Why did everyone get this wrong last year?

There is so much cash out there.

People were nervous about the economic recovery in the first quarter of the year, whether it was the weather or whatever people wanted to attribute the slowing of the economy to.

There were signs we were not seeing the recovery people were expecting so people went to safe haven trades.

You have central banks around the world continuing to stimulate the economy.

What this meant for investors is they have funneled more cash into the classic total return bond funds than since the first quarter of 2013. they are coming back and saying we are buying into the yield -- story that yields will stay low for a long time.

Is a still the case after the thursday job numbers that we had more additions?

James fuller says he thinks it could be the first quarter of next year and beyond.

He is forecasting a rate increase out in 2016. it is pulling forward a bit.

On the flipside, you have the international monetary fund saying they might reduce their global growth forecast.

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Watching Money Flow Into Bonds

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) July 03, 2014

Baltimore-based STX, LLC, a global sporting goods leader, announced today the signing of eight new members to Team STX, the first elite post-collegiate womens lacrosse team. Syracuse All-American Alyssa Murray highlights the list of new signees, along with standouts Kirkland Locey, also of Syracuse, and Taylor DAmore and Sammy Cermack, both from Johns Hopkins. Alternates include Nikki Boltja (Louisville), Sloane Serpe (UNC), Abbey Friend (UNC) and Sydney Peterson (Duke).

As members of Team STX, the athletes will compete at the highest levels of womens lacrosse, lead youth camps and clinics, and help to expand the reach of the game.

The goal of Team STX is to spread the love of the game across the country by playing and demonstrating lacrosse at the highest level, said Kadie Stamper, STX Womens Lacrosse Marketing Manager. By signing an elite group of players led by All-American Alyssa Murray Team STX is in a great position to succeed.

The new athletes join captain Josie Owen and 14 players from last years inaugural Team STX, along with Kelly Barnes who signed earlier this year.

Bios for new members of Team STX:

Team STX will defend its championship title as it kicks off the season at the 42nd Vail Lacrosse Shootout in Vail, Colorado from July 3-6. This season, Team STX will also compete in the Lake Placid Classic and will expand its youth skills clinics nationwide.

To learn more about the latest Team STX athletes, follow STX womens lacrosse at http://www.stx.com/teamstx2014.

About STX: STX is a global sporting goods leader in the sports of lacrosse, field hockey and golf. With its 1970 introduction of the first synthetic lacrosse head, STX ushered in the modern era of what is now the fastest growing team sport. Based in Baltimore, the home of lacrosse, STX has been universally recognized for innovation in product design and development. STX continues to strive for new performance standards in sporting goods equipment at the highest levels of competition. For more information, visit http://www.stx.com.

Original post:
Team USAs Alyssa Murray Highlights New Additions to STX Elite Womens Lacrosse Team

How Health News Florida flubbed the rate story last week and what all reporters can take away from it

Remember those seven tips I offered earlier this month for how to report on health insurance rate proposals? I have a couple of additionsin light of some unfortunate misreporting last week in Florida that was amplified via Twitter.

On June 24three days before Floridas rate filing deadlinethe site Health News Florida (a regional health reporting organization designed to fill the lack of health news by more traditional outlets) published a story headlined, No rate increase? Can it be? The story, by Carol Gentry, began this way:

No insurance companyincluding heavyweights like Florida Blue and United Healthcarewants to raise premiums in Florida at all? Not even a smidge? Gentry herself seemed slightly unsure, as the caveats in the headline and lede showed. So, where did Gentry get this information? Floridas Office of Insurance Regulation, where companies must file rate requests, has put the requests online, Gentry wrote. Gentry looked on the website and saw zeros listed as proposed increases (or, in some cases, saw decreases listed). No increases! Consumer advocates, Gentry wrote, are cautiously optimistic that this is evidence that the Affordable Care Act is restraining prices for individuals who dont get coverage through a group.

The Hill picked up Gentrys report and, in its own June 24 piece, called it a blow to critics of Obamacare who predicted substantially higher premiums. Both Gentrys piece and The Hills report (and the implicit or explicit Obamacare is working! takeaway) made the rounds on Twitter, including tweets or retweets by reporters from Kaiser Health News, ProPublica, HuffPost, The New Republic, and The Washington Post.

There were some skeptics on Twitter that day. No premium increases, of any size, for any plan in any region of the entire state of Florida? Seems *too* low, tweeted National Journal reporter Sam Baker. And, in a follow-up tweet: Wouldnt that mean every insurer in every county over-priced (kinda significantly) for this year?

Kaiser Family Foundations Larry Levitt weighed in to say that the zeros Gentry saw on the OIR website may not actually mean 0% rate change, they may be because data is proprietary. Levitt added that he was holding off judgement until I can review rate filings in more detail. Their search tool is currently down for maintenance.

When the OIR search tool came back online later that day, it came with this disclaimer: Displayed rate changes may not fully reflect increases and decreases due to claims of trade secret.

Turns out, skepticism was in order.

It was too good to be true, Health News Florida tweeted at 6pm that day, linking to Gentrys walk-back story in which she wrote:

Read more from the original source:
If it sounds too good to be true

Baseball will announce rosters for the July 15 All-Star Game on Sunday. But why wait that long? USA TODAY Sports' Paul White breaks down who will be headed to the Twin Cities. Your American Leaguers:

First base: It isn't the usual logjam at this premier position but it's still a tough call. No arguments with two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera as the voting leader and there's no ignoring the power surge of Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion. But that leaves out the even more powerful Jose Abreu of the White Sox ?? for now, at least.

Second base: Robinson Cano of the Mariners will win the fan vote, but he would rank third on our list. Again, that creates a difficult call for the second spot between the guys we have ahead of Cano ?? Detroit's Ian Kinsler and Houston's Jose Altuve. It's Kinsler by a hair.

Shortstop: At the risk of sacrilege ?? of course Derek Jeter doesn't deserve the spot on this season's statistical merit. Yes, he'll start and, no, we're not about to dissent. Even without Jeter, there's no clear-cut front-runner based on performance. But Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox is our pick for the guy who has to go out there when Jeter leaves the game ?? a tough call over Erick Aybar of the Angels.

Third base: Josh Donaldson will win the fan vote ?? no serious disagreement there. Now, it gets tricky. Kyle Seager

of the Mariners has the accumulation of stats and the strong defense to merit the second spot. We'll go that route, fully aware of a breakout from Cleveland's Lonnie Chisenhall and the enduring greatness of the Rangers' Adrian Beltre.

Outfield: The fans have it right with Mike Trout of the Angels and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays. And we can only hope the late surge by Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes for the third spot holds up. He's moved ahead of Toronto's Melky Cabrera, who would have taken up a spot we'd rather hand out elsewhere. The guy who deserves it is Cleveland's Michael Brantley, so he's one of our backups, along with Baltimore's Adam Jones and Kansas City's Alex Gordon.

Catcher: The fan vote for Baltimore's injured Matt Wieters creates a freebie. Kansas City's Sal Perez is clearly the man this year. We'll add Cleveland's Yan Gomes as our backup.

DH: It's good that Baltimore's Nelson Cruz was on the ballot as a designated hitter ?? we don't have to bump a deserving outfielder for him. But it's unfortunate that he takes a slot that could just as easily go to Detroit's Victor Martinez.

Starting pitchers: The first five are solid, led by Japanese tandem Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees and Yu Darvish

Excerpt from:
AL All-Stars: Last call for a legend

A Manitowoc County prosecutor is preparing to release a book about Steven Avery. Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted for the 2005 rape and murder of Teresa Halbach. It is one of the highest profile criminal cases in Northeast Wisconsin in the past decade.

The book titled "The Innocent Killer" connects Avery's wrongful 1985 rape conviction with the actions that led him to kill Halbach. And while the author says the book is for educational purposes, Halbach's family is disgusted it's even being published.

Michael Griesbach, a prosecutor with the Manitowoc County District Attorney's Office was the on-call DA the night searches found Teresa Halbach's SUV on the Avery salvage yard property in November of 2005. But because his county was being sued by Steven Avery for his 1985 rape conviction, for which he spent 18 years in prison, only to be exonerated, continuing to work on the case was a conflict of interest. So, like many others, Griesbach watched as an observer as the case unfolded.

Then, in 2010, Griesbach self published "Unreasonable Inferences" a book about Avery, his wrongful conviction and how it led him to commit the Halbach murder. A story that will be told again, with some additions, in "The Innocent Killer" the second book on Avery that Griesbach is having published by the American Bar Association, due out next month.

"It's a situation where, had he not been wrongfully convicted, he would have been somewhere else. He would have, perhaps there would have been other victims but this specific case would not have happened, but that's not the point of the book," says Michael Griesbach.

Griesbach says the book should be used as a teaching tool.

Adding, "The Avery wrongful conviction was an aberration, it's not the way police and prosecutors act. When it happens though, we have to look at it and we need to see what sort of lessons they hold for the criminal justice system."

That reasoning isn't sitting well with the family of Teresa Halbach who released a statement through her brother Mike Halbach saying in part, "Some individuals find it acceptable to use the death of my sister, Teresa, to promote themselves, to glorify murder and murderers, and to profit personally...Violence doesn't have to be made into entertainment, especially when additional undue harm is caused toward those who were victimized in the first place."

Griesbach disagrees, but says his one regret in writing the books is the fact he's upset the Halbach family.

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Manitowoc Co. Prosecutor Set to Release Second Book on Avery Case

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Generally, fans of the St. Louis Rams praise just about every offseason pickup. It's not a mindset specific to St. Louis, either, as most team's fans view even low-key additions as potential keys to salvationit's simply part of the football fan psychology.

Many offseason acquisitions are indeed grossly overrated (fans want to believe their team got a bargain), but it's also possible for lesser-known pickups to be underrated, especially if it's a backup player or a late-round draft pick who lacks name recognition.

This article will sort through several of the new faces at Rams Park and determine who is under and overrated. The list will be compiled by weighing the hype versus actual on-field expectations.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Mo Alexander, a small-school prospect out of Utah State, was a fairly shocking selection in the fourth round. He lacked the name recognition and popularity of several of the other players still on the board at the time (DaQuan Jones, Cyril Richardson, Tre Boston, etc.).

I was one of many whomildly criticized the pick, but like most members of Rams Nation, I've more than warmed up to the selection.

He has an incredible story. He was recently a janitor at the Edward Jones Dome, but he was obviously able to return to football and make it into the NFL. Also, his intensity and work ethic on the field is second to none.

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St. Louis Rams' Most Under and Overrated Offseason Additions

June 29, 2014 - Canadian Football League (CFL) Winnipeg Blue Bombers WINNIPEG, MB., June 29, 2014 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the additions of International receiver Romby Bryant and International defensive back Troy Stoudermire.

Bryant (6-2, 195, Tulsa, December 21, 1979 in Oklahoma City, OK) enters his seventh CFL season, and second stint with the Bombers. Bryant's best CFL season was in 2010 when the wideout had 15 receiving touchdowns and 1,170 yards. His 2013 campaign with the Argos was cut short due to injury. Through his seven CFL seasons, Bryant has 304 receptions for 4,557 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Stoudermire (5-10, 199, Minnesota, April 1, 1990 in Dallas, TX) joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice roster in October of 2013, after spending five seasons at the University of Minnesota. The Texas native spent time at receiver and defensive back as well as kick returner where he set an NCAA record with 3,615 career kickoff return yards. He attended training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals last season prior to signing with the Riders. He was released prior to the start of the CFL regular season.

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Bombers Ink Veteran Receiver Romby Bryant, Defensive Back Troy Stoudermire

La PORTE The county is taking preliminary action in redistricting the voter ward lines to match the same criteria of the new precincts created for La Porte and Michigan City.

The new voter precincts will need to be completed in review for the Indiana blank by August. The new precincts will not be in effect until 2015 and will not impact this years fall election.

On Thursday morning, at the La Porte County Courthouse, county officials held their first public meeting to discuss the new ward lines. La Porte County Clerk Lynne Spevak lead the conversation, and county officials were in attendance.

The first meeting covered the Michigan City ward lines in a general overview of new deletions and additions within each precinct. Spevak said since there are so many areas to cover, the meetings will focus on Michigan City and then they will review La Porte.

This is a preliminary meeting, Spevak said. Once we pull streets we will be able to get a better idea.

The first ward in Michigan City will add the residential area within the perimeter of Vail Street, Springland Avenue, Carroll Avenue, Holliday Street, Ridgeland Avenue and Michigan Boulevard, back to Vail Street.

The second ward in Michigan City will eliminate the homes between 10th Street, Ohio Street, Ripley Street and Tennessee Street. This section will be in the third ward.

Michigan Citys third ward will include the small section formerly in the second ward and a section between Earl Road, Hitchcock Street and U.S. 20.

The fourth ward in Michigan City will add more portions within Hitchcock Street, Earl Road, Ohio Street and U.S. Highway 20.

The Edgewood area will be moved out of the fourth ward and moved to the fifth ward. This areas street perimeters are Franklin Street, Coolspring Avenue, Cleveland Avenue and Barker Road.

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County officials begin work on new city voting wards

Team by team 2014 NBA draft grades for the Western Conference from USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph.

Dallas Mavericks

Additions: None.

The Tyson Chandler trade cost them their two second-round picks, and while feelings are mixed about that deal, it's tough to fault them for making moves that could help them land a premier free agent. Certainly, those two second-rounders (which turned into very quality players in Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, for what it's worth) won't be how that trade is judged.

Grade: N/A

Denver Nuggets

Additions: C Jusuf Nurkic (No. 16 pick, Bosnia and Herzegovina), SG Gary Harris (No. 19 pick, Michigan State), PF/C Nikola Jokic (No. 41 pick, Serbia)

The Nuggets had a terrific draft day that came in part thanks to the Chicago Bulls wanting to dump salary. It started with the midday trade to reacquire Arron Afflalo from the Orlando Magic for Evan Fournier and a second-round pick. But that move couldn't have predicted they'd land two excellent fits in the first round despite entering with only one pick (No. 11). The Bulls gave up their two picks to move up, and Nurkic provides the kind of high-upside big man the Nuggets need while Harris gives them another talented perimeter player who may have been the biggest slider in the draft and comes at tremendous value that low. They have to figure out their perimeter rotation now, but that's only because of excessive depth, a good problem. Jokic could be a contributor off the bench some day, whenever he comes over.

Grade: A

Golden State Warriors

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2014 NBA draft grades: Western Conference teams

Team by team 2014 NBA draft grades for the Eastern Conference from USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph.

Atlanta Hawks

Additions: PF Adreian Payne (No. 15 pick, Michigan State), C Walter Tavares (No. 43 pick, Spain), SG Lamar Patterson (No. 48 pick, Pittsburgh).

The Hawks drafted two college seniors (Payne and Patterson) and the biggest and arguably rawest player available (Tavares). The point of intrigue here is that the Hawks had a lot of talent up front already, with Al Horford and Paul Millsap well established as starters and Pero Antic and Mike Scott (a free agent they surely want to keep) on the bench. Payne is ready to play in the NBA but was a reach with more talented wing players still on the board who could have filled the Hawks' needs better. Tavares was a great pick because his upside is huge, with some likening him to fellow Spaniard Marc Gasol.

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics

Additions: PG Marcus Smart (No. 6 pick, Oklahoma State), SG/SF James Young (No. 17 pick, Kentucky).

Smart and Young were solid value picks and have a lot of potential on a young and upcoming team that needed perimeter help. So there's not much to dislike here, except that Smart kind of clashes with Rajon Rondo. Is that pick a sign that Rondo is on his way out? That might make sense for Celtics President Danny Ainge's youth movement, though Smart also could play with Rondo as a shooting guard, replacing free agent and fellow defensive ace Avery Bradley. Here's to an intriguing plan that offers some flexibility but may require a drastic move down the line.

Grade: B+

Brooklyn Nets

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2014 NBA draft grades: Eastern Conference teams