Vin et chocolat: An outfit for the wine and chocolate lover

Submitted by Penny Lane on 12/12/12 3:09pm
Shades and textures of wine and mocha

Wine-inspired clothing and accessories are the biggest trend this holiday season, be it for cocktail dresses, shoes, jewelry or anything in between. Rock the color in a pair of flattering vino skinny jeans with ankle boots in shades of chocolate cream and mocha. Wear them with an oversized sweater and a rich, dark leather purse to store your little things. Complete your outfit with a graphic scarf that blends and complements the color palettes. Voilà, a wine and chocolate inspired outfit!

 

 

Holiday spirit and savings at Francesca's Collections

Submitted by Penny Lane on 12/12/12 2:30pm
Sparkle and shine in holiday styles

Receive 25 percent off of Francesca's Collections' entire website now through December 19 for fantastic holiday gifts and savings. Valid online only; no code is necessary. Browse their beautiful jewelry collections and party dresses for your next holiday event. If you want to try something on before purchasing it, check out Francesca's Collections in Pacific Place.

2012 Spectometer Hitting Leaderboards -- BB Rate

Submitted by Spectator on 12/12/12 12:31pm
More prospect hitter lists

Another in our series.

First, a recap of the ground rules:

  • Ages 26 and over are considered "post-prospect" (for hitters), and are not counted (sorry Luis Rodriguez for plate skills and Joseph Dunigan for slugging).
  • A season needs at least 100 plate appearances to count.  Seasons between 50 and 99 PAs I will look at, and might note, but they won't go on the leaderboard.
  • Seasons that are entirely in foreign leagues don't count.  Mixed seasons with some foreign and some domestic stats I will count (but note with a caveat).  Good news for Gaby Guerrero fans (of which I am one).
  • The normal age-arc I use is Rookie/Short Season: 19 ... Low-A: 20 ... High-A: 21 ... AA: 22 ... AAA: 23.  A guy who is younger than age-arc is noted in green.   One year older than normal age-arc is not noted, but two years or more older earns an "age caveat" and is noted in blue.
  • Ages are from baseball-reference.com "age season" (age as of midnight on June 30 of the season).

***

Stat:  Walk Rate

Formula: BB/PA (expressed as a percent)

Interpretive rule of thumb:  Above 8.5% is what I look for.  My research indicates that guys who walk considerably less than that in the minors (say, less than 6%) are likely to struggle in the majors.

All hitters:

  1. Marcus Littlewood (20): 17.0%
  2. Rich Poythress (24): 15.1%
  3. Isaiah Yates (17): 14.5%
  4. Joe DeCarlo (18): 13.9%
  5. Brock Herbert (21): 13.4%
  6. Ji-Man Choi (21): 13.3%
  7. Filipe Burin (20): 13.2%
  8. Jamodrick McGruder (20): 13.1%
  9. Jabari Blash (22): 12.7%
  10. Gabrial Franca (18): 12.4%
  11. Keith Werman (22): 12.2%
  12. Carlos Ramirez (23): 12.2%
  13. Nate Tenbrink (25): 12.2%
  14. Mike Zunino (21): 12.1%
  15. Dario Pizzano (21): 12.0%

***

Below age-arc hitters:

  1. Isaiah Yates (17): 14.5%
  2. Joe DeCarlo (18): 13.9%
  3. Gabrial Franca (18): 12.4%
  4. Francisco Martinez (21): 10.2%
  5. Timmy Lopes (18): 9.4%

***

Glove-position hitters:

  1. Marcus Littlewood -- C (20): 17.0%
  2. Isaiah Yates -- CF (17): 14.5%
  3. Brock Herbert -- 2b/SS (21): 13.4%
  4. Gabrial Franca -- SS (18): 12.4%
  5. Keith Werman -- 2b/SS (22): 12.2%

***

Top 15 with age-caveat hitters excluded:

  1. Marcus Littlewood (20): 17.0%
  2. Isaiah Yates (17): 14.5%
  3. Joe DeCarlo (18): 13.9%
  4. Ji-Man Choi (21): 13.3%
  5. Filipe Burin (20): 13.2%
  6. Jamodrick McGruder (20): 13.1%
  7. Gabrial Franca (18): 12.4%
  8. Mike Zunino (21): 12.1%
  9. Johermyn Chavez (23): 11.9%
  10. Brad Miller (22): 11.5%
  11. Chris Taylor (21): 10.6%
  12. Reginald Lawson (20): 10.5%
  13. Denny Almonte (23): 10.4%
  14. Francisco Martinez (21): 10.2%
  15. Christian Charmichel (20): 9.8%

Holiday savings at J. Crew

Submitted by Penny Lane on 12/12/12 10:59am
Get in the HOLIDAY shopping spirit

Holiday gift shopping just became a little sweeter at J. Crew: Receive 25 percent off and free shipping for online orders of $100 or more with code HOLIDAY. Offer valid until midnight on December 12, 2012. Get your shop on!

2012 Spectometer Hitting Leaderboards -- HR Rate

Submitted by Spectator on 12/12/12 10:24am
Prospect hitters lists begin.

We will be doing a series of these articles spelling out the 2012 leaderboards for the hitters in each of the Spectometer statistical categories.

First, a recap of the ground rules:

  • Ages 26 and over are considered "post-prospect" (for hitters), and are not counted (sorry Luis Rodriguez for plate skills and Joseph Dunigan for slugging).
  • A season needs at least 100 plate appearances to count.  Seasons between 50 and 99 PAs I will look at, and might note, but they won't go on the leaderboard.
  • Seasons that are entirely in foreign leagues don't count.  Mixed seasons with some foreign and some domestic stats I will count (but note with a caveat).  Good news for Gaby Guerrero fans (of which I am one).
  • The normal age-arc I use is Rookie/Short Season: 19 ... Low-A: 20 ... High-A: 21 ... AA: 22 ... AAA: 23.  A guy who is younger than age-arc is noted in green.   One year older than normal age-arc is not noted, but two years or more older earns an "age caveat" and is noted in blue.
  • Ages are from baseball-reference.com "age season" (age as of midnight on June 30 of the season).

***

Stat:  Home Run Rate

Formula: HR/PA (expressed as a percent)

Interpretive rule of thumb:  Above 4% classifies one as a "slugger" in my rule of thumb.  Above roughly 2.3% but below 4% is someone with "some power."  Below 2.3% indicates not much power.

All hitters:

  1. Mike Zunino (21): 6.8%
  2. Carlos Peguero (25): 6.5%
  3. Steve Proscia (22): 5.1%
  4. Gabriel Guerrero (18): 4.9% (includes some foreign stats)
  5. Julio Morban (20): 4.8%
  6. Stefen Romero (23): 4.5%
  7. Mario Martinez (22): 4.3%
  8. Nate Tenbrink (25): 4.2%
  9. Mickey Wiswall (23): 3.9%
  10. Kalian Sams (25): 3.9%
  11. Daniel Paolini (22): 3.8%
  12. Patrick Kivlehan (22): 3.8%
  13. David Villasuso (22): 3.6%
  14. Taylor Ard (22): 3.6%
  15. Marcus Littlewood (20): 3.5%

***

Below age-arc hitters:

  1. Gabriel Guerrero (18): 4.9% (includes some foreign stats)
  2. Julio Morban (20): 4.8%
  3. Phillips Castillo (18): 2.7%
  4. Guillermo Pimentel (19): 2.3%
  5. Nick Franklin (21): 2.1%

***

Glove-position hitters:

  1. Mike Zunino -- C (21): 6.8%
  2. Stefen Romero -- 2b (23): 4.5%
  3. Marcus Littlewood -- C (20): 3.5%
  4. Jabari Henry -- CF (21): 3.2%
  5. Jack Marder -- 2b/C (22): 3.1%

***

Top 15 with age-caveat hitters excluded:

  1. Mike Zunino (21): 6.8%
  2. Steve Proscia (22): 5.1%
  3. Gabriel Guerrero (18): 4.9% (includes some foreign stats)
  4. Julio Morban (20): 4.8%
  5. Stefen Romero (23): 4.5%
  6. Mario Martinez (22): 4.3%
  7. Marcus Littlewood (20): 3.5%
  8. Alex Liddi (23): 3.4%
  9. Mike McGee (23): 3.4%
  10. Johermyn Chavez (23): 3.2%
  11. Jack Marder (22): 3.1%
  12. John Hicks (22): 2.8%
  13. Reginald Lawson (20): 2.7%
  14. Ji-Man Choi (21): 2.7%
  15. Leon Landry (22): 2.7%

Verizon files patent for creepiest invention ever

Submitted by erika on 12/11/12 4:26pm
This TV will scrutinize your appearance, tone of voice, home decor and your every move.

A lot of people are turned off by the way that Gmail harvests words from your e-mail messages and uses them to decide which ads to show you. Others find it unsettling the way the Kinect for XBOX 360 can detect your movements and translate them into video game form. 

Those people have no idea what's coming next.
 
Verizon has filed a patent for a device that will watch you watching television, and fine-tune the ads accordingly. Let's say that you and your partner start squabbling while watching television: the device might show you ads for marriage counseling. Or if you start cuddling, it might show ads for contraceptives or flowers.
 
The device will also assess the "physical attributes" of the people watching television. Got long hair? You'll see commercials for conditioner. Overweight? You'll see weight loss ads, and probably fast food ads too. The device will register the tone of your voice, and act accordingly. If you sound stressed, it might show ads for aromatherapy candles or vacation destinations.
 
It will also be able to scan the room within its field of vision and harvest that data. Got a beer can collection? You'll see ads for beer. Is there a cat present? Cat food ads.
 
Those aren't hypotheticals: those are all actual examples which Verizon cites in its patent application.
 
The amazing thing isn't that this patent has been filed. Similar patents have been filed before. Just because you file a patent, it doesn't mean you plan to follow through with it. But this situation is a little different because it's being filed by the country's largest television provider (Verizon), and because we already have all the technology to actually do this. It's just a matter of getting all the pieces to talk to each other, from the facial recognition software to the ad device tailor. This is not a trivial issue, technologically speaking, but it is certainly feasible given today's tech.
 
Verizon already has the ability to "spy" on people's usage patterns through statistics sent back by DVRs and digital cable receivers. If you record every Downton Abbey episode but never watch it, Verizon knows this. Most people are willing to take the trade-off: their privacy in exchange for digital cable.
 
However, I suspect that if Verizon tries to market a device like this, they may find more people fleeing the land of television than ever before. Honestly, between Netflix Streaming and Hulu, there's practically no reason to watch television right now anyway. Something like this could really spell the death of broadcast television altogether. (And would that be such a bad thing?)

Candyfreak by Steve Almond

Submitted by erika on 12/11/12 4:18pm
"A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America"

Let's get it out of the way right up front, just as the author does: yes, his last name is Almond. And he's writing about candy. And yes, he has heard a lot of "Almond Joy" jokes in his lifetime. And yes, they have gotten quite stale.

I myself am a candy freak, so I was intrigued to learn about Almond's book, in which he sets out to tour and describe several regional candy bars. Of course, the first thing I did upon obtaining the book on Kindle was to search for "Red Vines" and "Twizzlers."
 
I was pleased to learn that Almond is a Red Vines fan, as is right and proper. This is the kind of thing that is important to candyfreaks. (I laughed SO HARD at a recent Parks & Rec episode where Leslie Knope tells Ben, "We're a Red Vines family. You're going to have to get used to that.")
 
Regional candy is increasingly a thing of the past. The big candy conglomerations either buy out the little guy, or shoulder the little guy off the shelves thanks to the exorbitant slotting fees at major retailers. Thus, small time candies (like the Idaho Spud and Mountain Bars, which are native to my region) are kicked down to the second or third tier stores. I can reliably find oddball candy at Walgreen's and Bartell's, small drug stores that have equivalents all across the nation. Beyond that, it's all about the same.
 
This is a somewhat odd situation, given the ability to sell things over the internet. Internet sales have revived many formerly small regional concerns. By taking their products online, small family owned companies can cut out the middle man and distribution costs. Unfortunately, candy can be difficult to ship. (One of the candies Almond profiles, Valomilk cups, cannot be flown over the Rockies lest the cups rupture and turn to a sticky mass inside the wrapper.)
 
Almond is a funny writer, able to turn a clever phrase when needed, to breeze through parts that need breezing through, and take time to ponder things that need pondering. This deft touch with the craft is needed, for otherwise the book would have seemed somewhat repetitive. (It's the same story everywhere, I'm afraid.) It even takes a surprisingly dark turn at the end, when Almond faces the failures and dissatisfactions of his own life, in what seems like the literary version of a sugar crash.

Twisted!

Submitted by Anne Aixe on 12/11/12 4:14pm
Hand-coiled creations from Full Moon Jewelry

If you've got a thing for captivating your audience with your jewelry, we've got a new designer for you to add to your collection. Designer Melonie Moon only started her Full Moon Jewellery line in February 2012, but she's already got more stunning pieces in her collections than most veteran designers.

Have a look. 

 
 

The allure here is a combination of great materials (Czech glass and gemstones galore) and diverse and sophisticated wire wrapping techniques. All of the loop rings in these pieces are individually twisted, cut and assembled into patterns. Moon has a particular talent for placing the right wire wrapping design with the appropriate beads. The results are absolutely enchanting. There are enough pieces here to fit any mood or whimsy, from the haunting Mammoth anklet to the light and airy Amethyst Dream necklace. 

We happen to love the Wicked Creations: customizable pieces available upon request. 

  

Full Moon Jewellery is so new as a brand that Melonie still hand makes all of the pieces herself (some of the creations take days to assemble) which means that no two pieces are identical unless they're part of a set. Wicked! 

For more great pieces by Melonie Moon, check out the Full Moon Jewellery webpage and her shop on Copious. 

Enjoy! 

Olympia sports bar welcomes pot smokers

Submitted by erika on 12/11/12 4:14pm
I-502 may save this local business.

Times have been tough for small businesses all across Washington State. In Olympia, Frank Schnarr, owner of Frankie's Sports Bar & Grill, used to lie in bed awake at nights wondering how much longer he would be able to keep his bar open. On the verge of losing his business, Schnarr now sees a new opportunity in the wake of I-502.

Schnarr allows cigarette smoking on the second floor of his business, thanks to a loophole in the law. In 2006, Washington banned cigarette smoking in all public establishments. Schnarr turned his second floor into a private clubhouse, circumventing the law. It costs $10/year to enroll with "Friends of Frankie's," which entitles you to alcoholic beverages served by a volunteer staff (they work solely on tips). 
 
Schnarr is not a pot-smoker himself. But he doesn't hold it against anyone. And as of this week, Schnarr is allowing marijuana to be smoked upstairs along with cigarettes. He has already seen an uptick in business, and he predicts a great deal more as word spreads.
 
Frankie's Sports Bar is even offering daily specials to help draw in the marijuana smoking crowd. (Which, in a college town famed for its liberal hippie college [which I attended myself for two years before transferring to UW], is a substantial crowd indeed, trust me.) Schnarr is offering a special $4.20 appetizer menu, featuring deep fried cheese sticks, shrimp and breaded mushrooms. 
 
Schnarr is also looking into the possibility of opening a medical marijuana dispensary on the adjacent property. If he is lucky, the state Liquor Control Board will open a recreational marijuana store nearby. Unfortunately, the new law requires all pot to be sold through a state owned storefront, which means that Schnarr will not be able to sell marijuana directly. Nor will his customers be able to sell to each other.
 
"If I wasn't a friend of Frankie's already I'd be one now because you can come here and smoke and feel free," said one patron, who equated Frankie's to a little taste of Amsterdam right in Olympia.
 
The Liquor Control Board is reportedly looking into the legality of Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill's new marijuana policy. But if Schnarr was able to successfully circumvent the cigarette smoking ban, there seems to be no reason to think he won't be able to allow his patrons to smoke pot as well. The marijuana-related small business revolution continues!

From You With Love

Submitted by Anne Aixe on 12/11/12 2:29pm
Jewelry with an important cause

Picture it: a former actress and model, a fine jeweler, and her brother are through the Himalayas to meet their friend, a documentary film maker, who is originally from the area. For Celia Wise, Sabine and Philipp Roemer, and Tanzin Norbu, this should have been nothing more than an uneventful mountain holiday an an exotic location.

Instead, the travelers' journey was cut off by floods in Leh, brought on by a record-breaking cloudburst. The floods destroyed families and homes and took the lives of over 1,000 people.

Witnessing the devastation, Celia Wise, Sabine and Philipp Roemer, and Tanzin Norbu felt compelled to help. The result is From You With Love, a new brand with just two pieces. Yet these are two of the most important pieces you'll ever buy.

   

Inspired by local culture, the bracelets feature a Tibetan Dorje and prayer beads. More importantly, both bracelets serve very honorable causes. Proceeds from the brass bracelet will provide one child in the Ladakh region with schoolbooks for one year, while the silver bracelet will cover the child's medicine for one year.

From You With Love is currently supporting 8 children in the Zanskar Valley (an area so remote that it's only accessible seven months a the year) but with your help, the company can support even more needy children.

Each bracelet comes in a pouch printed with a Tibetan prayer flag to symbolize peace, unity, and a celebration of life.

To find out more about this important jewelry company, visit the official From You With Love page, and also check out their shop on Boticca.

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