Sources: A-Rod, union reach out to Yankees, MLB

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees turned down requests Saturday to meet with Alex Rodriguez's camp and the union about the embattled star's expected drug penalty, two people familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.

The overtures were made two days before MLB was poised to hand Rodriguez a lengthy suspension for his part in the Biogenesis case. The two people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no public statements were authorized.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, was in Trenton, N.J., playing what could be his last game in a while. He started a double play, then drew a walk in the first inning while on a minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Double-A Thunder. He was scheduled to be off Sunday.

The All-Star third baseman said Friday night the Yankees' tentative plan was for him to join them in Chicago for Monday night's game against the White Sox.

Before Rodriguez took the field, his side reached out to the Yankees and union head Michael Weiner contacted MLB Executive Vice President Rob Manfred. The Yankees and MLB said they had no interest in such talks.

There was always the chance, however, that further negotiations could take place at the last minute.

The New York Post, Daily News and New York Times reported the discussions earlier Saturday.

There hasn't been any definite word on the severity of Rodriguez's looming penalty, with speculation ranging from a lifetime ban to a suspension through the 2014 season.

Also possible, according to those familiar with the talks, was a suspension lasting until Aug. 31, 2014, the day before all teams are permitted to expand their rosters from 25 players to 40.

The 38-year-old Rodriguez hasn't played in the majors this season. The three-time American League MVP is recovering from hip surgery and a strained quadriceps.

A day after Rodriguez homered for Trenton, Thunder manager Tony Franklin hedged on whether A-Rod was ready to rejoin the majors.

"That's not for me to say," Franklin said. "His swing is getting better. He's running better. He's doing the baseball things OK right now. But that's a different game up there."

A sellout crowd was expected and a few minutes before the national anthem, A-Rod chatted up fans near the dugout and fist-pumped a kid, then walked off to have a catch.

Rodriguez caught a knuckling line drive by Reading's first batter and later fielded a grounder and began an inning-ending double play.

Batting second, Rodriguez walked to the plate to Jay-Z's "On To The Next One" and received a mixture of cheers and boos in the first. He fouled off a 2-2 pitch before drawing a walk.

Rodriguez slowly went first to third on a double off the right-field wall and was stranded. He also walked the next time he came up while his girlfriend, former pro wrestler Torrie Wilson, held up her cellphone to video the action from a second-row seat behind the plate.

In the top of the second, Rodriguez ranged to his right to field a grounder and threw high and wide to second. It was ruled an infield hit, though he probably would've made the play a few years ago.

The next inning, Rodriguez fielded a slow bouncer down the line and made a strong throw to first to get the out. He heard loud cheers as he jogged slowly to the dugout, looking around and seemingly taking in the crowd's appreciation.

___

Rob Maaddi reported from Trenton, N.J.

Source: http://www.kboi2.com/sports/A-Rod-homers-awaits-likely-drug-penalty-from-MLB-218221901.html

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Tenor soloist looking for paid Church position

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Source: http://www.choralnet.org/view/422788

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Willis joins Lyon College softball staff

UMass throwing ace joins Owen as pitching coach of Scots for 2013-14

BATESVILLE, Ark. ? Lyon College head softball coach Travis Owen has announced the addition of his pitching coach this week with the hiring of former University of Massachusetts Boston ace Kara Willis.

Willis played a key role for the Beacons? success in recent years, as a leader on the pitching staff that helped the team to back-to-back Little East Conference Championships. During her career (2009-12), she broke several pitching records for UMass, including strikeouts (223), innings pitched (389.0), appearances (70) and complete games (52). She also participated in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, representing softball for the Institution.

After her graduating from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Willis decided to remain at her alma mater for the 2013 season serving as the Beacons? Assistant Softball Coach. During this past season, Willis had helped coach five NCAA All-Conference players in the Little East, one NFCA All-Region player and helped coach Sue Killilea into the NCAA record books for most career triples (31).

The 2008 Burrillville (RI) High School graduate is also a Certified Personal Trainer (CFT).

Outside of UMass, Willis has done a lot of one-on-one training through the Extra Innings franchise. Through the organization she has developed pitching, catching, and hitting camps for girls ages 6-18, as well as private training. She has also been involved with the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) serving as the Head Coach for a Junior Olympic team, New England Fire (2011, 2012) and the New England Riptide (2013).

?I believe it is important to remain a student of the game,? Willis stated. She has enrolled and completed multiple National Fastpitch Coaches College courses and is working towards completing all eight. She has also obtained to her personal training certification through the International Sports Sciences Association as well as working towards her Masters in Coaching Education with the University of Ohio.

Source: http://batesville.todaysthv.com/news/sports-recreation/235413-willis-joins-lyon-college-softball-staff

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Sienna Miller Stuns in London and Our Other Top Beauty Looks of the Week

When you already have radiant skin, you just need a touch of lipstick, shimmering shadow, and soft waves to show off your natural beauty, as Sienna Miller proved earlier this week. From her flawless look to Diane Kruger's fresh makeup and Jennifer Hawkins' Aussie glow, we're rounding up our favourite celebrity looks of the week. Click through, and get inspired by ways to maximise the last month of Winter.

Source: http://www.bellasugar.com.au/Celeb-Hair-Beauty-Inspiration-Sienna-Miller-Diane-Kruger-31086212

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ACC RV Warranty Announces End of Outsourcing Agreement Today ...

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Source: http://www.autoballa.com/2013/08/103013/acc-rv-warranty-announces-end-outsourcing-agreement-today

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Sorry, Windows Phone Fans: Instagram Hasn't Anointed A Third-Party App

Turns out Instagram isn't kingmaking among the third-party developer community on Windows Phone. Today the Windows Phone community is buzzing with the news of a meeting between developer Rudy Huyn and Instagram that has led some to believe his forthcoming application for Microsoft's smartphone platform will carry some sort of blessing from the photo sharing social network.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qvZvziqOg-s/

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Revealed: Top 20 consumer brands in India

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Denial Of Reality & Conservative Cognitive Dissonance (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Florida declares two butterfly species extinct as pollinator crisis worsens

By: Alexander Holmgren
August 01, 2013
Conservationist?s faced a crushing blow last month as two butterfly species native to Florida were declared extinct.

"Occasionally, these types of butterflies disappear for long periods of time but are rediscovered in another location," said Larry Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife state supervisor for ecological services. We think it?s apparent now these two species are extinct."

Neither species has been seen in any environment for at least nine years, the latter of the two not being seen since 2000. This calamity is only made worse by the fact that so much could have been done in order to save these creatures. The first species, the Zestos skipper butterfly (Epargyreus zestos oberon), had strong bodies with large black eyes and large wings that were adorned with spots that looked like eyes. While the Zestos skipper was visibly declining in its environment, the subspecies was denied access to the U.S.?s Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of the confusion between it and other skipper species in the Bahamas. In the end, what was thought to be a bountiful reserve in the Bahamas proved to be a completely different species. By the time the mistake was realized it proved too late.

The Rockland grass skipper butterfly (Hesperia meskei pinocayo), an amber golden insect with club like antenna and black eyes, was similarly thought to be making a comeback as the species that had not been seen since the 80?s was spotted back in 2000. But is now believed extinct.

A skipper butterfly. Photo by Muhammad Mahdi Karim and reproduced under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

The extinction of these animals "serves as a wake-up call that we really need to intensify our efforts to save other imperiled butterflies," according to Williams.

Both species vanished almost overnight as conservationists and scientists realized that the abundant populations of these species simply did not exist.

The extinction of these species may have far-reaching environmental repercussion. One of the most important ecological services performed by butterflies is pollination Ninety percent of plants on our planet require pollinators in order to reproduce, and butterflies are a key part of this process for many plants. While not regularly known as keystone pollinators, butterflies are actually capable of dispersing pollen farther than honeybees since they don?t have to return to a hive with the pollen they have collected.

Butterflies also serve as crucial indicator species. Because of their short life cycles and close reliance on the climate, butterflies are excellent indicators of environmental stress. The extinction of both these species in such a short span is a clear sign of degradation. Researchers believe that habitat loss likely played a key role in these species? loss. In addition, extreme weather events such as hurricanes or droughts--while before would only help to regulate the population--may now directly cause extinction in much reduced population numbers.

The extinction of the Zestos skipper and the rockland grass skipper marks a new contribution towards the ever-worsening pollinator crisis. The same factors that led to their extinction, such as a growing human population and a dwindling natural habitat for animals, is only exacerbated with every year.

Related articles

Habitat loss and pesticides causing decline in Europe's butterflies

(07/31/2013) Europe's grassland butterfly population has plummeted in the past two decades, new research published on Tuesday shows, with a near halving in the numbers of key species since 1990.

Losing our monarchs: iconic monarch butterfly down to lowest numbers in 20 years

(07/15/2013) In the next few months, the beating of fragile fiery orange and black wings will transport the monarch butterfly south. But the number of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) reaching their final destination has steadily declined, dropping to its lowest level in two decades last winter, according to a recent survey.

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0801-holmgren-butterfly-extinction-florida.html

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Golfers in the (very) rough

City slickers learn a thing or two from a pair of prairie pros.

By Murr Brewster / July 31, 2013

Our family was having a fine time at the old homestead. A group of us cousins had converged on the farm to scuff up our city souls. Balfour, N.D. (pop. 20), was a prime vacation destination when we were children, world-famous ? we assumed ? as the Home of Grandma.

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Now we were adults, and Grandma was gone, and the hayloft and silage pit no longer held the same appeal. When Uncle Cliff noticed us passing the time by chipping golf balls into a gopher hole, an activity that annoyed the grasshoppers no end, he suggested we drive southeast a few miles for a real game. Uncle Cliff stopped at the cafe to pick up his friend Jake, a wiry old man who was nearly consumed by his own overalls, and off we went.

The clubhouse at the Drake Golf Club was closed so Elmer could get his hay in, but the course was wide, wide open. Uncle Cliff tucked $2 per player into the little envelopes provided and slipped them into the slot like a church offering. He allowed as how we could use some of his clubs. He himself used only one club, homemade, with a massive leaden head and almost no loft at all. It would have appealed to a Neanderthal.

Also, he had a putter.

My husband, Dave, selected a shiny, unmarked nine iron from Uncle Cliff's bag, confident it had 150 yards in it, and teed up, hair streaming behind him. The wind was coming straight out of the north; it had originated somewhere in the Yukon and barreled south without resistance for a thousand prairie miles. This, in short, was a breeze with some pop to it.

Dave gave his ball a good fat whack. We watched it sail into the distance, hover, and return a half minute later, dropping a few meek yards away.

Then Uncle Cliff and Jake got down to business with their giant leaden clubs. Uncle Cliff had a cranky hip, and Jake practically needed rocks in his pockets to stay on the ground, but they had the home field advantage. Either one of them could decapitate a column of prairie dogs with a single drive. Uncle Cliff's and Jake's balls skimmed over the fairway like stealth bombers and thunked onto the green.

The second hole was a dogleg to the right, or so we were told. It was easy enough to make out the doglegs: They were defined by barbed wire. The fairway was distinguished from the rough by the relative absence of cow flop.

I proposed to make the green on the diagonal. But that, I was informed promptly, was cheating. First you drive west, then you hit north to the pin. The trees in the dogleg at the Drake Golf Club were the most common variety in North Dakota: imaginary. You are expected to assume the trees are there.

Assume nothing else. The greens were brown. The grass was sand. The sand was oiled. The jig was up. The geezers were in charge.

I would not want to generalize about the sort of stuff a person needs to prevail. But let's just note that the two players who had dry-farmed through the 20th century and tallied up decades of North Dakota winters without indoor plumbing rolled to an easy victory.

There are things to be said for city living, but it gets you no guarantee of glory at the Drake Golf Club.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/x0kuNsj3NzA/Golfers-in-the-very-rough

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All the Failed Predictions of When the World Will End

It's almost become not crazy to predict when the world will end because so many crazy people do it all the freaking time. But look, we're all still here. Nothing has ended. The world is still here. To keep track of all the crazies, information design agency Accurat created a graphic to show just who has been predicting the end of the world.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/WcmDEoqZaXY/all-the-failed-predictions-of-when-the-world-will-end-971212337

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