The Beacon United

The newsletter group is one of the most popular groups at Saint Luke’s House.  It is part of the LSP Day Program at the Southport site.  During the newsletter group there are six computers available for use by the clients, and the clients may only utilize the computers to complete one or more of the tasks that are necessary to publish Saint Luke’s House newsletter, The Beacon United, or to post articles on the Saint Luke’s House website (stlukeshouse.org) Tasks that must be partaken to successfully construct a Beacon include:  Writing, editing, copy layout, proofreading, and downloading pictures.  Clients perform one or more of the necessary tasks to construct the Beacon, and staff helps organize the clients work into a cohesive newspaper. Pictures help to highlight the appropriate topic of each article, and the layout of the articles help the reader to focus on the words of the articles.  No newspaper could result unless someone performs each of the desired tasks.

Some articles can be written about events that the clients attend, and other articles can be written about other topics that may be more creative, logical, or factual.  One barrier to writing an article is selecting a topic, and other barriers to writing a successful article include:  Utilizing creativity and logic, selecting appropriate sentence structure, obtaining facts, and organizing ideas.  It is a hidden fact that mental health consumers on average are more creative than the entire population as a whole.  Therefore, The Beacon United and the Saint Luke’s House website, in some ways, are more professional than other newspapers and websites. In any case, much work goes into publishing The Beacon United and posting articles on the Saint Luke’s blog.

The original Saint Luke’s House newsletter was known as The Beacon, but when Saint Luke’s House and Threshold combined their services, the title of the newsletter was renamed, The Beacon United.  The word United refers to the union of Saint Luke’s House and Threshold.  Generally, the newsletter is published every three months; but with the culmination of Megan’s term as Staff Editor of The Beacon, the publishing of the Spring, 2012 newsletter was unfortunately delayed.  However, the new editor, Lauren, is rigidly working on publishing a newsletter as early as the end of September, 2012. Lauren received the job as Staff Editor after Donna relinquished that title after serving only a short while as Staff Editor. 

Making the Most out of Your Giant Gas Points

Participating Giant grocery stores and Shell gas stations in the Washington Metropolitan area have joined together to slightly reduce your gas expenses by ten cents /gallon at Shell gas stations for every hundred dollars spent at Giant grocery stores.  Should you ever really significantly benefit from this savings?  You will probably not.  Assuming you have a ten gallon gas tank, and you always fill the tank when it is completely empty then you will save approximately one dollar on gas for every hundred dollar worth of groceries purchased at Giant.  This is a saving of approximately one percent.  If you purchase a gallon of milk at a price of 3$ then you would save approximately 3 cents.  Occasionally, Giant awards extra gas points on certain specific products, but you must be weary of such purchases as well; because you might not need the product, or you might be able to purchase that product or a similar one for less somewhere else.  The only way that you will gain from such a promotion is if you purchase exactly the same products at Giant grocery stores with the promotion that you would purchase without it.  Few shoppers can actually be that thrifty.  The benefit of changing consumption patterns because of this promotion is negligible. 

 

However, should you wish to take advantage of such a promotion there are several things that you might keep in mind when shopping at Giant or fueling up at Shell.  First, always fill the tank when the tank is as close to empty as possible. Second, never let any of your gas points expire (Gas points expire after thirty days).  Third, try to fill your gas tank on Thursday when gasoline is 5 cents/gallon cheaper than on other days, but do not waste your gas points when the gas tank is not close to empty.  Another strategy might be to only buy gas at Shell gas stations once a month (Before the points expire); otherwise, fill the gas tank at the cheapest gas station.  To most people the market for gasoline is perfectly competitive.  In other words, all types of gasoline are equivalently effective.  Shell gas is negligibly different from the gasoline available at other gasoline stations; some of which are cheaper than the gasoline available at Shell.  Also, when you do purchase gas at Shell stations, always purchase from the cheapest Shell station. 

What types of promotions are similar to this one?  At a fair, players are influenced by the size of the prize.  If the prize for playing a game at the arcade is made more attractive then the players will be better off if they could keep their behavior constant.  The benefit could easily be considered negligible.  However, subconsciously they tend to increase the number of times that they compete at the game; therefore, increasing their losses and also increasing the arcades profits on that particular game.  Also, in the game of blackjack, changing the dealer’s rules of play, such as not allowing the dealer to hit soft seventeen, benefits the gambler who does not alter his play due to this rule alteration.  However, if now the gambler changes his play and “stands” when he might otherwise “hit”, thinking the dealer might have a smaller chance to “bust”, then the benefit of the rule alteration switches to the dealer.  Similarly, shoppers start shopping at Giant and Shell and make purchases that are less attractive than they would have made without the promotion, switching the advantage to Giant and Shell.  There are two dealers, in this case; and they have considerable leeway as to how the profit is split.  The customers lose out.  Giant and Shell manipulate the customers as the dealer manipulates the gamblers in Blackjack, and the arcade influences the players of its games. 

 

Companies that distribute coupons have similar intentions.  They want you to alter your consumption pattern.  Otherwise, they would not behave in that manner.  However, with coupons, the benefit is usually significantly better than one percent.  Therefore, it is possible that both the consumer and the producer may both benefit in the case of distributing coupons.  The benefit of changing consumption in this case is not frequently negligible.  As a result, making a purchase of a product may become profitable to the consumer; whereas, it was not profitable without the discount that the coupon provides.   

MY DAY WITH THE IRONBIRDS

On Sunday August 12^th my parents and I took a road trip to Aberdeen, MD to see the Ironbirds play the Connecticut Tigers at Ripken Stadium.  The facility is named after former Baltimore Orioles legend and Hall of Fame shortstop/third baseman Cal Ripken Jr.  Both he and his younger brother Bill Ripken are co – owners of the team that play their home games in his hometown.  The team’s nickname is derived from the fact that Cal became major league baseball’s all time Ironman when he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive innings streak at 2,132 games and played 2,632 before he finally sat down.  There is also a replica of the Baltimore and Ohio (B & O) warehouse from Camden Yards (home of the Orioles) at the complex that doubles as both a Residence Inn by Marriott and a Courtyard by Marriott.  You will also find Cal Sr.’s Yard that is named after Cal and Bill’s Dad who at one point managed both of his sons at the same time. 

By Kris L.      

When Statistics Lie

Eleven statistics that attempt to measure a starting pitcher’s pitching performance throughout a game, season, or career include: 

A)      ERA

B)     Run Allowed/Nine innings

C)     Wins, Losses, No Decisions

D)     Home Runs Allowed/Nine innings

E)      Batting Average Against

F)      Strikeouts/Nine innings

G)     Walks/Nine innings

H)     Walk to Strikeout Ratio

I)        Innings Pitched

J)       Number of Starts

K)      Average  Pitches/Nine innings

Which statistics are more accurate indicators of the performance of a starting pitcher throughout a specific period of time?  Most people believe that E.R.A. is the most obvious indicator of a pitcher’s performance, whether or not the E.R.A. is compiled over the short, medium, or long run.  E.R.A. is a more reliable statistic than runs allowed/nine innings, because E.R.A. attempts to consider the defensive ability of the pitcher’s team.  However, it is not possible to accurately measure a team’s defense simply by the number of errors that a team incurs.  Furthermore, pitchers pitch in different home ballparks where most pitchers pitch in approximately half of their games.  There are no set dimensions to Major League Stadiums.  Pitchers who pitch in hitter’s stadiums where runs are plentiful, generally have higher E.R.A.’s than pitchers who pitch in pitcher’s stadiums where runs are scarcely distributed; Ceteris Paribus. 

What other biases exist to E.R.A. as an exact indicator of a pitcher’s performance.  All teams do not play the exact same schedule as all of the other teams.  Teams play more games against division foes than against League foes; furthermore, they play against different interleague teams than other teams.  Therefore, some pitchers will face different teams with different offensive run potential.  Pitchers who pitch in the American League relative to the National League, have higher ERA’s on average, because of the insertion of the designated hitter in the lineup in games played with American League rules.  Since in Interleague games the rules of the home team’s League apply, American League teams play considerably more games with American League rules than National League teams.

A second good indicator of a starting pitcher’s is his win/loss record.  This eliminates the biases of whether or not the pitcher pitches in a hitter’s or a pitcher’s ballpark, and any bias due to the insertion of the designated hitter in the lineup.  However, it probably has the largest bias that occurs, because some pitchers play on better teams than other pitchers (Won/Loss record).  It would be more accurate to divide the pitcher’s record by the team’s record to retrieve the pitcher’s performance level.   If the pitcher’s record is significantly better than the team’s record then the pitcher is probably performing well; even if he himself has a losing record.  The one exception where a starting pitcher would not be judged accurately by this method is if he plays on a team with four other exceptional or disastrous starting pitchers.

Furthermore, road statistics are more accurate than home statistics, because most teams play approximately the same number of road games in each stadium.  This is truer of teams within the same division.  This reduces the effect of the hitter’s or pitcher’s ballpark on E.R.A.  Still, a team would never play a road game at their own home stadium, leaving a slight bias.  All of the other statistics such as home runs allowed, and batting average against would also be considerately less biased if they were taken from a team’s road games for previously mentioned reasons. 

The same type of analysis could be made for offensive statistics as well as pitching statistics.  Eleven important offensive statistics include:

A)     Runs Scored/At Bat

B)     RBI/At Bat

C)     Batting Average

D)     Hits/At Bat

E)      Home Runs/At Bat

F)      Extra Base Hits/At Bat

G)     Walks/At Bat

H)     Strikeouts/At Bat

I)        Slugging Percentage

J)       On Base Percentage

K)      Stolen Bases

However, categories such as runs scored and RBI depend largely on the team’s run production, as well as the batter’s performance.  Where the batter is positioned in the batting order also has a large effect on runs scored and his RBI total.  The dimensions of the home stadium of a player have a large effect on a player’s number of Home Runs, because there are no standard dimensions to Major League Stadiums.  Offensive statistics do not have a similar statistic to Wins and Losses, because the batter is only one of eight position players in the lineup.

What Makes a Ballpark a Hitter's or Pitcher's Ballpark

A pitcher’s Ballpark is a ballpark that fosters few runs; whereas, a hitter’s ballpark fosters many runs.  Pitchers prefer pitching in pitcher’s ballparks, because they have a lower earned run average on average in pitcher’s ballparks.  Hitters prefer hitter’s ballparks, because their Home Runs and batting averages are higher Ceteris Paribus.  All baseball stadiums are structured differently and maintain different dimensions, resulting in different average run production from stadium to stadium. 

What makes a ballpark a hitter’s ballpark?  The first factor that comes to mind is the dimensions of the outfield fence.  The farther the outfield wall is from home plate the fewer the quantity of Home Runs hit.  Furthermore, the higher the outfield wall, the fewer are the quantity of Home Runs hit.  The increased number of Home Runs hit more than compensates for any other factors that might lead to less runs from a lower fence and a smaller ballpark.  Therefore, small stadiums with short fences are usually hitter’s ballparks.

Other factors differ from stadium to stadium that influence whether or not a stadium is a hitter’s ballpark or a pitcher’s ballpark.  Stadiums may have permanent weather conditions, such as high altitudes, that can cause baseballs to travel different distances than in other stadiums.   Also, under weather conditions in some stadiums, pitchers have less control over their portfolio of pitches than under other conditions at other stadiums.  In a stadium where a pitcher can control all of his pitches easily hitters are at a disadvantage, on average reducing the number of runs scored in that stadium; making the stadium a pitcher’s stadium.  Whether or not the stadium is indoors or outdoors affects distance traveled and also the extent that hitters and fielders can locate the baseball. 

The amount of foul territory differs from stadium to stadium.  The more foul territory that exists in the stadium, the less runs on average will be scored. The speed of the infields and outfields affect the quantity of runs scored on average; particularly, the difference between AstroTurf and grass.  Since on AstroTurf more base hits generally reach the outfield due to the hardness of the AstroTurf, one might think that stadiums with AstroTurf might tend to be hitter’s ballparks.  However, on AstroTurf more double plays and fewer errors lead to fewer runs.  The result is therefore uncertain.  The distance from home plate to the backstop also influences the average number of runs scored in that stadium.  The larger the distance from home plate to the backstop, the more likely a runner will advance on a pass ball or a wild pitch.  This leads to more runs, Ceteris Paribus.

In most sports, the dimensions of the field are fixed.  This includes the sports of soccer, football, basketball, hockey, and lacrosse.  In some sports, weather conditions are irrelevant, because the games are played entirely indoors.  Most sports have more accurate statistics than the sport of baseball.

2012 Howard County Fair

On Sunday, August 5^th Eric Gordon and Janelle Bettis with the Life Skills Program took four clients to the Howard County Fair.  Upon arrival we had a picnic lunch and got treated to a concert by the National Football League’s (NFL’s) Baltimore Marching Ravens.  The band was established as the Baltimore Colts Marching Band in 1947 and has about six original members still alive.  From what I was told these members come back about once a year.  They are also one of only two marching bands in the NFL along with the Washington Redskins Marching Band.  In comparison, it is my belief that the Montgomery County Fair is bigger and starts about one week later than the Howard County Fair.

by Kris L.     

2012 Summer Olympics

Every four years the Summer Olympics are held at various locations across the globe.  This year’s games are being held in London, England from Wednesday July 25^th – Sunday August 12^th.  One of the biggest disappointments of this year’s Opening Ceremonies to me was the fact that the Olympic flame isn’t visible from outside the Olympic stadium.  However, I did find it pretty cool that a stuntman dressed like Queen Elizabeth parachuted out of a helicopter into the stadium.  The men’s and women’s soccer competition actually began two days prior to the official start of the games in order to complete the necessary amount of games in the amounted time frame.  One local name to watch in the swimming competition is 15 year old Katie Ledecky from Bethesda’s Stone Ridge School for the Sacred Heart who will be a sophomore this fall.  She would go on to win the gold medal in the 800 meter freestyle and break the United States women’s record that had been held the past 22 years by Janet Evans.  However, that didn’t even compare to Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 total medals over the last 12 years that included 18 golds.  While he participated in the 2000 Olympic Games, he didn’t medal.  In conclusion, while I hate to see these games come to an end I can now look forward to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. 

by Kris L.         

August Dance

Dear Megan, Cindy, Ross, and Dr. Angela
We would cordially like to invite you to our dance here at St. Luke's House. 
The  dance will be held on August 10th 2012 at 7p.m.  We all are looking forward to your presence here with us.  Hope you can make it