Wayne Theatre Alliance to celebrate grand opening of new Gateway
The Wayne Theatre Alliance announced the ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new entertainment center, The Gateway, at 329 West Main in downtown Waynesboro on Friday, August 5 at 10 a.m. The public is invited for a first look at the new venue.
The ribbon-cutting will include the members of the Wayne Theatre Alliance, Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc. the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce, local dignitaries and supporters of WTA.
The Gateway will seat up to 140. The double tiered stage, lighting and sound systems will make the Gateway an ideal space for a variety of entertainments and educational programming. The space will have its own box office and concession areas and a large meeting room at the rear.
The Gateway will open on Aug. 6th with a potpourri of talents, including comedy and classical, folk, and jazz music. Ivy Rowe, a one-woman performance by Barbara Smith, will occupy the space on Friday, August 12, as part of the Mountain Music Festival. The River City Radio Hour return for its fourth season on Friday, August 19 followed by Orquestra Tropikiima on Saturday, August 20. The first month ends on Friday, August 26 with Comedy Tonight.
Chris DeWald: Stroke and emotional changes
Hello, my friends and also my religious enemies. What a way to start an article besides with friends. Seems I made some religious enemies from my article on melanoma, and my immediate reaction was not favorable. That shall be revealed later, but is relevant to how we as stroke survivors deal with complex emotions.
According to one source, http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/showthread.php?t=20421
What is Emotional Lability?
Emotional lability is the term used when someone is more emotional and/or has difficulty controlling their emotions. It can happen with many neurological conditions and often happens after a stroke. Some people describe feeling as though all their emotions are “much nearer the surface” or more exaggerated after their stroke. For example some people may become upset more easily, or cry at things they would not have cried at before their stroke. Their emotional response is in line with their feelings, but is much stronger than before the stroke. For other people the symptoms can be more exaggerated, and some people find that they cry for little or no reason. Less commonly, people laugh rather than cry, but again the emotion is out of place and does not match how they are feeling at the time.
What causes emotional lability?
Emotional lability is caused by the damage done by the stroke. Chemical changes within the brain can cause psychological and emotional changes. Frequently, difficulties with swallowing and tongue movements coincide with emotional lability. If this is the case a Speech and Language Therapist may help to accurately identify emotional lability.
Here I am again !!! Now that I just provided you one term, the following information is more prevalent. http://www.tree.com/health/stroke-emotions.aspx
Surprises Stroke Emotional Aspects: Depression, Anger?
Having a stroke causes emotional difficulties for both the patient and family members. Anger and anxiety are common responses to the permanent limitations and loss of independence caused by a stroke. Further, the slow and sometimes tedious pace of rehabilitation can cause lack of motivation that, if left unchecked can develop into depression.
This is not just out of facts, I had it. The anger was mean and powerful. Being told I could not be employed anymore at 50 years old was impossible. Being told I was lucky I was saved for a reason and should be dead was not a compromise. Telling yourself, This was not true, and in a week all will be well, did not come about. I confirm the first part of this article.
Personality Type and Stroke
Surprisingly, personality type plays a large role in stroke rehabilitation. People who react well to stress, control anxiety, and are generally optimistic about life before a stroke are most likely to react well to life after the stroke. People whose personality type makes them prone to anger, anxiety, or depression, or who lack motivation usually find stroke rehabilitation difficult and discouraging.
On the other hand, personality type is vulnerable to change after a stroke. While any stroke victim is at risk of depression, sudden signs of anger, anxiety, and uncontrolled crying in people who were previously adept at handling stress may indicate that the stroke has caused a personality change.
Lack of Motivation and Signs of Depression
Stroke rehabilitation can be slow, painful and frustrating. When stroke survivors do not see the improvements they hope for, they are more likely to lose motivation. Lack of motivation is a normal reaction to setbacks. However, when a lack of motivation persists and impairs progress in rehabilitation or if the lack of motivation spreads to other areas of life, it may indicate depression.
Signs of depression in stroke survivors should be reported to health care professionals as soon as possible. If depression is left untreated, stroke survivors may become suicidal.
Signs of depression include
•lack of motivation
•increase or decrease in appetite
•sadness
•fatigue
•memory difficulties
•personality changes
•sexual problems
•suicidal thoughts
•insomnia
•feeling “hopeless
Now, this list is fine, I feel, as a general rule. But as a “stroker,” I did not have lack of motivation. I wanted to get back to work … and you, as a stroke survivor, will get busted by a neuropsychologist if you try to lie yourself on a work release. I did lie, and that is not good. An Increase or decrease of appetite occurs? Hello, hospital jello stinks. Had a brain stem injury? Enjoy liquid IV fluids. Have sadness? Really? You just lost half your body somewhere. You can see where I am headed. I feel these are normal serious stroke reactions. So bring them anyway to your physician’s attention. Tell your caregiver, they need to know from you.
Anger, Anxiety, and Depression in Caregivers
Anger, anxiety, and signs of depression are common in caregivers as well as stroke patients. The restrictions and changes to routine and family life can cause frustration and anxiety in any family member. A stroke patient whose personality tends towards anger and depression, or whose personality changes radically, can leave caregivers feeling angry and resentful. This anger at times turns into guilt (“How can I be angry at him? He’s the one who’s sick . . . “), which can result in increased stress and depression.
See that, caregivers. You deserve a hand and lots of praise.
Time To Share
They mystery feelings I had when I began this article shall now be revealed. I was not the only one to be singled out by a person or people that I now forgive. I thought you readers should see what is out there as food for thought.
There was this first strike at me. I want to warn the readers. The article can be highly offensive. It contains pictures that may be offensive. It also contains racial hatred.
http://collectiveunderground.wordpress.com/category/chris-dewald/
They even photoshopped my melanoma.
Was I alone? The answer is no, and they struck out at a deceased young lady also.
http://andgodmadelight.blogspot.com/
This stroker went through all the emotions mentioned. I contacted via e-mail every form of government, state and federal, as I felt that no person should be subjected to this agenda. Tax-exempt status? Good Morning, America … I love you, readers, and I do forgive them. I just wish the government had a set.
A set of what? Sorry, I am a forgiving man.
Column by Chris DeWald
20th century presidency class among OLLI offerings
The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum (WWPL) is pleased to partner with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Virginia (OLLI at UVA) to present “Late 20th Century Presidents and Their Families: Personal Observations and Reflections,” a three-meeting class taught by WWPL President and CEO Don W. Wilson beginning in October at the Presidential Library. Dr. Wilson is former Archivist of the United States and leader of several federal Presidential Libraries, in addition to the WWPL. The class is one of 13 courses OLLI at UVA will offer in Staunton during the fall session, which begins in September. OLLI is also offering 52 classes in Charlottesville this fall.
In the Presidency course, Dr. Wilson will provide participants with first-hand observations of the U.S. Presidents from President Eisenhower to President George W. Bush and their immediate family members. The class will meet at the Presidential Library on three consecutive Monday afternoons, from October 24 through November 7, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
OLLI at UVA brings together people from various backgrounds who share a common interest in learning and intellectual stimulation. Formed in association with the University of Virginia in 2001, the Institute was inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s own deeply-held belief in, and practice of, education as a lifelong enterprise which invigorates the mind and enriches life. OLLI expanded to the Shenandoah Valley in 2010. All classes except the Presidency class will meet at the R.R Smith Center for History and Art in Staunton or the Lifetime Education Building at Augusta Health in Fishersville. Students can take up to four classes for $100.00.
A Kansas native, Dr. Wilson received his undergraduate degree from Washburn University and his Masters and Ph.D. in American History from the University of Cincinnati. He served as Historian and Deputy Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, Associate Director of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and first Director of the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Michigan. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Dr. Wilson as the seventh Archivist of the United States. He was confirmed by the United States Senate, and held the position until 1993. As Archivist, Dr. Wilson oversaw the National Archives and Records Administration, which has custody of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation. From 1993 to 1999, as the Executive Director of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, Dr. Wilson was responsible for the establishment and development of that presidential library, which opened in 1997. During his service at these presidential libraries, Dr. Wilson served as a history professor at Kansas State University, the University of Michigan, Washburn University, and Texas A&M University.
For more information about and to register for the Presidency class and all of the OLLI at UVA classes, see the website at www.olliuva.org, or call or email OLLI at (877) 861-9207 or olliuva@virginia.edu. For more information about the WWPL, see the website at www.woodrowwilson.org or call or email the WWPL (540) 885-0897 or info@woodrowwilson.org.
P-Nats salvage finale
The Potomac Nationals supported a solid start from Cameron Selik with six runs on eleven hits on Sunday night in Winston-Salem to salvage the series finale 6-3. Jeff Kobernus and Destin Hood contributed three hits apiece, Steven Souza drove in a pair of runs and a pair of bullpen arms shut down the Dash to close down the victory.
For the first time in the series, the Nationals took a lead in the first inning. Francisco Soriano doubled to left field to open the game; Kobernus then singled before Hood walked to load the bases. After Dash starter Santos Rodriguez struck out Brian Peacock, Souza hit a sacrifice fly to center to put Potomac ahead 1-0. Rodriguez escaped further damage and the Nats stranded a pair.
Seilik allowed two-out doubles in each of the first two innings, but worked around them both to set an early tone. Rodriguez, meanwhile, had to leave the ballgame in the second inning with an apparent arm injury. Stephen Sauer held Potomac off the scoreboard for an inning and two thirds.
Potomac doubled their lead in the fourth when Jose Lozada hit a home run to right field – it was his second homer of the season and welcomed J.R. Ballinger, the third Dash pitcher, to the game.
Dash catcher Kevin Dubler shone throughout the middle innings to keep Winston-Salem within striking distance. In the third, he threw behind Souza at first base to pick him off and end the inning – and he did it again to end the fourth, nailing Soriano.
In the fifth the Nats doubled their lead, and Kobernus and Hood were the spark plugs. After Kobernus singled, he stole second and scored on Hood’s single to left. Souza then doubled to left field to score Hood and push Potomac ahead 4-0.
Dubler’s one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth sparked the only offense of the evening for Winston. Austin Yount then singled to left before Dan Wagner grounded out. With two outs, Tyler Saladino continued his mastery of Potomac with a two-run single that made it 4-2. Saladino has five of his 14 home runs in 2011 against the Nationals and 14 of his 35 RBI against Potomac.
Splendid defense kept it a 4-2 game. In the seventh inning, Potomac put runners at the corners with one out. Souza hit a fly ball to right field, and Kobernus tagged from third. Juan Silverio fired a bullet home and Dubler lunged to the plate to tag out the Nats’ second baseman.
In the bottom half of the inning, Yount doubled with one out. After Wagner grounded out, Saladino again came to the plate. He hit a hard grounder over the third base bag. Lozada made a headlong dive, sprung to his feet and gunned out Saladino to preserve the two-run edge.
Joe Testa relieved Selik in the sixth and got two quick outs, then retired the Dash in the seventh. In the eighth, he allowed a one-out walk to Andy Wilkins. Hector Nelo was brought on, and his wild pitch moved Wilkins to third. Ian Gac hit a sacrifice fly to right field that trimmed the lead to one at 4-3.
The Nationals benefited from three Winston-Salem errors in the top of the ninth and plated two unearned runs that made it 6-3. Nelo then worked around a one-out walk to earn his 13th save.
Potomac heads to Wilmington and opens a four-game set on Monday night. Adam Olbrychowski takes the mound against Michael Mariot at 7 P.M.
Norfolk makes it two in a row over Braves
The Norfolk Tides made it two-straight against the Gwinnett Braves Sunday night at Harbor Park with a 3-1 win in front of 4,944 fans.
Ryan Adams delivered the big hit in the second of two games. The second baseman got a hold of an Anthony Varvaro offering and put it just over the wall in right field for a tie-breaking, two-run homer. Varvaro had just entered the game in relief of starter Steven Shell.
Rick VandenHurk (6-12, 4.71) ended his season-high five-game losing streak by tossing 6.0 innings of five-hit, one-run baseball. The righty from the Netherlands struck out four and walked two before giving the ball to newcomer Zach Phillips. His only blemish came in the 3rd inning when he gave up consecutive doubles to Jeff Fiorentino and Wilkin Castillo to leadoff the frame.
Shell (2-2, 2.80) took the loss despite not giving up the game-winning hit. Pitching in a spot start, he lasted 4.1 innings and was charged with two runs on six hits. He served up a ground rule double to Matt Angle with one out in the 5th inning before exiting in favor of Varvaro. Angle came around to score on the Adams home run.
Angle continued his impressive stretch. After going 3-for-5 in the first game Sunday night, the outfielder went 3-for-3 in game two. He is now hitting .418 (33-for-79) over his past 18 games with the Tides.
Jake Fox put the Tides on the board in the 1st inning with an RBI single that scored Kyle Hudson.
Phillips, making his Tides debut after being acquired on July 19 from Texas for Nick Green, tossed a scoreless 7th inning to earn the save.
The victory gave the Tides consecutive wins for the first time since July 2nd and 3rd against Charlotte.
The Tides will go for their first four-game series win since taking 3-of-4 from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre June 28 – July 1 tomorrow. RH Chris Tillman (3-3, 4.17) will take the ball opposite RH Erik Cordier (3-6, 5.13). First pitch is scheduled for 7:15.
UVa. football: Bowl or bust
The goal for Virginia football in 2011: a bowl game. And it seems in reach. The preseason preview mags seem to have the Cavs in the right place, at a projected six to seven wins, to be in bowl contention. For a program that hasn’t been to the postseason since 2007-2008, no bowl game can be too insignificant.
“I feel like you haven’t had the full experience of college football without going to a bowl game. So that’s where we’ve set our minds on – at least six wins this year,” said redshirt senior wide receiver Kris Burd, who as a true freshman in 2007-2008 was on the team that represented the ACC in the Gator Bowl.
Burd, in his redshirt year, didn’t play in the game, but along with Chase Minnfield, a senior cornerback who also made that trip to Jacksonville, there are veterans in the locker room who can tell the younger guys what it takes to get to the postseason.
“We tell them, You can’t just come into the locker room and switch it on. You have to live – everything you do has to be focused on making yourself better, focused on winning,” Burd said at today’s ACC Football Kickoff.
The bottom line: The vets aren’t going to settle for anything less than a bowl bid and call 2011 a success.
“We’re going to a bowl game. Do what you got to do to get us there, because that’s where we’re going. This is my last season, and we’ve got to do it. If you’re not on board, we’ve just got to leave you behind,” Burd said.
***
Minnfield is being projected as a possible late-first round pick in next year’s NFL draft. He isn’t all that focused on what the draft gurus have to say about him right now in that respect.
“It doesn’t really mean much to me. I mean, I hear about it just because of the social media and agents trying to contact me. But it doesn’t really mean anything. They only remember what you did last, so if you have a bad season, it doesn’t mean anything,” Minnifield said.
***
Remember all the talk heading into 2010 about how UVa. was going to seamlessly transition from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3? Minnifield conceded that it wasn’t at all easy.
“I think we underestimated how much of an effect it was going to be, and because of it, we gave up a lot of big plays,” Minnfield said.
It wasn’t as much a challenge for Minnifield at corner, but for the line, the backers and the safeties it was a sea change.
“I could see the adjustments for my linebackers struggling, my D-line struggling. The run fence and the pass fence are different. Think of a safety – a safety doesn’t even play in the box when they’re in the 3-4. When they’re in the 4-3, if they move down to outside linebacker, they’re the main run fence. That’s a big difference for somebody. It’s a different technique for how to take on blocks. It’s a different technique on how to read the run,” Minnifield said.
And so heading into 2011 …
“I think we’re gaining confidence, and we’re gaining strides in that department,” Minnifield said. “I thought we played hard all year. It was just that our experience with what we were doing was limited. We didn’t have much practice time at it, we didn’t have much game time at it for the people playing new positions.”
Reporting, videos and audio by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at augustafreepress2@gmail.com.
Gas prices back on the rise
Temperatures weren’t the only thing on the rise throughout the Mid-Atlantic region this week. After dipping down to a low of $3.54/gallon on June 30 (following an early-May peak of $3.98/gallon), gas prices continued their upward climb for the third straight week. The national average for regular grade gasoline rose to $3.70 Friday, up 3 cents from last week, up 7 cents from a month ago and 98 cents higher than prices a year ago. Despite recent gains, gas prices remain 41 cents below the all-time record high of $4.11/gallon set in July 2008.
Crude oil crossed the $100/barrel threshold during trading on Thursday before settling slightly below the triple-digit mark, an impressive comeback after the commodity tumbled more than 20 percent between the end of April and the end of June on the heels of disappointing global economic news. At its highest level in about a month, crude oil has responded positively to positive developments in the Greek debt crisis and movement in the debate over extending the U.S. debt ceiling by the August 2 deadline. In addition to a weak U.S. dollar, crude oil was also supported by some signs that U.S. economic recovery has begun showing signs of strength, with jobless claims in line with expectations and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s economic index for July rose to 3.2 – above the forecast from economists and marking an impressive rebound from a negative reading last month. Crude oil closed the week at $99.87 Friday, a six-week high.
In its weekly report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed crude stocks dropped 3.7 million barrels to 351.7 million barrels. Gasoline stocks rose 800,000 barrels to 212.5 million barrels. Gasoline demand for the past week was flat, up 12,000 barrels per day (bpd) t 9.028 million bpd. The four-week average for gasoline demand remained 2.2 percent behind the same time last year.
“Motorists filling up their tanks this week were faced with a double whammy – excessive heat and rising gas prices,” said Martha M. Meade, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “As temperatures reached triple-digits in many areas, gas prices rose for the third straight week, a one-two punch as the summer driving season moves into its second half. Analysts continue to believe gas prices will remain below $4 per gallon in the near-term, barring any unforeseen natural or economic event, ranging from $3.50 to $3.75 over the next month.”
Oil prices may gain some clarity over the next few weeks as a number of issues start to be resolved. One of the first is the Greek debt crisis (a settlement was tentatively reach last week and proved to advance crude oil prices briefly above the $100/barrel mark.) The larger European sovereign debt issue remains, as well as resolution of the U.S. debt crisis, both of which will impact currency values and hence the price of oil. Also China used less crude oil in June than anytime in the past nine months but why this happened is the subject of some debate that may be clarified soon. China’s government has been raising interest rates to curb inflation and some argue this will lessen oil demand. Whether or not crude oil remains in its recent $90 to $100/barrel range remains to be seen, but some analysts believe only two things can knock the commodity out of this range – a hurricane headed to the U.S. Gulf Coast or August 2 comes and there’s no agreement on the U.S. debt ceiling.
Hokies ready to make another ACC title run?
It’s fourth-and-four. Danny Coale has just caught a pass over the middle and been flattened to the ground by a linebacker.
Normally a wide receiver does everything he can do to drag himself off the field so the punt unit can do its thing. But Coale, a senior from Lexington, might very well be the punter for Virginia Tech this fall.
So, Danny, what’s the call?
“Go for it,” Coale said, smiling, at today’s ACC Football Kickoff in Pinehurst, N.C.
Coale isn’t set at punter just yet, but he is battling for the number-one spot on the depth chart. The pending fall camp competition hasn’t come at the expense of what Coale needs to do to get ready at wide receiver – not yet.
“I’ve probably run more routes offseason than I ever have. And on top of that I’m doing some punting, too. So it hasn’t taken away from my wide-receiver duties yet. It’s just something a little bit extra that I’ve had to practice,” Coale said.
As for the scenario involving him having to get up after making a tough catch and having to go punt, Coale said “those are situations we’re not really going to know until game time.”
***
We asked Coale about the change in quarterback necessitated by the graduation of NFL-bound Tyrod Taylor, who had started at signal-caller at Virginia Tech since midway through his true-freshman year.
Logan Thomas, a 6-6, 245-pound physical specimen, takes over for the more lithe 6-1, 205-pound Taylor. The differences are as keen as the differences between Taylor and the man he unseated for the quarterback job, 6-4, 225-pound Sean Glennon.
“It’s going to look different. It’s kind of weird to think about. It’s the first time in three years that it’s going to be drastically different,” Coale said.
A writer asked Coale if it was fair that people assume that Thomas will walk in and be an elite-level quarterback from day one.
“He’s going to be a really great quarterback for Virginia Tech when it’s all said and done. Is he going to have some bumps along the way? Sure, everyone has. Everybody’s had those games. His approach is right. His athletic ability, the ability to play quarterback, they’re all there. He’s definitely going to have some bumps along the way, but when it’s all said and done, he’s going to be pretty good,” Coale said.
***
As the starting free safety, Eddie Whitley is the quarterback of the Virginia Tech defense. Whitley admittedly had a tough go of it in Tech’s 40-12 loss to Stanford in the Orange Bowl in January. With several players playing out of position due to a rash of late-season injuries, Whitley was spending as much time trying to direct teammates to their proper positioning in Bud Foster’s defensive schemes as he was trying to figure out and stop what Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh were trying to do to pick the Hokies apart.
A solid spring has Whitley feeling much more comfortable heading into his senior season.
“Just getting more comfortable making plays. When the ball’s in the air, looking at it like it’s mine,” Whitley said in response to a question on his focus heading into the fall.
“Last year I was more – I’d try to hit the receiver, try to knock it out, put him out, things like that. Coach (Torrian) Gray got on me a little bit, saying, Your tackling is good, your leadership is good, but you need to make more plays.”
Reporting and videos by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at augustafreepress2@gmail.com.
P-Nats rally falls short at Winston-Salem
The Potomac Nationals scored six unanswered runs to nearly overcome a 9-2 deficit, but their rally stalled one run short in a 9-8 defeat Saturday night in Winston-Salem. The Nationals blasted four home runs and had more than twice as many hits as the Dash in the ballgame, but three decisive hits were the Key for Winston-Salem in the victory that locked up a series win at BB&T Ballpark.
Both starting pitchers – Paul Demny for the Nationals and Joe Serafin for the Dash – got rocked. Demny lasted just four innings, allowing nine runs on five hits, two of which were massive home runs. Serafin, meanwhile, was staked to a 9-2 lead by the 4th inning but could not make it out of the sixth. He allowed seven earned runs on nine hits (including four homers), walked two and struck out none.
Three hits proved the difference in the game for Winston-Salem. In the first inning, Juan Silerio’s one-out, bases-loaded triple pushed the Dash in front 4-0. They had scored their first run on Ian Gac’s double to left field . Silverio scored on Nick Ciolli’s sacrifice fly one pitch later and Winston was ahead 5-0 after the first.
In the third, Gac hit a mammoth two-run home run to center field that made it 7-1. Potomac had nabbed a run back in the top of the inning when Jeff Kobernus hit a home run to left field.
After the Nationals got a run in the top of the fourth on Cutter Dykstra’s RBI single to right field – which was the Nats’ third straight two-out single – Winston got what would proved to be the winning hit in the bottom half. With one out and Dan Wagner at first, Tyler Saladino hit a bomb to left that gave Winston-Salem a 9-2 edge. It was Saladino’s 14th homer of the season, 5 of which have come against Potomac.
From then on, the Nationals began to chip away – and used the big fly to do it. In the fifth, Kobernus hit another deep blast to left field that trimmed the lead to five. Destin Hood then rocked the next pitch nearly out of the stadium in left field to make it 9-5.
Steven Souza led off the sixth inning with a home run to right-center, his first homer since May 24. Souza had two hits earlier in the game, and was retired just once in five trips to the plate.
After Cutter Dykstra walked, Serafin was lifted from the game. Eury Perez singled on a chopper over the mound to put runners at first and second with no outs. Francisco Soriano sacrificed them into scoring position, and Dykstra scored on a wild pitch by Orlando Santos, who had relieved Serafin. After Santos walked Kobernus, he struck out hood to end the threat and keep the Dash ahead 9-7.
Things got interesting in the seventh inning. Santos threw behind the head of Souza and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Matt Jones. Jones had not issued a warning in the fourth when Demny threw behind Mitchell just one pitch after Saladino’s home run. Dash manager Julio Vinas was incensed, argued vehemently and was ejected.
Potomac drew within a run in the eighth. Dykstra and Perez singled to open the inning and put runners at the corners. Soriano then bunted beautilly down the first base side to score Dykstra and move Perez to second. But Ryan Kussmaul – brought on when Santos was ejected – struck out Kobernus and got Hood to ground out to end the threat. On the night, the Nationals were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
The Nats rallied again with two outs in the ninth. Sandy Leon singled to center and Souza walked, but Taylor Thompson got a groundout from Dykstra and earned his tenth save.
Potomac looks to snap a three-game slide and salvage the series finale on Sunday at 5 P.M. Cameron Selik takes the mound for the Nationals against Santos Rodriguez.
Lynchburg hangs on to knock off Salem
The Hillcats offense took off behind a dominant pitching performance for Chris Masters. Lynchburg racked up 15 hits, scoring seven runs, while Masters allowed just one run over six innings. The Hillcats beat the Red Sox 7-3 avoiding the sweep in Salem.
Marcus Lemon doubled to lead of the top of the first inning. He reached third base on an Andrelton Simmons bunt single, and came around to score when Salem’s starter Stolmy Pimentel threw a ball past his first baseman on a pick off. For the third straight night in Salem, the Hillcats took the lead in the first.
This time Lynchburg was able to hang on, expanding their lead in the sixth. Four hits, two hit batters, and a walk brought 10 batters to the plate in the inning as the ‘Cats put four runs on the board.
Masters, who had held the Red Sox scoreless for the first five innings enjoyed a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. A pair of doubles broke up the shutout and Masters called it a night after six strong frames, leaving with a 5-1 lead.
Lemon and the Hillcats struck again in the eighth inning. L.V. Ware doubled to lead off the inning, and Lemon singled him home. The Hillcats would load the bases in the inning before an infield single for Christian Bethancourt scored Lemon from third for their seventh and final run. Lemon finished the night 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
LHP Ryan Buchter entered the game in the ninth for the HIllcats with a 7-1 lead. His first batter singled. Then, Matt Spring homered over the center field wall cutting the lead to four. A walk and a single later, Salem had he tying run stepping into the on-deck circle with nobody out. Buchter settled down to strikeout Peter Hissey and induce a game-ending 6-4-3 double play and the Hillcats won 7-3.
Masters(6-5) earned the win for Lynchburg, while Pimentel (0-3) suffered the loss allowing just one unearned run through three innings of work.
The Hillcats improved to 10-19 in the second half, while the Red Sox fell to 13-16.
Lynchburg is off Sunday before continuing their current road trip in Myrtle Beach on Monday at 7:05 pm. The Hillcats are 3-4 through the first seven games of the trip, with four coming up against the Pelicans Monday through Thursday.
Kaine, Allen talk debt ceiling
George Allen sees the debt-ceiling issue as “leverage” for Republicans heading into the 2012 elections. Tim Kaine has raised issue with Allen on that stance, and on Friday Kaine offered a statement of support for Senate Democrats for their 51-46 party-line vote rejecting the so-called “Cut, Cap and Balance” plan that passed the Republican House earlier this week.
“I applaud the Senate’s rejection of the Republicans ‘All Cuts, No Balance’ legislation,” said Kaine, a Democrat and former governor and presumptive Democratic Party nominee to run for Virginia’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2012.
Allen, also a former governor, is the frontrunner for the Republican Senate nomination in 2012. Allen has offered consistent support for GOP efforts at brinksmanship on the debt-ceiling issue. President Obama and congressional Democratic Party leaders have raised the spectre of the federal government going into default if the debt limit isn’t raised by an Aug. 2 deadline.
Economists have suggested that the absence of a congressional agreement on raising the debt ceiling could also have disastrous effects on the U.S. economy.
“In 11 days, our country will reach its legal debt limit and, absent action in Washington, we will face drastic and lasting economic consequences. It’s time for Washington to put aside ideology-driven legislation like the “All Cuts, No Balance” proposal and do what is right for our nation: raise the debt ceiling to allow government to pay our bills and work toward a balanced approach to reducing spending and reducing the deficit,” Kaine said.
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Sanford D. Horn: Should the obese fatten the government budget?
Posted on July 25, 2011 · 2 Comments
Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston and Lindsey Murtagh, an attorney and researcher with Harvard’s School of Public Health, want to extract obese children from their homes and away from their parents for a government intervention.
Ludwig and Murtagh want to place these children in foster care, as if that system is without fault. Should the anorexic be removed from their homes as well? How about the bulimic? How about those with ADHD? What about children who refuse to study? Where should the line be drawn?
This is the same government running a perpetually failing postal system, AMTRAK, motor vehicle departments and public schools at federal, state and local levels. This is another example of an overreaching government exerting their kung-fu grip on the American people. The continuing notion that government can better raise our children should put fear in our hearts and minds not unlike that of Nazi Germany.
Government is partially responsible for the rise in childhood obesity. Examine the fat-laden school lunches and now breakfasts shoved down the throats of low-income students. How many schools have eliminated physical education, extra-curricular sports and other exercise-based activities in the name of budget cuts? Society will pay the piper regarding the rising cost of health care and dependency upon Medicare and Medicaid.
Also consider the numerous teens unable to secure part-time and/or summer employment. The overrun of illegal aliens storming our borders to “do the jobs Americans won’t do,” the oft-repeated mantra of many turning a blind eye to the epidemic of illegal immigration, keeps ever-fattening teens on the couch.
Make no mistake; parents also must carry the weight of irresponsibility for stuffing their children with fast food and allowing them to lounge around playing video games or enjoying faux lives on-line.
Here’s an idea for a job creator: parenting school. Folks need licenses to drive, teach, work as accountants, electricians and plumbers, but not the most vital of all jobs – parenting.
Yes, the American people have a collective obesity problem, but so too does the government who instead of cutting its own fat, wants to add more bureaucracy and spend more money it does not have on programs that will ultimately fail like their numerous predecessors. Stop spending tax-payer money on public school diversity manuals as in Nebraska and get the children into the gym.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with david ludwig, obese children, obesity, sanford d. horn