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What Is The Securest Way To Travel?

A credit card, the biggest beneficiary of the ...

Travellers are used to putting their guard up when it comes to visiting ‘suspicious’ unknown locations, but perhaps they should also be wary when it comes to simply booking their flights! Earlier this month, employees at Flyline, a British Airways (BA) operation in Bremen have been accused of misusing confidential credit card passed on to them through the booking process.

When it comes to booking flights, it’s not only these extreme security breaches that might end up hurting your finances. Many airline providers charge extra for credit cards bookings, such as British Airways and BMI, who add an additional charges on top of their fees. While these can easily be avoided by using a debit card, others are more churlish when it comes to any form of card spending. Monarch and Jet2 force customers to pay a 5% fee and a minimum of plus 2.25% for credit card, but don’t worry there is an escape clause…..

If you are worried about relying on your regular credit card to pay for your excursions, why not rely on a special pre-paid travel credit card? Especially for a small business, credit cards can be a luxury. A prepaid card can help curb extra expenses for you or your business. I know I can spend more than I can afford if it is handed to me, especially on holiday, so i have found one of the impulse spender who’s afraid of wasting a few dozen pounds on gaudy souvenirs; not for responsible users who don’t want to be tied down to a limited budget.

Peter Harrison, the travel-money expert at moneysavingsupermarket.com has some sobering words about the state of the industry: “Unfortunately there is no one product that ticks every box, so customers who are unhappy with their current provider need to understand their requirements and shop around to ensure they are using the most appropriate product.”


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About Arundel

Arundel is a compact market town and civil parish in a steep vale of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. It lies 49 miles (79 km) SSW of London, 18 miles (29 km) WNW of Brighton on the English Channel, and 10 miles (16 km) east of the county town of Chichester. Larger nearby towns include Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. The much-conserved town with large green buffers has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Although smaller in population than most other parishes, Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much larger Chichester in its number of listed buildings in

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September 21 19:51 2016

According to estimates by the Brazilian Federal Public Ministry, the resources diverted by corruption schemes in Brazil lacerates the public reserves in about R$ 200 billions per year. But if the assault promoted by corruption has this scale, the dimension of the damage caused by bad administration is incalculable.

Together, this combination can hold a country on misery. The analysis comes from economic assessor of Parana’s Federation of Commercial and Business Associations and Professor at FGV, Arthur Schuler da Igreja.

He mentions the Petrobras case as an example, where corruption and incompetence have created a tragic combo. “Fraud losses  at Petrobras, investigated by Lava Jato operation, were estimated in R$ 6 billions. In the other hand, the misleading administrative decisions, such as federal government’s decision to artificially hold the price of fuels in order to control inflation since 2005, have caused a devastation – at least R$ 50 billions in loss by bad administration, additionally, the loss of value in the stock market was R$436 billions in the same period”.

In corruption cases, the most harmful thing aren’t the financial losses. One of the worst impacts, according to Arthur Igreja’s understanding, is the moral. “The robbery of politicians isn’t the worst of all. More damaging is the idea that ends up being transmitted with this robbery, the idea that the illicit is somehow acceptable. It makes many people start to believe  that they can evade taxes for instance, because if politicians can, why shouldn’t the rest of population do it too? This is the big cancer of corruption”. “When a politician is caught pocketing R$ 79 millions, we get frustrated because it’s a great amount of money. But there are 204 millions of Brazilian citizens. The impact of the small individual decisions is much bigger’’.

Corruption destroys trust and promotes bureaucracy as a consequence. “When corruption is impregnated, business are made at defensive mode. That means more contracts, more litigation, more lawyers…more guarantees are required”, Igreja says. “Everyone creates steps to prevent corruption, motivated by the feeling that they will be betrayed. That’s why a corrupted country, by definition, is poor and inefficient”.

Another loss is on competitiveness. A non reliable country has problems to compete with others that are not highly corrupted. “The corrupted nation is more expensive because of it’s bureaucracy. It’s hard to compete in the international market”. The result is poverty, and that opens the way to more corruption. “The cycle becomes almost impossible to be broken”, says Arthur Igreja.

Besides that, companies located in corrupted countries have between 7% to 10% more employees than the ones from not corrupted countries, which represents more work cost. The interests rates also become higher. Money gets more expensive resulting in less money circulation and decrease in the economic activity.

Incompetence is even harder to be measured. That’s because it’s only possible to calculate consequences that come from concrete actions. Decisions not made and negligence, for example, also constitute lack of management, but are hard to evaluate.

According to Arthur, the incompetence at the Brazilian public government becomes astounding when the immobilized patrimony of state companies are compared to private companies. State owned companies have 48% of the immobilized patrimony in Brazil, but generate only 24% of the GDP. “In other words, for each R$1 of patrimony they have, they generate R$0,50 in revenues.”, Arthur Igreja analyses. Meanwhile, private companies have the other 52% of the national patrimony with 76% of the GDP generation. “Some clear examples are Vale and Embraer, that used to be irrelevant companies internationally and, as soon as they were privatized, they became important global players.

Arthur Igreja also mentions the case of the Provisional Measure 579, that  suddenly changed the rules of concession renovations. The result of this “non-market decision” was disastrous. A study of the National Industry Confederation (CNI) points that, in the last 43 years, the investment level had a 60% reduction in relation to the GDP.  “Nowadays Brazil is the country with the most expensive energy bill in the world. This incompetent decision has penalized the electric system in more than R$ 130 billions”, according to Arthur Igreja.

Media Contact
Contact Person: Arthur Schuler da Igreja
Email: Send Email
Phone: +55 45 8819 0826
Country: Brazil


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Superhydrophobic Coating Market is expected to reach USD 11.2 million by 2024: Radiant Insights

September 30 20:56 2016

The global Superhydrophobic Coating Market is expected to reach USD 11.2 million by 2024, according to a new report by Radiant Insights. Depleting freshwater reserves are one of the key concerns driving the demand for self-cleaning technologies. Superhydrophobics are completely water-repellent, fostering dirt to slide off from their surface at even slight elevation angles, which makes them ideal for solar panels & similar applications.

 Download Full Research Report on Superhydrophobic Coating @

Expanding consumer electronics industry in emerging economies and the subsequent rise in demand for durable materials with complete waterproofing properties is another key driver for industry growth. Leather and nonwoven textiles are also increasingly utilizing them to provide comfort to consumers while eradicating washing cycles.

Anti-microbial accounted for over 41% of global volume in 2015. These coatings are witnessing high demand from the medical sector for manufacturing dermatologically compatible, pathogen-resistant surgical instruments, operating gowns & gloves along with other devices.

Browse All Reports of This Category @

Further key findings from the report suggest:

•           The global Superhydrophobic Coating Market demand was over 50 tons in 2015 and is expected to exceed 110 tons by 2024, growing at an estimated CAGR of 9.4% from 2016 to 2024

•           Increasing demand for entirely water-repellent technologies is driving industry growth in consumer electronics and textiles

•           Developments in the nanotechnology field are creating durable coatings with greater corrosion resistance under duress, which in turn is boosting their demand in industrial applications

Request a Free Sample Copy of this Report @

           Carbon nanotubes were the leading raw materials used and accounted for over 33% of overall volume in 2015. In recent years, lightweight properties, high resistance to temperature changes and technological compatibility have driven segment growth.

•           Gel-based silica is likely to witness significant growth on account of its economic viability and processability. Gel-based silica witnessed high penetration in the electrical & electronics industries, as a result of high demand for waterproof consumer electronics, printed circuit boards, solar panels, flexible & other electronics

•           Demand in the medical & healthcare sector is anticipated to grow at a high CAGR of over 10% from 2016 to 2024. The coatings make all contact surfaces highly water resistant, which in turn reduces the risk of infection or pathogens.

•           Major market participants such as Rust-Oleum & UltraDry are dominant across the global superhydrophobic coatings industry

•           Other market players include P2i International Ltd., UltraTech International Inc., Lotus Leaf Inc., NEI Corporation, NTT Advanced Technology, Hydrobead Aculon among several others.

Read more related reports by Radiant Insights:

•           Microfluidics Market

The global microfluidics market is expected to reach USD 10 billion by 2024. The demand for this sector is expected to upsurge due to the introduction of improved technology, such as digital microfluidics, which enables on-chip biochemical analysis.

•           Microscope Market

The global microscope market is expected to reach USD 12.7 billion by 2024. The market for microscopes is majorly driven by the booming semiconductor industry and the rising research and development (R&D) initiatives in the fields of nanotechnology and life sciences. In addition, the continually rising number of investments deployed for the emerging application areas and the miniaturization trend of transistor chips is further driving the global market growth.

Media Contact
Company Name: Radiant Insights, Inc.
Contact Person: Michelle Thoras, Corporate Sales Specialist – USA
Email: Send Email
Phone: (415) 349-0054, Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519
Address:28 2nd Street, Suite 3036
City: San Francisco
State: California
Country: United States


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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Two for Tuesday

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Today, I am busting open two packs of cards because I feel like tossing out an old-school retro "Two for Tuesday" like radio stations used to do before they were taken over by huge, mindless corporations. Oh, was that a bit much?

No pics for this post until I can get to the house and scan 'em in...

The first pack is Topps 2006 Series 2. 12 cards per pack.

Kevin Millwood - Rangers - FREE AGENT
Yadier Molina - Cardinals - E_Rose (Wahoo!!)
Ozzie Guillen (Mgr) - White Sox - FREE AGENT
Jeromy Burnitz - Pirates - FREE AGENT
Jason Bartlett - Twins - FREE AGENT
Scott Rolen - Cardinals - Kerry Biggs (Wahoo!!)
Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals - Tim_Gretchen (Wahoo!!)
Alexander Hamilton - US Constitution
Tim Corcoran - Rays - FREE AGENT
Matt Capps - Pirates - FREE AGENT
Gregg Zaun - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Braves Team Checklist

Hey! How cool that Kerry and Erin both got players! Way to go, you love birds. :-)

The second pack is 1990 Topps Big 2nd Series. 8 cards per pack.

Ron Darling - Mets - FREE AGENT
John Olerud - Blue Jays - akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Pete Smith - Braves - FREE AGENT
Mel Hall - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Phil Bradley - Orioles - FREE AGENT
Checklist 111-220
Andy Van Slyke - Pirates - Cardanathema (Wahoo!!)
Ozzie Guillen (Player) - White Sox - FREE AGENT

Congrats to you two! Way to go!! Pretty cool to pull Guillen as a manager in one pack and then as a player in the next. If someone claims him later, they'll have a couple cards from different phases of a man's career.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: In The Tribe

Good evening, folks! We're ready to kick off another night of pack-busting goodness! Tonight, I've managed to grab a pack of 1993 Leaf. 14 cards per pack. Let's see what this little blast from past has to bring.

Ted Power - Indians (Wahoo!) - FREE AGENT
Dan Gladden - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Rafael Palmeiro - Rangers - JRBeasley (Wahoo!!)
Milt Cuyler - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Mark Clark - Cardinals - FREE AGENT
Jeff Kent - Mets - Samuel Pair (Wahoo!!)
Bill Swift - Giants - FREE AGENT
Dwight Gooden - Mets - Community Gum (Wahoo!!)
Bud Black - Giants - FREE AGENT
Kurt Stillwell - Padres - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Mariano Duncan - Phillies - FREE AGENT
Mark Grace - Cubs - Community Gum (Wahoo!!)
Rheal Cormier - Cardinals - FREE AGENT
Albert Belle - Indians (Wahoo!) - davidinark (Wahoo!!)

We pulled a Clark/Kent combo. That had to be intentional. Or plain lucky. Community Gum walked away with a pair, and a couple other folks snagged players, too.  The whole break was a "one for you, one free agent, one for you..." kind of thing, basically. That's was fun to watch develop!  I even managed to snag a Belle card. Not too shabby.

Free Agent Draft #4

Sorry this is so late (er, early depending on your perspective). This draft was randomized and then run through my manual collapsing snake draft.  Let's see if this works out better for folks. Of course, as I have said, the more names you pick, the better your odds. Well, in theory anyway.

This is the list after running it through Random.org:

This is the list after the collapsing snake draft:

Just a reminder of how this worked. If your player was already picked, the rest of your player choices were shifted to the left to fill the gap. This was repeated as I moved down and up the rounds accordingly. As you can see, this resulted in a total of 4 rounds before all player choices were highlighted.  Luck of the draw meant some folks were shut out because their choices were drafted before I reached them in the list. That's the nature of the beast with drafts. Except for Joe Smith, all my picks were gobbled up quickly! Maybe 10 picks per draft isn't quite enough. Haha!

Here is the updated Player/Manager List:

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Before the Draft

I figured I would post a break before I ran this week's Free Agent Draft. Hopefully, we'll see cards we've seen before and dole them out after the draft. Then again, it is always fun to bust a pack in which every player is already signed!

Tonight, I've got a pack of 2009 UD Spectrum. 4 cards per pack. Man, only 4 cards... Bummer.

Carlos Beltran - Mets - Paul.Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Frank Thomas - Athletics - Brauer144 (Wahoo!!)
Aaron Rowand - Giants - FREE AGENT
Jason Giambi - Yankees - FREE AGENT

What?? Am I the only surprised that Giambi is a free agent? Probably. Haha! Well, we split the pack. Two managers snagged cool cards, and two players will go into the draft next time since we hadn't seen them before. I really thought we had seen Rowand before, though. Not according to Access, anyway. A quick sort and I see we had Aaron Rowe and Hank Aaron. One could see how I would confuse Rowand with either of those, I'm sure. HA!

I will have the results of the draft later this evening!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Super-sized Saturday

I possess a slew of over-sized card packs. Some I already had and some were supplied through the generosity of others. In all, I have ten (10!) packs of these super-sized superstars and I am busting them *ALL* open today! Remember that any new Free Agents will be added to next week's draft. Any free Agents already in this week's draft will go to the manager claiming them in this week's picks. I know, it's all a bit confusing sometimes.

Either way, here is what I am busting open today:

  • Six (6) packs of 1983 Donruss Action All-Stars w/Mickey Mantle Puzzle
  • One (1) pack of Donruss Pop-Ups (1 pop-up, Clemente Puzzle, and 3 cards)
  • Three (3) packs of 1986 Donruss ML All-Stars (1 Pop-up, 3 cards, Aaron puzzle)
Let's start with the one pack of Pop-up. At least I can find the date that way. The copyright is 1986, but I think these are really 1987. A quick check online, and yes, these are 1987.

Cal Ripken Jr Pop-Up - Orioles - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Mike Witt - Angels - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Chris Brown - Giants - FREE AGENT
Wade Boggs - Red Sox - ScottCrawfordOncards (Wahoo!!)
Steve Sax - Dodgers - gcrl (Wahoo!!)
Clemente Puzzle 1,2,3 - Pirates - EG9460 (Wahoo!!)

Congratulations, managers! Well done. These over-sized cards will be a nice addition to each of your collections. But, wait! There's more.

Here are three (3) packs of 1986 Donruss Pop-ups:

Aaron puzzle 40, 41, 42 - Braves - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
Dale Murphy Pop-Up - Braves - Backstop.Cards (Wahoo!!)
Pete Rose - Reds - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Dave Winfield - Yankees - Backstop.Cards (Wahoo!!)
Tim Wallach - Expos - FREE AGENT

Oh, man! So close. We almost batted .1000 there!

Aaron puzzle 28, 29, 30 - Braves - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
Tony Gwynn Pop-up - Padres - Backstop.Cards (Wahoo!!)
Pete Rose - Reds - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Phil Bradley - Mariners - FREE AGENT
Dale Murphy - Braves - Backstop.Cards (Wahoo!!)

Seeing double? Weird that two packs would start out with the exact same managerial handouts. Congratulations!

Aaron puzzle 43, 44, 45 - Braves - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
George Brett Pop-up - Royals - Josh.Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Wade Boggs - Red Sox - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!)
Willie McGee - Cardinals - Kerry Biggs (Wahoo!!)
Ernie Whitt - Blue Jays - (current) FREE AGENT

Definitely a pattern in these: four hits and 1 Free Agent in every pack. We only pulled on player that is on the current Free Agent list, so if someone claims Whitt this draft, they'll get this card.

Last, but not least, we have SIX (6) packs of 1983 Donruss Action All-Stars!

Mantle puzzle 19, 20, 21 - Yankees - StealingHome (Wahoo!!)
Robert Horner - Braves - FREE AGENT
Cal Ripken Jr - Orioles - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Gary Carter - Expos - Paul.Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Buddy Bell - Rangers - FREE AGENT
Terry Kennedy - Padres - FREE AGENT
Damaso Garcia - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT

Nice pulls for a couple managers! Let's see what else we have in here.

Mantle puzzle 22, 23, 24 - Yankees - StealingHome (Wahoo!!)
Dale Murphy - Braves - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Joe Niekro - Astros - FREE AGENT
Mike Schmidt - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Toby Harrah - Indians (Wahoo!) - JRBeasley (Wahoo!!)
Dale Murphy - Braves - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Hal McRae - Royals - FREE AGENT

Wow. I had forgotten what collation was like back in the 80's. Nothing like getting a duplicate in the same pack. Well, congrats to everyone, and a special WOW to BacktopCards for pulling the same card twice.

Mantle puzzle - 40, 41, 42 - Yankees - StealingHome (Wahoo!!)
Jason Thompson -Pirates - FREE AGENT
Lonnie Smith - Cardinals - FREE AGENT
Buddy Bell - Rangers - FREE AGENT
Rickey Henderson - Athletics - Patrick.M.Smith (Wahoo!!)
Gaylord Perry - Mariners - IrishTribeFan (Wahoo!!)
Lonnie Smith - Cardinals - FREE AGENT

Well, look what we have - another duplicate. On the other hand, check out the two HOFers we've pulled! That is awesome. In fact, we're pulling  a lot of great players from the era in these. Yes, I know, these are the All-Stars. Still...

Mantle puzzle - 43, 44, 45 - Yankees - StealingHome (Wahoo!!)
Carl Yastrzemski - Red Sox - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Lance Parrish - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Robin Yount - Brewers - Patrick.M.Smith (Wahoo!!)
Rod Carew - Angels - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Carl Yastrzemski - Red Sox - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Lance Parrish - Tigers - FREE AGENT

Another duplicate in a pack. Actually, TWO duplicates! At least we're talking All-Stars here, so the dupes are great regardless. Man, seeing a Rod Carew come out of a pack today is just as exciting as if I had been opening it for the first time in '83. Wow!

*In 1982, Yas had been playing 21 years in the majors, all for the Red Sox. That is awesome.

Mantle puzzle 31, 32, 33 - Yankees - StealingHome (Wahoo!!)
Dave Winfield - Yankees - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
George Brett - Royals - Josh Denhertog (Wahoo!!)
Dave Stieb - Blue Jays - akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Bruce Sutter - Cardinals - E_Rose (Wahoo!!)
Dave Concepcion - Reds - FREE AGENT
Fernando Valenzuela - Dodgers - Night Owl (Wahoo!!)

Wow, I didn't realize Concepcion hadn't been drafted yet. For me, one of the most fun aspects of these breaks comes when I 'rediscover' players I hadn't thought about in a long, long time...

The last break of the day is up next:

Mantle puzzle 31, 32, 33 - Yankees, StealingHome (Wahoo!!)
Carl Yastrzemski - Red Sox - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Leon Durham - Cubs - FREE AGENT
Terry Kennedy - Padres - FREE AGENT
Action All-Stars Checklist
Pete Rose - Phillies - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Tim Lollar - Padres - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)

How's that for a Super-Sized Saturday break? Several folks got players. Workman managed to grab Pete Rose playing for two different teams while BConrad snagged nearly a handful of the Yas. It was nice to see a few names get cards that we haven't seen much of so far, too! Glad to help out adding these to your collections.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Tribecards Free Agent Draft #4

Hey, everyone! Well, it turned out that a rain storm prevented my son from playing in his last regular game of the season. We haven't heard if there will be a make-up game or not before the regionals start.

In the meantime, Here are a couple interesting facts about the Tribecards from Outer Space giveaway so far:

  • There are currently 83 Free Agents available to choose from!
  • There have been 748 different players revealed during our breaks.
  • The Top 5 Drafters are: BoRosny, Josh.Denhartog, Backstop.Cards, Dawgbones, and Thorzul. That is, they are the managers with the most players in their roster.
  • According to a rough check, DanHouck and Workman are tied for the most cards owned (11 by my mostly-accurate count).  So, as you can see, having the most players drafted does not necessarily equal more cards in your stack.
Enough of the chit-chat, I know, I know. You want the Free Agent Draft #4.  We will choose up to 10 players. This week, I will give the collapsing snake draft another try and see how it goes. Regardless of the style of draft, the way to get more players is to select more players. Some of us (I am in this group) choose less than a handful in the draft. That greatly reduces the odds of actually getting our drafted players, no matter how you cut it. Some folks select 10 players every time, thus increasing their chances of getting more cards. Food for thought.

Here is the link to this week's Free Agent Draft:

Tribecards from Outer Space: Afternoon Delight

Hey everyone! I am doing a special "mid-day" edition of TFOS (Or whatever we're calling this! Haha!). I will most likely be late with the Free Agent Draft this evening due to my son playing in his final regular season baseball game of the year - of his Senior Year, no less!

I am going to brag a bit here: My son has grown into a wonderful baseball player. As a kid, he was afraid of the ball, got very emotional when he struck out, and actually took time away from the sport for a couple years.  When he rejoined, he had a renewed focus that has translated into him leading the team in unassisted double plays, some great clutch hitting, and serving as something of a spiritual leader for the team. I am one proud Daddy!

So, when the draft is delayed this evening, you'll know why. :-)

In the meantime, let's rip open a pack:

2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic. 5 cards per pack.

Mariano Rivera - Yankees - BrownPG (Wahoo!!)
David Wright - Mets - Paul.Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
World History Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani
Matt Holliday - Cardinals - E_Rose (Wahoo!!)
Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals - Tim_Gretchen (Wahoo!!)

Awesome! Every player has a manager, and the only card not going to a manager yet is the World History insert. Congratulations, managers! That is how I wish all the breaks went. Then again, we wouldn't have Free Agent drafts if that happened!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Three for Thursday

Tonight, at my daughter's softball practice, I volunteered to serve as catcher. That is, I was the guy behind the plate with no gear on. I did fairly well, considering I have never actually served as catcher in any capacity for any team. My knees took a bit of a beating, and I can say that I'm glad we decided several years ago that two kids were all we wanted.

Tonight, I am opening a tri-fold pack of 1988 Topps. It's a cello rack pack! There are 42 cards, plus one special All-Star card.  I'm not sure how 'special' it is, though, since it is the first card on top of the first section of the cello pack. I mean, I already know who is on the 'special' card.  Oh well, let's get ripping!

Here is the first (top) section:

George Bell All Star - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Jim Rice Turn Back the Clock - Red Sox - FREE AGENT (Really!? wow.)
Dave LaPoint - White Sox - FREE AGENT
Randy Bush - Twins - FREE AGENT
Pedro Guerrero - Dodgers - FREE AGENT
John Wathan - Royals - FREE AGENT
Eddie Murray '87 Record Breakers (fixed*) - Orioles - Sngldaddy (Wahoo!!)
Ron Blomberg Turn Back the Clock - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Doyle Alexander - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Roger McDowell - Mets - FREE AGENT
Kevin Mitchell - Giants - FREE AGENT
Alejandro Pena - Dodgers - FREE AGENT
Tim Conroy - Cardinals - FREE AGENT
Jerry Reuss - Angels - FREE AGENT
Dave Anderson - Dodgers - FREE AGENT
Glenn Wilson - Phillies - FREE AGENT

Wahoo! Way to go Sngldaddy! The only manager to snag a player from the first section. Nice job.

*the 1987 set also had Record Breakers without the box on the front explaining the record. The Error cards are worth more, if you're into that sort of thing.

The second section has:

Tom Pagnozzi - Cardinals - FREE AGENT
Darren Daulton - Phillies - FREE AGENT
Ed Correa - Rangers - FREE AGENT
Daryl Boston - White Sox - FREE AGENT
Ozzie Virgil - Braves - FREE AGENT
Dennis Powell - Mariners - DanHouck (Wahoo!!)
Pat Clements - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Greg Gross - Phillies - FREE AGENT
Chris Speir - Giants - FREE AGENT
Paul Assenmacher - Braves - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)
Luis Polonia - Athletics - BoRosny (Wahoo!!)
Doug Jones - Indians (Wahoo!) - Workman41 (Wahoo!!)
Dave Bergman - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Mark Knudson - Brewers - FREE AGENT

Okay, now we're starting to get somewhere! Four hits in the second part of this cello pack. Congratulations, managers!

Now, let's see what's in the final section of the cello:

Gary Carter - Mets - Paul.Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Mike Fitzgerald - Expos - FREE AGENT
Ernie Whitt - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Dave Martinez - Cubs - FREE AGENT
Howard Johnson - Mets - Paul.Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Jimy Williams - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Willie McGee - Cardinals - KerryBiggs (Wahoo!!)
John Christensen - Mariners - FREE AGENT
Kirk Gibson - Tigers - DonSherm (Wahoo!!)
Jose Cruz - Astros - SamuelPair (Wahoo!!)
Kelly Gruber - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Denny Walling - Astros - FREE AGENT
Bret Saberhagen - Royals - Josh.Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Manny Trillo - Cubs - FREE AGENT

Excellent! A double-shot for Paul and a couple other managers grabbed a player, too. Not a bad way to end the evening!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Double Play

Welcome to Wednesday, folks! I'm feeling a two-pack break coming on. Let's rip open some wax and have some fun!

First up, 2012 Topps Chrome. 4 cards per pack.

Justin Verlander - Tigers - DonSherm (Wahoo!!)
Kirk Nieuwenhuis - Mets - FREE AGENT
Jason Vargas - Mariners - FREE AGENT
Curtis Granderson - Yankees - BP_Weber (Wahoo!!)

Way to go! Start and end the pack with hits. Let's see if the next pack brings us as much luck. BTW, the weird schmutz on the Kirk card was something on the scanner. It's not on the card.

2012 Panini Triple Play. 7 items per pack.

A.J. Pierzynski - White Sox - FREE AGENT
Kurt Suzuki - Athletics - FREE AGENT
Mat Latos - Reds - FREE AGENT
Grand Slam Tattoos
Paul Konerko Sticker - White Sox - Jccsst (Wahoo!!)
Roy Halladay (Puzzle 1/9)- Phillies - akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Justin Upton (Puzzle 6/9) - dayf (Wahoo!!)

Well, it started out slow, but three hits at the end brought it around! Congrats everyone!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Yee-Haw! Rustlin' in some cards.

I am getting a late post in tonight because my daughter's Dixie League-ish rule softball team had their first official game of the season. I have to say, it is WAY different being inside the dugout than on the other side of the fence. It is a lot of fun, though! Our girls won 12-3 or 12-5 or it could have been 10-3 or 10-5. I didn't really keep up and the scoreboard was missing more than a few bulbs.

Tonight, I am opening a pack of 2012 Update Series. 12 cards per pack.

Matt Albers - Red Sox - FREE AGENT
Alfredo Simon - Reds - FREE AGENT
Chris Nelson - Rockies - FREE AGENT
Josh Hamilton - Rangers - JRBeasley (Wahoo!!)
Edward Mujica - Cardinals - FREE AGENTS
Casey McGehee (Red Border) - Pirates - FREE AGENT
Jason Castro (Gold 1866/2012) - Astros - FREE AGENT
Billy Butler (Golden Moments) - Royals - Josh.Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Joe Smith - Indians (Wahoo!) - FREE AGENT
Buster Posey (All-Star) - Giants - Community Gum (Wahoo!!)
C.J. Wilson (All-Star) - Angels - CattleRustler (Wahoo!!)
Yu Darvish (All Star) - Rangers - CattleRustler (Wahoo!!)

Whew! For a moment, I didn't think we were going to have any successful managers. But, JRBeasley started us off and CattleRustler finished strongly! I have a feeling Jason Castro (Not the American Idol dude) will be a hot target in the next Free Agent Draft.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Truly Vintage

Heritgae, Vintage, Retro... Whatever you call it, the term just means "we couldn't think of a new design, so we're going to use an old one and hope that everyone either loves it or doesn't remember it i the first place." Rarely is it either, at least in my opinion.

Well, tonight, I have a special treat. We're doing ACTUAL vintage cards from 1978. Yes, you read that right. As I mentioned in the 1979 card post, these packs appear to have been opened, searched, then resealed. I don't even care, really. I got a good deal on cards that came out back when I wasn't even a 10-year old yet. How do you argue with that?

My brother and I always referred to these as "The Written Kind" because the team names were in a sorta-script font (not that we knew what a 'font' was back then).

Jerry Remy - Angels - FREE AGENT
Jim Kaat - Phillies - FREE AGENT
John Candelaria/Frank Tanana - Pirates/Angels - FREE AGENT/FREE AGENT
Pat Rockett - Braves - FREE AGENT
Joe Lahoud - Royals - FREE AGENT
Steve Kemp - Tigers - DonSherm (Wahoo!!)
Jesse Jefferson - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Pete Redfern - Twins - FREE AGENT
Mike Torrez - Red Sox - FREE AGENT
Santo Alcala - Expos - FREE AGENT
Jim Spencer - White Sox - FREE AGENT
Greg Minton - Giants - FREE AGENT
Doug Rader - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Earl Weaver - Orioles - FREE AGENT

Wow, only one hit in the whole pack! Congrats to Don! I've mentioned before that Don lives in a town not far from me. In fact, I used to work in that town many years ago! We also just added a BUNCH of players to the Free Agent Draft for this coming Friday! I've got a couple that I am going to try to get. How about you?

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Tribecards Free Agent Draft #3

Yoy. So, last week, I accidentally replaced the link for Managers/Players on the "Info" page with the Free Agent Draft! D'oh! This week, if you look at the "Info" page, I have added two links at the bottom to avoid that in the future. Since this week's Free Agent Draft is over, it is not a live link. However, the updated manager/player list is updated (also linked below).

We had several shut-outs this week. That is all about the luck of the draw for randomizing and the order you happen to pick your players - just like a fantasy draft.

 Here is the randomized list. FYI, I take the list of names straight from the Google Form in the order they were listed (according to date submitted). I then paste that list into random.org (click to enlarge):
 This is the reordered list before any drafting (click to enlarge):

This is the list after the drafting (click to enlarge):

Here is the final list after all the white space was removed (click to enlarge):

Current list of managers/players: Right Here!

Tribecards from Outer Space: Post B-Day Pack #2

Hey, everyone!
  Here is the second pack of the night! I am busting open a pack of 2011 Topps Baseball Update Series. 12 cards per pack.

Wilson Ramos - Nationals - FREE AGENT
Grant Balfour - Athletics - FREE AGENT
Gerald Laird - Cardinals - FREE AGENT
D.J. LeMahieu - Cubs - FREE AGENT
J.J. Hardy - Orioles - Thorzul (Wahoo!!)
Tony Campana - Cubs - Mark Aubrey (Wahoo!!)
Danny Duffy (MiniChampions) - Royals - FREE AGENT
Al Kaline - Tigers - Bp_Weber (Wahoo!!)
Adrian Beltre - Rangers - JRBeasley (Wahoo!!)
Howie Kendrick - Angels - FREE AGENT
Jhonny Peralta - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Hunter Pence - Phillies - Samuel Pair (Wahoo!!)

Wow! Nice job! We pulled five players and will be passing them on to their respective managers. JRBeasley just pulled his first card of the season!! *Side note: I forgot to mention that BrownPG pulled his first card in the last pack! Congrats to everyone landing cards this time.

Remember: There is still a little bit of time (at the time of this post) to get in on the Free Agent Draft #3. It will close later tonight (Sunday).

Padrographs, Baseball Dad, Apple Pie and Chevrolet

The other day, I posted a bunch of cards that I thought were from Padrographs. Well, at least SOME of them were. Some of them may have also been from a recent bubbleope from Baseball Dad. You see, somewhere in my disorganization, I think I mixed two piles of cards together.  What tipped me off? Well, I found the bubbleope, for one thing. I also found a stack of cards that I knew were from Baseball Dad because they have a variety of Arkansas Travelers in them. Rut Roh!

The cards are not as random as one might believe. In addition to the Travelers, he also threw in the Red Sox player (Zupcic) who was born in my hometown of Pittsburgh three years before I was. And, of course, since he was sure I "already owned a Bob Feller rookie card," he tossed in some other Tribers.  As far as I know, I do not own the Feller rookie.

If I mixed up the piles, please accept my apologies! In either case, THANK YOU goes out to Baseball Dad for some very cool cards!!

Tribecards from Outer Space: Post B-Day Pack #1

Hey, everyone!

I am busting open at least two packs today, and I am starting with this one: 1992 Topps Baseball. 15 cards per pack. Later tonight (CST), I will run the Free Agent Draft and bust open another pack or two or whatever hits my fancy!

John Franco - Mets - FREE AGENT
Jason Pruitt - Royals Draft Pick - FREE AGENT
Carney Lansford - Athletics - FREE AGENT
Steve Farr - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Bobby Bonilla - Pirates - Cardanathema (Wahoo!!)
Paul O'Neill - Reds - Brownpg (Wahoo!!)
Dave Gallagher - Angels - FREE AGENT
Chris James - Indians (Wahoo!) - FREE AGENT
Bill Gullickson - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Ken Griffey Sr - Mariners - FREE AGENT
Danny Tartabull - Royals - FREE AGENT
Charles Nagy - Indians (Wahoo!) - Workman41 (Wahoo!!)
Eric Plunk - Yankees - FREE AGENT
John Habyan - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Luis Sojo - Angels - FREE AGENT

There was also a "Match the Stats" game card in the pack. The prize was a pack of 1992 ToppsGold cards if I could scratch off three spots that matched the stat before I scratched an OUT. The sta is "Triple Crown MVP Frank Robinson in '66 led the Majors in HR's with 49."

There are 8 spots on the card. Let's see how I did:

BLAST! I should have known better than to hit it down the first base line on my second at-bat. For the curious, here is what the rest of the card looked like:

Welp, if we see another one of these, we'll try again. If we end up a winner, I'll buy a pack of 1992 ToppsGold online and bust it open for the giveaway!

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Happy Birthday to Me

Today, Saturday the 20th, is/was my birthday! One of my gifts was a blaster box of Gypsy Queen. But, since it's my birthday and I am not at my regular computer, I am calling for a B-Day Delay.

That's right, I'm taking the night off. I'll open at least two packs on Sunday to make up for it.

I also got some very nice wicking shirts, two iTunes cards, two Walmart cards, "Rock of Ages" DVD, "Wreck it Ralph" DVD, a family game called "In a pickle," and cash.

Oh yeah, it was also my son's Senior Prom tonight. Overall, a very Happy Birthday indeed!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Free Agent Draft Pick 3 Now Open!

Come and claim 'em! Managers, use the link below (or on the "Info" page) to head over and lay claim to your top 10 draft picks.

I stuck with 10 picks this week just to see how it goes.  We've got more than 60 Free Agents this week!

The players are arranged alphabetically by first name this time, though, so finding the one(s) you want should be easier.

Remember: You do NOT have to pick anyone if you don't want to.

Good luck and have fun!

Update: Might help if I post the link:

Tribecards from Outer Space: Big Pop-up

Before we open up the Free Agent Draft later tonight, I am busting open a pack of cards. I'll add any free agents to the draft for this weekend. Let's check it out.

I have a pack of 1986 Donruss All-Stars. 1 pop-up, 3 cards, and 3 puzzle pieces of Roberto Clemente.

Roberto Clemente (Puzzle 34, 35, 36) - Pirates - EG9460 (Wahoo!!)
Dick Howser (pop-up) - Royals - FREE AGENT
Mike Kudrow - Giants - FREE AGENT
Wally Joyner - Angels - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Glenn Davis - Astros - FREE AGENT

Lookie there! Tonight, we handed off a Clemente puzzle and one of the big cards. The pop-up will be up for grabs, so if anyone wants a Dick Howser, add him to your pick list and hope for the best.

Managers, look for the Free Agent Draft a little later!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Green with envy

I posted an entry about the amazing box of wax packs sent over by Padrographs (http://www.tribecards.net/2013/04/tribecards-padrographs-effect.html), so I figured why not bust open one of these bad boys and see what's inside, right?

2006 Topps Series 2. 12 cards per pack.

Shawn Chacon - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Shawn Green - Diamondbacks - gcrl (Wahoo!!)
Alex Rios - Blue Jays - FREE AGENT
Eric Chavez - Athletics - FREE AGENT
Victor Diaz - Mets - FREE AGENT
Eric Wedge - Indians (Wahoo!) - FREE AGENT
Luis Matos - Orioles - FREE AGENT
Francisco Cordero - Rangers - FREE AGENT
Eric Byrnes - Diamondbacks - FREE AGENT
Joel Zumaya - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Todd Pratt - Braves - FREE AGENT
Checklist 1 of 3
LA Dodgers Team Card

Way to go GCRL! As for the rest of us, well, all I can say is that there a LOT of packs still to go, especially thanks to the folks donating packs to be busted during the season.

Tribecards: The Padrographs Effect

All I can say is, "Wow!" I mean WOW! I came home to find a Priority Small Box in my mailbox. It's from Rod Richards (Padrographs). Inside? A slew of packs for the season breaks and two stacks of Indians baseball cards for my collection! Once again, i am blown away by your generosity and desire to chip in for the collective group! Thank you so much! How freakin' cool!!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Black Eyes, er, Eye Blacks!

Welcome to Wednesday night! Tonight, I am opening another pack of 2012 Panini Triple Play. There are 7 cards per pack. Or tattoos, eye blacks, stickers, oh my!

Yu Darvish - Rangers - CattleRustler (Wahoo!!)
Eric Hosmer - Royals - Josh Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Power Hitter Eye Blacks
Joel Hanrahan - Pirates - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Alex Gordon (Sticker) - Royals - Josh Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Starlin Castro - Cubs - CommunityGum (Wahoo!!)
Matt Holliday (Puzzle 6 of 9) - Cardinals - E_Rose (Wahoo!!)

That is awesome! Every card is a winner and we pulled some Eye Blacks for good measure. On top of that, Community Gum scores a first hit of the season! Great job to everyone that snagged up players from this pack. The Eye Blacks will be randomly handed out at the end of the season.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: From the Archives

Hey, everyone! Our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by the bombings in Boston and the streak of tragedies that have hit close to the Tribecards hometown. It's been a rough couple of days, to make an understatement.

In the face of tragedy, though, we slowly put lives back together, reflect on memories of those lost and look forward to those yet to come.  And, so, we move ahead and break open a pack of cards after a moment of silence...

Tonight, I've got a pack of 2012 Topps Archives. 8 cards per pack.

Shaun Marcum - Brewers - FREE AGENT
Ben Zobrist - Rays - P-Town Tom (Wahoo!!)
Matt Cain - Giants - Adam Smith (Wahoo!!)
Dan Haren - Angels - FREE AGENT
Joe Morgan (Archives Foil Stamp) - Astros - FREE AGENT
Dee Gordon - Dodgers - FREE AGENT
Johnny Cueto - Reds - FREE AGENT
Tom Seaver - Mets - Paul.Hadsall (Wahoo!!)

Huh. Joe Morgan is a free agent. Who woulda thunk it? Congrats to the managers that pulled players for their teams!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space:

As what has become the norm as of late, I begin with a bit of housekeeping: I mistakenly listed Ryan Braun as a Brewer in a previous post. Well, he is a Brewer, but not the Ryan Braun pulled from a recent pack of cards. The Ryan Z Braun pulled recently played for the Royals in 2006-07.  He will be added to next week's Free Agent Draft. At least the whole escapade gave Thorzul something to chuckle about. Speaking of, I still owe him for a "Trade Me Anything" giveaway he did about 5 months ago. Or maybe it was 5 years. Either way, a long time ago. I digress. Often.

Tonight, we're busting open a pack of 1988 Fleer. 15 Cards and 1 sticker per pack.

Astros/Mariners Team Sticker
Kevin Coffman - Braves - FREE AGENT
Lee Guetterman - Mariners - FREE AGENT
Matt Williams - Giants - FREE AGENT
Jeff Robinson - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Mark Davis - Padres - FREE AGENT
Mike Young - Orioles - FREE AGENT
Tim Leary - Dodgers - FREE AGENT
Tony Bernazard - Athletics - FREE AGENT
Casey Candaele - Expos - FREE AGENT
Danny Tartabull - Royals - FREE AGENT
Ron Oester - Reds - FREE AGENT
Paul Kilgus - Rangers - FREE AGENT
Bob Ojeda - Mets - FREE AGENT
Bob Boone - Angels - FREE AGENT
Steve Bedrosian - Phillies - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)

Whew! I was worried we had a complete pack of Free Agents! Luckily, Captain Canuck saved the day. We have certainly seen Guetterman before, and I was smart enough this time to realize that the "Michael Young" claimed by BSnider is *not* the same "Mike Young" above.

In-Season Trading for the Tribecards from Outer Space Thingy

ScottCrawford posed the following question:

"Here's a question about picks: are in-season trades of our picks possible, or would that give you ulcers on top of ulcers, Dave?"

I think in-season trades are a great idea. Of course, I can say that since we've never done them and I have no idea what kind of reaction we'll get. I need a little time to figure out how to make the trade requests happen.

Most likely, I will create a Trade Form that managers can use to propose trades. What we need to decide collectively is just WHAT is being traded. My initial thoughts were that managers could trade players only, and not specific cards. That is, I could try to trade Dillon Howard for Sandy Alomar Jr, and that would be an all-for-all proposal.  However, that is not how most of us work our collections. That is, we have a certain card we want and we have a certain card someone else wants.

Then again, I am thinking about a system similar to what eTopps has/had: Card owners submit the card(s) they have for trade plus they post the card(s) they want in exchange.

Any thoughts?

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Free Agent Draft Picks

Okay everyone, sorry for the delay in getting these posted. Wow, lots involved in getting the drafts rolled out. I am going to have to start earlier than 10pm! haha!

Here are the initial randomized names (click it to enlarge):

After the snaking draft, these are the final results:

Sorry we had several shut-outs. That's the nature of the beast, I suppose. I am trying to be as fair as I can be. If you see a flaw in the draft process, let me know and I'll be happy to at least take a look at the process from another perspective.

To see a list of all the managers and their players, (this spreadsheet) has been posted to the "Pack-A-Day Info" page above.

Tribecards from Outer Space: One card? No way.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday! I reached into the box of packs and pulled out a 1996 UD SPx pack. It has one (1) holoview die-cut card per pack. One card!? Seriously!? And people paid for this? I cannot imagine paying whatever the retail was for these back in '96.

Well, here we go:

Jim Edmonds - Angels - BoRosny (Wahoo!!)

Well, congratulations, Bo! I have to admit, the card is very cool with the hologram and die-cut border. I still can't imagine buying a pack with one card in it, though.

Since that pack only had one card, I decided to grab something else as well. Do not get used to me opening multiple packs every day! I'm sure many of you would love it, and would I, but I need to make sure I have enough to last the season (though, I will certainly be buying more as the season goes on).

The second pack today comes from Tristar. It is a 2006 ProspectsPlus Inaugural Edition pack. 5 cards per pack.

Colten* Willems - Nationals - FREE AGENT
Roger Clemens (Protential) - Lexington Legends - akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Jason Place - Red Sox - FREE AGENT
Ryan Braun - Omaha Royals - Update: FREE AGENT
Chris Parmelee - Beloit Snappers - FREE AGENT

*Colten's name is spelled Colten on the front, but Colton on the back. A quick search shows that he was logged as "Colton" according to baseball-reference. He was picked up by Washington in 2006, spent a couple years moving up and down their minor system and in 2010, he decided to retire from baseball. As for his current whereabouts, no one seems to know.

Jason Place was drafted by the Red Sox in 2006, then picked up by the Yankees. He was last seen in Trenton in 2011.

Ryan Braun, of course, plays for the Brewers. We should all pretty much know his name. is not the same guy who plays for the Brewers, as was previously misreported. So, THIS Ryan Braun, evidently "Z" Braun, will go into next week's draft.

Chris Parmelee currently plays for the Twins as 1st base/outfielder.

Congrats to everyone who picked up players. Thus far, it would seem that akgonzolyn has been raking in a lot of players. Nice job with your draft picks!

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: More Mailbag and an Itching to Scratch

Hey everyone!! As I mentioned in my last post, P-Town Tom sent a nice box of wax packs for us to open this season.  What you didn't know was that he wasn't the only one to drop some goodies off at the Tribecards household!

Mark (from Stats-on-the-Back) sent a one-of-a-kind sketch card:

I think anyone that can take an image from cardboard and translate that into a drawing on cardboard is awesome in my book!  Mark was kind enough to include the original Topps card with his sketch, too!!

Thank you SO MUCH! This one goes into my personal collection of custom cards. Very cool!! The note included said that it "only took 3-1/2 years" for him to send it to me. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm excited that it found its way home.

Also in the mail bag, my haul from a recent Gypsy Queen group break over at the DailyDimwit.  Not only did I get Indians cards, but since I was on the "share" list, I shared my duplicates with others and theirs were shared with me (plus some bit of randomization, I assume).  Here are some of the cards:

Finally, but certainly not "last" by any stretch, Kerry sent me two stacks of cards loaded with Tribe players! There are definitely some cards in there that I have not seen before (or don't remember seeing, anyway), so I am looking forward to sorting these out and adding them to my collection!

Thanks a TON, guys!! I am very humbled by your generosity. Very cool cards!

Now, I know why many of you are here... You want to see what we're busting open tonight!  Well, have I got a treat for you! I am opening a pack of 1981 Topps scratch-offs AND a pack of 1998 Pacific Aurora!

First up, the 1981 Scratch-offs. 18 cards total (9 AL and 9 NL): Note: YES, I will be breaking these apart to give each manager their rightful player. I am not counting these as "multi-player" cards. Also, I want to note that Tom specifically mentioned to me that these were a Listia win, and I thought it was important to make that distinction (versus the packs he bought at the store).

Steve Kemp - Tigers - FREE AGENT
Bruce Bochte - Mariners - FREE AGENT
Dave Stapleton - Red Sox - FREE AGENT
Tony Armas - Athletics - FREE AGENT
Carney Lansford - Angels - FREE AGENT
Roy Smalley - Twins - FREE AGENT
Rod Carew - Angels - Workman41 (Wahoo!!)
Willie Randolph - Yankees - FREE AGENT
Ed Farmer - White Sox - FREE AGENT
George Foster - Reds - FREE AGENT
Jose Cruz - Astros - Samuel Pair (Wahoo!!)
Omar Moreno - Pirates - FREE AGENT
Pete Rose - Phillies - Workman41 (Wahoo!!)
Mike Easler - Pirates - FREE AGENT
Art Howe - Astros - FREE AGENT
Jack Clark - Giants - Matthew Wilson (Wahoo!!)
Terry Puhl - Astros - FREE AGENT
Steve Rogers - Expos - FREE AGENT

Wow! Lots of players that folks may be wishing they had claimed in the initial draft! Welp, they will be for grabs in next week's Free Agent Draft. Congrats to Workman, Samuel, and Matthew!! I had fun busting open this pack. It's been a long time since I can remember opening any of these. Naturally, there is a strong temptation to scratch the dots and play the game. Haha!

Next up: 1998 Aurora

Sandy Alomar Jr - Indians (Wahoo!) - Dominicfdny (Wahoo!!)
Omar Vizquel - Indians (Wahoo!) - GoBlue2112 (Wahoo!!)
Devon White - Diamondbacks - FREE AGENT
Justin Thompson - Tigers - Don Sherman (Wahoo!!)
Chuck Finley - Angels - FREE AGENT
Brady Anderson - Orioles - FREE AGENT

Well, lookie there! A pair of Tribers in the pack! Wahoo!! Congrats, you guys! Nice snag by Don, who actually lives in a town not far from me.  Great stuff!


text:
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All new Scouts must submit a Youth Application. You may see one of the Adult Leaders to get one, or use this one online. We will also need a Health Form, Parts A & B.  (BSA Health Form Guidelines Here).

Dues are currently $65 per year--please make checks payable to "Troop 770".

You can find a lot of information to get you started here on our website, such as

Of course, if you have any questions, you can always ask your patrol leader, the senior patrol leader, or the Scoutmaster or an Assistant Scoutmaster.

Our goal is for you to achieve First Class rank within your first year with the Troop.  Advancement after that is up to you at your own pace.

Scouts earn ranks as they journey toward Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Scouting.  Ranks are earned through learning and demonstrating Scouting and outdoors skills and knowledge, earning merit badges, and participating in troop meetings, campouts, service projects, and events.

Check out the Rank page for details of advancement on the Trail to Eagle!

Scouts can earn many merit badges involving subject areas that they are interested in, but certain merit badges are required for Eagle Scout.  These change from time to time, but can be found under the Eagle rank requirements.


text:
News >

Newsletter 02-15-16

posted Feb 15, 2016, 12:36 PM by Scoutmaster Troop770   [ updated Feb 15, 2016, 12:36 PM ]
Check out all the news from Troop 770:

Scoutmaster's Message

Scouts & Parents,

Congratulations to those Scouts who passed their Boards of Review yesterday. We also had a great meeting working on Cooking Merit Badge--thanks to Jeanne Laughlin for teaching the Scouts!

We will be backpacking at Tar Jacket Ridge on February 20-21.  The weather is supposed to be nice. Add Hagan and I will be leading the Troop's Philmont Crew on a separate hike at the same time and location. We will travel together and hike at the same place, but as different groups. Please sign up here--adults, please indicate whether you are able to come. We need a couple leaders for the Troop portion of the hike (Stephen Gwyn will be leading).

The H-SC Merit Badge College is coming up February 27th!!  It will be a lot of fun! We have 27 Scouts going!

Ms. Laughlin will teach the second installment of Cooking Merit Badge February 28.
Here is what is going on:
See you for the camping trip next weekend!

David Bernhardt, Scoutmaster | Troop 770


text:
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text:
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Libraries available to download (D-L)

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  3. shape-function calculations,
  4. numerical integration,
  5. sparse and dense matrix manipulations,
  6. assembly routines,
  7. numerical solvers,
  8. exchange of common file formats

Applications
 FEMTown also includes open-source end-user applications:

  1. contribution calculations for acoustics and
  2. visco-elastic materials.

Operating Systems

  • Linux
  • PC 32-bit Windows
  • Sparc
  • SGI Irix
  • Sun
  • Cray
  • Solaris
  • HP UX
  • Unix
  • Convex
  • Dec Alpha
  • PC Windows
  • NEC, Fujitsu, Hitachi

  • Visual C++
  • GCC
  • Dec CC
  • SGI CC
  • Sun CC
  • IBM xlC
  • HP C++

Added : 2001-09-28 Amended: 2001-09-28 Licensing : Public Domain

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Discovering Lean at Hewlett Packard

The Hewlett Packard LaserJet Development team used systems engineering tools to discover the laws of Lean and increase the productivity of developing embedded and server based software by hundreds of percent. Learn from the actual work done on LaserJet products these laws of Lean. You will learn:
* How to increase software developer productivity dramatically while making the developers happier
* Lean approaches that reduce the risk of schedule slip even on very new and complex projects
* The keys to using Kanban and other principles that give constant high productivity on any size of project
* How to move from slow, costly and inaccurate planning to fast, inexpensive and accurate planning
* Learn about an approach to testing to get the best results available with Lean
* How to have accurate status to build credibility with your management
* Why some Agile efforts are much more successful
* How to have confidence in applying Lean to your important projects

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We had the honor of filming Rachel and Blake’s fun-filled and emotional wedding at at Butler Chapel and The Officer’s Club in Fayetteville, NC last summer. We loved getting to know this sweet couple and hearing the story of how they met – at a Bible study led by their officiant (which met for the first time in a boiling hot Subway). Some of our favorite moments from the day included: Rachel’s father, uncle and cousin singing “Shine on Us” a cappella, Rachel and Blake’s thoughtful (and emotional) wedding day gifts for each other, and the wedding party’s awesome reception introductions!

Wedding Day Pros: Ann’s Flowers | Davy Whitener | Five Star Entertainment | Twenty-One Films


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Solvia Invests €8M In Two Logistics Projects In Cataluña

Posted by: In: Real Estate 04 Oct 2017 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 October 2017 – Eje Prime

Solvia is strengthening its position in the logistics sector. The real estate company and property developer, which is owned by Banco Sabadell, is going to construct two new logistics platforms in Cataluña. These properties, in which Solvia will invest €8 million, will house the headquarters of Nexans and Mediapost and will be located in Polinyà (Vallès Occidental).

Solvia will finance the turn-key operations and will ultimately own the two assets, which are going to be built on land already owned by the bank, according to Expansión. Nexans and Mediapost, specialising in cable solutions and promotional marketing, respectively, will sign long-term lease contracts with Solvia.

Whilst Nexans’ warehouse will have a surface area of 7,200 m2 and will be ready by the first quarter of 2018, Mediapost’s space will have a surface area of 13,900 m2 and will be handed over during the first quarter of 2019.

In addition to developing its logistics business, Solvia is also boosting its commercial footprint across Spain. Its strategic plan includes opening 180 franchised branches and 36 own offices all over the country between now and 2019.

In addition, as Eje Prime revealed, Solvia plans to open branches in prime locations. The company opened a flagship store in the Spanish capital, on Calle Alcalá (in the heart of the Salamanca neighbourhood) during the first half of this year and has just opened an iconic office in the heart of Barcelona, at number 16, Ronda Universidad, a stone’s throw from fashion operators such as Zara and Desigual, as well as Apple’s flagship store in the Catalan capital.

The most recent business line to be developed by Solvia is that of real estate brokerage, with companies and investors. The company is strengthening its advisory and brokerage divisions, whereby positioning itself to compete with the main consultancy firms that operate in Spain, such as CBRE, Aguirre Newman, Cushman&Wakefield and Knight Frank, for example.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

The post Solvia Invests €8M In Two Logistics Projects In Cataluña appeared first on Aura Real Estate Experts.

Source:: AURA Real Estate Experts

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«AgroInvest» — News —

Astarta released annual 2014 operations update: innovation and diversification

2015-01-23 12:39:52

Astarta reports a 15% increase of sugar beet production at 2.4 million tons as the result of 2014, compared to 2013 result. Company increased sugar production by hefty 53% to 466 thousand tons over the year, while grains and oilseeds harvest was 11% lower at 680 thousand tons. Milk production was up 14% at 104 thousand tons. New Globyno soybean processing plant was able to end its first year with 150 thousand of soybean meal, 35 thousand tons of soybean oils and 5 thousand tons of husk produced in 2014. New bioenergy complex generated 6.8 million cubic meters of biogas. Company’s CEO, Viktor Ivanchyk claimed that new segments (soybean processing and biogas) were a significant addition to company’s successful performance in 2014. At the same time, he expressed confidence in strong company’s potential for further growth and development.

UkrAgroConsult experts underline importance of further vertical integration, carried out by the company. Energy-efficiency, performance optimization and search of new markets are exactly the main goals of agri-businesses in Ukraine in 2015. Thus, we recognize company’s management effort towards further innovation and growth, despite difficult macroeconomic and overall situation in Ukraine.

UkrAgroConsult issues quarterly report “Agrarian Business in Ukraine”. Report covers quarterly operating and financial results of Public Ukrainian Agrarian companies. January Q1 2015 issue will include summary of 2014 results, as well as our forecast for 2015.  You can subscribe to the report to receive it on a quarterly basis.


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The official website for European football

Injury problems mount for Lyon

Published: Thursday 11 November 2004, 10.03CET
Eric Abidal and Hatem Ben Arfa picked up injuries along with Paris Saint-Germain FC's Danijel Ljuboja. features

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1 of 10
Published: Thursday 11 November 2004, 10.03CET

Injury problems mount for Lyon

Eric Abidal and Hatem Ben Arfa picked up injuries along with Paris Saint-Germain FC's Danijel Ljuboja.
Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain FC both face the prospect of losing key men for forthcoming UEFA Champions League matches following last night's French League Cup action.

Two more hurt
Lyon, who have lost key men Claudio Caçapa, Sylvain Wiltord, Giovane Elber and Grégory Coupet in recent weeks, saw defender Eric Abidal and forward Hatem Ben Arfa hurt during last night's 3-2 French League Cup defeat by LOSC Lille Métropole. The injuries left Lyon with nine men during extra time as all three substitutes had already been used.

Coach concern
Although the defeat was Lyon's first in 23 matches, coach Paul Le Guen was most concerned about Ben Arfa who was taken to hospital after appearing to have broken his collarbone. The 17-year-old seems set to miss Lyon's remaining two group stage fixtures at Manchester United FC and at home to AC Sparta Praha, although they have already qualified for the first knockout round.

Goalkeeper collision
Abidal, who had just been called into the France squad for next week's friendly against Poland, suffered a knee problem against his former club when he ran into goalkeeper Nicolas Puydebois although he struggled on until the end of normal time, having scored the equalising goal to force the additional 30 minutes. "Nico collided with me," Abidal said. "The pain in my knee was intense."

Elber lay-off
Elber will not return until the new year after being operated on by his former club doctor at FC Bayern München, Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. The Brazilian broke the fibula in his right leg and dislocated an ankle in August but hoped to return before the winter break. However, after the surgeon "saw something that the doctor in France missed", according to Elber, he will now be sidelined for two further months. Lyon, meanwhile, are unhappy that he returned to Germany without their permission.

Ljuboja worry
PSG were also involved in League Cup action, going through to the last 16 with a 3-2 win at Olympique de Marseille. However, the success came at a cost as Danijel Ljuboja left the pitch just after the hour with a suspected dislocated shoulder. France's other Champions League contenders, AS Monaco FC, progressed on Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory at CS Sedan-Ardennes.

Last updated: 12/11/04 12.02CET

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PARSLEY, HAMBURG Petroselinum hortense var. tuberosum SEEDS

  • 10 Units in Stock
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Large, swollen edible roots and flat deep green foliage. Grows to: 60cm. Culinary herb. Tiny, yellow-green flowers on flattened umbels in summer. Any fertile, free draining soil in sun or part shade. Syn. Parsnip rooted parsley

average seed count per packet: 250


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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Living Among Wolves–Vain Hopes For Righteousness And World Peace

“If you live among wolves, you have to act like a wolf” – Nikita Khrushchev

However much we may criticize the Russians, and no matter how far their star rises and falls, their politicians have always understood the most fundamental element of human nature, that which underlies all human activity.

Image result for images soviet union flag

Khrushchev, Stalin before him and Putin after him get it – human society has not progressed much if at all from its primitive, savage days; and unless nations play by the law of the jungle, they will be eaten alive.

Darwin started it all off, but even without his insights, historians and political philosophers could easily have seen how amoral, self-interested behavior rules every aspect of human society.  As importantly, even before the advent of Freud and psychoanalysis, students of human behavior have observed and noted the essential nature of social competition – siblings one against another; families jealous, divided, and determined to override; religious, ethnic, economic, and racial groups vying for power, authority, or at least a bigger piece of the pie.

Image result for images darwin

Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, and Machiavelli understood this primal drive for survival and supremacy and dismissed any collective or communitarian enterprise as weak and unfit.  Community, they argued, is a social construct, devised by individuals to promote and protect their individual self interest.  There is no higher value in social cohesion.  On the contrary, it is merely a means to and end – a facilitator for individual expression.

Families, courts, nations, and empires have all thrived and extended their reach and influence through conflict and pacification.  The Muslim, Chinese, Persian, Mongolian, Indian, Roman, British, and Malian empires did not achieve cultural and political hegemony through peaceful accommodation and consideration for opposing views but through the force of arms.

Without a doubt these empires lasted because of their savvy and intelligent rule, but their conquests were military.

Despite millennia of similar and predictable contentious and expansionist history, there are still those who insist that the world can be made a better, more verdant, and more peaceful place.  We are not, they say, so determined by genetic configuration; nor must we necessarily follow the same arc of events that characterized the early phases of our evolution.  We can stop the cycle of war, violence, and civil strife by overcoming our human nature.  Human initiative, morality, rational judgment, and communal purpose can overcome if not defy what seems to be but is not innate and immutable.

The progressive Left in the United States is profoundly committed to the prospect of a better world of social justice and  moral righteousness which can be achieved by commitment, zeal, and opportunity.  The conservative Right anticipates the normal swings of dominance and defeat – the predictable cycles of history – and hopes that we are in an upturn, but is not crushed if we are not.

Why then are the admonitions of Nietzsche and the statements of Russian politicians so surprising? Was it not according to the laws of competition and social evolution that Russia took over Crimea and establish hegemony over Ukraine? Is not the rise of ISIS and Islamic militancy expected in a world where political hegemony or bi-polarity has disappeared?

Image result for images nietzsche

Most importantly, what is so frightening about accepting our animal nature? Why such arrogance, such irrational belief in human exceptionalism?  While there is no doubt that homo sapiens represents a significant evolutionary step, affording intelligence, wit, insight, creativity, and perspective, why do we automatically assume that the more primitive aspects of human nature will disappear? Evolution is not a zero sum game.

No matter where we look, whether in history or drama, the result is the same.  The Shakespearean critic Jan Kott stated that if we were to read the Bard’s Histories in chronological order, we would see only a repetitious tale – kings, queens, courtiers, and pretenders, all vying for power, influence, and territory.  Since human nature underlies all human activity; and since human nature is essentially selfish, territorial, and protective, why should we be surprised at The War of the Roses?

Where in history has communalism, social harmony, peace and universal justice prevailed?
There have been attempts to reverse human nature.  Soviet Communists tried and failed.  European Socialists are still trying but fighting a losing battle.  American progressives still carry the torch of social harmony and peaceful enterprise, but have been roundly set back by the muscular, resentful, and determined Right.

Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is a story of wolves, their human masters, and the ineluctable, beautiful, primitivism of nature; but the moral of London’s story is far from human or compassionate.  It is one of fierce, dominant survival.

Image result for images london's call of the wild

The Call of the Wild is told from the perspective of Buck, a German Shepherd-St. Bernard mix who has been born and raised in Southern California, but because of his strength and obedience, he is sold to be part of Alaskan dog teams. It is a story of how Buck survived the North, the abuse and mistreatment of his owners; and the challenges of his competitors.  Buck quickly learns to respect the law of ‘Club and Fang” – the intimidating brutality of sled-drivers and the fierce rivalry for food and dominance among the dogs.  He steals meat, the first act of transition from the constructed civilization of the South to the more primitive but fundamental nature of the North:
This first theft marked Buck as fit to survive in the hostile Northland environment. It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death. It marked, further, the decay or going to pieces of his moral nature, a vain thing and a handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence. It was all well enough in the Southland, under the law of love and fellowship, to respect private property and personal feelings; but in the Northland, under the law of club and fang, whoso took such things into account was a fool, and in so far as he observed them he would fail to prosper.

‘His development (or retrogression) was rapid”, writes London. “His muscles became as hard as iron and he grew callous to ordinary pain”.
And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down. It was no task for him to learn to fight with cut and slash and the quick wolf snap.
In this manner had fought forgotten ancestors. They quickened the old life within him, and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks. They came to him without effort or discovery, as though they had been his always. And when, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolf-like, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him. And his cadences were their cadences, the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stiffness, and the cold, and dark.
It is easy to see how many would like human society to change, to evolve from The Call of the Wild to a socialist utopia – a society living according to its means, respectful of others, considerate, diverse, accepting, and tolerant.  The desire for utopia is very American.  In the early 20th century Utopian colonies – e.g. Oneida – were established in defiance of American nationalism.  In the 60’s, Utopian idealism had a strong resurgence.  Young people believed that the course of American – and human – history could be changed by right belief and committed action,.

Yet such hopes are no more than dreams.  It is Genghis Khan, Mohammed, Xerxes, Stalin, Hitler, the Mauryans, Queen Elizabeth I, and Jeffersonian Westward Expansion which are history’s predictors.

Image result for genghis khan descendants images

Is there no hope for world peace? No final evolution from a society of wolves to compassionate Christians? Perhaps,but not likely.

The only hope for a relatively peaceful world is one of standoff.  Given an essentially competitive, adversarial world, the best we can hope for is stalemate – powers so equally armed and determined that provocation would amount to disaster.  It worked during the Cold War, and it might work now.

Machiavelli and Khrushchev were right.  We live among wolves; but there is no reason why we cannot adjudicate the standoff in our favor.

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Men's Golf

The Pro Golf Inferno

Mark Baldwin ('06) was the 2005 BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year and a three-time all-conference performer at Notre Dame (Matt Cashore)

Aug 26, 2013

Below is a featured blog post from former Notre Dame men's golfer Mark Baldwin ('06), who recently won the Manchester Open in Manchester, Conn. on Aug. 5 for his sixth career professional victory.

Since graduating from Notre Dame in 2006, I've stepped on the first tee of professional golf tournaments all around the world; the sweltering hot professional mini-tours of the deep south, the pressure-packed PGA Tour Q-School tournament in California, Malaysian tee boxes serving as beds for Kimono Dragons, and on South Korean courses surrounded by cheering members of the Korean Mafia. Unlike job interviews in the real world, my Notre Dame degree doesn't offer any edge on that first tee box. At Notre Dame, you had the team and the Fighting Irish to back you up. The professional players I'm competing against now don't particularly care where I went to school. The only degree that matters is the extent to which one believes in one's golf ability.

Whether you're hitting that opening shot at The Warren Course at Notre Dame, or Sentosa Golf and Country Club in Singapore, in professional golf, a player knows each journey around the course will be different and hugely challenging; if a player is to contend, the scorecard boxes aren't big enough for mistakes. That knowledge combined with years of preparation, determination and competitive drive can set fire in one's veins. This blazing sensation is heightened dramatically when one is in contention to win a tournament. Your mouth goes dry like you'd been sitting in a dentist chair for hours, heart rates race as if you were being chased by a grizzly bear, muscles tighten like you'd spent hours in the gym. It's at this point when a professional golfer gets to test their metal. It's in the heat of battle when one learns their inner most beliefs. Winning players are able to manage these strong feelings, controlling their thoughts, heart rate and remaining focused on a single task. It's a feeling unlike anything else I've ever experienced. This competitive inferno is why I've been pursuing the highest levels of professional golf since graduating from Notre Dame.

There are far easier ways to make a living than playing professional golf. For most players attempting to challenge the world's elite must first prove worthy by beating the ranks of the "minor league." This is called mini-tour golf and it is essentially gambling. A player buys into a tournament for upwards of $1,200 and plays for everyone else's money. Once expenses are added, a player can be invested into a given week for up to $2,500. This means in a typical $150,000 purse where approximately 60 players earn a paycheck out of a full field of up to 156 players, a player must finish around 15th just to break even. Players might gamble up to 25 weeks per year leading to the infamous PGA Tour Q-School, golf's "Fifth Major". Q-School determines whether a player has a future on a PGA Tour. It's the biggest series of job interviews in the business. Competing week in and week out adapts players mentalities and schedules to the demands and routines of competition. One thing the vast majority of players earning their PGA Tour cards have in common is the competitive experience they've built playing week in and week out. Success can often come from learning how to manage and align skills in the middle of the competitive inferno. While mini-tour gambling is necessary at times, more opportunity exists by leaving the comforts of the U.S. for foreign lands.

Understanding how challenging it can be to be profitable going the mini-tour gambling route, I took another path in 2007. The road less traveled by American professional golfers is to go overseas to Europe or Asia, where tournaments have full sponsorship, entry fees are minimal, and purses are well-funded. I played on the Asian and Korean Tours in 2007-08, an experience I wrote about extensively on my blog at the time. I won the first stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School, lived in Kuala Lumpur and Taipei, found myself in the cross hairs between North and South Korea, and was an honorary guest of the Korean mafia. There is no way to adequately sum up an entire year of traveling across Asia and competing in dozens of countries in one blog post. I will say that often, golf requires a player "get out of their own way" by being able to quiet their mind and play from instinct. My Asian golf journey was the ultimate adventure and required constant adaptation and learning to survive.

In 2010, I gained Canadian Tour status. Similar to overseas tours, the Canadian Tour is under the umbrella of the International Federation of PGA Tours providing benefits, bigger purses and more prestigious tournaments to players. I've been off and on this tour (now called PGA Tour Canada) since first playing in 2010. In the middle of 2011, I was suffering from a tendon and cartilage injury in my left knee. The injury left me sidelined for half of 2011 and most of 2012. There were moments during this dark period where I wondered whether I'd ever have the chance to contend again. I believe the worst thing that can happen to an athlete is an injury taking them away from their sport for good. The mental anguish of knowing you had more to give and could have done better forever lingers in a former athlete's mind. I was determined to get back knowing I had so much more to give. It took a while to trust that my knee would hold up under the substantial force of my golf swing. With some swing changes to ensure longevity of my golf swing, I eventually returned to competition and began once again shooting under par.

This year, PGA Tour Canada is giving away five exempt tour cards to the next level on the professional golf hierarchy, the Tour. I certainly haven't hit my stride on tour yet, but the last few weeks have been very exciting. At The Greater Bangor Open (July 25-27), a long running tournament open to professionals and amateurs, I played my way into contention and had a great chance to win coming down the stretch. While I didn't capitalize on the opportunities that would have propelled me to the winner's circle, I finished tied for third. On Aug. 5, I nabbed a victory at the Manchester Open, a one-day professional event with a strong field of players. Winning at any level in professional golf is elusive, and to finally win after overcoming a knee injury and many disappointing finishes was truly validating and exciting. Armed with this injection of encouragement and confidence, I am ready to get back into contention on PGA Tour Canada and stoke the competitive fire. Just like my time at Notre Dame, I love the constant challenge and the daily opportunity to improve.

You can learn more about Mark and follow his tournament results on Twitter @markbaldwin1.

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Stop Supporting Child Slavery By Avoiding These 6 Companies

Who doesn’t love chocolate? Americans sure do. In fact, the average American citizen eats over 11 pounds of chocolate each year. But there’s a downside to this sweet treat beyond simply questionable ingredients.

Many of us purchase our chocolate without thinking about who made it, and that’s a problem, since a variety of large corporations have been accused of using child slavery to give you your chocolate fix.

Last September, a lawsuit was filed against a list of companies that includes Hershey, Mars, and Nestle, claiming that the companies were tricking their consumers into funding the child slave labour trade in West Africa.

It’s been a cause for concern in the chocolate industry for the past 15 years. Cocoa is the main ingredient in chocolate, and most of it is grown in West Africa, with the two biggest producers being the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which account for about 60% of the global cocoa supply.

Many companies within the chocolate industry rely almost exclusively on West Africa for their cocoa supply, but most of the cocoa is produced on small farms by farmers suffering from severe poverty. These extremes often result in child labour. Back in 2001, the chocolate industry pledged to end the practices in Ivory Coast and Ghana by 2005, but this deadline has repeatedly been pushed back. Now, the hope is to fully eliminate it by 2020.

To understand why this is so important, you need to look beyond the money and beyond the chocolate. You need to become aware of what’s happening to these children. Ranging from the ages of 11-16, and sometimes even younger, the conditions of these child slaves prove grim, with children trapped in isolated farms where they work for 80 to 100 hours every single week.

They are often beaten with fists, belts, and whips as well, according to freed children who spoke on the matter in the film Slavery: A Global Investigation. “The beatings were a part of my life,” explained freed slave Aly Diabate. “Anytime they loaded you with bags (of cocoa beans) and you fell while carrying them, nobody helped you. Instead they beat you and beat you until you picked it up again.”

Want to avoid supporting child slavery? Steer clear of these six chocolate companies:

ADM Cocoa

“At the moment, no major chocolate company can guarantee their cocoa supply is not tainted by child labor,” explains Elizabeth Jardim, director of consumer advocacy at Green America, a non-profit that promotes ethical consumerism. “However, most have launched sustainability programs that attempt to address child labor in a variety of ways, largely thanks to consumer pressure.”

And yet, despite the constant news, the number of children working in the cocoa industry has increased by 51% from 2009 to 2014. “They enjoy something I suffered to make; I worked hard for them but saw no benefit. They are eating my flesh,” one freed boy explained.

Check out this list of more socially conscious companies who have made it a priority to steer clear of profiting off the suffering of child labour:

Green and Black’s

The Endangered Species Chocolate Company

Gardners Candie

Rapunzel Pure Organics

Cloud Nine

Giddy Yoyo

Cliff Bar

Koppers Chocolate

L.A. Burdick Chocolates

Denman Island Chocolate

Montezuma’s Chocolates

Newman’s Own Organics

Kailua Candy Company

Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company

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What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?Occasionally, I will watch a film that will truly haunt me. When this happens I can not seem to get the images or sounds of the film out of my head for several days. After watching The Arbor and Haneke’s Amour, I found myself constantly referring back to these films in my mind and replaying specific scenes in my head. I do not intend for this to sound like a negative thing, on the contrary, it is the mark of a beautifully executed piece of cinema. One of my most recent experiences of this was late on a Saturday night watching Robert Aldrich’s sensationally creepy What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?Bette Davis takes centre stage in this unnerving tale of one woman’s violent descent into insanity. Jane Hudson, formerly known as “Baby Jane Hudson“, lives with the agony of a lost career. She has been unable to let go of her desire for fame and adoration since her days as a childhood star. Now, taking care of her older sister, (played by the flawless Joan Crawford), Jane begins to show signs of a darker hatred and intention towards her sibling whom she has always detested due to her success as a Hollywood actress during her early adult years.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?Bette Davis, now, for me, will forever represent cinematic madness. Gloria Swanson’s portrayal as the unhinged Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. is incredibly iconic. Swanson is marvellous and deserves such high recgnition for a truly mesmerising performance. However, there is something about Davis that made my skin crawl. Where Swanson always remained glamorous, Davis sinks into a hideousness that is unlike anything I have witnessed in any psychological horror film. Her deterioration is clear for all to see and her unstable mind is reflected in her, physically. Davis does not rush her horrific transformation. She succeeds in keeping the most eerie elements hidden until the final moments of the picture.

JWhat Ever Happened To Baby Jane?oan Crawford is equally wonderful. Her character, beautiful and likeable, contrasts Davis very effectively. As Jane descends into madness, Crawford descends into fear. Crawford is a simplistic actress who knows how to use the camera to full effect. Nothing is over acted by Crawford, emphasising Davis’ monstrous creation even more. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is delightfully sinister. The plot moves at a stable and entertaining pace and the film appears to be directed with care and precision. As I left the Hyde Park Picture House I was certain of two things: one, Bette Davis had just given the most harrowing performance I had ever seen on screen and two, that performance could only be truly appreciated on the silver screen. As I walked home I found myself wondering if a television screen could even contain Jane Hudson, surely she would just burst out of every side of the television set.

External links

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? at IMDb
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? at Wikipedia
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (awards won and nominated for) at IMDb


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Not just smoking – other addictions, compulsions or habits.

They all serve different needs at the same time feeding off the energy in your life.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety based disorder characterised primarily by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, worry or panic attacks; by repetitive behaviours aimed at reducing the associated anxiety; or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions (compulsions are the desire to do something repeatedly such as cleaning, counting numbers or switching lights off).

These compulsions literally overtake an OCD sufferer’s life and can make it virtually impossible for them to lead a normal life. They may become unable to work, hold down a relationship or may even alienate their families.

It is estimated that over a million people in the UK suffer from OCD. David Beckham, one of the world’s most recognisable celebrities, has admitted to having OCD tendencies and he spoke about it in the press several years ago.

OCD can effect anyone at any time in their lives – for most of us checking that we have switched the cooker off or lights can become habitual, but it is a fine line between obsession and compulsion. People with OCD believe that by acting out these compulsions they are dealing with their anxiety and that the anxiety will be alleviated by doing so.

Some OCD sufferers believe that if they don`t carry out their compulsions, those close to them (even a family pet) may die.
Common types of compulsions include cleaning, counting, checking, requesting or demanding reassurance, repeating phrases or sequences of words, and ensuring order and symmetry – some sufferers keep records of numbers or words.

Other conditions such as Trichotillomania (the urge to rid yourself of your bodily hair or pull hair out from your scalp for non-cosmetic reasons is now associated as a form of OCD) and Pathologic skin picking (picking at moles or pimples to rid yourself of them as they are seen as impurities).

Hypnosis is used by therapists in some cases and works effectively by changing the mindset of the sufferer and easing the symptoms of anxiety.

Hypnotherapy aims to change the clients thinking so that they can take control of their OCD. This is very significant, as many OCD sufferers feel that they are being controlled by OCD. In this sense, hypnotherapy can be seen as a psychological treatment for OCD. It can help to make the distinction between what OCD sufferers feel is true (for example, the oven has been left on, or my hands are contaminated) and what is actually true (for example, the oven is off, my hands are clean and not contaminated). This can be done in two ways. Firstly, hypnotherapy can encourage sufferers to consciously think in a different way. Secondly, it can change their thoughts and feelings on an unconscious level. Both of these can help sufferers of OCD to take control of their OCD. In this sense, it is very similar to cognitive behavioural therapy (albeit on an unconscious basis with suggestions coming from the Clinical Hypnotherapist).