Charles Machon talks about a section of the Museum of Military History, which features the history of black soldiers who served very early in Missouris history as a state. This and other displays will soon be open to the public at the new location of the museum on the grounds at the Missouri National Guard headquarters in Jefferson City. Photo by Julie Smith.

Visitors will pass by a fighter jet and yesteryear tanks to enter the Museum of Missouri Military History after its Dec. 7 grand opening at a new location.

They will walk into the shared lobby with the Patriot Center, the first right after entering the Ike Skelton Training Site, before being greeted at the visitor kiosk with looping photos of the museums holdings.

Photo by Julie Smith

Maj. Alan Brown builds a childrens corner in the Museum of Military History at the Missouri National Guard headquarters. The local museum will serve as the anchor for the newly developed Veterans Trail. The trail includes this museum and more than 40 existing memorials, monuments and grave markers within about a 30-mile radius from Jefferson City.

The three-story high ceiling of the nearly 7,000-square-foot facility gives the museums new location an even larger feel. Visitors will have space to navigate the dozens of themed exhibits, including large weaponry, full uniforms and accoutrements and lots of other artifacts.

In the back of the display area is a field tent set up for films, expected to be popular with the dozens of elementary field trips that visit during their day at the Capitol. And in the front, children will enjoy the corner with real uniforms and items they can touch and try on.

Visitors with smartphones will be able to access additional information about each exhibit, using QR codes.

All of these features were not possible at the museums former location.

Originally posted here:
Grand opening slated for Missouri military museum

By Jason Chester for MailOnline

Published: 10:46 EST, 28 November 2014 | Updated: 16:34 EST, 28 November 2014

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It is maddeningly short, but the first official glimpse of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens serves as a fitting reminder that a galaxy far, far away is actually much closer than we thought.

While returning cast-members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are absent from the 88-second montage, fans are given a first look at the younger generation of cast-members to feature in this, the first of three planned sequels.

Opening some 30-years after Return of the Jedi, the teaser kicks off with British actor John Boyega racing across a desert landscape dressed in full Stormtrooper regalia.

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Opening shot: New cast-member John Boyega races across a desert landscape in full Stormtrooper regalia

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Star Wars Episode VII teaser trailer reveals new cast-members, a brand new lightsaber

November 27, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Mississauga Steelheads The Steelheads split their games this past weekend, opening with a road loss to the London Knights on Friday, and returning to Mississauga to even up their season series with the Peterborough Petes. Despite the Tip Top Tailors Play of the Week by Michael McLeod, London's Mitchell Marner stole the show on Friday night with a career-high four goal performance as the Knights picked up their 14th victory of the season. Sunday afternoon would be a different story as the Steelheads offense clicked into gear with Sam Babintsev (2 goals, 2 assists) leading the pack in a 5-1 win.

NEW ADDITIONS

Mississauga announced two new additions to their school of fish this weekend. Forward Jimmy Lodge was acquired on Friday from Saginaw, and defenceman Justin Bean was acquired on Saturday from Belleville.

Lodge was able to meet the team in London, Ontario in time for their tilt with the Knights, and wasted no time getting acclimated to his new surroundings. Lodge put the Steelheads on the board early in the second period. His hot start with the Trout continued on Sunday afternoon as he and linemates Babintsev and Bryson Cianfrone combined for nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in the victory.

Bean made his debut playing alongside Josh Burnside on Sunday, and fit in well to the Steelheads system. He stated in an interview, "I played in the summer for (Steelheads Assistant Coach) Jason Nobili, actually, so I'm pretty familiar with how things are run here."

THIS WEEKEND

Mississauga prepares for a busy weekend, playing three games in four days against three of the top ten teams in the Ontario Hockey League. Lodge has a positive outlook for the weekend, "For me, I'll just probably take every game the same, it doesn't really matter who you're playing against, just got to play your game and play hard and good things happen that way."

The Erie Otters currently lead the season series against Mississauga, having picked up a 4-0 victory in their first meeting. Despite the notable loss of their Captain, Connor McDavid, the Otters have continued to roll, entering the game on a three game winning streak and holding down first place in the Western Conference. Newly-acquired Nick Baptiste will make his debut for the Otters on Thursday night after being picked up from the Sudbury Wolves earlier in the week.

Mississauga will have two home games this weekend, hosting the Belleville Bulls Friday and the London Knights on Sunday.

Belleville will be in the building for BMO FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT on Friday. Belleville is currently on a five-game losing streak, the longest current slump in the league. The Bulls will take on the Niagara IceDogs on Thursday as they begin a three game road trip.

Link:
Steelheads Preview: November 27 - 30

November 26, 2014 - Indoor Football League (IFL) Iowa Barnstormers DES MOINES - The Iowa Barnstormers continue to fill their training camp roster with the additions of wide receiver Chris Bowden and defensive backs Torez Jones and Kirkland Davidson, Head Coach Joe Brannen announced today.

Bowden (6-2, 215, Wingate) joins the Iowa Barnstormers roster after spending time in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Arizona Rattlers. Collegiately, Bowden was a four-year starter at Wingate University where he recorded 263 receptions for 3,719 yards and 35 touchdowns. In 2012, the Georgia native earned several honors for his standout performance including first team All-American, South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Offensive Player of the Year, and Wingate's all-time leading receiver.

Jones (6-0, 190, Western Carolina) comes to the Barnstormers with two years of professional indoor football experience after spending time with the Richmond Raiders of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) and the Utah Blaze (AFL). Collegiately, the All-Southern Conference defensive back finished second in the nation with seven interceptions and added 62 tackles. Jones broke the school record and tied the conference record with four interceptions in a single game.

Davidson (5-9, 185, Livingstone) played the 2014 season with the Champion San Angelo Bandits of the Lone Star Football League (LSFL). In five games, Davidson snagged four interceptions while recording 27 total tackles, 17 pass breakups, and one field goal touchdown. Davidson played his collegiate football career at Livingstone College where he earned All-Conference honors and was invited to both the 2013 All-Star Game and 2013 Hansen Bowl.

The Iowa Barnstormers Official Dance and Promotional Team, the Storm Chasers, are holding their open tryout on December 6, 2014. The audition will take place at the Riverfront YMCA in downtown Des Moines and is open to all females ages 18 and older. To register or for more information, call the Barnstormers Front Office at 515-633-2255 or log on to http://www.theiowabarnstormers.com.

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Barnstormers Roster Continues to Grow

December is right around the corner, which means you'll be spending a lot of time with family members, so you might need a way to avoid them at one point or another during the holidays. There is no shame in that. Sometimes your mom asking who this "Beneswitch Humperdink" guy is for the fourth time is just too much to handle.

Thankfully, the OG system of avoidance, Netflix, has come out with its list of new moviesand TV showsthat will be coming to the streaming service this December. And we found at least 13 really exciting additions, which is at the very least 30 hours of time you can avoid your family. Or you can watch these movies with your family members if you're into that sort of thing.

NEWS: Netflix just saved his canceled series

1.A Knight's Tale

Not only do we get to see the late Heath Ledger as a handsome, badass jouster, but this is one of the few (only?) films set in medieval times that manages to slip Queen music into it. And a dance number!

2.Almost Famous

This is Kate Hudson's star-making role, but this is one of the few times we can definitively say that the charming Kate is not our favorite part of this movie.

3. Crossroads

It should have been called Academy Award-nominated Crossroads, starring Academy Award-nominated Britney Jean Spears. Just kidding, it's mediocre at best, but damn if we don't love to watch this 2002 cheesefest.

4.American Horror Story: Coven

Read more:
The 12 Best Movies Coming to Netflix in December

The problem for Toronto and the rest of the AL East is that the Red Sox aren't done. The additions of Sandoval and Ramirez provide a lot more depth for the organization and set up the possibility of future trades for starting pitching. There's no guarantee it will work out, but there's little doubt that Boston looks a lot better today than it did a month ago on the heels of a last-place finish in the division.

On MLB Tonight, Alex Anthopoulos joins the show to discuss the Blue Jays' signing of Russell Martin and gives an outlook for the 2015 season

The signings will have a ripple effect throughout baseball both in terms of free agency and trades. Here's a closer look at what it could mean for the Blue Jays in particular:

Sandoval off the market: The Blue Jays expressed some interest in Sandoval earlier in the offseason, but there were never any real expectations that the two sides would be able to work out a deal. Toronto made it pretty clear that Martin had been its top target through free agency and everything else was put on the back burner until that agreement was finalized. General manager Alex Anthopoulos did meet with Sandoval's representatives at the recent General Managers Meetings, but it appears the Blue Jays' interest was overblown.

Toronto isn't believed to have made a formal proposal to Sandoval and when the 2012 World Series MVP sat down to make his decision, he was weighing offers from the Padres, Giants and Red Sox. In that sense, the Sandoval and Ramirez signings with Boston don't directly impact Toronto because the organization didn't take a strong run at either player. The Blue Jays still have a need for either a third baseman or second baseman and now that the top players are off the board, it might create some movement in the second tier of infielders that Toronto might consider.

Yankees pressed into action: New York has been insisting for the past several weeks that it would resist the urge to make a major splash in free agency. The question now is whether that stance will change after arch-rival Boston added a pair of prominent players to its roster. Reacting to another team's moves isn't always the best course of action but, when it comes to these two cities, nothing can be ruled out.

If the Yankees feel compelled to respond with a major move of their own, all bets are off this winter. New York could use an upgrade to its starting rotation and with Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields available through free agency, the only thing required to get a deal done is money. If the Yankees go on a spending spree of their own, then the task obviously gets even tougher for Toronto.

Rays could continue to sell: The more competitive the AL East becomes the more likely it is that the Rays will decide to completely rebuild. That process is already partially underway following the departure of general manager Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon, but more moves could be in store for an organization that has plenty of young talent but could be a couple of years away from contending.

The one name Toronto should watch out for is Ben Zobrist, who is about to enter the final year of his contract. Zobrist would be an ideal fit for the Blue Jays at second base, but even if Tampa Bay declines to deal him within the division, at the very least it further dilutes the market for middle infielders. If Zobrist goes on the block, it could also impact the market for free agents like Asdrubal Cabrera and Jed Lowrie and second basemen like Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley, who could be available through trades.

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Blue Jays seek counter to Boston's splash

November 24, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL) Dayton Dragons DAYTON, OH -Former Dayton Dragons Amir Garrett and Kyle Waldrop have been added to the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster.

The additions of Garrett, a left-handed pitcher, and Waldrop, an outfielder, bring the total of former Dragons on the Reds 40-man roster to 21 players. The most recent Dragons on the Reds roster are Garrett and left-handed pitcher Ismael Guillon, who both played for the Dragons during the 2014 season. First baseman Joey Votto, a member of the 2003 and '04 Dragons, represents the earliest appearance with the Dragons among current Reds players.

In addition to Garrett, Waldrop, Guillon, and Votto, other former Dragons currently on the Reds 40-man roster include infielders Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, and Donald Lutz; outfielders Jay Bruce, Juan Duran, Chris Heisey, Billy Hamilton, and Yorman Rodriguez; catchers Tucker Barnhart and Devin Mesoraco; and pitchers Homer Bailey, Carlos Contreras, Daniel Corcino, Johnny Cueto, Logan Ondrusek, Curtis Partch, and Pedro Villarreal. Two other current Reds, second baseman Brandon Phillips and pitcher Aroldis Chapman, have played briefly for the Dragons on injury rehabilitation assignments.

Players on the 40-man roster are protected by the organization from being selected in the Rule V Draft in December. Players with at least four years of professional experience (or at least five years of experience for players who signed their first contract before their 19th birthday) are eligible for the Rule V Draft and must be placed on the 40-man roster to be protected. Players must also be on the 40-man roster to be promoted to the Major Leagues during the season.

Garrett, 22, spent the entire 2014 season with the Dragons and made dramatic improvements over the course of the season. He finished the year with a record of 7-8 with a 3.65 earned run average in 27 starts. Garrett was the only Midwest League pitcher to fire two complete game shutouts in 2014. He ranked fifth in the league in strikeouts per nine innings, notching 127 strikeouts in 133.1 innings. Garrett's best game with the Dragons came August 13 against Lake County when he tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 12 while allowing just three hits and one walk. Starting May 30 and continuing through the rest of the season, Garrett was 7-4 with a 2.67 ERA, limiting opposing batters to a .188 average during that three-month stretch.

Waldrop spent the entire 2012 season with the Dragons as a 20-year-old, batting .284 with eight home runs and 50 RBI in 117 games. Waldrop enjoyed a huge 2014 season, splitting the year equally between Advanced-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. He led the Reds organization in batting average at .338 while connecting on 14 home runs and driving in 67 runs. Following the season, Waldrop was invited to play in the prospect-filled Arizona Fall League and turned in a strong performance, batting .300 in 19 games with two home runs, 14 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .463.

Outside the Reds organization, 2011 Dragons second baseman Ronald Torreyes was added to the Houston Astros 40-man roster. Torreyes, the smallest player in Dragons history at 5'7", 140 lbs., hit .356 for the 2011 Dragons, helping the team to the best record in franchise history at 83-57. This season, Torreyes played for the Astros Triple-A club, Oklahoma City. He batted .298 as a utility man at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field.

The Dragons open the 2015 season on April 9 at West Michigan. The home opener is Sunday, April 12 vs. South Bend. For information on Dragons season tickets, group outings, orre luxury suites, call (937) 228-2287 or go to daytondragons.com.

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Former Dragons Garrett, Waldrop Added to Reds 40-Man Roster

Dear spouses, children and parents of hedge-fund managers: forgive your loved one if the gifts arent so generous this holiday season.

Managers are still pocketing their usual fee of 2 percent of investors assets for simply showing up, but the 20 percent of profits are proving harder to come by. As Goldman Sachs Group Inc. pointed out in a Nov. 20 report, the average fund has lost 1 percent so far this year even as the Standard & Poors 500 Index returned more than 13 percent including dividends.

Look, no one is saying its going to be only socks and long johns for Christmas and Hanukkah this year. Just maybe that you shouldnt count on that $35,000 cocktail shaking contraption or the $300,000 toy race-car set from Neiman Marcus.

Hedge funds long exposure to equities rose to a record high of 54 percent at the start of the fourth quarter, the report shows. Yet the stocks they focused on are proving problematic: They continued to favor companies that rely on discretionary consumer spending with a net 21 percent weighting, almost 8 percentage points more than their allotment in the Russell 3000 Index. (RAY) The group is up 5 percent in 2014, the second-worst performing industry among nine in the index.

Energy companies, the worst performing group so far this year with a 1.7 percent drop, are the second biggest hedge-fund weighting at 14 percent, more than 5 percentage points above their Russell 3000 weighting. Of the industries they are underweight, technology, utilities and consumer staples are all beating the market this year.

Their big love of small companies is also taking a toll: The report said the typical fund has 35 percent of its assets in stocks from the Russell 2000 Index (RTY), which is only up 1.3 percent this year.

Still, its not all bad news. The shares that funds loaded up on last quarter are up a median 16 percent so far in the fourth quarter, according to the additions to Goldmans Very Important Position list of popular long positions. They include Yahoo! Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Mylan Inc. and Visa Inc. Among those dropped from the list were Amazon.com Inc., CBS Corp. and Walgreen Co.

The Goldman Sachs report was based on 782 hedge funds with $2 trillion of gross equity positions. Look, 2 percent of $2 trillion is still $40 billion. So if you do get nothing but socks this year, maybe theyll at least be an $85 three-pack of Robert Grahams argyles. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, thats a bargain at less than $14.17 per sock.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael P. Regan in New York at mregan12@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeff Sutherland at jsutherlan13@bloomberg.net

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Goldman Analysis Shows Hedge Funds Long and Not So Strong

One-year-olds are not supposed to have breath that would peel paint.

Nor, on the other hand, are they supposed to stand eyeball to eyeball with you, close enough that you can hear the nostrils opening and closing, ready to tear you limb from limb and gulp happily eat you.

But meet Blizzard just dont try to shake hands with him through the thick chain-link fence that is all that stands between you and the front page of this newspaper. Blizzard and his sister, Star, are one-year-old orphaned polar bears who are the latest additions to an ambitious experiment called Journey to Churchill at Winnipegs Assiniboine Park Zoo.

Blizzards ready to hold his own, says Brian Joseph, the zoos new director. Hes not at all deterred by the presence of a stranger.

The stranger, on the other hand, is deterred, unnerved and twice frozen: once by the -15C temperature, a second time by the dark laser stare of a bear.

There is nothing these bears are afraid of, Dr. Joseph continues. They have no innate fear of humans because humans are merely another prey to them. There is no animal on Earth other than another polar bear or a human with a rifle that is a threat to them.

These bears may be confident and fear nothing, but a great many people are now fearing for them and, sadly, are not so confident.

The bears know nothing, Dr. Joseph says, about climate change.

Five years ago, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy came up with an ambitious $200-million plan to rejuvenate the park, the old zoo and create something new that would be unique to the world, not just Winnipeg.

There are lots of zoos in the world, conservancy president Margaret Redmond says, and they tend to have animals from different parts of the world. The polar bear, however, is an iconic species for Manitobans.

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Innovative Winnipeg zoo experiment shares the plight of polar bears

With the additions, the Brewers' 40-man roster is full.

Jungmann, the Brewers' No. 10-ranked prospect by MLB.com who will turn 25 next month, was 12-10 with a 3.57 ERA in 27 starts and one relief appearance between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville in 2014, with a significant jump in his strikeout rate to 8.6 per nine innings. His previous best was 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings in the Class A Advanced Florida State League in 2012, Jungmann's first professional season.

The former University of Texas standout spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he was 8-6 with a 3.98 ERA in 18 starts plus one relief outing. He struck out 101 batters in 101 2/3 innings at Nashville.

"He was probably one of the better pitchers in that league during the second half," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said.

Plenty can happen between now and the time rosters are set, but Jungmann appears positioned to follow in the footsteps of another big right-hander, Jimmy Nelson, who pitched the second half of 2013 and the first half of 2014 at the Triple-A level before the Brewers needed him in the Majors at midseason. If Jungmann is indeed sent back to Triple-A to begin 2015, he would lead the starting rotation at the Brewers' new Colorado Springs affiliate.

Strong, 26, has struck out 242 batters in 209 innings over the past three seasons and earned a trip to this year's Arizona Fall League. With the free-agent departures of Zach Duke and Tom Gorzelanny, Strong is one of only two left-handed relievers (Will Smith is the other) on Milwaukee's 40-man roster. Another lefty, Wei-Chung Wang, will convert back to a starting role in the Minor Leagues in 2015.

Goforth, 26, logged 27 saves as Huntsville's closer last season and could reprise the role next year in Nashville if he doesn't make the cut in Milwaukee. Goforth's name was absent when the three other roster additions were announced on Thursday morning, but was informed later in the day that he would be added as well. Melvin said he was simply waiting for input from club decision-makers who had seen Goforth pitch.

Rivera is just 22 and a superior defensive shortstop who split last season between Class A Advanced Brevard County and Huntsville, batting .258 with five home runs, 30 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

2014 MLB.com Top Prospects: Yadiel Rivera won't have to hit a ton to carve out a role in the Major Leagues thanks to his defense

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Brewers add four prospects to 40-man roster