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Tag: Spain
Published on May 30, 2021 December 29, 2021 by Caroline AngusLeave a comment
The period between 1492–resonant for a number of reasons–and 1571, when the Ottoman navy was defeated in the Battle of Lepanto, embraces what we know as the Renaissance, one of the most dynamic and creatively explosive epochs in world history. Here is the period that gave rise to so many great artists and figures, and which by its connection to its classical heritage enabled a redefinition, even reinvention, of human potential. It was a moment both of violent struggle and great achievement, of Michelangelo and da Vinci as well as the Borgias and Machiavelli. At the hub of this cultural and intellectual ferment was Italy.
The Beauty and the Terror offers a vibrant history of Renaissance Italy and its crucial role in the emergence of the Western world. Drawing on a rich range of sources–letters, interrogation records, maps, artworks, and inventories–Catherine Fletcher explores both the explosion of artistic expression and years of bloody conflict between Spain and France, between Catholic and Protestant, between Christian and Muslim; in doing so, she presents a new way of witnessing the birth of the West.
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I absolutely jumped with glee when Fletcher released The Beauty and the Terror. One of my most favourite authors, producing books some of my favourite subjects, Alessandro de' Medici and Gregorio Casali, and now an entire book on one of my favourite time periods, from the 1490s through the 16th century, the dramatic new world seen through the eyes of art.
This is a time period filled with people like Machiavelli, Savonarola, Borgia, Vespucci, Luther, the Medici, da Vinci, Columbus, the massive wars and invasions of Italy, Spain, the Ottoman Empire, the massive betrayals and battles for Florence, the League of Cambrai, not to mention the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and the huge oppression and destruction of women.
Everyone knows the traditional story of the early Renaissance; art, thought, regeneration and invention ending the mediaeval period. But everyone knows that cannot possibly be the reality; the world wasn't filled with visionary artists painting golden-haired girls in pretty dresses. War, poverty, intrigue, desperation, misery, disease – the reality was a bitter pill. This book suggests that the reality hasn't been headlined as much as the idealised version of events, and to an extent, that's true, particularly when it comes to the finer details of the horrid activities going on at the time. Why get into the politics of the Council of Trent when you can be beguiled by a Michelangelo painting?
The book also goes into how we know the famous portraits, sculptures, poems and books, but not the backstories – like how Mona Lisa is known for her smile but not that her husband used to purchase Moorish or African children each year to use as servants and God knows what else (I saw one review argue that didn't make the man complicit in the slave trade, but that comment says more about the reviewer than the book). Another portrait mentioned is Titian's Venus of Urbino of 1534 featuring Angela del Moro; a gorgeous piece of art, using the sitter's previous real-life gang rape as an inspiration for a piece of beauty to behold. We love reading Machiavelli's words but don't pay much attention to the hideous rise of handguns; poets are celebrated for the creation of the prose we know today but they sit alongside the rise of pornography. Leonardo da Vinci could create things like a mechanical lion for King Francis, but the same calculations and designs were used in developing weapons responsible for widespread misery.
The Beauty and the Terror is remarkable in both its level of detail and its readability; it gives the names you know with all the details you might have missed. It also offers a wonderful thing – a woman's voice to the subject, in a time where women were nothing but sexual objects and pawns, drawn to suffer or titillate and little in between. It lets their unknown voices peek out beyond the usual stone-cold portraits or nipple-laden fantasies of men.
Catherine Fletcher is a truly remarkable scholar and every book she produces is a work of art on its own. You don't know the Renaissance until you've read The Beauty and the Terror.
Gallery•Categories Historical Book Review Series•Tags book review, catherine fletcher, Italy, Renaissance, Spain, the beauty and the terror
HISTORICAL BOOK REVIEW SERIES: 'The House of Grey' by Melita Thomas
Published on December 15, 2019 October 18, 2021 by Caroline AngusLeave a comment
The Grey family was one of medieval England's most important dynasties. They were were on intimate terms with the monarchs and interwoven with royalty by marriage. They served the kings of England as sheriffs, barons and military leaders. In Henry IV's reign the rivalry between Owain Glyndwr and Lord Grey of Rhuthun was behind the Welsh bid to throw off English dominance. His successor Edmund Grey played a decisive role at the Battle of Northampton when he changed allegiance from Lancaster to York. He was rewarded with the disputed lands and the earldom of Kent. By contrast his cousin, Sir John Grey, died at the second battle of St Albans, leaving a widow, Elizabeth née Woodville, and two young sons, Thomas and Richard. Astonishingly, the widowed Elizabeth caught the eye of Edward IV and was catapulted to the throne as his wife. This gave her sons an important role after Edward s death. The Greys were considered rapacious, even by the standards of the time and the competing power grabs of the Greys with Richard, Duke of Gloucester led to Richard Greys summary execution when Gloucester became king. His brother, Thomas, vowed revenge and joined Henry Tudor in exile.
When Thomas Grey's niece, Elizabeth of York, became queen, the family returned to court, but Henry VII was wary enough of Thomas to imprison him for short time. Thomas married the greatest heiress in England, Cicely Bonville, their numerous children gained positions in the court of their cousin, Henry VIII, and his daughter, Mary. The 2nd Marquis was probably taught by Cardinal Wolsey but was a vigorous supporter of Henry VIII s divorce from Katharine of Aragon. But his son's reckless involvement in Wyatt s rebellion ended in his own execution and that of his daughter, Lady Jane Grey, the 'Nine Days Queen'. Weaving the lives of these men and women from a single family, often different allegiances, into a single narrative, provides a vivid picture of the English mediaeval and Tudor court, reflecting how the personal was always political as individual relationships and rivalries for land, power and money drove national events.
cover and text via Amberley Publishing
I jumped with joy when Amberley kindly sent me a copy of this book. Thomas Cromwell was beloved by the Greys, and they are a big theme in my next Cromwell novel out next year. The Grey family has not been given enough of the spotlight, and yet they are always there, close beside the better-known members of the royal court, ready for their time to shine.
While the Grey family began in the late 1100s, it was Lord Reginald Grey of Rhuthun who rose to prominence under Henry IV, and is famous for his battles with the Welsh, and being held hostage due to failed plans. His son, Edmund Grey fought during the Wars of the Roses, splitting from his family, who supported the Lancasterians, and supported the Yorkist cause instead. His son John Grey continued to fight for the Lancastrian cause, but was killed at the Battle of St Albans in 1461, leaving his wife Elizabeth Woodville a young widow with two sons, Thomas and Richard. When she secretly remarried to King Edward IV, the Grey family became full Yorkist supporters. It is these sons Thomas and Richard the world already knows. As with many noble houses of the time period, divided loyalties were a major problem when making the wrong choice could mean death.
Richard, younger of the brothers, did well from his mother's remarrriage, elevated at the royal court, and half-brother to the heir to the throne. But when Edward IV died in 1483, Richard Grey was executed beside his uncle Anthony Woodville, on Richard of Gloucester's (Richard III's) orders, aged only about 26. These killings sparked an already deeply divided power battle between the newly widowed queen and Richard III, her brother-in-law.
Elder brother Thomas Grey was a loyal Yorkist, and the Marquess of Dorset, and watched Richard III be crowned in London as his brother died, and soon after heard of the disappearance of the Princes of the Tower, his two young half-brothers. Thomas joined the Duke of Buckingham's rebellion against Richard III, but when that rapidly failed, Thomas changed loyalties fled to Brittany to join Henry Tudor, who pledged to marry Thomas' half sister Elizabeth of York, and rule England. Thomas was ready to invade England alongside Henry Tudor in 1485, only to hear that his mother had come to terms with Richard III, and he tried to desert the Lancastrian cause. Instead, he was captured by the French and held in Paris while the Battle of Bosworth saw Henry Tudor crowned Henry VII and step-uncle Richard III slain. Thomas was only released when Henry was on the throne and the new king could pay his French supporters.
Thomas Grey never recovered his influence in England after flipping between York and Lancaster, and was imprisoned during the Lambert Simnel uprising and the Battle of Stoke Field. Despite being the new queen's brother, the cloud of treason hung over Thomas, and he enjoyed little favour until his death in 1501, aged only about 48. But Thomas had 14 children, including his heir and namesake, the 2nd Marquess of Dorset.
While his father suffered for his divided loyalties, the young Thomas Grey did well as the ward of Henry VII, only encountering trouble towards the end of the king's life, when suspicion of treason was rife. But with the accession of Henry VIII, Thomas Grey sat comfortably for another twenty years as one of the few Marquess' in England, until the King's Great Matter started to divide the royal court. Grey, along with his brothers and their wives, were loyal to the king, and their Queen Katherine. The Grey family were again forced to take sides and divide their loyalties between Henry and Katherine, to their great disadvantage. But the Grey family, from Dowager Cecily Grey downwards, had the love and friendship of Thomas Cromwell, who gave them money, patronage and preference in the royal court. Thomas Grey died in 1530, leaving behind his siblings, and also four sons and four daughters, among them Henry and Elizabeth.
While Elizabeth would go on to marry a friend of Cromwell's, Lord Chancellor Thomas Audley, and live a happy life, Henry Grey was not the smartest man. (His grandmother Cecily asked Thomas Cromwell to watch out for him at court, guide him, possibly godfather his children, etc.) Henry married Frances Brandon, daughter to Charles Brandon and Henry VIII's sister Mary, Queen of France; quite the coup. (Cromwell continued to favour the Grey family,and the Dudleys due to their connection in marriage to the Greys). Henry and Frances had the famous Grey three daughters – Jane, Katherine and Mary. Henry rose to the title of Duke of Suffolk after the death of his brother-in-law in 1551 (rather than earning a title), but it was Frances Brandon who was the brains of the pair, and their daughters, Jane especially, became the heirs of King Edward VI. Henry Grey saw his daughter Jane become queen for nine days in 1553, only for he and poor Jane to be overthrown, and beheaded a year after their imprisonment. After 150+ years serving high in the royal court, constant divided loyalties saw the Grey family finally slip from favour.
The story of the Grey family at court is one of huge ups and downs from family upheavals all the way up to executions from kings and queens. The Greys were an integral part of the royal court alongside Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III (and the cause of Edward V), Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and Grey family members still had claims to the throne during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and succession of King James VI/I. The story of this family takes place in a tumultuous time, and I greatly enjoyed reading this book. As someone who prefers the players in the shadows to the stars of the royal court, the tale of the Grey family shows a new side to old tales in history. I truly love having this book in my library.
See also 'The King's Pearl' by Melita Thomas
Gallery•Categories ALL REVIEWS, Historical Book Review Series•Tags book review, edward grey, edward iv, edward VI, elizabeth woodville, england, henry vii, Henry VIII, history, john grey, lady jane grey, lady katherine grey, lady mary grey, Lord Grey of Rhuthun, melita thomas'book, Owain Glyndwr, Plantagenet, queen jane, queen mary I, richard grey, Spain, Thomas Cromwell, thomas grey, Tudor, war of the roses
HISTORICAL BOOK REVIEW SERIES: 'Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy' by Matthew Lewis
Published on December 14, 2019 December 29, 2021 by Caroline AngusLeave a comment
The Anarchy was the first civil war in post-Conquest England, enduring throughout the reign of King Stephen between 1135 and 1154. It ultimately brought about the end of the Norman dynasty and the birth of the mighty Plantagenet kings. When Henry I died having lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, he had caused all of his barons to swear to recognize his daughter Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, as his heir and remarried her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. When she was slow to move to England on her father's death, Henry's favourite nephew Stephen of Blois rushed to have himself crowned, much as Henry himself had done on the death of his brother William Rufus.
Supported by his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen made a promising start, but Matilda would not give up her birthright and tried to hold the English barons to their oaths. The result was more than a decade of civil war that saw England split apart. Empress Matilda is often remembered as aloof and high-handed, Stephen as ineffective and indecisive. By following both sides of the dispute and seeking to understand their actions and motivations, Matthew Lewis aims to reach a more rounded understanding of this crucial period of English history and asks to what extent there really was anarchy.
cover and text via Pen & Sword
I must admit that the civil war of the 12th century is definitely not in my time period of expertise, but this book jumped out for two reasons – 1) that a kick-ass woman was trying to be a king, and 2) Matthew Lewis wrote it. I thought there was no way this book could fail.
In 1120, King Henry I lost his only legitimate male heir, William, in the disaster of the White Ship. The sole heir to the throne was being a moron, and drunkenly sank his ship off the coast of Normandy, killing hundreds. While the king had two dozen bastard children (though one bastard son also died aboard the White Ship), all Henry had to inherit his throne was William, and his older sister, Matilda. With the loss of William, Henry I had what all kings fear – the possibility to handing power to a woman.
Matilda was married to the Holy Roman Emperor, only to have him die in 1125, when Matilda was still young. Henry moved his daughter back to Normandy, and set about making her the heir to the English throne. Matilda married Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou, and the nobles of England and English-controlled France swore fealty to Matilda and Geoffrey. Matilda didn't seem to like her husband, but in 1135, when King Henry died in Normandy, she was pregnant with her third child, and ready to march on cities and put down rebellions.
Enter Stephen of Blois, Matilda's cousin, the Count of Boulogne and new Duke of Normandy. Stephen hastily made his way to England, and claimed the English throne for himself while Matilda battled Anglo-Norman nobles. This problem of multiple claimants to the throne started The Anarchy, which would last for almost 20 years. Both Matilda and Stephen were descendants of William the Conqueror, and Stephen had the backing of the church, developed ways to raise money, and was prepared to fight the Scottish, the Welsh and Geoffrey of Anjou for Normandy. While several years of fighting had moderate success, by 1138, the tide was turning on all fronts, and supporters were withdrawing support for Stephen in favour of Matilda.
Lewis' book tells the story from both points of view. Stephen seems to have been a well-liked man, with his wife, Queen Matilda, a powerful ally at his side. On the other side, Matilda is also a strong woman, her half-brother Robert a loyal supporter, and her husband Geoffrey a tough man. Matilda landed in England in 1139, but Stephen was hesitant to lay siege on a castle harbouring a female enemy. But he had underestimated his cousin, for Matilda, alongside Robert, was ready to fight for the throne. By 1141, Matilda had captured Stephen.
Matilda was an incredible woman. She lived in a time where men simply couldn't comprehend a woman in power. She couldn't be a woman who ruled, she needed to be a king. The fine line Matilda needed to walk was one almost impossible; she was expected to be a woman, but act like a king. She needed to rule and control as a king, but all her nobles and commoners saw was a woman. Empress Matilda, Lady of England and Normandy, set forth to London to be coronated, only to have the population revolt against her just days before she wore the crown as king of England.
Matilda soon had to face another battle, from Stephen's wife Queen Matilda, who overthrew Matilda and forced her into hiding. Matilda was forced to let Stephen go from prison, in return for her brother Robert, who was caught by Queen Matilda in battle (phew!).
Battles continued for several years with Stephen still the king, and Matilda on her own with husband Geoffrey taking Normandy across the channel. In 1147, Matilda's brother Robert died, and her son Henry, aged only 14, took up the battle in his mother's name. But the fresh fighting produced no winners, and young Henry wanted to bail out, but was broke. King Stephen paid for his enemy to leave the fighting, a strange gesture indeed, paying his cousin and enemy to safely leave. This left the people of England to make truces and find some peace at last, but Matilda wasn't done yet.
By 1153, Henry was at it again, fighting Stephen for the crown. But instead of battles to the death, Stephen and Henry made peace, and decided Henry would be Stephen's heir, in place of Stephen's own son who was ruling in France. Stephen died only one year later, and Henry became King Henry II, leaving his mother Matilda to never rule England.
This book goes into fine detail about the battles that raged over this bloody period in English history, which gives The Anarchy context and fleshes out the realities of what happened to the country, and how the people suffered over the period of 1135 – 1154. With the book covering both Stephen and Matilda, it makes it hard to decide who you want to win. Matilda was an extraordinary woman in English history, so to hate Stephen for taking her throne should be an easy task. Instead, Stephen is a liked and capable man who makes the right decision at crucial moments. Despite the 19 years in which the civil war spanned, there were times of peace in all areas of the country. Neither Stephen nor Matilda made the battle for the crown personal, neither wished to kill the other, or at least it seemed. When it fell to Henry II to rebuild after the fighting, rebuilding the country and her finances took only around a decade, and went on to rule much of France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. To suggest England was in anarchy under Stephen isn't the full picture, which Lewis details meticulously. However, with the coinage debased and law and order a mess, the battle had done much harm to the general population in the south, while northern areas were largely untouched. The fortunes of England raised and fell with every move Matilda and Stephen made.
I expected to read this book, cheering for Matilda's success, despite knowing the ultimate outcome already, and yet that didn't happen. Lewis has written the book in a way that the reader can see the battle from both points of view and I liked Stephen more than I wanted to. There is much to cover in The Anarchy, and yet the author fits it all in without wasting any time. While I was already a very big Matthew Lewis fan, this book has left me better for reading it, learning about a period I probably wouldn't have bothered with if not for him.
Gallery•Categories England 1000-1400, Historical Book Review Series•Tags book review, Empress Matilda, england, France, Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou, King Henry I, King Henry II, king stephen, matthew lewis, normandy, Queen Matilda, Spain, The Anarchy, white ship, william the conqueror
HISTORICAL BOOK REVIEW SERIES: "Louis XIV: The Real King of Versailles" by Josephine Wilkinson
Published on June 5, 2019 October 18, 2021 by Caroline AngusLeave a comment
Louis XIV's story has all the ingredients of a Dumas classic: legendary beginnings, beguiling women, court intrigue, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask, lavish court entertainments, the scandal of a mistress who was immersed in the dark arts, and a central character who is handsome and romantic, but with a frighteningly dark side to his character.
Louis believed himself to be semidivine. His self-identification as the Sun King, which was reflected in iconography of the sun god, Apollo, influenced every aspect of Louis's life: his political philosophy, his wars, and his relationships with courtiers and subjects.
As a military strategist, Louis's capacity was debatable, but he was an astute politician who led his country to the heights of sophistication and power – and then had the misfortune to live long enough to see it all crumble away. As the sun began to set upon this most glorious of reigns, it brought a gathering darkness filled with the anguish of dead heirs, threatened borders, and a populace that was dangerously dependent upon – but greatly distanced from – its king.
Cover and blurb via Amberley
I will be honest; when I received a copy of this book, I was taking on a subject in which I knew zero… literally nothing. My French court history extends of Catherine Medici and…. that's it. Versailles is gorgeous, and there's recently been a tv series by that name (didn't watch, never a good place to start accuracy wise) and Louis was the king who put the man in the iron mask… right? But Josephine Wilkinson has proven to me multiple times she produces quality books, so I dived in to learn about the French.
Little Louis was born in 1638, a miracle gift from God, as his parents had suffered so many stillbirths before they got their heir, and the little dauphin took the crown at age four, ruled by a council instead of Queen Anne. It was great to learn about a royal heir who had a good relationship with his mother, how they were close and affectionate, instead of being raised by strangers. Louis also grew up with governesses and a tutor which formed a close group around the boy, giving him friendship a budding king would be grateful to have. With his mother at his side, Louis was king as she negotiated the end of the Thirty Years' War and fostered a fixation that ruling was a divine absolute right of Louis'.
By 13, Louis was old enough to rule himself and took on financial changes in the court. While he was in love with a girl, he was supposed to marry his cousin Mary Theresa, which he did in 1660, age 22. His cousin was the daughter to King Felipe of Spain, who was freshly dead, and Louis never got a dowry paid to him, giving Louis an excuse to invade the Spanish Netherlands. This was a love Louis continued with – war. Over the years, Loius invaded and battled in all directions for his country, always believing he was doing the right thing. The French court about Louis was a vivid mixture of friends, ministers and lovers, all brought together by Dr. Wilkinson.
The book suggests Louis took his role as a king very seriously; he considered him an absolute ruler and France was in his hands. Over his 72 years as king, Louis managed his huge country, and an almost impossible amount of foreign policy and the origins of French colonies around the world. Louis was an absolute monarch, ruling France with total power, while extending France's influence in every direction.
Everyone knows of the beauty of Versailles, the sun, and all of France would orbit around their Sun King. I had details coming at me in all directions while reading this book, a whole new area for me to explore. Married for 23 years to Maria Theresa, they had six children, only one making it to adulthood. However, Louis had countless mistresses and well over a dozen illegitimate children, though a few handfuls of them were legitimised as they grew. Louis took a second wife, Françoise d'Aubigné, and either he got too old, or he really cared for this woman far inferior to him, as he managed to curb the mistress habit.
I cannot say if this is a good biography for an expert on the subject, but as a beginner, I feel like this book is a great place to begin. There are so many people in this great cast of characters over the 72 years of Louis' reign and total transformation of France. Direct descendants are still walking around today, spread into major European families, cementing Louis' place in history.
Gallery•Categories ALL REVIEWS, Historical Book Review Series, non-fiction•Tags anne of austria, book review, Françoise d'Aubigné, France, king louis xiv, louis xiv, louis xv, queen maria theresa, Spain, sun king, versailles
HISTORICAL BOOK REVIEW SERIES: "Anna, Duchess of Cleves" by Heather R. Darsie
Published on June 5, 2019 January 8, 2021 by Caroline AngusLeave a comment
Anna was the 'last woman standing' of Henry VIII's wives ‒ and the only one buried in Westminster Abbey. How did she manage it?
Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister' looks at Anna from a new perspective, as a woman from the Holy Roman Empire and not as a woman living almost by accident in England. Starting with what Anna's life as a child and young woman was like, the author describes the climate of the Cleves court, and the achievements of Anna's siblings. It looks at the political issues on the Continent that transformed Anna's native land of Cleves ‒ notably the court of Anna's brother-in-law, and its influence on Lutheranism ‒ and Anna's blighted marriage. Finally, Heather Darsie explores ways in which Anna influenced her step-daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and the evidence of their good relationships with her.
Was the Duchess Anna in fact a political refugee, supported by Henry VIII? Was she a role model for Elizabeth I? Why was the marriage doomed from the outset? By returning to the primary sources and visiting archives and museums all over Europe (the author is fluent in German, and proficient in French and Spanish) a very different figure emerges to the 'Flanders Mare'.
There is a piece of fiction out right now, which suggests that Henry VIII was right, Anna of Cleves was no virgin. I will not be reviewing that work, as I only publish five-star reviews, and leave the rest in privacy. Instead, I am here to show you THE book on Anna of Cleves, a piece of written beauty.
Anna of Cleves starts out with a look at Anna's childhood, her family, its history, and life in Germany at the time. The book has researched German life and child-rearing for those in Anna's rich position. No music, dancing and sewing days for Anna – girls were taught by women to learn finance, in order to run a home worth of a duchy. Yes, Anna could sew, with her fine embroidery and needlework on clothing, but could also read, write, understand money and German customs, values and politics. While all that is great, Anna learnt a German way of life, and the German language, one of her original problems in England.
The book tells us of Anna's early life, rather than only focusing on her once she was purchased as a queen. The Cleves Court was an intriguing place, with a wholly different look at politics and customs of the time period. Without giving away spoilers, the stark difference between Germany and England shows just how much Anna had to go through upon her marriage and carefully negotiated life.
Germany, of course, was in the process of the Reformation, leaning Protestant, just how my personal beloved Thomas Cromwell wanted for England. Between the changes of Germany and the power still held by the Holy Roman Empire at the time, Anna marrying into England would have massive repercussions, and as someone who had to write the death of Thomas Cromwell, the book was an immense eye-opener on how Anna of Cleves' marriage brought down England's greatest minister of all time. The situation was never as simple as Henry thinking Anna was ugly. No spoilers, but damn!!!
Anna of Cleves is an extraordinary woman. She managed to survive an annulment from Henry after only a few months (and didn't have to sleep with him), and became the king's 'sister.' Anna made friends with the grandest of women in England, Henry's daughters Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth, and also the exciting Catherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk. Anna managed all this in England, living a longer life than any other Henry wife, but never had to let go of who she was. It has been a long time since I found a book with so much new information; we just needed to wait for Darsie to deliver such brilliance. History has relegated Anna to a role of being the ugly foreign wife Cromwell brought to England. A woman so repulsive Henry became impotent (though, come on, none of us ever believed that was her fault). A woman married for an alliance not wanted or needed, and disposed of for a pretty teenager. Anna was beautiful, educated, kind, clever and resourceful. Thank you for this wonderful book!
Gallery•Categories ALL REVIEWS, Historical Book Review Series, non-fiction•Tags anna of cleves, anne of cleves, book review, cleves, england, germany, heather darsie, Henry VIII, Spain, Thomas Cromwell


For years I was diagnosed with major depression but after a serious suicide attempt in May, I have been told that I have bipolar disorder. The current therapist that I see because of insurance reasons keeps telling me I really won't need therapy once my meds are stabilized and he pretty much does all the talking. Is this true–that if my medications are stable, I do not need any other kind of therapy? The trouble is that it has been since May and I still have not found medications that keep me stable.
I seriously doubt that your therapist has given you sound advice here. If you are in fact truely Bipolar, it is true that medication (usually involving a mood-stabilizer (like lithium) and sometimes an anti-depressant) will be your best bet for achieving emotional stability. However, getting on a good course of medication doesn't mean that psychotherapy will become unimportant for you by any means! There is no such thing as a truely stable course of medication (as you are finding out). Bipolar meds are not always well tolerated, or appreciated by patients, and a therapist can help with medication compliance, and advice for when to seek immediate medical help. Therapists can also serve as trained eyes who can provide external structure and containment for patients who are becoming harmfully manic or depressive and don't have the judgement to realize that this is happening. In another vein, it is a very stressful and complicated thing for a person to live with a disabling and potentially fatal disease like Bipolar Disorder. Just being properly medicated doesn't mean that life stresses go away or are easily managed by patients. A good therapist can help the bipolar patient with all manner of problem solving skills that can help keep Bipolar patients from relapsing because of life stressors. If your insurance will pay for this therapist, might they not pay for a different one? You may wish to explore working with a new therapist who doesn't monopolize your sessions and who isn't so unrealistic as to believe medication is a total solution.


The wait is over, the time has come, SAVING LUKE is finally here!
Book two of the Pretender novels is available now in Kindle format (paperback edition to follow) on Amazon.com. You can buy your copy here, at a specially reduced price, for a limited time only!
The final draft of Saving Luke has been sent to the publisher in prep for release.
Finalising the last page of Saving Luke!
To celebrate the opening of the new www.thepretenderlives.com, there has been a leaked copy of chapter 1 of Saving Luke available. We suspect our IT department will have this locked down within 24 hours, so use this chance before it is gone.
Mysterious notes written on napkins could lead to ominous occurrences.
Find out in Saving Luke. Coming Soon.
After Miss Parker is through with him, he won't even have his one eyebrow left.
And, when totally hairless, who will he be able to work for?


text:
Q: I want to update value of a particular xml tag using python code? My xml file looks like below :-

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<Messages xmlns="URL/sampleMessages-v1">
    <Header>
        <TransactionId>0</TransactionId>
        <RequestNo>41194812</RequestNo>
        <VNo>6789</VNo>
        <Source></Source>
    </Header>
...
...

</Messages>

I want to read it and change   the RequestNo value
 <RequestNo>41194812</RequestNo> to
        <RequestNo>41194000</RequestNo>

I am using ElementTree module  currently. I am using windows machine currently.

I want to update the value in the same file.
Ihave tried below code :-
for elem in root:
    for subelem in elem:
      #print (subelem.tag)
        if 'RequestNo' in subelem.tag :
            #print (subelem.text)
            subelem.text="41194813"

But i am not able to see the change or i dont know currently how to write this new value subelem.text="41194813" in existing xml file.

A: Your for loop does the job: it did replace the text correctly. The change is in your root variable. You can verify that by adding the following line right after the for loop:
ElementTree.dump(root)

Now that you have the XML updated, you will need to write that into a file:
tree.write('newfile.xml')

Where tree is the result of ElementTree.parse(). So, to put everything together:
tree = ElementTree.parse('messages.xml')
root = tree.getroot()

for elem in root:
    for subelem in elem:
        if 'RequestNo' in subelem.tag:
            subelem.text = '41194813'
            break
tree.write('messages-new.xml')

Dealing with Namespaces
Your XML document contains namespaces, so if you plan to search for a tag, you need to include the namespaces in the tag names. Here is an alternative solution which deals with namespaces:
tree = ElementTree.parse('messages.xml')
root = tree.getroot()

namespaces = {'xxx': 'URL/sampleMessages-v1'}
node = root.find('xxx:Header/xxx:RequestNo', namespaces)
if node is not None:
    node.text = '41194813'

tree.write('messages-new.xml')

In the above example, I just gave your namespace the name 'xxx', it can be anything 'foo', 'bar', ... but should be used as prefix in the call to root.find().
Removing "ns0" from Output File
In order to remove "ns0" from output file, you need to register the namespace before writing:
ElementTree.register_namespace('', 'URL/sampleMessages-v1')
tree.write('messages-new.xml')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


THE close security aides (CSA) and senior security aides (SSA) from the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) rejected by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa have been formally withdrawn from his office, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt.
Among those rejected by Mnangagwa are Tendai (DIO in charge of Vice-President's office) as well as CSAs Chigova, Mageza, Nhire, Bhenyu, Jarawana, Kamurani, Kaitano, Mubvakure, Nyamukowo, Chokururama, Chivhunga and Chimire.
Sources said Mnangagwa only accepted a few close security officers particularly Temias Shumba who has always been one of his trusted aides. Shumba hails from Mnangagwa's Midlands home province and is believed to be related to the vice-president.
The aides were removed after Mnangagwa, who is a leading contender to succeed President Robert Mugabe, questioned their loyalty arguing most of them had in the past been either assigned to ousted vice-president (VP) and former rival Joice Mujuru, or her allies.
Mnangagwa and his backers, who do not trust CIO director-general Happyton Bonyongwe, also questioned why most of the aides were from Mujuru's strongholds including her Mashonaland Central home province and Mashonaland East, the home province of her late husband Retired General Solomon Mujuru, and not from Midlands where Mnangagwa hails from.
This suggests divisions along regional and ethnic lines which have always characterised Zanu PF's succession-fuelled internal strife.
Mnangagwa has been pushing for security sector changes and wants Bonyongwe and a host of CIO directors to be replaced, as he believes they remain loyal to Mujuru who was once tipped to succeed Mugabe.
"The Mnangagwa camp therefore believes the security aides were seconded to the vice-president and his office to spy on him," said a senior intelligence official.
CIO insiders and intelligence experts say rejection of security aides reflects growing polarisation within the intelligence services caused by Zanu PF's internal succession power struggles, and ongoing fights in the party as contenders seek to strategically position themselves for the post-Mugabe era.
Mnangagwa and his team reportedly also took issue with the fact that deployment of the close security officers took up to 24 hours after his appointment as VP, whereas Mujuru got her security beefed up "immediately" after her elevation in 2004.
Mnangagwa was appointed VP after Mujuru and several Zanu PF bigwigs were suspended or expelled for allegedly plotting to oust Mugabe through tactics that included assassination.
Clashes between the Mujuru and Mnangagwa factions have over the years split the intelligence services, which the factions believe are strategic in the critical succession outcome.
Although the CIO, as the country's main security agency, is supposed to be professional and apolitical, it has allowed itself to be sucked into Zanu PF succession politics as officers also position themselves.
The post Mnangagwa finally has his way on CIO officers appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.


That's an old tale. The farmers use water buffalos to plow rice fields. He's a bleeding-heart liberal. Come here, little girl, sit down! Her expression softened. I was called upon to make a speech in English. He received a sizable advance for his book. Long time ago there was a great king in that country. Most of you probably haven't heard of him, but Georg Cantor is undoubtedly one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century. May I come again?
Tell me what this means. Shawn has had a lot to drink. I would prefer to not leave tonight. Tell them about it. Stephan, I want you to have this. I recall my childhood with pleasure. Get lost, you creep. He's your senior fellow apprentice. The baseball season has opened. I've never gotten married, because I've got three pets at home who serve the same purpose as a husband. I've got a dog who snarls every morning, a parrot who curses all afternoon, and a cat who comes home late at night.
He couldn't apply himself to his studies because of a headache. Can you name the two countries in the world that border on three oceans? She doesn't have any proof. Do you want to know who did this? We heard shots in the distance. That child thought much of his parents. She's not interested in her English lessons. The dry leaves formed a carpet in the central plaza. We were so afraid. Why are you so upset with him?
Your death will be painless. Have you already signed the contract? Janice seems to know the way. Rusty told me it might take a while. I feel first-class tonight. He shook his head as if to say No. We can worry about the other problems later. He's Georgian. I don't know the details. Even nudists often use euphemisms when referring to naughty parts.
Rupert never killed anybody. Would we have been so happy if they had won the competition? Police have advised that the man who stole the bike spoke with a strong accent. The couple have seven children. Will you please tell me about it? Are you dating Jef? I said some things I didn't mean to say. Jeannie is also schizophrenic. It looks like we have a winner. I have to live on my very small income.
I know I made a mistake, but you needn't to rub it in! I had no other choice but to take him at his word. There are forty thousand cameras in Urumqi. Her windows were broken and her shutters hung crookedly. I just made a friend. She left for Paris at the end of last month. Are you related to Ramsey? I hope I can hold on to my job. How can I get a hold of her? I lent my coat to a friend of my brother.
Please say hello to him for me. Pandora divorced her husband long enough ago. We're safer here than we would be in a city. I shouldn't have kissed him. Why do we have to work with Michiel? It is easy for a monkey to climb a tree. He will take over the business when his father retires. "Is everything alright?" "Not really." You just need to relax. The fact is, I think, very important.
They got up to greet Sergei. Though she repeated that she was a college student, I could not bring myself to believe it. I used too much bleach and made a hole in my shirt. These are for her. I love walls, and I love China. I especially love the Great Wall of China. They're all tremendous. Can't you help me? I was impatient for the game to start. Susan polished her father's shoes. I wake up to the sound of music. What size are these shoes?
He is up and about again. Have my piece of cake if you like. It's just a trick of the wind. Coleen is being proactive. The milk tasted sour. Sorry that I love you. These prices are ex-works. Greenland's meltwater rivers flow down into giant holes in the ice, called moulins, which drain through tunnels in the ice sheet and out into the ocean. I can't see how anyone could have accomplished this without some help. She has gained a few pounds.
I would like to have five pineapples. Primely skilled in the art of social manipulation and a rat at heart, he always convinced others to do his dirty underhanded work. He works in the planning section. I'm afraid I can't do that. Senator Kerry was considered a liberal. Hal is good at math. You must not sit up late. It's all clear to me now. Steven laughed at the idea. If everyone agrees to it, I won't vote against it.


text:
The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing
My ebook to help minigolf players better market themselves, their clubs, tournaments and courses is available to purchase from Amazon and Kobo.
I've been really pleased to see the ebook bought and used by a number of minigolf associations and federations, course owners and managers, bloggers, course reviewers and competition players around the world.
As a minigolfer with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and years of experience in marketing and communications I designed the guide so that anyone interested or involved in minigolf could help promote the game. It's a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about.
Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national minigolf tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I've also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF).
Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.
When Emily and I began travelling around the country on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour there were around 600 courses in the UK. We've now visited more than 950 courses, including 39 overseas.
There are a huge amount of interesting and fun stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, courses, clubs and fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.
Much of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.
Buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon.
Buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Kobo.
© 2021 Richard Gottfried, trading as RG Marketing and Events. Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, Greater Manchester

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Joyce Mitchell says inmate Richard Matt forced her to perform oral sex: 'There was never any love between myself and Mr. Matt'
By Meg Wagner
Prison worker-turned-escapee accomplice Joyce Mitchell says she never had consensual sex with inmate Richard Matt and no sex whatsoever with David Sweat. (Today)
Prison worker-turned-escapee accomplice Joyce Mitchell says convicted killer Richard Matt forced her to perform oral sex — but she never had consensual sex with him.
The 51-year-old broke down in tears as she described how her relationship with Matt went from flirtatious to abusive.
"Mr. Matt had grabbed me a couple times and kissed me," she told Matt Lauer on Today Monday. "There was one point where he wanted me to … he wanted me to perform oral sex on him."
Mitchell paused to wipe away her tears before she continued: "And I said 'no,' and when I said 'no,' he grabbed my head and pushed me down."
Mitchell — who has admitted she helped the pair break out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., in June by sneaking them tools — maintained there was "never any consensual" sex with Matt and no sexual relationship whatsoever with Sweat, despite rumors that she had affairs with both men.
Richard Matt (l.), 49, was shot and killed near the Canadian border three weeks after the June 6 escape. David Sweat, 35, was captured a short time later. (New York State Police/REUTERS)
"It started out as a flirtation thing, but that's all it ever was. There was never any love between myself and Mr. Matt." Mitchell said. "I was going through a time where I didn't feel like my husband loved me anymore. I guess they saw my weakness and that's how it all started."
Mitchell said at first she enjoyed the attention from the inmates. She started to give into the killers' demands — from their requests for tools to forced oral sex with Matt — because she feared for her family's safety.
"I did wrong. I deserve to be punished, but people need to know that I was only trying to save my family," she said.
Matt explicitly said he wanted to "get rid of" her husband Lyle, she claimed.
It was New York's great escape. Two convicted killers, David Sweat and Richard Matt, escaped from New York's largest maximum security prison Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6, 2015, triggering a massive three-week manhunt. The inmates were later stated to have tunneled out of the facility with hacksaw blades, provided by corrections department employee, Joyce Mitchell. It was later discovered that Mitchell was supposed to pick up the inmates and flee with them to Mexico, but she backed out and the two men went on the run. After weeks on the lam, Matt was shot by U.S. Border Patrol tactical unit in Malone, New York on June 26, 2015 and Sweat was captured and taken into custody 2 days later in Constable, New York (pictured here). (Ap Photo)
"I was too scared. Mr. Matt even asked where my mother lived, where my son lived," Mitchell said.
The 51-year-old mom took Matt's threats seriously: The inmate, locked up for killing his boss, kept a copy of an article about his crimes and showed it to his fellow inmates and new prison workers.
Mitchell admitted that she gave the two a slew of tools, including chisels, drill bits and hacksaws, and said she agreed to pick them up after they broke out. She backed out of the getaway plan at the last minute after she had dinner with her husband.
Mitchell, who has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later this month on charges of bringing contraband into the prison and criminal facilitation, could face up to seven years behind bars.
"I guess they saw my weakness and that's how it all started," Mitchell told Matt Lauer Monday. (Today)
"I'm just somebody that got caught up in something that she couldn't get out of," Mitchell said. "I never, never wanted this to ever happen. Never. I would take it all back, if I could. But I can't."
The convicted killers made their daring dash to freedom on June 6. They stuffed dummies into the beds and crawled out of the holes they had chiseled into their cell walls. The two navigated a maze of pipes and tunnels before emerging from a manhole.
They lived on the lam for three weeks, eventually splitting up.
Police caught up with Matt just south of the town of Malone, about 40 miles west of the Clinton Correctional Facility, on June 26. The escapee, armed with a shotgun, was shot and killed by police when he refused to surrender.
Officials nabbed Sweat two days later on June 28. A state police sergeant spotted the wanted man walking in the town of Constable, just a few miles south of the Canadian border, shot him and took him into custody.
Matt — a career criminal who fled to Mexico after kidnapping, killing and dismembering his ex-boss near Buffalo in 1997 — was serving 25 years to life. Sweat was also serving a life sentence for killing a sheriff's deputy in 2002.
ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
mwagner@nydailynews.com


Nicole is the owner of the store Healing Herbs. She is a dreamer and faithful believer in love at first sight.
Ralph visits New York for a second time with the intention of visiting the store Healing Herbs that is located near Central Park. Ralph admires people who don't rely on scientific advances but who believe in the healing power of plants.
Everything changes when Ralph and Nicole meet. They feel an instant attraction. But, what will happen when Nicole finds out that it was Ralph who taught her great-grandmother the healing power of plants.


One thing hard drive manufacturers will not tell you: most hard drives, subject to regular use conditions and use, will break and require hard drive data recovery. In a lot of cases, with normal use, it may take quite a while. In some cases, it can be less than a year. Whatever the case may be, when your hard drive fails, whether it is on your PC, server or laptop, it is crucial to know that professional hard drive data recovery is available.
Just getting the ps3 console cool off would get it repaired. When you have turned off the PlayStation 3, you can also check the cables to make sure that they are well connected the right way. Take the ps3 hard drive our and put it back.
Lenovo Y450 will work on a two.0GHz Core 2 Duos processor utilizing T6400 processor. The laptop operates with a DDR2 RAM (3GB) and has a good really hyperspin hard drive potential of 250GB. The Cellular Intel Graphics card, namely, GM45 Express is the chipset utilized in this machine. It has a broad screen, measuring thirteen.4 x 9.1 inches in dimension and 14 inches alongside the diagonal. This mainstream laptop computer weighs 4.98 lbs.
The body casing of this laptop has a brilliant design. Besides that, this laptop has a spacious keyboard with 104 keys. The integrated 1.3 mega pixels web cam is great for video conferences anytime, in anywhere. Apart from that, it also has face recognition feature for added security.
ONLY A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE of our clients need more than 100 Mb of disk space for their websites, but most need more than 1,000 Mb allowance for traffic, due to graphics, sound, video or flash animations. If you don't need the traffic or disk space allowances of your current web hosting plan, you could save money by shopping around for another plan.


» Idarubicin Hydrochloride for Injection is a sterile mixture of Idarubicin Hydrochloride and Lactose. It contains not less than 90.0 percent and not more than 110.0 percent of the labeled amount of C26H27NO9·HCl.
Caution—Great care should be taken to prevent inhaling particles of Idarubicin Hydrochloride and exposing the skin to it.
Identification— The chromatogram of the Assay preparation obtained in the Assay exhibits a major peak for idarubicin, the retention time of which corresponds to that in the chromatogram of the Standard preparation obtained in the Assay.
Bacterial endotoxins 85 — It contains not more than 8.9 USP Endotoxin Units per mg of idarubicin hydrochloride, a solution of Idarubicin Hydrochloride for Injection containing 0.07 mg of idarubicin hydrochloride per mL being used in the Test Procedure.
pH 791 : between 5.0 and 7.0, in a solution constituted as directed in the labeling, water being used as the diluent.
Water, Method I 921 : not more than 4.0%, the Test Preparation being prepared as directed for a hygroscopic specimen.
Other requirements— It meets the requirements for Uniformity of Dosage Units 905 and for Labeling under Injections 1 .
Mobile phase, Diluent, Standard preparation, Resolution solution, and Chromatographic system— Proceed as directed in the Assay under Idarubicin Hydrochloride.
Assay preparation— Dilute the contents of 1 container of Idarubicin Hydrochloride for Injection quantitatively with Diluent to obtain a solution containing about 0.5 mg of idarubicin hydrochloride per mL.
in which C is the concentration, in µg per mL, of idarubicin hydrochloride (C26H27NO9·HCl) in the Standard preparation; L is the labeled quantity, in mg, of idarubicin hydrochloride in the container; D is the concentration, in mg per mL, of idarubicin hydrochloride in the Assay preparation on the basis of the labeled quantity in the container and the extent of dilution; and rU and rS are the responses of the idarubicin peak obtained from the Assay preparation and the Standard preparation, respectively.


text:
"use strict";

let OpenFDASearch = require("./search");
let request = require("superagent");

/**
 * Provides some base service pipings for all openfda services
 */
class OpenFDABaseService {

    /**
     * Constructor for the base service
     * @param {OpenFDAApi} api The parent api
     * @param {String} path The path relative to the parent api
     */
    constructor(api, path) {
        this.api = api;
        this.path = path;
        this.childSearch = new OpenFDASearch(this);
    }

    /**
     * Builds the final url to use to call the FDA services
     * @returns The final url
     */
    buildUrl() {
        let baseUrl = this.api.path + this.path;
        let search = this.childSearch.buildUrl();
        var apiKey = this.api.apiKey;

        let queryArgs = [];
        if (this.api.apiKey) {
            queryArgs.push("api_key=" + apiKey);
        }

        if (search) {
            // If the flag is enabled for sanitizing searches, sanitize it
            search = (this.api.options || {}).sanitizeSearch ? this._sanitizeSearch(search) : search;
            queryArgs.push("search=" + search);
        }

        if (this.limitArg) {
            queryArgs.push("limit=" + this.limitArg);
        }

        if (this.skipArg) {
            queryArgs.push("skip=" + this.skipArg);
        }

        if (this.countArg) {
            queryArgs.push("count=" + this.countArg);
        }

        return baseUrl + (queryArgs.length ? "?" + queryArgs.join("&") : "");
    }

    /**
     * Limits the number of results to the number provided
     * @param {number} num The number of results to return
     */
    limit(num) {
        this.limitArg = num;
        return this;
    }

    /**
     * Skips the number of results
     * @param {number} num The number of results to skip
     */
    skip(num) {
        this.skipArg = num;
        return this;
    }

    /**
     * Returns the number of unique results for the field
     * @param {field} field The field to count
     */
    count(field) {
        this.countArg = field;
        return this;
    }

    /**
     * The search for this service call
     */
    search(str) {
        return this.childSearch.search(str);
    }

    /**
     * Executes the service call
     * @returns A promise returning the service call result.
     */
    run() {
        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            this.runRaw().end((err, res) => {
                if (res.ok) {
                    resolve(res.body);
                } else {
                    reject(err);
                }
            });
        });
    }

    /**
     * Executes the service call returning a streamable result
     * @returns A promise for the service call
     */
    runRaw() {
        var url = this.buildUrl();
        return request.get(url);
    }

    /**
     * Sanitizes the given value for use with the openfda API
     * @param value The value to sanitize
     */
    _sanitizeSearch(value) {
        // Certain characters seem to choke up the openFDA API even when escaped
        return value.replace(/[,']|(%2C)|(%27)/g, "");
    }
}

module.exports = OpenFDABaseService;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
NUIG Equality task force flawed from the outset – Ó Clochartaigh
Irish Version Follows - Leagan Gaeilge Thíos
Sinn Féin Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh has expressed serious concerns about the composition of the Task Force being set up to investigate Equality Issues at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG).
He says:
"Matt Carthy MEP, Councillor Anna Marley and myself have made numerous attempts to meet with the NUIG President, Jim Browne and the University's Executive to discuss the legitimate issues raised with us by union representatives in relation to Equality issues in the college and he has rebuffed our requests, which we find both worrying and disappointing.
"SIPTU had outlined their concerns to us that the review being undertaken needed to be an independent, external one. SIPTU'S stance is supported by the Irish Federation of University Teachers and the Students Union. That request for an entirely external, independent review was rejected by the university. It was also outlined that the makeup of any Task Force should be agreed with union and worker representatives in advance and that has also been dismissed.
"The arrogant attitude that the University management has taken on this issue and in their approach to elected representatives is extremely worrying. I would have serious concerns that the findings of their proposed Task Force will be undermined by their lack of independence and that the process is flawed before it begins.
"It is clear to me from statements made by representatives of the Higher Education Authority in an Oireachtas sub-committee that the Equality issues of concern in NUIG are common across the Higher Education sector. I believe that we will hear of more equality issues in relation to NUIG in the near future and that these will all need to be addressed in a comprehensive and transparent manner. I believe that should be done sooner rather than later.
"The proposed timeline for NUIG's Taskforce of 18-24 months as well as the manner in which it has been set up means that it is not fit for purpose to deal with these issues in a timely and efficient manner.
"It is our intention in Sinn Féin to pursue this matter further, through whatever channels are appropriate to get a satisfactory response to the genuine concerns raised by staff with us."


text:
Here's the Memory Trick That Science Says Works
By Jeffrey Kluger
If the brain could brag that's pretty much all it would do. It's easily the most complicated organ in your body, and, more than that, the nimblest computer that has ever existed. But the brain has a bug and everyone knows it: memory. No matter how powerful its operating system becomes, its storage system stinks.
Even in childhood, when the brain is as clear and uncluttered as it will ever be, memory is still imperfect, given to random failures, depending on how rested we are, how attentive we're being and a range of other things. Now, a new paper published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests an unusual strategy for improving it: drawing.
Read More: The Cold Medicine Linked to Memory Problems
As long ago as 1973, investigators were studying the memory-boosting advantage of so-called dual-coding—the way that a combination of both thinking about an object or activity and drawing a picture of it can make us remember it better. Research did show that the strategy worked, but the studies were both sparse and flawed, failing to account for the mere fact that it takes longer to draw a picture than, say, write a word, and whether writing the word in a more time-consuming way—using elaborate calligraphy, for example—would thus boost recall too.
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In order to tease out those and other variables, a group led by psychologist Jeffrey D. Wammes recruited sample groups of students and ran seven different trials of essentially the same experiment on them. In all of the trials, the scientists started with a list of 80 simple words—all nouns and all easy to draw, such as balloon, fork, kite, pear, peanut and shoe. A random series of 30 of those words were flashed on a screen along with instructions either to draw the object or write down its name. After the 30 words, they would perform a filler task—listening to a series of tones and identifying whether each was low-, high-, or medium-pitched. That task had nothing to do with the study, except to get the subjects' minds off of what they had just done, so that the memories could either consolidate or, just as often, vanish. Finally, they would write down a list of as many of the objects from the first test as they could.
Genetic Mutations In Father's Sperm Can Predict Children's Autism Risk
Biogen Explains How Its Alzheimer's Drug Went From Poor to Promising
Read More: These Foods Mess With Your Memory
In most of the trials, the subjects got 40 seconds to draw their picture, but in one they got just four seconds. In another variation, they would draw the object or write the word or, as a third option, list its descriptive characteristics. In another, the third option would be to visualize the object. In yet another, they would write the word as elaborately and decoratively as possible.
But no matter how many variations of the test the researchers ran, one result was consistent: Drawing the object beat every other option, every single time.
"We observed a significant recall advantage for words that were drawn as compared to those that were written," said Wammes in a prepared statement. "Participants often recalled more than twice as many drawn words."
Just why this is so is not clear. One past theory had been that drawing requires what the researchers call a deeper LoP—or level of processing. But the trial in which the subjects were required to list the characteristics of an object went pretty deep too, and it didn't make a difference. Another theory had been that drawing simply takes longer, but the four-second trial appeared to debunk that.
For now, Wammes and his group are speaking only generally, concluding that drawing encourages "a seamless integration of semantic, visual and motor aspects of a memory trace," as they wrote in their paper. It will take more work to put flesh on those theoretical bones. For now, however, they only know that the technique works—providing a long-awaited software patch for the computer inside your head.
Write to Jeffrey Kluger at jeffrey.kluger@time.com.
Here's the Priceless Moment Bernie Sanders and Larry David Found Out They're Cousins


Learning the alphabet doesn't have to be boring and stressful! Especially if your kids love LEGO. Here's a fun and very simple way for your kids to practice building letters, tracing letters, and even writing letters. I know this LEGO and Unifix alphabet activity will be great for my kindergarten age son as well as preschoolers who are ready! We have lots of fun ways to play with LEGO.
Make learning fun and exciting! Adding an element of play makes learning feel like play time and that is perfect for young kids! Early childhood should be filled with play and fun times. Add their favorite toys! Use My Little Ponies or fun erasers but use whatever your kids love and it will be fun! Make sure to look at some of our early learning math ideas or science ideas too!
Grab some trucks and blocks, LEGO, or unifix cubes and you are ready to go! I can not locate this printable pages at the original website, but I have made up some of my own which also encourage tracing letters and writing letters! You can also simply write big letters on a piece of paper, with either capital or lowercase and have your kids place the blocks or bricks along the lines!
I wanted to do a quick and simple set up for a LEGO and Unifix alphabet activity today! However, I wanted to try a new angle for Liam since he isn't really into a lot of the ways I have presented the alphabet. Apparently I need to make them multi-dimensional so I added the trucks to hold the blocks (recyclables) and after he did a letter or a page of two letters he would clean them up with the truck and "recycle them". Once the truck was full it would have to make a delivery to drop off more so we could continue. He happily worked on each letter of the alphabet. He even traced each letter first with our fingers. What a win for today! Love using what we have around the house!
LEGO AND UNIFIX ALPHABET FUN!
NEW! THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO LEARNING WITH LEGO!
We are so excited to announce our awesome LEGO book coming out very soon! This is a kid tested, mom approved book everyone will love. Sign up for reminders, freebies, and more right here! You are going to love it!
Your Blog makes me SMILE!!!!
THANK YOU! I am glad it does. It makes me smile too!
Cute idea for unifix cubes! I need to file this away for my 2yo.
Thanks! We got this lage bag of them used and well they really don't snap together with ease, even for me and my husband! Need to find some other uses.
I love how you had him "build" the letters–my 3-year old would love that!! I'm so glad you shared this at Teach Me Tuesday at Preschool Powol Packets!
Anyway I can possibly think of to make letters fun. He is more of a numbers kid!
Super cute way to play with letters and Legos! Thanks for sharing at Mom's Library!
We had a lot of fun with it!
Great! Of course I already did!
I am sorry her site might be down. Check out 3 Dinosaurs website.
Would LOVE if these included lowercase letters as well…. Some of the letters were not outlined letters but filled in. No big deal, but thought I'd let you know! Thanks for sharing.


International Shipping - Going In Style ships Internationally to select locations. When checking out, select the Overseas Shipping method. Please see the International Shipping page for more information and to learn about Customs, Duties and Taxes. The rate to ship internationally is $65.00 - this price is subject to change.


text:
Tagged: Nick Swisher
Comings and goings in the Majors
So we're sitting here in the booth, Kay's eating a heaping portion of peanut butter and I'm thinking about blogging. Thinking about it. And then, out of nowhere – perhaps his memory was jogged when Kenny mentioned that Teixeira attended high school in Baltimore — one of our local freelancers in the booth tells a story.
He'd like me to refer to him as "Pablo."
When he was a young man in the 60's, Pablo attended a public all-boys school in Baltimore. When gym class incorporated swimming, the boys were required to swim sans suits. There was concern about wet suits getting moldy in the lockers. Or something.
Anyway, Pablo said 140 "naked guys" would swim together. At the end of class, they'd form two teams and play a game like water polo in the shallow end of the pool. With a volleyball. A few gym teachers supervised, but there were no rules. None.
Wow. Can you possibly imagine this happening today?
Thank you, Pablo, for participating. Now back to Yankees-Orioles.
Nick Swisher: He'd like you to wear jeans and donate $5 to Women's Cancer Programs to fight breast cancer. He's signed on as an Entertainment Industry Foundation Ambassador for Lee National Denim Day on Oct. 2. Swisher lost his grandmother to cancer in 2005 and continues to honor her memory with campaigns such as this one. We'll have more info for you as National Denim Day approaches.
Labor Day: For the Monday doubleheader against the Rays, Yankee Stadium gates will open at 10 a.m. for the 1:05 scheduled game and 5 p.m. for the second game at 7:05 p.m. The second game is rescheduled from June 5, when it rained. Tickets for the postponed June 5 game will be valid only for the 7:05 game, not the 1 p.m. game.
CC and A.J. are starting that day. Girardi hasn't announced if they'll go in alphabetical order or if CC will start the opener. A.J. will be on an extra day.
Sergio Mitre: His forearm is feeling better and he'll start Sunday in the finale in Toronto. It's Gaudin, Joba and Pettitte in the first three games there. Joba is opposed by Halladay, who hasn't been himself since all that trade talk.
This Week in Football: A new season premieres Friday night – only on YES! More details to come tomorrow. Oh, in the comments, one of you mentioned the TWIF promos. (Yes, I swear I read the comments and apologize for not answering more questions.) So I checked. I'm told our new promos, which we shot Aug. 25, haven't aired yet. I'm sure they'll surface soon, and hopefully you like them.
Nick Markakis: Amazingly, only two major-leaguers have played in each of his team's game this season. The Orioles RF is one of them. The other? Prince Fielder. Prince Fielder! Why do I get a kick out of that note? Thanks, Elias Sports Bureau.
The White Sox: So they finally beat the Twins at the Metrodome, coming from behind against Joe Nathan for a 4-2 win this afternoon. The White Sox went 2-7 at the Metrodome this year and were 3-16 since the summer of 2007, leading Ozzie Guillen to refer to the Dome as a funeral home. The Twins will open their outdoor ballpark – Target Field – next season.
"How crazy this thing is," Guillen said. "We figure out how to win in this place, and now we can't come back here no more."
After the game, Paul Konerko walked into the visiting clubhouse and yelled, "We own this place!"
From afar, the White Sox seem baseball's traveling carnival.
Chat room: We'll do another chat soon — the first in a while — with Internet Guru Kevin Sullivan there to head off any technical difficulties. I'll let you know the date as soon as I do.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 3 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Labor Day, Michael Kay, Nick Swisher, Sergio Mitre, This Week in Football
Hairston handled himself well
Last night, Jerry Hairston Jr. conducted a clinic on how to handle the aftermath of committing a devastating error. First, he stopped the first reporter he saw — WFAN's Sweeny Murti — and told him, "I know you guys want to talk to me. I'm going to get something to eat and I'll be right back."
Then, when he emerged, Hairston literally invited the media to his locker with a wave. And he answered every single question.
"He knows you have to be accountable," Derek Jeter said. "Everyone makes mistakes. That's one reason it's so hard to throw a perfect game."
Pettitte also reassured Hairston, joking that he didn't want to throw nine innings anyway. Posada said everyone felt bad for "J-Hair."
"Jerry's been outstanding," Jeter said. "He's playing everywhere, the infield, the outfield, and he's catching between innings. I don't think people appreciate how difficult that is."
Speaking of Jeter, he is the Yankees nominee for the 2009 Roberto Clemente Award, which annually recognizes the player who performs exceptionally on the field and contributes in the community.
Johnny Damon: Told Damon today that I could not say "calf cramp" on yesterday's pregame. He laughed. Much more significantly, Damon paid a "very rewarding" visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital today, part of his ongoing commitment to the Wounded Warrior Project. Swisher, Robertson and Coke went along. Johnny was particularly touched by a young quadriplegic he has seen on several visits. "I see the progress he's making," Johnny said. "And he has a great spirit, a great sense of life. Definitely, he's an inspiration."
Alex Rodriguez: He's back at third tonight and this morning, Alex spoke to 500 student-athletes at Millford Mill Academy in Baltimore County about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs. According to a news release, Alex opened his remarks: "As a kid, my favorite player was Cal Ripken, Jr. Has anyone here heard of him?"
The man knew his audience. Alex went on to say he made a mistake and "one of my missions in life is to turn a negative into a positive." He called his admission of steroid use "pretty darn liberating."
The call-ups: Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, Mark Melancon, Edwar Ramirez and lefty Mike Dunn. As you would imagine, they were smiling a lot in the clubhouse.
Adam Jones: The young Oriole center fielder hates to lose, which will be important as he becomes a leader on a Baltimore team that is trying to rise from the ashes. And Jones wasn't thrilled last night to see Yankees fans taking over Camden Yards. "We're not at the new Yankee Stadium," Jones said. "I expect more of our fans to be here, but I understand completely why they're not. But it (stinks) that they're not."
Jim Thome: Had a chance to interview him for Saturday's "Batting Practice Today presented by Audi" when the White Sox were in town. No wonder he's considered one of the friendliest players in the game. Anyway, today on WFAN, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti was interviewed by Adam the Bull and Jon Heyman. Colletti said Thome wanted to make sure he was upfront in telling the Dodgers he did not think he could play first base for them. No matter. The Dodgers want his bat and his leadership, which could pay off big.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 15 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jerry Hairston Jr., Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher, Phil Coke, Robinson Cano, Sweeny Murti
Pitchers head out for a fun run
This afternoon, Dave Robertson and Andy Pettitte were running the concourse of Citi Field. The concourse.
"It's fun, something different," Robertson said. "We kind of got lost a couple of times."
Tomko and A.J. are the ringleaders among concourse runners. Joba also has joined. Tomko has been running concourses since 1999 when Reds teammate Juan Guzman got him hooked. Some Yankees began to join him during last weekend's Florida series. Hey, it beats running circles around the field.
"It can be like Groundhog Day during a season," Tomko said. "This breaks up the workouts; it goes quicker."
They run in packs of four sometimes. In a 20-minute run, each guy takes the lead for five minutes. He might break up the run with sit-ups or jumping jacks.
"Right in the middle of the concourse," Tomko said.
"It's a lot more fun than running," Joba said. "I mean, it is running, but you can do a lot more things."
Joba enjoyed checking out Citi Field, which he describes as "nice, very nice." Said Tomko: "Extremely nice. It has a lot of character."
As for Robertson and Pettitte, they made it back to the clubhouse after an unplanned detour.
"We were up by the Caesar's Club (on the fifth of six floors), then almost ran into the press box," Robertson said. "We weren't sure where we were, but we figured we should get out of there."
Nick Swisher: As we were talking to Robertson, Swisher couldn't help but interject. "Are you asking him why he threw McCann two backdoor cutters?" asked Swisher, wearing a Cheshire Cat grin. "That's what I want to know." (Brian McCann of the Braves hit two home runs against Robertson.) Robertson laughed: "Well, the first one was supposed to be a fastball in – and wasn't. And the second one was supposed to be a fastball away – and wasn't." Swisher was highly amused. Robertson's a good sport. "He hit two bombs off me," Robertson said. "But I had a pretty good string going of not giving up home runs." In 16.1 innings, those are the only two jacks Robertson has given up.
Derek Jeter: He's got to be really sick to miss back-to-back games with the cough/illness that's going around the clubhouse.
"George!" That's how Keith Hernandez greets Cone whenever he comes into the YES booth during the Subway Series. We asked Cone why. When Cone was traded by the Royals to the Mets, he often talked about George Brett. So much so, that Hernandez decided to call him George. And probably a few other things. Honestly, as we told Cone, it's a much more innocent story than we'd anticipated.
Subway Series: Enjoy tomorrow night's game, the final interleague contest of the regular season. We'll be watching.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 13 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Andy Pettitte, Brett Tomko, Dave Robertson, David Cone, Derek Jeter, Keith Hernandez, Nick Swisher
Strange to see Alex in a polo shirt and pants in the clubhouse, as all of his teammates scurried about in uniform, preparing for BP. Alex won't start tonight or tomorrow because he is fatigued or, as he said, "running on empty."
It's mind-boggling that Alex had played in all 38 games, just three as DH, since returning May 8. And that pace has taken a toll, or so it seems. He is 8 for 55 in June, in an 0-for-15 skid and hitting .212 with nine home runs and 26 RBI. (In 2007, the MVP season Alex repeatedly has said he wants to copy in terms of his approach to the game, he had 26 RBI and 10 home runs after just 14 games.)
Alex suggested that yesterday's marathon, which included a five-and-a-half-hour rain delay, played into his reaching the tipping point in terms of fatigue. "Yesterday was an absolute nightmare for me," he said, describing a nearly 13-hour workday that began with 9 a.m. work with Kevin Long.
Oddly, Alex said he told Girardi on Thursday night that he needed a break. But, he was in the original lineup today, until he met with Girardi and was joined via phone by Cashman. Then it was determined that Alex will miss two days. The Yankees also have a day off Monday. It'll be interesting to see what effect this respite has when Alex returns.
Angel Berroa: He just crushed a double, his first hit since April 28. We'll leave the jokes to Abraham.
Nick Swisher: We asked him how he spent the rain delay. For a long time he worked on the collage in his locker. (Yes, he said we may photograph it and show it to you — but not until it is a finished product.) Then he ate. (The YES booth was a food orgy. Disgusting.) Then he watched some TV. Then he slept — in uniform in case the rain suddenly ceased. It was a long day.
Derek Jeter: Should he be running on that gimpy left ankle? He'd say yes, of course.
Paul O'Neill: He's back from Paris where, he says, "they don't eat." You can imagine how he felt about that. Well, he just sent Matthew — not Matt — to the Edy's concession stand for ice cream. Two vanilla cups. One for him. One for me. He is so nice! We didn't even want the ice cream. But you just don't say no to ice cream from Paul O'Neill.
Dolphin Stadium: It has been renamed Land Shark Stadium. But every piece of permanent signage still reads Dolphin Stadium. Anyway, it looks like rain (again), but they're playing Meatloaf over the P.A. We love Meatloaf. He was at a game a couple of years ago in Toronto (we think) and we became a public embarrassment swooning over him. It wasn't restraining-order stuff, but it was a little much.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 13 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Alex Rodriguez, Angel Berroa, Derek Jeter, Joe Girardi, Kevin Long, Nick Swisher, Paul O'Neill
Rainy day woman…again
A trivia question:
What does Kay eat during a rain delay?
A. Peanut M&Ms
B. Fruit Loops
C. Watermelon
D. Nathan's French Fries
E. All of the above
The answer is E. That's what happens when a rain delay stretches to nearly four hours, and counting, for a scheduled 1 p.m. start.
You might wonder how we're spending the day. It probably would be more interesting to know how the players spent the day, but we can't ask them that for a while. Probably a long while.
We did have a chance to confirm with Internet Guru Kevin Sullivan that our next chat will be Tuesday, June 30. We'll provide a million reminders before then.
Hopefully, Wang enjoyed his first appearance on the YES postgame show last night. He was great, considering he says he's not comfortable on camera, and very happy about the birth of Justin Jesse, his 7-pound, 12-ounce son. He stood at his locker amid congratulatory balloons, and he was holding a piece of paper with the baby's footprints.
And now he gets to make another start – Tuesday at Atlanta. Life is good for Wang.
Kay is yelling at us, for no apparent reason.
"Kim," he said, as he brushed his hair, "are you losing steam?"
Honestly, the answer is yes. There is no Red Bull in the press dining room.
"You better pick it up," Kay said. "You're not even blogging today."
Actually, we are.
"Why did you just brush your hair?"
"Because I thought it needed it," he replied.
This is riveting stuff, isn't it?
Anyway, there has been an inordinate amount of food consumed by people in the YES booth. Except Flaherty, who has consumed blueberries, grilled chicken and almonds, all of which he brought from home. He was smart to pack.
For some reason, there are now cupcakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, M&Ms, cookies, Cracker Jacks, Twizzlers and Fruit Loops all within arm's reach. It's insane.
It seems like hours and hours ago – weeks, really – that we were in the clubhouse this morning. Swisher was updating the collage of teammates' pictures that adorns a wall of his locker. By now, he's probably covered several walls. And several lockers.
What do starting pitchers do on days like this? We'll have to ask Joba.
We've looked through a couple of newspapers that are strewn across the booth. Shocking news on Billy Joel and his wife. Thought they were for keeps.
This has become mind-numbing. It seems like they should have been able to play five innings by now. No wonder Girardi says he's looking forward to the weather in Florida.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 17 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Chien-Ming Wang, food, Joba Chamberlain, Michael Kay, Nick Swisher, rain delay
From Rays of light to Boston bound
Looking for Tino is like trying to find Waldo. We've given up. For now.
Hughes responds: Because you wanted an update, we asked Hughes about his blog. His sheepish response: "It's on standby." Tomko, who overheard our conversation, offered this to his teammate: "You've got to start Twittin' or something!" Hughes laughed.
What about the pits? At one point late in the Sunday game, after we'd blogged, Kay was eating a bowl full of cherries, which he said were provided by Mia from the suites. Kay with a bowl full of cherries was amusing.
Bronx Bombers Sundae: Kay and (to a lesser extent) Cone are digging into pints of Turkey Hill ice cream as we write this. When Cone's talking, Kay's eating by the spoonful. For dinner, Kay and some others in our crew ordered out from Yolanda's; he had chicken parmesan. Cone's dinner: four cups of coffee (so far) and a piece of chocolate.
The press dining room featured awesome roast beef and mashed potatoes. Sadly, we pigged out. Audrey the Stage Manager is disappointed. "There weren't mashed potatoes when I was in there," she said. Sometimes, all we talk about it food.
Swish and chips: The Swisher "Innerview" has been added to the blog. That's a good job by internet guru Kevin Sullivan, who will be delighted that Kay and Cone just discussed this blog on the broadcast. Sullivan loves when that happens. So, thanks guys!
Ray of light: The Rays don't exactly have a long and storied history, but it's worth noting that Longoria is trying to become the first Ray to be selected by fans to the All-Star Game and to start in the game. (Jose Canseco was voted in by fans in 1999 as DH but didn't play in the game because of back surgery.) By last week's count, Longoria was third in the overall voting, behind Pujols and Utley and just ahead of Jeter. New vote totals should be announced tomorrow.
We're going to catch up with Longoria during the next Yankees-Rays series (in seven weeks) for an "Innerview." Upton pinch hit today because Longoria was having pregame treatment on his hamstring. And Upton showed up 10 minutes early for the spot. That's a great job by him.
Boston bound: A quick road trip awaits. Should be a fascinating three games in Boston, beginning with Burnett-Beckett. Let's hope the forecasted rain doesn't screw it up. The Yankees are looking for their first win against the Sox this season, but this is a different Yankees team than the one Boston last saw. A reminder, Jeter is joining us tomorrow on "Batting Practice Today presented by Audi."
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 24 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with B.J. Upton, Brett Tomko, Derek Jeter, Evan Longoria, Nick Swisher, Phil Hughes
Posada and Teixeira now BFF
The visiting clubhouse in Cleveland is kind of like a mini arcade. There's the Big Game Hunter Pro, aka the Kyle Farnsworth Game. Farnsworth never looked more comfortable than when he was playing that game. And rather scary with the play rifle in his hand. Ramiro Pena appears to have developed quite a fondness for the Farnsworth game. "I love it," he said, while shooting.
There's a Nintendo game — an original — and a Cornhole bean bag game, which A.J. and Tomko played in the tunnel leading to the dugout. About an hour in, both were sweating.
Gardner and Bruney regularly do battle on a Tiger Woods video game. The winner gets custody of a Tiger figurine. Today, while sitting at his locker, Gardner painted the figurine green, then hid it from Bruney and swore a couple of us to secrecy. (The green paint on his fingertips might have been a giveaway.) After that, Gardner borrowed Joba's laser and pointed the little red light at unsuspecting teammates.
Meanwhile, Bruney and CC — tonight's starter — were playing a Nintendo baseball game on the big screen. (CC might have had more trouble with that game than he is with the Indians.)
And in Posada's locker sat a framed back page of Newsday from May 17, 2006, when Teixeira — then a Ranger — barreled over Posada at home plate. Teixeira signed the paper, "To Jorge: Thanks for your forgiveness. Now we are best friends! Mark Teixeira"
The first-place Yankees are a fun bunch.
Another save by Mo: Last night, we walked with Mariano from the clubhouse to the team bus. We had to go through the Indians family room and up a flight of stairs. At the base of the steps, a young Cleveland player and his wife were struggling with their baby's stroller. The player was holding their sleepy daughter and the wife couldn't manage to lift the stroller on the steps. So Mariano did what a lot of people wouldn't have — he carried the stroller up the stairs. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the Indians player and his wife. They were completely in awe. Mariano and the couple exchanged some words in Spanish and then he got on the bus.
Aces wild: Had a nice pregame chat with Aceves, who likes to show off a nasty cut on the base of the big toe on the bottom of his right foot. It's gross. He says it's not the slightest bit painful. Anyway, he loves his role, even thought it is not defined in any way. He says he wants to pitch every day, doesn't care if he pitches three innings (as he did last night) or the eighth inning (Girardi likes Aceves' versatility too much to limit him to one inning on a regular basis) or comes in as a long man (as he did when Joba was hit and left in the first inning against the O's) or as a starter. He just wants to pitch and he doesn't complain. He also says his shoulder feels better than ever and is amazed that he has no soreness whatsoever. Then he showed us the toe, so the conversation ended.
Swish-talk: Swisher reports that his dad, who is here, likes his Swish-hawk haircut and his stepmother absolutely loves it. "It's so easy," he said. "Just run some water through it, a little gel and it's done." He was also delighted when we passed along the message from Polly Tompkins. Delighted!
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 16 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Alex Rodriguez, Alfredo Aceves, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Kyle Farnsworth, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher
Hello from Arlington!
Flaherty's first words to us today were these: "You have to update the blog."
The man knows whereof he speaks.
Hello from Arlington, where little, tiny, light brown bugs are taking over the universe! But it's not raining and there is no threat of rain, so no one's complaining.
Speaking of not complaining: Guess who checked in via email? Polly! Wearing her perfectly pink do-rag, she visited us at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday and captivated the clubhouse. (Polly wrote that she was "VERY nervous." We don't believe her. LOL) She also wrote, "Words can't even begin to express what the day meant to me. It was one surprise after another! … It was all just incredible! I don't think I have ever smiled that much. I think Nick Swisher had a lot to do with that! His attitude and love for life is contagious!" Polly rocks! One reason we got along so well was because we both love exclamation points! Stay in touch, Polly. And keep fighting.
The return of Posada, (temporary) departure of Melky: Melky is day-to-day with a bruised right shoulder and is headed back to New York to see team doctor Chris Ahmad. If Ahmad believes Melky can be back within a week, Girardi says the Yankees can live with that. If not, Melky might be DL-bound and the Yanks would need to call up an outfielder. (And they might have to do something with Berroa one of these days.) Meanwhile, Posada will rejoin the team Friday, after catching five innings in Tampa today. But don't expect Cervelli to go anywhere. At least not yet. The pitchers love him, which could create some interesting dynamics. Stay tuned.
Joba, Joba, Joba: Joba is a big kid who was fooling around in the clubhouse with a little laser that A.J. bought him at a gas station here. Seriously, a gas station. He got a kick — a big kick — out of pointing a red dot at unsuspecting teammates. Joba's big personality extends to the mound, as we all know, but he just seems more natural in the 8th-inning than in the starting rotation. At least that's our view. It would seem an athlete who can dominate at a position helps a team more than an athlete whose results are, so far, a mixed bag in another role. Obviously there are two sides to this, and both can make relevant points. But there are plenty of voices in the clubhouse who agree with us, but it's a silent chorus. At the moment. (If Bruney's flexor mass strain in his elbow leads to a long — or painful — absence, you might start to hear the chatter.)
Food fight: The press dining at Rangers Ballpark features chicken and pork tonight, along with a salad bar and (very) soft-serve ice cream. The zucchini was tasty. M&Ms made the ice cream better. And something tells us there will be a lot of food consumed on the team charter bound for Cleveland later tonight. On days like these, the will power wanes when the Twix bars are getting passed around. Sigh.
Coke and a slider? Coke was still disgusted with himself today for throwing a slider to Chris Davis last night. The ball wound up in the seats. "I threw a slider to a guy with slider bat speed," were Coke's words. "Right in his barrel." We asked Coke if it reminded him of the slider Morneau deposited among Yankee Stadium fans. "No, that was a hanging slider," Coke said. "I thanked Morneau for hitting that pitch – because that's what it deserved."
"Yeah, I said thanks during BP the next day," Coke said. "He just smiled and pointed at me."
In his next outing Coke got Morneau to strike out on a series of fastballs away."Tino Martinez told me to do that," Coke said. "We were talking during BP and he said lefties at Yankee Stadium hate fastballs down and away because there's nothing they can do with them."
That Tino is full of advice.
"I like talking to him," Coke said. "He knows the game, and he knows how the stadium plays."
Since he mentioned Tino: We're still accepting a FEW more questions for the Tino Q&A. He'll answer him during the Tampa series of the next homestand and we'll post them. Like we did with O'Neill.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 39 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Angel Berroa, Joba Chamberlain, Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Phil Coke, Tino Martinez
A brave young woman meets her heroes
A terrific pregame story today involved Yankees "honorary bat girl" Polly Tompkins. She is here as part of the MLB/Susan G. Komen for Cure effort to recognize baseball fans who are battling cancer.
Polly was very popular before the game. She's a lifelong Yankees fan and met many players, including her crush, Jeter, after he took BP.
She leaned in toward the end of their chat and asked him for his phone number. (Love the spunk!) Jeter was smiling ear-to-ear and said, "I'll get in trouble here. Maybe later." (That means no, but he was very nice.)
During BP, Alex and Swisher went with Polly into the stands to greet the 100 or so friends and family members who made a four-hour bus trip from Candor, N.Y. That was absolutely incredible. We've never seen anything like it, two stars walking through the stands with the pink do-ragged Polly, going to greet her cheering contingent, most of whom were wearing pink T-shirts.
Reggie talked to Polly for a while, as did Damon and Mariano. (When Mariano walked toward her, Polly's eyes got wide as baseballs. So cute.)
And just before the game, Polly was in the dugout, hanging with A.J. and Swisher. Which meant she was having a blast. She said she couldn't believe "that I'm sitting here watching Nick Swisher stretch before a game!" Said A.J.: "All you need now is a pie in the face."
Polly laughed, heartily. Then she threw out the ceremonial first pitch, caught by Swisher. Swisher's grandmother died of brain cancer a few years ago. He's always great in these spots. And Jason Zillo and Jason Latimer of the Yankees media relations department did a terrific job in making Polly's day so special.
Polly Tompkins is a 38-year-old first-grade teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. She thought she beat it. The cancer came back last month, and she learned it had advanced to Stage 4. She usually spends Wednesdays receiving chemotherapy. This was a much better Wednesday.
We wish Polly the absolute best and hope today strengthened her spirit. She promised to update us regularly on her condition. She may call anytime. And we'll pass on any message to Jeter.
Oops! Didn't mean to forget Joba! Turns out he also went into the stands to meet Polly's people. He hugged her mom. He told me after the game it was an awesome experience, something he believes players SHOULD do. And he does plan to stay in touch with Polly. Nice work, Joba.
And very cool of Swisher to give Polly the lineup card after the game. She was so psyched on the field. Just a terrific, terrific night.
In response to a couple of comments, I've not been fined by the Kangaroo Court. I think I'm out of that jurisdiction.
Saw Posada in the dugout, but not to talk to. His take on Cervelli would be interesting. There's something about that kid.
What else did you ask me? I can't remember. Short game tonight! Woo-hoo!
It's My9 again tomorrow, strangely, but we'll try to check in.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 18 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with A.J. Burnett, cancer, Derek Jeter, Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, Polly Tompkins
Musings from north of the border
In response to one of your comments, we talked to Aceves and Girardi about the reliever's role. Girardi says, yes, he would be interested in using Aceves — and Coke when he's healthy again — for two-inning appearances. If those two continue to pitch well, it would be an obvious help in building the bridge to Mariano.
Aceves, however, told us he couldn't do that every time out. Two consecutive games of two innings of work would likely be his limit. Then, he said, he'd need at least a day off. Even today, Aceves said, his shoulder is a bit sore – just normal soreness – after pitching two scoreless innings last night.
So it's something that's possible at times, just not every time. Good question.
It's getaway day, which means everyone is hoping beyond hope for a quick game. It's also "Ladies Night Out" here at Rogers Centre. Yee-hah!
As we write this, Leiter is rolling his chair over his jacket. Repeatedly. Now he realizes it and is staring down at the blue jacket, which is rather dusty. Especially one of the sleeves. The inning just ended, and Leiter is worrying about having to wear the jacket on postgame and looking dirty. This is the stuff from the booth you don't see.
Last night's game went three hours, nine minutes. None of the Blue Jays previous five games lasted longer than 2:34. For whatever that's worth.
Leiter just asked if we're writing about him. Yes. We're also wondering what happened to the Mike and Ike's.
Swisher's haircut is creating waves in the clubhouse. It looks a bit like someone took lawnmower blades to his head. Actually, he went to A.J.'s stylist in Toronto – which is another story unto itself. Anyway, in the near future, we will have a Swisher InnerView on "Batting Practice Today presented by Audi" and you'll get an up-close-and-personal look at his hair. We'll try to give you a heads up. That should be entertaining.
So Jeter's back, as is Matsui. Bruney should return within a week. Coke could be available tomorrow. Nady plans to swing a bat in the cage tomorrow. Girardi says it's too early to forecast a return date for either Posada or Molina; Posada is in Tampa, but not yet playing games, and Molina remains in New York.
That's today's injury update, brought to you by Benadryl. Or whatever allergy medication we're taking today.
Leiter just said he didn't buy more Mike and Ike's. He also said he read the blog – really, he read it! – and was amused that Mike and Ike's are so popular. Keep reading, Al. And bring those Mike and Ike's next time. 🙂
Tomorrow will be Alex's first game at Yankee Stadium. Something tells us he'll be very happy to see the home fans after some of the treatment he's received here and in Baltimore. Sources say the Toronto fans – particularly on Tuesday — have been as unruly as any the Yankees have seen in a while. They were throwing coins into the Yankees bullpen and yelling all kinds of vulgarities. And we thought Canadians were a gentle sort.
Written by mlblogskimberlyjones1 19 Comments Posted in Dailies	Tagged with Al Leiter, Alex Rodriguez, Alfredo Aceves, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher, Xavier Nady