Today at the science class we watched a movie called Research Reflection and the magic school bus
Summary
What happened in the story
They all went to the Arnold's mouth
What was the story talking about
The story was talking about that They all went to the Arnold'mouth
2 things that were correct
(One thing that was correct is When you eat something the thing will go trough your thort and the thort will push the food down.)
(Another thing that is correct is When the food went to Small intestine the Small intestine Will Absorption it. )
2 things that was not correct
(One thing that was not correct is The food will not bring back to the stomatch)
(Another thing that was not correct is They didn't draw the lungs)
Monday, December 15, 2008
Research Reflection and The Magic School Bus
Research Reflection
For the pas MONTH we have been researching body systems on our own.
One thing is good about doing this thing is
I think is good thing is Doing body system we can research the internet and learn how to find the imformation by ourself and how to research about the things hat we need to find.
One thing That I don't like to do about this thing is
Some Body system question is hard and I can't find the exaclly point in the internet even in the book.
I think Ms. Smith plan in this way because
Ms.Smith want us to learn more how to research and how to find the answer by ourself.
One suggestions that I have for Ms.Smith is
I think Ms.Smith should let us learn more body system that we are doing so we can understand more and be more clear in the body system.
Another suggestions that I have for Ms.Smith is
I hope that We can everyone have a book and find in the book because Internet is the answer only with no reazon and even Not all is about the question point and I think the book is more better fr thebody system reasearch.
For the pas MONTH we have been researching body systems on our own.
One thing is good about doing this thing is
I think is good thing is Doing body system we can research the internet and learn how to find the imformation by ourself and how to research about the things hat we need to find.
One thing That I don't like to do about this thing is
Some Body system question is hard and I can't find the exaclly point in the internet even in the book.
I think Ms. Smith plan in this way because
Ms.Smith want us to learn more how to research and how to find the answer by ourself.
One suggestions that I have for Ms.Smith is
I think Ms.Smith should let us learn more body system that we are doing so we can understand more and be more clear in the body system.
Another suggestions that I have for Ms.Smith is
I hope that We can everyone have a book and find in the book because Internet is the answer only with no reazon and even Not all is about the question point and I think the book is more better fr thebody system reasearch.
A New Director for ‘Twilight’ Sequel
Summit Entertainment has named Chris Weitz (“The Golden Compass”) to direct the sequel to “Twilight” after it parted ways with Catherine Hardwicke, who directed the first film in the franchise based on the four-book series by Stephenie Meyer, Variety reported. When Ms. Hardwicke’s exit was announced last week, Ms. Meyer’s fans were disappointed enough to prompt Ms. Meyer to post a message on her Web site (stepheniemeyer.com) on Saturday. “First of all, like you, I’m sad that Catherine is not continuing on with us for ‘New Moon,’ ” Ms. Meyer wrote. But she went on to extol the virtues of the new director: “I think he brings a lot to the table, not the least of which for me is that he wrote the screenplay for and directed one of my favorite movies of all time, ‘About a Boy.’ ” Ms. Meyer’s posting was followed by a note from Mr. Weitz to fans, assuring them he would do his best to live up to their expectations. “New Moon” is tentatively scheduled for release late next year or early 2010. Melissa Rosenberg, the “Twilight” screenwriter, is also writing the sequel.
Shrek musical opens on Broadway
A musical adaptation of the animated blockbuster Shrek has opened on Broadway in New York.
Tony-nominated actor Brian d'Arcy James plays the green ogre with a heart of gold, with Tony-winning actress Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona.
Stars including Cameron Diaz, who voices Fiona in the film franchise, Ben Stiller and Joan Rivers attended the show's opening performance.
A fourth Shrek film is scheduled to be released in 2010.
Dynamics and chemistry
Shrek the musical
Shrek is based on the children's book by William Steig
Asked whether she'd consider portraying Fiona on stage, Diaz said: "No, absolutely not. What they do up there... is, to me, impossible. It's wonderful, though."
"It's great to see all of the actors playing it together because when we do it for the animated we never see each other," she said.
"We don't work with one another - we all record separately and then they put it all together so you don't really get the dynamics and chemistry that you get with other actors... it's a lot of fun to watch."
Shrek, based on the children's book by William Steig, is one of the most successful animated films of all time and tells the story of an ogre who falls in love.
Diaz will reprise her voice role in the fourth Shrek film, alongside Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, who return as Shrek and Donkey respectively.
Tony-nominated actor Brian d'Arcy James plays the green ogre with a heart of gold, with Tony-winning actress Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona.
Stars including Cameron Diaz, who voices Fiona in the film franchise, Ben Stiller and Joan Rivers attended the show's opening performance.
A fourth Shrek film is scheduled to be released in 2010.
Dynamics and chemistry
Shrek the musical
Shrek is based on the children's book by William Steig
Asked whether she'd consider portraying Fiona on stage, Diaz said: "No, absolutely not. What they do up there... is, to me, impossible. It's wonderful, though."
"It's great to see all of the actors playing it together because when we do it for the animated we never see each other," she said.
"We don't work with one another - we all record separately and then they put it all together so you don't really get the dynamics and chemistry that you get with other actors... it's a lot of fun to watch."
Shrek, based on the children's book by William Steig, is one of the most successful animated films of all time and tells the story of an ogre who falls in love.
Diaz will reprise her voice role in the fourth Shrek film, alongside Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, who return as Shrek and Donkey respectively.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Boston Globe Good sign for Yankees - Sabathia
LAS VEGAS - Have the New York Yankees gone back to being . . . you know, the Evil Empire New York Yankees?
They are the richest, most powerful entity in sports. They have built a $1.3 billion stadium with all the bells and whistles. Good economy, bad economy. No matter. CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, A.J. Burnett, Manny Ramírez, and/or Mark Teixeira.
The Yankees, who agreed to terms with Sabathia on a seven-year, $161 million deal yesterday, can and may sign more than a couple of the other prominent free agents.
They have always been on an island by themselves in terms of what they can afford. They have tried to scale back that approach, trying to go the farm system route, but at the end of the day they revert to what they do best - they buy the best available players, partly because some of their homegrown players (Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy, to name a few) haven't made the splash they'd hoped.
So it came as no surprise to Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein that the Yankees opened the vault, and they may open it once or twice more for Lowe and/or Burnett and perhaps Ramírez when all is said and done.
"Nothing surprises me anymore," said Epstein. "[Sabathia is] clearly the top pitcher on the market. He pitched great and he deserves to be rewarded. What he did down the stretch with Milwaukee was really admirable and great for baseball. He pitched his team to the playoffs. He took the ball on three days' rest and that was fun to watch. I have a lot of respect for what he did."
In the end the Yankees gave Sabathia $61 million more - and two more years - than the Brewers offered. It was the only other offer on the table. The Giants had decided Sabathia was too rich for them despite his hometown interest. The Red Sox met with him Monday and came away impressed, but an offer was never made, according to major league sources. Epstein said that even before the winter meetings here, he felt Sabathia would be a Yankee.
"Yeah, any time a team offers, which at the time was more than $40 million more and could go up to more than $60 million more than anyone else, there's a pretty good chance he's going to sign," said Epstein. "It was a strong signing by the Yankees."
Has it always worked out? No. Take the years 2001-08, for example, when the Yankees were shut out of the world championship. And last season marked the first time in 14 years they didn't make the playoffs. When that happens, you know the Yankees are going to spend money. Sabathia's deal is downright crazy for a guy whose weight was listed by the Brewers as 311 pounds.
They are the richest, most powerful entity in sports. They have built a $1.3 billion stadium with all the bells and whistles. Good economy, bad economy. No matter. CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, A.J. Burnett, Manny Ramírez, and/or Mark Teixeira.
The Yankees, who agreed to terms with Sabathia on a seven-year, $161 million deal yesterday, can and may sign more than a couple of the other prominent free agents.
They have always been on an island by themselves in terms of what they can afford. They have tried to scale back that approach, trying to go the farm system route, but at the end of the day they revert to what they do best - they buy the best available players, partly because some of their homegrown players (Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy, to name a few) haven't made the splash they'd hoped.
So it came as no surprise to Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein that the Yankees opened the vault, and they may open it once or twice more for Lowe and/or Burnett and perhaps Ramírez when all is said and done.
"Nothing surprises me anymore," said Epstein. "[Sabathia is] clearly the top pitcher on the market. He pitched great and he deserves to be rewarded. What he did down the stretch with Milwaukee was really admirable and great for baseball. He pitched his team to the playoffs. He took the ball on three days' rest and that was fun to watch. I have a lot of respect for what he did."
In the end the Yankees gave Sabathia $61 million more - and two more years - than the Brewers offered. It was the only other offer on the table. The Giants had decided Sabathia was too rich for them despite his hometown interest. The Red Sox met with him Monday and came away impressed, but an offer was never made, according to major league sources. Epstein said that even before the winter meetings here, he felt Sabathia would be a Yankee.
"Yeah, any time a team offers, which at the time was more than $40 million more and could go up to more than $60 million more than anyone else, there's a pretty good chance he's going to sign," said Epstein. "It was a strong signing by the Yankees."
Has it always worked out? No. Take the years 2001-08, for example, when the Yankees were shut out of the world championship. And last season marked the first time in 14 years they didn't make the playoffs. When that happens, you know the Yankees are going to spend money. Sabathia's deal is downright crazy for a guy whose weight was listed by the Brewers as 311 pounds.
Mets Add a Setup Man, the Mariners’ Putz
LAS VEGAS — The Mets officially welcomed their new closer, Francisco Rodríguez, on Wednesday, giving him a team jacket and parading him around Citi Field. Accomplishing his primary off-season objective excited General Manager Omar Minaya, whose promised remodeling of his pitching staff is coming quickly and in reverse order.
On Wednesday night, Minaya completed a three-team, 12-player trade with Seattle and Cleveland that netted Mariners closer J. J. Putz. The right-handed Putz, who will be 32 in February, will set up Rodríguez to form one of the most imposing late-inning combinations in baseball.
“All I kept hearing on the streets of New York when I go get bagels in the morning, ‘Omar, address the bullpen,’ ” Minaya said. “Well, to you, Mets fans, we’ve addressed the bullpen.”
The Mets also received Jeremy Reed, an outfielder, and Sean Green, a right-handed reliever, from Seattle. In the first step of their bullpen purge, the Mets sent relievers Joe Smith to Cleveland and Aaron Heilman to Seattle, which will also receive from the Mets outfielder Endy Chávez, pitcher Jason Vargas, the minor league first baseman Mike Carp, the minor league pitcher Maikel Cleto and the minor league outfielder Ezequiel Carrera.
In less than 48 hours, the Mets have secured the American League West’s two most dominant relievers to significantly reshape a bullpen that was their leading weakness last season — for a (relative) pittance. They dealt the underperforming Heilman, who could benefit from a change of scenery; a right-handed specialist in Smith; a reserve outfielder in Chávez; and a first-base prospect in Carp who had been passed by Daniel Murphy in the organizational hierarchy.
Heilman, a dominant setup man during the Mets’ playoff run in 2006, symbolized their bullpen problems last season. He struggled from the outset and never found his rhythm, allowing 10 homers and posting a career-high earned run average as a reliever, 5.21. Chávez, who will forever be adored by Mets fans for his spectacular catch in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, had trouble consistently cracking the outfield rotation despite an abundance of injuries to Mets outfielders.
Since Billy Wagner’s absence in parts of the past two seasons exposed their lack of late-inning depth, the Mets have been seeking another reliever who has closing experience and would not feel unappreciated by assuming a less-glamorous — but just as vital — role. The team feels that Putz, who recorded 76 saves in 2006-7 before being limited by injuries last season, would thrive in that spot. Minaya spoke with Putz on Wednesday night and said Putz sounded excited.
The addition of Putz, who is owed $5.5 million next season, would also allow the Mets to occasionally rest Rodríguez, who is coming off a strenuous season in which he recorded 62 saves to set the single-season record and, in a rarity for a closer, led the A.L. with 76 appearances.
“To get one closer like Frankie would have been a good winter,” Minaya said of Rodríguez. “I think to get two guys like this is a great winter.”
In his first two seasons in the majors, Putz worked mostly as a setup reliever. He lowered his E.R.A. to 3.60 from 4.71, but it was not until he assumed the closer’s role in 2006 that he began to excel. That season, he struck out 104 batters in 78 1/3 innings, posting a 2.30 E.R.A. and 36 saves.
In 2007, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Putz was perhaps the best closer in baseball, allowing 37 hits in 71 2/3 innings while saving 40 games and posting the lowest E.R.A. (1.38) among major league relievers. Last season, though, he struggled with injuries, starting with a rib-cage injury in April that sent him to the disabled list. He also spent time on the disabled list over the summer with a hyperextended right elbow, and finished the year with 15 saves and a 3.88 E.R.A.
Moving forward, the Mets planned to meet with Scott Boras, who represents Derek Lowe and Oliver Pérez, but believe their financial commitment to Rodríguez has taken them out of the bidding for Lowe. Pérez, though, remains a possibility, especially if the Yankees look elsewhere.
The Mets are wary of giving Pérez a four-year deal, but remain interested in re-signing him. They are open to letting Jon Niese and potentially Bobby Parnell compete for the No. 5 starter’s job, but could bring in another established veteran to push them. Minaya also expects to speak with Fern Cuza, the agent for Pedro Martínez, but Martínez’s return appears to be a long shot.
As soon as he learned that Wagner would be unavailable in 2009, Minaya zeroed in on the free-agent closers, making Rodríguez a priority because of his combination of age (27 on opening day) and results (208 career saves).
“I think he has a good mind-set for pitching there,” Minaya said, referring to New York. “I think he wanted to be there, the challenge to be there. He’s been in a big market like Anaheim and New York. He likes the adrenaline of being there.”
Paul Kinzer, Rodríguez’s agent, said he tried impressing that point on Minaya during negotiations — that Rodríguez could benefit from pitching on a grand stage. Those negotiations, Kinzer said Wednesday, took an interesting turn Sunday night. During a dinner meeting that initiated their sincere interest, Johan Santana, apparently unaware the team was meeting with Rodríguez, called the Mets. Minaya passed the phone to Rodríguez, who was delighted to hear a recruiting pitch from Santana, his Venezuelan compatriot.
Like Santana, Rodríguez, who will wear No. 75 — the inverse of his former number — was present for the final few hours as the sides eventually completed the terms at about 5 a.m. Tuesday. The Mets wanted to finish the deal quickly because Jeff Wilpon, the team’s chief operating officer, planned to board his private jet back to New York for an 8 a.m. flight. Soon after, Rodríguez followed. And now Putz will join him, another piece in the Mets’ off-season makeover.
On Wednesday night, Minaya completed a three-team, 12-player trade with Seattle and Cleveland that netted Mariners closer J. J. Putz. The right-handed Putz, who will be 32 in February, will set up Rodríguez to form one of the most imposing late-inning combinations in baseball.
“All I kept hearing on the streets of New York when I go get bagels in the morning, ‘Omar, address the bullpen,’ ” Minaya said. “Well, to you, Mets fans, we’ve addressed the bullpen.”
The Mets also received Jeremy Reed, an outfielder, and Sean Green, a right-handed reliever, from Seattle. In the first step of their bullpen purge, the Mets sent relievers Joe Smith to Cleveland and Aaron Heilman to Seattle, which will also receive from the Mets outfielder Endy Chávez, pitcher Jason Vargas, the minor league first baseman Mike Carp, the minor league pitcher Maikel Cleto and the minor league outfielder Ezequiel Carrera.
In less than 48 hours, the Mets have secured the American League West’s two most dominant relievers to significantly reshape a bullpen that was their leading weakness last season — for a (relative) pittance. They dealt the underperforming Heilman, who could benefit from a change of scenery; a right-handed specialist in Smith; a reserve outfielder in Chávez; and a first-base prospect in Carp who had been passed by Daniel Murphy in the organizational hierarchy.
Heilman, a dominant setup man during the Mets’ playoff run in 2006, symbolized their bullpen problems last season. He struggled from the outset and never found his rhythm, allowing 10 homers and posting a career-high earned run average as a reliever, 5.21. Chávez, who will forever be adored by Mets fans for his spectacular catch in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, had trouble consistently cracking the outfield rotation despite an abundance of injuries to Mets outfielders.
Since Billy Wagner’s absence in parts of the past two seasons exposed their lack of late-inning depth, the Mets have been seeking another reliever who has closing experience and would not feel unappreciated by assuming a less-glamorous — but just as vital — role. The team feels that Putz, who recorded 76 saves in 2006-7 before being limited by injuries last season, would thrive in that spot. Minaya spoke with Putz on Wednesday night and said Putz sounded excited.
The addition of Putz, who is owed $5.5 million next season, would also allow the Mets to occasionally rest Rodríguez, who is coming off a strenuous season in which he recorded 62 saves to set the single-season record and, in a rarity for a closer, led the A.L. with 76 appearances.
“To get one closer like Frankie would have been a good winter,” Minaya said of Rodríguez. “I think to get two guys like this is a great winter.”
In his first two seasons in the majors, Putz worked mostly as a setup reliever. He lowered his E.R.A. to 3.60 from 4.71, but it was not until he assumed the closer’s role in 2006 that he began to excel. That season, he struck out 104 batters in 78 1/3 innings, posting a 2.30 E.R.A. and 36 saves.
In 2007, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Putz was perhaps the best closer in baseball, allowing 37 hits in 71 2/3 innings while saving 40 games and posting the lowest E.R.A. (1.38) among major league relievers. Last season, though, he struggled with injuries, starting with a rib-cage injury in April that sent him to the disabled list. He also spent time on the disabled list over the summer with a hyperextended right elbow, and finished the year with 15 saves and a 3.88 E.R.A.
Moving forward, the Mets planned to meet with Scott Boras, who represents Derek Lowe and Oliver Pérez, but believe their financial commitment to Rodríguez has taken them out of the bidding for Lowe. Pérez, though, remains a possibility, especially if the Yankees look elsewhere.
The Mets are wary of giving Pérez a four-year deal, but remain interested in re-signing him. They are open to letting Jon Niese and potentially Bobby Parnell compete for the No. 5 starter’s job, but could bring in another established veteran to push them. Minaya also expects to speak with Fern Cuza, the agent for Pedro Martínez, but Martínez’s return appears to be a long shot.
As soon as he learned that Wagner would be unavailable in 2009, Minaya zeroed in on the free-agent closers, making Rodríguez a priority because of his combination of age (27 on opening day) and results (208 career saves).
“I think he has a good mind-set for pitching there,” Minaya said, referring to New York. “I think he wanted to be there, the challenge to be there. He’s been in a big market like Anaheim and New York. He likes the adrenaline of being there.”
Paul Kinzer, Rodríguez’s agent, said he tried impressing that point on Minaya during negotiations — that Rodríguez could benefit from pitching on a grand stage. Those negotiations, Kinzer said Wednesday, took an interesting turn Sunday night. During a dinner meeting that initiated their sincere interest, Johan Santana, apparently unaware the team was meeting with Rodríguez, called the Mets. Minaya passed the phone to Rodríguez, who was delighted to hear a recruiting pitch from Santana, his Venezuelan compatriot.
Like Santana, Rodríguez, who will wear No. 75 — the inverse of his former number — was present for the final few hours as the sides eventually completed the terms at about 5 a.m. Tuesday. The Mets wanted to finish the deal quickly because Jeff Wilpon, the team’s chief operating officer, planned to board his private jet back to New York for an 8 a.m. flight. Soon after, Rodríguez followed. And now Putz will join him, another piece in the Mets’ off-season makeover.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
K-Rod will have to step up his game in the NL East
LAS VEGAS - The New York Mets are about to complete a deal for record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Mets could spend up to $51 million on him and not have the best closer in the National League East.
That distinction still belongs to Philadelphia's Brad Lidge, whose perfect season for the World Series champions has not received its proper due. Lidge made the difference in the East this season and was more dominant than Rodriguez.
With Lidge converting all 41 save chances in the regular season, the Phillies went 79-0 when leading after eight innings. The Mets, unsettled at closer all season, went 78-7 when leading after eight innings.
The Phillies won the division by three games over the Mets. Four Lidge hiccups, and Philadelphia misses the playoffs.
Here's why adding Rodriguez does not mean the Mets have closed the narrow gap with the Phillies:
Margin of error: For Rodriguez to be successful, the Mets will have to tack on runs to their leads. Rodriguez had a record 62 saves with the Los Angeles Angels this season. That included 38 saves in 40 chances when given a lead of two or more runs.
Rodriguez was less successful on the tougher save chances. He went 24-of-29 when asked to protect a one-run lead.
Lidge converted 20 save chances when working with a one-run lead.
Level of competition: The Angels' early exit in the playoffs suggested the 100-win regular season was tainted by playing in the West. The Angels went 36-21 against Oakland, Seattle and Texas.
Rodriguez had his way in intra-division games. He was 29-of-31 in save chances against the West and 33-of-38 against all other teams.
The East will present more of an offensive challenge to Rodriguez, with Philadelphia alone a greater test than anything in the AL West. The Mets' bullpen went 3-6 with only six saves in 11 chances against the Phillies this season.
Lidge did benefit from not having to face a Phillies lineup loaded with left-handed hitters. He had 21 saves within the division this season.
Stuff: Lidge buries hitters with a fastball-slider combination. He had 92 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings this season.
Rodriguez is undergoing a transition. He can no longer pump a steady stream of fastballs past hitters. In the view of two major-league scouts attending the major-league meetings, Rodriguez has become more of a breaking-ball pitcher whose stuff and command can go haywire.
"I know he got the record, but he's not as good for me as a lot of other guys in that role," said one of the scouts, with an AL West club.
The problem is Rodriguez does not always throw strikes. Sometimes, he cannot command the breaking pitch. Sometimes, the delivery comes apart. He allowed 4.48 walks per nine innings this season.
All of that figured in the Angels' decision not to make keeping Rodriguez a priority even after a 62-save season. The Angels are content, for the moment, with giving ninth-inning leads to righthanders Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo.
Rodriguez also failed to cause a commotion on a free-agent market flooded with closers. Several clubs that need a closer were apprehensive about Rodriguez.
He settled for less than his reported expectations of a five-year deal worth $51 million. Rodriguez is guaranteed $37 million over three seasons, with a fourth year at $14 million kicking in if he meets appearance thresholds.
Francisco Rodriguez has the single-season saves record but still must prove that he can do it in the NL East. Until further notice, Brad Lidge is the best of that division's closers.
Rodriguez can get strikeouts. He averaged 10.14 strikeouts per nine innings, a high rate but also the lowest of his career.
That distinction still belongs to Philadelphia's Brad Lidge, whose perfect season for the World Series champions has not received its proper due. Lidge made the difference in the East this season and was more dominant than Rodriguez.
With Lidge converting all 41 save chances in the regular season, the Phillies went 79-0 when leading after eight innings. The Mets, unsettled at closer all season, went 78-7 when leading after eight innings.
The Phillies won the division by three games over the Mets. Four Lidge hiccups, and Philadelphia misses the playoffs.
Here's why adding Rodriguez does not mean the Mets have closed the narrow gap with the Phillies:
Margin of error: For Rodriguez to be successful, the Mets will have to tack on runs to their leads. Rodriguez had a record 62 saves with the Los Angeles Angels this season. That included 38 saves in 40 chances when given a lead of two or more runs.
Rodriguez was less successful on the tougher save chances. He went 24-of-29 when asked to protect a one-run lead.
Lidge converted 20 save chances when working with a one-run lead.
Level of competition: The Angels' early exit in the playoffs suggested the 100-win regular season was tainted by playing in the West. The Angels went 36-21 against Oakland, Seattle and Texas.
Rodriguez had his way in intra-division games. He was 29-of-31 in save chances against the West and 33-of-38 against all other teams.
The East will present more of an offensive challenge to Rodriguez, with Philadelphia alone a greater test than anything in the AL West. The Mets' bullpen went 3-6 with only six saves in 11 chances against the Phillies this season.
Lidge did benefit from not having to face a Phillies lineup loaded with left-handed hitters. He had 21 saves within the division this season.
Stuff: Lidge buries hitters with a fastball-slider combination. He had 92 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings this season.
Rodriguez is undergoing a transition. He can no longer pump a steady stream of fastballs past hitters. In the view of two major-league scouts attending the major-league meetings, Rodriguez has become more of a breaking-ball pitcher whose stuff and command can go haywire.
"I know he got the record, but he's not as good for me as a lot of other guys in that role," said one of the scouts, with an AL West club.
The problem is Rodriguez does not always throw strikes. Sometimes, he cannot command the breaking pitch. Sometimes, the delivery comes apart. He allowed 4.48 walks per nine innings this season.
All of that figured in the Angels' decision not to make keeping Rodriguez a priority even after a 62-save season. The Angels are content, for the moment, with giving ninth-inning leads to righthanders Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo.
Rodriguez also failed to cause a commotion on a free-agent market flooded with closers. Several clubs that need a closer were apprehensive about Rodriguez.
He settled for less than his reported expectations of a five-year deal worth $51 million. Rodriguez is guaranteed $37 million over three seasons, with a fourth year at $14 million kicking in if he meets appearance thresholds.
Francisco Rodriguez has the single-season saves record but still must prove that he can do it in the NL East. Until further notice, Brad Lidge is the best of that division's closers.
Rodriguez can get strikeouts. He averaged 10.14 strikeouts per nine innings, a high rate but also the lowest of his career.
Math Gains Reported for U.S. Students
American fourth- and eighth-grade students made solid achievement gains in math in recent years and in two states showed spectacular progress, an international survey of student achievement released on Tuesday found. Science performance was flat.
The results showed that several Asian countries continued to outperform the United States greatly in science and math, subjects that are crucial to economic competitiveness and research.
The survey, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or Timss, found that fourth-grade students in Hong Kong and eighth-grade students in Taiwan were the world’s top scorers in math, while Singapore dominated in science at both grade levels.
“We were pleased to see improvements in math, and wished we’d seen more in science,” said Stuart Kerachsky, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Education Department, which carried out an analysis of the performance of American students on the test.
The latest Timss study, the world’s largest review of math and science achievement, involved testing a representative sample of students in each country in 2007, the first time the tests had been administered since 2003. The results included fourth-grade scores from 36 countries and eighth-grade scores from 48 countries. The tests cover subjects taught in all the participating countries, including algebra, chemistry, geometry and physics.
The study is directed by the International Study Center at Boston College.
Asia’s continuing dominance in math and science, first demonstrated in the 1990s, was especially apparent in the latest results, which showed rising percentages of high-scoring students there.
Nearly half of eighth graders scored at the advanced level in math in Taiwan, Korea and Singapore, compared with 6 percent of American students.
Comparing educational performance in the United States, a diverse country of 300 million people with 50 state educational systems, with city-states like Singapore and Hong Kong, which have populations of 4.5 million and 6.9 million people, respectively, is a bit of apples and oranges.
Still, experts said the Timss study again confirmed the tremendous gains those societies had made in just a few decades.
“It was good to see that the United States has made some progress in math,” said Ina V. S. Mullis, co-director of the Boston College center, “but I was surprised by the magnitude of the gap between us and the highest performing Asian countries, and that should cause us some concern.”
Students in Massachusetts and Minnesota, which participated in a special study that attributed a score to the states as if they were individual countries, also demonstrated stellar achievement, outperforming classmates in all but a handful of countries.
In eighth-grade science, for instance, Massachusetts students, on average, scored higher than or equal to students in all countries but Singapore and Taiwan.
And in Minnesota, which has worked to improve its math curriculum, the proportion of fourth-grade students performing at the advanced level jumped from 9 percent in 1995 to 18 percent in 2007, a gain that was one of the world’s largest.
But on average, the results showed several Asian countries increasing their dominance.
In the fourth-grade math survey, scores in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, England and Latvia were higher than in the United States.
Average scores were equal to the United States in the Netherlands, Lithuania, Germany and Denmark. Scores in 23 other countries were significantly lower.
The results showed that several Asian countries continued to outperform the United States greatly in science and math, subjects that are crucial to economic competitiveness and research.
The survey, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or Timss, found that fourth-grade students in Hong Kong and eighth-grade students in Taiwan were the world’s top scorers in math, while Singapore dominated in science at both grade levels.
“We were pleased to see improvements in math, and wished we’d seen more in science,” said Stuart Kerachsky, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Education Department, which carried out an analysis of the performance of American students on the test.
The latest Timss study, the world’s largest review of math and science achievement, involved testing a representative sample of students in each country in 2007, the first time the tests had been administered since 2003. The results included fourth-grade scores from 36 countries and eighth-grade scores from 48 countries. The tests cover subjects taught in all the participating countries, including algebra, chemistry, geometry and physics.
The study is directed by the International Study Center at Boston College.
Asia’s continuing dominance in math and science, first demonstrated in the 1990s, was especially apparent in the latest results, which showed rising percentages of high-scoring students there.
Nearly half of eighth graders scored at the advanced level in math in Taiwan, Korea and Singapore, compared with 6 percent of American students.
Comparing educational performance in the United States, a diverse country of 300 million people with 50 state educational systems, with city-states like Singapore and Hong Kong, which have populations of 4.5 million and 6.9 million people, respectively, is a bit of apples and oranges.
Still, experts said the Timss study again confirmed the tremendous gains those societies had made in just a few decades.
“It was good to see that the United States has made some progress in math,” said Ina V. S. Mullis, co-director of the Boston College center, “but I was surprised by the magnitude of the gap between us and the highest performing Asian countries, and that should cause us some concern.”
Students in Massachusetts and Minnesota, which participated in a special study that attributed a score to the states as if they were individual countries, also demonstrated stellar achievement, outperforming classmates in all but a handful of countries.
In eighth-grade science, for instance, Massachusetts students, on average, scored higher than or equal to students in all countries but Singapore and Taiwan.
And in Minnesota, which has worked to improve its math curriculum, the proportion of fourth-grade students performing at the advanced level jumped from 9 percent in 1995 to 18 percent in 2007, a gain that was one of the world’s largest.
But on average, the results showed several Asian countries increasing their dominance.
In the fourth-grade math survey, scores in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, England and Latvia were higher than in the United States.
Average scores were equal to the United States in the Netherlands, Lithuania, Germany and Denmark. Scores in 23 other countries were significantly lower.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The price of our oil addiction
The story
Addiction exposes the deepest forms of physical and psychological dependency. It is typically considered a personal affliction or an individual failing. But the deadly solicitations of any addictive substance -- cocaine, alcohol, nicotine -- rely upon a social, economic, and political infrastructure.
The great behavioral scientist Gregory Bateson, who studied addiction at the Langley Porter Institute in San Francisco during the 1950s, drew an analogy between the addict and a runaway car precisely to highlight the "system of addiction."
He wrote: "The panic of the alcoholic who has hit bottom is the panic of the man who thought he had control over a vehicle but suddenly finds that the vehicle can run away with him. Suddenly, pressure on what he knows is the brake seems to make the vehicle go faster. It is the panic of discovering that it (the system, self plus vehicle) is bigger than he is. ... He has bankrupted the epistemology of 'self-control.'"
Here is the vidio of the story:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/10/what.matters.niger/index.html
Addiction exposes the deepest forms of physical and psychological dependency. It is typically considered a personal affliction or an individual failing. But the deadly solicitations of any addictive substance -- cocaine, alcohol, nicotine -- rely upon a social, economic, and political infrastructure.
The great behavioral scientist Gregory Bateson, who studied addiction at the Langley Porter Institute in San Francisco during the 1950s, drew an analogy between the addict and a runaway car precisely to highlight the "system of addiction."
He wrote: "The panic of the alcoholic who has hit bottom is the panic of the man who thought he had control over a vehicle but suddenly finds that the vehicle can run away with him. Suddenly, pressure on what he knows is the brake seems to make the vehicle go faster. It is the panic of discovering that it (the system, self plus vehicle) is bigger than he is. ... He has bankrupted the epistemology of 'self-control.'"
Here is the vidio of the story:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/10/what.matters.niger/index.html
Obama takes Shinseki for Cabinet, sources say
President-elect Barack Obama will nominate retired Gen. Eric Shinseki to be secretary of Veterans Affairs, two Democratic sources said Saturday.
Obama was expected to make the formal announcement Sunday -- Pearl Harbor Day -- at a news conference in Chicago. Veterans groups appeared to support the selection.
"I am excited. I don't know him personally but this is a huge move," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
For years, Shinseki, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, has been the patron saint of Pentagon critics who say the former Army chief's sage advice was ignored in 2003, resulting in too few U.S. troops being sent to Iraq after the invasion.
Shinseki testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2003 that "something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers would be required" to pacify the country. The comment infuriated some Bush administration officials, and he retired just a few months later.
Shinseki has never spoken publicly about his testimony, which has often been cited by critics as evidence that then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ignored the advice of one of his key generals.
But as Army chief of staff, Shinseki was not in the chain of command, and played no direct role in drawing up the war plans.
Pentagon sources say that, in fact, Shinseki never advocated higher troop levels for Iraq, in part because it was not his job to
do so. And sources say that just before the invasion, when asked by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Richard Myers if he agreed with the war plans, Shinseki voiced no objections.
Still, Rieckhoff said, "Shinseki is a guy who had a career putting patriotism above politics. He is a wounded veteran so he understands the plight of veterans."
He said Shinseki would have to make key connections with the veterans community, adding, "This is a big name and it shows that he (Obama) is not going to treat the Veterans Affairs secretary as a low priority."
John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, called the reported pick an "interesting choice."
"I am satisfied with it," Rowan told CNN on Saturday, adding that the choice seems to be in the Obama transition team's pattern of "bringing in strong personalities into all the positions who aren't going to 'yes' him to death."
"When Shinseki had his disagreements with the administration, he wasn't afraid to speak up," Rowan said.
Veterans for Common Sense also weighed in, issuing a statement "strongly" supporting Shinseki.
"In February 2003, General Shinseki honestly and correctly assessed our nation's military needs before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003," the statement said. "This same level of candor and honesty will serve President-elect Obama well so he can quickly and accurately identify VA's many challenges and then implement responsible solutions that take into consideration our veterans' needs and concerns."
Like Obama, Shinseki was born in Hawaii. He was the first Asian-American to reach the top spot in the U.S. Army.
When a gallery to honor Shinseki was opened at the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii in 2006, Shinseki was humble while addressing the audience.
"I asked my Grandma Shinseki what I should say before I came here," he said at the time. "She told me, 'tell them you come from a good family ... and tell them you're a good American soldier.' "
Before he took over the Army's top post in November 1998, Shinseki spent his career with U.S. armored forces.
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He served two combat tours in Vietnam and commanded the Army's 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
He also served as commander of Army forces in Europe and as chief of NATO's SFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Obama was expected to make the formal announcement Sunday -- Pearl Harbor Day -- at a news conference in Chicago. Veterans groups appeared to support the selection.
"I am excited. I don't know him personally but this is a huge move," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
For years, Shinseki, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, has been the patron saint of Pentagon critics who say the former Army chief's sage advice was ignored in 2003, resulting in too few U.S. troops being sent to Iraq after the invasion.
Shinseki testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2003 that "something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers would be required" to pacify the country. The comment infuriated some Bush administration officials, and he retired just a few months later.
Shinseki has never spoken publicly about his testimony, which has often been cited by critics as evidence that then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ignored the advice of one of his key generals.
But as Army chief of staff, Shinseki was not in the chain of command, and played no direct role in drawing up the war plans.
Pentagon sources say that, in fact, Shinseki never advocated higher troop levels for Iraq, in part because it was not his job to
do so. And sources say that just before the invasion, when asked by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Richard Myers if he agreed with the war plans, Shinseki voiced no objections.
Still, Rieckhoff said, "Shinseki is a guy who had a career putting patriotism above politics. He is a wounded veteran so he understands the plight of veterans."
He said Shinseki would have to make key connections with the veterans community, adding, "This is a big name and it shows that he (Obama) is not going to treat the Veterans Affairs secretary as a low priority."
John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, called the reported pick an "interesting choice."
"I am satisfied with it," Rowan told CNN on Saturday, adding that the choice seems to be in the Obama transition team's pattern of "bringing in strong personalities into all the positions who aren't going to 'yes' him to death."
"When Shinseki had his disagreements with the administration, he wasn't afraid to speak up," Rowan said.
Veterans for Common Sense also weighed in, issuing a statement "strongly" supporting Shinseki.
"In February 2003, General Shinseki honestly and correctly assessed our nation's military needs before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003," the statement said. "This same level of candor and honesty will serve President-elect Obama well so he can quickly and accurately identify VA's many challenges and then implement responsible solutions that take into consideration our veterans' needs and concerns."
Like Obama, Shinseki was born in Hawaii. He was the first Asian-American to reach the top spot in the U.S. Army.
When a gallery to honor Shinseki was opened at the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii in 2006, Shinseki was humble while addressing the audience.
"I asked my Grandma Shinseki what I should say before I came here," he said at the time. "She told me, 'tell them you come from a good family ... and tell them you're a good American soldier.' "
Before he took over the Army's top post in November 1998, Shinseki spent his career with U.S. armored forces.
advertisement
He served two combat tours in Vietnam and commanded the Army's 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
He also served as commander of Army forces in Europe and as chief of NATO's SFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Kenya PM calls for troops to 'dislodge' Zimbabwe's president
The prime minister of Kenya Sunday called for troops to "dislodge" Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as the country's humanitarian crisis worsens.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the international community must "respond to the call of the African people, and must help end the murderous reign of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe."
The United Nations has said more than half of Zimbabwe's population is in dire need of food and clean water.
The country is suffering from a cholera outbreak that has killed close to 600 people since August.
"The crisis in Zimbabwe has now reached a point where further lack of action by the African Union and the international community will constitute nothing less than a crime against humanity," said Odinga, a long-time critic of Mugabe.
The African Union "must formulate a resolution to send African Union troops into Zimbabwe," he said. "If no troops are available, then the AU must allow the U.N. to send its forces into Zimbabwe with immediate effect, to take over control of the country and ensure urgent humanitarian assistance to the people dying of cholera and starvation."
If Zimbabwe's president does not cooperate, Odinga said, international troops should "dislodge Mugabe from power."
Cholera, a water-borne disease, is on the increase in nine of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It blamed "poor water and sanitation supply, a collapsed health system and limited government capacity to respond to the emergency."
Many of those afflicted with the disease have fled to neighboring countries to seek medical health -- which risks spreading the outbreak still further.
Last week UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown branded the crisis "an international emergency."
Brown called on the international community to tell the 84-year-old Mugabe "enough is enough," and suggested that the U.N. Security Council meet to discuss the issue. He said the most pressing issue was to ensure that testing and rehydration equipment and packs reach the right people, as well as for aid agencies to set up a organizational structure in the capital Harare to confront the disease.
"The people of Zimbabwe voted for a better future. It is our duty to support that aspiration," Brown added.
Brown's comments came one day after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the outbreak is the latest sign that Mugabe's rule over the country must end.
"It's well past time for Robert Mugabe to leave. I think that's now obvious," Rice said during a visit to Denmark.
Washington has long called for Mugabe to leave office, with President Bush calling Zimbabwe's runoff presidential election in June a "sham" and instructing Rice and other U.S. officials to develop additional sanctions against Mugabe's "illegitimate government."
"The United States will always do anything and everything that it can to help innocent people who are suffering," Rice said. "And we are not going to deny assistance to people in need because of their government. But if this is not evidence to the international community that it's time to stand up for what is right, I don't know what will be. And frankly, the nations of the region have to lead it."
The country, once a breadbasket of Africa, is also in the midst of an economic crisis, with its official rate of inflation at 231 million percent -- the world's highest.
Zimbabwe has had no Cabinet since the March presidential election. Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party has held on-again, off-again talks with the opposition led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai is Zimbabwe's prime minister under a power-sharing agreement negotiated by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Kenya's Odinga is himself a former opposition leader who came to office as part of a power-sharing agreement negotiated by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Critics of Mugabe link hyperinflation to his policies on land distribution and unbudgeted payments to people who call themselves "war veterans," who have forcibly occupied white-owned farms.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the international community must "respond to the call of the African people, and must help end the murderous reign of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe."
The United Nations has said more than half of Zimbabwe's population is in dire need of food and clean water.
The country is suffering from a cholera outbreak that has killed close to 600 people since August.
"The crisis in Zimbabwe has now reached a point where further lack of action by the African Union and the international community will constitute nothing less than a crime against humanity," said Odinga, a long-time critic of Mugabe.
The African Union "must formulate a resolution to send African Union troops into Zimbabwe," he said. "If no troops are available, then the AU must allow the U.N. to send its forces into Zimbabwe with immediate effect, to take over control of the country and ensure urgent humanitarian assistance to the people dying of cholera and starvation."
If Zimbabwe's president does not cooperate, Odinga said, international troops should "dislodge Mugabe from power."
Cholera, a water-borne disease, is on the increase in nine of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It blamed "poor water and sanitation supply, a collapsed health system and limited government capacity to respond to the emergency."
Many of those afflicted with the disease have fled to neighboring countries to seek medical health -- which risks spreading the outbreak still further.
Last week UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown branded the crisis "an international emergency."
Brown called on the international community to tell the 84-year-old Mugabe "enough is enough," and suggested that the U.N. Security Council meet to discuss the issue. He said the most pressing issue was to ensure that testing and rehydration equipment and packs reach the right people, as well as for aid agencies to set up a organizational structure in the capital Harare to confront the disease.
"The people of Zimbabwe voted for a better future. It is our duty to support that aspiration," Brown added.
Brown's comments came one day after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the outbreak is the latest sign that Mugabe's rule over the country must end.
"It's well past time for Robert Mugabe to leave. I think that's now obvious," Rice said during a visit to Denmark.
Washington has long called for Mugabe to leave office, with President Bush calling Zimbabwe's runoff presidential election in June a "sham" and instructing Rice and other U.S. officials to develop additional sanctions against Mugabe's "illegitimate government."
"The United States will always do anything and everything that it can to help innocent people who are suffering," Rice said. "And we are not going to deny assistance to people in need because of their government. But if this is not evidence to the international community that it's time to stand up for what is right, I don't know what will be. And frankly, the nations of the region have to lead it."
The country, once a breadbasket of Africa, is also in the midst of an economic crisis, with its official rate of inflation at 231 million percent -- the world's highest.
Zimbabwe has had no Cabinet since the March presidential election. Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party has held on-again, off-again talks with the opposition led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai is Zimbabwe's prime minister under a power-sharing agreement negotiated by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Kenya's Odinga is himself a former opposition leader who came to office as part of a power-sharing agreement negotiated by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Critics of Mugabe link hyperinflation to his policies on land distribution and unbudgeted payments to people who call themselves "war veterans," who have forcibly occupied white-owned farms.
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