Minor league baseball is a level of professional baseball in North America. It is made up a many different teams which play in many leagues and levels of ability. Minor league teams are used by Major League Baseball teams to have a place to put their players who they do not feel are good enough to play in the major league yet.
There are several different levels of ability in the minor leagues, these levels are (in order from lowest to highest):
When a normal player is first drafted or signed by a major league team, he is usually placed in "Rookie" League or short season A, however top prospects often start higher. If a player plays good in his league he can be "called up" to the next league. If a player does not play well he may be sent back down or cut from the team. This continues until a player gets to the major leagues, although most players never make it that far. This way, players are able to get better at baseball before having to play against tougher opponents. Almost all players in the major leagues had to play in the minor leagues first in order to become good enough to play in the major leagues. Most players spend between 4-5 years before being called up. However, really good players can be called up in less than a year, while some may take more than 10 years to reach the majors.
Sometimes, major league players who are have been hurt will play a few games in the minor leagues before playing in the major leagues again, in order to see if they feel good enough to start playing again.
There are also other professional baseball leagues that major league teams do not use to as a place put their players. These are known as "Independent Leagues". In these leagues players do not go to higher or lower levels of ability. Major league teams may hire these independent players to play for their major league team.
Minor league teams generally play in cities that are too small for major league teams. City size usually increases with league level.
American League
The American League (or AL) is one of the two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB). The other is the National League (or NL). The American League is made up of 15 teams. At the end of each season, five of these teams go to the "post-season" where one will win the American League championship. The champions of the American League plays against the champions of the National League in the World Series. The team that wins the World Series is the champion of Major League Baseball. Teams in the American league usually play against other teams in the American league, except for a few games a year when they play National league teams. There are 3 Divisions of the American League: AL East, AL Central, and AL West.
The only big difference between the American League and the National League is that the AL uses the "Designated Hitter" (or DH). The Designated Hitter is a player who does not play in the field, but is used to bat for the worst hitter in his team's "lineup" (usually the pitcher). The NL does not use the Designated Hitter, and all players in the "lineup" must bat and field for themselves. If the DH plays an NL game in an NL park, he often plays First Base if at all. If they play in an AL park, the NL can use a DH.
National League
The National League (or NL) is one of the two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB). As of 2016, the NL has 15 teams. At the end of each season, five of these teams go to the "post-season" where one will win the National League championship. The champions of the National League plays against the champions of the American League in the World Series. The team that wins the World Series is the champion of Major League Baseball.
The only big difference between the National League and the American League (AL) is that the AL uses the "Designated Hitter" (or DH). The Designated Hitter is a player who does not play in the field, but is used to bat for the pitcher. The NL does not use the Designated Hitter, and all players on the team must bat and field for themselves.
Statistical survey
Statistical surveys are collections of information about items in a population.
Surveys can be grouped into numerical and categorical types. A numerical survey is to get numbers as replies. For example:
How many minutes, on average, do you spend eating breakfast?
This survey question is used to generate numbers in minutes. An example of a categorical question is:
What is your favorite color?
The categories for this would be yellow, green, purple, etc... which are not numbers.
Surveys of human populations and institutions are common in political polling and government, health, social science and marketing research. A survey may concentrate on opinions or factual information depending on its purpose.
Social sciences
The social sciences are a group of academic disciplines that study human aspects of the world. Social Sciences includes anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology. They are different from the arts and humanities, and application of the scientific method is important. Most of the social sciences require doing a lot of research, such as making surveys. Such research is called "social research". Some subjects, such as history, are sometimes social sciences and sometimes humanities.
The term "social sciences" has been used for over 200 years and mostly originates from a thinker named Auguste Comte. Many of the fields of social science have come about since then. In America, much of the thought and practice of social science came from the University of Chicago and other universities.
Arts
The arts are a large part of culture, and the word means much more than ""art"". The arts include visual arts, literary arts (i.e. books and other writings) and performing arts (i.e. music, dance, drama).
Sometimes, in universities, it is shorthand for a wider group of subjects which are properly called the humanities. These include philosophy, theology, literature, languages, and history as well.
"The arts" are usually contrasted with "The sciences".
Visual arts consist of any art that can be seen. This form of art doesn't change once it has been made.
Architecture is the art and science behind building and sculpture design. Architecture as an art involves making something look beautiful and appealing to others.
Conceptual Art is art in which the idea is more important than the actual beauty of the object.
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is when a country starts making nuclear objects. On the right is a map showing who has nuclear reactors and weapons, and who could have them. When a country starts making nuclear weapons, they become a nuclear power.
Dual use technology means to the possibility of military use of civilian nuclear technology for generating electricity. Many technologies and materials associated with the creation of a nuclear electricity program have a dual-use capability. These items can be used to make nuclear weapons if a country chooses to do so. When this happens a nuclear electricity program can lead to making atomic bombs. The crisis over Iran’s nuclear activities is an example.
François Bourdoncle
François Bourdoncle (born April 20, 1964) is founder and CEO of the search engine company Exalead.
Chief executive officer
A Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or Chief Executive, is the highest ranking corporate officer, administrator, corporate administrator, executive, or executive officer, in charge of total management of a corporation, company, organization or agency.