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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

3 Orioles win Gold Gloves; 9 1st-timers, not Trout

J.J. Hardy thought he'd hit a home run, only to be robbed when Mike Trout made one of the most sensational grabs of the season.

On Tuesday night, Hardy caught a break.

The Baltimore shortstop won a Gold Glove, putting him among a group of nine players honored for the first time for their fielding excellence.

"It means a lot to me," said Hardy, in his eighth big league season. "It's definitely an award I always hoped to get and never really expected to get. I'm surprised and honored at the same time."

Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen, San Diego third baseman Chase Headley and Oakland right fielder Josh Reddick also were first-time selections.

"I'm just happy I can pull it out for them and get the A's name even more out there," Reddick said. "It's a huge honor, I'm always taking pride in both sides of my game and trying to be a complete player. You never know what one play, whether the first or the ninth inning, is going to win a ballgame. That's what my mother and father taught me."

Headley, who had a breakout year with the bat, said he and Padres coach Glenn Hoffman, a former major league shortstop, talked during spring training about improving his defense.

"The foundation was laid there," Headley said. "Obviously it's nice when you get the results when you focus on something. ... Your pitcher counts on you to make routine plays each and every time. I was able to do a better job this year."

The Orioles were the only team with three winners. Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones and catcher Matt Wieters were second-time choices, joining Hardy for the awards chosen by major league managers and coaches and presented by Rawlings.

Trout, the Angels rookie center fielder who spent the year climbing walls to take away potential homers, was not picked. Among his best catches came against Hardy at Camden Yards in June.

The San Francisco Giants, fresh off winning a World Series in which they excelled with their gloves, did not have a Gold Glover.

These were the first major awards presented during the offseason, and the MVPs, Cy Youngs and others will come in mid-November. Gold Gloves always seem to raise a ruckus, with many claiming the prizes ? actual gloves colored gold ? don't define the most deserving fielders.

Hardy led the AL in fielding percentage, making only six errors in 158 games. Others relying on more advanced metrics and insist Seattle's Brendan Ryan was the best shortstop ? then again, even though awards are strictly for fielding, players who don't produce at the plate often get bypassed, and Ryan hit a weak .194. Hardy hit 22 home runs.

"I've always hoped but I never expected it," Hardy said. "It's definitely an award I've seen a lot of shortstops get that are really flashy and kind of catch the eye of a lot of people. I don't look at myself that way. I kind of look at myself as just trying to be consistent and steady. I never felt like people noticed."

Wieters, meanwhile, was chosen despite leading AL catchers with 10 errors. He was recognized for the many things he does well ? he threw out 39 percent of would-be basestealers and rarely let pitches get past him.

Strong-armed St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina won for the fifth straight year and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira added his fifth award. Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre, Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Miami pitcher Mark Buehrle became four-time winners.

"I think I'm just regular, above average, just like the other guys. I just love playing the position every night," Beltre said. "I take my position as a challenge and want to make every play I can. I don't see myself as that good."

Buehrle won three times with the Chicago White Sox before joining the Marlins last winter.

"With a whole new group of managers voting for you, it wasn't like it was handed to you," Buehrle said. "The Gold Glove gets to be, 'He won it last year, give it to him again.' This one means a lot, because switching leagues, it was different managers voting on it. I had to do my job to earn it."

The other first-time winners in the National League were Washington first baseman Adam LaRoche, Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney and Atlanta right fielder Jason Heyward.

"I'm extremely thrilled," Barney said. "It's something you came into the season working toward, but it's not something that I thought the results would be there as quickly as they were. I'm extremely happy about it. There's a lot of good competition out there, obviously, and I'm really surprised that ended up happening for me. So it's an exciting night for me."

In the AL, pitchers Jake Peavy of the White Sox and Jeremy Hellickson shared the honor as first-time winners. This was only the third time since the Gold Gloves were first presented in 1957 that there was a tie ? there were four NL outfielders in 2007 and four AL outfielders in 1985.

Also winning this year: Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon and Colorado left fielder Carlos Gonzalez.

Several players were rewarded for their wins.

Beltre received a $100,000 bonus and Hardy got $75,000, Gordon, LaRoche, Molina, Peavy and Rollins each added $50,000; Gonzalez, Jones and McCutchen $25,000 apiece.

In addition, Gordon's salaries for 2014 and 2015 increase by $250,000 a year to $10.25 million and $12.75 million. His 2016 player option also rises by $250,000 to $12.75 million.

___

AP Sports Writers David Ginsburg, Steven Wine, Bernie Wilson and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-orioles-win-gold-gloves-9-1st-timers-024933472--mlb.html

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Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Taxes - Personal Finance ...

From: Bargaineering - 7:42am - October 30, 2012
One of the biggest issues of the presidential campaign is taxes. Even though the economy seems to be one of the main focuses of the election, the reality is that voters really want to know how their bottom lines will be affected. While each candidate has released some of their ideas for tax plans, the [...]Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Taxes from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com. The post Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Taxes appeared first on Bargaineering.

Continue reading this article ?

Source: http://ewallstreeter.com/barack-obama-mitt-romney-and-taxes-3180/

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Friday, September 21, 2012

SoftTech And Others Invest $1.5M In Beauty Ecommerce Site Coterie

Beauty ecommerce site Coterie is today announcing a seed raise of $1.5 million from SoftTech VC, Javelin Venture Partners and Michael Jung. Coterie allows women to sign up for exclusive limited deals on beauty brands like Kevyn Aucoin and Butter London. "All of our offers are exclusive collections, meaning you can't get them anywhere else," co-founder Catherine Magee tells me. "All the new and best products, not excess or discontinued inventory." The company will eventually let customers subscribe to their favorite Coterie-featured beauty products via its "My Vanity" feature. "My Vanity," which will roll out in three weeks, allows customers?to follow brands and subscribe to beauty products they need replenished.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aZtjTbv5xaI/

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Dennis Crowley: Foursquare's a discovery and recommendation engine first, social service second

Plenty of Foursquare fans use the app primarily as a means to share their own location and see the locations of others around them, but Foursquare isn't only about socially-acceptable stalking. At the GigaOm Mobilize conference today, company co-founder Dennis Crowley informed those of us in the room that thinking of Foursquare as merely a check-in app is misguided. According to him, the plan for Foursquare has always been for it to be a customized discovery and recommendation engine first, and a social tool second. You see, all your check-ins provide Foursquare with valuable information about you and your friend's habits. Those check-ins, as far as Foursquare's concerned, are merely an efficient means to get the data needed to build the individualized, location-aware search and recommendation engine that powers the explore tab in the app. Crowley said that he's been hearing plenty of positive feedback from users about the accuracy and usefulness of Foursquare-powered search, and some folks have even begun using it instead of Google. Foursquare isn't on Mountain View's level just yet, but it seems that Crowley and his cohort have the reigning king of search squarely in their sights.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Dennis Crowley: Foursquare's a discovery and recommendation engine first, social service second originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/tkLRtyOMSyg/

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Chick-fil-A agrees to stop funding anti-gay groups, lawmaker says

(Chick-fil-A)

Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain that sparked a firestorm earlier this year after its president made public comments against same-sex marriage, has agreed to stop funding antigay groups, a Chicago alderman says.

Joe Moreno, the alderman whose opposition of a proposed Chick-fil-A on Chicago's north side helped fuel the controversy, told the Chicago Tribune the company has pledged to include a statement of respect for all sexual orientations in a memo to staffers, and has promised that the WinShape Foundations, its not-for-profit arm, would no longer contribute money to groups that oppose gay marriage. Moreno said he will recommend that Chick-fil-A's construction plans be approved.

The memo, "Chick-fil-A: Who We Are," will be distributed to all corporate employees and restaurant operators, encouraging them to "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect?regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," Moreno said.

In a letter to the alderman, the company wrote that WinShape is "taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas."

Since 2003, the nonprofit has donated millions of dollars to groups that promote "traditional marriage," including Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage. According to the Civil Rights Agenda, a Chicago-based LGBT advocacy group that worked closely with Moreno, Chick-fil-A executives "clarified that they will no longer give to anti-gay organizations."

A Chick-fil-A spokeswoman declined to comment, forwarding a statement the company made in July.

"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect ?regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," the statement reads. "Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."

Earlier this year, Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A president and chief operating officer, said in a radio interview that "we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.'

"I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about."

In an interview with the Baptist Press, Cathy doubled down on his stance against same-sex unions.

"Guilty as charged," he said. "We are very much supportive of the family?the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."

The comments sparked protests and counter-protests at Chick-fil-A stores.

The company, founded by Dan's father, Truett Cathy, in 1946, has a history of "unapologetic social conservatism," as the Daily Caller put it. All 1,608 of its stores are closed on Sundays, a day of rest for most Christians.

The WinShape Foundation gave $3.2 million to groups that advocate against same-sex marriage between 2008 and 2010, according to ABC News.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chick-fil-funding-anti-gay-groups-175154249.html

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FDA urged to set standards for arsenic in rice

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Consumer groups are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to set federal guidance on allowable levels of arsenic in rice, prompting the agency to study the issue and consider possible new standards.

So far, FDA officials say they have found no evidence that suggests rice is unsafe to eat. The agency is in the middle of conducting a study of 1,200 samples of grocery store rice products ? short and long-grain rice, cereals, drinks and even rice cakes ? to measure arsenic levels.

Arsenic is thought to be found in rice in higher levels than most other foods because it is grown in water on the ground, optimal conditions for the contaminant to be absorbed in the rice. There are no federal standards for how much arsenic is allowed in food.

Arsenic is naturally present in water, air, food and soil in two forms, organic and inorganic. According to the FDA, organic arsenic passes through the body quickly and is essentially harmless. Inorganic arsenic -? the type found in some pesticides and insecticides ? can be toxic and may pose a cancer risk if consumed at high levels or over a long period.

How much organic and inorganic arsenic rice eaters are consuming, and whether those levels are dangerous, still remains to be seen.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says consumers shouldn't stop eating rice, though she does encourage a diverse diet just in case.

"Our advice right now is that consumers should continue to eat a balanced diet that includes a wide variety of grains ? not only for good nutrition but also to minimize any potential consequences from consuming any one particular food," she said.

The agency on Wednesday released 200 of the expected 1,200 samples after Consumers Union, publisher of the magazine Consumer Reports, released its own study and called for federal standards for arsenic in rice. The FDA will not complete its study until the end of the year, Hamburg said, and cannot draw any conclusions from the results until then.

Both studies show relatively similar levels of arsenic in rice. The FDA's analysis showed average levels of 3.5 to 6.7 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per serving, while Consumer Reports found levels up to 8.7 micrograms. The FDA released 200 samples, while Consumer Reports tested 223.

It is almost impossible to say how dangerous these levels are without a benchmark from the federal government. Consumer Reports uses New Jersey's drinking water standard ? a maximum of 5 micrograms in a liter of water ? as comparison because it is one of the strictest in the country. But it is unclear how accurate it is to compare arsenic levels in water and arsenic levels in rice ? most people consume more water than rice, so drinking water standards may need to be tougher.

It is because of this uncertainty that groups like Consumers Union have urged the FDA to set a standard.

Urvashi Rangan of Consumers Union says the group is not trying to alarm rice eaters and parents feeding their children rice, but to educate them so they can diversify their diets. Consumers should be more protected since arsenic is a known carcinogen, she said.

"It doesn't make sense not to have standards for rice," she said.

The Consumers Union study found higher levels of arsenic in brown rice than white rice, a result of how the two different types are processed. It also found higher levels in rice produced in Southern U.S. states than in rice from California or Asia.

Hamburg cautioned that neither the FDA nor Consumers Union had tested enough samples to be certain of any trend.

"These are very few samples and there is great variability in the levels," she said.

The consumer group's push on arsenic in rice comes a year after it pressured the FDA to define standards for arsenic in apple juice. Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods, said Tuesday that the agency had completed that assessment and would be making recommendations soon. The levels found in apple juice are low, he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-urged-set-standards-arsenic-rice-100545079--finance.html

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Verizon CFO buries his head in the sand, claims unlimited data is 'going by the wayside'

"La la la la. I can't hear you." Verizon's CFO, Fran Shammo, might've just as well made those comments with his hands firmly cupped over his ears, as the firm's chief number cruncher told attendees at today's Goldman Sachs investor conference, "Unlimited is just a word, it doesn't really mean anything." While Sprint and T-Mobile would certainly take issue with that statement, Shammo then dug the hole deeper by saying, "That whole unlimited thing, I think, is going by the wayside." These comments were made in the context of Shammo playing up the carrier's shared data plans, wherein he explained his belief that consumers "think they consume a lot more data than they really do." Shammo also revealed that Verizon has converted more subscribers and devices over to the new scheme than it'd initially anticipated.

Naturally, change within any industry takes time, but now that Sprint is in a position to offer unlimited data at a meaningful speed and T-Mobile has climbed aboard the bandwagon, Verizon may have to change its tune if a significant number of consumers decide that unlimited isn't dead after all. You can view the entire transcript at the source link below, but consider this: would you take unlimited plans into consideration when shopping between carriers, or is Mr. Shammo right that consumers really don't use that much data? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile