At the lunch shelter, I ate a candy bar and drank a fair amount of water. I felt surprisingly good for about four minutes and then it all went dramatically wrong. I had been too focused and distracted to notice while we were moving but sure enough, my full-body aches had returned and they were extra pissed off that I had been exerting myself so intensely. Then my stomach suddenly turned on me. I ran for the outhouse, a filthy, squat, hole-in-the-ground affair. In a panic, I sprayed the area down with the ubiquitous hose that is present in most Asian toilets, which historically took the place of toilet paper – as well as often serving as an excuse to never clean the bathrooms – and beared down for The Squat That Never Ends. I won't go into details, but I was in there for a very long time, so it came as no surprise when I emerged that the group, even the half-destroyed French guy, had pressed on without me. Worse still, someone had decided to turn off the water while I was indisposed and so there was nothing to flush down my efforts or wash my hands.
Mount Kinabalu had been suffering from a water shortage and to combat this, in the typical obtuse Malaysian decision-making way, they were combating the problem by turning off the water at random intervals. Additionally, some senior management genius got it into his head that if they locked half the toilets they would save more water, because people would not have to go to the bathroom as much. Instead there was a perpetual line of 2-5 people waiting for the bathroom wherever you went. Worse still, while some sink faucets were dutifully wrenched shut, these conservation-minded people didn't seem to take any notice of the numerous sinks that dribbled water constantly, that could have been fixed with a simple quarter turn from a screwdriver. No wonder they had a water shortage.
So with body aches, stomach cramps, stiff muscles and soapy hands, I set off alone. With no one to help me set a pace or distract me with conversation, I came unwound in a hurry. My discomfort seemed to be multiplying with each passing minute. By the time I was ¾ of the way to Laban Rata, I was sure I wasn't going to make it. I still had 500 meters (1,640 feet) to climb and I was reduced to taking the smallest steps, resting every minute or so. At the final rest shelter, I sat down, drank lots of water and took careful measure of my condition.
I was either going to have to finish this thing, ask for a helicopter rescue or throw myself off a cliff. I lingered for so long that the Czech couple eventually dragged themselves up, rested and moved on. Ronnie finally appeared and all but stood there tapping his foot, waiting for me. What, did he have a goddamn date up at Laban Rata? I pulled myself together and got going just as it started to rain.
I know I'm prone to teensy-weensy exaggerations now and again in this journal, but I can say with all honestly and authority that the last hour before Laban Rata was probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. My trembling strides were barely the length of my foot. I was gasping for air. I had to stop and rest after every few steps. My vision was tunneling on me and I was having a hard time focusing on the terrain so there was a fair amount of missteps and stumbling. My head was exploding, my neck and shoulders were on fire, my throat was throbbing, my hands were numb and I couldn't feel my legs below the knees. It was most definitely the most terrible hour of my life.
I saw Laban Rata long before I got to it. I was moving at the slowest possible speed without actually being at a dead stop. The short, but sadistic set of stairs that you're forced to climb to get to the reception/restaurant area had me cursing and wishing a disfiguring disease on the guy that had designed the building.
I staggered in the door more exhausted than I have ever been in my life and collapsed into the nearest chair. I saw the rest of my group across the room digging into some food, but I didn't have the strength to get back up and join them. I just waved and used what little strength I could summon to drank my water. Ronnie tried to encourage me to walk the 20 feet to the reception desk to check-in, but I wouldn't have moved for a naked Jennifer Garner at that point. After a very, very long time, I got to my feet, I still had almost no feeling below the knees and every fiber was in pain. I lurched to the desk, slumped on it and got down to business. I'm sure the desk clerks at Laban Rata are accustomed to dealing with half-dead people, but the look in their eyes revealed that I was perhaps the most dangerously impaired person they had seen in a very long time. My diminished concentration and numb hands made it nearly impossible to fill in their forms.
Finally, I was given a key and the guy said he would lead me to my room, where I had every intention of lying down and dying, but of course dying is never as easy as you would hope. Instead of leading me down the hall, he led me back outside, pointed way up the hill to a white cabin that was barely visible through the fog and told me it was a 10 minute climb to my hut. I wanted to cry, but I was too tired. Instead, I turned around and went back into the restaurant where I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a plate of cold noodles, a bottle of water, a 7-Up-like drink called "100 Plus" and a Snickers bar. I ate all of this as fast as my feebleness would allow, sat alone for another 20 minutes or so, enduring the stares of the concerned staff and then finally steeled myself for the climb to my hut. There were many stairs, there were steep rock inclines and finally an infuriating downhill wood plank walkway that lead to my hut - at that point, my logic was that downhill movement of any kind meant that at some point I had been forced to go uphill unnecessarily, an offence punishable by death as far as I was concerned.
I fell into the hut to find the French guy slowly unpacking all his stuff. We traded stories about how unspeakably horrendous our days had been, before I gulped down two Ibuprofen and fell asleep.
Two hours later I woke up and felt a world better. Man, is Ibuprofen the world's greatest drug or what? I swung out of my bunk and stood up with astoundingly little discomfort. The French guy had also been napping and was waking up now as well. Initially, I had no intention of going back down to the main building. It was only 5:00PM, but I had eaten so much back at 2:00PM and considering that we were going to be getting up and having breakfast at 2:00AM, before our 3:00AM departure for the summit to catch the sunrise, I thought that I would just go back to bed and sleep straight through until our wake-up. The French guy convinced me to go down just to drink something and try to firm up plans for 2:00AM with Ronnie. When several of us had stopped him earlier in the restaurant and quizzed him about the protocol for the summit the language barrier had been impenetrable. After carefully quizzing him for five minute none of us were entirely sure about when or where to meet. I was too tired to take part in this exchange and besides I was making a spectacle of myself with my food and my half-dumb, hand-mouth coordination.
Walking back down to the main building again was surprisingly painless. I couldn't believe that I had made such a quick recover when only two hours earlier I felt like there was an even chance of me expiring in my sleep. We eventually found Ronnie and more or less told him when and where to meet us, after which I loitered for a little while trading stories with people before heading back to the hut. As tired as I was, my body simply did not want to go to sleep at 7:00PM after having a two hour late afternoon nap. The French guy came back and promptly went to sleep with an accompanying chorus of snoring, heavy breathing (for some reason sleeping on our sides, both of our preferences, made it more difficult to breath, so it was either pant on our sides or lie uncomfortably awake on our backs). Once every 20 minutes he woke up and blew his nose, making a noise that sounded like tearing metal. I slept sparingly until 1:30AM when my stomach sent me running for the toilet again.
After doping myself up on Ibuprofen, vitamins, and Imodium and eating what little I could get down for breakfast we set off for the summit. Ronnie proved himself to be even more severely inadequate with the "flashlight" he brought along. It was a kids, toy army thing that cast a beam of light only half as bright as my key chain light. Other than the aforementioned key chain, I didn't have a flashlight of my own. The key chain was actually more than bright enough get by, but it had a push button switch, which meant that I had to keep my thumb on it all the time, which was impossible with all the crawling and rope climbing we were doing. I could have rented a real flashlight at reception, but by that point I had dropped so much money on that effing mountain that I wasn't going to part with any more than absolutely necessary. Plus, I was starting to become genuinely afraid that I might not have enough cash for a bus ticket to Sandakan.
I ended up hanging back with a bunch of scrupulously over-prepared Japanese people that had among their arsenal of gadgets super bright forehead lights. Less than 10 minutes into the 2 and ½ hour climb, I was already struggling and questioning whether I could make it. I was deteriorating quickly and was reduced to the couple-steps-stop-and-rest routine from the end of the previous day. Fortunately, within another five minutes, nearly everyone else was in the same condition and I wasn't left behind.
I had assumed that the rope climbing would be insufferable, but strangely it helped me to get a second wind. Being able to use my arms took a huge load off my legs. While my arms were aching from sickness, they weren't numb from exhaustion like my legs and using them to share the work improved my attitude immensely. I realized then that I was going to make it. Not very quickly, but eventually.


You know, sometimes I lose sight of the bigger picture. I've been trying to make perfect biriyani for years- every time, I make it with a different combination of spices, different type of oil, with vegetables, with chicken, with herbs- I've tried everything. Everything except using different rice. See, when I was little, my mom exclusively used basmati rice. Then, ingrate that I am, I started wanting sticky rice all the time. So my mom stopped buying 10-pound bags of Basmati, and started buying regular, short grain rice. Fast forward 10 or so years, I'm a food snob (and a closet Shake Shack fan. They have good cheese fries, okay?), and I demand basmati. While carrying previously mentioned 10 pound bag of rice to the checkout, I had a breakthrough- I wasn't using the wrong ratio of turmeric to cumin, I was using the wrong type of rice! Ok, so that's a lie. I was on the ground in the fetal position, scrolling through recipes on Pinterest (I spend several hours in a day doing this. And I spend my several other waking hours complaining about how much work I have to do), and I saw a picture of biriyani- made with basmati. Then I ferreted out the one, tiny bag of basmati we had, and I made biriyani. And it was worth it.


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Having sold more than 1.5 million books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Bella Andre's novels have appeared on Top 5 lists at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella's Sullivan series will be released in paperback in a major global English language launch in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia in continuous back-to-back releases from June 2013 through April 2014.
Known for sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine Red Hot Reads twice and have been translated into nine languages, and her Sullivan books are already Top 20 bestsellers in Brazil. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post has called her One of the top digital writers in America and she has been featured by NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and most recently in TIME Magazine. She has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in 2012 on her self-publishing success.
Hot As Sin: A Rouge Suspense novel
It Must Be Your Love
Kissing Under The Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas
Never Too Hot: A Rouge Suspense novel
Wild Heat: A Rouge Romantic Suspense

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Savoie 5, Vallée de Chamonix, Vue prise du Montenvers"
46. Baldy Peak, Cerro Blanco Mountains, Colorado, 14,234 feet above sea-level. Limit in altitude of vegetation about 11,000 feet.
47. Alpine lakes and mountain scenery in the Cerro Blanco Mountains, Colorado, 13,000 feet above sea-level.
Photograph of Mount Jackson, Fusilade Mountain, and Mount Reynolds.


Dr. Phyllis Goldberg and Dr. Rosemary Lichtman are co-authors of Whose Couch Is It Anyway: Moving Your Millennial. More than 20 million millennials are still living with their parents, although older millennials in their mid 30s are beginning to reach milestones typically related to adulthood – buying homes, getting married, and having children. Drs. Goldberg and Lichtman talk about how this age group is evolving, what obstacles remain, and how families can handle having an adult child move home.


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ESSA Implementation
Progressive Charter School Series
Leaders of Color
Leaders of Color Application
No Commencement in the Commonwealth
ERN Report Reveals Bay State's White-Latinx College Graduation Gap Ranks as 37th Worst in the Country
Research—Supported by Latinx Organizations in Massachusetts—Analyzes What's Going Wrong for Latinx Students and Others & Makes Recommendations for How the Commonwealth Can Increase College Affordability and Close Graduation Gaps at the Same Time
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Education Reform Now – a progressive think tank and advocacy organization – today released a new report, No Commencement in the Commonwealth, (available here) that analyzes public higher education in the Bay State and reveals that the Latino graduation gap ranks 37th worst in the country.
Among other findings that show how students of color experience disparate rates of college access and success in Massachusetts, the key finding of a very wide gap between White and Latino students is particularly striking given that the graduation gap between White and Black students in the Bay State ranks as 3rd best in the country. It's further surprising considering that Latino students in the Bay State have higher K-12 achievement levels than Black students in Massachusetts and higher K-12 achievement levels than Latino students nationally.
"Public colleges should be engines of socioeconomic opportunity – but because of high cost and bad policy design, too often they're perpetuating inequality, if not worsening it, for staggering numbers of students," said Michael Dannenberg, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Policy at Education Reform Now and former Senior Education Counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA). "When states disinvest from public higher education systems, tuition and fees rise and families get squeezed. That's why national leaders and officials in Massachusetts must do a better job of addressing inequities in education systems and economic opportunities from K-12 to college."
"We need to make sure students—especially students of color and students from working families—have the critical support and resources to graduate without being crushed by debt," said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. "This report underscores a critical point: the federal government must support strong state investments in our public colleges and universities because smart investments pay off for our students and for our future."
Education Reform Now's research is supported by a number of organizations including Sociedad Latina, Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network, East Boston Ecumenical Community Council, Hyde Square Task Force, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, Alianza Hispana and Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion, among others.
With median income for Latinos far behind others in the Commonwealth and other Latinos nationwide, the high price of public higher education in Massachusetts is hitting Latino families particularly hard," said Alexandra Oliver-Davila, Executive Director of Sociedad Latina. "The state is effectively channeling Latino students into under-resourced community colleges, which affects their ability to graduate and subsequently generate higher earnings. Our leaders must take action to end this cycle of educational and economic inequity."
Other key findings in "No Commencement in the Commonwealth":
College preparation gaps between White students and students of color in Massachusetts measure among the largest in the nation.
White students are three times more likely to score "proficient" or "advanced" on the NAEP reading test and nearly four times more likely to score as proficient or advanced on the mathematics test than their Black peers.
White students are more than 50 percent more likely to complete a MassCore college preparatory curriculum in high school than their Black and Latino peers.
Of some 400 high schools in the Commonwealth, 31 have no students on the MassCore college preparatory track and another 32 have fewer than a quarter enrolled.
Black students are over two and a half times more likely than White students, and Latino students are twice as likely as their White peers to attend a school where fewer than 25 percent of the students graduate with a MassCore diploma.
Latino students are less than half as likely to take an AP test as Latino students elsewhere in the nation.
Students of color in Massachusetts are much more likely to attend public colleges than their White peers, especially two-year community colleges.
Black students are nearly 50 percent more likely to attend a two-year institution as their White peers.
Latino students are nearly twice as likely to do the same.
Latino students are 20 percent more likely than the national average to go to two-year institutions, despite better academic preparation coming out of high school compared to Black students and other Latino students nationwide.
Massachusetts has inordinately expensive public colleges with the average net price for total college costs (e.g. tuition, fees, books, room and board, supplies) more than 25 percent higherthan the national average at the four-year public institution level. It is 12 percent higher than the national average at the two-year level.
Latino families are hit particularly hard by this since they have much lower median family incomes than the overall Massachusetts median, and surprisingly, lower family incomes than the median for Latino families nationally.
Massachusetts community colleges are under performing.
A Massachusetts community college student is significantly less likely to complete an associate's degree program within three years from the date of initial enrollment than the national average.
Black community college student graduation rates are more than 30 percent lower than the national average.
Latino community college graduation rates are more than 40 percent lower than the national average.
Massachusetts colleges with similar median SAT scores, similar incoming student high school GPAs, and similar student demographics often generate wildly different levels of student success as measured in degree completion and loan repayment rates.
The University of Massachusetts at Amherst is among the highest performing institutions in its peer group nationally, while UMass Dartmouth and Boston rank among the lowest in their peer groups nationally.
The report provides five policy recommendations for how leaders in the Commonwealth can help close the significant graduation gap for Latinos and others in the state:
Create a new, student responsibility-linked, statewide 'free college' promise that covers the total cost of attendance to any two or four-year public college for talented, hard-working students (i.e. who have completed a MassCore track or equivalent, among other requirements) if they are from households making less than $75,000 a year.
Make MassCore available at all schools and the default academic track for all students.
Provide competitive aid to school districts and non-profit organizations for high school student academic support services.
Provide competitive aid to non-profit organizations and school districts to fund counseling on college selection, application and financing.
Provide targeted direct aid to colleges and universities for institution-based efforts to boost completion.
Read the report here.
A Real College Promise for Maryland
2016 Presidential Elections
Charles Barone
College Affordability and Completion
DACA/Dream Act
Dana Laurens
Emily Labandera
ESEA
Hajar Ahmed
Higher Eq Quality & Affordability
Jack Esslinger
Janette Martinez
Katlyn Riggins
Konrad Mugglestone
Marianne Lombardo
Mary Nguyen Barry
Michael Dannenberg
Obama Education Legacy
Other/General
Presidents and Education
Public Charter Schools
Resource Equity
Teach Quality & Preparation
Teacher Effectiveness & Evaluations
Testing & Assessments
© 2021 Education Reform Now. All Rights Reserved.
WASHINGTON, DC: 718 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 · NEW YORK CITY: 222 Broadway, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10038


Poking your finger in and out of the putty cuases hilarious fart noises. Colour may vary from picture shown. Warning: Not suitable for children under 3 years of age as small parts may present a choking hazard. Colour selected at random.


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Minor League Wrap (6/7-13/10)
Jay Yencich · June 14, 2010 at 6:05 am · Filed Under Mariners, Minor Leagues
Just so everyone has it on their calendars, the Aquasox season starts on Friday (homestand starts on Monday). I should have a preview up that morning, if not a little earlier.
To the jump!
Tacoma Rainiers (2-5 this week, 30-30 overall)
The Week in Review:
Las Vegas 1 (TOR – 12), Tacoma 3 (seven innings)
W: Baldwin (4-1, 4.74); L: Litsch (0-3, 8.18)
Las Vegas 5 (-11), Tacoma 2 (seven innings)
W: Gonzalez (5-4, 7.77); L: Petit (1-1, 8.78)
Tuesday, June 8th 2010
Las Vegas 5 (TOR – 10), Tacoma 3
W: Jackson (2-1, 3.63); L: Sweeney (2-1, 2.49)
Wednesday, June 9th 2010
Fresno 9 (SF + 18), Tacoma 5
W: Sosa (4-1, 2.89); L: Seddon (6-3, 4.14)
Friday, June 11th 2010
W: Yourkin (4-1, 3.92); L: Pauley (1-4, 3.80)
Fresno 10 (SF + 18), Tacoma 11
W: Speigner (3-5, 7.43); L: Joaquin (1-2, 3.52)
Sunday, June 13th 2010
W: Hacker (8-3, 3.91); L: Feierabend (0-2, 7.82)
Hitter of the Week:
UT Chris Woodward, R/R, 6/27/1976
6 G, 29 AB, 5 R, 10 H, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, SB, 6/4 K/BB, .345/.424/.517
I'm sure everyone's just thrilled to see this name make a return. Well, truth be told, if Mangini, or Everidge, or Nelson has an off week, this could happen, and Woodward got the nod over Hannahan for being just slightly more productive. May was a down month for him as he hit just .183/.252/.250 after hitting .289/.347/.511 in April. Nevertheless, he's still second on the team in runs scored with twenty-seven, one behind Carp, and has been valuable in left field with Greg Halman sort of on the DL but not really. I'm not hopeful for the Rainiers playoff chances with all the talent that's been called up already, but the team is only a game back and was in the division lead earlier in the week.
Not to be Forgotten Mention:
IF Jack Hannahan, L/R, 3/4/1980
6 G, 21 AB, R, 8 H, 2 2B, 4 RBI, SB, 6/3 K/BB, .381/.458/.476
Stole Nelson's Walk Mojo Mention:
RF Mike Wilson, R/R, 6/29/1983
7 G, 18 AB, 6 R, 4 H, 3 2B, SB, 4/9 K/BB, HBP, .222/.500/.389
Pitcher of the Week:
RHP Andy Baldwin, 10/20/1982
1-0, 2 GS, 0.84 ERA in 10.2 IP, 17 H (HR), 10 R (ER), 4/1 K/BB, 17/9 G/F
With Olson, French, Cordero, and Kelley up with the M's and Shell on the disabled list, pitching is a weak point for the Rainiers right now. I highlight Baldwin both for lack of better options and the oddity of allowing nine unearned runs, as he did on Saturday after eleven hits, a walk, and a K in four and two-thirds innings. This gets at one of the issues he's been having this season: his strikeouts dropped from 6.1 per nine innings last year, which was survivable and an improvement over his previous season, to 4.8 this year. He's dropped a walk too, improving already good rates there, but the approach highlights the issue he'll have: on Monday, most pitches in play dropped into gloves, and on Saturday, they all dropped onto the field.
A Win, A Save Mention:
RHP Levale Speigner, 9/24/1980
1-0, 2 G, SV, 0.00 ERA in 2.0 IP, H, 2/0 K/BB, 2/2 G/F, WP
From The Training Room:
C Adam Moore joined as a rehabber and has hit .462/.500/.538 in thirteen at-bats so far… Not content to use Yoervis Medina as a backup arm in the 'pen, the Rainiers signed RHPs Jarrett Grube and Scott Patterson… Jack Wilson in rehab this week, .250/.250/.583 in twelve at-bats (there was a dinger).
Strange Happenings:
Aside from Andy Baldwin's strange outing? Well, on the same day, Ezequiel Carrera, not usually known for his arm, had two assists from the outfield. He had five all of last season and has already surpassed that mark, but will have a ways to go before hitting the thirteen he had with St. Lucie in 2008.
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (4-3 this week, 36-26 overall)
Mississippi 1 (ATL – 6), West Tenn 4
W: Pineda (6-1, 2.10); L: Sullivan (1-6, 6.14)
W: Rohrbaugh (2-1, 2.50); L: Minor (1-5, 4.24)
W: Thompson (3-4, 6.36); L: Munoz (1-4, 3.29)
West Tenn 11, Tennessee 3 (CHC + 12)
W: Bray (4-3, 2.57); L: Cabrera (0-3, 7.09)
West Tenn 3, Tennessee 7 (CHC + 13)
W: Bibens-Dirkx (5-2, 3.00); L: Robles (5-3, 3.43)
W: Pineda (7-1, 2.43); L: Muschko (2-3, 5.00)
W: Buchter (4-0, 4.18); L: Hensley (6-3, 2.34)
3B Alex Liddi, R/R, 8/14/1988
7 G, 23 AB, 8 R, 9 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 4/4 K/BB, .391/.483/.826
Last year, about two-hundred at-bats in, something strange happened with Liddi. To that point, he'd had thirteen home runs, and a 43/14 K/BB, but the line drive rate was under ten percent. In the remaining three-hundred+ at-bats, something was different. The home runs came down to ten total, but the line drives spiked to over 15% in two of those months and he got to the point where he had more than a walk for every two strikeouts. Roughly two-hundred at-bats into his Southern League tenure, something has started to change as well. He has six walks now, two more than he had in all of April, six doubles, more than he had in either April or May, has already tied his runs scored totals for May with thirteen, and is on pace to strike out just eighteen times the whole month. If this holds, we might want to use that 200 at-bat milestone in the future, for Tacoma and Seattle, should he get there.
May Also Be Transforming as a Hitter Mention:
Carlos Triunfel, R/R, 2/27/1990
7 G, 27 AB, 5 R, 10 H, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, CS, 0/2 K/BB, .370/.414/.630
Four More Doubles than Anyone Else Mention:
LF/1B Johan Limonta, L/L, 8/4/1984
7 G, 27 AB, 7 R, 9 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB, 8/2 K/BB, .333/.379/.703
Eight-Game Hitting Streak Mention:
DH Scott Savastano, R/R, 6/12/1986
7 G, 28 AB, 3 R, 10 H, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 8/1 K/BB, .357/.379/.536
RHP Michael Pineda, 1/18/1989
2-0, 2 GS, 3.46 ERA in 13.0 IP, 13 H, 6 R (5 ER), 10/2 K/BB, 15/9 G/F, HB
This wasn't the week that I expected when I was getting all excited about two Pineda starts. I figured with a good showing he could end up as Pitcher of the Week, as Robles has been twice now. As it turns out, the Tennessee Smokies are a pretty good opponent, and hit him up to the tune of five runs (four earned) through six innings after ten hits, a walk, and three Ks. That took him seventy-seven pitches. The Monday outing was pretty impressive though: seven frames, three hits, seven Ks, and a lone walk. Still, among the pitchers with twelve starts, he's ranked fourth with 70.1 IP, has only lost one decision all year, and ranks second in the league at the moment with thirteen strikeouts. Pineda is good.
On the Rehab Trail Mention:
LHP Robert Rohrbaugh, 12/28/1983
1-0, 2 G, 0.00 ERA in 4.2 IP, 2 H, 4/0 K/BB, 8/2 G/F, HB
The catching carousel continued, as Ralph Henriquez got the call to West Tenn, which sent Hassiel Jimenez to the Cal League in the exchange. Jose Yepez also hit the temporarily inactive list, which brought in Brandon Bantz from Clinton… LHP Nick Hill finally came off the DL on Sunday, but it came at the expense of RHP Josh Fields, who was placed on the seven-day with tightness in his right forearm. Before Fields hit the DL, he had pitched 2.2 innings this week and struck out four.
The D-Jaxx had a ten-game win streak snap on Wednesday. That tied a franchise record…. Former M's farmhand RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx struck out eight D-Jaxx through six innings on Friday. It helps to be in an organization that doesn't try to screw with his arm motion… RHP Steve Bray let two runs score on four hits, a couple of hit batters, and a walk in six innings this week. There were no strikeouts… Robles outing had him with five walks and five strikeouts in six innings.
High Desert Mavericks (2-5 this week, 35-28 overall)
Rancho Cucamonga 4 (ANA + 8), High Desert 3
W: Hurst (1-1, 12.00); L: Vasquez (2-2, 2.62)
W: Kasparek (6-1, 2.34); L: Corbin (1-1, 3.24)
W: Shoemaker (5-3, 4.00); L: Wild (5-2, 3.86)
Rancho Cucamonga 15 (ANA + 9), High Desert 12
W: Arenas (1-0, 6.32); L: Carraway (4-3, 4.10)
High Desert 3, Visalia 1 (ARI – 2)
W: LaFromboise (6-3, 4.20); L: Miley (4-5, 3.15)
High Desert 1, Visalia 3 (ARI – 1) (eleven innings)
W: Woodall (4-2, 0.30); L: Hann (0-4, 5.76)
High Desert 8, Visalia 10 (ARI 0)
W: Sinclair (4-2, 4.05); L: Cleto (1-1, 6.17)
LF/1B Dennis Raben, L/L, 7/31/1987
6 G, 27 AB, 4 R, 11 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7/1 K/BB, .407/.429/.703
Raben was a question mark throughout the offseason. He had recently undergone microfracture surgery in his knee, the recently drafted Rich Poythress had possibly passed him on the depth charts, and Mike Carp was positioned further ahead in Tacoma. No one knew how he would hit, or if he could field once he got back. While the fielding is still up in the air, as he's only started to play the outfield since arriving in California, the hitting isn't really. Through his first seventy at-bats, he's hitting .386/.444/.671. There are reasons for concern, like how he had a 6/6 K/BB at the level in twenty-three May at-bats and he's now at 16/2 for June. I think he might be getting a little too pull happy, with all four of his home runs coming at home, which has one-and-a-half times the rate of a neutral park for dingers. But hey, at least he's back in the conversation and the general system consciousness.
Eighty-two Ks in Two-hundred Thirty-four At-Bats Mention:
CF Denny Almonte, S/R, 9/24/1988
7 G, 25 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, CS, 10/2 K/BB, .360/.407/.520
RHP Kenn Kasparek, 9/23/1985
1-0, 2 G (GS), SHO, 1.29 ERA in 14.0 IP, 6 H (HR), 2 R, 12/1 K/BB, 16/12 G/F, 2 WP, HB
The second outing wasn't up to par, as he came in relief on Sunday after Cleto had been knocked out, but he could have done much worse and still made it on here, as the two-hit, one-walk, eight K shutout on Tuesday was going to put him in the discussion regardless. It was the first complete game by a Mavericks pitcher this season, and at home in Adelanto no less. Still, it's hard for me to get as excited about it as I want to be. Kasparek exploded on landing in the scene in '08, with over eleven strikeouts per nine innings spending the season between Pulaski and Everett. Last year that dropped down to eight-and-a-half, expected, and still respectable, but this season it's down to just over five and that's just not going to cut it. Sure, he has a 2.34 ERA right now, good for third in a tough league, but tRA has him at 4.25 and FIP has him over four as well.
Retired Eighteen of Last Twenty Mention:
LHP Bobby LaFromboise, 6/25/1986,
1-0, GS, 1.23 ERA in 7.1 IP, 3 H, R, 6/1 K/BB, 5/11 G/F
Saturday brought the "return" of a somewhat familiar name, as the Mavericks signed RF Eddy Martinez-Esteve, who had been recently released by the Giants organization. Martinez-Esteve was the third round pick by the M's in 2002, but didn't sign, and was picked by the Giants in the 2nd round of '04. Regarded as a great hitter at the time, his career has been marred by injuries. To make room for him, UT Luis Nunez headed east to the Clinton Lumberkings. The catching portion, I've already covered.
C Hassiel Jimenez went 4-for-4 in his first four Cal League at-bats. He played in the Arizona League last year… Poythress ran a 5/6 K/BB this week.
Clinton Lumberkings (3-3 this week, 35-28 overall)
Lake County 8 (CLE + 20), Clinton 2
W: Packer (4-3, 2.37); L: Housey (4-1, 1.71)
W: Stanton (6-2, 3.25); L: Adams (2-3, 3.72)
Lake County 5 (CLE + 18), Clinton 15
W: Gillheeney (4-4, 2.82); L: Haley (4-2, 4.91)
Fort Wayne 4 (SD – 2), Clinton 11
W: Ramirez (5-2, 2.43); L: Hussey (4-3, 6.35)
Fort Wayne 10 (SD – 1), Clinton 4
W: Greenwood (4-3, 3.96); L: Housey (4-2, 2.70)
Fort Wayne 6 (SD 0), Clinton 2
W: De Paula (3-1, 1.72); L: Kirkland (1-1, 2.25)
3B/1B Vinnie Catricala, R/R, 10/31/1988
6 G, 23 AB, 6 R, 10 H, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2/3 K/BB, .435/.481/.739
Catricala can hit. There's a good reason why he'll be the DH for the all-star game when that time comes. He also seems to be heating up with the weather, with four home runs this month, to two in May and none in April. It may have cut into his team-leading eighteen doubles, as he only has three this month and has slipped to sixth in the league. All of this information is fairly positive on the whole, even without a good defensive position for him at the moment, but it's not what jumps out to me about his performances recently. What jumps out to me is that he's struck out three times this month. He had nineteen Ks in April, twenty-eight in May, and now three. A 3/5 K/BB through forty-one at-bats. That may be something that I've never seen before.
Get Well Soon Mention:
3B Mario Martinez, R/R, 11/13/1989
4 G, 13 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2/1 K/BB, HBP, 385/.467/.846
LHP Jonathan Hesketh, 6/3/1986
0-0, 2 GS, 1.50 ERA in 11.0 IP, 8 H (HR), 2 R, 16/4 K/BB, 9/10 G/F, WP, HB
This was the week that Hesketh passed Gilheeney for the team lead in Ks. In fact, he's ten ahead now and tied for fourth in the league at the moment. Lake County and Fort Wayne are also mid-range to above-average offenses, so one might think that based on the last two weeks of input, he's turning the corner. One note that might support that is that tRA and FIP both like him better than ERA does. He's sitting at a 4.55 ERA right now, nothing special, tRA is half a run under that, and FIP gives him more than a run back. He's also settled down from the walk rate of nearly four per nine that he had in May, and is now down to a little over two, which is even better than what he had in April. As he's probably not going to sustain these strikeout rates all going up, it's best that he learn to avoid the free pass and the longball now.
A Quarter of His Walks for the Year Mention:
RHP Taylor Stanton, 1/15/1988
1-0, GS, 1.50 ERA in 6.0 IP, 5 H, 7/2 K/BB, 5/6 G/F
I noted Nunez joining the team. That came with Mario Martinez landing on the DL. I don't know exactly what happened there, but he was hit by a pitch earlier in the week and DHed later, and may have been trying to play through something… With Bantz going to West Tenn, Henry Contrares rejoined the team as a backup catcher.
As was the case last week, the series between the Lumberkings and the Lake County Captains was the first ever… Erasmo Ramirez gave up three solo home runs in six innings on Friday… Stanton, as you see above, doesn't give up walks. He's at 1.13 per nine innings now. That's more than twice the walk rate of Ramirez, who has handed out three free passes in 59.1 innings… Kalian Sams has struck out in 41.% of his plate appearances… Nick Franklin is a reserve for the all-star game. The starter is hitting .269/.339/.345…. Tim Morris has a hit in every game he's played so far in June.
32 Responses to "Minor League Wrap (6/7-13/10)"
Dennisss on June 14th, 2010 6:32 am
My boys and I saw Dennis Raben hit a monster home run in Everett a few years back and have watched for news of him since, and I notice you keep mentioning him. So how does he project? Does he have a decent chance of getting to the major leagues? Is it possible he will be a pretty good player one day?
I'd appreciate any additional insight you may have. Thanks!
Rick L on June 14th, 2010 7:12 am
I saw Hesketh last year in Everett and was impressed. He struck out 10 in 8 innings against the the league-leading Salem team. (Then Chad Cordero came in and gave up 4 runs in the ninth, blowing the save). Hesketh doesn't throw hard, but he definitely misses bats.
msfanmike on June 14th, 2010 9:57 am
Jay: Consistently great job on the wraps.
What is the status of Nate Tenbrink's injury.
littlelinny6 on June 14th, 2010 10:23 am
In your opinion, should the M's call up Pineda once the 1st half league pennant chase is over (only 8 games left I believe)? I know he needs to work on his slider and change more but I've been thinking doing that in AAA against more advanced hitters would be better for him and provide better preparation for the big leagues.
Oolon on June 14th, 2010 10:54 am
The Aquasox also have their traditional exibition game against the Everett Merchants this Wednesday night. A first chance to get a look at some of the players (some won't be in Everett yet).
I plan to be there.
lalo on June 14th, 2010 11:03 am
What happened to Carlos Peguero?
Think he can play in the majors someday?
Jay Yencich on June 14th, 2010 12:20 pm
Lots of feedback this time. Awesome.
Of the prospects we have at first base, I probably like him the best just because he probably has the best natural power and is a lefty to boot. On talent, I would have ranked him ahead of Poythress on my prospect list in the offseason, but I had heard that the specific microfracture surgery he had in his knee had been career-ending in the past. It may ultimately limit him to first, not that his bat should have much trouble playing there. I don't expect him to hit for average as he has. Power should be no issue though.
I saw him in the final homestand last year. He definitely doesn't throw hard, so he's a guy who could break your heart if you get too hung up on him in the future. i hate to do Moyer comps for soft-tossing left-handers, but he had a similar effect of "wait, what inning is it?" and "he has HOW many Ks?"
What is the status of Nate Tenbrink's injury?
An informed source has been making rounds and said that it was a bit more serious than originally thought and that he's only allowed to do light workouts. That was last week. I'm a bit concerned as there have been lingering issues from injuries like these.
I think that he could be promoted, but I'd consider leaving him around until at least mid-July, because the Tennessee team that gave him trouble this weekend, he'll be facing again in a couple of weeks, and I'd like to see him make some adjustments against them.
That's right. Here's the link to it, if anyone else wants to go. Note the new Aquasox logo. Whoever goes is probably going to have a better idea of who's on the team than I will for a day.
I saw where Dave dropped the "not a prospect" bomb in the comments a few days ago. Peguero hit .390/.457/.780 in April, and since then has been around .250/.345/.400. Walks were up, but only for May, and so are strikeouts right now (36% of at-bats for May), and he's OPSing not even .650 against southpaws. You can see why I'd think he doesn't look he's going to have another nine home run month any time soon now that the league has booked him. The adjustments he made in the offseason are likely legitimate, and that will ultimately help him position himself, but anyone who was trying to compare him to Mike Stanton was crazy. His season line is being carried by an April that is rarely seen out of a player, but one month doesn't make a prospect. He needs to adjust back if his ceiling is going to be anything other than a platoon hitter.
Nevermind about the Aquasox roster. I got it hot in my inbox about ten minutes ago, have at you…
RHP Ogui Diaz
LHP Anthony Fernandez
RHP Austin Hudson (27th, '09)
RHP Willy Kessler (18th, '10)
RHP Chris Kessinger (37th, '09)
RHP Fray Martinez
RHP Yoervis Medina
RHP Stephen Pryor (5th, '10)
LHP Edlando Seco
RHP Forrest Snow (36th, '10, UW)
RHP Chris Sorce (26th, '09)
RHP Eric Thomas (19th, '09)
LHP Tyler Whitney (34th, '10)
Catchers:
Jimmy Jacquot (NDFA)
Carlton Tanabe (24th, '09)
Infielders:
IF Fred Bello (20th, '08)
2B Kevin Mailloux (45th, '09)
IF Terry Serrano
*1B Evan Sharpley (50th, '09)
Outfielders:
*CF Robbie Anston (26th, '10)
#LF Dwight Britton
RF Jose Rivero
*OF Kevin Rivers (NDFA '09)
That roster is going to be subject to a lot of change before we see the Aquasox in town on Monday, and the best prospect on the list is Pryor right now, who should be closing.
Disappointed to see neither Tome nor Diaz, but both could have other things they're working on and will turn up later.
msfanmike on June 14th, 2010 12:57 pm
Nicely done Jay. Informative and timely (just in time for my lunch-break perusal through the Site).
Does anybody ever ask about Mike Wilson? I know he has what the M's need in terms of power … and I know he is a strikeout machine (similar to Peguero) – but does he have any other tools that the Mariners could use in the near term or by the time of September call-ups. Are his strikeout totals worth the potential OPS that his bat could bring? It would be nice to see him given an opportunity some tim soon – in this season of "all hope being lost." He is pushing the age limits (27 next month) of being a viable prospect and there are other players currently in his way. Baseball has very few "late bloomers" (i.e. Josh Wilson – who should be locked up as a utility guy for the next year or two without question by the way); but is Mike Wilson at least a fringe prospect or not? He may be a 5:00 hitter and nothing more, but he does have the one tool that the Mariners seriously lack at the present time.
Also, I saw Halman play in the Tri-Cities 3 years ago when he was with Everett under a short-term demotion. He hit a bomb in his first AB, strutted around the bases and stared down the pitcher when he touched home plate. I was stunned that he wasn't "wearing it" on his next AB. However, he did strike out in his next 3 successive trips to the plate – so I guess the pitcher lost the battle, but won the war. Does he have an attitude problem – or did I just catch him on a bad day?
joser on June 14th, 2010 12:59 pm
I've been meaning to get to an Aquasox game for a long time — maybe this is the year, what with the disappointments further south. I've always loved the team name; it's the toe-socks logo that's new, right? I'm glad to see it didn't replace the frog ("we catch balls without using our hands") entirely.
I was thinking I wanted to get one of their trident "E" hats to wear to Mariners' games to "eff" with fans who aren't familiar with it, but that led me to the Aquasox trinkets pages which are full of discoveries. Did you know that their logo blanket can be used for a baseball game or for "other activities"? The tree ornament, however, is just disturbing. Looking to freak out a small child on Christmas morning? Look no further!
Strangely, however, I can't find any actual Aqua Socks or (non-aqua) toe socks on the site.
Jay Yencich on June 14th, 2010 1:07 pm
Does anybody ever ask about Mike Wilson? I know he has what the M's need in terms of power … and I know he is a strikeout machine (similar to Peguero) – but does he have any other tools that the Mariners could use in the near term or by the time of September call-ups. Are his strikeout totals worth the potential OPS that his bat could bring?
He comes up every now and then, and has been on the 40-man twice now, I think. I'm not a huge fan, though I can concede that he could yet have a major league career. he probably would have by now, but it seems that every time he gets close, there's always some serious injury he gets that knocks him out for a long period of time. In '06, it was the oblique, and in '07, a hamstring and then a quadriceps.
I'm pretty sure that the Dust Devils are the team with whom there's been a good amount of bad blood over the past few seasons.
It's the E based on the old Mariners trident.
msfanmike on June 14th, 2010 1:21 pm
Thanks again Jay!
Wilson looks like a brick s…-house made up of nothing but muscle. Since you can't pull fat, it would seem that he is always going to be prone to injury. He is the kind of guy who would become an instant fan favorite by hitting a bomb or two -and I hope he stays healthy enough to get his cup of coffee and provide a preview. It seems to me that he could be providing what Langerhans is currently providing … and 10 times more than what Tui or Kotchman are providing – plus he is younger than Ryan and has to be more talented than Tui (doesn't he?). There are a lot of "open" slots on the 40 man roster currently that "Z" must be holding in abeyance for some near-term roster moves. Picking a prospective/potential fan favorite with horizontal power would seem to make sense on some level. September is going to have to be "give the people what they want month" – since there might be no other reason to want to buy a ticket.
Keep up the great work. I look forward to your weekly updates.
…There are a lot of "open" slots on the 40 man roster currently that "Z" must be holding in abeyance for some near-term roster moves. Picking a prospective/potential fan favorite with horizontal power would seem to make sense on some level…
My gut says that Boras is going to try to beg one of those off for Paxton.
Alex Liddi, Southern League Player of the Week
I am sure you are right.
There appear to be a few easily discardable 40-man roster space eaters among the pitching staff currently. I can see where one or two of them might be "liberated" in order to make room for Paxton, but what kind of leverage (vice Boras) does Paxton actually have?
Paxton could provide good value based on tools in comparison to his draft position (per your previous post), but is he really 40-man roster worthy at this time?
Ackley had special leverage last year that Paxton does not appear to have. However, I understand the exercise … with negotiations being what they are. If buying some near-term love from Boras, helps provide some return for future Boras free agents that we may be interested in signing, I get it. I doubt that things are ever or will ever be that simple though.
It's not that big of a risk for the Mariners to take by signing Paxton to a Major League deal since they have several very fillable roster spots by discarding the never will be's and the "why are you still here's" (i.e. S. White – among others).
Negotiations for a Major League deal could linger for 2 more months – but please do keep us posted.
Great news about Liddi too. I check up on him all the time. Young and improving. His glove may require a position change – to 1B down the line – from what I understand.
Oolon on June 14th, 2010 2:29 pm
We watched Halman for a couple years ('06 and '07)at Everett and I don't remember him showing any attitude problems. He did strike out a lot but seemed to enjoy his playing time and his teammates seemed to enjoy him. I don't remember him ever doing anything silly to show up the other team.
Jay is probably right – the Tri City rivalry was full of excitement back then and plenty of hard feelings on both sides…
Another Aquasox player that was even more impressive for his talents, self-confidence, and style was James Jones last season. He looked like a natural and played like he was already a star (and he might be in the future). On the other hand his hitting was just above average, he had just 3 home runs, he was 0-3 on stolen bases and made 5 errors in right field in just 45 games. He's fun to watch though.
SoulofaCitizen on June 14th, 2010 2:47 pm
I've never understood why add someone who won't play for a year or two to the 40-man roster, when you could work out a contract with their agent to bring them up within a certain term, pay them a certain amount, or do whatever else the 40-man would in terms of committing to the player without taking up a scarce slot and potentially losing a Francisco Liriano.
It's not in a player's interest to potentially weaken the team they'll be joining by costing them (even a borderline) prospect, yet this continually occurs. Can someone explain why even a Scott Boras wouldn't just work out some other contractual arrangement in terms of guaranteeing their client certain money or status with the team.
joser on June 14th, 2010 3:14 pm
So this is a completely random question that I've always wondered about, and was reminded of by "Ralph Henriquez got the call to West Tenn, which sent Hassiel Jimenez to the Cal League in the exchange." We know that when a kid gets called up to the M's from the Rainiers it's just a short drive, or a plane flight if the team is on a road trip. But in a case like this, when somebody is going half-way across the country in the low minors, I assume they drive themselves (in years past I suppose it was a bus trip, and I guess if it's an emergency for a catcher or something they might spring for a plane ticket). How long does a player have to report when they have that far to drive?
Oh, I'd already seen that so I assumed it wasn't new. It's clever, and I like it. And not too much luck will drain out in that orientation. That's the first thing that made me wish I had a connection to Everett in, well, ever.
There appear to be a few easily discardable 40-man roster space eaters among the pitching staff currently.
And yet there was no room for Kanekoa Texeira. (And yeah, I know that wasn't a 40 man issue.)
killer_ewok18 on June 14th, 2010 3:24 pm
It's great to see our prospects performing so well, especially this year. I really appreciate these write ups.
How long do you see Ackley sticking around at West Tenn?
Typical Idiot Fan on June 14th, 2010 4:33 pm
Then why bring it up.
40-man spots are usually given to prospects who won't play in the majors for a year or two? It happens with the Rule 5 draft every offseason. I don't like having the extra spot taken up before a player is even eligible, but Paxton could be ready pretty quickly.
But in a case like this, when somebody is going half-way across the country in the low minors, I assume they drive themselves (in years past I suppose it was a bus trip, and I guess if it's an emergency for a catcher or something they might spring for a plane ticket). How long does a player have to report when they have that far to drive?
I think that it's probably still plane flights in most cases. On a minor league salary, most guys can't afford much more than beaters that barely get around the neighbourhood. In fact, it used to be a tradition with the Timber Rattlers that at the end of the season, the players would find an empty parking lot and go all demolition derby for an evening. That is, until some cops caught them one time and they had trouble explaining the principle.
Anyway, yes, planes or perhaps buses. It depends on the relative geography.
Not much longer. He could be in Tacoma by the end of the month, but it may be as soon as the D-Jaxx win (or don't win) the first half title.
henryv on June 14th, 2010 4:55 pm
Is there one player in the PCL that is an absolute "must see"? I'm going to be working in Tacoma the next couple months, and I'm wondering if there is a game I really should go to.
I imagine the parent organization was as thrilled as their parents were.
Because I'm still sorry he's gone?
I don't know at the moment, it seems like a lot of players are bypassing triple-A entirely these days. Las Vegas has a good team with names like Brett Wallace and former M's pick (unsigned) J.P. Arencibia. Omaha has Gordon and Ka'aihue, at least at this moment. Sacramento has Chris Carter, who is ranked highly for the A's. I can't really think of any dominant pitching names offhand though.
Hey, look, from the ghost of the P-I…
The Mariners announced the signing of 17 of their picks from last week's amateur draft, including fifth-rounder Stephen Pryor, a pitcher from Tennessee Tech.
Pryor is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander who went 4-4 with a 5.71 ERA and averaged 16 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He'll report immediately to the Everett AquaSox.
The other signings were all lower-round picks, including right-handed pitcher Forrest Snow, a University of Washington product taken in the 36th round.
Snow, who attended Lakeside High School in Seattle, went 4-2 with a 6.30 ERA in 27 games. Seattle also selected Snow in the 44th round of the 2007 draft, but he decided to attend Washington instead. He'll also begin his pro career with Everett.
Also signed were infielder Daniel Lopez (16th), right-handed pitcher Wily Kesler (18th), outfielder Franklin Christian (19th), right-handed pitcher Matt Bischoff (20th), outfielder Robert Anston (26th), right-handed pitcher Tim Griffin (28th), infielder Derek Poppert (30th), infielder Jake Schlander (31st), left-handed pitcher Tyler Whitney (34th), left-handed pitcher Ryan Kiel (37th), left-handed pitcher Nathan Reed (40th), right-handed pitcher Mike Aviles (42nd), infielder Matt Browning (43rd), outfielder James Woods (47th) and infielder Patrick Brady (48th).
Christian might be a steal. I've heard him as a potential five-tool player, with the bat lagging a bit behind at the moment. He was thought to have a pretty strong commitment to USC, and I had no expectation of him signing, let alone this quickly.
SonOfZavaras on June 14th, 2010 9:40 pm
Frankie Christian signing is a coup in my mind.
I had been of the mind that we drafted him and LHP Jordan Shipers basically to keep an org with bigger pockets from signing them.
I never dreamed Christian would sign this fast, I thought his commit was stronger than that, he was slated to essentially START in CF for USC.
Now all I have to hear is Walker-Littlewood-Stanek and Paxton all signing in rapidfire order, and I'll be seven shades of elated.
Typically, it seems the M's sign about 30-35 of their picks- give or take a few. Here's hoping they don't stop with these guys they've gotten already.
Shipers, actually, I've heard positive things on. It seems he's not averse to signing.
Here's what he had to say to a local paper
SonOfZavaras on June 14th, 2010 10:47 pm
It seems he's not averse to signing.
That's awesome. Now I just wonder about budgetary concerns. He would be even more of a triumph to sign than Christian.
But would signing him- for the money it'd take to buy him out of his college commit- absolutely preclude us from signing any of Littlewood, Stanek, Paxton and/or Walker?
I don't worry about Paxton OR Walker signing as Paxton has the leverage of tidewater on a flat beach and Walker has shown no serious interest in college. But Stanek and Littlewood are different stories.
bhdollman on June 14th, 2010 11:38 pm
We signed Guillermo Pimentel to a $2 million international free agent contract last August but I havent seen any mention of him on your minor league reports. Where is he in the Mariners farm system? I hear he has amazing potential, whats your take on him? I know hes still very young and raw. Thanks in advance for the response.
Jay Yencich on June 15th, 2010 1:10 am
That's because he hasn't yet played a game. Right now, he's scheduled to start the season in either Pulaski or Peoria, though a late promotion to Everett is not out of the question. Considering what they did with Julio Morban last year after he was injured, I might put better odds on Peoria simply so he can be closer to the coaching staff and they could monitor him more easily.
I like Pimentel. His bat is probably among the best I've seen out of an international free agent, which is good, as his footspeed and arm are a little subpar and he's probably a left fielder in the majors. The approach he takes to the plate is pretty indicative of a guy who has power and knows he's not going to hit his way off the island, so I wouldn't think of him as a long term average hitter. The likely projection right now would probably be about .270 on average and 25 home runs or more. The bat is what carries him up and establishes him as a prospect.
Big Leagues on June 15th, 2010 7:54 am
It is absolutely in the best interest of the player to get on the 40 man roster as soon as possible. That's why Boras does it. Getting on the 40 man starts your service time for option years. The amount of times a team can "option" you to the minors. It's the difference between being sent up and down with no limit and getting DFA'd. Once out of options the team needs to keep you or risk losing you so it will get you more time in the bigs. It also gives you more money in the minors, and starts the clock on all kinds of other fun things like union membership and usually gets you more equipment deals.
Teams do not want to put guys on the 40 man to the last possible time, usually before the rule 5 draft in which the player is draftable…see Cortes, Vavaro et al.


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No beads, no feathers: Historical photos show strength, humour of Indigenous communities | CBC Radio Loaded
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No beads, no feathers: Historical photos show strength, humour of Indigenous communities
Three years ago, Paul Seesequasis began sharing historical photos of Indigenous people on Twitter and Facebook. The black and white photos were taken between 1920-1970, and are of Indigenous people wearing contemporary clothing doing everyday things.
Rosanna Deerchild · Posted: Jan 11, 2019 11:44 AM ET | Last Updated: January 11, 2019
'George Johnston and taxi assistants' ~ (Tlingit) ~ Teslin, Yukon 1945 (George Johnston (Tlingit), George Johnston Museum)
Unreserved7:44No beads, no feathers: Historical photos show strength, humour of Indigenous communities
Three years ago, Paul Seesequasis began sharing historical photos of Indigenous people on Twitter and Facebook.
They were not the usual stoic images of people in beads and feathers posing with horses and tipis. The black and white photos were taken between 1920-1970, and are of Indigenous people wearing contemporary clothing doing everyday things. In many of the images, they are seen hunting, fishing, having family gatherings or simply posing with friends and family, having a laugh.
Seesequasis, who is a writer, cultural activist and journalist didn't think his Indigenous Archival Photo Project would reach beyond his own friends and family. But what started as a social media experiment has gone farther than he ever expected.
It all began with something his mother, who is a residential school survivor, told him.
"[She said] we know about all the difficult things that happened during those years but we didn't hear enough about how families kept together."
That got him thinking and researching. He started with old family photos but soon moved on to archives, museums and historical societies where he found never before seen photos of Indigenous life. Response to his project was immediate.
Reframing history
"People who hadn't seen these photos before began to recognize their aunties or their uncles, or their grandparents and it just began a wonderful dialogue."
He said as more and more people shared stories behind the pictures, a narrative began to form beyond the captured moment to show that Indigenous people had a lot of humour and valued the connection between generations.
Paul Seesequasis's book, Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun, will be out in the fall of 2019 . (Red Works Photography)
"These photos kind of reframed that period of time for me and gave me an appreciation for what previous generations had done to keep things going in the face of legislation and residential schools and all the oppressive stuff we know about."
Seesequasis said he deliberately chose images that were contemporary over those featuring Indigenous people in regalia, traditional clothes or photos from residential school.
"I didn't want to go there because there is the Truth and Reconciliation [web]site and they have those photos. I wanted something really positive that reflected the communities," he said.
"It showed that bond that held us together as communities and the kinship that exists among us."
One of his favourite photos was taken by Rosemary Eaton in Cape Dorset in 1960. In it, a young mother named Mary Ashoona is wearing an amauti, a traditional Inuit parka with a hood and pouch in the back to carry babies. But hers also has coins attached all down the back.
Mary Ashoona in her amauti, 1960 (Rosemary Eaton (Library and Archives Canada))
"It didn't really dawn on me why she had done that," he recalled.
"Then I got a message from her son who was only one at the time of the photo. He said 'that's my mom and I remember as a baby how warm and how comforting it was and I can still hear it my mind, to hear those coins jingle as she walked.'"
Now the project has gone beyond social media. A photography book, Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun, will be published by Knopf Canada in the fall, a travelling exhibition is being planned and Seesequasis is building a website to serve as a research resource for students, families and communities.
He said working on the project has given him an appreciation of the past, of his ancestors and of the strength of First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities.
"It's given me a sense of how the past is very much part of the present and these photos not only tell their own story but provide a link, or a thread to the present."
'Woman sawing wood' (Cree) La Ronge, Sask 1945 (Supplied by Paul Seesequasis)
One photograph shaped how everyone saw the Oka Crisis
Shooting past stereotypes: Photojournalist challenges expectations with contemporary images
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FULL EPISODE: Iconic Indigenous imagery: How photos shape movements and connect us to history


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Tag Archives: Foo Fighters
A to Z of Making It, Copyright, Music, My Stories, Piracy, Unsung Heroes
INTERESTING: In A World Of Free, Metal and Rock Music Still Continues To Sell
August 26, 2015 destroyerofharmonyAC DC, AC/DC, Copyright, Dokken, Foo Fighters, Gene Simmons, Led Zeppelin, metal, Metallica, music, Paul Stanley, recorded music, sales Leave a comment
There is a great article over at the Metal Insider website.
If you are too lazy to click on the link, the article covers the biggest selling metal and rock albums for 2015.
From the results, it's pretty obvious that metal and rock fans like to purchase music. There is still a collectors mindset there. What's even more fascinating is that a lot of the albums that have sold a decent amount in 2015 were not even released in 2015.
NOTE: The figures are based on U.S sales.
"Master of Puppets" was released in 1986 and in 2015 it sold 107,800 units. The self-titled "Metallica" album released in 1991 has sold another 77,100 units in 2015. It is well on its way to 17 million units sold in total.
Now think about for a second.
All of Metallica's music is available on streaming services for paid subscriptions and for free. All of their music is available for downloading via legal options and illegal options. And they still continue to sell.
A band's longevity is based around the need to replenish their fan base year after year. If you are not doing that then expect to play smaller venues. Dokken and Ratt are two bands that come to mind who haven't replenished their fan bases from the Eighties. Both bands in the Eighties had platinum sales and played arenas. Today, they have almost no sales and play clubs. Of course, not having the main creative forces in the current version of the band plays a part, however, even if Lynch and Pilson or Pearcy and Croucier did rejoin Dokken and Ratt respectively, it doesn't mean that millions of people would be interested.
Metallica, however is doing a good job at replenishing their fan base based on their selected live performances in new markets and in markets that have high rates of piracy. They basically have a whole new generation of music fans who more or less consumed the music of Metallica for free and in most cases illegally. However, that still hasn't stopped them from selling music and concert tickets.
As business people, the move to their own label "Blackened Recordings" was a no-brainer.
The record is how it all starts. It hooks the audience in. Anyone born in the Nineties, will know Metallica as the conformist poster artist for the labels in the Napster case. Anyone born in the Seventies and early Eighties know Metallica as a non-conformist band that pushed boundaries.
The whole Napster kerfuffle in the end just showed why it was not a good idea for Metallica to get in the way of people experiencing their music. However, they have learnt that by making their music available everywhere, they see better returns in other areas.
As an artist, it is a privilege for people to listen to your music. Respect that.
"Back In Black" from AC/DC was released in 1980. In 2015 so far, it has sold 110,000 units in the U.S. The new album, "Rock Or Bust", released in 2014, has sold 143,400 units in 2015. Put it down to the band being on the road and building awareness of the new album. It just goes to show that the blanket marketing campaigns before the album release date, the Grammy appearance and all of the other medical issues/jail issues in the media meant nothing in 2015.
You see, when the music eco system was controlled by the record labels, the marketing blitz by the labels meant something. In 2015, it means nothing.
From the 2015 releases, Breaking Benjamin's "Dark Before Dawn" has sold 209,000 units so far, Marilyn Manson's "The Pale Emperor" has sold 124,200 units so far and Halestorm's "Into The Wild Life" has sold 114,500 units so far.
From the 2014 releases, Foo Fighters "Sonic Highways" album has sold 87,800 in 2015, for total sales in 480,000 so far. Slipknot's "5: The Gray Chapter" has sold 84,000 units in 2015, for total sales of 344,000 units. Nickelback's "No Fixed Address" album has sold 101,000 units in 2015. Like the Foo Fighters it is approaching Gold status.
Led Zeppelin continues to be a selling machine, so why would they create new music when Copyright grants them and the owners of their songs, rights for the next 110 years to exploit the works.
In case you are wondering "Led Zeppelin 4" sold 75,000 units and "Physical Graffiti" sold 112,400 units in 2015.
Kid Rock's debut "Devil Without A Cause" is still selling. For 2015 alone, it has moved 86,000 units. Add that to the other 10 million units it has sold so far.
So what is all of the above telling us.
Eventually people will pay, however if a piece of music that people want to check out is not available for free, they will turn away until it becomes convenient. Don't expect people to pay just because you want them too.
And for all of those critics saying the new bands cannot attain the same level of success as their Seventies and Eighties counterparts, well have a look at some other stats.
As influential as Black Sabbath was to metal music, they are being outsold by Linkin Park, Korn and even Limp Bizkit.
Also for all of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley's comments about rock being dead because no one is buying recorded music, well, Kiss has never really been a big seller of recorded music anyway. Their 21 million is pretty tame compared to Metallica's 62 million. In the end, the live show is where it's at. Deliver there and make that show a cultural event, the sky is the limit.
Copyright, Derivative Works, Influenced, Music, My Stories, Piracy, Stupidity
The Copyright Pension/Annuity
March 15, 2015 destroyerofharmonyAvenged Sevenfold, Copyright, Copyright law, Dave Mustaine, Five Finger Death Punch, Foo Fighters, Funky Town, Gene Simmons, Kiss, Lick It Up, Megadeth, Metallica, Metallica songs, money, music industry, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Stanley, Pharrell Williams, plagiarism, sound similar Leave a comment
When I started to write my own songs back in the late Eighties, copyright was not even in my mindset. You see, when you start to do something creative you do it because there is a sense of fulfillment and a desire to create.
From my own experiences, I never sat down with my guitar and said to myself, "Gee, lucky for me, there is a copyright law in place that lasts my whole lifetime, plus another seventy years after I die, to give me an incentive to create".
Those kinds of thoughts never enter the mindset.
Which brings me to today and how the very nature of what Copyright is has been hijacked by large corporations and greedy next of kins.
The whole "Blurred Lines" case is a joke. For the record, it is a crap song that made a lot of cash. So what we have is a jury deciding if a song sounds similar to another song and for them to decide that it does sound similar, it more or less indirectly infers that Marvin Gaye was so original that his song "Got To Give It Up" came out of some celestial vacuumed place that only Marvin Gaye had access to. However, everyone knows that is not the case. All artists are the sum of their influences.
And what a said state of affairs for Copyright. You have the heirs of Marvin Gaye, who haven't contributed anything to the arts and are living off the proceeds of a stupid law that extends Copyright 70 plus years after death. There are millions upon millions of songs out there that sound similar, however once a song makes some serious cash, the knives come out.
What I took out of the court case and what bodes well for music in general is the amount of money the track made.
$5.6 million in profits went to Robin Thicke while $5.2 million to Pharrell Williams, $700,000 to the other writer T.I. and the rest of the $16.7 million in overall profits went to the record companies Interscope, UMG Distribution and Star Trak. Since Napster, we have been hearing the same rhetoric from the recording industry and out of touch artists.
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are renowned for their viewpoints on rock being dead and piracy killing off any chance a new artist has of making some money. Scott Ian wanted to disconnect people from the Internet. Nuclear Blast want to shakedown people who downloaded the music from "All Shall Perish".
Meanwhile the record labels kept the propaganda machine going that they just can't make any money because of piracy. So here is just one song that has made close to $17 million dollars in profits. One song, remember that.
So it goes back to the same old saying, create something that people gravitate too and watch it make you money. There is a shitload of money out there if artists can create a great song that people gravitate to.
Actually speaking of plagiarism, listen to the "Funky Town" vocal melody and then listen to the verse vocal melody in Kiss's "Lick It Up". They are identical. Hell, the whole "Sonic Highways" album from Foo Fighters is a case of influences. Same goes for the whole "Hail To The King" album from Avenged Sevenfold. Let's add "Kill Em All" from Metallica which was more or less a rip off the NWOBHM movement. Subsequent Metallica songs afterwards would further borrow from other cult/unknown artists.
Recently Five Finger Death Punch lifted "The Ultimate Sin" verse vocal melody and used it for the "Lift Me Up" verse. Dave Mustaine did the same both musically and vocally by lifting "Children Of The Grave" and using it for "Kingmaker."
Thank god that Dave Grohl, A7X, Five Finger Death Punch, Dave Mustaine or Metallica didn't decide to let a Marvin Gaye song influence them, otherwise they would be in the courts as the well.
I think it is pretty safe to say a lot of songs sound the same regardless of genre. I see it more as a tribute than a rip off and to be honest in no way does the new composition take away from the original. For example, there is no way that "Something From Nothing" from the Foo Fighters takes away from Dio's "Holy Diver".
But when you have a whole copyright industry that makes money of the works created by others, you get a lot of bullshit happening, especially when a song makes a lot of money.
Double Threats
November 21, 2013 destroyerofharmonyA Perfect Circle, Adam Dutkiewicz, artist, Chris Jericho, Claudio Sanchez, Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, David Draiman, Digital Summer, Doug Aldrich, Foo Fighters, Fozzy, Henry Rollins, Jared Leto, Joe Satriani, John Sykes, Kevin Churko, Killswitch Engage, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Maynard James Keenan, Mike Shinoda, Motley Crue, nikki sixx, Noisecreep, Protest The Hero, Randy Blythe, rob zombie, Robb Flynn, rockers, Rollins Band, Slash, successful band, SuperStar, Tool, white zombie 1 Comment
There is an article doing the rounds at Noisecreep about rockers who branch out into some other venture (like another successful band) or something that is beyond the musical medium.
So of course the lists focuses on the "SuperStar". First here is the list from Noisecreep.
10. Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park / Fort Minor
9. Chris Jericho from Fozzy and Professional Wrestling
8. Henry Rollins from Black Flag / Rollins Band (I am adding acting to this)
7. Marilyn Manson
6. Maynard James Keenan from Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer
5. Jared Leto from Thirty Seconds to Mars and acting
4. Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters / Them Crooked Vultures / Nirvana / Scream
3. Corey Taylor from Slipknot / Stone Sour / Author
2. Rob Zombie from Rob Zombie / White Zombie / Directing
1. Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue / Sixx: A.M. + Radio DJ, Book Author and Photographer
What about the artists that are not superstars?
The artists below are doing an unbelievable job or have done an unbelievable job to remain a double threat in the music business.
1. Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambra / Prized Fighter Inferno + Comic / Book Author
2. Adam Dutkiewicz from Killswitch Engage / Times of Grace + Producing
3. Digital Summer (the whole band) – They hold down normal day jobs and they are also a successful modern rock band.
4. Randy Blythe from Lamb of God + successful photographer
5. Robb Flynn from Machine Head + successful blogger
6. John Sykes from Whitesnake / Blue Murder / Solo Artist / Thin Lizzy tribute
7. Joe Satriani – Solo Artist / Chickenfoot / guitar teacher
8. Slash from Guns N Roses / Slash's Snakepit / Velvet Revolver / Solo Artist + Motion Pictures
9. Doug Aldrich at one stage was playing guitar for Whitesnake and Dio at the same time. Also involved with Burning Rain.
10. David Draiman from Disturbed / Device + Producer
11. Protest The Hero (the band) – successful fan funded band and campaigners.
12. Kevin Churko – Successful Producer / Songwriter and Studio Owner
Original Noisecreep Article: http://noisecreep.com/best-double-threat-rockers/


Press Release (ePRNews.com) - ELK GROVE, Calif. - Jan 03, 2018 - Glen Padayachee is considered the country's new face of civil rights amongst today's professional employment and civil rights groups. As the head of EEO and HR Consultants, Padayachee today announced the nationwide launch of the 2018 HARASSMENT ENDS NOW Campaign.
Glen Padayachee's new book "Equal Employment Opportunity 101 – A Manager's Guide to Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity in the Workplace" is a must-have tool for every employer; key concepts, real-life examples and best practices noted throughout the book will (if followed) create a healthy, positive and productive workplace. A healthy and harassment-free workplace, one that is promoted and supported by educated and knowledgeable managers and supervisors, will reduce and/or eliminate an organization's exposure to liability for harassment claims.
Our 2018 HARASSMENT ENDS NOW Campaign brings awareness to our national crisis of sexual harassment and discrimination; we send a strong message to employers to take action now to further educate their managers and supervisors and ensure all their managers and supervisors have a copy of this book.
Stan Statham's New Book "Reclaim California" is a Brilliant Manuscript That Shares True Justification for the Division of the Once Golden State of California.
Nick J. Bitakis's New Book "New Covenant Truths" is an Edifying Opus That Inspires a Faith-Driven Life and an Understanding of One's Relationship With God.


Efren Pelayo from The Dad Lift is back on the Fit Dad Fitness Podcast for another chat, and this time, he and I share our experiences and insights on how we manage the chaos of fatherhood enough to work on ourselves and our own health and fitness. This is a fun episode, as it always is with Efren. Great dude, and a great chat. Enjoy!
Go to https://www.healthiq.com/fitdad to get a free quote on life insurance specifically geared towards people who live fit, active, and healthy lifestyles.
Download my free eBook, 14 Fit Rules for Fit Dads, on my website at https://www.fitdadfitness.com/14-fit-rules-for-fit-dads.


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What's Worth Watching: A Devastating Death on Mom
Matt Roush January 22, 2015 1:05 am
Trae Patton/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Mom Season 2
Mom, "Three Smiles and an Unpainted Ceiling," (Thursday, Jan. 22, 8:30/7:30c, CBS)
Emmy-winner Allison Janney makes a strong case for a repeat win with her shattering performance tonight. This bold episode reinforces Mom's reputation for pulling no punches in its darkly comic, often raunchy and raucous depiction of recovering addicts Bonnie (Janney) and her single-mom daughter Christy (Anna Faris). No easy happy endings for this family, as an unexpected and unimaginable tragedy sends them into a tailspin of grief — though, as always, laced with bitter, barbed laughter.
It's no joke, however, when mother and daughter consider drowning their sorrows side by side at a bar. Even when it goes to very bleak places (in this case, a funeral), Mom fearlessly finds humor with unflinching and authentically funny results. You can't help but root for these characters, and this week, you might be tempted to give them a hug.


CLIPS for Work is the latest addition to the CLIPS website. Although elements of CLIPS for University are relevant to the workplace, searching for work or beginning work in a scientific workplace can bring new challenges to graduates.
The 5 modules cover aspects of communication associated with working in scientific workplaces. We've added interviews with employers and employees from a variety of scientific workplaces to help guide you in gaining experience, applying for jobs, building networks, and improving workplace communication skills.
Think of self-presentation as the way you want to be seen by others in certain situations. What impression do you want to make? How does the best version of yourself appear? How can you ensure that someone thinks of you in a particular way?
You may be familiar with the way people create a profile of themselves on social media through the photos, comments, and pages they share. The profile created through social media may not be entirely accurate, but it is important to recognise that social media is a form of communication that helps to create a profile of a person.
In relation to work, you need to consider what image of yourself you want to present to employers and colleagues. Keeping this image in mind, you should make a conscious effort to ensure all of your written, verbal, and non-verbal communication reinforces this image.
In each of the CLIPS for Work modules there will be a small section on self-presentation. The information provided will highlight the aspects of self-presentation that you should consider in relation to the specific module. The information should help guide you when you're thinking about different aspects of communication in the workplace.


Police departments in Culpeper do not report crime figures individually. Therefore, we cannot show you crime data about Culpeper, Alabama in particular.
Population data are also not available for Culpeper, Alabama, so we can't show you how Culpeper ranks against other similar areas at this time. However, you can find crime statistics for other cities in Wilcox County, the State of Alabama, or you can look through the available public records resources by clicking the menu tab above.
Independent statistics for Culpeper, Alabama are not available from the FBI UCR program. For more information, and a description of the statistical methods and data algorithms used by RecordsPedia, please visit our methodology section.


The Progressive Gazette: Is Human Rights Watch Manipulating Facts about Syria?
Is Human Rights Watch Manipulating Facts about Syria?
Editor's note: Human Rights Watch is a globalist NGO that has taken $100 million from George Soros.
On 21 August 2013 a series of chemical attacks were perpetrated in the Ghouta suburbs of eastern Damascus. Sources say that between 281 and 1,729 civilians were killed, while Medcins Sans Frontiers reported around 3,600 were injured in the attacks. On the same day UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon instructed the UN Mission already in Syria to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use in Khan al-Asal, Sheik Maqsoos and Saraqueb to focus their efforts on the Ghouta allegations.
Before the UN Mission had reported its preliminary findings Human Rights Watch (HRW) jumped the gun on 10 September with its own report written by Peter Bouckaert, the organization's Emergencies Director. The report admits that HRW did not have physical access to the site and had based its study on Skype interviews with 'More than 10 witnesses and survivors' made over a period of two weeks between 22 August and 6 September. These were supplemented by video and photo footage and other data from an unnamed source or sources. It is unclear then, exactly how many exposed survivors were interviewed by HRW or who the other witnesses were.


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Biografia
Ludwig von Lützow era figlio dell'ambasciatore ducale presso la corte prussiana di Berlino, August von Lützow (1757-1835). Egli studiò dal 1812 presso l'Università di Rostock e poi presso quella di Università di Gottinga sino al 1816 ove studiò giurisprudenza. Nel 1816 entrò nel Länder del Granducato di Meclemburgo-Schwerin e nel 1822 venne nominato Consigliere Privato del granduca, prestando servizio come ministro degli Interno dal 1837 al 1840.

Dal 1840 venne nominato dal granduca al titolo di Primo Ministro e fu sotto il suo governo che scoppiarono i moti del 1848/49 che portarono all'approvazione nel Meclemburgo-Schwerin di una costituzione liberale. Egli però si dimise da questa carica nel 1850 in contrasto con le decisioni del granduca Federico Francesco II che voleva riportare il granducato ad una situazione non costituzionale come prima del periodo rivoluzionario.

Von Lützow decise a questo punto di abbandonare la vita politica vivendo in ritiro nella sua tenuta di Boddin, dedicandosi al collezionismo di reperti archeologici e intrattenendo una fitta corrispondenza con Fritz Reuter.

Matrimonio
Ludwig von Lützow sposò il 27 maggio 1819 Sophie von Brandenstein (1796-1876), figlia del ministro e proprietario terriero Georg August von Brandenstein.

Note

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


smallcappower – Financial Post (July 19, 2013) – We are pleased to feature this exclusive interview with Tom Astle, Head of Research, Difference Capital, a Toronto, Canada based Merchant Bank.
In this Smallcappower.com exclusive, Mr. Astle talks about his approach to finding high potential technology companies for investment. Furthermore, he talks about the major sectors within the broad technology sector that could do well in the near future. He also shares his insights about the stock markets in general and his investment outlook.
Q: Can you tell us about Difference Capital and your role there?
A: Sure. So Difference Capital is a publicly listed tech-focused merchant bank. We're mainly focused on private investments, and we do some, what we call private investments in public companies as well. And the company's been around about a year, founded by a few people, including Mike Wekerle who was the founder of GMP. And I joined about five, six months ago along with a few others, and my role is basically looking at the investment opportunities that come in the door, finding some of those investments and then the whole investment due diligence process and making a recommendation.
Q: So what are some of the key characteristics of technology companies that Difference Capital would look to invest in?
A: So we're focused on non-resource growth. Right now our primary focus is tech and some media and maybe a bit of healthcare. But those are the three big sectors we're focused on. We just went out and raised a fair bit of money in an offering. Being publicly listed, we're able to do that. And right now we are targeting later stage, mostly private, technology companies. And you might say, why private versus public? I've been an analyst covering public companies for years and the Canadian universe of public tech companies is pretty limited as you may know. And I found out the private universe is actually much more interesting. There's much better quantity. And there's better quality I think in some cases, and a lot of the value appreciation now in small companies is when they are private. For example, an extreme example would be Facebook where all the value creation was when it was private. And then when it went public, was basically at the peak of its most recent valuation. So we, as a public vehicle, give investors an opportunity to get into that– the private value accretion stage. So that's one of the criterias. We tend to look for private, although we'll do early stage publics as well. We look for basically companies that are I.P. rich – intellectual property rich. We think that's a key competitive differentiator. We are not looking for look for start-up companies, so companies have to have some revenue. They have to have customers we can call to verify what their products, are competitive. We are looking for visibility to about at least $10 million in revenue and positive EBITDA. And then we like management teams that are well invested along with us and business models that are somewhat proven out.
Q: So that actually answers some of the next question, but could you elaborate a little more on your approach and methodology of picking high quality stocks that can become tomorrow's potential winners?
A: Yeah, absolutely. So been doing this for years and the key thing in the tech and media space, is what drives a competitive advantage? So that's partially why we look for companies that are very rich in intellectual property. That's obviously a big source of competitive advantage. But there's other things to look for as well, like recurring revenue. That's a nice positive. A lot of companies are moving to what's called a cloud or SaaS models that have often-recurring revenue you can count on every year, that gives it some stability. We also look very closely at what stage they're at in a product cycle. Product cycles start out early. If you're too early, it can be very painful. If you're too late, it's all over. So you have to find that mid spot in the product cycle. And we look for things like visibility for growth, third party verification of their technology. So it's all those together.
Q: So in general, what is your overall outlook for capital markets in the next 12 to 18 months?
A: Well, in the sectors we're focused on, we're very excited. We think that the Canadian market in particular is feeling a lot of pain right now as the commodity super cycle kind is slowing down, and then investors are trying to get some exposure in what we call the non-resource areas. And there's a real scarcity value I think of companies in that space. And so we're quite positive on the tech or in media, healthcare and cleantech and the industrial growth space. So that's where we're focused in the sector market call. I don't think I'm really qualified to make an overall market call, but generally pretty positive on those sectors.
Q: Considering the broader economic uncertainty, do you see continued growth in the tech sector over the next two to three years?
A: Yeah, I mean, I think if you looked at what's going on in terms of all the product cycles that are happening in tech in particular, it's a pretty exciting time. I was an analyst through the tech bubble a decade ago and was driven by just one product cycle, the wired Internet. As we go forward here we're looking at a lot of the product cycles that are very exciting, and they will drive a lot disruptive [?] opportunities going forward.
Q: So do you believe that investors have much of a risk-appetite for smaller market cap companies currently?
A: That's coming around. The last three or four years have been very challenging for small cap companies. There's been a lot of consolidation at the institutional investor level that– the funds have gotten so large, they have trouble looking at smaller names. I think smaller cap definition probably has moved up. It probably starts at $200 million versus $50 million a few years ago. So there's a bit of a challenge there. But I think coming back to my earlier comment that the market is very hungry for getting more exposure to non-resource growth, I think that will drive some scarcity value. So I'm more of positive on the smaller cap space in the non-resource growth area.
Q: So what technology sector should investors be watching now?
A: So I think of four or five major trends that we like to have exposure to- and these are mega trends in these product cycles I was talking about. So one is particularly mobile. Anything mobile is still growing very rapidly. Mobile Internet is– you know, it's in our pocket now, still growing internationally, so I think there's going to be lots of opportunity there. Overlay that with the whole move to cloud computing. So when you have a device in someone's pocket that connects you to a very powerful cloud computing environment, you can do a lot of things and we're seeing all kinds of examples of that. Then related to that is the whole big data trend. So discovering that with that kind of mobile and cloud environment, you can collect lots of data and that data has a lot of value when it gets to a certain size. And then social commerce is currently taking off. Valuations are probably a bit of a head scratcher in that space, but it's another mega trend you got to be aware of. And then the last thing that we're probably a bit more unique on focusing on is content. Content in general has gone up lots in value now that we have all these different ways of distributing it. It's not just TV and print. It's not only your pocket, it's on your P.C., it's on your tablet. So those are the five major areas that we focus heavily on in the technology content space.
Q: And finally, can you share some of your favourite companies with our investor audience and elaborate on why you like them?
A: Well, I'll do a little self-promoting. First of all, I think that Difference Capital (DCF.V) is quite interesting. We give investors exposure to some of the upcoming private companies in Canada and some in the U.S. So I think that's obviously one that we're self-interested in mentioning. But beyond that, other public companies that I've tracked in the past and still think are very promising outlooks would be companies like Redknee (RKN.T), which is a SaaS based billing software for wireless operators. Another company, which sounds similar, but it's Redline (RDL.T). They're just an emerging small cap name with some neat wireless technologies. And then there's the names like Descartes (DSG.T), which continues to do very well. I also watch a small company called CounterPath (CCV.T), I think they have an interesting plan. And full disclosure, we also own a few public companies like Amaya (AYA.V) , GuesLogix (GXI.T) and a company called CRAiLAR (CL.V). So we obviously like those ones as well.
Q: Great. Thanks very much for taking the time to give our investor audience some of your great insights.


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Home / News / National
For Trump, Georgia election case just one of many legal woes
An investigation in Georgia on efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election defeat is one of a number of cases that pose legal problems for the former president. A judge in Atlanta is weighing arguments on whether to release a special grand jury's report expected to ...
Spreading the joy: Longer parade routes OKd for Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — COVID-19 precautions wiped out most New Orleans' Mardi Gras festivities in 2021, and a shortage of police officers forced the city to shorten routes for some of its lavish seasonal parades in 2022. Now, city officials, and business owners are celebrating plans to let the ...
Petito family lobbies for 'lethality assessment' law in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — When officers pulled over a van for speeding outside of Arches National Park in August 2021, they found a visibly distraught young couple in an emotional fight. Gabby Petito, 22, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, were driving across the United States, and upon ...
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency ...
NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan prosecutors investigating Donald Trump have convened a new grand jury to hear evidence in a years-old probe into payments made to keep the porn star Stormy Daniels quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with the former president, according to multiple news ...
Tyre Nichols case shows officers still fail to intervene
As five Memphis police officers attacked Tyre Nichols with their feet, fists and a baton, others milled around at the scene, even as the 29-year-old cried out in pain and then slumped limply against the side of a car. Just like the attack on George Floyd in Minneapolis nearly three years ago, ...


LGB is committed to being an aviation industry leader in environmental sustainability. The Airport employs a multipronged approach in order to reduce emissions from planes and service vehicles. LGB utilizes the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards to reduce waste in its construction projects.
Our new parking structure will bring all parking within walking distance of the terminal. This eliminates the need for our satellite Lot D as well as the shuttles used to serve Lot D, thereby reducing emissions.
The solar panel project consists of the installation of photovoltaic (solar) panels at various locations at the Airport. Solar panels will be installed on the existing baggage claim canopies, the top level of the Lot A parking garage, as well as the roof of the new parking structure upon its completion. New solar arrays will download power to the Airport's electrical grid, offsetting electrical usage tremendously.
Improvements to the air carrier ramp consist of the installation of preconditioned air and electrical power at each aircraft parking position. These additions will allow pilots to shut off auxiliary power units while waiting at the gate, which will reduce aircraft and ground vehicle emissions.
Converting to electric ground service vehicles and plane tugs has helped reduce commercial ramp emissions. In the past, our service vehicles were all diesel powered. We currently have five electric charging stations and our airlines have purchased 25 electric vehicles. Additional charging stations will be installed as part of the Airport Modernization Plan.
All of our passengers enter and exit planes via manually moved staircases and ramps rather than loading bridges commonly found at other airports; this reduces cost and electricity usage.
The Airport is in the process of converting all taxiway lights to LEDs. LEDs are brighter than regular light bulbs and have a longer lifespan — an estimated seven to 10 years as opposed to one year for incandescent bulbs.
Installation of electric-charging infrastructure allows airlines to switch much of their fossil-fuel burning tugs and baggage loaders to zero emission electric models.
These special "fast-charging" ground service equipment (GSE) charging stations effectively reduce the normal charge time of battery-powered equipment to about 20-25% of the normal charge time without damaging the equipment's battery. This reduction allows GSE to perform their duties more efficiently and achieve the same duty cycle as internal combustion equipment in the same capacity.
In addition to reduced carbon emissions, the electric GSE reduce noise in the terminal ramp area, promote alternative fuel use and conserve energy.
In collaboration with a consultant team well-versed in all aspects of sustainability, a Sustainability Plan Outline has been completed. This document will serve as a planning document and is complimentary to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on airport sustainability expected to be released in January 2019. To view the Sustainability Plan Outline, please click here.