Saturday, October 31, 2009

Yankees @ Phillies, 2009 World Series Game 3 LiveBlog @ Michael Holloway's BaseballBlogs



From: Yankees @ Phillies, 2009 World Series Game 3 LiveBlog @ Michael Holloway's BaseballBlogs

"Here we are, 'virtually' in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia and actually in Toronto. This LiveBlog is a new idea to me; I write - as it's happening, in real time - my observations, analysis, opinions and if they're good - re quotes from the Fox Sports announcers.

When I complete an idea and there's a break in the action I record the time and push the 'Publish Post' button in Blogger which then updates Michael Holloway's BaseballBlogs in real time."


Happy to announce that during Game 3 a baseball fan, somewhere in the world, with out a way to watch or hear, followed along - which is the point of the thing!

Check out The 2009 World Series Game 3 and Game 2 LiveBlogs written as they happened @ Michael Holloway's BaseballBlogs.

Also, I'm planning to LiveBlog Game 4, November 1, 2009 at 8:00 EDT also at Michael Holloway's BaseballBlogs.



mh

Friday, October 30, 2009

Swine Flu Inoculations Probably Useless



The best defence against the flu is plenty of rest, some chicken soup and plenty of fluids. Flu kills people every year, this year is no exception.

I don't get the yearly flu injection because I think the wide spread inoculation of the population is a bad idea, it leaves the culture in question open to a out-of-left-field virus. I do my part by being one of those who will get the odd flu and build an immunity to it, your welcome.

I know the new swine flu vaccine being circulated now is a Tami-flu type and is unlikely to be effective against the new round of H5N1, as it has mutated around the world in the interim.

In fact (and - this is entirely my take - I haven't seen anyone suggest this possibility) the inoculation of farm-workers with this Tami-flu type vaccine may introduce the morphed disease back into the swine population - resulting in the next round - being a truly pandemic version. I am of the opinion that the source of the swine flu is the inhuman conditions in which we raise livestock - in the current industrial farming model the flu jumps from swine to human farmer-worker and back to swine and so on until it morphs enough to jump from human to human. The key though, I reiterate is the in-human conditions animals are subjected to in factory farms.

Last years events that resulted in the WTO declaring a Pandemic, and the Bird flu hysteria a few years back, have taught me the experts don't know how to predict the coarse virus's will take over generations - there are too many variables. The impetus towards researching and distributing these vaccines isn't therefore good science - but rather the private profit and the funding of the process. Don't get me wrong I believe we need the infrastructure to create vaccines, and this may be one of the reasons we're going through the process - those in positions of power realize that a vaccine for a true pandemic will take months to produce and months more to produce widely enough to have effect - the result will be 1000's of deaths and injury. With out this hysteria the funding for the process's we're going to need Someday will fall idle and become necrotic.

Finally, President Obama is surrounded by advisors who are telling him scary things - but if I have gleaned these ideas surely he must be aware of these other perspectives as well - he therefore must be aware when he talks to his close advisors on health care he is looking into the eye-ball of the private medical colossus. He thus has to choose which fight to fight first.

The public consultation process which is leading to a health reform bill in in it's final phases, he knows this same attempt by the Clinton administration resulted in it's neutering (yes, my allusion is intentional). I expect President Obama has chosen to put this to one side; by calling this an emergency he on the one hand shows the benefit of a centralized health care system and on the other, satisfies the greedy beast with the subsequent cash flow in the near term. Win Win.

This from GlobalReasearch.ca who's article entitled "Obama Administration Launches Deceptive Swine Flu Propaganda Blitz" is slightly hysterical - in the opposite direction to the spectacle media - but has some data to back up their assertions:

"The recent CBS Investigative Report, published on October 21, is one example. After the CDC refused to honor CBS’s Freedom of Information request to receive flu infection data for each individual state, the network performed independent outreach to all fifty states to get their statistics. Their report contradicts dramatically the CDC’s public relations blitz. For example, in California, among the approximate 13,000 flu-like cases, 86 percent tested negative for any flu strain. In Florida, out of 8,853 cases, 83 percent were negative. In Georgia and Alaska, only 2.4 percent and 1 percent respectively tested positive for flu virus among all reported flu-like cases. If the infectious-rate ratios obtained by CBS are accurate, the CDC’s figures are significantly reduced and agree with earlier predictions that the H1N1 virus will be simply an unwelcomed annoyance. So we are in the midst of an enormous medical hoax, a design and purpose that has yet to unfold completely, that will nevertheless reap huge revenues for the vaccine industrial complex."


Good sum up of the science, with out so much hysteria at GlobalReasearch.ca.

CBS News Investigates - October 21, 2009.



mh

Thursday, October 29, 2009

2009 World Series Live Blog Game 2

Ball hit down the third base line by Raul Ibanez in the top of the second inning is called fair, the replay from the the left field corner camera shows the ball was one ball width foul. The extra left field umpire, was 15 feet away - he was in an excellent position to make the call - I think the sliding Johnny Damon blocked his view. The Ground rule double puts Ibanez at 2nd.

He scores on a base hit by the next batter Matt Stairs that should have been ruled an error that sneaks under the glove of A-Rod. A-Rod should have had his glove down and come up to the ball, because he did not, the ball fooled him on it's third bounce and slow rolled out to left field. Dameon doesn't have a good arm anymore but he tries to go home with the throw instead of to the cut-off man (A-Rod). The ball flies high over the cut-off man and off-line to catcher Posada; but Stairs stays put at first; he could have gotten to second easily, if he had been watching the throw, and knowing Dameon had a bad arm, and the speed of the hit ball he should have been rounding first, anticipating a opportunity.

... LIve Blog

Bottom of the 3rd inning Announcer says, "Isn't funny how speed slows a game Down?"

...Live Blog

9:012

Announcer says, "First walk for the Yankees in the World Series", Catcher Jose Molina (not Posada) draws a walk from Pedro. Derek Jeter strikes out looking as Pedro 'fast pitches' him, Jeter tries to swing at an off-speed pitch right down the middle, but Jeter can't get the bat around in time!

Live Blog...

Jose Molina throws behind Jason Worth at first in the Ibanez at bat, looked like the tag misses the base runner getting back but, I wasn't there, the umpire was - and nobody argues. Strike out, fly out ends the top of the forth.


Yankees First baseman Mark Teixeira homers to right centre. Tie game 1 - 1.

Live Blog...

9:39

Molina's expanding the strike zone by pulling his glove in just a touch on the out side to the right hand batter Carlos Ruiz, top of the 5th. Ruiz hits a double to left centre fence. Announcers all over Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett's focus.

Live Blog...

Strike out, pop out to third ---> to the bottom of the 5th

Live Blog...

9:49

Pedro Martinez faces 8th, 9th and 1 hitter Jeter. 1 out, 2 outs, then Jeter hits a double off the wall in the left field corner. Pop out to first ends the inning.
A 1,2,3 inning except for the un-worldly Jeter. Is Jeter an Alien disguised as a baseball player?

Live Blog...

Announcers bring up an E-mail from the B.C. interior comments "Middle aged Canadians", refering to Matt Stairs 41 year old man. A middle aged country? Not really, but we're getting there it looks like.

Live Blog...

Molina's cheating the strike zone again...

A.J. 1,2,3.

10:02

Live Blog...

Bottom of the 6th, 1 - 1 tie, Pedro back out there...

With no hits yesterday and nothing so far today, is the resurrection of A-Rod over? Is it back to the post season dog house for Alex Rodriguez? What will Phillies manager Charlie Manuel do/not do, to ensure he stays there?

Godzilla hits a homie to right, Matsui golfs it off the plate about 8" off the ground - a really good pitch!

Live Blog...

10:25

A.J. shuts 'em down, preserves the lead. 1 - 2.

Pedro back out - bottom of the 7th, over 100 pitches now...

Jerry Hairston hits an un-hittable pitch high and away out of the strike zone - blop to right - for a single. With closer Rivera warming, Joe Girardi wants an insurance run, puts in Pinch runner Brett Gardner. Gardner going on the pitch! - another blopper to right moves the Gardner to 3rd.

Pedros GONE (maybe forever?) Chan Ho Park in.

10:35

Live Blog...

Posada in for Molina, base hit! Scores Gardner from third. Joe Girardi manages a run. Score: 1 - 3.

Jeter out on stikes 1 out runners 2nd and 1st. Charlie Manuel takes out Park brings in Scott Eyre to face the left handed hitting Johnny Damon.

10:42

Live Blog...

Damon hit the ball line drive to first, first replay shows clean catch, all the first baseman has to do is step on the first base bag to double off Posada, (perhaps he's thinking the Umps might call it wrong so he starts the double play by throwing to short stop Rollins, almost throws the ball away. Rollins hears its a caught ball and thinks he can tag Posada for the double play, but posada's on the bag; the only way to get the second out is to throw to first, touch the bag and appeal to the umpire. ??? Replay from the right side camera after the commercial break shows the ball skipped into the glove - so that's why he threw to second.

Should be 1 out bases loaded; instead: end of inning!!!

Live Blog...

Rivera in, and Rollins works a walk from the master, speed on first.

Base hit, runners at 2nd, 1st - no one out.

Announcers asking whether Rivera had time to warm with the funny way the last inning ended, Bad calls influence the game going forward in almost countless ways...

Live Blog...

Correction 1 out...

11:00

Double play ball! 4 - 6 - 3; but to me the runner at first was SAFE!!! Umpires trying to make-up for bad call?

Live Blog...

Mark Teixeira leads off and is hit in the knee. Announcer thinks it may have been a purpose pitch. Will this wake up A-Rod, up now?

Live Blog...

A-Rod strikes out 0 for 8 in World Series. 1 out.

Live Blog...

Ryan Madson pitching from the start of this, bottom of eight.

Matsui down on strikes, 2 outs. Gardner's first at-bat after pinch run, run scored.

Gardner strikes out swinging.

---> top of the ninth, Phillies have three outs to play with.

11:15 Live Blog...

Rivera back on the mound, of coarse...

Ryan Howard leads off. Stikes out looking. Replay shows the ball was high and outside - bad call on a third strike in the ninth.

Chase Utley, soft liner to Cano leaping like a dancer to his right.

Ibanez doubles to left centre. Matt Stairs up. Déjà Vu from the scoring play in the second? Nope. Goes down swinging.

Phillies 1 6 0
Yankees 3 8 0

Series tied 1 game a-piece.



mh