We are just under a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to their respective spring training camps. Right now, however, these camps are quiet. Not a creature stirring, not even a mouse. Well, with one exception. Francisco Cervelli has already reported to Tampa to get a head start on making a big league run this year with the Yankees. Cervelli’s chances of becoming the club’s primary catcher are pretty good coming into camp. If the Yankees continue to look internally for the solution to their vacant catcher position, the options are Cervelli, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine.
None of theses options are what you would call “sexy.” But I have always loved Cervelli’s intensity and heart. He plays with a fire that most guys don’t have. Romine is young and calls a very good game. His hitting is not where the organization hoped it would be. He was improving a great deal until he hurt his back and missed most of the 2012 season. Chris Stewart isn’t a bad option but he is definitely not your starting catcher if I had any say. Come Opening Day, my two catchers would be Cervelli and Romine. Spring training will tell who gets the start on Opening Day.
As long as the Yankees stick to their plans of getting a righty outfielder/DH and don’t go get a catcher, the job is Cervelli’s to win. He has something to prove to himself and to this team. He’s looking to show everyone that he can help the big league club and not just as a back up. He told Bryan Hoch of Yankees.com that this is his dream opportunity and he’s not about to settle. It will be interesting to watch him in spring training. He’s a great team guy and he’s a fan favorite. I’m pulling for him.
Malik Obama, the step-brother of U.S. President Barack Obama, said he will run for governor of the western Kenyan county of Siaya, where he may face a sibling of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Obama, 54, will compete as an independent candidate during the March 4 national elections, he told a public gathering yesterday in Kogelo, about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of the capital, Nairobi. Obama, who shares the same father as the U.S. president, said he will use his relationship with his half- brother to address issues such as poverty and unemployment.
“Siaya county is facing a lot of problems from poor infrastructure to poverty due to bad leadership,” he said. “I will change this if elected.”
This is what the Republicans have been waiting for. With this news, they can now feel that their work in Congress is complete.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will testify Jan. 23 before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the deadly Sept. 11 assault on the U.S. mission in Libya.
That’s the word from Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the panel. He said in a statement late Monday that Clinton will answer questions about the raid that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi.
Clinton had been scheduled to testify last month but she suffered a concussion when she fell during an illness. She was later hospitalized with a blood clot in her head.
She’s also expected to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee around the same time as her House testimony. That date has not been announced by the committee.
Following the shooting in Sandy Hook where 20 children were slaughtered by a crazed gunman, the average American felt the need, the urge to do something… anything to make sure this never happens again. Everyone, except the NRA, who came out of hiding a few days later calling for more guns on the streets and in our schools.
And now this. Exactly one month to the day since the tragic events at Sandy Hook, the NRA has launched a new shoot-em-up video game, for kids 4 years old and up. The free version of the game comes with a regular handgun. But a bigger more powerful gun – the MK11 is available for a purchase price of $.99
One month ago we lost 26 innocent lives including 20 kids ages of 6 and 7 years old. According to the medical examiner’s report, each child was shot between 3 to 11 times. But that was a month ago. Today, the NRA is trying to sharpen up the aiming skills of 4 year olds.
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday warned Republicans against refusing to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, calling such talk “irresponsible” and “absurd” and saying it would set off an economic crisis and financial hardship.
“They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy,” Mr. Obama said during his final news conference of his first term in office. “The full faith and credit of the United States of America is not a bargaining chip.”
The president repeated his vow to seek what he called a “balanced” approach to reduce the nation’s deficit during the months ahead. But he said he would not negotiate on the debt ceiling, and he said Republicans in Congress would be responsible for the effects of a refusal to raise it.
“It would be a self-inflicted wound on the economy,” Mr. Obama said. “It would slow down our growth and tip us into recession. To even entertain the idea of this happening is irresponsible. It’s absurd.”
He added: “America cannot afford another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they’ve already racked up.”
Commuters from all over the world removed their pants on January 13th and took a trip on the subway. Why? Who knows. But this yearly trend is being done in cities near and far, including New York, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Lisbon, London, Milan, Paris, New Orleans, etc., etc., etc.,
Capricorns can have a dark frame of mind that sometimes gets stuck on achieving goals. So what is it that is so intriguing about them? While befriending a Capricorn isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, her witty, sarcastic humor is usually enough to keep people coming back for more of her company. Here are some ways to avoid rocky Capricorn’s rougher edges.
Approach a Capricorn with a certain amount of caution, and chances are he’ll trust you more. Be slower to open up and he will be comfortable doing the same with you at his own natural speed. Don’t spill all your most intimate secrets the first week you hang out. These folks are slow and steady and not interested in taking anything too fast.
Enjoy some fine dining and wining with your Capricorn friend. Capricorn is the sign of high rank and status, so they love indulging in the finer aspects of life when they can afford to.
Recognize that from time to time, your Capricorn friend might have a tendency to be melancholy or pessimistic. Her sometimes negative frames of mind can be shifted if you are clever enough and can employ some witty humor. Throw in some jokes about how things could be worse, or even how they couldn’t be worse. If you’re witty enough, it might be enough to bring a Capricorn out of her bad mood.
Understand that Capricorn can get stubbornly attached to her goals and become a workaholic. Being a friend of a Capricorn can take skill, because you need to be able to understand when to leave her alone, and when to put in the effort to pull her away from work and show her a little fun.
Demand as much from your Capricorn friend as he does of you. Capricorns can become overbearing and difficult to deal with sometimes; however they are willing to do their part and own up to your requests as a result of it. Frank, straightforward conversation is the best way to deal with making sure you both remain happy in your friendship.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell went on NBC’s Meet The Press today, and a discussion on today’s Republican party ensued.
During the interview, NBC’s David Gregory asked Powell why he continued to consider himself a Republican after supporting President Obama in 2008 and 2012 and taking moderate policy positions. Powell replied;
“I think the Republican Party right now is having an identity problem, and I am still a Republican,” Powell explained. “In recent years, there has been a significant shift to the right and we have seen what that shift has produced: two losing presidential campaigns.”
“When we see that in one more generation that the minorities of America — African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans — will be the majority of the country, you can’t go around saying, ‘We don’t want to have a solid immigration policy, we’re going to dismiss the 47 percent, we are going to make it hard for the minorities to vote,’ as they did in the last election.”
“There is also a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party. They still sort of look down on minorities. How can I evidence that? When I see [Palin] saying that the president is ‘shucking and jiving,’ that’s a racial-era slave term. When I see [Sununu] after the president’s first debate, where he didn’t do very well, says that the president was ‘lazy’ — he didn’t say he was slow, he was tired, he didn’t do well — he said he was lazy. Now, it may not mean anything to most Americans, but to those of use who are African Americans, the second word is ‘shiftless’ and there’s a third word that goes along with it.”
“Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party? I think the party has to take a look at itself. It has to take a look at it’s responsibilities for health care, it has to take a look at immigration, it has to take a look at those less fortunate than us.”
You will be welcomed in the Democratic party Mr. Powell. Come on over!
The Petition to deport CNN’s Piers Morgan gathered over 109,000 signatures, far more than the 25,000 required to get an official response from the White House. Well that response is finally here.
By Jay Carney
Thank you for participating in We the People to speak out on an issue that matters to you.
Let’s not let arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press — fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy. Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment — or any other matter of public concern.
We recognize that the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, sparked an intense, and at times emotional, national conversation about the steps we can take as a country to reduce gun violence. In fact, your petition is one of many on the issue, and President Obama personally responded by sharing his views on this important issue.
Look, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. This country has a strong tradition of gun ownership that’s been handed down from generation to generation. Obviously across the country there are regional differences. There are differences between how people feel in urban areas and rural areas. And the fact is the vast majority of gun owners in America are responsible — they buy their guns legally and they use them safely, whether for hunting or sport shooting, collection or protection.
But you know what, I am also betting that the majority — the vast majority — of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war. I’m willing to bet that they don’t think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas — that an unbalanced man shouldn’t be able to get his hands on a military-style assault rifle so easily; that in this age of technology, we should be able to check someone’s criminal records before he or she can check out at a gun show; that if we work harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one in Newtown — or any of the lesser-known tragedies that visit small towns and big cities all across America every day.
Jay Carney is White House Press Secretary
Alex Jones, the man who started the petition was invited on Morgan’s CNN show to discuss gun issues. It was an invite we’re sure Morgan regretted making. The show turned out to be an absolute disaster.
Larry Pratt, an advocate for the Gun Industry and Director of Gun Owners of America went on Fox News Sunday today and shot down the idea that background checks would result in less mass murders. Pratt also embraced the NRA’s suggestion that everyone should have a gun, when he said that gun-free zones are not the solution because it tells people with bad intent where to attack.
Larry Pratt
“I think it’s false security that somehow we’re going to stop problems, when there’s really no way to spot these problems,” Pratt said. “Some of the most horrendous mass murders that have happened recently — including the one in Newtown — would not have been stopped by a background check.”
“We’re wasting our time going in that direction when we should be talking about doing away with the gun-free zones, which have been so convenient and such a magnate to those who would come and slaughter lots of people knowing that there’s going to be nobody that’s legally able to defend themselves in these zones.”
“In fact, background checks wouldn’t have stopped most of these mass murders that have occurred… We got to face the reality that we’ve got to empower average people, including teachers and other people in schools to be able to defend themselves.”
This is not the first time Pratt has made these claims. He embraced the NRA’s favorite Congressman Rep Steve Stockman, who introduced a bill to repeal the gun free zone around schools. Stockman, representing Houston, is considered one of the most vocal gun advocates in Congress. In promoting his Safe School Act to end gun free zones, Stockman said;
“Not only have so-called ‘gun-free school zones’ proven to be anything but that, they appear to have placed our children in even greater danger. Co-sponsoring the Safe School Act is the first step toward protecting our children.”
“The time has come to end the deadly experiment of disarming peaceable, law-abiding citizens near schools.”
Steve Stockman and Larry Pratt
Yes, you cannot completely stop mass shootings but sensible gun laws including background checks and regulations on the size of a clip can make a difference. New York has some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation, but the last mass shooting in this state occurred in 1993, twenty years ago, when 35 year old Colin Ferguson boarded a Long Island Commuter train and opened fire. He fired 30 rounds, six people died and nineteen were injured.
Gun lovers would say if everyone on that train had a gun, Ferguson would not have killed so many people. That argument in itself makes no sense. One man fired 30 times in a crowded commuter train and killed six people. Imagine how many more would have died if everyone in that car had a gun and started shooting.
Apple is working on a “lower end” model of the iPhone in response to its declining position in the global smartphone market, according to a report.
The Wall Street Journal cites “people briefed on the matter” as saying that a cheaper version of the iPhone, often dubbed the “iPhone Mini”, could launch later this year.
Apple is known to have explored the launch of a less expensive iPhone for several years, but the Journal‘s sources say that the plans are now “progressing”.
They claim that the iPhone Mini could resemble a standard iPhone in design, but with a different and less expensive body.
For example, Apple could lower production costs for the device by using a different shell, such as polycarbonate plastic rather than the aluminium body in the iPhone 5.
Other parts could remain the same, or be “recycled from older iPhone models”, said the Journal‘s sources.
Kot damn! if I’m not feignin’ for more from the oh-so-fine MiguelJontel Pimentel. The young crooner, born October 23, 1985 (Scorpio, is it any wonder why there’s all that animal magnetism?) and performing under the mononym Miguel, is a recording artist, songwriter and producer who has all at once transcended his age and wisdom parameters with a stage presence that channels the likes of the R&B Giants: Marvin Gaye, James Brown, David Ruffin, Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson… and those are just the icons who’ve passed on! Both his “All I Want Is You” (Jive Records) and “Kaleidoscope Dream” (RCA Records) CDs are this eclectic music fan’s dream come true!
Thank goodness Miguel loves the live performance, but just watching the five-time Grammy nominated artist’s music videos will have you feeling his fire just as quickly! Check out this live rehearsal recording for ‘The Thrill’…
Miguel’s lyricism is sophisticated, magical and wildly enigmatic, along with his repertoire of skats, catcalls, murmurings, chants, grunts and shouts that punctuate all his songs. His,by now infectious,”WHA!” signals that he is in-the-building and lookin’ for some trouble!
Fascinating just to look at, with those big mischievous peepers, you just wanna reach out and smack his momma and papa (or maybe just shake their hands and congratulate them!)
And I told myself that I would not mention his height, but I’m gonna–only to reference the immense talent bundled in that compact, muscular frame! Talk about big things coming in small packages!
‘Do You…’, ‘Sure Thing’, ‘Pussy Is Mine’, ‘The Thrill’, ‘My Piece’, ‘Use Me’, ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’,’ How Many Drinks’, ‘Quickie’… Miguel gets away with saying shit to women that would get a guys’ ass kicked by their overly protective big brothers lol! I haven’t heard so much eclectic diversity from a recording artists’ musical innovations since Seal’s “Human Being” CD in 1998 (Warner Bros). That’s an eternity in music years! In contrast to Seal’s lovelorn, heart wrenching ballads, Mr. Pimentel sings with all the confidence and swagger of a dude that knows you’ll be back, but in the meantime…
And This Just In: Miguel has officially joined Alicia Keys’ “Set The World On Fire” Tourand will open shows across North America beginning this March. Oh, and you can bet these two will be setting off sparks together! I can’t wait! See if Miguel & Alicia will be in a city near you this spring by clicking here.
My bet is, if all goes according to his plans, Miguel will hit super-nova status by the time his third album hits the streets this year. And even then, as the modest singer states, “I’m running a marathon, man. I never wanted to be an artist that was just here for now; I’m here to create music that isn’t just a here and now thing. It’s rooted in emotion, and that’s what makes it timeless…There’s still a lot of discovery to be made, and there’s still a lot of growing.”
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By agreeing to this, we can analyze browsing behavior and unique IDs on this site. Declining or revoking consent may affect certain features.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
