The three-game sweep was the Cardinals’ first at Dodger Stadium since April 1993. They have won nine straight against Los Angeles and 15 of the last 19 meetings — including a four-game sweep last week in St. Louis. Overall, the NL Central leaders have won 11 of 13 and lead Cincinnati by five games.

The only other time the Dodgers were swept in a season series by an NL club since moving to Los Angeles in 1958 was in 1994, when Atlanta was 6-0 against them. But a players strike that year wiped out the final seven scheduled meetings between the teams.

Meanwhile the Dodgers are sinking fast in the wild and wacky west as San Diego and San Francisco trade punches for possession of first place. The Dodgers are 1-10 with three shutout losses since the All-Star break — two of them against St. Louis — and have been outscored 57-17 during this stretch. The Cardinals outscored them 35-8 in the seven games.

A Rod will get an earful tonight as he heads back to Texas which is where the $250,000 contract originated and this guy is in a terrible funk. Rodriguez is batting just .154 (4-for-26) in his last six games and also trying to recover his fielding mechanics after committing five errors in that span. But the Yankees third baseman is batting .313 (15-for-48) with two homers and eight RBIs against the Rangers since being traded to the Yankees in 2004.

This will be Rodriguez’s second trip back this season after going 5-for-13 (.385) with a home run and six RBIs in a three-game series May 5-7 in Arlington.

The Minnesota Twins have been playing remarkable ball the past month but with the play of the Tigers, White Sox and Mets, very few people realize that they have crept inside of 10 games from Detroit’s lead.

The White Sox (59-38) meet the Twins (56-41) in the start of a key three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday with just three games separating them in the wild card race.

On June 7, Chicago was 36-22 and one-half game behind AL Central-leading Detroit. Minnesota was a season-worst eight games below .500 at 25-33 and in fourth place, 11 1/2 games back of the Tigers.

Both teams have gone in different directions since then as they chase the Tigers and the wild card spot. The defending World Series champions have gone 23-16, but have fallen 6 1/2 games in back of the Tigers.

Minnesota, meanwhile, has won 31 of 39 — posting two eight-game winning streaks and a season-high 11-game run from June 22-July 3 — and are one-half game behind the New York Yankees for second in the wild card.

The Twins also have continued to win despite injuries. Outfielders Torii Hunter (stress fracture in left foot), Shannon Stewart (sore left foot) and Lew Ford (strained oblique) all are on the disabled list.

This is the first of 12 games between the teams over the remainder of the season. They conclude the regular season with a three-game set from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Minneapolis.

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Originally from Brooklyn, Andie had lived in Atlanta for 20 years and become an expert in advertising production and management while Nancy, on the other hand, had been involved in the screen printing business. Nancy represented several American companies in the Latin American market and spent quite a bit of time in Latin America, including Cuernavaca, and this was the beginning to their Mexican adventure.

Andie’s comments shed light on the decision to relocate to a foreign country and the inevitable issues of culture shock and psychological adjustment that go along with the move to a strange land. Her story will also illustrate coping mechanisms and the fact that the human spirit will indeed adjust over time.

As Nancy had been spending more and more time in Mexico, Andie and Nancy were starting to think it might actually be nice to live somewhere else. Cuernavaca might be a good destination since it was close enough to easily go back and forth. Andie had attended a Spanish course at the Cetlalic Alternative Language School and had a chance to meet a lot of people from Cuernavaca’s local gay community and Cuernavaca increasingly looked like an interesting destination.

Both women thought that it might be a good idea to move to Cuernavaca, a goal they decided to accomplish in the New Millennium. So Andie decided to give up her job in advertising which was made easier by the after-effects of 911 which had severely affected the advertising industry.

Andie worked for a month with the previous owner of Villa San Marcos to gain some practical experience running a bed and breakfast. So the women put their furniture into storage in Atlanta and after their arrival in Cuernavaca they first lived in a furnished apartment. They later moved into an unfurnished condo, a rather bare place, which Andie describes as “graduate student living”. Andie admitted that as you get older these types of transitions get just a little harder.

Prior to their purchase, their B&B had been empty for five years. Once they acquired the property, they invested another year of renovations into La Nuestra. Building a clientele from scratch is always an issue for new entrepreneurs and Andie indicated that their clients mostly find them through the Internet and through word of mouth. In addition, Andie sent many news releases to independent booksellers and feminist book stores to request that the information about their B&B be put on their bulletin boards.

As new B&B owners, Andie and Nancy also decided to advertise on three web sites, two sites about Mexico and one site dedicated to gay travelers. Andie stressed, however, that their target market is not only the gay community, but people from all walks of life. Travellers come from the United States (California, Minnesota, and various places in the north), but also from Canada. In addition, they also host many weekend guests from Mexico City. Many of their guests don’t even move when they come here, they just relax in the beautiful garden by the pool and say this place feels just like home.

I asked Andie to elaborate on this process of cultural transition which they went through after they first relocated to Mexico. At first they felt excited, the place was new, they were learning the language, and there was this general feeling of newness that made everything so interesting.

But as the newness wore off, feelings of culture shock started to settle in. Andie experienced frustrations as she had to adjust to the Mexican concepts of time and reliability. Adjusting to the much more relaxed concept of time was difficult, especially since Andie had been living her life in Atlanta with a strict agenda. The unreliability of workmen and repair people was also a frequent source of frustrations. Andie told me a few stories of her renovation project and mentioned that workers might show up a day later or sometimes not at all.

On the other hand she was impressed by the easy-going attitude of local Mexican people and commented that they are very helpful when you make an effort to speak Spanish. Traffic can also be quite bad in this city. On the issue of cultural adjustment Andie said, that one of her friends commented on how great it must be to live in this new place while Andie admitted that many times this adjustment phase was really tough on her, especially at the beginning. She was missing her friends, her culture, her familiar environment.

Now things are much better. Andie runs an organization called the Newcomers Club which is an association of recent, mostly English-speaking residents, of Cuernavaca. The club had been in existence for 15 years, but had not been very active. Andie became president about four years ago, and the club now has around 170 members, ranging in age all the way from their forties and up. The oldest member is 91 years old.

The Cuernavaca Newcomers Club has a number of functions:
- It welcomes new English-speaking residents and helps them find their way
- It publishes a service directory every 2 years
- It provides a buddy system
- The club hosts a variety of social events throughout the year
- Speakers are invited to the club’s meetings and speak on various topics of interest, such as ecology, globalization, alternative health, investments and many more.
- The club is involved in a variety of charity projects as well.

The Newcomers Club holds two big social events a year: a cocktail party in September and a holiday party around Christmas time. Evening events include guitar concerts, talks on topics of interest and a “studio crawl” where the group visits different artists’ studios around town. An increasing number of social events will be held over the summer months as well, which used to be a quieter time.

One of the Newcomers Club’s most important involvements is in philanthropy. At Christmas members are encouraged to adopt a family in collaboration with the Episcopal Church. The club itself is non-denominational, but the church provides a list of 15 of the most needy families. Then, with the help of donations, the club purchases boxes of basic items that are given away to these needy families.

The Newcomers Club is also involved with a Mexican Charity called “Caminamos Juntos” which was founded by Susan Smith, a Canadian woman. Caminamos Juntos para la Salud y el Desarollo dedicates itself to helping one specific Mexican village in the state of Guerrero. This village has many problems: the water supply contains a toxic level of arsenic, there is a lot of poverty and alcohol abuse. Every month Caminamos Juntos asks for different supplies, e.g. in September the charity requests school supplies, in December it requests blankets, and at Christmas the charity request non-battery operated toys.

Andie indicated that the average age of newcomers to Cuernavaca is in their 50s. She added that dollars go a lot further in Cuernavaca than they would in Florida or the Caribbean.

In addition to volunteering with the Newcomers Club, Andie also donates her time to a local library called the Guild House. She volunteers four Friday mornings a months, two in the library, two with the Newcomers Club. Together with her work as a B&B owner at La Nuestra this keeps her busy.

Nowadays she still goes to back home to the United States about 4 to 5 times a year. Nancy and Andie still have a small apartment in Atlanta where they stay when they go home. Andie and I had a great conversation about her travel experiences in Israel and Spain, and about Latin machismo which also manifests itself on the road (a woman cutting a man off on the road will definitely incur his wrath, while the opposite is just considered normal).

I am one of these people who thinks that one day in my life I’ll probably try to spend 2 or 3 months of the year in a warm place, and Andie’s experience in Cuernavaca has given me some valuable insights about the decision-making process, the cultural adjustment phase, and the rewards of getting involved in a local volunteer organization.

For the entire article including photos please visit
http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/cuernavaca_7.htm

Brett Favre is a three time Associated Press MVP (1995-97). He is a sure hall of famer and his numbers thru the years proves it. He holds virtually every NFL career passing record, touchdown passes (464), wins (169), completions (5720), attempts (9280), and yards (65127). Brett also has the longest consecutive game stretch for a Quarterback (253).

 Last year Brett Favre proved that his skills did not diminished. He had the the New York Jets looking like super bowl contenders for about 3/4 of the season. After eleven games the team was 8-3 and coming of big wins against the Patriots and Titans. Brett was throwing the football well and looked like his old self during this period of the season. People want to remember that he faded toward the end of the season, but they should remember how good he played for most of it. His statistics for last year was 522 attempts, 343 completions, 22 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 3472 passing yards, 9 wins and was voted to the Pro Bowl, not bad for any quarterback playing in the NFL at any age.

The Minnesota Vikings despite all their problems at quarterback (going from Jackson to Frerotte back to Jackson) still had a successful season last year. The team managed to win the NFC north division with a 10-6 record, and hosted a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagels. The team has one of the best defensive units in the NFC, and on Offense it has one of the best lines and running back (Adrian Peterson) in the NFL. The only thing the club lacks is a quarterback.

If the Vikings sign Brett Favre they would get a leader at the quarterback position that basically already knows their system. Last year with the Jets Favre had to learn an entirely new system of plays and signals. He struggled at first with learning and getting accustomed to the new system. If he signs with the Vikings he shouldn’t have this problem, because the Vikings run a similar system that he used while playing in Greenbay. In fact the offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell worked with Favre from 2000 to 2005, he was the offensive assistant (2000-2002) and quarterback coach (2003-2005) for the Greenbay Packers. Favre should fit in right away working with his old quarterback coach. Another key reason why signing Favre would make them better, is the fact that he will not have to carry the offense by himself. He will have help on this team he can hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson or throw it to his receivers Bernard Berrian and rookie Percy Harvin.

In conclusion I believe that Brett Favre is still one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. His performance last year proved he can still play at a high level. I feel that after watching the success of the Vikings last year, Brett Favre would be the missing piece to the puzzle. If he signs with Minnesota, the Vikings could possibly be representing the NFC in the next super bowl.

Dungy was player along with a coach. He played for the University of Minnesota before entering the NFL as a free agent in 1977 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He stayed for two seasons with the Steelers before playing for the San Francisco 49ers for one year. He was traded to the New York Giants, but never played. He started coaching at his alma mater in 1980 as the defensive backs coach. He was with the University of Minnesota for only one season before another familiar team came calling: the Steelers. He entered the NFL as Pittsburgh’s defensive assistant coach. By the next season, he had already moved up to the position of defensive backs coach. In 1984, he became the Steelers defensive coordinator, a position he kept until 1988.

He was the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive backs coach from 1989 to 1991. The Minnesota Vikings made him their defensive coordinator in 1992, a position he stayed in until 1995. Dungy the head coach first happened in 1996 when he was given the helm of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the most successful had coach in the Bucs history, ending with a regular season record of 54-42 with four playoff appearances. The feat is even more impressive considering the Bucs had a combined record of 43-111 in the decade before Dungy arrived.

Dungy became the head coach for the Colts in 2002. In the years since then, He has become the most successful coach in franchise history with 85 wins and 27 losses in the regular season and a record of 7-6 in the playoffs. Dungy suffered tragedy in 2005 when he lost his son, James. The community rallied around him in the time of tragedy and Dungy decided to come back for the 2006 season. That year, he made history by becoming the first African American coach to win the Super Bowl. Dungy has described his priorities in the order of faith, family and football. His is one of the most respected coaches in the league for both his coaching skills and his contributions outside of football. He was worked with organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Club, Prison Crusade Ministry and more. Be there for the start of the next era of Colts football with Indianapolis Colts tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/indianapolis-colts-tickets.

The Henry Ford or the Mangoes and the Thomas Edison of the Seminole Lodge which is a primary tourist destination in the state are situated in McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. The Southwest Florida International Airport is situated southwest of the state, in South Fort Myers close to the Getaway and Lehigh Acers.

The state is the recent spring home to the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox. The Hammond Stadium is the Spring Training Home of the Minnesota Twins. It is situated in Lee county Sports Complex in South Fort Myers. The Atmospheric Administration and the National Oceanic classifies Fort Myers with its subtropical climate.

There are many points of interest in Fort Myers such as the Edison and Ford Winter Estate, the Lee County Sports Complex and Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium. The Lee County Sports Complex is home to the Fort Myers Miracle Baseball Club of the Florida State League and the Spring Training location for the Minnesota Twins.

The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium has a planetarium, museum, bird and butterfly aviaries as well as picnic areas, meeting areas and a gift shop. Fort Myers is also home to more than 50 of Southwest Florida’s 130 private and public golf courses.

There are also many hotels situated in Fort Myers like the Hilton Garden Inn Fort. This hotel is 9 miles away from downtown Fort Myers and the Southwest Florida International Airport. It is 15 miles away from Captiva and Sanibel Island as well as within short walking distances away from the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.

The hotel features deluxe accommodations, relaxed atmospheres and friendly services for guest. All guestrooms have large work desks, 2 double beds or one king double bed, two telephones with data ports and voice mails, coffee makers as well as hairdryers, microwaves, refrigerators, cable televisions and irons with ironing boards.

Courtyard Fort Myers Cape Coral Hotel is great for business and leisure travelers. The hotel is a minute away from the Southwest Florida International Airport, Gulf Coast Beaches and Sanibel Island. It is 5 miles away from Key West Express and Edison as well as Ford Estates. The hotel features about 149 guestrooms, fax services, laundry facilities, copy services and meeting spaces. All guestrooms have coffee makers, refrigerators, cable televisions, telephones, data ports, hairdryers, microwave ovens and irons with ironing boards.

Best Western Waterfront Fort Myers Hotel is situated within easy access to the beach. The hotel is five miles away from Cape Coral, nine miles away from the Fort Myers Captiva Island and Sanibel Island as well as six miles away from the Thomas Edison Winter Estate, Lee County Sports Complex and Henry Ford Winter Estate.

The hotel features outdoor heated pools, private piers and boat docks and onsite lounges, safe-deposit boxes along with laundry services, meeting rooms and complimentary Internet access. All guestrooms have air conditioning, cable television with premium channels, a microwave oven and a mini refrigerator, including electronic keycards, alarm clocks and large work desks.

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Here are seven examples of successful market-based healthcare alternatives that you should know about.

Government healthcare reform sure gets a lot of media attention. In just the last month alone there have been about 13,000 new stories containing the word “government” and the phrase “healthcare reform.” In contrast, there have been fewer than 300 news reports during the last month with both of the terms “market based” and “healthcare reform.”

That’s a ratio of 43 stories on government healthcare for every one story about market-based healthcare—government-based “reform” has completely monopolized the debate.

Given the momentum in Congress for some kind of government healthcare overhaul, the media attention is understandable. But at the same time that Congress debates different versions of Obamacare and considers various public options, some market-based healthcare solutions have gone largely unnoticed, despite the fact that they have successfully lowered medical costs and improved both access and quality of service.

Here are seven such examples of market-based healthcare alternatives:

1. Retail clinics. There are now 1,200 retail health clinics across the country providing high-quality basic medical care at lower costs than emergency rooms or physician offices. They offer better, faster service, with longer and more convenient hours than a traditional medical office.

Providers include Target Clinics (Minnesota and Maryland), Minute Clinics at select CVS pharmacies in 24 states, Wal-Mart Clinics in 11 states, Take Care Clinics as select Walgreens in 32 metro areas, the Little Clinics at select Publix and Kroger grocery stores in 11 states, and Roadside Medical Clinic Labs serving drivers at truck stops in three states. Typically staffed by nurse practitioners, retail clinics offer basic services such as sports physicals for as little as $29, and have been praised by insurance companies, employers, and consumers for their convenience and affordability, and as an effective way to serve the uninsured.

2. Retail clinic-hospital partnerships. To offer a full range of medical services, from flu shots to major surgery, some retail clinics like Minute Clinics have recently entered into partnerships with major hospitals like Allina Hospitals in Minnesota and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio (see a recent news report here). These partnerships will allow patient referrals in both directions, as retail clinics refer some of their patients to hospitals for more serious medical conditions, and hospitals refer some of their patients to retail clinics for minor services like flu shots. Electronic medical record sharing will allow a seamless transition for patients in either direction.

3. On-site workplace healthcare clinics. According to a report by National Public Radio, “More than 1,000 large companies in the U.S. have on-site, primary care health clinics. They serve about 5 percent of the working population … but that number could grow to 15 percent by the year 2015.” Some studies show businesses can cut healthcare costs by up to 30 percent, the report says later.

For example, in addition to operating Take Care Clinics in its pharmacies around the country, Walgreens also now offers Take Care Health Employer Solutions, which provides workplace clinics for primary medical care, on-site pharmacies, dental and vision services, and exercise and fitness programs.

4. Affordable $4 generic drugs. In 2008, Wal-Mart started offering more than 1,000 over-the-counter prescription drugs for $4 or less, which then forced other retailers like Target, Walgreens, and Kroger to offer similar discounts. Wal-Mart claims that its customers have already saved more than $1 billion since the $4 drug program was introduced, and that doesn’t count the additional savings of millions of dollars for the thousands of customers who buy $4 drugs at Wal-Mart’s competitors.

In September, Wal-Mart introduced a new $10 prescription drug program that includes a 90-day supply and free mail delivery anywhere in the country, which will save American consumers even more money, and they don’t even have to live close to a Wal-Mart. Thanks to Wal-Mart and its rivals, prescription drug costs have come down dramatically in the last few years, and it’s unlikely that any government reform will match these kinds of market-based savings.

5. Prepaid medical plans. For about the same monthly cost as a cell phone (annual fee of $480 for singles, $580 for couples, and $680 for families) The No Insurance Club offers affordable, pre-paid healthcare plans that cover basic medical services (12 office visits) from a participating board-certified physician, with no deductibles, no additional premiums, and no co-payments. Customers and physicians enter directly into a patient-doctor relationship without going through a third party, and even pre-existing conditions are covered under the No-Insurance Club plan. Although currently not available in every market, coverage is gradually expanding around the country.

6. Concierge medicine. This provides primary medical care from family practice physicians for annual membership fees of $1,000 to $1,800, and the doctor reports directly to the patient, and not an insurance company or Medicare, as his main customer. Concierge practices generally include 24/7 access to a personal physician’s cell phone, same-day appointments with no waiting, personal coordination of care with specialists, personal follow up when admitted to a hospital, and even house calls. While a typical physician has more than 2,000 patients, a concierge physician generally limits his or her practice to between 300 and 600 patients. Examples of concierge medicine providers include MDVIP and Concierge Medicine Today.

7. High-deductible health insurance plans along with individually owned and managed health savings accounts (HSAs). This consumer-driven approach could be called “MackeyCare,” after Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who outlined this plan in his August 11, 2009, Wall Street Journal editorial, “The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare.” The details of MackeyCare work like this:

Whole Foods Market pays 100 percent of the premiums for all team members who work 30 hours or more per week (about 89 percent of all team members) for our high-deductible health-insurance plan. We also provide up to $1,800 per year in additional healthcare dollars through deposits into employees’ Personal Wellness Accounts to spend as they choose on their own health and wellness.

Money not spent in one year rolls over to the next and grows over time. Our team members therefore spend their own healthcare dollars until the annual deductible is covered (about $2,500) and the insurance plan kicks in. This creates incentives to spend the first $2,500 more carefully. Our plan’s costs are much lower than typical health insurance, while providing a very high degree of worker satisfaction.

he number of American workers covered by HSAs and high-deductible health plans is now about eight million, and would probably continue to grow unless some form of Obamacare passes with a public option. According to Investor’s Business Daily, government healthcare reform “would have no place for cheap, basic plans that—like true insurance—cover just the big costs and require policyholders to pay out-of-pocket for routine care and drugs,” but would instead favor “plans that cover just about everything with little or no co-payment.”

So while Congress now debates how to control rising healthcare costs and expand access to medical care through government intervention and a public option, the private marketplace has already started many healthcare reforms on its own—providing affordable access at more than 1,000 retail clinics in pharmacies, truck stops, and workplaces around the country; lowering drug costs with prescriptions for $4 or less anywhere in the country; introducing innovative prepaid medical and concierge plans that restore the direct patient-doctor relationship; and covering eight million employees with HSAs.

When it comes to lowering costs and improving quality and service, government enterprises have a miserable track record, and competitive markets have a proven, excellent record. If we want to make healthcare affordable and accessible, we should encourage greater competition and more market-based solutions like the examples above; and less government intervention, not more. Unfortunately, the politicians in Washington have it backwards.