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Singapore: Dynamism in the sign of the lion
Singapore, the city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the fastest-growing economic powers in Asia. The name is derived from the Sanskrit for Singha (=lion) and pura (=city). The Lion City's cultural landmark is the Merlion, a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a fish. As a port as well as a banking and financial center, the city weathers all crises – and remains as attractive as ever to developers and investors. Even into the early 20th century, the archipelago was only sparsely populated and it was not until Britain's East India Company opened a trading post there in 1819 that the modern city's boom began.
Today, Singapore is proud of its prosperity: Architectural marvels, such as the hotel and casino complex Marina Bay Sands, magnificently restored colonial buildings, like the National Museum, and superlative leisure opportunities, like Sentosa Island, delight some 16 million visitors each year. More recently, Singapore has also been endeavoring to restore the appeal of its historical buildings and old town quarters – and with great success: In the area around Keong Saik Road and in the hipster neighborhood Tiong Bahru, Singapore reveals its laid-back side.
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Tiong Bahru – traditional charm meets the modern world
Tiong Bahru Market with its culinary specialties is the true heart of the neighborhood
Books Actually: hipster refuge with reading material – a vast selection of it
Small and windowless, the Bincho bar is reminiscent of a streetcar with the lights dimmed
Tiong Bahru Bakery: The selection of croissants and small cakes is overwhelming
Curated Records: Thousands of jazz, pop, rock and classical records await vinyl fans
Dedicated to the monkey god, the Qi Tian Gong temple is said to bring fortune, prosperity and ingenuity
Tiong Bahru was the first public settlement project to be planned and realized in Singapore. Built by the British in the 1920s, the neighborhood with its curved balconies, symmetrical staircases and whitewashed facades is perhaps the best attempt to bring the Bauhaus style to the subtropics.
Today, Tiong Bahru is a heritage site with stores, bars and cafés occupying the ground floor of many of its buildings. On the weekend, the neighborhood is where the young, slightly alternative Singapore crowd gets together to ride their fixies (one-gear bicycles), parade their Margiela shirts or try some exotic coffee creations.
Tiong Bahru Market
30 Seng Poh Road
Traditional charm meets the modern world, at least on a culinary level. The Food Centre here has two floors, on which old-established stallholders and young foodies ply their specialties, from handmade fish balls through rice cakes with black beans to egg porridge with chicken. Three or four Singapore dollars is what you can expect to pay for a plateful – an incredibly small price even in Singapore. The market is the true heart of the quarter, and in fine weather, you can dine out on the terrace beneath a sunshade and admire the ever-growing skyline.
Books Actually
9 Yong Siak Street
Tel. +65-622/291 95
This small, independent bookstore was partly responsible for sparking the hype surrounding Tiong Bahru as a hipster refuge. There's plenty of reading material to be found here, and not just English novels, but also leftist aesthetic criticism. At the same time, Books Actually acts as a showcase for the publishing company Math Paper Press, which promotes local talent. And that's not all: In the backroom, the store also sells high-ticket vintage tableware.
Bincho
78 Moh Guan Terrace
This bar is the most popular speakeasy in Singapore. By day, the wait staff serve Chinese noodles in the front room, then in the evening, the back room opens for fans of Japanese whiskey and yakitori skewer specialties. A small, windowless place with metal bars on the walls, the back room is reminiscent of a streetcar with the lights dimmed. Make sure to book a table.
Strangelets
This concept store is ideal for fastidious interior designers. The furniture and accessories, including a bookshelf in the shape of a bear, handmade peppermint-scented soap, terracotta bowls with dragon feet, come from both Singaporean and foreign designers. At Strangelets, you are sure to find the ideal souvenir for friends and family who like to give their home a playful but elegant touch.
Tiong Bahru Bakery
56 Eng Hoon Street
Tel. +65-622/0 34 30
Chef Gontran Cherrier envisioned this airy and extremely popular corner eatery as a breakfast café with a French atmosphere. And you really do get the feeling of you are actually in Paris here – thanks to the overwhelming selection of croissants and small cakes. The most important difference: Guests sit outside in the tropical heat and can choose creations with Asian influences, such as squid baguette with smoked salmon or kimchi pancake as a burger ingredient. The coffee comes from the 40 Hands roastery just a couple of meters away.
Curated Records
55 Tiong Bahru Road
The crackling good sound of vinyl records is back in Singapore: Vinyl has now achieved the same cult status with Southeast Asian music nerds as it has in Europe. In this tiny indie store, the owner stocks current releases alongside rare recordings from past decades. Around 2000 jazz, pop, rock and classic records in clear sleeves await new fans.
19 Yong Siak Street
A long counter with a show kitchen and bar, upholstered benches and pewter ceiling panels – this green restaurant is the successful attempt to establish the New York bistro concept in Southeast Asia. On the menu, dishes include avocado salad with shrimp and roasted pork rack with spicy pineapple sauce, and hanging from the walls, the herb boxes in which the cooks grow the herbs they use to spice their meals.
Qi Tian Gong Temple
This whitewashed temple at the entrance to the neighborhood ensures the spiritual well-being of the young and beautiful. Since 1938, the faithful have been lighting incense at this street corner to give thanks to the monkey god. He is credited with being able to bring fast financial success to a store. Judging by the success of the local café scene, the cafés' founders were not mean with their offerings.
Top 10 sights in Singapore
© Shutterstock / Alexander Chaikin
Sentosa Island has plenty to offer in the way of recreation, including gorgeous tropical bathing spots, like Palawan Beach
1 Cluny Road
Tel. +65-1800/471 73 00
Open from dawn till midnight, with no entry fee, this lush garden is the lungs of Singapore. Founded in 1859, it still provides a welcome escape from the urban sprawl, with shady trails, trickling water features and abundant greenery that almost makes you forget you are in the middle of the city.
Singapore Zoo & Night Safari
80 Mandai Lake Road
Tel. +65-626/93 411
night safari 1915-0000
Widely regarded as Asia's best zoo, with a vast menagerie of rainforest creatures and recommended night safaris to meet the zoo's nocturnal inhabitants. The zoo is famous for its naturalistic enclosures.
Sri Mariamman Temple
244 South Bridge Road
Tel. +65-622/23 40 64
Daily 0700-1200 and 1800-2100
The colours of India spill out into the Singapore streets at this rainbow-coloured temple, with a pantheon of Hindu deities atop its looming gopuram (entrance tower). The temple throngs with devotees, particularly during the Deepavali festival in October or November.
Baba House
157 Neil Road
Mon – Fri 1000, Sat on request
For a fascinating window onto the lives of ordinary Singaporeans in the city's seafaring heyday, visit this restored Peranakan home.
Haw Par Villa
262 Pasir Panjang Road
Mon-Sun 0900-1900
Constructed by the family that invented Tiger Balm, this surreal sculpture garden provides a fascinating introduction to the world of Chinese mythology, complete with vivid depictions of demons, dragons and the Confucian hell.
Thian Hock Kheng Temple
158 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore's most famous Chinese temple is a hub of activity during the morning and evening rush hours, when devotees flock to light incense sticks and burn spirit money to honour their ancestors and the deities of the Hokkien pantheon.
hours vary for attractions
Singapore's best loved theme park covers a whole island, with seaside resorts, thrill rides, a butterfly garden, an aquarium and even a colonial fort. Come by cable car for fine views across the Straits, or take the Sentosa express train.
39 Armenian Street
Sat-Thurs 1000-1900
Fri 1000-2100
This intriguing museum offers displays on Peranakan culture, a fascinating fusion of Chinese and Malay customs.
48 Pagoda Street
Step into the Singapore of old in this engaging cultural centre, where photographs, dioramas and mock-ups of shops and houses bring the Chinese experience in Singapore to life. Displays cover everything from religion and trade to opium dens and other vices.
30 Raffles Avenue
Opening time ticketing counter:
Giant Ferris wheels are big news around the world, and the Singapore Flyer is no exception. Riding high on the waterfront on Raffles Avenue, this soaring big wheel offers stunning city views from glass capsules that perform a slow arc above the city skyline.
Cultural melting pot and dazzling example of the region's economic successes, wealthy and dynamic Singapore assails the senses of the first-time visitor. The former British trading post and colony has carved a unique niche for itself over the past couple of centuries, nowadays offering a vivid combination
of ultra-modern skyscrapers, remnants of tropical rainforest, ambitious tourist developments, occasional reminders of the colonial era, and an assortment of colourful ethnic urban areas such as Little India, each with a character very much of its own.
The island of Singapore is situated off the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, separated from the mainland by the Johor Strait which is about 1km (0.8 miles) wide. Causeways run across the strait carrying roads, a railway and water pipes. The main island is mainly flat with only low hills, the highest being Bukit Timah at 166m (545ft).
In the northeast of the island, and in the urban district, large areas have been reclaimed, and much of the original jungle and swamp covering the low-lying areas has been cleared. In addition to the main island, the Republic of Singapore includes many much smaller islands and islets.
Population: 5.5 millions (estimate 2017)
Capital: Singapore.
The official languages are Mandarin Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. Most Singaporeans are bilingual and speak English, which is used as the main language of communication.
Singapore Dollar (SGD; symbol S$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of S$10,000, 1,000, 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 2. Coins are in denominations of S$1, and 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 cents.
230 volts AC, 50Hz. British-style square three-pin plugs are in use. Many hotels have 110-volt outlets.
Listed below are the public holidays for the period January 2020 to December 2021.
Note: Holidays falling on Sunday are observed the following Monday.
(a) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given below are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Hari Raya Puasa (End of Ramadan), Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some disruption may continue into Hari Raya Puasa itself. Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji (Feast of Sacrifice) may last up to several days, depending on the region.
(b) Hindu festivals are declared according to local astronomical observations and it is not possible to forecast the date of their occurrence exactly.
(c) Not all holidays listed are statutory holidays.
New Year's Day: 1 January 2020
Vajraya (Chinese New Year): 25 and 26 January 2020
Good Friday: 10 April 2020
Easter Sunday: 12 April 2020
Labour Day: 1 May 2020
Vesak Day (Buddha's Birthday): 7 May 2020
Hari Raya Puasa (End of Ramadan): 23 May 2020
Hari Raya Haji (Feast of Sacrifice): 30 July 2020
National Day: 9 and 10 August 2020
Deepavali (Festival of Lights): 13 November 2020
Christmas Day: 25 December 2020
Good Friday: 2 April 2021
Easter Sunday: 4 April 2021
Vesak Day (Buddha's Birthday): 26 May 2021
Deepavali (Festival of Lights): 3 November 2021
All information subject to change.
Efficient Singapore is one of the easiest cities in the world to explore. The underground trains of Singapore Mass Rapid Transport (smrt.com.sg) run from early morning to late at night, connecting every corner of the city, including the airport. Tickets are sold in stations; buy a magnetic EZ-Link card or Singapore Tourist Pass for unlimited travel. SMRT shares the city's bus routes with SBS Transit (sbstransit.com.sg).
Air-conditioned taxis offer a welcome respite from the heat and humidity, but note that empty taxis can be difficult to find at peak times. As driving speed is strictly regulated in Singapore, it's wise to avoid last-minute dashes to the airport. Taxis are metered and tips are not expected. Cabs can be booked online (taxisingapore.com).
Discover East Coast Park by bicycle
The park, located between downtown Singapore and the airport, is extremely popular as a leisure and recreation area with locals and tourists alike. East Coast Park extends along 15 kilometers of sandy coastline and is best explored by bicycle. The cycle path runs close to the beach with the sound of the ocean always within earshot. Well-serviced bicycles are available for as little as S$ 4 per hour from a number of rental outfits.
East Coast Parkway/East Coast Park Service Road
Restaurants in Singapore
Singapore's fascinating cultural melting pot is best experienced in its restaurants. In the space of a city block, you can dine your way from China to India and on to the Malay Straits.
Take your pick from elegant banquet restaurants, sophisticated hotel eateries with star chefs and bustling hawker courts, where many insist the best food in Singapore is served.
Iggy's
The Hilton Hotel, 581 Orchard Road
Price: Luxurious
Singapore best-loved restaurant has moved around over the years, but currently weaves its magic at the Hilton on Orchard Road.
10 Bayfront Avenue
Pet project of innovative Australian chef Tetsuya Wakuda, specialising in tantalising fusions of Japanese and European ingredients.
No Signboard Seafood Restaurant
1 Harbourfront Walk
#03-02 VivoCity
Price: Moderate
Many restaurants have imitated the fragrant pepper crab served by Madam Ong Kim Hoi at this bustling seafood restaurant, but few have bettered it.
Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle
#02-126 Chinatown Complex
Price: Budget
The Chinatown Complex hawker center boasts what is likely the world's most affordable gourmet restaurant: a Michelin-starred food stall, where Cantonese chicken and rice costs just two Singapore dollars (that's roughly 1.25 euros). The price may be low, but the line is usually very long, so expect to wait.
Four Seasons Durians Café
B207-3-2 Takashimaya Food Hall
Opinions tend to differ on this spiky fruit that's the size of a coconut: Although people all over Southeast Asia love it, many find it hard to stomach because of its foul smell (the fruit is also known as "stinky fruit"). In this famous durian café, brave souls can venture a mouthful of confectionery, ice cream, cake or pudding with or made from durian.
Gleaming modern hotels rise over Singapore like a gigantic crystal garden. Upmarket offerings from global chains are the mainstay, but the boutique hotel scene is growing, and a
handful of elegant period properties fly the flag for Singapore's colonial past.Budget options are concentrated around Little India and Bencoolen Street in Chinatown.
10 Beachfront Avenue
Category: Luxurious
The rooms offer every comfort and convenience and an exceptional view of the bay, and the restaurant and bar concept leaves nothing to be desired, but the open-air infinity pool on the roof of the 57-level building is now a world-famous sensation.
Hotel at Booking.com
1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island
A luxurious escape on Sentosa Island, with elegant rooms and sprawling gardens that make the most of the gorgeous views across the bay.
Hotel Fort Canning
11 Canning Walk
A colonial villa transformed into a modern design palace, with rooms that wouldn't look out of place in a millionaire's mansion.
Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen
170 Bencoolen Street
Category: Moderate
Inviting mid-range rooms in a winning location close to Orchard Road, Chinatown and the Marina.
Fragrance Hotel Selegie
183 Selegie Road
Category: Budget
On the fringes of Little India, within easy striking distance of Orchard Road, with comfortable rooms and a rooftop pool.
more hotels at Booking.com
Nightlife in Singapore
The Singapore clubbing scene is the best in Asia, helped by a steady influx of big-name international DJs.
More relaxing options include rooftop cocktail lounges, English-style pubs, modern microbreweries, old-fashioned sheesha cafés and open-air bars on the marina.
More highlights in Singapore's hipster neighborhood Tiong Bahru
3C River Valley Road
The Cannery
The original Singapore superclub, still booming through the night to guest sets by the top DJs on the island.
1 Altitude
1 Raffles Place
If you insist on a view with your Singapore Sling, ascend to this stylish three-storey bar atop the 282m (925ft) One Raffles Place building.
Street James Power Station
3 Sentosa Gateway
A former power station on the harbour, transformed into a sprawling entertainment complex, with a maze of interlinked bars and clubs, covering every musical genre.
28 Hong Kong Street
28 Hongkong Street
Bringing American mixology to the streets of Singapore, this retro cocktail bar was voted one of the world's top 50 bars.
7 Emerald Hill Road
Small clubs and bars abound in the area around Orchard Road, and this Spanish-style wine bar is one of them. It's a great place to start the evening; ask the locals to recommend a good club nearby for later on.
Venue: Chinatown and various locations
Parades, lion dances and temple worshipping to celebrate the lunar new year, one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year. Symbolically, new clothes are usually worn to signify the new year and homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away any ill-fortune. Families visit one another, with little red packets, or "hong bao", filled with money, gifted to children. During this time, the streets come alive with the sound of traditional music, the sight of hanging red lanterns and the aroma of food stalls set up in various neighbourhoods.
Huayi - Chinese Festival of the Arts
Venue: Esplanade and various locations
Enjoy Chinese dance, opera and arts from local and international groups, which forms a key part of the Singapore's Chinese New Year festivities.
Singapore International Festival of Arts
Venue: Various locations
One of Asia's best and most varied arts festival with international dance, music and drama.
Great Singapore Sale
June – August 2020
Venue: Orchard Road and various locations
Singapore loves to shop, especially during the 'GSS', which galvanises stores and malls citywide. From Orchard Road to Marina Bay and the suburbs, there are bargains to be had including discounts, warehouse sales, clearance sales and all types of other sales and promotions. It's a must for hard-core shoppers.
Singapore Dragon Boat Festival
The two-day dragon boat racing commemorates the search for a Chinese poet and patriot. The races take part on the Bedok Reservoir, a 20-minute taxi ride from the city, and the festival is a great spectator sporting event for of all ages. Accompanying the event, there will be a host of traditional Asian rituals performed.
Singapore Food Festival
A much-cherished, four-week festival celebrating Singapore's pan-Asian cuisines featuring 60 stalls laden with local dishes like black pepper crabs, chilli crabs, BBQ sambal stingray, and other tempting delights.
Venue: Marina Bay
Singapore stops and the parading and partying starts to celebrate the date of independence.
Singapore Grand Prix
Venue: Marina Bay Circuit
Singapore held the first night-time Formula One Grand Prix in September 2008, with 5km (3 miles) of smooth course snaking around Marina Bay under specially designed lights. The thrilling event is now held every September in Singapore, and the terrific atmosphere and enthusiasm of the locals make it one of the best times to visit.
Venue: Campbell Lane, Little India
The Indian Festival of Lights celebration takes place on the main road of Little India, which is decorated with many colourful and bright lights, street decorations and fireworks. Traditional and culture activities, street parade, concerts and impressive bazaars with traditional clothing, saris, oil lamps, fragrant flowers and jewellery all come together, as well as delicious Indian food.
All information subject to change. Please check the dates on the relevant event organizer's website.
Telephone/Mobile Telephone
Public telephone booths take phone cards, and sometimes credit cards, and can be used to make both local and international calls. For the latter it is usually cheaper to purchase a pre-paid international calling card; these are readily available due to the large number of migrant workers in Singapore.
Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies, although it's also cheap and easy to buy a local SIM card (passports must be shown when making the purchase). Coverage is good.
Internet cafes throughout Singapore provide public access to internet and email services. Most hotels and hostels offer Internet access, but there is also a free city-wide Wi-Fi service called Wirless@SG (tech.gov.sg).
Singapore is one of the world's great shopping destinations, with tax-free shopping that ensures year-round bargains, even outside of the Great Singapore Sale (June to August). Orchard Road is a long line of glitzy malls, with an emphasis on international brands, but more quirky souvenirs are on sale in the small boutiques of Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam.
Many Singapore markets have evolved into gleaming shopping malls, but browsing the city's street markets can turn up some appealing finds. The markets on Bugis Street and Pagoda, Trengganu and Sago Streets in Chinatown bustle with vendors selling souvenirs, novelties and counterfeit brands. For fresh foodstuffs, join the crowds at Tekka Wet Market (Buffalo Road) and Chinatown Wet Market (Smith Street).
Orchard Road is shopping central, with a string of shimmering multi-storey megamalls selling the world's top brands. ION Orchard (ionorchard.com) and 313@Somerset (313somerset.com.sg) lead the pack, but don't overlook the nearby Tanglin Shopping Center for cultural souvenirs and antiques. For electronics, point your GPS device towards Sim Lim Square (Rochor Canal Road), Funan DigitaLife Mall (North Bridge Road) or the Mustafa Center (mustafa.com.sg) in Little India.
Today: Saturday, 18.01.2020 14:00 UTC
light rain showers
7 days forecast
Climate and best time to visit Singapore
Located just north of the equator, Singapore has a tropical climate and stays hot and humid throughout the year. Temperatures average around 31º C (88º F) during the day with little seasonal variation, although it's slightly cooler in December and January, and hottest in April and May. Temperatures are unlikely to dip below 23º C (74º F) at night; the lowest temperature ever recorded was just over 19º C (66º F).
Singapore is steamy and tropical year round. Rain is a possibility at any time of year, but it's easy to escape in the city's air-conditioned malls. May and June are the hottest months, while November to January are the wettest, but the city doesn't have an off-season and hotel prices are fairly steady throughout the year. Festivals draw huge crowds to Singapore, particularly Thaipusam in January and Chinese New Year in February. Come from June to August for the Great Singapore Sale, or grab a plate or three at the Singapore Food Festival in April. Book well ahead if you hope to secure a room for the Formula 1 night race in September, the biggest event in the sporting calendar.
sunshine duration
absolute max
absolute min
Ø absolute max
Ø absolute min
Ø precipitation
days with deposit > 1mm
Jan 33 °C 18 °C 29 °C 23 °C 83 % 198 mm 12 5.6 h
Feb 34 °C 18 °C 31 °C 23 °C 82 % 154 mm 10 6.5 h
Mar 35 °C 19 °C 31 °C 23 °C 83 % 171 mm 13 6.2 h
Apr 35 °C 21 °C 31 °C 24 °C 84 % 141 mm 14 5.8 h
May 36 °C 21 °C 31 °C 24 °C 84 % 158 mm 14 5.8 h
Jun 35 °C 20 °C 31 °C 24 °C 83 % 140 mm 13 5.9 h
Jul 33 °C 21 °C 30 °C 24 °C 83 % 145 mm 14 6.1 h
Aug 33 °C 20 °C 30 °C 24 °C 83 % 143 mm 13 5.8 h
Sep 33 °C 20 °C 30 °C 23 °C 84 % 177 mm 14 5.2 h
Oct 33 °C 20 °C 31 °C 23 °C 84 % 167 mm 15 5.0 h
Nov 33 °C 20 °C 30 °C 23 °C 86 % 252 mm 19 4.3 h
Dec 33 °C 20 °C 29 °C 23 °C 87 % 304 mm 19 4.3 h
year 36 °C 18 °C 30 °C 23 °C 84 % 2150 mm 170 5.5 h
IATA Travel Centre
The IATA Travel Centre delivers accurate passport, visa and health requirement information at a glance. It is a trusted, centralized source for the latest international travel requirements. The IATA Travel Centre is the most accurate source available because it is based on a comprehensive database used by virtually every airline, and information is gathered from official sources worldwide, such as immigration and police authorities.
IATA Travel CentreIATA Travel Centre
Traveller etiquette
Social Conventions
Handshaking is the usual form of greeting, regardless of race; Muslims, and some Hindus, would not however normally shake hands with someone of the opposite sex. Social courtesies are often fairly formal. When invited to a private home or entering a temple or mosque, remove your shoes. For private visits, a gift is appreciated and, if on business, a company souvenir is appropriate.
Dress is informal. Most first-class restaurants and some hotel dining rooms expect men to wear a jacket and tie in the evenings; a smart appearance is expected for business meetings.
Laws relating to jaywalking, littering and chewing gum are strictly enforced in urban areas.
Smoking is widely discouraged and illegal in enclosed public places (including restaurants). Dropping a cigarette end in the street or smoking illegally can lead to an immediate fine.
Main emergency number: 999
Food hygiene is generally good, particularly now that most individual street stalls have been closed down in favour of hawker centres. As always it's safer to avoid raw vegetables, shellfish and reheated foods, and to wash fruit which has not been peeled. The tap water is safe to drink. Hepatitis A infection is not unknown, although rare, and vaccination may be considered.
Other Risks
Before leaving home, visit a doctor or travel health clinic for advice on health risks. Vaccinations against tuberculosis and hepatitis B are sometimes recommended.
The risk catching of malaria in Singapore is extremely low, but as in many urban areas of South East Asia dengue fever can be a concern. This disease is spread by mosquitos, and symptoms include a rash, fever, headaches and pain in muscles and joints. In a small percentage of cases, the disease can become life-threatening. There is no vaccine and so the risk can only be minimised by reducing exposure to mosquito bites. Covering up is a good idea, as is use of a repellent – most local brands include only citronella, so DEET-based repellent (which is generally more effective) should be brought from home if required.
Contractual physician of Lufthansa
Dr. Lu, Mark Kuo-Fan
Drs. Horne & Chin
1 Scotts Road #17-01 Shaw Centre
Tel. +65-64911377
Please note that Lufthansa accepts no responsibility for the treatment nor will it bear the cost of any treatment.
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We had a good conversation with Dr. Halfdanarson yesterday. No matter how long we have to wait, he always sits down and talks and makes sure we understand what's going on. Lois' lab work showed the white count was down and her kidney function is OK –that's good news. However, her liver function is off a little and her hemoglobin was down another 1.5 points. Those are levels we will watch closely for four to six weeks until the next CT Scan.
Because the Clinic was closed for Memorial Day, all the Monday patients were pushed to Tuesday and Wednesday so the place was crowded. We checked in at 8:30 am and finished in the Oncology Clinic at 11 am and waited until 2 pm for a chair in the Infusion center. While we waited we asked for a pager and went to the Melrose Dining Room for lunch and then to the pharmacy to take care of a paperwork snafu.
I moved Lois around the hospital in a wheelchair although her sprained ankle is starting to heal and she can at least put some weight on it. She is still using crutches around the house. The ankle is turning all the colors of the rainbow but at least it's not throbbing every time she moves around.
During the long infusion Lois was able to sleep and probably got a three hour nap! I spent over two hours out in the skywalk on the phone. Afterwards I was surprised that she was feeling well enough to be hungry for I-Hop. So we stopped there and she had breakfast and I had supper. We arrived home at 8 pm.
It's Thursday afternoon and Lois is resting. So far, no nausea or diarrhea and she still has an appetite. She is feeling well enough that she enjoyed our four grandsons when they stopped by for a visit this morning. Friday afternoon home health care will come and unhook the fanny pack pump.
Thanks for praying for and with us.
Frank (not his real name but he read this and gave permission to tell the story) called to talk about the downward spiral in his life. Everything was coming unglued: his widowed father was just diagnosed with dementia and had to be put in a care center; the first Elder's wife had called with a list of 5 people who were complaining that the pastor never came to call; she also reminded him that attendance has been down the past three weeks and he needed to "do something;" the trustees were pushing him to help with the remodeling project at church on Saturday (his only full day to work on his Sunday message because he's bi-vocational); and the parents of a teen called to complain about another teen attending youth group whom they considered a "bad influence." On top of all that, his migraines have returned and the medication he depended on for years isn't working.
We talked and shared some Scripture and prayed together.
First of all, this is why I do what I do. I've experienced the draining emotions Frank described. Been there. Done that. And I remember wondering, "Who can I talk to?" Whatever it takes, share these burdens with someone who can keep confidences; who understands; who isn't intent on fixing everything or having all the answers. Call, email, text, set an appointment to meet with me . . . Yes, I have someone I talk to in order to help me process and determine which burdens are real and which ones are false – from the enemy.
Second, we get way too hung up on "finding God's will." "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," is certainly true, but its interpretation is critical. Many of us suffer delusional ideas when it comes to God's plan for our lives because our minds seem bent on happiness and security issues. Most of us immediately think of God's direction for our individual lives in terms of education, career, marriage and family. We want to interpret God's promise as a supernatural guarantee that offers personal peace, physical security, economic success and inner significance. And when that kind of spiritualized success does not materialize we are disappointed with God. It is often unclear whether or not there is a distinction between a worldly strategy for self-fulfillment and Jesus' strategy for self-fulfillment. The "wonderful plan" seems to have little to do with taking up a cross and following Jesus and more to do with a false gospel of health and wealth. We forget that Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it" (Mt 16:24-25).
Third, don't trust your feelings. To base the will of God on human speculation, opinions and feelings, is to fall victim to the spirit of the times and the mood of the moment. But to establish God's will on the solid ground of God's revelation is to live on a firm foundation that weathers the storms of life and the volatility of feelings. The word of the Lord defines the long obedience in the same direction, apart from which we are constantly wandering down dead ends and dark alleys. When these discouraging times come, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:4-5).
Fourth, in this life of following Christ we have to have durability; especially those of us in ministry. Chuck Swindoll wrote a great article on standing firm and staying faithful. Click here to read.
We are experiencing a tremendous answer to prayer! The lab reports were very good and Lois was able to get her first infusion of the new (for her) Folfiri Chemo regimen. This is a wonderful surprise because Lois has been nauseated, had very little appetite, and has generally felt sick since getting home from the hospital one week ago. Tuesday morning, as we drove to Iowa City, I prepared myself for what I expected would be a decision not to do an infusion – but God is at work and His will is being done.
Infusion # 22 was the first on a new regimen called Folfiri and includes Leukavorin, Avastin, Irinotecan, and Fluorouracil. The Irinotecan replaces the Oxaliplatin and the Fluorouracil will continue to be delivered via a "fanny pack pump" which is started at the hospital and disconnected 46 hours later by home health care. The other change is that Lois no longer has the Fluorouracil bolus prior to being hooked up to the fanny pack pump.
In the middle of all this, Lois fell Monday night and sprained her ankle. So we've done the Emergency Room routine in between lab work, consultations, and the infusion, to get x-rays and deal with that injury. Her left ankle is really swollen but it's not broken! Treating this has been frustrating due to the neuropathy which made putting cold on the ankle more painful than the injury! Waiting for x rays and getting them read by the radiologist took an extra four hours yesterday. We left at 6:30 am and arrived back home at 11 pm.
We are watching for the expected reactions to this new Chemo "cocktail." The Oncology pharmacist instructed me to purchase a package of 42 Imodium capsules before leaving Iowa City. Diarrhea can be severe and we were given a stern warning to ignore the instructions on the Imodium package and follow a set of directions they gave us. They are very concerned about the possibility of dehydration. So far, Lois has had very little problem with this but she has also experienced a great reduction in appetite and is not eating as much. In fact, yesterday she ate more than in the previous 5 days and that's not saying much.
We had a long discussion with Dr. Halfdanarson's nurse and his PA (Physician's Assistant) to determine what to do about controlling pain without a lot of drowsiness and lack of appetite as well as controlling Lois' blood pressure which is still high. We changed a number of medications, again, and we now have a spreadsheet to help manage all the prescriptions.
Again, we praise God that Lois is doing so much better than last week and that she was able to begin the new Chemo regimen. Thanks for praying! God is faithful!
We arrived home on Tuesday at 11 pm. Transfusing the two units of blood took a long time; and to extend the wait even further, the last unit finished at the same time as shift change!
Lois is sleeping fairly well at night. The steroid spray in her nose seems to have helped with congestion – she just wakes up with serious dry-mouth. Our biggest challenge is pain management. It's not that Lois has a lot of pain – she describes it more as discomfort in her belly and sides– but the oral medication requires a lot more time before it takes effect. Extra Strength Tylenol to gives her a lot of relief in between the long acting morphine. We're learning the routines of medication including the Lovenox injections to prevent more blood clots.
Lois moves between the recliner and the couches most of the day. Her temp is close to normal and her blood pressure is not as high as it was on Monday. She is resting and eating and resting some more as we trust God that she will have the strength to receive a Chemo infusion on Tuesday, May 12.
Unless something unusual happens, I'll wait until after the infusion before sending the next update.
We know God is leading and guiding – His will is being worked out in our lives. Thanks for praying.
First of all, Lois is feeling much better. Last night she slept the best in a long time. She has not had a temp over 101 today which is a major improvement.
Secondly, we've continued to work with Palliative Care on managing pain and the Chemo "cold" – the almost constant sinus drainage. We'll begin using a nasal steroid tonight which should help a lot with that. Last night Lois started taking a long-acting morphine which will help with the achy pains that will certainly increase if the liver tumors continue to grow.
Third, we transitioned all Lois medication to be taken orally as part of the process of preparing to go home.
Fourth, in consultation with the Staff Dr, the Resident Dr, the Palliative Care Dr, and our oncologist, Dr Halfdanarson, we are moving ahead to get Lois ready for a Chemo treatment on May 12. There is a lot of hope that we can slow the growth of the tumors with a Chemo "cocktail" generally known as Folfiri and that's what we will begin next week. In order to accomplish this Lois needs to be stronger.
Even though her numbers from the lab work have been consistent since Saturday, they are all on the low side of normal or just a little below the established benchmarks. So, as I am writing this, Lois is getting the first of two units of blood. Conventional wisdom is this will boost her system and bring all the numbers up so we can do the first infusion of Folfiri.
When the blood transfusions are complete – about 8 pm – we anticipate Lois will be discharged. Getting home is a key component in helping her body be ready for Chemo next week.
God continues to be faithful and trustworthy! Being able to go home this soon is a great answer to prayer! Undoubtedly, we face more road bumps in this journey, but we are confident as we place our dependence and hope and future in God's hands that He will never give up on us! We are trusting God to be God.
Lois is feeling better today; the fever is not spiking as high (102 right now), pain control has been much more successful, and appetite is slowly improving. We were able to have a productive conference with the medical team and, even though we don't have a lot of answers, we do have better questions.
· Dr Halfdanarson, our oncologist, is not overly concerned about the right kidney since all the labs and cultures have not indicated any infection. It's something to watch . . .
· There is a trace of blood in Lois' stools but, again, not enough for alarm.
· Even though the temp continues to spike, they are pleased that it's on a downward curve.
Lois has been considerably more alert today and has fully participated in the discussions with caregivers. We have made it very clear that our goal is to control pain and get Lois home. The medical team has agreed to try to accomplish this in the next couple of days by moving to pain control and antibiotics that can be taken orally. We had a good discussion with the Palliative Care team and will begin doing more to make sure we are preparing for managing the pain that will come with the expanding liver.
We do appreciate your prayers, visits and calls.
Someone said to me yesterday that they were trusting God for a miracle. God is certainly able to do that and all of us would welcome a miracle and give Him all the credit. However, we are trusting God to be God no matter what.
· There will always be more ministry opportunities than resources. No matter whom I'm talking with, from the largest to the smallest of the churches, pastors and leaders live with the daily tension of funding. The playing field is level – every ministry struggles with managing limited resources. That includes large churches with large budgets – so don't daydream of a larger church in hopes that will solve the financial pressures! Creativity always trumps budget.
· I really enjoy my job! Yes, I have a lot of windshield time. No, I don't like being away from home as much as I am, but this is what God has given me to do. I like being with pastors and church leaders listening to the joys and pains of ministry. I'm learning to resist the urge to "solve all the problems" and be an encourager. God has already given you everything you need for today!
· Life is an adventure and our 34th year of marriage has been marked by Lois' having cancer. We don't see this as a trial or even a battle. Cancer comes because we live in a broken, fallen world where sickness and tragedy occur. Maybe cancer is a gift – we are certainly learning more about dependence on God, appreciation for family, patience in the unknown, and faith in the Great Physician rather than the medical community. In addition, God continues to give us opportunities to share His grace and hope and presence with others. In the middle of all this we Choose Joy!
If some of these stream-of-consciousness-ideas have sparked a desire for conversation, please don't hesitate to call, text, or email me. We are in this together: partners in the Gospel.
Lois is resting more comfortably and she is not complaining of as much pain – medication seems to have that under control. She is still sleeping a lot but is a lot more alert when she is awake. After 36 hours of broad spectrum antibiotics, Lois is still spiking temps but not as high as 104 – that alone is a great answer to prayer! Her appetite is slowly coming back but she is still sticking to simple foods. Peter, Joy, and Kari are here with us today.
· The tumors in Lois' liver have all grown since April 1 when the last scan was done. None of them have grown considerably, but since there are more tumors in the liver than we can count, all of them growing just a little have significantly increased the overall size of the liver.
· Since the liver is growing it is pressing into areas where its meeting resistance which causes fibrosis. The fibrosis has caused some blockage in the ureter – the tube that carries urine from the right kidney to the bladder.
· Some of the medical team thinks the infection causing the fever is from the right kidney which looks somewhat inflamed. There are three options: One is to insert a stint in the ureter which has a fifty percent chance of working. Another is to do a Nephrostomy, an external drain inserted through the back into the kidney and attached to a bag worn on the leg. The third option is to do nothing and see what happens and even though that poses risks that is what we have chosen to do at this point.
· There may be some kind of mass in Lois' lower abdomen or it might be where some of the liver has actually broken through the sack in which it is normally contained.
· The scan shows a blood clot in the lower right lung in an area where it's not causing a lot of alarm, although Lois will have daily injections of some form of heparin for the next few months.
We still have a lot of questions: We don't have any long term plans for continued treatment. We know dehydration was one of Lois' problems when we went to the ER on Friday night we still don't know why she was dehydrated. Is there anything we can do to attempt to slow or stop the growth of the tumors?
We will try to keep you up-to-date as we learn and make decisions. We appreciate all of you and especially those who have communicated over the past 24 hours that you are praying for Lois and the whole family. We are certain that God worked and will continue to do so.
Thought you should know . . . Lois continued to experience symptoms that were strange even after the Doctors decided not to do Chemo this past Wednesday. Yesterday afternoon she had a growing awareness of pain which increased in intensity in the evening. She slept most of the evening. Several times when I touched her forehead I wondered if she had a fever. About 11 pm she got up from the couch with the intention of going to the bathroom and then on to bed but she could hardly walk the pain was so intense.
We looked up some information and decided this was not normal – not even the "new normal" so we made the decision to go to the Emergency Room at the Sigourney Hospital. There we discovered she had a temp of 104, was dehydrated, the white cell count was high, the hemoglobin was down and the liver enzymes were out of whack. (That's medical terminology!) The physical exam confirmed the area of the liver to be extremely sensitive – Lois recoiled when it was simply touched – and the liver is enlarged.
The Sigourney Hospital called the Oncologist on-call in Iowa City and together we decided that Lois should be transferred to the University Hospital so they can do tests to determine exactly what's going on and suggest a possible treatment protocol. Lois got to ride in an ambulance since they wanted to keep her IV fluid drip going and manage the pain with morphine. Fortunately she didn't have to go through the ER but was taken right to a room. She arrived in Iowa City about 3:15 am and I was an hour behind her since she gave me a list of items to pick up from home.
As I write this it is noon and she just had a CT scan. We expect them to do an ultra-sound and a chest x-ray within the next couple of hours. It's still a challenge to stay ahead of the pain and keep the fever down – right now her temp is 103.1. She has waves of pain – she might have very little for a time but then it just rolls and tolls.
All the doctors who have examined her (and there have been many – this is a teaching hospital) seem to think the tumors in the liver are growing faster than anticipated. They are also very concerned about the fever. So now we wait for answers.
I was supposed to leave this morning on a six day trip but that is now cancelled and I'm working the phone and email to stay in touch.
We really appreciate your prayers on our behalf and ask that you join us in thanking God for the miracle that in 11 months, this is our first encounter with these kind of consequences from the cancer that is growing in Lois!
Watch for more updates as we learn more!


Decades of services trade negotiations have produced a plethora of rules and commitments but very little real liberalisation. One reason is a form of "negotiating tunnel vision," which has led to a focus on reciprocal market opening rather than on creating the regulatory preconditions for liberalisation. This paper makes four points. First, current trade disciplines are a useful but inadequate restraint on regulatory protection. Second, proposed trade disciplines on domestic regulation add value but do not solve existing problems and can create new "hold back" problems. Third, much more could be achieved through greater emphasis on regulatory cooperation, which is in many cases not just an "add on" but a precondition for further liberalisation. Finally, certain forms of regulatory cooperation create a risk of exclusion for non-participants, which can and should be addressed. The paper illustrates these arguments drawing upon recent developments in privacy and data flows, financial services, labour mobility, and competition policy.


Vary the size of your cactuses for the most attractive bed.
Once in place, a cactus bed makes an easy, no-fuss garden, because cactuses don't require as much water or maintenance as other types of plants. The downside is that contact with cactus spines can be extremely painful, so you shouldn't choose this type of bed if you have young children or pets. Although cactuses generally grow well in Mediterranean-style climates, the wet winters can cause problems if your soil is heavy. To compensate, make sure your cactus bed has excellent drainage, which can best be achieved by making it a raised bed.
First, you will need to decide what material to use for the walls of your raised bed. Large rocks about 15 inches high, outlining an irregularly shaped area, will provide a natural look. You can also surround the bed with large and rot-resistant cedar or redwood logs. Whatever material you choose, make sure the bed's walls are at least 15 inches deep.
For the best drainage, select a site on a sunny slope south or west of a building, and spade up the ground to a depth of 1 foot beneath where you plan to build the bed. After removing the soil from that top 1 foot, fill the area with gravel. Arrange whatever materials you are using for the bed's walls so they surround the area now packed with gravel. Once the walls are up, shovel into the space between them -- to a depth of 1 foot -- a mix containing 1 part soil, 1 part sharp sand and 1 part gravel or pumice.
Always wear heavy leather gloves when planting cactuses. If you find the gloves aren't heavy enough, wrap them with duct tape to make them more spine-resistant. You can also use tongs to move the spiny plants, or sheathe them in heavy material, such as an old throw rug or tarp, when shifting them about. Choose a variety of cactuses, including giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), which grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, prickly pears or chollas (Opuntia spp.), whose hardiness varies from USDA zones 5 through 12 and fishhook cactuses (Mammillaria spp) which grow in USDA zones 9 through 11. Your garden will look more interesting if you intersperse the cactuses with succulents that enjoy similarly dry conditions, such as yuccas (Yucca spp.), which grow in USDA zones 4 through 12, depending on the species and agaves (Agave spp.) which, depending on species, grow in USDA zones 8 through 12. After planting the cactuses and succulents in the soil mix, water them and mulch them with 2 inches of pea-sized gravel.
You will need to water cactuses more frequently while they become established. During the first four to six weeks, water them once per week. Then, switch to watering them only once every two weeks from May to September. After September, stop watering your cactuses until the following May. Cactuses in the ground don't generally need fertilizer. If you prefer to give them some, you can feed them once every two weeks from May to September with a low-nitrogen, water-soluble, cactus fertilizer, such as 1-7-6, using 1 teaspoon per 1 gallon of water.
Stallsmith, Audrey. "How to Make a Cactus Bed." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-cactus-bed-92512.html. Accessed 19 April 2019.


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Q: execute JDBC as400 group query gives error: A character, token, or clause is not valid or is missing I am trying to execute a query in java to AS400 and I receive the error below.
I believe it has to do with grouping, and with assigned the aggregate column an alias:
SUM( ILHRS ) AS \"SumIlhrs\"

Am I perhaps not escaping the quotes correctly? I have tried the following with no success
SUM( ILHRS ) AS \"SumIlhrs\", ..,
SUM( ILHRS ) AS \'SumIlhrs\', ...
SUM( ILHRS ), ...

The query is tested and working.
String query = "SELECT ILER,PREN,SUM( ILHRS ) AS \"SumIlhrs\" FROM HRDBFA.PYPIL PYPIL, HRDBFA.PRPMS PRPMS WHERE PYPIL.ILEN = PRPMS.PREN AND ( ( ILFYR = 2013 "  +
" AND ILFMON = 9) AND PRGP IN( 'U55', '066', '088' )) GROUP BY ILER,PREN";

Error Message:
SQLException: A character, token, or clause is not valid or is missing.
Any assistance is appreciated.

A: I don't believe you need to escape the double quotes.  In fact, as suggested by Jim Garrison, you don't need the double quotes around the assigned name at all.  Try
"SELECT ILER,PREN,SUM( ILHRS ) AS SumIlhrs FROM...

EDIT
DB2 on IBM i has two styles of names: System and SQL.  System naming would be SELECT ILER,PREN,SUM( ILHRS ) AS SumIlhrs FROM HRDBFA/PYPIL PYPIL, HRDBFA/PRPMS PRPMS WHERE PYPIL.ILEN = PRPMS.PREN AND ( ( ILFYR = 2013 AND ILFMON = 9) AND PRGP IN( 'U55', '066', '088' )) GROUP BY ILER,PREN  I'd be surprised that the JDBC driver is set for system naming, but it's possible.
Another thought: You're only using the correlation names in one place.  Either drop the correlation names altogether or qualify each column with the appropriate correlation name.  SELECT ILER,PREN,SUM( ILHRS ) AS SumIlhrs FROM HRDBFA/PYPIL, HRDBFA/PRPMS WHERE ILEN = PREN AND ( ( ILFYR = 2013 AND ILFMON = 9) AND PRGP IN( 'U55', '066', '088' )) GROUP BY ILER,PREN

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Food Politics by Marion Nestle » USDA issues rules for competitive school foods. Yes!
At long last the USDA released Interim Final Rules for competitive foods—the snacks and sodas sold from vending machines and carts outside of federally supported school lunches.
Snacks to be rich in whole grains, have real food as a first ingredient, and provide nutritional value.
Drinking water to be available to all students at no cost.
Other drinks to contain no more than 40 calories per 8 fl oz, or 60 calories per 12 fl oz. This excludes all regular sodas, even Gatorade.
Competitive foods have long been a bone of contention. They compete for kids' food money with the school meals. Although USDA regulates where and when they can be sold, schools routinely violate such rules. I've seen for myself how many schools allow vending machines to be open during lunch periods.
The USDA issued nutrition standards for school meals early in 2012, but it's taken this long to issue the ones for competitive foods, no doubt because of the expected uproar from food and drink producers whose products will now be excluded.
To back up the rules, the USDA has produced a vast array of materials and documents.
A separate web page links to all of the legislative and other documents, videos, issue briefs, Q and A's, statement from First Lady Michele Obama, and other items of technical assistance to the new "smart snacks in schools" program and rules.
The thank you note from Margo Wootan of Center for Science in the Public Interest who has worked to achieve these standards for years.
The infographic from the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project, a collaboration between the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation .
But note: the rule is "interim" because the 120-day comment period is now open. USDA can still make plenty of changes. Schools will have a year to implement the final standards.
You think there won't be opposition? Think again.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just released a report recommending that USDA ease off on restricting the amount of meat and grains allowed in the school meal standards that went into effect this year. Apparently, USDA agrees. GAO reports are usually requested by members of Congress and this one is no exception. Guess which party these particular requesters belong to, and who funds their election campaigns.
USDA deserves much applause and support for its courage in issuing rules for competitive foods that might actually help kids stay healthier.


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The true raw material footprint of nations - a Phys.org paper
The amount of raw materials needed to sustain the economies of developed countries is significantly greater than presently used indicators suggest, a new Australian study has revealed. The decoupling effect was found to be minimal or even non-existent. The study brings the unsustainable use of resources to the public's attention.
02 September, 2013 | Phys.org
The true raw material footprint of nations
From "The true raw material footprint of nations." Phys.org. 2 Sep 2013. http://phys.org/news/2013-09-true-raw-material-footprint-nations.html.
The amount of raw materials needed to sustain the economies of developed countries is significantly greater than presently used indicators suggest, a new Australian study has revealed.
Using a new modelling tool and more comprehensive indicators, researchers were able to map the flow of raw materials across the world economy with unprecedented accuracy to determine the true "material footprint" of 186 countries over a two-decade period (from 1990 to 2008).
The study, involving researchers from the University of New South Wales, CSIRO, the University of Sydney, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, was published today in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It reveals that the decoupling of natural resources from economic growth has been exaggerated.
The results confirm that pressures on raw materials do not necessarily decline as affluence grows and demonstrates the need for policy-makers to consider new accounting methods that more accurately track resource consumption.
"Humanity is using raw materials at a level never seen before with far-reaching environmental impacts on biodiversity, land use, climate and water," says lead author Tommy Wiedmann, Associate Professor of Sustainability Research at the UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "By relying on current indicators, governments are not able to see the true extent of resource consumption."
"Now more than ever, developed countries are relying on international trade to acquire their natural resources, but our research shows this dependence far exceeds the actual physical quantity of traded goods," says Wiedmann, who worked at CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences when the research was undertaken.
In 2008, the total amount of raw materials extracted globally was 70 billion metric tons – 10 billion tons of which were physically traded. However, the results show that three times as many resources (41% or 29 billion tons) were used just to enable the processing and export of these materials.
Decoupling of raw material usage from economic growth is considered one of the major goals en route to achieving sustainable development and a low-carbon economy.
But the study authors say when their "material footprint" indicators are factored in these achievements in decoupling are smaller than reported and often non-existent.
More information: The material footprint of nations, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1220362110. Provided by University of New South Wales
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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text:
Александр Александрович Трофимов (1924 — 1974) — советский военно-морской деятель, контр-адмирал (1970). Командующий 8-й оперативной эскадрой ВМФ СССР (1971—1974).

Биография
Родился 11 июля 1924 года в городе Севастополь в семье военнослужащего.

В 1941 году окончил среднюю школу. 22 июня 1941 года после начала Великой отечественной войны, добровольцем ушёл на фронт, но был возвращён в военкомат, призван в ряды РККА и направлен для обучения в Военно-морское авиационно-техническое училище имени В. М. Молотова. С 1942 года после окончания училища авиамеханик сержант А. А. Трофимов был направлен в действующие войска.

С 1942 года А. А. Трофимов принимал участие в боях с немецкими войсками. С 1943 года участвовал в высадке десанта в город Керчь и в боях по освобождению городов — Новороссийска, Одессы и Севастополя. В январе 1943 года в боях под Новороссийском был контужен и находился на лечении в госпитале Адлера.

С 1944 года освобождал Румынию и Болгарию. Воевал в составах — 9-го истребительного авиационного полка, 3-го истребительного авиационного полка, 43-го Сулинского истребительного авиационного полка и 13-ой Севастопольской авиационной дивизии пикирующих бомбардировщиков ВВС Черноморского флота ВМФ СССР.

С 1945 года переведён на Тихоокеанский флот и в составе 4-й минно-торпедной авиационной дивизии принимал участие в Советско-японской войне.

С 1949 года после окончания  Каспийского высшего военно-морского Краснознамённого училища имени С. М. Кирова служил на тральщиках Северном флоте, командовал тральщиками Т-17 и Т-15. С 1953 года после окончания Высших специальных офицерских классов — старший помощник и командир эскадренного миноносца «Отрадный». С 1958 по 1963 годы — старший помощник командира крейсера «Чапаев» и крейсера «Александр Невский». С 1963 по 1967 годы — командир крейсера «Александр Невский».

С 1967 года — начальник штаба и с 1971 по 1974 годы — командующий 8-й оперативной эскадрой ВМФ СССР.

С 1974 года — советник командующего ВМФ Сирийской Арабской Республики и  старший группы советников и специалистов Военно-морского флота.

26 июля 1974 года  трагически погиб при исполнении обязанностей военной службы.  Похоронен на кладбище Коммунаров в городе Севастополе.

Дочь Юлия, замужем за адмиралом И. В. Касатоновым.

Награды

 Два Ордена Красной Звезды
 Три Медали «За боевые заслуги» (06.11.1943, 24.05.1945, 1952)
Медаль «За оборону Кавказа»
Медаль «За победу над Германией в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.»
Медаль «За победу над Японией»

Примечания

Литература

 Адмиралы и генералы военно-морского флота СССР, 1961—1975: биографический справочник / В. М. Йолтуховский, Ю. Н. Колесников, В. В. Сулима ; Центральный военно-морской архив. - СПб.: Своё изд-во, 2013 г. — 412 с. — ISBN 978-5-4386-0231-6

Ссылки

Моряки Великой Отечественной войны
Участники советско-японской войны (СССР)
Начальники военных вузов СССР
Выпускники Каспийского высшего военно-морского училища имени С. М. Кирова
Похороненные на кладбище Коммунаров

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It's best to make this cheese spread just before serving for the smoothest consistency.
Step 1: Carefully slice rind from all sides of piece of cheese and discard. Place cheese in small mixing bowl and let warm to room temperature.
Step 2: Using electric mixer, beat cheese until creamy and fluffy. Gradually beat in cream.
Step 3: Stir or beat in garnishes and/or herbs. Serve immediately with crackers or breadsticks.


text:
Let's Revisit Peace in Cambodia
Written by Chak Sopheap	on October 10, 2012 . Published in War - peace on Cambodia.
The world once more celebrated the United Nations International Day of Peace, marked as every year on 21st Sept. Yet the world is far from peace as civil wars, religious conflicts, growing insurgencies and the economic downturn bring ever more hardship to people in many countries. And Cambodia is no exception.
Cambodia claims to be a peaceful state, having recovered from a series of civil wars that included horrendous acts of genocide. However, there should be a clear consensus on how the country defines peace. Peace should not be described as merely the absence of war or violence – which is "negative peace." It should also include communal harmony, socio-economic cooperation and equal political representation in government for all citizens. These qualities, along with good governance which respects the rights of the people, constitute the positive side of peace – or rather peace building.
Yet even when we say "absence of violence," we must first examine what violence is. While war is direct and visible violence, there is also a kind of "structural violence", the result of bad and harmful state policies with long-term negative effects on people such as hunger and poverty, which not only hurt people and put their lives at risk but also cause economic growth and development to stagnate.
If we look at current trends in Cambodia, we can see that while negative peace has been attained, positive peace is in jeopardy. While there has been slight economic growth, more than 30 percent of the population is still living in poverty. What's more, due to corruption and continual human rights violations, especially forced evictions and land grabbing under so-called development claims – there is little hope of Cambodia moving out of poverty.
In its current pursuit of development, the government of Cambodia has abused and violated people's rights to housing and development and other fundamental rights including the right to freedom of expression and assembly. Without listing past high-profile violations, while writing this article, I was told that peace practitioners consisting of roughly 1,850 participants from Phnom Penh and seven provinces had been banned from holding their planned celebration of International Peace Day on 21 September in Phnom Penh and 7 provinces. The group later obtained official notification of the ban which did not state any reasons on why it was imposed. However, the group still proceeded, and fortunately the event was not stopped by local authorities even though such a ban made the event "illegal".
Different groups of Cambodian people celebrate International Peace Day in front of the Royal Palace albeit without permission, Photo taken from www.sithi.org (CC BY-ND 2.0).
A young man holds up a slogan of celebrate youth as pillar of sustainable peace. Photo taken from www.sithi.org (CC BY-ND 2.0)
The corrupt judicial system and the state as the main violator of the law have rendered poor communities voiceless and powerless. At the same time, freedom of expression – a fundamental right – has also been abused by the government which applies various ill-defined laws with the help of the judiciary, using them as political tools to control and silence critics. It is not surprising that the government has recently filed a flurry of lawsuits against political activists, journalists and human rights defenders.
Among recent cases of numerous prominent human rights advocates who have been targeted, arrested and charged, and also trade unions which have been targeted, is the case of Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions and a prominent advocate of labour rights who was summoned by the court for alleged incitment of factory workers to illegal protests and for "public defamation". Another is the case of Sia Phearum, the Secretariat Director of the Housing Rights Task Force who was cautioned by a government affiliated youth organization after he gave an interview with an independent radio station on the government's land policy. Yet another one concerns Chan Soveth, a staffer to the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), was summoned to answer charges that he illegally aided a resident of a Kratie Village which was brutally raided by armed government forces in May this year. A 14-year old girl was killed in the operation which the authorities assert was mounted because villagers were planning to break away from Cambodia and create their own state. This same allegation of insurrection has now brought against a prominent 70 year old media owner and courageous freedom advocate, Mam Sonando, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison although not a shred of evidence submitted in court could prove any connection between him and the charge.
The targets include not just prominent activists but anti-eviction community representatives and anti-logging community activists as well. Unfortunately, the latest killing of a journalist – the eleventh journalist to be murdered so far – has also highlighted the further risks faced by journalists and human rights activists in pressing public interest issues.
A monk admonishing riot police as tensions ran high at Boeung Kak lake on 16 September 2011 when excavators arrived to demolish residents' homes. Photo by www.sithi.org (CC BY-ND 2.0).
Systematic structural violence has not yet affected peace in Cambodia, but it will do soon if the government does not immediately undertake and implement reforms. There are fears, for instance, that ongoing land grabbing and evictions by the government could lead to a peasant revolution. This would then revive the cycle of bitter agrarian revolt that brought past political regimes like Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge to power.
The government must commit not only to maintaining negative peace (the absence of war and violence), but to building positive peace in order to attain social harmony. Lack of economic opportunities and security threats could once again affect the demographics of the region. Accordingly, it is also incumbent on the signatory states to the Paris Peace Agreement to bring about more respect of human rights and social development in Cambodia to contribute to harmony and peace in the region.
Tags: Cambodia, evictions, human rights, International Peace Day, Paris Peace Agreement, peace
Chak Sopheap
Chak Sopheap rejoined Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) as Executive Assistant in June 2010 having previously worked with the CCHR as an advocacy officer, helping lead the "Black Box Campaign" to fight against corruption in Cambodia and the campaign for freedom of expression. She has also worked for the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, holding conferences and producing publications on democracy, human rights and ASEAN governance. Sopheap holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Economics and a master's degree in international peace studies, which she completed from the International University of Japan. Sopheap has been running the Cambodian Youth Network for Change, which mobilizes young activists around the country for greater civic engagement. She is also a contributing author for Global Voice Online, UPI Asia Online and Future Challenges.


The early Pentecostals saw the importance of this. Ps Arthur Lewis compared prayer to breathing in an article in the Riches of Grace in 1936. 'Our breathing is normal under ordinary conditions,' he wrote, 'but when extra bodily effort is demanded, it deepens, becomes abnormal.' Ps Lewis used this difference between all-the-time normal breathing and specifically needed abnormal breathing to explain the difference between two types of prayer (which he called prayer and supplication).
'Prayer is our normal breathing … but Supplication is our abnormal breathing,' he wrote. This prayer that he compared to normal breathing is prayer, which like normal breathing, should be going on all the time. 'Pray always (or else we cannot live).' The supplication, which is like the abnormal breathing when extra bodily effort is needed, is the prayer needed at specific times and on specific occasions, whether set daily prayer at home alone, or a prayer meeting together with the church. Supplication is necessary and very important, but, Ps Lewis says, it depends on the normal breathing of constant prayer. 'Our ordinary prayer, if real, opens the way for our supplication to be effectual, and with thanksgiving.' Our 'natural prayer' during the day 'will prepare our "lungs" to make the special effort' of supplication.
As we grow in a life of prayer without ceasing, we will grow in the confidence that the Father hears our prayer, not only by the visible answers to prayer He gives, but also 'as evidenced by that quiet assurance in our hearts' which He provides by the Holy Spirit.
So, as we grow into a life of prayer without ceasing, we are growing in a life of conscious fellowship with the Holy Trinity: with the Father, to whom we prayer and who hears us; with the Son, in whose name we pray, and in whose merit we trust; and with the Holy Spirit, by whom we pray, who lifts our prayers to heaven, and who brings the assurance of heaven to our hearts.


text:
cinespia
March 25, 2015 by Brian Champlin
Cinespia Outdoor Movies at Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Photo Credit: Kelly Lee Barrett ©
Brian Champlin
Brian is the co-founder of We Like L.A. and a lifelong fan of puns, the Lakers, and late night tacos. Follow him on Twitter @bchampLA


Below are photos from the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) 2019 meeting Feb. 11-16 in Orlando, Florida. The conference has about 45,000 attendees and more than 1,300 vendors across a vast show floor. The conference has become one of the most important in medicine over the past decade because of the interconnected, central role of electronic medical records, reporting systems and data created, stored and transferred with everything from ECGs and hemodynamic data, to radiology and echocardiography images.


text:
package slieb.kute.providers;

import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.mockito.Mock;
import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;

import java.net.URLClassLoader;
import java.util.Optional;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;

@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
public class URLClassLoaderResourceProviderTest {

    @Mock
    private URLClassLoader mockUrlClassloader;

    private URLClassLoaderResourceProvider classLoaderResource;

    @Before
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        classLoaderResource = new URLClassLoaderResourceProvider(mockUrlClassloader);
    }

    @Test
    public void testGetResourceWithUnknownPathWillReturnEmptyOptional() throws Exception {
        assertEquals(Optional.empty(), classLoaderResource.getResourceByName("/some-path"));
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Die Droga wojewódzka 554 (DW 554) ist eine 48 Kilometer lange Droga wojewódzka (Woiwodschaftsstraße) in der polnischen Woiwodschaft Kujawien-Pommern, die Orzechowo mit Kikół verbindet. Die Strecke liegt im Powiat Wąbrzeski und im Golubsko-Dobrzyński und im Powiat Lipnowski.

Streckenverlauf

Woiwodschaft Kujawien-Pommern, Powiat Wąbrzeski
  Orzechowo (Groß Orsichau) (DW 551)
Woiwodschaft Kujawien-Pommern, Powiat Golubsko-Dobrzyński
  Sierakowo (DW 649)
  Kowalewo Pomorskie (Schönsee) (DK 15)
 Napole
 Ostrowite (Osterbitz)
 Podzamek Golubski (Schloss Golau)
  Golub-Dobrzyń (Gollub) (DW 534, DW 569)
 Odłogi
 Węgiersk (Wengers)
 Sitno
 Łukaszewo
 Zbójenko
  Zbójno (DW 556)
 Klonowo
Woiwodschaft Kujawien-Pommern, Powiat Lipnowski
 Dąbrówka
 Moszczonne
 Lubin (Laubengarten)
  Kikół (Schönsee) (DK 10)

Weblinks

Woiwodschaftsstraße in der Woiwodschaft Kujawien-Pommern


Battle your friends in our amazing 6,500 sq. ft. multi-level arena. Lazer X is the perfect venue for laser tag parties and events.
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You and your friends will have a blast at our state-of-the-art laser tag arena. Lazer X in Addison, Illinois, is Chicagoland's finest laser tag and arcade facility. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, we know how to create the best possible laser tag experience for players 7 years and older.
We are members of the Addison Chamber of Commerce and are well-established in our community.
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Contact us to discover the fun and excitement of laser tag.
Accessibility Lazer X. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Price Goes Yard (As In Your Typical Back Yard)
Prince Fielder's seventh home run last night, a booming 360' shot to right off of Brandon Backe, ties him for 63rd in the Majors. It was his third home run in the last 31 games. He is now 12 home runs behind last year's NL leading pace and has still yet to hit a ball 425' this year after doing so 33 times over the past two seasons.
I don't want this whole blog to be me ranting about my frustration with Prince Fielder's offensive production this year. Therefore, I've decided that I will only rip him on days after he hits a home run. That should spread it out quite a bit.
Posted by Scott Segrin 0 comments
I'm back from being out of town for a few days vacation (went to Indianapolis to see the 500 and a few other races - my other passion besides baseball). I learned a number of things while I was gone.
1. I learned that the place where you'd think you would be most likely to pick up a WiFi connection - a place brimming with technology and wireless communication - won't have one.
2. I learned that it's a struggle to find a WiFi hotspot. I learned that it's almost impossible to find one that's free. I concluded that ten dollars is too much to pay to check your email and write a couple of quick blog entries.
3. I learned that if you have a blog, it is most likely to crash while you're out of town and unaware of it, let alone able to do anything about it.
4. I learned that if you call your hosting service and they tell you that somehow your domain's CNAME got redirected and they can't change it right now because they are having trouble with their DNS server - that's a bad thing.
6. I learned that blogs that have crashed get exactly zero readers in a typical day.
7. I will soon learn whether the loyal readers I had will find me again now that I'm back in business.
8. I learned that despite her good looks, Danica Patrick is a crybaby and a sore loser.
8. I learned that Ned Yost still has his job.
9. I learned that Nashville's entire pitching staff has been called up to the big leagues. OK, I exaggerate - a little.
Apart from hearing final scores on the radio, I haven't been in the Brewers news loop. I've got the game on now. I'll get caught back up and post what I think when I do.
On Saturday night at a sprint car race called the Little 500 in Anderson, Indiana, a track worker was killed when he was hit by a race car. The final thing I learned on my vacation is that witnessing the death of another human being, especially in a tragic manner and especially one who is working for your entertainment, is very, very unsettling.
Playing On The Road
This is a personal story. A true story. October 2006. The Brewers had just completed their 14th consecutive non- winning season at 75-87. I was in northern Wisconsin a couple of days in advance of my musky fishing buddies. An early snowstorm gave me time to kill and a reason to stop in a sports apparel store to shop for another layer of clothing. It was the kind of store you find on Main Street in so many small towns. I picked out a retro looking Brewers zip-up hoodie and brought it to the counter. The gentleman at the register was a 70-something, short, thin, talkative guy. The kind of guy you find in these types of stores on Main Street in so many small towns. He struck up a conversation with me about baseball. I have no recollection of what his name was, but for the sake of drawing a visual image, I'll call him Billy Martin.
Billy told me that he played minor league ball back in the 50's. Second base. From his stature, cockiness, story telling abilities, and apparent blood alcohol level you would have had no reason to doubt him. It was already 2:00 p.m. after all. We talked for two hours about America's pastime. The grand ol' game. Interrupted only by two or three other hardy souls who ventured out on such a miserable day. Every topic imaginable came up from Ben Oglivie, to the fundamentals of fielding, to Bowie Kuhn, to Barry Bonds, to electronic video scoreboards, to how much players drank in the clubhouse. Billy talked a lot about how much players drank in the clubhouse.
Billy was no more a fan of Ned Yost than I am, so that topic consumed its fair share of time. In his ranting about Yost, he said a couple things that made me stop and think. Made me go hmmm... I don't remember many of Billy's exact quotes so I need to paraphrase. I was in northern Wisconsin and it was already 2:00 p.m. after all.
"You know what Ned Yost's problem is?", Billy snapped in a manner that made it clear I wouldn't get a chance to answer. "He doesn't know how to control a young ball club.
"I was in San Diego last year when the Brewers was out there. I was in a joint having a couple of cocktails and and in walk some of the guys (Brewers). They sat there and drank and had a good ol' time. You know what time they left? Three-thirty in the morning. Three-thirty! And they had a game the next day. An you know what else? I went to the the park for batting practice and every one of them guys was moping around like a bunch of zombies. And you know what else? They was all red as a baboon's ass. Every one of them. You know why? Sunburn. They was out golfing all day. In a joint until 3:30 and then out golfing all day in the hot sun. And then they think they gonna come to the ball park ready to play baseball? Ain't no one can do that. You can't go out swinging a golf club all day and getting all sunburn and then think you're gonna come be able to swing a ball bat. It's two totally different things. You can't do it. Especially not after you been out all night.
"And I blame Ned Yost for that. He lets these guys get away with murder. They're just a bunch of kids after all. If you don't lay down the law, they ain't gonna come to the ball park ready to play - especially when they're on the road. That's a party for them, you know? They're all alone. They got no girlfriends nagging on them. It's a party and they're just a bunch of kids. He can't let them be out drinking and playing golf on a day they got to play ball. He's got to take control of those kids and he just ain't doing it."
In Ned Yost's first season with the Brewers they actually had a better record on the road (37-44) than at home (31-50). In 2004, they were 5 games worse on the road. In 2005, 11 games worse; 2006, 21 games worse, and last year 19 games worse. The pattern coincides nicely with the emergence of the current group of young players.
The 2008 Brewers have lost their last nine consecutive road games.
Burnt Yost
The Internet is abuzz this morning (1|2) with rumors of the end of Ned Yost's tenure as manager of the Brewers. Their play in Boston was downright embarrassing, and newly signed messiah, Ryan Braun did him no favors by calling out the whole team's attitude toward the games. Read his quotes and tell me if he was talking about the players or management.
I have believed since his signing that Ted Simmons was brought in to be the heir apparent to Yost in case things went south. The Brewers have been playing miserably and have fallen to last place in their division. Teams almost always get an immediate spark from a new manager - for a few games anyway. The Brewers' next six games are against Pittsburgh and Washington; teams they should beat regardless. But replacing Yost now would allow this likely upturn to be tied emotionally to Simmons, something that could have far reaching benefit for the rest of the season. All of the pieces are in place. I can think of no more logical day for the Brewers to fire Ned Yost than today.
Boston Red Sox or no Boston Red Sox, the Brewers are playing horribly, and have dropped to last place in the NL Central for the first time since April 28, 2005. The heat needs to be turned up on the Ned Yost vigil.
Baseball America has tried to project the entire first round of this year draft. I'm glad it's someone's job to do that. Here's what they have to say about the Brewer's pick at #16:
16. BREWERS. Milwaukee surprised everyone by taking a Boras-advised college senior at No. 7 last year, and Matt LaPorta is working out very well. Going the same route this year could plug some of the leaks in the big league bullpen, as Georgia righty Joshua Fields shouldn't need much minor league seasoning. The Brewers aren't afraid to take a toolsy youngster, so Collier, Connecticut high school outfielder/shortstop Anthony Hewitt and Alabama prep outfielder Destin Hood could go here.
Projected Pick: JOSHUA FIELDS.
Like 99.99% of the rest of the world, I have never heard of any of these players. The Brewers have gotten rather thin at pitching in the minors, so I'd hope they would use some of their higher picks there.
I don't have much to add to what's already been said about Ryan Braun's new contract. I think it is an absolutely fabulous deal for the Brewers. Considering that they signed Jeff Suppan two years ago to 4 years at $42M, signing Braun for 7 years and only $5M more is incredible. As expected, the signing of Braun has refueled the talk of signing other players on the team, and Prince Fielder's name is at the head of the list.
I'm not going to go off again on Fielder's eating habits, but his lack of production at the plate this year has me seriously concerned. It's not just the home runs. On a per plate appearance basis, he is striking out less, grounding out more, hitting more singles, and hitting fewer extra base hits than he did last year.
To me those are all signs of a reduction in power. As a result, through 40 games this season, Prince Fielder has been a less than average Major League first baseman. He's becoming more like Lyle Overbay and less like Babe Ruth.
Matt LaPorta is tearing up minor league pitching and knocking at the doorstep of the Majors. It's plausible the he would be as good as the 2008 Prince Fielder right now. Until the Brewers figure out why Fielder isn't hitting like he was last year (and they could ask me), it would be a huge mistake to sign him to a deal anywhere near the size of Braun's.
As a matter of giving credit where it is due, I got the idea for the batting spectrum chart above from a comment by reader David J. Flemming at Bill James Online. I've just recently started playing around with them, but they give an interesting profile of a hitter's performance. You may be seeing more of these here.
Now that Bud Selig has completely eradicated steroids from the game of baseball, he's on to his next monumental challenge - the scourge of splintering maple bats.
Selig said the executive council discussed players' use of bats made from maple wood, which seem to be shattering more frequently -- and in a more dangerous fashion -- than those made of ash.
Asked if baseball would consider regulating the thickness of maple bat handles or even ban them entirely, Selig said it was too early to say. "But it's been a source of concern for me."
Here I thought I was the only one who noticed. Or could it be that Bud reads In-Between Hops?
It Takes A Committee
The Brewers have won both games since Eric Gagne begged out of the closer's role and forced Ned Yost into using a bullpen by committee. In both cases, it took just that - three different relief pitchers to get out of each game. Combined they pitched 5 innings and gave up 5 hits and 7 walks - but got two saves.
I've never liked the bullpen by committee approach. I think a manager should find the best guy for the job and hand it to him until he proves he can't do it or someone better comes along. Having a closer by committee makes no more sense to me than having a lead-off hitter by committee.
If I had to pick a guy right now to take over that role, it would be David Riske. In his 17 games pitched this year, Riske has retired the first batter he's faced 14 times, and retired the first two batters he's faced 12 times. His trouble has generally come in his second inning of work. But he has done exactly what you need a closer to do - come in the game and get guys out. Yost should be using him in that role.
UPDATE: I see now that a couple of other guys have notched saves, that Eric Gagne wants his job back.
"I had my mental break (Sunday). I'm good to go now,"
It will be very interesting to see how Ned Yost reacts to this. We'll see who's running the ship - the captain or the crew.
Alright Already - Where's The Beef?
If you've been reading In-Between Hops since spring training, you know I've had this somewhat morbid obsession with Prince Fielder's eating habits and more importantly the effect that those eating habits have on his hitting statistics. As tempted as I've been to blast him for his vegetarian ways, I've so far restrained myself - even gave him a reprieve when he hit two home runs in one game on April 23.
Despite hitting a home run on Saturday, Fielder has only 5 on the year. He is 6 behind last year's pace, and is on pace to hit only 23 all year. We are almost a quarter of the way into the season. It's time to start asking questions.
Hit Tracker Online keeps track of the distance of every home run hit in the Major Leagues. They use mathematical modeling to calculate distances - not the bogus observational methods that the home team scoreboard operator uses. Because Prince has only 5 home runs this year, it's a small sample size to use in any proper analysis but even still, in analyzing his data some very telling patters are emerging.
The table below summarizes some of the data from Hit Tracker, plus adds a column I calculated on my own:
%BIP
Year HR Dist. off Bat 400+ 425+ 450+ 400+
2006 28 408 110.7 15 9 3 6%
2007 50 409 110.5 30 16 5 11%
2008 5 400 108.3 3 0 0 3%
Again, it's only a sample of five, but Fielder's home runs this year on average are traveling 8 or 9 feet less than those he has hit in the past. The average speed of the ball off the bat is over 2 mph slower for this year's home runs compared to last year's. Between 2006 and 2007, 42% of Fielder's home runs traveled 425 feet or more. He has yet to hit a single ball that far this year. Finally, only 3% of the balls that Fielder has hit into play this season have traveled 400 feet or more, compared to 11% last year.
You can draw you own concussions from this data, but mine is that Prince Fielder simply can't hit a baseball as far as he used to be able to. When you notice something like that, it is a fair question to ask why. With Prince, there is a very obvious and probable answer.
One other tidbit I noticed is that Prince has hit 5 sacrifice flies this year (UPDATE: Got his 6th on Sunday) compared to only 4 all of last year. Could it be that a couple of those balls that landed in the outfielder's glove would have sailed over the fence with a little more oomph behind them?
If Prince Fielder wants to be a vegetarian, that's his business - just like it's his business if he wants to do 100 sit-ups in the morning after he gets out of bed. But the things that a player does off the field that affect their performance on the field do become the team's business. The team can and should take those things into consideration when determining how valuable that player is and how much money they are willing to pay him.
Finally, I have no idea how much Prince Fielder weighs but just by looking at him, it's pretty obvious that he's somehow replacing the calories he used to be getting from meat. And there aren't a lot of calories in broccoli and green beans - you know what I mean?
Who's Counting
It is now 5 games and counting since the Brewers got a win.
12 games and counting since they got back-to-back wins.
9 games and counting since Prince Fielder hit a home run.
14 games and counting since J.J. Hardy hit a home run - his only one of the year.
16 games and counting since Corey Hart hit a home run - his only one of the year.
8 games and counting since Bill Hall hit a home run - after hitting 7 in the first 25 games.
7 games and counting since Bill Hall drove in a run.
Also 7 games and counting since Prince Fielder drove in a run.
1 game and counting since Eric Gagne's last blown save.
17 games and counting since the Brewers held their opponent to 2 runs or fewer. In that same stretch, they've scored 2 runs or fewer 6 times.
26 games and counting since the Brewers were in first place. (They were 6-1 at the time; 16-17 now)
28 games and counting since a starting pitcher other than Ben Sheets got a win. Let me repeat that one. 28 games since a starting pitcher other than Ben Sheets got a win. Manny Parra on April 5th.
2 games and counting since the start of the Ned Yost Vigil.
UPDATE 5-8-08: After tonight's 7-2 loss to the Marlins, every streak listed here is still intact - plus one game.
Brewers Go As Fielder Goes... And As Hall Goes... And As Braun Goes...
In today's blog post, Tom Haudricourt posts Prince Fielder's batting statistics in Brewers wins and losses this year.
Check out Fielder's numbers in the team's 16 victories and 16 losses:
16 wins: .322 BA, .405 OBP, .610 SLG, 1.016 OPS, 5 doubles, four homers, 16 RBI
16 losses: .185 BA, .328 OBP, .222 SLG, .551 OPS, 2 doubles, no homers, four RBI
To confirm Fielder's importance to the team, we looked back to last year. Fielder played in 82 victories and 76 losses. Here are the numbers:
82 wins: .341 BA, .441 OBP, .711 SLG, 1.153 OPS, 24 doubles, 29 homers, 79 RBI
76 losses: .228 BA, .341 OBP, .511 SLG, .852 OPS, 11 doubles, 21 homers, 40 RBI
Pretty telling, don't you think?
The trouble with this analysis is that EVERY players' stats are significantly better in their team's wins than in their team's losses. Rickie Weeks is slugging .422 in wins and .262 in losses. Bill Hall is slugging .563 in wins and .304 in losses. Corey Hart is .484 and .327. Those are the first three players I checked. Good hitting wins games. It doesn't matter who it comes from. It is a myth to think that the Brewers' success as a team rides solely on the bat of Prince Fielder.
Yost Out On His Ear or Safe by a Knee?
On Jeff Wagner's radio show on Monday, he used this date as a springboard into a discussion about Ned Yost's status with the team. That was of course the date that the 23-24 Brewers, who went into the season with extremely high expectations, fired Buck Rogers and replaced him with hitting coach Harvey Kuenn en route to their only World Series appearance. If this year's Brewers go 7-8 over the next couple of weeks, they too will be 23-24.
I have two different perspectives.
This could be Ben Sheets' last year with the team. He is pitching as well as he ever has in his career. Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Corey Hart are eligible for arbitration next year which will severely tighten the team's purse strings. This season could be the Brewers best shot. If they don't start performing soon - very soon - it will be an obvious and necessary move to replace Yost with Ted Simmons.
On the other hand, the injury to Yovanni Gallardo has torn the heart out of this team. They are now 0-4 since putting him on the DL. It would be easy to use that as an excuse to just ride out this season knowing that you are still stocked with talent and get him back next year even if you lose Ben Sheets.
My bet is that Doug Melvin isn't the "we'll get 'em next year" type. Ned Yost knows it, and will start feeling the heat. He got tossed for the first time tonight.
Time to relight the candle.
Thoughts on Yovanni Gallardo
The news of the severity of the injury was not really a surprise. After seeing the play, I feared the worse, even after he came back to pitch and said he felt fine after the game. These types of injuries often take until the next morning to make themselves known.
So much for all of this pitching depth the Brewers had in spring training. I wonder if Doug Melvin regrets cutting Claudio Vargas.
Perhaps this will be an omen that Ben Sheets actually stays healthy all year. Sheets and Gallardo have never been healthy at the same time.
Just off the cuff, I'd put the Brewers chances of making the payoffs at about 15% right now.
I wonder if a short trip to the minors will do the same thing for Dave Bush as it did for Rickie Weeks last year.
As I've said before, there's simply no such thing as having too much pitching.
The Brewers are now 0-1 since Gallardo's injury.
Final 2008 statistics for Derrick Turnbow:
25 batters on base
19 batters out
What a train wreck. My only question is why did it take this long?
Risk vs. Reward
Colorodo Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, 2007 runner up of the NL Rookie of the Year Award and recent signer of a 6-year $31M contract, is injured and will be out for most of the season. Injuries like this have got to weigh on the minds of general managers like Doug Melvin who have young stars on the team like Ryan Braun, winner of the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year Award, as they ponder whether of offer them long term deals.
End of an Era?
In the month of April in all of Major League baseball, the overall composite slugging percentage - the ultimate power statistic - was .401. That's the lowest April slugging percentage in 15 years.
Overall slugging percentages tend to go up in the summer months when the weather gets warm, so to put 2008 into proper context, I only considered the April numbers. There is still a ways to go to get back to the 1980's levels and with all of the new smaller parks, we may never get back there, but early signs are that last year's reduction in offense may not have been a fluke.
You've probably figured out by now that this is an article about steroids. If steroids in baseball are truly on the wane and as a result the offensive numbers that players put up begin to moderate, we will eventually have a clear before, during, and after map of the steroids era. We will be able to estimate, with some accuracy, the effect of steroids on players' stats and once and for all put those statistics from this dark time in baseball into proper perspective.
Brewers Go As Fielder Goes... And As Hall Goes... ...


Cleveland Metroparks Invites Everyone to Experience the "History of Maple Sugaring"
maple sugaring process in Cleveland Metroparks.
being boiled into delicious, 100-percent pure maple syrup.
minutes (the last hikes leaves at 3:40 p.m.).
Brook Park, south of Rocky RiverNatureCenter.


This page lists art classes for children such as painting and sculpting as well as programs which teach art appreciation for children in the St. Louis, Missouri area.
COCA offers classes for all ages in art & design. Check the website for schedules and registration.
Our children's classes offer an entire range of artistic expression and technique for all ages, 3 and up, year-round.
Pinots Palette Chesterfield offers Little Brushes® kids camps, classes and private parties as a kid and family friendly painting option.