Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name

Musings on Baseball, Politics, Latin America, War, Wild birds, Our canaries, Culture, Travel, Science, Technology, and more. "It's not just a blog, it's an adventure!"

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Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Jeffersonian republicanism Bookmark on del.icio.us

Independence Day this year made me think about the mixed legacy of Thomas Jefferson on our political system and culture. While in Our Nation's Capital two weeks ago, I took the time to pay a visit to the Jefferson Memorial. The north side of the shrine erected in honor of our third president is presently under construction, because the sea wall facing the Tidal Basin is gradually sinking. Well, the whole area used to be a fetid swamp, so that's not too surprising, I guess. Anyway, as I entered the main chamber and contemplated the statue of Jefferson, I was struck in particular by this quotation engraved on the interior wall: Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · "Byrding" in West Virginia Bookmark on del.icio.us

It was by sheer coincidence that West Virginia's senior senator Robert Byrd passed away just as we were about to travel there (in part to go bird watching) last week. Alas, the "Silver-capped Orator" is no longer with us. Nearly all the birds we saw in West Virginia were at one of two major places: Bald Knob (BK), elevation 4,824 feet, and Cranberry Glades (CG). We saw Juncos and Cedar waxwings at both locations. Birds listed with an exclamation mark are only found at high elevations or in northern latitudes, and do not nest in Virginia. At Cranberry Glades we heard Common Yellowthroats signing, but I never saw any. Dark-eyed Juncos ! - BK, CG Yellow-rumped Warbler ! (M) - BK Cedar waxwings

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Summer doldrums for canaries Bookmark on del.icio.us

Like many other bird species, canaries go through a "molting" phase during the mid-summer months, as they shed worn-out feathers and wait for new ones to grow back. They scratch and shake themselves quite often, and they spend a lot of time in the sun, which seems to soothe them. You can tell that Luciano and Lucy just aren't comfortable lately, and they seem to get more irritated with each other as well. We find two or three old feathers every night when we clean their cage, and sometimes more. We provide them with special dietary supplements for canaries during their molting phase, and try to avoid upsetting them unduly. Luciano stopped singing entirely about three weeks ago, and he probably won't start again until mid-August, at least.

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Baseball 2010: mid-season review Bookmark on del.icio.us

Now that the 2010 season is half over, it's a good time to stop and look at some of the trends and surprising things. In spite of limited salary base, the Tampa Bay Rays held on to first place in the AL East until a week or so ago. They are just amazing. Carl Crawford is having another great year, earning a starting outfield position in the All-Star Game, and Evan Longoria is doing fine as well. The Yankees finally took first place, but the Red Sox are also hot on their heels, in spite of an injury-depleted roster, and it looks like it's going to be one hell of a three-way dogfight for the rest of the year. In the American League Central Division, the Twins have slumped recently, while the Tigers have held steady in their pursuit of

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Wild, wonderful West Virginia Bookmark on del.icio.us

Jacqueline and I made a long-overdue return trip to Pocahantas County, West Virginia last week, and it really was "wild and wonderful," as the Mountain State's slogan goes. The main objective was taking a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad, which we had just missed the last time we were there a decade or so ago. This time we timed our trip just perfectly in terms of the weather, which was clear and very mild. (Today the temperatures are in the upper 90s. ) We took the full 11-mile ride to the top of Bald Knob, elevation 4,824 feet, though the train actually stops at a point about 150 feet below the summit. Along the way we made two switchbacks, where the

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Kagan handles Senate hearings Bookmark on del.icio.us

By now, the ritual by which the U.S. Senate scrutinizes nominees to the Supreme Court is so well scripted in advance that there is hardly ever any real drama. Everyone knows (or should know) who Elena Kagan is and what she represents -- liberal activism -- and she gave to her Republican adversaries the best they could hope for: an affirmation of judicial restraint and the virtue of modesty. Few if any people would expect her to apply those principles in the way that those who place primary emphasis on them would, but that's not the point. They made her pay lip service tribute to old-fashioned constitutional republicanism, allowing future GOP candidates and office-holders to quote her to advance their arguments. In sum, she held up very well under

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · That's what I call a comeback!! Bookmark on del.icio.us

It's been a long time since Washington Nationals fans had so much to cheer about, and today's big come-from-behind win against the Mets may mark a critical psychological turning point toward better days ahead. The game didn't start off well at all, however, as Stephen Strasburg was lucky to escape the first inning with only one run given up to the Mets. When he almost hit Jeff Francouer's head, you had to wonder if he was about to crack under the pressure. Fortunately, he settled down and only gave up one more run through five innings, after which he was relieved. Once again, he received no run support at all from his team mates, but the Nats later managed to tie it 2-2. The Mets then staged a three-run rally in the eighth inning, and re

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Shenandoah Mountain hike Bookmark on del.icio.us

In need of exercise and wanting to get as many migratory bird observations as possible before breeding season ends, I went for a hike on Shenandoah Mountain on Sunday. I was also hoping to get away from the high heat in the lowlands. At 3,000 feet elevation, it was slightly cooler than in the valley, but it was still rather warm. I hiked from the Confederate Breastworks overlook on Route 250 to the intersection of Jerry's Run Trail and Road Hollow Trail, a round-trip distance of just about three miles. Jacqueline and I have hiked to that trail crossing several time times previously, but we had never hiked between that spot and the overlook on Route 250. "Shenandoah Mountain" is actually a ridge that divides Augusta County from Highland County, and co

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Orioles sweep the Nationals Bookmark on del.icio.us

I wrote that headline before the game even started, and I'm sorry to say I didn't even bother to watch it today. After the last two games, I could see the proverbial writing on the wall. On both Friday and Saturday night, the Nationals took big leads (6-0 and 5-0) in the early innings, but then just fell flat, failing to score any more runs. Meanwhile, the Orioles made the most of their home field advantage and made very impressive comebacks, beating the Nationals by one run both times. On Friday night, Nyjer Morgan had the best game of his career, making a spectacular catch in center field to rob Corey Patterson of a home run, while he went 4 for 5 (including one double) at the plate. Maybe I was too hasty in saying he is "of little use" to the t

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Nationals sweep the Royals (almost) Bookmark on del.icio.us

More accurately, the Nationals would have swept the Royals were it not for yet another outrageous blown call by an umpire. (See June 4.) Well, let's talk about that disgraceful incident later and start off on a positive note. After all, it was the first time I had ever seen the Nationals play on two consecutive days, and there was plenty to enjoy. I joined my old friend Dave Givens at the Tuesday evening game against the Kansas City Royals. I thought it would be nice to get lower-deck seats for a change, since all my previous games I had seen at Nationals Park were in the upper levels. The view we had from Section 104 in left field was pretty good, but there was one long f

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Day trip to Reddish Knob Bookmark on del.icio.us

At the recommendation of fellow Augusta Bird Club member Jo King, Jacqueline and I took an extended drive up to the mountain peak known as Reddish Knob on Saturday. It was our first time there, and we were amply rewarded with sightings of many birds, as well as spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Even though the skies above were fairly clear, hazy atmospheric conditions detracted from the views of the valley from up above. We stopped several times on our way to the top, pleased that the road was paved all the way, even if it was only one lane in most places. In the valley on the West Virginia side of the mountain ridge, we were startled to see a large complex full o

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · June birding roundup Bookmark on del.icio.us

Summer officially began just yesterday, but with temperatures in the mid-90s it already feels like the "dog days" are here, which means that there won't be much more birding activity to observe until September. June 19: Reddish Knob The day trip that Jacqueline and I took to the highlands along the West Virginia border was very productive in terms of bird observations, and I even got a good photograph of one of a Ruffed Grouse. Amazingly, we were able to drive up to within 15 or so feet of it before it scurried off into the bushes; I didn't realize they were so tame. Near the top of the ridge, I heard a buzzing song that I believe was a Golden-winged warbler, but never did see it. I also heard Ovenbirds, Pine warblers, and caught a

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · After six losses, Nats get a win Bookmark on del.icio.us

For the Washington Nationals, this has been a miserable month, with a win-loss record of 5-13 in June prior to tonight, but they finally got a "W," beating the Kansas City Royals, 2-1. Starting pitcher Livan Hernandez returned to his earlier confident form, going seven full innings. Both Nationals' runs came on homers -- one by rookie utility outfielder Mike Morse, who has been doing fine at the plate lately, and one by Cristian Guzman, his first four-bagger of the year. Once again, Matt Capps was shaky as the closer, giving up two hits in the top of the ninth inning, but he struck out three batters before any damage was done, and thereby got credit for his 21st save. Whew! See

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Evil Dutch boy jailed in Peru Bookmark on del.icio.us

Peru recently grabbed newspaper headlines when the young man who is widely suspected of murdering American student Natalie Holloway in Aruba five years ago, evidently did the same thing in Lima. Joran van der Sloot was at a casino with young Peruvian woman named Stephany Flores, returned to his hotel room with her, and then fled to Chile after she died a violent death in that room. He was apprehended after a couple days, was returned by Chilean authorities to Peru, and has since confessed to killing Ms. Flores. The facts of the case, and the parallels with the 2005 Natalie Holloway disappearance, leave little doubt that van der Sloot is a sociopathic serial murderer. Security videos from shortly after 5:00 A.M. on May 30 show van der

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Strasburg for the All-Star game? Bookmark on del.icio.us

The hype over Stephen Strasburg has reached absurd proportions, with some people suggesting -- perhaps tongue in cheek -- that he should get picked for the 2010 All-Star game. Goodness gracious. On a related note, a letter to the editor by a fan from Arlington in the Washington Post recently suggested that if Barack Obama qualified for the Nobel Peace Prize in his first year of office, without actually having done much of anything, then Stephen Strasburg should be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On a more serious note, fans of the Washington Nationals need to get a reality check and look at past examples of promising star pitchers who never panned out. During spring training

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · U.Va. baseball team falls flat Bookmark on del.icio.us

Talk about the "agony of defeat"!* To the disbelief and dismay of University of Virginia fans all across the Old Dominion, the Cavalier baseball team squandered their home field advantage, losing the second and third games of the series against Oklahoma. The deciding game was especially ugly: Oklahoma 11, Virginia 0. That's right, ZERO. The Cavaliers are therefore eliminated from the NCAA postseason, and as the headline in the Charlottesville Daily Progress said, there will be "No return trip to Omaha." I tried to get tickets, but all three games were sold out well i

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Nationals sweep the Pirates Bookmark on del.icio.us

Thanks in no small measure to Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals have won all three games of a series for the first time this year.* The Nats swept the Pirates in [Washington] to end their home stand on a positive note, but none of the games were easy. Even though the Nationals big sluggers are beginning to get consistent hits, there are defensive weaknesses that could prove costly in a close division race. On Thursday, Livan Hernandez finally got his fifth win of the season; he wasn't getting much run support in his recent starts. * The Nationals had won three games in a row three times earlier this season, but in each case, those streaks spanned two different series. This season has been marked by an amazing consistency, with

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Strasburg makes a historic debut Bookmark on del.icio.us

It's hard to remember the last time a rookie athlete got this much media attention in his debut appearance, but Stephen Strasburg erased any doubts about whether the "feeding frenzy" was warranted. Racking up 14 strikeouts without giving up a single walk is the kind of performance you expect from seasoned veterans heading to the Hall of Fame, not youngsters who are still "wet behind the ears." Only two pitchers had ever struck out more batters (15) in their debut game in all of major league history. It wasn't easy, however, and Strasburg was helped by good fielding. The very first batter, Andrew McCutcheon, hit a hard line drive that shortstop Ian Desmond managed to snag, fortunately. Routinely nearing 100 mph with his fast ball, Strasburg ste

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · U.Va. advances in NCAA tourney Bookmark on del.icio.us

After getting momentarily sidetracked by St. John's University at the NCAA regional tournament on Sunday, the University of Virginia Cavaliers won the rematch on Monday evening, thereby qualifying for the "super regionals." (I was at the game in Charlottesville on Saturday night; see below.) In the deciding game of the series, U.Va. beat St. John's by a score of 5 to 3. In contrast to the slugfest games on Friday and Saturday, the Cavaliers eked out runs one at a time in classic "small ball" fashion. St. John's scored twice in the sixth inning, coming to within one run of the host team, but that was all they could manage. See virginia

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Kill the umpires! (Not) Bookmark on del.icio.us

What a terrible fate befell Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga on Wednesday: he had gone eight and two-thirds innings without allowing an opponent player to reach first base, and then caught a toss from the first-baseman who had fielded a ground ball and stepped on the bag, forcing out the batter. Unfortunately, the first-base umpire Jim Joyce didn't see it that way. He thought Galarraga's foot was not on the bag, so he called the Indians shortstop Jason Donald safe, thereby ruining what would have been the third perfect game in the past 30 days. Later on, when he saw the video replay, Joyce realized what an awful blunder he had made, and he wasted no effort to apologize to Galarraga. It was an appropriate gesture, but of course there is no way h

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Blue Ridge Parkway day trip Bookmark on del.icio.us

Jacqueline and I are slowly recovering from our exhilarating but exhausting excursion to the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday. (She is in better shape than I am, actually.) Aside from all the colorful birds (which I reported on May 30), we also saw quite a few butterflies and flowers. Though physically tired, we were spiritually refreshed by seeing all the beauty of God's creation, unspoiled by human hands. Our initial plan was to hike to the top of Humpback Rocks as early as possible, so as to beat the large crowds that were sure to be there later on. The trail was a bit slippery due to the recent rains, and we paused frequently to look for birds. We made it to the top just after 8:00 A.M.,

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · R.I.P. Dennis Hopper Bookmark on del.icio.us

On Saturday yet another big-name entertainer passed away: Dennis Hopper, who fell victim to prostate cancer at the age of 74. He gained fame from the controversial 1969 movie Easy Rider, which (ironically) I just saw for the first time a couple months ago. Prior to that, he was known primarily for his roles in western movies, but afterwards, he became one of the leading counterculture figures in Hollywood. (His own personal lifestyle was indeed rather unorthodox.) Most notable was his portrayal of the deranged officer in Apocalypse Now (1979). Perhaps least notable was his role as the villain in the 1995 flop Waterworld. Stylistically, he was known for his gruff appearance and rural midwestern twange. (He was born in Kansas.) He also

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · May 2010 birding roundup Bookmark on del.icio.us

It's been a long time since I have reported on my bird-watching adventures on this blog -- about seven weeks, actually. This is partly due to the fact that until recently I just hadn't done as much birding as usual for the spring, and partly due to various Web site upgrade chores. Since I had a fairly successful bird outing today, it's high time to get caught up with things, hence this rather belated post. The subsections are listed in reverse chronological order, as blog posts are customarily presented, with the newest items at the top. Blue Ridge Parkway Today we woke up at the crack of dawn and ventured out to the Blue Ridge Parkway,* and hiked to the top of Humpback

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Perfect game by Roy Halladay Bookmark on del.icio.us

For the second time in less than a month, a Major League pitcher has thrown a perfect game: Roy Halladay, who led the Philadelphia Phillies to a 1-0 victory over the Florida Marlins in Miami. He had to struggle at several points, but got through six full counts without cracking under the pressure. The only run in the game was off an outfielder's error, and therefore not an earned run. The Phillies have been in a bit of a slump lately, barely clinging to first place in the NL East, and this triumph will help recharge their batteries. The fact that Halladay was let go by the Blue Jays after last year will be recalled with much bitterness in Toronto. As noted at

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Peru frees Lori Berenson Bookmark on del.icio.us

A judge in Peru has ordered the conditional release of convicted terrorist Lori Berenson, five years in advance of the date her 20-year prison sentence was to end. The reasons for the leniency are not yet fully clear, but it appears that Berenson -- a U.S. citizen -- was being rewarded for good behavior in prison. In 1996 she was found guilty (by a controversial special court for handling terrorist cases) of abetting a terrorist organization, at a time when Peru was on the brink of anarchy. After being convicted, she served extensive time in very harsh prison conditions, sparking complaints by some human rights organizations. She is now 40 years old, and last year she gave birth to a baby boy (Salvador) in prison. Since then, however, she has become l

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · R.I.P. Art Linkletter Bookmark on del.icio.us

Learning that Art Linkletter died this past Wednesday put me in a wistful and reflective mood. I have fond memories of his "House Party" afternoon TV show, which was full of a strange and exotic quality known as "good clean fun." Could people of today imagine kids and parents watching a TV show together, with everyone appreciating the humor? How weird is that!? Linkletter's show was best known for the segment "Kids Say the Darndest Things," the title of a book he wrote in 1957. His sincere and engaging style was well-suited for eliciting candid remarks from kids and their parents, often with hilarious results. The beloved and admired long-time TV host lived until the ripe old age of 97, and according to the

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Populists make waves in the GOP Bookmark on del.icio.us

Events last week in Utah and Kentucky provide fresh evidence that the anti-establishment insurgency in the Republican Party is as strong as ever. In Utah, Sen. Robert Bennett came in third in a party convention whose purpose was to certify names to appear on the primary ballot. Given that Bennett has rock-solid conservative credentials, the fact that he wasn't even given a chance to run for a fourth term is absolutely stunning. It appears that tea party activists were determined to punish him for voting in favor of the TARP bailout in September 2008; if so, that's a shame. (Personally, I was against the bank bailout, but I can see why someone might have thought it was necessary, in the context

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Wonders of nature: Reptile photos Bookmark on del.icio.us

While returning from a mostly-pleasant* day trip to the mountains of northern Augusta County on Sunday, Jacqueline and I encountered a turtle in the middle of the road south of Stokesville. It was about nine inches long including the tail, from which we could tell right away that it was a Snapping Turtle. If it had stayed there, chances that it would have been run over were about 99 percent, so we tried to save the poor thing. Using a long ice scraper, we gently tried to induce it to retreat to the side of the road. It was very reluctant, however, and two or three times it violently snapped at the ice scraper, surprising me with its speed. Well, that's how they get their name. Any finger in the vicinity would have been in grav

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Can Hugo Chavez stay in power? Bookmark on del.icio.us

This week's Economist magazine takes a close look at the regime of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, asking whether he can continue to remain as president without destroying what is left of the country's democratic institutions. Until recently, Chavez enjoyed broad support among the middle and lower sectors of society, most of whom did not seem to mind that he was trampling on the rights of the propertied classes. In the editors' words, Venezuela has come to embody a new, post-cold-war model of authoritarian rule which combines a democratic mandate, populist socialism and anti-Americanism, as well as resource nationalism and carefully calibrated repressi

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Ballpark / stadium news roundup Bookmark on del.icio.us

While making further progress on reformatting the pages on this Web site over the past few days, I have fallen behind once again in news on stadium planning, construction, and renovation. Thanks to my always-reliable source Mike Zurawski, I am able to share with you all the following choice tidbits of news: Last week, the San Jose Planning Commission approved a revised environmental impact statement that raises the chances that a new stadium for the Athletics will be built on the south end of the San Francisco Bay. Local citizens voiced concerns about how such a stadium would affect traffic, parking and noise in the downtown area. See merc

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Bienvenidos, Presidente Calderón Bookmark on del.icio.us

(Press ONE for English.) The President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, is currently on an official state visit to the United States, at a very difficult time owing to deep divisions over the issue of immigration. Last night President and Mrs. Obama welcomed President and Mrs. Calderon with a state dinner, only the second such event since the 2009 inauguration. ([The previous state dinner] was when the infamous Salahis "crashed" the party.) During the "press availability" * yesterday, President Calderon criticized the new immigration law in Arizona (see

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Nationals lose fifth straight Bookmark on del.icio.us

What a revoltin' development this has been! After doing better than they had done in any of their first five seasons in Washington, the Nationals have now lost five games in a row. After getting off to a good start on this road trip, winning three of their first four games, they just fell apart. Admittedly, the Cardinals are a tough team to beat, but they have been slipping lately, ceding first place to the Cincinnati Reds, so the Nats should have won at least one of the two games in St. Louis. On Monday, Craig Stammen gave up four runs in the first inning, a troubling sign, but he hung in there for another five innings, to his credit. Last night, John Lannan had one of his best performances this season, giving up only two runs in six inni

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · The final mission for Atlantis? Bookmark on del.icio.us

On Friday afternoon the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from the Florida coast for the 32nd and, probably, the final time. As the space shuttle program draws to a close, many people are eager to see one of the pyrotechnic behemoths soar into space while they still have a chance, and 40,000 spectators were on hand at Cape Canaveral. On Sunday Atlantis docked with the International Space Station, and began unloading its cargo, including a Russian-built "Mini Research Module." Six astronauts were aboard, rather than seven as usual, and in a striking departure from recent practice, every single one of them is a white male. (Just like the good old days of the 1960s!?) The mission is scheduled to last twelve days, after which Atlantis will retire -

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Did Tories win British election? Bookmark on del.icio.us

Unlike the world of sports, where contests usually take place between two teams, or in some sort of clearly structured playoff system or individual tournament, in politics it's often hard to say who really "won." For one thing, you can never be quite certain who is on whose side, and for another, the competition itself never really ends. That is why it's hard to assess the meaning of the big electoral gains registered by the Conservative Party in Great Britain. It's hard to deny that the 91 seat loss in the House of Commons was a stern repudiation of the Labour Party under the stewardship of past Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but it's not at all clear that the 97-seat gain by the Tories (Conservatives) under new Prime Minister David Cameron sig

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Peru-Chile rapprochement? Bookmark on del.icio.us

With the new conservative administration of Sebastian Piña taking the reins of power in Chile, there is a possibility for a rapprochement with their old strategic rivals to the north. Chilean Senator Ignacio Walker, a forme Minister of Foreign Relations, said it's essential to try to continue moving forward in relations with Peru. For his part, Peru's Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde has announced that the "2+2" diplomatic mechanism will be restarted. It had been suspended when the two countries engaged in a bitter dispute over rights to maritime fishing areas off the Pacific Coast. See the televised interview at cn

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Nats get mile-high reality check Bookmark on del.icio.us

Overall, the Washington Nationals played quite well in the four-game weekend series in Denver, outscoring the Rockies 21-18. But because most of those runs were piled on in the first game of the series, when they won 14-6, they didn't have enough "left over" to win any of the next three games. And so, for the first time all year, the Nats lost three games in a row, by respective margins of 4, 1, and 1 runs, and now share second place with the Florida Marlins. So much for the Nats' proclivity for winning close games. Baseball page reorganization I have been busy reorganizing my Baseball pages, all of which from now on will be accessib

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Nationals clobber the Rockies Bookmark on del.icio.us

The change of two time zones and a gain of 5,000 feet in elevation did nothing to slow the momentum of the Washington Nationals, who unleashed a torrent of slugging power in Denver last night. Right from the start they were in control, as Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run homer in the first inning. But wait, there's more! Z-man upped the ante with a three-run home run in the fifth inning. Just one day after Roger Bernadina hit two home runs, Zimmerman did the same thing. Unfortunately, starting pitcher John Lannan faltered in the bottom of that inning, giving up four runs to the Rockies. Manager Jim Riggleman didn't want to put his team's lead at risk, so he brought in Miguel Batista. It's a shame that Lannan couldn't even finish five innings with a s

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Scenic Lynchburg, Virginia Bookmark on del.icio.us

About two weeks ago, at the of end the semester at Central Virginia Community College, I took advantage of the clear, sunny skies by paying a brief visit to downtown Lynchburg, which is chock full of historical architecture. The centerpiece is Monument Terrace, which includes several statues, monuments, and bronze plaques memorializing the sacrifices made by earlier generations of soldiers. At the top of the hill is the Lynchburg Museum. The steps not only offer a breathtaking view of the downtown area and the James River below, they are a great way for people who work downtown to get exercise during the day.

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Roger Bernadina's HUGE day Bookmark on del.icio.us

Until yesterday, I wondered what the big deal was about Roger Bernadina, the rookie part-time right fielder for the Washington Nationals. He had a fair-to-middling batting average but hadn't done much to show for himself. Somehow, he got plenty of playing time, as manager Jim Riggleman showed patience. Well, from now on I'll be paying a lot more attention. As the Washington Post reports, the team's coaches knew that Bernadina "was due to break out." Boy, did he! Not only did Bernadina hit tie-breaking homes in both the fourth and ninth innings (his very first two home runs in his career, by the way), he also made a diving catch of a line

Andrew Clem's Blog With No Name · Obama picks Kagan for SCOTUS Bookmark on del.icio.us

The person President Obama nominated to the Supreme Court this week, Elena Kagan, was widely considered among the most likely candidates. Aside from her lack of judicial experience per se, she seems eminently qualified. There is little doubt that she is on the left-liberal side of the political spectrum, and the only question is how far in that direction. The mainstream media is promoting her as a non-ideological pragmatist who earned a reputation as a reconciler as a faculty administrator at Harvard. (She also caused some controversy there by restricting the activities of military recruiters.) Ironically, Kagan if approved would contradict one of President Obama's highest priorities in naming government officials: diversity. Tuesday's

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