11 before regaining his bearings and then turned up the right sideline. Behind a block by wide-out Corey Brown, he vaulted from the 3 into the end zone. That was the winning TD in a 34-24 win.
After starting the season on the bench, Hyde is now making a case for playing in the NFL.
"I'm doing a good job right now, showing scouts that come to our games that I could be a good back for the next level," he said.
At least one opposing player has referred to Hyde as a beast.
Meyer was asked about that label.
"What does that mean to me?" he said with a smile. "Kinda cool, I guess."


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Internal Verifier Training (Derry/Londonderry)
Open College Network Northern Ireland
Event Details
This training session is for anyone who will be acting as an Internal Verifier for OCN NI qualifications and focused on the role of an internal verifier within your centre. It will ensure you are equipped to internally verify all learners portfolios for the qualifications/endorsed courses your centre will run.
A charge of £25 will be invoiced to the Centre for non-attendees if notification is not received by us within 48 hours of the event.
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The Waterfoot Hotel
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United Kingdom
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You Can't Stop the Rain
God, if you're listening, and I know you are because that's what you do for a living, you've got to chill with this rain stuff. Sure, it was funny at first. For a while, we were all waking up, looking out the window and thinking, "oh, that's cute, it's raining again." But it's getting old, man. We get the point. It's wet. Move on. At this point, even frogs or locusts would be alright.
It has been raining pretty constantly in most parts of the country, even though it's late June. Which makes sense because winter was two months longer than it should have been. I get the feeling that God overslept, and woke up in March thinking it was still January. By that logic, May was March and June is April - explaining why there have been more washouts this month than premiere season on UPN.
As I've written before, the typical problem with good weather is Ugly Fat Hot Day. That's the first warm day of each year, where everyone, regardless of body-type, wears skimpy clothing. And while some people may enjoy sitting next to a large man on the subway separated by nothing more than a washcloth, I'm not a fan of this practice. Thankfully, as the weather stays nice, people remember who is allowed to wear a tube top and who isn't. That guy on the train definitely isn't.
But this year, we've had one or two good days followed by weeks of cold and rain, making the first nice day of every month Ugly Fat Hot Day. And thus, even when the warm sun feels wonderful against your skin, your eyes are still killing you.
There are some pluses to all this rain. Weathermen must have it pretty easy.
"Today's forecast calls for, I don't know, rain? Back to you, Skip."
There are also a lot of baseball games being rained out, which force doubleheaders, a practice that has been all but lost in the last 10 years. And there is nothing I enjoy more than spending the day at a ballpark, watching two games - in the rain.
Of course, I can't afford to go to the ballpark anymore because of the rising price of my laundry. I'm used to washing t-shirts and shorts this time of year. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to wash jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, and soaking wet socks? I do, because I've been doing it for the last eight months.
The worst side effect of this whole thing is how easy it has become to initiate a conversation. My ability to approach anyone and start talking used to give me an advantage, but now that's been neutralized. What good is being able to crack a clever joke about any situation when some clod with an umbrella can do just as well with, "what's with this weather?"
Last spring, New York had a drought. The drought was so bad that lawns were left unsprinkled, sidewalks were not hosed down, and diners made you specifically ask for water. This year, lawns don't need to be sprinkled, sidewalks don't need to be hosed down, and the diners are pushing water like it's yesterday's meatloaf.
"The soup today is split pea, and our special is roasted chicken. But you should really try the water. It's only in season for another two months."
With all this rain, it is no wonder that the world is in such disarray. Rain has been known to cause depression, a word that can also describe our current financial problems. We're also dealing with new diseases, wars, and rising unemployment. And that last one leads to a an increase in the number of people who move back in with their parents, which can't be good for anyone. Annie told us that the sun will come out tomorrow. But that's a hard to believe when the forecast has been calling for rain since March. Especially for those of us who can no longer afford to bet our bottom dollar (see wallet, mine). It's appropriate that the phrase most commonly used to describe global tensions is "world climate." Because today's forecast calls for, I don't know, rain?
I do not write this to depress anyone - I'm just saying that it would be a lot easier to deal with everything around us if we could do it from the beach or a park or even walking to work without an umbrella. Spring is my favorite season, and it hasn't happened yet this year. The thing that worries me most is that we won't even have a late spring - we'll just skip it entirely. It's supposed to be 90 degrees in much of the country next week. 90! But that's alright - it will probably rain again next weekend.
Back to you, Skip.


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Election Results from France and Greece; Shaquille O`Neal`s Favorite Teacher
Aired May 11, 2012 - 04:00:00 ET
(MUSIC PLAYING) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHAQUILLE O`NEAL, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Hi, I`m Dr. Shaquille O`Neal, and you`re watching CNN Student News. (END VIDEO CLIP) CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: You know, Friday`s are awesome when I get to name-drop somebody like Dr. Shaquille O`Neal at the beginning of the show. He is going to be passing along some more information later on, but first up today, we`re looking at some economic options. We started this week with election results from France and Greece. Both countries are getting ready for a shift in political power. They`re not the only ones. More than half a dozen other European nations have had some change in government recently. And a lot of it has to do with how those countries` leaders have handled economic struggles. Ali Velshi breaks down two different ways the governments can try to turn things around. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALI VELSHI, CNN HOST: Growth is a very tricky value-laden word right now. Every economy wants and needs growth. But there are many ways to get there. Stimulus can produce growth. Austerity can produce growth. Cutting taxes can produce growth. It`s very tricky and not every example is the same. It`s hard to compare. Some people hold austerity out on one side and stimulus out on the other, when in fact, most solutions probably lie somewhere in the middle. Austerity is a program where a government cuts back on its spending. It either cuts back on benefits or payments to its citizens or payments to its businesses in order to get its debt under control. Governments don`t typically like to impose austerity, because voters don`t like austerity. Voters, citizens, like getting money. They like getting benefits from their government. They like to have retirement kick in at some point. So governments don`t tend to impose austerity until it`s absolutely necessary. But in many cases, it`s to show creditors that a government has discipline. In many cases, it`s to balance the budget because no more money is available. In many cases, it`s about paying down debt because it would take too long to pay that debt down if austerity measures weren`t brought in. Stimulus is when a government gets involved to transfer money or things like money to its citizens or its businesses to stimulate the economy. An economy works because there`s demand. People work. They earn money. With that money, they go and buy things. With the money that they use to buy things companies expand, hire more people. Those people have money. They go out and buy things. That is the virtuous circle of demand. Well, the way you stimulate that is if people have money. That is stimulus. Austerity is not stimulus. (END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. Obando and all the students and teachers at Rachel Carson Middle School in Herndon, Virginia. What city hosted the first modern Olympics? You know what to do. Was it London, Rome, Athens or Cairo? You`ve got three seconds, go. Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Olympics, hosted the first modern games in 1896. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Greece is always the starting point for one of the traditions associated with the Olympic Games. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): The tradition? The lighting of the Olympic Flame. This ceremony yesterday marked the start of a new Olympiad. It was held in the ruins of an ancient temple in Greece, with an actress playing the part of the traditional high priestess. After the flame was lit, it hit the road. The torch relay will wind its way toward the United Kingdom over the next week. Then it`ll go on an 8,000-mile journey around the country before it eventually arrives in London for this year`s Summer Games. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: In 2011, the unemployment rate for U.S. military veterans who`d served on active duty in the past 10 years was 12.1 percent. That`s higher than the overall U.S. unemployment rate, which is 8.1 percent. A new CNN documentary, "Vets Wanted," looks at some veterans` efforts to find jobs as they come back home. It airs this Sunday at 8:00 pm Eastern on CNN. We have a curriculum guide for it in the "Spotlight" section on our home page. Check out this preview of the special. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve been watching you for the whole year, the whole time you knocked it out of the park over there. And we`re so proud of you and glad to have you home. So let me hear one more big Georgia hoo- ah. All right. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming home and finding work, that`s what`s on everybody`s mind right now. J.R. MARTINEZ, ACTOR AND VETERAN: A federal law called USERRA protects the jobs of National Guard soldiers. Those who had jobs before they left can go back to them but half the soldiers in the 877th are coming home unemployed. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you left your job you were supposed to let them know that you were going for military service. Did you all do that? Some of our soldiers are going on multiple deployments because they don`t have employment in the civilian sector. Others where they work is going out of business so the protections that are in place aren`t applicable. Sometimes they are getting terminated against the protections that are in place. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? Ph.D. stands for doctor of philosophy. Totally true. It`s an educational degree that`s also called a doctorate. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: You know, it`s not just philosophy. You can get your doctorate in all sorts of subjects, like English or sociology. A Ph.D. is the highest degree that`s given out by graduate schools. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): And this Ph.D. might be one of the biggest. Remember at the beginning of today`s show, when Shaq introduced himself as Dr. Shaquille O`Neal? This is why. Last weekend the NBA superstar graduated from Berry University with a doctorate degree in education. His specific focus is on organizational learning and leadership. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Our associate producer, Tomeka Jones, sat down with Shaquille O`Neal earlier this week. She asked him about his new Ph.D., his views on the importance of education and his favorite educators. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TOMEKA JONES, CNN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we all know that, at this point, you have had your fair share of encounters with teachers and professors. So can you tell us about the teachers who have been an inspiration to you? O`NEAL: My favorite teacher, this year recently passed away. Her name was Ms. Swann (ph). I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent, was always in trouble. But she always used to pull me in the room after school and be like, "Baby, you can do it. I know you`re just being silly. I know you`re just wanting attention." And she would help me with my school work. And then after that, I went to the fifth grade, same high school, Horsman (ph) Elementary in Hinesville, Georgia. And it was a Ms. Davis (ph) there. Now those teachers really showed me the way, really showed me how to study and made me believe that I can do it. JONES: So tell me like how does it feel to receive a Ph.D. and why is education so important to you? O`NEAL: Well, one, I did it because, one, I wanted to continue my education and the second reason, I wanted to challenge myself. And I have six children and, you know, being a professional athlete and making a whole lot of money is fun, but I also wanted to stress to them that education is important. So you know, now when I go to the faculty meeting, it`s not Shaq, the ex-basketball player. It`s Dr. O`Neal. So I just wanted to set a good example for them. JONES: So education is so important to you, how do you take that on the road with you and encourage other students? O`NEAL: I like to give them simple slogans. If Shaq can do it, you can do it. The time is now for children to take advantage of learning, because we learn every day. You know, everybody can`t get a scholarship to go to college. Everybody can`t afford to go to college. But there`s trade schools and there`s stuff that you can do online. It`s all about learning and about educating yourself. JONES: Go back to when you were in middle school and high school and, you know, you come across a bumpy road. You maybe failed a test or somebody upset you. How did you handle that? O`NEAL: One thing that changed my life from being a bully, I threw a spitwad on a boy one day, and this kid ratted me out. So I beat him up. And then he had a seizure in the middle of the street. He almost died. If it weren`t for this guy that come and saved him, put the pen in his mouth, he probably would have died and I probably wouldn`t be here today. But from that day on it -- that changed me. JONES: What do you believe are the keys to success? O`NEAL: To me, the keys of success are just dreaming about it and accomplishing it. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: Well, this last story today will get your tail wagging. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over): When these two animals` owner couldn`t afford to keep them, the shelter where they went couldn`t keep them apart. Separated at first, the two "baa-st" friends pined and pawed away for each other until they were reunited. The shelter says whoever adopts them better have plenty of yard space, and they`re not "kid-ding." After all, they`ve "goat" to have a place to run around. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ: You could call them "beast" buddies, but have you ever heard of something like that? Most people wish they could get their paws on that kind of friendship. The story certainly hit the "bark," and then we`re milking these puns for all they`re worth. It`s time to take the weekend by the horns. We`ll see you "bark" here on Monday, if you don`t dog out on us. Last thing we`ve "goat" to mention, congrats to Bellevue (ph) High in Washington on your social media trivia win. Bye-bye. (MUSIC PLAYING) END


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We've come a long way since we first starting using stone tools, and one thing that has also evolved is our capacity for recovery. Resilience, such an important part of our physical survival, has become a definitive component of our emotional endurance as well.
History is marked by tragic events, whether inflicted upon us by nature or by man himself. But we persevere. We pick ourselves up by the bootstraps, dust off our pants, and trudge ahead.
In times of confounding tragedy, it helps to keep in mind that we are a species capable of incredible goodwill and perseverance. The following cities and events remind us of our ability to recover from adversity, and remind us that brighter days are always ahead.
1. Chicago, Ill.: The Great Chicago Fire
For three days in October of 1871, a fire raged through Chicago, killing hundreds of people and destroying 17,450 buildings covering 3.3 square miles. Although the fire was one of the worst urban fires and the largest U.S. disaster of the 19th century, the efficient rebuilding effort that followed the fire helped make Chicago become the populous and economically important American city that it is today.
2. Johnstown, Pa.: The Great Flood
The Great Flood of 1889 happened on May 31, 1889, when excessive rainfall instigated the failure of the South Fork Dam situated on the Little Conemaugh River, upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pa. The dam's failure unleashed a torrent of 20 million tons of water from Lake Conemaugh, killing 2,209 people and causing $17 million in damage. Although devastating, the tragedy spawned the first major disaster relief effort handled by the new American Red Cross, led by the estimable Clara Barton. Support for victims came from across the United States as well as from 18 foreign countries. The town rebuilt, and it remains a vibrant community to this day.
3. San Francisco: Earthquake and fire
In 1906, San Francisco suffered from a devastating earthquake that toppled much of the city, followed by raging fires that consumed 80 percent of the city; 25,000 buildings were destroyed, and the death toll has been estimated at a minimum of 3,000 people. By the time the fires had been quelled, San Francisco was in shambles. But reconstruction was swift, and remarkably, almost completely finished by 1915, just in time for the Panama-Pacific Exposition that celebrated the reconstruction of the city and its "rise from the ashes." The City by the Bay persists as one of the most beautiful destinations in the country.
4. New York, N.Y.: Sept. 11
The lingering health effects of people who were near the site of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 haven't been eradicated, and the pain of losing loved ones will always endure. But psychologists have found that the fear and anger that surrounded New York City and the rest of the country have largely faded away, according to the LA Times. "A lot of people were surprised at how quickly the trauma disappeared," says George Bonanno, professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University in New York City.
We're a resilient country, the experts say, and the 9/11 attacks underscored the enduring strength of both the national psyche and the human mind.
5. New Orleans, La.: Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, the city of New Orleans was devastated by Katrina, the forceful hurricane that took nearly 2,000 lives and caused property damage estimated at $81 billion. Although initial response to the disaster was slow and mismanaged, the Crescent City has worked hard to rebuild. There is still much work to be done, but in 2010, just five years after the destruction hit, unemployment in New Orleans is lower than the U.S. average, and median income has risen 1.7 percent, compared with a decrease of 7.1 percent in the U.S. average.
6. Newtown, Ct.: Sandy Hook shooting
Looking for the positive in something as recklessly tragic as the violence that took the lives of 20 children and six adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School seems futile at best. But psychiatrists at least paint a picture less abysmal than most of us probably expect. For young people exposed to gun trauma, the road to recovery can be long, but the good news is that most of these children will probably heal, says The New York Times.
"Most kids, even of this age, are resilient," said Dr. Glenn Saxe, chairman of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. "The data shows that the majority of people after a trauma, including a school assault, will end up doing O.K." Only time will tell how the town will recover, but the community had become more closely-knit, and if experts are correct, the children have a good chance of healing.
7. Boston, Mass.: Marathon bombing
Of course it's much too early to say how the city of Boston will recover following the bombing attack at the finish line of the city's celebratory marathon, but one thing is clear: The people of Boston are filled with goodwill and should take immeasurable pride in that. At last count, more than 8,000 people had volunteered to take in stranded runners and tourists who were evacuated from their hotels, the blood banks were full in hours, restaurants gave out free food, and the town in general began reclaiming a sense of spirit and community in the moments after the explosions occurred.
It's bittersweet to realize that we are becoming increasingly good at this. Tragedy strikes, and we immediately rush to find out what we can do. We get blankets, water and coffee to those affected and we become glued to Twitter and the media to find out where we're needed. We work diligently to build community and offer support, as we open our homes as well as our hearts.
Less tragedy in the first place would be nice, but in the face of things we can't control, at least we are learning to help each other recover more quickly, with love and grace.
Related recovery stories on MNN:
- 7 U.S. cities that rallied after natural disasters
- Disaster recovery doesn't have to be stressful
- 10 ways to prepapre for tornadoes and storms


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Google bought patents for wearable computer accessories from Apple's chief assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry.
The patents include those for "head-mounted display technology" for use in both video games and simulated training, according to Bloomberg News. The Taiwan-based Hon Hai reported the news in an email. No financial details were given.
A spokeswoman for Hon Hai told Bloomberg she didn't know if the patents would be used for Google Glass. A Google spokesman said in an e-mail that he didn't immediately have any information or details on the Hon Hai announcement.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, is the primary assembler of Apple's iPhones and iPads. It's also hiring 90,000 workers in the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhengzhou to meet fourth-quarter demands.
Does Hon Hai need cash? That seems to be the only sensible reason that the key link in Apple's supply chain would give up a possible lucrative patent for wearable computer accessories. It does seem strange that the company would sell just as wearable tech is becoming competitive, but perhaps Google's offer was too good to refuse. However, will this negotiation with Apple's rival have an effect on its business relationship with Apple? We will be watching to see.


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CAMP PENDLETON, CA -- Three new fitness centers are coming to the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton, CA, base.
One new fitness facility project will break ground in the next few months at Camp Horno. It will include a functional fitness room with a variety of training tools, such as medicine balls, kettlebells and bands, according to Bryan Driver, Policy and Public Affairs Branch, Personal and Family Readiness Division, HQMC.
The 23,000-square-foot building will include two concrete outdoor functional fitness training pads at each end of the facility. Driver says each pad will include separate, custom pull-up bars and a variety of other functional fitness equipment. The center also will feature a large weight room, two racquetball courts and a gymnasium. A $5 million construction contract for the project was awarded to Soltek Pacific Construction Co., San Diego.
Another Camp Pendleton project slated to begin construction in late 2010 will be called the Las Flores Human Performance Center. The 23,000-square-foot facility will include a 14,000-square-foot functional fitness room, a 3,000-square-foot multipurpose room and an outdoor functional training area surfaced with concrete, sand and decomposed granite.
"This design will deviate from the fitness centers that have been built in the past," says Driver. "At this facility, Marines will be able to better train like athletes and ultimately perform better at CFTs [combat fitness tests], their daily jobs and activities, avoid training ruts and injuries, and be better prepared for combat."
Soltek also recently finished construction on a $6 million fitness center at Camp Margarita in Camp Pendleton. The 25,941-square-foot facility includes a variety of fitness, strength and functional training equipment, as well as a functional training room, weight room and cardio area.
Group fitness classes at that facility will include survival cycle, yoga for combat athletes and combat circuit. The center also has a gymnasium, basketball and racquetball courts, lockers, showers, saunas, laundry, and administrative support areas.
For the Camp Margarita project, Soltek received a STAR Contractor Safety Award that recognized its safety awareness record during project execution.
Watch for a feature story on other military fitness projects in the November issue of Club Industry magazine.


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Minnesota Twins
- Tejada the Twin? An insider source told me that the Twins and Astros have the preliminary deal in place that would bring Miguel Tejada back to the American League. It is unclear as to what the Astros have coming to them for the former MVP. Phil Rogers reported earlier that the two teams were in talks for Tejada and Ty Wigginton. Obviously Tejada stands a pretty good chance of reaching the Type A free agent status post-2009 and this would secure the Twins two additional draft picks. Assuming that both teams are well aware of this, it would stand to reason that there could be three players moving from the Twins.
If it is just the shortstop it appears that the Twins will owe Tejada $13 million for the 2009 season. This isn't an issue like it had been in the past. Going into 2008, the Twins reduced their payroll by 20%. Twins president Dave St. Peter announced that "We have finalized the budget for 2009, and we believe that the budget allows us some flexibility to improve our baseball team." Yes, the Twins balked at the decision to sign 35 year old Casey Blake to a contract that exceeds two seasons which makes a trade for Tejada that much more appealing simply that he is only available for one season. The Twins were rumored to have offered Blake a two-year, $14 million dollar deal that he turned down. Deciding to forgo signing Blake to a three-year was the right thing to do.
There are some problems with Tejada, however:
- Tejada is coming off his first year with the Astros, disappointing to many. Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice reports that towards the end of the season Tejada looked "old and tired both at the plate and in the field". From August 1st on, the 34 year old Tejada hit .284/.303/.395 in 222 plate appearances. A strong sign of regression is wearing down at the end of the year.
- If you consider OPS+ as a gauge for the player-curve, you will notice that Tejada's peaked at 30 years old (138) then took a downward turn after that season: 128 at 31, 126 at 32, 109 at 33 and 92 at 34.
- Not known to strike out that much, Tejada witnessed his walk rate move south with him. While with the Orioles in 2007 Tejada walked 7.2% of his plate appearances. In Houston Tejada walked just 3.6% of the time. What gives? According to Fangraphs.com, Tejada had a huge spike in the number of out-of-zone pitches he was swinging at. Between the two seasons he increased his chase rate 6%. Judging from his pitch type analysis, Tejada was receiving nearly 5% more fastballs in 2008 than he had in 2007. The amount of curves thrown to him dropped as well. This is a possible indication that the league's scouts no longer feel that Tejada can catch up to a fastball. What's more is that he is no longer pulling the ball with as much enthusiasm as he did several years ago. In his 2002 MVP year, he turned on the pitch nearly 50% of the time. When he did so his average was .380. This past season he pulled the ball only 35% of the time resulting in a .350 average on the balls in play.
No Washburn. Hopefully the Twins are satisfied with their starting rotation moving into 2009. According to Jim Street, an MLB.com reporter, the Mariners are actively shopping Wisconsin native Jarrod Washburn fortunately "The Twins have not been mentioned as one of the teams that have inquired about Washburn -- Minnesota is more focused on third baseman Adrian Beltre -- but the Brewers are believed to have some interest."
Sayonara. One internal left-handed option the Twins could have had to replace Dennys Reyes is moving east. Far east. The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have acquired 27 year old Ricky Barrett. Barrett put together a solid 2008, working 70 innings and striking out 81 while walking 38. The Twins drafted Barrett in 2002 with there seventh round selection and rose through the system but stalled out in AAA since 2006. In total, Barrett had a very good 441 strikeouts in 413 innings pitched.
- Erickson wants a comeback. No, not Roger. Scott. Seriously. Apparently Erickson, 40, has contacted the Twins front office seeking the possibility of partaking in spring training. "He wants to come back," Twins GM Bill Smith reportedly commented, "I told him to go get a job in winter ball and let's see what you can do." Erickson is not currently on any winter league roster so it appears that the Twins won't have to awkwardly tell him that he is not invited. In 2006 the Yankees gave Erickson 11.1 innings and he responded with 7 walks and two strikeouts. The last time Erickson resurfaced was during a Twins broadcast in 2008 which he and his lovely wife, Lisa Guerrero, toured the country in efforts to promote a movie the duo financed called 'A Plumm Summer'. For the most part, the movie fell flat.
- Another Former Pitcher Note. The Blue Jays have hired former Twins pitcher Roy Smith and made him apart of their scouting department. Smith had a brief stint with the World Champion 1987 Twins and went 10-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 173.2 innings in 1989.
Chicago White Sox
Sox Rumors. A few days after the Reds denied the Dye-for-Bailey rumors, the Sun-Times Joe Crowley announced through a Twitter update that the Rays and the Braves are interested in Jermaine Dye. ESPN's Jason Stark reported that the Rays have been "interested" in reacquiring Delmon Young but Dye might be a better corner outfield candidate considering Tampa Tribune's Marc Lancaster noted that a Rays official denied interested in Young. The Rays are possibly shopping pitchers Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine, two pitchers that the White Sox would demand at least one be involved in any potential deal.
To Dye For? White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams was quoted as saying ''No, we have not traded Jermaine Dye to the Cincinnati Reds or anywhere else,'' but when pressed if there was something on the horizon, Williams added ''Well, we'll just have to wait and see what the meetings -- and this is in regard to everyone on our current roster -- we'll just have to wait and see what the week brings us." Though very consistent since coming to Chicago, Dye will be 35 next year and is due $11.5 million.
Cleveland Indians
Indians Signing Wood? Now that the Mets and Francisco Rodriguez have made it official, it stands to reason that the second tier free agent closers will begin to sign accordingly. The Indians supposedly have the constructs of a deal for free agent closer Kerry Wood. The Indians GM, Mark Shapiro, told the Plain Dealer early in the morning Tuesday that "We are meeting with the agents of all of the closers. Each alternative has different positives and different risks. Every situation is unique to the guy. We don't set length of contracts by position. It's based on the guy, his history. It's situational." The Indians who finished at .500 after a brutal start to the season, were tanked by Joe Borowski's early season failed closings. After the Indians finished the year 38-20 from August 1st on, it was the implementation of Jensen Lewis in the closer's role who pitched 25 innings with a 22/8 K/BB ratio and saving 13 games. Wood, who was throwing at 94-mph, would be an upgrade depending on the length and terms of the contract but is still an injury liability.
Kansas City Royals
Contenders or Pretenders? The Royals are talking a close look at both Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson on the free agent market. In efforts to clear more payroll room the Royals are said to be shopping Jose Guillen who is due to make $24 million the next two years.


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VATICAN CITY — Vatican reporters said goodbye today to the dean of the Vaticanisti, Arcangelo Paglialunga, who died Wednesday at age 91.
Paglialunga, who worked off-and-on until the day of his death, was in many ways the living memory of the Vatican press office. His journalistic career spanned six pontificates, and he had stories about them all.
When I walked into the Sala Stampa Vaticana for the first time in 1983, Arcangelo was one of perhaps a dozen regulars who worked there. Like the others, he had a small desk, a pad of paper and a telephone — and that was it. He covered the Vatican for the Gazzettino di Venezia and the Giornale di Brescia, and I soon learned that he was one of the better informed members of the press corps.
With the press office renovation in 2000, Paglialunga was given a glassed-in, high-tech booth next door to ours. We were neighbors, and Arcangelo, who professed a great love for everything American, would frequently share some stories — like the time he ran down to welcome the American troops that arrived in St. Peter's Square during the liberation of Rome in 1944.
He had copious notes on the papal audiences of every American president, beginning with Eisenhower's meeting with Pope John XXIII in 1959. He once recounted that when Richard Nixon came to see Pope Paul VI in 1970, his secretary of defense, Melvin Laird, was taken to a Vatican waiting room, where he lit up a cigar. At a certain moment, the doors to the room opened and Laird unexpectedly found himself in the middle of the presidential entourage. He stuffed the lit cigar into his pocket, where it smoldered for the rest of the ceremony.
Paglialunga lived near the Vatican and on his way to work he often ran into Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as their paths crossed in St. Peter's Square. The encounters offered Arcangelo an opportunity to chat with the cardinal, get to know him a bit and voice his own opinions. In 2005, Paglialunga was one of few reporters who gave Cardinal Ratzinger very good odds in the conclave that elected him pope.
The pope sent a message of condolences for Paglialunga, and it was read at the funeral rites today.
While the Vatican press office serves several hundred accredited journalists, the regulars are still a small number of reporters. It's a fairly close-knit group. As Father Ciro Benedettini, the vice director of the press office, said today, Arcangelo considered the press office his second home and his second family. The feeling was mutual, and we will miss him.


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In 2004, AfterEllen.com asked for your input on the best and worst of the year, from television to film, to music and allies. Since then, the list of questions has grown bigger, the response stronger, and the nominees more difficult to narrow down. This can only mean visibility is getting better for gay women, and we have many more openly lesbian/bi public figures and allies working toward the goal of equality and representation in the media and pop culture.
So what trends have remained the same? Ellen DeGeneres is still one of our favorite lesbians, and Portia DeGeneres has always been on our radar but she's become even more popular with us as she continues to grow as an actress and activist. America's Next Top Model has proven to be very gay-friendly and included several queer contestants. The Gossip and Tegan and Sara continue to make music we love, and Jackie Warner still has the market cornered on fitness reality TV (unless you count the Jillian Michaels empire).
We might miss South of Nowhere and The L Word (winners several times over), but Skins and Grey's Anatomy have stepped up to be the new mainstays, giving us Naomily vs. Calzona, with Brittana from Glee struggling to hang on, though without much help from series creator Ryan Murphy. (It's not your fault, Naya Rivera!)
Overall, we think it's safe to say that things are looking up. When there are thousands of votes cast so passionately that the vote gets split four ways, that means there's a lot of lesbian content — and there's something for everyone in that.
This year we left it to you our readers first to suggest the top five nominees in each category and then to select the winners via popular vote. See the results below (along with our own staff picks)!
Also,see AfterElton.com's Visibility Awards winners here.


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Despite new hopes, US treads cautiously after death of Venezuela's Chavez
While the death of Venezuela's stridently anti-American President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday raised hopes in Washington for better US-Venezuela relations, the Obama administration reacted cautiously as it weighed the prospects for a diplomatic thaw.world Updated: Mar 06, 2013 10:30 IST
While the death of Venezuela's stridently anti-American President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday raised hopes in Washington for better US-Venezuela relations, the Obama administration reacted cautiously as it weighed the prospects for a diplomatic thaw.
President Barack Obama quickly reached out to Venezuelans, expressing an interest in a "constructive relationship" in the post-Chavez era. But analysts said it would be hard to make tangible progress when deep political uncertainty risks destabilizing the South American oil-producing nation.
Washington's challenge will be to figure out how far to go in seizing the opening to engage with Venezuelan leaders as well as its political opposition without giving the impression of US meddling following the socialist president's death after a two-year battle with cancer.
"We're not interested in having a confrontational relationship with Venezuela," a senior US official told Reuters. "We're going to have to see how things evolve. It's a dynamic period."
For Washington, a major test will be whether Venezuela follows its own constitution - which has been widely interpreted to require a special election to pick Chavez's successor - and if such a vote is conducted in a free and fair way in "accordance with hemispheric norms," the official said.
Washington had accused Chavez and his allies of electoral abuses, such as intimidating foes and misusing state media during his 14-year rule.
Chavez had created headaches for successive US administrations with his strong anti-American rhetoric and his alliances with some of Washington's main foes, including Cuba and Iran. The question now is whether his leftist "revolution" and incendiary foreign policy can live on without his dominant personality at the helm.
In a normally divided Washington, Chavez's death brought a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, with Republicans and Democrats alike seeing it as a chance to turn a page after a long period of strained US-Venezuelan ties.
"Hugo Chavez was a destabilizing force in Latin America, and an obstacle to progress in the region," said Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan and chairman of the US House of Representatives intelligence committee. "I hope his death provides an opportunity for a new chapter in US-Venezuelan relations."
"Hopefully there will be a peaceful transition of power in Venezuela with real, meaningful democratic reforms," US Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida, said in a message on Twitter.
Obama's not-so-subtle message
Obama called it a "challenging time" for Venezuela and - in a measured but not-so-subtle message to Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's preferred successor - said the United States "remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for human rights."
Taking the chill off the relationship between Washington and Caracas will not be easy.
Recent US efforts to improve long-dormant cooperation in areas like drug interdiction and regional security were favorably received at first in Caracas but ultimately failed to yield any real progress, the senior administration official said.
And Washington was quick to reject Maduro's accusations, made just hours before his announcement of Chavez's death, that the United States had been engaged in a conspiracy against the president and Venezuela.
"Their statements and actions today call into question their interest in having a functional and productive relationship with the United States," the official said.
Chavez, who took on Cuban leader Fidel Castro's role as Latin America's most vocal critic of Washington, accused the United States of pursuing imperialist policies in the region as he used Venezuela's oil wealth to bolster leftist allies.
As for whether Washington hoped to see Venezuela move away from its alliance with communist-ruled Cuba, the US official said: "That's up to them to determine who their partners are." But the official added that Washington has not hesitated to make known its displeasure when "there were relationships with actors of concern."
US officials had contended that Chavez' rule eroded democratic freedoms in Venezuela and he went too far in concentrating power in his own hands.
But any overt US effort to intervene in Venezuela's politics now would almost certainly backfire, and possibly harm the anti-Chavez opposition.
"It is a delicate time. I think the United States needs to be very patient and not become a factor internally in a way that ... could become negative," said Arturo Valenzuela, the US State Department's top official for the Western Hemisphere from 2009 to 2011.
Despite the tensions between them, Venezuela has remained a major oil supplier to the United States.
Chavez had originally spoken of seeking better relations with the White House when Obama took office in 2009 after the departure of George W. Bush, whom the Venezuela leader once called "the devil."
But that quickly soured, with Chavez saying Obama was disappointing the world by sticking to Bush's policies.
The US embassy in Caracas has been without an ambassador since 2010 when Chavez rejected the US appointee. That led Washington to revoke credentials of Venezuela's ambassador.
Latin America experts warned of upheaval to come in Venezuela that could complicate any US efforts.
"You're going to have forces within 'Chavismo' vying for power and for the spot of Hugo Chavez," said Carl Meacham of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Is it going to get better?" he asked, referring to US ties. "I'd say probably not."
But analysts said change will come, albeit not immediately.
"Chavez has played an outsized role in the hemisphere," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas think tank. "So his passing will change hemisphere politics. This is an ending of an era or the beginning of a new one."


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Julie Sherwood
Class of 2010
Major/Minor: Human Development/Psychology
Campus Involvement
- Major: Human Development (Elementary Certification)
- Minor: Psychology
- Greek Life: Alpha Chi Omega
- Athletics: Women's Basketball
- Washington College Orchestra
- Peer Mentor
Alpha Chi Omega
As Vice President of Risk Management for Alpha Chi Omega Beta Pi, Julie is responsible for educating members regarding risk management and their overall well being. She ensures that members are knowledgeable about how to minimize risk and increase safety in their lives. During the course of the year it will be her job to bring various speakers to campus that will further educate members of the chapter, college, and community on different risk management issues.
Hometown? Fairfield, CT