| Three weeks until it begins anew
But the Braves did address every need, and Braves players on and off the record tell me they like Wren's three-month body of work and the team's chances of getting back to the postseason after two years of watching October unfold on TV. Of course, they are also realistic. It's no secret what almost certainly needs to happen if the Braves are to have a successful season: They must, and I mean absolutely must, get better and more reliable starting pitching than they received from last year's injury-riddled rotation. They need some other things to go their way, too, including good work from the revamped top of the order likely to include Kelly Johnson and/or Yunel Escobar; a productive season from center fielder Mark Kotsay in the first year of the post-Andruw era; and a healthy season from closer Rafael Soriano and his setup men and good work from one or more of the lefty relievers.
MacBook Pro Reviewer's Notebook
If you think the PowerBooks are too hot, the MacBook Pro won't change your mind. Video issues, TVs, and Front Row I've heard a couple of people gripe about how the MacBook Pro doesn't have the S-Video port that the PowerBook has, and it surprised me: I didn't know even a couple of people were using that port. Of course, now that the MacBook Pro has built-in Front Row and an infrared remote control, having built-in a TV-style video port finally makes sense. Sigh. In any event, for $19 you can get a lovely DVI-to-S-Video adapter from Apple that does the trick. I used one of those adapters to attach my MacBook Pro to my TV set, and after a few false starts it worked well. While the laptop was open, I attached the adapter. The computer immediately went into mirroring mode, so I could see the same information on the laptop's screen and on my TV screen.
Labor News Roundup
Eleven of the workers arrested for taking part in the May 1st event last year in Sanandaj, Iran, were sentenced to 91 days in prison and 10 strikes of the lash. Following widespread protests against these sentences by the workers concerned and the National Union of Dismissed and Unemployed Workers, the Appeal Court changed the prison sentences to monetary fines, but upheld the sentence of 10 lashes. So far, the lashing and fine sentences have been carried out in the case of three workers by the names of Seddigh Amjadi, Habibollah Kalekaani and Faares Gaviliaan. The only crime of these workers is having participated in the May Day ceremony in Sanandaj." (Infoshop News, 02/28/08) Iran: Labour activists face lashes and fines: The International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI) writes: "The Committee in Defense of Mahmoud Salehi and the Union of Dismissed and Unemployed Workers report that the appeal court in the city of Sanandaj has sentenced 11 workers who had participated in a May Day 2007 event to 10 lashes and 200,000 toman each as a financial penalty.
Neither Clinton nor Obama claim clear lead
Yet he never has managed anything, not even a State, or a city, or a company, or a school, not even one small kindergarten. If running a country is so easy and simple, and it only takes in-born talent, eloquent oratory and a good law degree, then the White House would be over-crowded long ago. A movie critic, even a good one, not necessarily can produce good movies, A top book reviewer cannot surely write best-selling books. Top food critics can hardly be top chefs either. A leading US senator might and/or might not turn out to be good material for President either. Simple as that. US is now at a very crucial period as never before. National standing, world image, financial turmoil, energy threats, terrorists, military adventures overseas, gigantic burden of health-care, housing bubble, mounting cost of debts on all levels, just naming a few, all require a very insightful, outstanding leader with clear vision and skillful, steady, able hands to lead the country to sail through the storms coming from all directions.
DATS outrageous
Questions over safety are being raised after city police charged a DATS driver with sexually assaulting a disabled woman who functions at the level of a 10-year-old. The woman alleges that once in late December and once in late January a Disabled Adult Transit Service driver sexually assaulted her in a DATS minivan. Police have charged a 44-year-old man with two counts each of sexual assault and an indecent act, and one count of sexual exploitation of a person with a disability. Transportation systems can sometimes leave disabled women more vulnerable, says the executive director of the Alberta Committee of Citizens with Disabilities. "We've done research papers here on women with disabilities and the incidents of abuse and one of the things that did come up was the transportation system and how it can increase the vulnerability in some cases," said Beverley Matthiessen.
Check egos at clubhouse door
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Top of the mornin' to you. Still rubbing sleep from my eyes and slamming coffee after staying up watching the Oscars and the Jimmy Kimmel Show (if you didn't see the latter, which I'm fairly certain most of you probably did not, because you have real jobs and enjoy sleep, then ask someone or Google the segment with Ben Affleck, Kimmel's response to girlfriend Sarah Silverman's recent announcement of an, uh, "affair" with Matt Damon.) Anyway, Jeff Francoeur. You might say Francoeur has the world by the tail. In fact, Chipper Jones has said exactly that a few times (Hoss likes to weave in a homespun saying now and then). But if any of you ever wonder about Francoeur, or any other young Brave, facing the danger of an unchecked ego, it's only because you haven't spent time in the clubhouse or around the batting cage.
OurSound in the Newspaper
Our Sound music columnist Bill Henry turns his eyes and ears on the area's vibrant, multi-genre music scene every week in The Sun Times. From blues to bluegrass, folk to funk, pop to punk and classical to celtic, Henry writes about the area's performers and music trends. The veteran Sun Times news reporter, photographer and local musician's Our Sound column mixes profiles, feature stories, advance concert coverage, occasional reviews and scene-setting observations to chronicle the rich and diverse Grey-Bruce music community. Read Bill Henry's Our Sound column every Thursday on The Sun Times entertainment section front... .
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