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Ludicrously Aggressive Hornet Of The Day
By Bradford Plumer
Since it's Friday afternoon, why not some wild nature facts? This tidbit about Asian giant hornets, courtesy of University of Chicago biologist (and frequent TNR contributor) Jerry Coyne's book Why Evolution Is True, is easily the best hornet anecdote I've ever come across:
One of the marvels of evolution is the Asian giant hornet, a predatory wasp especially common in Japan. It's the world's largest hornet—as long as your thumb—with a two-inch body ornamented with menacing orange and black stripes. It's armed not only with fearsome jaws to clasp and kill its insect prey, but also a quarter-inch stinger. ...
One of the hornet's prime victims is the introduced European honeybee. The raid on a honeybee nest involves a merciless mass slaughter that has few parallels in nature. It starts when a lone hornet scout finds a nest. With its abdomen, the scout marks the nest for doom, placing a drop of pheromone near the entrance of the bee colony. Alerted by the mark, the scout's nestmates descend upon the spot, a group of twenty or thirty hornets arrayed against a colony of up to thirty thousand honeybees.
But it's no contest. Wading into the hive with jaws slashing, the hornets decapitate the bees one by one. With each hornet making bee heads roll at a rate of forty per minute, the battle is over in a few hours: every bee is dead, and body parts litter the hive. Then the hornets stock their larder. Over the next week, they systematically ravage the nest, eating honey and carrying the helpless bee grubs back to their own nests, where they are promptly deposited into the gaping mouths of the hornets' own ravenous offspring. ...
But there are bees that can fight off the giant hornet: honeybees that are native to Japan. And their defense is stunning—another marvel of adaptive behavior. When the hornet scout first arrives at their hive, the honeybees near the entrance rush into the hive, calling nestmates to arms and luring the hornet inside. In the meantime, hundreds of worker bees assemble inside the entrance. Once the hornet is inside, it is mobbed and covered by a tight ball of bees. Vibrating their abdomens, the bees quickly raise the temperature inside the ball to about 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Bees can survive this temperature, but the hornet can not. In twenty minutes the hornet scout is cooked to death, and—usually—the nest is saved.
There's video, too, though it can get a bit graphic.
Japan, Jerry Coyne, Environment and Energy, The Vine, University of Chicago
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Kanye West Joins Instagram, But Is It Art?
Yeezy insists his Instagram is art.
Henri Neuendorf, September 19, 2016
Kanye West has joined Instagram. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images.
Kanye West has finally joined Instagram. And the art world is waiting with baited breath to see what the rapper and fashion designer will share on the social media platform after he announced in March that any of his uploads to the image sharing platform would be art.
“I was thinking about getting an Instagram but only on one condition,” West Tweeted at the time. “No one can ask me or try to tell me what to Instagram. It’s my art.”
Vanessa Beecroft Says ‘Emotional Stress’ to Blame for Fainting Models at Kanye West Fashion Show
By Sarah Cascone , Sep 9, 2016
A quick glance at the rapper’s verified account shows only a single image, a film still from the 1990 Hollywood film Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which Kanye shared with his 872,000-and-counting followers.
on another note… I was thinking about getting an Instagram but only on one condition……
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) March 14, 2016
no one can ask me or try to tell me what to Instagram… It's my art…
In West’s defense, the suggestion that Instagram could be art is not as ridiculous as it seems.
Who Will Pay $4 Million for This Kanye West Sculpture?
By Rain Embuscado , Sep 1, 2016
In fact, the medium has gained significant traction in the contemporary art world. London’s Tate Modern included Amalia Ulman’s Instagram-based selfie project in its recent group exhibition, “Performing for the Camera.”
A photo posted by Kanye West (@kanyewest) on Sep 18, 2016 at 8:23am PDT
And who can forget about Richard Prince’s “New Portraits”? The artist’s controversial series—exhibited at New York’s Gagosian Gallery—consisted of pictures appropriated from the Instagram accounts of several (mostly female) celebrities, and models which were priced at $100,000 a piece.
Richard Prince Instagram Victims Speak Out
By Cait Munro , May 29, 2015
Of course, Kanye has dipped his toe into the waters of contemporary art before. Most recently, he presented a controversial installation of twelve photorealistic sculptures of celebrities sharing an oversized bed, a Vincent Desiderio-inspired piece created for his “Famous” music video, at Los Angeles’s Blum & Poe gallery.
West was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the Art Institute of Chicago last year, starred with his wife Kim Kardashian in a very strange photo shoot with the German photographer Jürgen Teller, tapped Steve McQueen to direct his music video, and collaborated with Italian performance artist Vanessa Beecroft on numerous fashion shows for his clothing line.
Henri Neuendorf
Specialist, Post-War and Contemporary Art
Kanye West Hires Minimalist Belgian Art Impresario Axel Vervoordt to Decorate His LA Mansion
By Henri Neuendorf , Jan 9, 2018
Kanye West Visits MOCA as First Outing Since Hospitalization
By Alyssa Buffenstein , Dec 9, 2016
Could Instagram’s Shoppable Tags Further Transform the Art Market?
By Brian Boucher , Nov 4, 2016
artnet Titans: The Most Powerful People in the Art World, Part I
By , Sep 20, 2016
Billionaire Art Collector William Louis-Dreyfus Is Dead at 84
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Katy Perry Takes Selfie with Will Cotton’s Portrait of Her at the NPG
Benjamin Sutton, June 27, 2014
Katy Perry taking a selfie in front of Will Cotton's Cupcake Katy at the National Portrait Gallery.
Photo: Paul Morigi/AP Images for National Portrait Gallery.
We’re about to wade deep, deep into meta territory here. Pop star Katy Perry has collaborated with artist Will Cotton on a number of projects, from an album cover and a music video to a formal, large-scale portrait of the singer decked out in one of Cotton’s trademark confectionery costumes. That painting, Cupcake Katy (2010), is now on view at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Washington, DC, where it is a promised gift from collector James Dicke (see artnet News report).
Perry, who has been in the US capital this week performing two concerts and meeting with vice-president Joe Biden and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, swung by the NPG—decked out in what looks like a Salvador Dali-inspired dress—to check in on her portrait, and take a selfie with it, the Washington Post reports.
Will Cotton’s portrait of Katy Perry at the National Portrait Gallery.
Photo: Courtesy the National Portrait Gallery.
Tragically, the many-layered selfie—a self-portrait with portrait, if you will—has yet to appear on either of Perry’s preferred social media platforms, making the above AP photo the only documentation of this painfully postmodern incident. Or perhaps Perry has one-upped us all, taking inspiration from Bruce Nauman to enact an absurd, playful, and self-reflexive performance that persists only in photographic documentation.
Cupcake Katy will remain on view at the NPG through July 6.
Benjamin Sutton
Artists Go Back to School for Will Cotton’s ‘Take Home a Nude’ Drawing Party
By Sarah Cascone , Sep 27, 2016
Elizabeth Sackler Named Brooklyn Museum’s First Chairwoman
By , Jun 27, 2014
See Dennis Hopper’s Lost Photos in London
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Bruce Lee's life inspires movie that is way more interesting now that it has a bunch of made-up shit
Sean O'Neal
Though Bruce Lee has already received the biopic treatment with 1993’s Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, that film suffered from its outmoded, 20th-century insistence on occasionally resembling actual moments from its subject’s life. So the time has come for another Bruce Lee biopic, one that takes the modern tack of using a person’s life as mere “inspiration” for a far more interesting story that inevitably becomes a buddy-cop movie. Nixon and Ali writers Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele—having presumably seen their other screenplay rejected, in which Nixon forces the draft-dodging boxer to team with him to rescue Vietnam POWs—have instead begun Birth Of The Dragon, which uses the real-life 1965 fight between Lee and Wong Jack Man as “a jumping-off point for a wider-canvas action movie in which Wong and Lee team up to battle a band of Chinatown gangsters.”
Of course, “historical” accounts will tell you that no such thing ever happened, that Lee and Wong instead fought for about 20 minutes, then parted without so much as a playfully bickering conversation about gangster-fighting techniques, on their way to a grudging partnership that got results. But this “factual” version of the story has naturally been rejected, because it is boring, and just making up things is far more interesting.
“Stephen Rivele and Chris Wilkinson have taken a little-known chapter in the life of Bruce Lee and used it as a jumping-off point for a bold, exciting story about the making of an international legend,” said producer Michael London in a statement, before his own story suddenly got much bolder and way more exciting after he turned into a werewolf, slaughtered a half-dozen people in Central Park, then was driven by an angry mob to seek refuge in a hidden sea cave. It was there that, after years of lonely seclusion, in which he was forced to imagine buddy-cop stories using the fragments of coral that washed up on the shoreline, producer-turned-werewolf Michael London eventually met and fell in love with a mermaid.
“But my darling, when the moon is full, our mer-wolf children will surely drown trying to devour their own tails,” were-producer Michael London told his mermaid bride one day, years after his monstrous transformation had rendered him unable to make up a bunch of shit about Bruce Lee’s life. “Hush now, dear,” Michael London’s mermaid wife said, slapping him with her fins in a soothing way she knew he liked. Then producer Michael London began to make gentle love to her fish-hole.
Recent from Sean O'Neal
June brings a Dark Phoenix, the Men In Black, and lots of living toys to theaters everywhere
20 years ago, Rushmore took the soundtrack back to school
Why does more Ghostbusters always provoke such anxiety?
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New teeth for New York’s ethics watchmouse
By Post Editorial Board
November 8, 2015 | 7:38pm
Andrew Cuomo Christopher Sadowski
Good-government groups hail it as a major step forward, but the reforms offered in a 307-page report on the state’s ethics “watchdog” amount to little more than lipstick on a pig.
They’re fine — as far as they go. But they don’t come close to addressing the core reason the Joint Commission on Public Ethics has become a joke.
Simply put, JCOPE has no real independence. Its members are appointed by the very people it’s supposed to investigate — Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature.
Even the folks on the “reform” panel were chosen by those very same people — including a governor who doesn’t hesitate to insert his heavy hand on investigative bodies like the late Moreland Commission.
Consider: JCOPE’s first executive director, Ellen Biben, had been Cuomo’s inspector general and earlier a special deputy when he was attorney general.
Replacing her was Letizia Tagliafierro, another ex-Cuomo aide — who on the eve of her own exit last summer hired three former Cuomo staffers to top posts without the commissioners’ OK. One of the three now wants to be the next executive director.
How effective has JCOPE been? For all the legislators whose corruption has been exposed of late, it played a role in ousting just one of them: Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
The reform ideas aim to fix some of JCOPE’s inherent weaknesses — like the fact that a minority of members can block investigations of a political ally, and its secretive, closed-door mentality.
But they’re only recommendations — and some can’t go through unless the Legislature agrees. Good luck there.
Sorry: As things stand these days, there’s only one truly effective weapon against Albany’s culture of corruption — and his name is Preet Bharara.
Filed under andrew cuomo , editorial , joint commission on public ethics , reforms
How will the new Bronx DA start fighting corruption?
Khloé Kardashian admits to over-contouring nose: 'I look crazy'
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Lee Brice reads “Go the F**k to Sleep”
Broadway January 28, 2014 Lee Brice
While his reading of the somewhat controversial and yet completely adorable book Go the F**k to Sleep isn't quite up to Samuel L. Jackson standards, Lee Brice reading the book still made me smile.
Feel free to watch the video, all the bad words are bleeped out for sensitive ears.
[Video courtesy Broadway]
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Two-time National On-Air Personality of the Year nominee, Academy of Country Music Awards & One-time National On-Air Personality of the Year nominee, Country Music AssociationBroadway is the Host of The Electric Barnyard heard weekdays on WWYZ, KYWD, and WBCT. Also weekends on WBWL.His charitable efforts include work with organizations that support abused and neglected children in West Michigan, the American Cancer Society, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In all, he has helped to raise over 1.5 million dollars.When he's not on the radio, Broadway loves spending time with his wife and 2 boys, working out, running, watching baseball or football, horror flicks, listening to all kinds of music and eating his wife's home-cooking (she's a chef).
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Taylor Swift being replaced?
The Grammy's have been very good to Taylor Swift. She has 7 awards and a necklace to prove that.…
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CATEGORIES: Book Review, Friends to Lovers, Kristen Ashley, Standalone Story in Series
Tobias Gamble knew from a young age precisely the kind of woman he was going to make his. She was not going to be like his mother. She was going to be like the mother he claimed.
In other words, she was going to be just right.
And when Toby returns to his hometown of Matlock, Kentucky and claps eyes on Adeline Forrester, he knows she’s the one.
The problem is, his brother Johnny has a new girlfriend. And Addie is her sister. Last, Toby would do nothing to hurt Johnny’s chance at happiness.
Toby hangs around town to get to know the woman Johnny fell in love with. He also hangs around to get to know Addie.
But he’s fallen hard, and he knows the best thing for him—and Addie—is for him to leave.
Addie Forrester is thrilled her sister Eliza found a good, solid man. Johnny Gamble is the salt of the earth. The best guy in the world.
The best except for his brother, Toby.
Toby doesn’t know it, but Addie’s fallen hard too. He’s perfect, except for the fact that he’s hands off and it’s torture, being friends with Toby when she wants so much more.
Addie also has a lot on her mind. She’s got bills to pay, her young son needs food, Christmas is coming and her job at the grocery store just isn’t cutting it.
Toby is steering clear of Addie. Addie is steering clear of Toby. But everyone around them knows this is the slow burn.
Because just like Eliza and Johnny, Addie and Toby were made for each other.
BOOK REVIEW: The Slow Burn
BOOK SERIES: Moonlight and Motor Oil
Life wasn’t about disappointment. Life was a journey. The journey of finding what I’d seen on my sister’s face the night before. Finding your place. Finding your people. And settling in so when those cold winds blew, you had warmth to see you through.
Like many of my fellow Kristen-Ashley-obsessed, I’ve been waiting for Toby and Addie’s story ever since we were first introduced to them in The Hookup, so being back in Matlock, Kentucky was nothing short of a delight. Brimming with Ashley’s penchant for evoking all the feels, this is a tale of second chances—the kind that comes when life has beat you down so much that you’re hesitant to give love another shot—and of two people working hard on themselves so that their pasts don’t define their future together. As always, Kristen Ashley’s strong character portraits and lush narrative deliver an irresistible cocktail of romance, passion, and close-knit family ties, a story that takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotions—reaching in and touching all the heart’s most breakable places—before soaring to its romantic, tear-jerking conclusion.
Tobias Gamble was not going to be his father. He was not going to pick the wrong one and end up broken in a way no woman—or no child, not even his own blood—could fix. She was going to be just right. She was going to love the children they made more than anything in the world. She was going to worship the ground he walked on. And she was going to be so spectacular, he’d be willing to die for her without even a blink of an eye to think.
When single mum Adeline “Addie” Forrester moves to Matlock to be closer to her sister Eliza, the last thing she expects to happen is for the man of her dreams to show up at one of the lowest points in her life. But from the moment she learns his name, she knows that he cannot be hers. Because life has taught Addie from a young age that good men are few and far between, and none of them would ever fall for a wild child like her.
“You’re his brother, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yeah, darlin’,” he replied.
“Of course. You’re perfect, so of course. You’re probably taken too, aren’t you?”
If he was taken, which he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in about half an hour.
Fortunately, he wasn’t.
“I—” he started to tell her that.
“Not for me,” she cut him off. “Man like you. Man like Johnny. Man like Charlie. Not for me.”
What Addie doesn’t realise is that from the moment Tobias “Toby” Gamble first laid eyes on her, he fell for her irrevocably. But knowing that the last thing Addie needs in her life is the disappointment of another relationship going south, he refrains from acting on his feelings, settling for the only thing he can offer her—a friendship.
“What I feel for her, it’s more than you think. It isn’t about finding someone else to ask out. I don’t even see other women anymore. But some guy is eventually gonna see her and I cannot be around to watch that.”
As we move ahead in the story to seven months later, we find that they’ve both become real masters at bottling up their feelings for one another. While Toby does his best to be there for Addie and her son whenever they need him, Addie’s financial struggles have only deepened, and when he realises just how much she’s been keeping from him, Toby’s reaction forces them both to address feelings that neither of them were willing to admit until then.
“I actually don’t want a sweet one. I want one who’ll give as good as she gets, stick up for herself, stick up for me, and stick up for the babies we make. And when shit goes off the rails, and I admit I’ve been a dick, what I don’t want is her to shut her mouth and not admit she’s been a bitch, so we can take it from there.”
So while Toby and Addie’s attraction is instant, their capitulation is not, and even though the title might suggest a much longer time for their relationship to develop, the author takes us there relatively quickly, focusing on the aftermath rather than the day-to-day angst of the ‘slow burn’ itself. She builds the romantic tension between the characters swiftly and with a skilled hand, crafting just enough scenes that pack a punch, but also placing them with perfect precision so that they don’t take away from the story’s core message. This is a love story first and foremost, but it is almost just as much a story about family—the one we’re born with and the one we create. And in true Kristen Ashley fashion, her every sentence serves to celebrate the strength and independence of her heroines, breathing life into them with a vivid hand and with palpable gusto, and creating not only characters we can easily identify with, but also role models in every sense of the word.
A beautiful novel that manages to be sexy, moving, and absolutely uplifting, proving once more that Ashley’s talent for making the reader feel is truly astonishing.
“You got soft leather and smooth whiskey and I got goose down and kitten fur. But under what we got, it’s granite and steel. Daphne made that. That’s her legacy. That’s what she gave us, what our kids will get.”
A Gamble man went after what he wanted, locked it down, and then…onward.
“Listen, I’m not saying anything against Toby,” I spoke into her silence. “I get it. He’s not into me. That’s understandable. I am baggage. And Deanna, you have to remember, I watched this kind of thing happen with my mom over and over again. After my dad, she looked for love. She had an open and hopeful heart. She wanted that for herself. She wanted stability for her girls. And she got knocked down again and again by guys who wanted in her pants but wanted nothing to do with some other man’s kids. At least Toby’s honest about it. That genuinely says good things about him. Really good. And I appreciate it.”
This was a total lie.
I did not appreciate it.
I was attracted to Toby Gamble.
I wanted to taste his mouth and other parts of him.
I wanted to feel his skin and see what his body looked like under those tees and jeans.
I wanted to fuck him. I wanted that to be wild and intense and so enthralling, the world ceased to exist, all of it, except what we were doing to each other and how it was making us feel.
I wanted to sleep beside him.
I wanted to wake up next to him.
I wanted to feel his arms around me. Not like they were that terrible afternoon when I’d sobbed into his neck and he’d carried me to Izzy’s bed or that other, far more terrible afternoon when my baby had been stolen from me.
I just wanted him to hold me.
I wanted Brooklyn to grow up with a man like Toby Gamble. Not just as his somewhat uncle who would lift him high and make him fly or let him crawl all over him when we were at a diner eating burgers just because me and my son were there, and he was a decent guy who liked kids. But as a guy who was always there, eventually showing my boy the way in matters his mother could not.
I wasn’t in love with him.
But I knew if he gave me even the barest hint he’d even think of going there with me, I’d take that fall.
And when I did, if it didn’t work, I also knew it would annihilate me.
Moonlight and Motor Oil - Recommended Reading Order
(standalone stories with interconnected characters)
BOOK REVIEW & EXCERPT: The Hookup by Kristen Ashley
COVER REVEAL: The Hookup by Kristen Ashley
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT: Rockstar by Lauren Rowe
COVER REVEAL & EXCERPT: Misadventures with a Twin by Elizabeth Hayley
Moonlight and Motor Oil
3 Comments Hide Comments
Marcy Meyer says:
27 April, 2019 at 11:45 PM
So excited for this one!! Love your review!
Thank you, honey!! So excited for you to read it. ♥️
Kate @ Cover to Cover Book Blog says:
I LOVED this book!! Tbh, I love everything Kristen Ashley writes, so that wasn’t a surprised. Glad to see you enjoyed it as well :)
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July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord
Bishop of Hibernia & The Isles July 1, 2015 Uncategorized
NCC | Hibernia & The Isles
As we begin the month of July during which it is traditional to focus devotion on the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, it is worthwhile reading the Apostolic Letter of St John XXIII from 1960:
Unlimited is the effectiveness of the God-Man’s Blood — just as unlimited as the love that impelled him to pour it out for us, first at his circumcision eight days after birth, and more profusely later on in his agony in the garden,[12] in his scourging and crowning with thorns, in his climb to Calvary and crucifixion, and finally from out that great wide wound in his side which symbolizes the divine Blood cascading down into all the Church’s sacraments. Such surpassing love suggests, nay demands, that everyone reborn in the torrents of that Blood adore it with grateful love. —Apostolic Letter, Inde a Primis, St John XXIII, 30 June…
Previous Congratulations to TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Next Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter
Published by Bishop of Hibernia & The Isles
The Bishop of Hibernia and the Isles of the National Catholic Church of the UK and Ireland. View all posts by Bishop of Hibernia & The Isles
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Even with Tirupati deity as PM, no development without law-order, says ex-Karnataka DGP at India Today Karnataka Panchayat
Bengaluru: Even with the deity of the Tirupati temple as prime minister, India cannot develop unless its central and state governments enforce law and order, ex-Karnataka DGP Shankar Bidari said Saturday.
At India Today’s Karnataka Panchayat 2018, Bidari joined Home Guard IGP D Roopa and Global Concerns India director Brinda Adige for a chat about the state of law enforcement in the southern state, which elects a new assembly in May.
Bidari lamented what he called a “collapsed” Indian criminal justice system, and appealed to the “powers that be, regardless of the party” to protect the innocent and bring the guilty to book without fear or favour.
“Unfortunately during the last few decades, all the governments are harping on development, development, development. When hundreds of thousands of crores are being siphoned off from (the) public exchequer, and the culprits are going unpunished, when hundreds of thousands of crores are being misappropriated, misapplied, and daylight looting of the treasury is taking place all over the country, there is no punishment for anybody,” he observed.
“Unless and until you arrange for the enforement of the law, without fear and favour, unless and until you ensure that the culprits are punished within a reasonable period of two years, unless and until you ensure that the righteous persons are given protection, no development can take place in this country.”
Bidari’s message came shortly after he mentioned the high number of police commissioners Bengaluru has had in the last five years, and the recent acquittal of the accused in the Mangaluru pub attack case.
Previous articleOdisha Govt to set up Martyrs’ Memorial Pillar at Barunei
Next article#Karnataka witnessing resurgence of right-wing movement, says #AmitMalviya at India Today Karnataka Panchayat
Multi Disciplinary Terror Monitoring Group has been constituted in the State of J&K. Terrorist initiated incidents saw a decline of 28%
4th Director General Level Talks held between NCB, India and CCDAC, Myanmar to take concerted actions against drug trafficking
Nominations for Padma Awards-2020 open till 15th September, 2019
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Diesel: A Safe, Extensible ORM and Query Builder for Rust (diesel.rs)
291 points by steveklabnik on Feb 5, 2016 | hide | past | web | favorite | 162 comments
Animats on Feb 5, 2016
Why is
Post::belonging_to(user).load(&connection)
an improvement over
SELECT * FROM posts WHERE user_id = 1;
If you use this, it nails the database schema into your Rust code, because this needs to know the table formats. If someone adds a new field to a row, you have to rebuild all your Rust programs that use the database. Now your deployment process just got much more complicated.
It's a neat hack, but seems an overly complex way to do something that's not that complicated. Unless this has some huge performance gain over rust-postgres[1], it's probably too much.
If rust-postgres is too slow, it would be worth having an optional generic for rust-postgres to help with unmarshalling returned rows. Rust-postgres returns row objects from which fields can be extracted. Converting that to a Rust struct is the only operation which needs to go fast.
[1] https://github.com/sfackler/rust-postgres
atombender on Feb 6, 2016
On its own, the code representation is not an improvement. Where it shines is when you want to compose result sets.
For example, in ActiveRecord (the Ruby library that this looks very much influenced by), given:
posts = Post.where(user_id: 1)
...you can now do things like:
recent_posts = posts.order(created_at: :desc).limit(100)
tagged = recent_posts.where('tag in ?', ['hacker', 'news'])
and then you can extract data:
tagged.group_by('tag')
or do mutate it:
tagged.update_attributes({author_id: 2})
tagged.destroy_all
...And so on. By encapsulating a result set as something that can be augmented with new query clauses (where, limit, select) and so on, you can incrementally build queries, pass them to other functions, store them as member variables so that they be reused as "scopes" across multiple calls, and so on.
If the query were just a string, this sort of thing becomes awkward, verbose, brittle, and generally not type-safe.
u320 on Feb 6, 2016
The problem with this approach is that you are forced to work in a subset of SQL due to the type system mismatch of SQL and the host language.
A "proper" solution to this problem requires language changes (as Microsoft did with C# 3.0).
While it's true that solving this at the language level would be even better, it's not required. All you need is an extensible AST data model.
For example, ActiveRecord doesn't have support for window functions, but its underlying AST (a library called ARel) allows you to extend it, which at one point I did, allowing me to write something like this:
things = Arel::Table.new('things')
things.project(Arel::Nodes::NamedFunction.new(:sum, [things.count]).over('my_window')).
window('my_window').
order(things[:name]).
range(Arel::Nodes::Preceding.new)
which generates something like:
select sum(count(*)) over my_window
from things
window my_window as (order by name rows unbounded preceding)
(It's been a while since I looked at this particular code, which is no longer in production use, so it might not be correct.)
In other words, I could continue to express whatever I wanted of SQL, at the language level — no type mismatches.
The SQL builder code isn't pretty, to be sure, but it's something you typically encapsulate into a lower-level module rather than writing in application code. And as it's highly analogous to the SQL code it generates, it's not like it's that much more complicated. (ARel isn't a shining example of how to do it right, either. I expect Diesel implements the AST aspect more cleanly.)
Edit: I see what you're saying about typed record types. I was thinking more about the grammar, not the shape of the data.
Yes I should have been more clear that I was talking about a static typing context. In a dynamic language the problem is much easier, as you are basically only limited by your languages metaprogramming facilities.
RussianCow on Feb 6, 2016
But isn't the same true for a statically typed language with sufficiently powerful macros? I don't know if Rust falls into that category, having never used it, but I don't think it makes a difference whether the metaprogramming happens during compile time or runtime.
ossreality on Feb 6, 2016
Yeah, if they're talking about what I think they're talking about, yes, something like LINQ could be implemented with macros (compiler plugin variant, I think) in Rust.
girvo on Feb 6, 2016
> basically only limited by your languages metaprogramming facilities
I'd like to point out that strong static-typing does not preclude powerful metaprogramming! Nim's macro system is extremely powerful because of it's great interplay between it and the type system.
http://nim-lang.org/docs/manual.html#macros
rabidferret on Feb 6, 2016
You should take a closer look at what Diesel is doing with it's query builder. We actually do attempt to support the full power of every supported backend (of course there's still holes which need to be filled), with proper type guarantees which map to the semantics of Postgres. The main difference being that Diesel can check your queries for correctness at compile time.
The problem is that joins and projections give rise to new record types. The only way to support this in a type safe and natural way is if you have anonymous records in the host language, which Rust doesn't. On top of this there is some other metaprogramming stuff that is necessary in order to facilitate the DSL embedding.
Look at what Microsoft did with LINQ. You can't pull that off in Rust no matter how much you want to.
tatterdemalion on Feb 6, 2016
This can be accomplished with procedural macros.
This can be accomplished without procedural macros, too. ;)
andrewflnr on Feb 6, 2016
Nevertheless, the goal here is to build an ORM for Rust. Why waste time describing what you think it can't do?
scardine on Feb 6, 2016
SQLAlchemy is a Python ORM that matches SQL almost 1:1.
The main reasons I like this approach are:
* it makes way easier (and safer) to reuse query parts compared to string composition/interpolation
* the ORM takes care of differences between the backends, so it is easier if I have to port the application to another RDBMS.
That's normally done in SQL with JOIN, or in some cases, temporary tables.
skywhopper on Feb 6, 2016
The ORM model of building a query dynamically over multiple steps in multiple contexts gives you a lot more flexibility and more resilient code. You can share code that builds queries for multiple tables that share some, but not all, fields or relation patterns much more easily. And you can do it all without making multiple calls to the database.
reedlaw on Feb 6, 2016
See Sandi Metz' recent piece, The Wrong Abstraction [1]. I prefer a SQL template approach such as Yesql [2]. The trouble with an ORM like ActiveRecord is a lack of control of when and how the query is performed.
1. http://www.sandimetz.com/blog/2016/1/20/the-wrong-abstractio...
2. https://github.com/krisajenkins/yesql
That's a problem with ActiveRecord and not with ORMs in general. Plenty of ORMs are explicit about how and when queries are performed. Check out SQLAlchemy for an example.
In that very specific example, you are right -- the benefits are pretty minimal (mostly just the deserialization). However, you're actually able to represent the relationship between those two models however you want, but still deal with relationships between types, and not what the exact join clause is.
Additionally, SQL is extremely hard to compose. In my applications, I very rarely have some specific one off query that I want to run, I have multiple predicates that I want to be able to mix and match easily. String munging is fragile, while this actually lets me build reasonable domain abstractions.
To your final point "Unless this has some huge performance gain over rust-postgres"
Diesel performs 33% faster than rust-postgres, and will be competitive with if not faster than ideomatic C.
BinaryIdiot on Feb 6, 2016
> Additionally, SQL is extremely hard to compose.
I've seen almost everyone who doesn't use SQL directly say this but I always feel it's the exact opposite. SQL is easy to write once you do it enough. I've gotten to the point where I compose zero SQL in any application's code and, instead, do it all inside of stored procedures (of which they do not generate dynamic SQL). Then my code just calls stored procedures, my database users for the web application never have more access than executing a specific subset of stored procedures, and if there is a bug found in a stored procedure I can deploy them separately from the web application.
I'm guessing it's just different philosophies but almost every time I've used something that abstracts an existing interface to another, completely different interface, I always end up running into major issues.
"Compose" here doesn't mean "to write". It means to build up a database query in multiple steps, gradually adding (or removing) restrictions or relations dynamically in response to input. So one method might add a certain restriction that will get translated to a part of the where clause. Another might change which fields are being selected for or joined on or add transformations to the field. Meanwhile, the developer doesn't have to worry about special cases, or whether you need an AND or an OR, or how to go about wrapping a field in the SELECT clause after the fact. These methods might be in totally different contexts in the underlying code, and it would not be possible to make that style of query composition possible without abstracting away the SQL syntax. And that's exactly what an ORM does for you.
Oh I know what compose means. Having written a ton of stored procedures for large scale web applications I've never found the need to dynamically build such queries. Instead I focus on what I need a specific query to do, provide the options to a stored procedure or function (depending on the RDMS) and that's it. Much like unix with simple programs that do very niche things I look at procedures much the same way.
Don't get me wrong I see the simplicity in it from the ORM side I've just never had a good experience with ORM tools. Having worked directly against many RDMS and key value stores at least for me I don't see much value in them.
But anything that helps get a product out the door more power to ya, in my opinion.
barrkel on Feb 6, 2016
What do you do when you want e.g. user controlled sorting and filtering?
I just implemented this recently in my job, but it was even tougher than that; I was joining dynamically created tables, and the number of joins depended on criteria. I ended up building my own AST to represent filters, and compiling to SQL. Every extra table join hurts performance - typically filters are implented as joins against a filtered sorted limited subquery returning ids, so fewer different table joins means less data to pull in when evaluating filters even when all the data is needed for the results page.
Point being, I had to compose complex dynamic queries and SQL was not a particularly pleasant target language to target directly. Abstractions (like asts) help with composition.
mborch on Feb 6, 2016
You can use a CASE-statement for each possible filter and apply it only if the filter value(s) are non-trivial.
-- Parameter :filter
AND CASE WHEN :filter IS NOT NULL THEN
table.column = :filter
ELSE TRUE END
This has zero cost in the case where :filter is unset.
The filters are predicates, not values.
> What do you do when you want e.g. user controlled sorting and filtering?
Sorting is easy. The stored procedure just accepts a sorting flag, add it into your query and your done. Filtering though, I could think of a dozen types of things you may want to filter on and I still may not hit your use case so it's hard to say how to do it based on what data is stored in the database, how it's stored and which RDMS you're using.
I've primarily done this type of work in MS SQL where I've built some pretty complex queries but I was always able to replace dynamically generated SQL with SQL that could generate a cacheable query plan.
Not saying there won't be edge cases and I don't know how your filtering worked so I don't have any type of satisfying answer for you. I would just be surprised if it wasn't doable somehow (I've seen some crazy shit in SQL queries :D)
The job I have in mind was basically implementing a subset of Excel's sorting and filtering capabilities into a paginated table view on a SPA web page.
Sorting has a couple of wrinkles. When Excel sorts rows, it changes the in-memory order; its sort is also stable. That means if you sort by column C, then B, then A, you're effectively doing "order by a, b, c". Seems simple enough. But that's not the only wrinkle in this problem.
Not all sortable columns are in the same table. If you do something naive like "select x.* , y.* from x join y [...] where [...] order by x.a, y.b limit 10 offset 20000", you're doing too much work - you're sorting a wide result set. It's normally better to do your pagination in a subquery and join against it, like this:
select x.*, y.* from x join y [...] join (
select x.id from x join y [...] where [...]
order by x.a, y.b limit 10 offset 20000
) f on f.id = x.id
order by x.a, y.b
Depending on the body of the where clause, you want to join the minimum set of tables to include just enough data to evaluate the page of ids - every join has a cost.
The body of the where clause is another story, it's pretty much entirely arbitrary. The user may choose to filter on any column, just like Excel autofilter. Creating good indexes up front isn't feasible - you don't know how many columns to include in any one index, they take time to create and they're not free in disk storage either. And the filtered columns span multiple tables; the final result set may contain several hundred columns across all these tables.
So what I did is take the criteria - the filter clause, which might look something like this:
(and (or (eq (field 'x.f1') "foo")
(eq (field 'y.f2') "bar"))
(between (field 'm.timestamp') "date1" "date2"))
And turn it into a where clause. I analyze the filter tree to determine the minimum set of joins required to access all the fields needed by the filter and sorting criteria. I can then put that into a subquery to join against.
There are more wrinkles. To give a good experience, we need to populate a dropdown of potential filter values, like Excel autofilter. Potential filter values need to be filtered themselves - we only display filter values for that are potentially visible given the current filter. They also need to be searchable, because there may be millions of them. And they may include joins, like when you want to filter by tags or some other 1:N style relation, like row:tags. There are a bunch of different shapes to the different queries, but there are common composable underlyers to them.
All the above runs on mostly unindexed tables - we're relying on pure query compute performance within the designed data limits (less than 3 million rows). Sub-millisecond query response times aren't the goal here; we're supporting the user doing reasonably complex data manipulation operations with worst case performance measured in single-digit seconds.
(This is all in MySQL, because reasons that include business model constraints.)
mhd on Feb 6, 2016
So you don't even build dynamic queries in the stored procedures themselves (e.g. with string concatenations and EXECUTE)?
That's where I usually get fed up with stored procedures, as pseudo-ADA ain't a nice language for list and string manipulation. I'd rather do that in a language better suited, and that quickly leads to query builders…
Stored procedures are no more composeable than SQL strings are. Now it's certainly easy to say that I haven't used SQL directly. But I did spend years working that way (though of course this statement shouldn't give you much confidence by itself).
Ultimately an ORM can help you to build more maintainable and resilient (to changing market conditions) software than direct SQL. Diesel in particular can catch mistakes that SQL strings cannot.
I do understand why a lot of people have reservations about ORMs. I share a lot of them. I've maintained Active Record for about 2 years now, and learned a lot from doing so (note: This does not mean that I like AR or want this to be anything like it).
TL;DR: Your points aren't wrong. Diesel is different. Maybe give it a shot. ;)
> Stored procedures are no more composeable than SQL strings are[...]Ultimately an ORM can help you to build more maintainable and resilient (to changing market conditions) software than direct SQL.
I couldn't disagree more. Creating the separation between SQL DB and web application allows you to maintain, deploy, fix and upgrade things independently and it's easy (maybe not quite as easy as an ORM would make it but not really harder either; you're going to have to know how SQL works anyway if you want to effectively optimize and secure your data).
Not only that but you can provide far better security controls because you can limit certain users access to certain procedures, never direct access to tables and various other things and if you don't do any dynamic SQL in the procedures itself you not only never have to worry about SQL injection but unless there is a critical vulnerability in the SQL system itself it's going to be impossible to conduct an injection attack.
Yeah you can separate your code to make it easier to deploy separately to get a similar benefit and yeah your code can prevent SQL injections too but it's so much more work, more possible points of failure and the differences between databases can really bite you in the ass when you do everything generically. SQL is fun :)
> TL;DR: Your points aren't wrong. Diesel is different. Maybe give it a shot. ;)
Yeah I'm not saying NEVER use ORMs; they're great for creating things quickly that don't need to scale. But after my experience with them I'm highly skeptical using them outside of that type of use case. Of course you can scale ORMs but I've never seen it done well.
I think we're violently agreeing in a lot of ways. :)
I'm curious what you mean by scale. Are you referring to performance, or code size? If you're referring to performance, you'll probably find it interesting that we out-perform or are competitive with ideomatic C.
By scale I mean performance though I'm not sure the application's language matters as much as the SQL that's being generated and run against the database. I've just never had good luck with ORMs generating the best, most optimized SQL for the query I'm trying to run and I've known a few people who used an ORM until they started getting heavy traffic, tested out talking directly to the RDMS, found it to be more performant and end up dropping the ORM.
Don't get me wrong ORMs can certainly be performant. I just haven't seen or know anyone who used it in a manner that scaled to thousands of concurrent users and, at the same time, didn't have a lot of pain trying to do that with the ORM.
tdeck on Feb 7, 2016
I think this conversation shows a mismatch between two different philosophies about how to use the database. The traditional way of doing things you've described involves multiple different applications connecting to the database. Data access is restricted by locking their database users down to specific APIs exposed by stored procedures. Non-trivial logic lives in the database in order to present these APIs.
A lot of systems lately are being built in a different way, that is, only one application connects to the database. This application presents an API (ReST, protobufs, thrift) for other apps that need that data. It handles access control and business logic, using the DB as a backing store. That means you don't have to worry about dababase user access control, because you don't have more than one user.
I don't have a strong opinion about either of these, but the latter way of working is how we do things at my current job (reasonably large payments software company), and it does work quite well. One advantage I appreciate is that there isn't arbitrary business logic sitting in the database where it can be changed on the fly - I wouldn't consider that a feature.
gleb on Feb 6, 2016
I'll make a stronger statement - stored procedures are generally not composable in production.
At least in Postgres they act as an optimization fence. In practice this means you can use them as an abstraction layer only in very limited ways where they happen to fit into a decent execution plan.
DannoHung on Feb 6, 2016
SQL is hard to programatically compose. At the very least, you have to use a Lang/SQL.
Pxtl on Feb 6, 2016
That's a new term to me - lang/SQL?
d215 on Feb 6, 2016
I guess he means a procedural language for sql, like PL/Pyton, PL/V8, etc., so PL/
Oh god, ick. I've used T-SQL and Pl/SQL procedurally and hate them with the burning passion of many suns.
I think somebody needs to actually justify the need for composable SQL. With examples. It's far from obvious.
In my experience outside of extension code the need for composable SQL is very limited. Most uses cases can be satisfied by Rails 2 scopes.
Now, if composability was free - sure it's great. But it's not free.
So, on one hand:
* it would be nice to have infinitely composable SQL
On the other hand:
* it would be nice to just have the actual SQL with all the features, well understood syntax and semantics that cost decades and billions of dollars to develop
* and no wrapper-on-top-of-SQL limitations and translation bugs, and need for training
With these language-on-top-of-SQL you don't get both. In fact you get severe compromises in the second group.
User-generated data in a user-defined schema, where the user wants an Excel-autofilter-like sorting and filtering experience over rowsets that range from 10 thousand to 3 million rows, and 2 columns to 150 columns.
Columns may be sorted and filtered individually or in combination. Filters may be based on value set membership or range criteria, comparisons with fields in the data or via a join to other tables, or based on the presence of an entry in a join table (think: tags or labels, and you want to filter by presence or absence of tag).
(This is what I spent the past couple of months implementing. The simplest way of composing SQL is via union / except / intersect, but it's also the worst performing; doesn't work great past a few hundred thousand rows. And you still need to compose together the filter conditions into a where clause.)
Rails 2 scopes are literally the case for composeability...
Yes, but a very limited one.
I'd love to see a solution with tradeoffs made the other way:
* syntax and semantics 99% like underlying SQL
* support for 99% of underlying DB functionality
* traditional areas where ORMs add value:
* deserialization into convenient data structures
* casting, quoting and escaping on the way in and out
* using stored association metadata for concise joins in the query
Every single one of those bullet points is a primary design goal of Diesel (caveat: Our semantics generally map to PG, because they apply well to other backends and are the least nonsensical)
Ygg2 on Feb 6, 2016
Diesel performs 33% faster than rust-postgres, and will be
competitive with if not faster than ideomatic C.
Interesting. What makes it faster than rust-postgress?
Short version: Our compile time guarantees allow us to omit a lot of runtime checks that you would otherwise have.
Long version: http://bikeshed.fm/49
Longer version: Planning on doing a really in depth write up for the website soon. I'll also be going into more detail during my talk at the SF rust meetup, which there's a link to the live stream towards the bottom of the thread
I'm interested if some of those guarantees can be used upstream in rust-postgres?
As far as I saw, Diesel is essentially shipping with its own PostgreSQL driver.
It's possible. I tried to build on rust-postgres originally, but its design basically makes it impossible to abstract over. We also have fundamentally different views on how `ToSql` should work.
I'd love to find out what made it impossible to abstract over?
Please include in your larger talk!
The short version is its refusal to box things means that you have to have the connection, the statement, and the cursor all as local variables in the same lexical scope (you almost always want to abstract away the statement and cursor), and it's use of trait objects for serialization and deserialization. I might go into it briefly in my talk, but I don't like to rag on other people's work so I probably won't say much on it.
(Sorry for the double post, I think I replied to my own comment and not yours!)
And rusqlite (or libsqlite-3) doesn't have those issues?
I don't think you're ragging on rust-postgress, although I'd probably attempt to change rust-postgres first :P
> And rusqlite (or libsqlite-3) doesn't have those issues?
rusqlite has the same issues. libsqlite doesn't since it's just C bindings. Same as pq_sys. Ironically, rusqlite makes the same design choices as rust-postgres, but it's actually wrapping a heap allocated object anyway, so it gains nothing by doing so...
> I'd probably attempt to change rust-postgres first
I did, too. It turned out to be a pretty major rewrite.
vpkaihla on Feb 6, 2016
Perhaps the question should be rather:
Post::belonging_to(usre).load(&connection)
SELECT * FROM posts WHERE usre_id = 1;
... to which the answer is probably more obvious.
Hah I love this answer. ^_^
daniel-levin on Feb 6, 2016
>> it nails the database schema into your Rust code
On the contrary, the purpose of an ORM is to let your code be a schema for your database. This is my personal use case for an ORM; I want persistence but am not overly concerned with the database. There are plenty of use cases [1] where a schema update from outside is unlikely or impossible. In these cases, there is a very low cost for (by way of an ORM) tightly coupling your code to your schema.
Also, an ORM lets somebody else worry about sanitisation, and database specific-code. It can abstract away the choice of database, another very valuable feature. I think that the example you quote is actually a poor demonstration of the value of an ORM. The other ones on the linked page are far better :)
[1] A program running on only one machine, like an Android app or a music player on Linux desktops etc
If you change your schema without changing your client code, your program is broken - you just haven't found out about it yet. The fact that changing schema becomes a compile-time error with an ORM is a feature, not a bug.
sixbrx on Feb 6, 2016
Well for one thing the "SELECT *" query will typically yield for results a runtime-typed flat list of fields/values as accessed via a generic database access api.
Whereas as an applications programmer I'd rather deal with structures that make sense in my domain of interest, and let the marshalling code from SQL results be handled for me, and with compile-time checking for correctness. When that's coupled with a database schema reverse engineering tool (not sure if this project provides one), that way whenever the database changes, compile errors will result, which errors allow me to quickly hunt down places in my code that are affected and need changing.
foota on Feb 6, 2016
For one thing, I believe SELECT * is generally considered harmful (I certainly view it as such), and without wildcard you would need to update the query regardless of the method you use to construct it.
Yeah, I've been wondering if I should note somewhere in the examples that we don't actually execute `SELECT *`, we do something more reliable. I felt like listing every column would bury the lede though.
Sorry, I wasn't at all criticizing the example, I was replying to the parent poster. Your library looks awesome :)
Oh I know, I didn't think you were. Just stating a random thought I've had about the examples on the site. XD
pbreit on Feb 6, 2016
I generally agree. Are there frameworks or db access libraries that just offer some helpers around plain ole SQL? Seems like very framework/ORM invents it's own query DSL.
mking1024 on Feb 6, 2016
In the .NET world we have Dapper (https://github.com/StackExchange/dapper-dot-net), which lets us write queries in plain old SQL. It's a very useful little library. I believe StackOverflow use it for their data access.
var posts = connection.Query<Post>("select * from posts where user_id = @UserId", param: new { UserId = 1 });
arethuza on Feb 6, 2016
I really like Dapper - allows you to write "raw" SQL but does the tedious bit of mapping to/from objects in a nice way.
bluejekyll on Feb 6, 2016
In Java I really liked MyBatis for this, and I think fits what you are asking.
jeffdavis on Feb 6, 2016
"If someone adds a new field to a row, you have to rebuild all your Rust programs that use the database."
Are you sure? Why do you say that?
Read the Diesel build process, especially the section on "migrations".[1]
[1] http://diesel.rs/guides/getting-started/
This isn't true at all. You can add as many fields as you want. You'll need to recompile to use them, of course.
erickt on Feb 5, 2016
If anyone is interested in hearing from the creator, Sean Griffin will be talking about Diesel at the next Bay Area Rust Meetup on February 18th [1], which will be live streamed and eventually archived on Air Mozilla [2]:
[1]: http://www.meetup.com/Rust-Bay-Area/events/219697075/
[2]: https://air.mozilla.org/bay-area-rust-meetup-february-2016/
anp on Feb 5, 2016
He also did a good podcast interview about Diesel and about Rust (and what makes a Rust ORM special with compile time magic) a week or so ago:
http://bikeshed.fm/49
jaytaylor on Feb 6, 2016
FYI It looks like the in-person slots for that meetup are already fully booked.
steveklabnik on Feb 5, 2016
Sean Griffin (and others), the maintainer of Rails' ActiveRecord, has been working on this ORM for a while now. It's not a port of ActiveRecord, but a look at what an ORM that takes advantages of Rust's strengths would look like.
It makes heavy usage of Rust's type system features, particularly zero-sized types, to provide a large degree of safety with no overhead. Sean has mentioned several times that he even believes that he is faster than literal SQL strings, due to pre-compiling them in some way, but that's a bit out of my league.
He also wants to have features like "type-check all of your queries at compile time and then query the database to make sure that the schemas all line up" and other such compile-time safety shenanigans.
brandonbloom on Feb 6, 2016
Honest question: When would it ever really make sense to use Rust on the server for a service that interacts with a SQL database heavily enough to justify using such a library?
Wouldn't waiting on the network eat up any possible performance gain you could expect from Rust vs something like the JVM or Go runtime? Before modern day JavaScript JITs, relational database systems were the epitome of dynamic runtime systems. There's so much performance variability in the query planner, network, disk caching, etc, to make garbage collection a rounding error. Zero-cost abstractions are just not a particularly useful thing in this context from what I can tell.
Even if you do have genuinely CPU-bound tasks, why wouldn't you use Rust for those modules + call it via FFI from whatever is doing most of the boring business logic? If it's just about static-type-check-all-the-things! I just can't get excited about it vs something like Go.
Short version: Because Rust's type system is a joy to use, and the reason I made Diesel was to try and push it forward in higher level contexts. I'm finding myself more productive in Rust than I am in any other language.
threatofrain on Feb 6, 2016
In my limited experience using both Go and Rust for hobbyist web scraping, I haven't found either language to have a significant edge in development difficulty. Go's most salient edge over Rust would be in the more numerous and mature libraries.
So if Rust is not substantially easier or harder than Go, when Rust catches up to Go in the library ecosystem, I can see why people might want to use Rust. Also, it's nice to have better language support for functional strategies.
I think that Rust is substantially harder than Go. At least extrapolating from my personal experience and the 6+ highly-skilled people I've watched learn both Go and Scala simultaneously.
danieldk on Feb 6, 2016
I just started learning Rust and its type system is much simpler than Scala. What makes it powerful is some well-designed somewhat orthogonal features (generics, type traits, the ownership system, algebraic data types, macros).
I didn't pick up Rust as quickly as Go. However, that's not really surprising, because Go is approximately the lowest common dominator of modern statically typed languages minus generics. (In a good and bad way.)
At any rate, I started learning Rust ~2 weeks ago and I am already writing small libraries, programs, etc. for my daily work.
Although that took a bit more time than Go, it's also a much more pleasing language to write in (the lack or sum types or generics in Go is very annoying) and you get more safety guarantees.
Manishearth on Feb 6, 2016
> it's also a much more pleasing language to write in (the lack or sum types or generics in Go is very annoying)
Interesting anecdote: Last year, for a course I had to write the assignments in Go. As a Rustacean, I grumbled about the lack of sum types a lot, and made various hacks via interfaces writing unidiomatic Go code to simulate them. My code design was also very Rust-y and unidiomatic.
This year, I'm TAing the same course, and there's a similar assignment. One student's submission was eerily similar to my design (by now I knew that it was unidiomatic), down to the hacks used. It also contained a comment saying "missing Rust's enums" (my code contained a similar comment to explain the hacks). At first I thought it may have been copied from my code (which can be found if you're looking for it), but it was different enough in other areas. I dug a bit and found that the student was indeed a rustacean.
It's rather interesting that two rustaceans used the exact same hacks and same overall design when asked to code in Go.
Surprisingly, I don't miss generics too much in Go. interfaces used to make me cringe due to the extra runtime cost (since I knew Rust before learning Go, and such solutions would make me cringe in Rust), but once I got used to Go I learned to use them properly. Named interfaces are pretty easy to use and let you structure the code decently well, just like proper generics. They may have a runtime cost, but Go doesn't put as much focus on that as Rust.
On the other hand, easy-to-use non-hacky sum types are something I miss from Go all the time.
pcwalton on Feb 6, 2016
I think you're right--Rust is harder to learn than Go--but I also think that doesn't really matter, since the important thing is whether people fluent in both languages can write code faster in Rust or Go. I have not seen many if any instances in which people who actually know Rust write code more slowly in Rust than they would in other languages (modulo compiler performance). The borrow check is, like, less than 5% of the errors I see, and the errors are at this point not significantly harder to fix than a misspelled variable name.
> people fluent in both languages can write code faster in Rust or Go
As someone belonging to that group, I agree. short programs are easy to write in Go. If I need to write some utility script I would do it in Go (or more likely python). However, if I need to write a whole new thing I find it very easy to design in Rust in a modular way.
Similarly, if I have a Go and a Rust codebase in front of me, and I need to make changes, it takes longer to work with the Go codebase for nontrivial changes. But this is less stark a difference than the above.
I will say that "modulo compiler perf" is an issue. I was tinkering with the Go compiler and the fact that I could try things out quickly was a big boon. However, I had to spend time figuring out which interface goes where (the documentation doesn't show interfaces implemented on types, you have to figure it out by looking at the source -- this is something that could be fixed though), so it might even out.
But yeah, fixing errors is not hard in Rust (nor do I often get borrow errors, usually it's other stuff), and in fact I find it easier to do than Go because Rust provides extensive errors with suggestions as well as showing the erroring thing inline, whereas Go just points out a file and line number (Again, this could be fixed).
Re: modulo compiler performance
My productivity has been greatly improved by restricting myself to `cargo check` when writing code. It only does type and borrow checking which is much faster than doing all of the LLVM passes (or whatever rustc does after those passes, on that subject I am ignorant).
Note that even for large codebase, the Go compile is faster than Rust up to typecheck. Not much faster, but when I use Go I get errors immediately; whereas in Rust I often context-switch to wait for errors (both for large codebases). Some planned improvements to Rust may fix this.
Fair enough, and being honest I haven't tried Go yet so I have no basis for comparison between the two compilers.
I've found that when using Atom with linter/linter-rust installed and setup with cargo check I rarely context switch while waiting for errors/warnings to be highlighted (and this is on a 1.6Ghz Xeon machine at work). But maybe I'm just OK staring blankly for slightly longer than others :).
Well, I work with really large codebases in Rust (Servo or Rust itself), so the twenty seconds to a compile error are a lot. Whereas when hacking on Go's compiler it's much, much less.
kibwen on Feb 6, 2016
I wouldn't generally compare Rust against Scala, as Rust's type system is less ambitious and the language itself has far fewer concepts.
joseph on Feb 6, 2016
On the other hand, if you're already using Rust, why switch to another language just to talk to the database?
There are much simpler standard ways to talk to a database from Rust:
https://crates.io/crates/postgres/
https://crates.io/crates/mysql/
This is an experimental approach. It might or might not be useful, but you don't have to use it.
That's valid, but ORMs have been pretty standard for years now too. Most mature languages have either ORMs or some database abstraction libraries, so it's good to see Rust getting those now.
mercurial on Feb 6, 2016
> Most mature languages have either ORMs or some database abstraction libraries
And a lot of them really suck, too, because it's a hard problem. I'll take query builders or raw SQL over ORMs any day of the week.
It seems like the intersection of good use case for Rust and need to use SQL, will also intersect with "minimal SQL needs", hence preference for simpler libraries.
Mentioned below where?
If you're talking about query string construction performance, I'm not sure I've ever seen even a Ruby application where query string building was a bottleneck vs the network.
Sorry, as you replied I had deleted my comment, because I decided I'd rather not get into an argument about this :) I will give you the link though:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11045700 <- "Diesel performs 33% faster than rust-postgres, and will be competitive with if not faster than ideomatic C. "
Forgive me, I didn't intend to be so argumentative. I genuinely want to understand. I'm trying to figure out if there are whole categories of use cases that I just don't have any exposure to.
As a side note: I keep trying Rust over and over again, and just can't get in to it. I think my brain just doesn't work that way. For my hobby project that needs super low level perf, I've moved a codebase from C, to Rust, and now to http://terralang.org/ and I'm finally quite satisfied with how the project is going.
Naw, it was my response that was more so than I wanted it to be. No worries. :)
Rust focuses on "zero-cost abstractions", that is, if you had to implement a feature yourself, you couldn't do it any better.
So this library, while more complex than a straightforward binding, has more features that are useful, like increased safety, while also being faster. A win-win. And very much in line with Rust's overall philosophy.
It's a bit late here, but feel free to DM me in our Gitter room and I can give you a full explanation tomorrow.
Keats on Feb 6, 2016
For me Rust compiler and type system is much much better than the one in Go. Rust is still very far from Go right now though but I like the "if it compile, it works" which is not a certainty in Go.
hueving on Feb 6, 2016
Workers that consume tasks and write state to a db system can easily have lots of work that rust's performance guarantees would help with.
Hopefully such systems won't be doing a fair amount of dynamic query generation... vs simple pre-baked CRUD operations.
I think it's hard to tell whether a language (by itself, not counting the libraries) will be good for something until you try. Rust has enough going on that some creative people might find some really useful things it can do in surprising spaces.
Think about JavaScript and Node.js. Who would have predicted that?
Even if we were to assume that GC is better than manual memory management for servers (something I think is not really true), this presupposes that the non-memory-management-related parts of Go's type system are better than those of Rust. I disagree with that for many reasons.
mintplant on Feb 6, 2016
What about Go gets you excited where Rust doesn't?
In the context of my original post: 1) garbage collection, which isn't a big deal for most server applications and 2) simplicity, where the complexity of Rust only buys me marginal performance of questionable utility for the sorts of use cases where I'd be talking to a SQL database.
But the sorts of use cases where you'd be talking to a SQL database do benefit from generics and ADTs. For example, generics are good to avoid having to write for loops over and over, which is pretty pointless for application code (and, I'd argue, for systems code as well--for loops are just bad). Pattern matching is nice for high-level app logic, which often has the flavor of "if A, do X; if B, do Y; else do Z". Generics enable try!, which is a lot nicer than C-style error handling. And so on.
Diesel's selling point isn't actually the performance aspect. It's the safety and productivity.
We're not going to settle the dynamic vs static debate in this thread, so I'll refrain from commenting on safety and productivity :-)
Anyway, I don't mean to dump on your work. It seems like it's actually quite a nice implementation. I'm just questioning 1) the size of the audience and 2) Whether or not the audience who thinks they want this should actually want this.
If the size of your audience is your overriding concern, you shouldn't be writing your ORM in Go or Rust.
sedatk on Feb 6, 2016
memory is a critical resource for scalability and gc's are not good at it.
I like writing Rust for more reasons that CPU efficiency.
In fact, that's behind: strong memory safety, Option/no-null (probably lumps in with "strong memory safety") and of course generics and the type system at large.
The speed is honestly a nice benefit. (I'm not being sassy, I don't have speed intensive applications and still reach for Rust).
schwap on Feb 5, 2016
I know the ".rs" TLD is common to rust projects, but maybe add "for Rust" to the title?
baddox on Feb 5, 2016
I had no idea that .rs was conventionally for Rust projects, but I'm also not too bothered by having to figure it out.
I'm not sure it's convention but it's common just due to matching the file extension.
It's technically for the Republic of Serbia. I only chose it because .io was taken by a python library (which I wish I'd checked before deciding on the name)
It's also a pain in the ass to register because you have to have a Serbian tax ID
frik on Feb 6, 2016
Naming something "Diesel" is problematic. While the name is well known because of Rudolf Diesel, a German inventor of the Diesel engine and the Diesel fuel.
There is an Italian clothing company "Diesel S.p.A." that tries to protect their brand by suing almost anyone using "Diesel".
For example a German video game called "DieselStormers": due to a successful trademark lawsuit by Diesel S.p.A., who owns the trademark "Diesel" in relation to video games, Black Forest Games had been required to drop the title DieselStormers. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-30-dieselstormers-...
Such greedy companies act very similar to patent trolls. Well, there are sadly several other common words that are tainted by such "brands".
Edit: In 2015/2016 the Volkswagen (VW) Diesel scandal tainted the "Diesel" name too: http://autoweek.com/car-news/vw-diesel-scandal
walterstucco on Feb 6, 2016
Chosing Diesel as a name in 2016 is not exactly smart. greedy companies or not
usaphp on Feb 5, 2016
Really nice home page, clearly explains what the product is for and how it works, I really wish more tools would have such landing pages, most of the times I am spending a lot of time just figuring out what the hell is that new tool about. Great job!
ixtli on Feb 5, 2016
I am a big fan of typography but I have to draw the line at ligatures in code samples. It's just not appropriate for type that actually has a compelling reason to be monospaced =)
Mind posting a screenshot of what you're seeing? All our code samples are `font-family: monospace`
anonova on Feb 6, 2016
It's being inherited.
// application.css:529
-webkit-font-feature-settings: "kern", "liga", "pnum";
-ms-font-feature-settings: "kern", "liga", "pnum";
font-feature-settings: "kern", "liga", "pnum";
bschwindHN on Feb 6, 2016
I think they're referring to the "fi" in filter:
http://i.imgur.com/tJBeeNt.png
^ This is what I'm seeing. Sorry it took so long :(
AYBABTME on Feb 6, 2016
This is pretty cool, makes me want to take a look at Rust.
tracker1 on Feb 6, 2016
I don't quite get why nobody simply creates function bindings that have a query template string on one side, that is represented as a function that creates a parameterized query under the covers, and a solid type that represents a record that is returned? I mean instead of jumping through all the binding chains.. just have a string and type... call the generated function based on the string, return an array/stream/whatever of <type>
I'd rather use template string generated promises in node, tbh, than any ORM.
That is our `sql` function
Very cool. I like that it (as far as I can see) is actually built on top of an SQL AST.
This is one of the shortcomings of ActiveRecord. The SQL building used to be extremely ad-hoc, and though ARel was eventually written to fix this problem, the integration between ARel and ActiveRecord is not very fluid (and ARel itself has some design issues; if I remember correctly from the last time I worked with it, it's not immutable, which can be very confusing when chaining expressions).
Yeah, I'm planning on killing Arel at some point. I actually want to extract `Relation` to a gem entirely, as it's really not an adequate query builder for what we need in AR.
Also random fun story about Arel not being immutable. We had a bug in 4.1 where basically PG bind params are ordered, but Relation can't actually know the order ahead of time (e.g. because a Relation can be used in a from clause). Turned out actually fixing it was somewhat hard (the "real" fix was eventually https://github.com/rails/arel/commit/590c784a30b13153667f8db...). But as a hack, basically someone took advantage of the fact that `Arel::Nodes::BindParam < SqlLiteral` and `SqlLiteral < String`, and Strings are mutable. So they just ignored the lack of a proper map function, and fiddled with the strings. >_>
Anyway, yeah our AST is fun because Rust's compiler lets us set it up so that we can walk it as many times as we need basically for free (because it gets monomorphised and the walking ultimately gets inlined and optimized away)
15155 on Feb 5, 2016
How does this reconcile the async IO problem?
I couldn't figure out from cursory reading how "PgConnection" works or how it would be compatible with other IO-related code.
emergentcypher on Feb 6, 2016
This is still one of Rust's major shortcomings. Async IO, particularly async database and network IO, are still pretty much nonexistent in any practical sense. Some libraries are in the works, but for the time being, I'm still passing over Rust for any real work.
It's very close to landing in hyper, which should then percolate up through the rest of the ecosystem, at least, HTTP-wise.
bsaul on Feb 6, 2016
Do you know of any resource that would explain the current status of running rust as a webservice server endpoint ?
I'm thinking of question such as :
-embedded http server vs using apache or nginx ( eg : node and go seem to favor not using third party servers at least for simple cases)
- prefered concurrency model ? ( async vs thread based vs coroutines vs...)
- deployment issues ? ( single binary with everything inside, vs parts that need to be predeployed on the server beforehand)
- third-party connectivity ? ( diesel seems like a really fantastic way to query a db, but what about other storage such as s3, mongo, redis, queue systems, etc)
- current frameworks status ?
I know it sounds like a lot, but as ORMs is usually the major pain point for me when looking at a new techno ( it's one of the main reason i'm not using go, for example) and now that diesel seems to answer all my needs, i'm REALLY looking forward to start using Rust. I just need those questions to be answered, and i think i'm not the only one.
I don't know of one, so let me write up something short:
> embedded http server vs using apache or nginx
For now, put nginx in front of things, at least if you're using one of the non-rotor frameworks. That's because they are synchronous for now. This will change soonish, more below.
> prefered concurrency model ?
If you're using a framework, this is handled for you already. If you're building something custom, you probably want to use something like mio to make it asynchronous. Current frameworks are all using synchronous IO, but work is undergoing to switch that, which will then percolate upwards through the ecosystem.
> deployment issues ?
By default, everything is statically linked except glibc, so you make sure that those are compatible and then copy the binary.
> third-party connectivity ?
Wonderful or nonexistent depending. We're still youngish, so there's gaps. Support ranges from "provided by the vendor itself" (mongo) to "nonexistent" (some random noSQL store that might be popular amongst a certain group but someone hasn't written a binding yet)
> current frameworks status ?
The two most well-known are Iron and Nickel. Crates.io uses its own homegrown framework due to age. The author of Diesel may or may not be working on a new one to go with it...
> The author of Diesel may or may not be working on a new one to go with it...
IIRC, he hints at working on one (I think with Yehuda Katz?) in the podcast where he talked about Diesel:
I'm not sure I entirely understand the question, but we ultimately end up hooking into libpq, and right now the queries are synchronous. As we look towards features like associations, this will actually have to be true to some extent, since if we want the return type to be `(User, Vec<Post>)`, we actually need to allocate the entire result set we're reading into memory to implement `next()`.
Would it be desirable or possible to instead return a lazy collection that only fetches perhaps 10 results and fetches more as you iterate?
It's impossible. We can't guarantee the order of the result set, so we'd have to iterate the entire collection just to implement `next`
kbenson on Feb 6, 2016
An FYI to anyone responsible for this site, or in contact with them, the visited and unvisited link colors in the getting started guide[1] are very close to the background color, which makes them hard to read. Specifically, the link to dotenv and the CLI.
1: http://diesel.rs/guides/getting-started/
Thanks. The designer is taking another pass at it soon, I didn't expect to have so much traffic. I'll bump up the color on the links until then.
kevindeasis on Feb 6, 2016
This would be really awesome if someone used this with a rust framework being used in production
It would be really cool if this had an easy integration with postgis that uses simple syntax to query location
When I'm using a node framework and using postgres I have to use a nosql db for playing with coordinates as postgis syntax is not something i am very fond of
FWIW making sure it's easy to add extensions like this is part of the core design of Diesel. For example, this adds full text search support (it's slightly out of date) https://github.com/sgrif/diesel_full_text_search/blob/master...
If you're interested in adding postgis support, ping me in our Gitter room. I'd be happy to help.
How does this compare to Elixir's Ecto?
I'm having Jose on The Bikeshed (bikeshed.fm) next month to compare notes!
In the getting started guide, it looks like they use an as-yet-non-existent Post struct to create the migration SQL. Where is the migration CLI getting the struct's fields from if it hasn't yet been written in that part of the tutorial? Am I missing something obvious?
The CLI just generates the file structure. We fill in the SQL manually as part of the guide, and then create the structs immediately after that.
What I get for reading too quickly! Thanks for clarifying.
It wasn't super clear, anyway. Fixed in https://github.com/sgrif/diesel.rs-website/pull/5 :)
You're supposed to write that SQL yourself, I believe. I'll file an issue to clear this up either way.
dutchrapley on Feb 6, 2016
I like how the logo uses a red gas can. Diesel fuel is actually goes in a yellow gas can.
I think it's green, at least in the US. XD
jdpedrie on Feb 6, 2016
nope, diesel is yellow. never seen a green fuel can.
andrewaylett on Feb 6, 2016
For plastic 'cans' in the UK, we use green for unleaded petrol. Red was for leaded petrol and diesel is black.
I'll take your word for it. I'm no gas can expert. :)
Why did a NewPost struct have to be created to actually add a new Post? Is it generally not possible to have the result type of a query be used to update the same records?
Update yes. It's possible to use the same struct for create, too if you really want, but you'd need to wrap `id` in an `Option`.
Generally we're designed for the idea that you'll have a separate struct for read, create, and update. We also try and design for the latter two mapping roughly to web forms, as this is how most large applications end up wanting to be structured from my experience.
The main thing I'm trying to avoid is lumping all your logic in a single place, and ending up in many of the same rabbit holes that Active Record has led us to (which is at least partially my fault)
I guess that makes sense. The types should be able to ensure you don't have any errors even with so many "redundant" types, but my first thought is of how much boiler plate will result. Like, I would guess most record types will be very similar between create, update, and retrieve.
Also, what about upsert?
> The types should be able to ensure you don't have any errors even with so many "redundant" types
Correct. Sorry, I should have been clearer in my last comment. The reason you'd want a separate type for insert is because wrapping your id in an `Option` would be painful for anything except insert.
> but my first thought is of how much boiler plate will result.
Yeah, if you're coming from Active Record (which is the other project I maintain), we'll probably seem a little bit verbose. My goal here is to be 80% as nice to get started with, but nudge users towards significantly more maintainable code as their product grows.
> I would guess most record types will be very similar between create, update, and retrieve.
Early on, yes. 2 years in, not so much.
> Also, what about upsert?
This is something I'd like to add support for in the future. This comment made me realize I didn't have a tracking issue, so here it is: https://github.com/sgrif/diesel/issues/196
twic on Feb 6, 2016
We went through a somewhat similar process at an old job. Entities don't have an ID before they've been saved, but do after. Other things can change over their lifecycle too. At one point, we had separate types for each stage in the lifecycle, a bit like your different types for insert and read, but that makes it impossible to write any kind of code which is stage-agnostic - so for example you need a separate to-string function for each stage.
We were working in Scala, and I had a go at solving this using a higher-kinded type for the ID and other changing fields:
https://github.com/tim-group/higher-kinded-lifecycle/blob/ma...
The idea is that if you say that the ID is of type 'T of String, where T is some subtype of Option', then you can bind T to None for entities that haven't been saved, Some for ones which have, and Option where you have a mixture. You then have one type definition, with which you can write stage-agnostic code, but static guarantees about whether there's an ID.
You can go further and use type constraints to enforce the order of lifecycle stages: if your object can only be saved to the database once it's been given a timestamp, say, you can make sure that the ID type can only be Some if the timestamp type is also Some.
So maybe when Rust gets HKTs it'll be time for a new release!
This type of bound can be expressed with a trait and associated type already in Rust, fwiw.
> Early on, yes. 2 years in, not so much
I guess it's because I'm coming from KDB ETL work when I think about database stuff that I don't share this perspective. But in KDB, the database has no notion of non-null columns or auto-ids or anything.
cetra3 on Feb 6, 2016
Can you just use stock-standard parametrised SQL queries or do you have to use the ORM to build the SQL statement?
We have a SQL literal ast node but you lose most of the benefits of the library that way
Svenstaro on Feb 6, 2016
I would really like to know this, too!
dschiptsov on Feb 6, 2016
Safe from what?
Type safe, memory safe.
How is a strong-typed language, such as CL, is less safe?
Edit: let's paraphrase - how excessive safety nets for construction workers makes buildings more safe?
A strong-typed language without implicit coersions is not more "unsafe".
Baning heterogeneous containers and conditionals, maybe-wrapping of everything to be able to check some constraints at compile time and catch simple errors (which also would be caught in a strong-typed language at run time) does not quality for this "safe" meme.
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by Britt Faulstick October 10, 201310:35 am
What do Shepherds and Cybercriminals Have in Common?
Tracking down and prosecuting cybercriminals is one of the more daunting challenges facing law enforcement agencies today. Online anonymity, questions of jurisdiction and difficulty in gathering and preserving evidence are all significant impediments to the process. A group of Drexel computer scientists, using a bit of 19th century economic theory, have an idea about how to disrupt this criminal activity by helping the FBI throw up a few roadblocks of its own.
To gather their data, researchers in the Privacy, Security, Automation Lab sifted through logs from five different forums used by cybercriminals.
In political philosophy and economics the “Tragedy of the Commons” refers to a situation in which consumers are depleting a shared, limited resource. “The commons,” which originally referred to a parcel of shared grazing land, has since become a lens for sustainability analyses of everything from highways to fish hatcheries.
In Dr. Rachel Greenstadt’s Privacy, Security and Automation Lab the commons is about 4GB of documents – roughly five-to-seven years-worth of conversations between denizens of five online forums frequented by cybercriminals.
Armed with this mountain of transcripts Greenstadt, Sadia Afroz, Dr. Vaibhav Garg, and their collaborator from George Mason University, Dr. Damon McCoy are trying to figure out just how much cybercriminals are like shepherds – and, more importantly, if it’s possible to disrupt their activities by ruining their “pasture.”
“We’re looking at what makes cybercrime forums sustainable and making recommendations on how to make it unsustainable for criminals to keep operating in them,” said Afroz, a doctoral student in Greenstadt’s lab.
Presenting at the recent 2013 eCrime Researchers Summit in San Francisco, Afroz explained to her audience that trust is the limited resource that keeps cybercrime forums functioning.
“Working alone it would take cybercriminals a great deal of time and effort to collect their wares –such as credit card numbers, pirated software, botnets and blackhat SEO,” Afroz said. “By participating in a forum, it’s possible to quickly buy, sell and trade these goods and services. But the community only functions because of its system for ensuring that vendors and dealers can be trusted to deliver the products that they claim to be delivering.”
Each forum has its own established method for vetting its members. And the economy of this process is what makes the forums so valuable to cybercriminals. Honor among cybercriminals is measured in much the same way sellers are rated on eBay –reviews and return customers. At least in some forums -others require users to pay for VIP access or membership to inner circles of vendors.
This hierarchy of trust is what the PSAL group is trying to understand and exploit. As part of a National Science Foundation grant, the group will be passing their findings along to the FBI to help guide its anti-cybercrime efforts.
Aside from the traditional method of attempting to track down and arrest the criminal, which can be quite costly, the team makes two recommendations for cybercrime deterrence in its paper “Honor Among Thieves: A Commons Analysis of Cybercrime Economics” – the first of two papers the group plans to publish as part of the NSF grant.
One suggestion is to erode trust in the forums to the point where it is no longer efficient for cybercriminals to operate in them. This could be achieved, according to Garg, by infiltrating the forums en masse to create “noise” in the channel –a large influx of untrusted members. This would slow the process of vetting users and conducting business.
A second idea is for enforcement agents to plant and promote the exchange of “bad” or “marked” products in the forum. As word spreads that these products aren’t actually what the sellers are claiming they are, users will stop going to the forums to do business because they can no longer be trusted.
The group contends that without regular participation by trusted users, the forums are no longer sustainable. While this method might not lead to arrests, the team believes that it could help slow the progression of cybercrime. The lab’s next goal is to examine the viability and effectiveness of implementing their recommendations by testing it against a behavioral model they will create using the forum logs.
Tagged with: computer science cybercrime cybersecurity Drexel College of Computing & Informatics Drexel University philosophy Privacy Security Automation Lab
Britt Faulstick
Britt is the assistant director of media relations who covers primarily technology and engineering beats, including information and computer science. He also covers a number of areas in media arts and design, student life, research ventures, athletics and more. Britt is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, in his senior year the Orange won the men’s basketball national championship. He worked in Drexel’s athletics department for seven years, during this time the women’s basketball team won its first conference championship. So if history is any indication, the media relations team is due for a big win. Follow him at @DrexelBritt or view his blog posts here. Contact Britt at britt.faulstick@drexel.edu or 215.895.2617.
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A.J. Drexel Autism Institute Academy of Natural Sciences Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design art autism BEES biomedical engineering business climate change Close School of Entrepreneurship College of Arts and Sciences College of Engineering College of Nursing and Health Professions cybersecurity Daniel Korschun digital media Dornsife School of Public Health Drexel College of Engineering Drexel College of Medicine Drexel University education engineering entrepreneurship environmental engineering ExCITe Center fashion film game design health health care hunger Kline School of Law law LeBow College of Business Mariana Chilton marketing music nutrition paleontology Philadelphia poverty psychology public health research science social media technology video games Westphal College Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
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Paradise Valley unanimous in support of Vice Mayor Bien-Willner
Jan 19th, 2018 · by Melissa Rosequist · Comments:
Paradise Valley Presiding Judge Tyrrell Taber administered the Oath of Office to Vice Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner at the Jan. 11 Paradise Valley Town Council meeting. (Special to the Independent/Duncan Miller)
Paradise Valley Town Council unanimously reappointed its Vice Mayor, Jerry Bien-Willner for a second consecutive year.
Mr. Bien-Willner was first appointed to the position of vice mayor in January 2017.
While the municipality elects a mayor every two years, the vice mayor is appointed by the group of elected officials.
During a Jan. 11, Paradise Valley Town Council meeting, Mayor Michael Collins asked his colleagues for nominations for the vice mayor’s seat — Mr. Bien-Willner was the only nomination.
“First of all, I want to thank Jerry Bien-Willner who has been vice mayor for the last year,” Mayor Michael Collins said during the meeting, noting that Mr. Bien-Willner had excelled in his performance and duties.
“It has been my experience that Jerry has demonstrated great concern for residents and a commitment and interest to the town.”
The role of vice mayor has evolved over the years, Mayor Collins said, and now the role serves as a liaison between the council and Planning Commission.
“Jerry, it’s been a pleasure this last year, you’ve shown your leadership skills to this group,” Councilman Scott Moore said. “Along with the mayor, working with Planning Commission and giving us communication back and forth as liaison there, and for keeping us all on track with our agenda items when we need that — it’s strong leadership and I look forward to working with you again next year.”
Councilwoman Julie Pace touched on Mr. Bien-Willner’s personality, describing him as a genuine person, and said she has enjoyed seeing him grow over the past year.
“I’ve been very proud to see how Jerry Bien-Willner has really taken on the leadership role,” Ms. Pace said. “He has really jumped in and been extraordinary in countless ways. You can tell he’s a very genuine person, he does care deeply, he’s very sincere. I’m grateful he’s here, I think he’s a great choice.”
Mr. Bien-Willner accepted the nomination and was sworn-in as Paradise Valley vice mayor by presiding judge Tyrrell Taber.
“It’s been a very successful year where we’ve worked together well on a number of issues,” Mr. Bien-Willner said. “I appreciate the thoughtfulness and guidance. It’s been an honor to work with all of you and be a part of this group. This is the best small town in America — and I know we all believe that. I’m honored to continue in that role.”
News Editor Melissa Rosequist can be reached by e-mail at mrosequist@newszap.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Mrosequist_
TagsFeatured · Jerry Bien-Willner · Paradise Valley Town Council · Town of Paradise Valley
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Dusk Until Dawn (Chapters 3-4)
Dusk Until Dawn
I didn't know if there was any need to hurry finding Tony's rich guy or
not. The guy had left a clock behind. Which was hardly the stuff of
headlines. There was the possibility that if I waited a day or so on
the investigation that the trail would go cold, and if this had been a
normal case or if there was anything to suggest anything suspicious I
would have started tracking things down immediately. As it was I had
what was left of a nice weekend ahead of me and I decided to take
advantage of it. I spent the rest of Saturday getting a good steak and
playing some poker at the local VFW, and Sunday I took the Plymouth for
a wash and cleaned up around the apartment.
Early Sunday evening I stopped in at the office for a while. Out of
habit perhaps I wanted to start a new file on Tony's case, even if it
didn't pay anything. As the old saying goes, God is in the details. On
most cases you simply had to improvise as you went along. Perhaps it was
my old military training at C.I.D. coming to the fore, but I always
tried to plan at least an initial line of investigation. I got a new
folder for Tony's case and made some initial notes.
It was an old habit of mine not to carry a gun when I wasn't working
on a case. That had it's dangers, inasmuch as you never could tell when
somebody with a big grudge might come after you. In that sense my job
was no different than that of any normal cop. But not carrying had a big
advantage as well. I could live like a relatively normal person for a
while and get my mind away from the job between cases.
Not having anything going I had left my gun at the office the previous
Friday afternoon, but now that I was about to go out on a case I needed
to go out prepared.
I went over to the file cabinet and pulled open W-Z. I had the old .45
Colt auto in there from my military days, which couldn't hit the
proverbial barn and that I no longer used. My main weapon of choice these
days was the .38 Smith and Wesson M&P revolver, the one with the big five-inch
barrel. It was a cannon, and had never let me down over the years both in terms
of accuracy and reliability. I wore the .38 in a shoulder holster fitted under
my left arm.
While I was in Italy I had picked up a small Italian-made .22
automatic that was useful if I needed to pull something out in a hurry.
Though it was only accurate at close range, any coroner around could
testify to the amount of damage the small caliber .22 bullet could do as
it bounced around inside a human body. Human flesh wasn't meant to be
invaded by high-speed metal. Barring a miracle or a shot in the leg the
effect was almost always fatal. That was one of the terrible things
about guns, and why they were such a tremendous responsibility. I
normally carried the .22 in my right jacket pocket.
I took the Smith and Wesson and the .22 over to the desk. Getting some
newspaper from the top of the file cabinet I put some of it down on the
desktop and got my cleaning kit from the bottom desk drawer. The
cleaning kit being right next to my bottle of rye, I pulled that out too
and made myself a drink. Then I broke down the Smith and Wesson and
cleaned it thoroughly, snapped it back together, and tested the
cylinder. I repeated the process, more or less, with the little
automatic.
Since I had been washing the Plymouth I had worn my baseball jacket
out for the day. I took it off and put on the shoulder holster and slid
the .38 into it. I put the baseball jacket back on and put the .22 in
the right pocket.
I put the new file folder for Tony's case in the file cabinet, grabbed
my notebook and pen off the desk and turned off the lights. It was only
about seven o'clock and there was quite a bit of time left in the day.
It was time to go to work.
City Cab Company ran its operation out of what looked to be a small
converted warehouse off of Elvira Street. As I pulled in to
what was now their garage there was one cab parked back toward the rear
with its' driver door open, and a few more cabs parked over against the
wall. My guess was that the later were either in need of repair or simply
had no drivers that evening. I parked in a spot that I thought would be
sufficiently out of the way of any traffic and walked up to a pair of
small connected offices at the rear of the garage. A red-haired woman
in her mid-forties wearing huge eyeglasses was talking into a short-band
radio as I walked up. The eyeglasses made her look like some sort of
pretty insect.
"Was he there?" she said into the handset, as I came up to the window.
There followed a lot of squawking blended with what might have been a
human voice.
"I said, was he there?" the woman repeated.
More squawking came over the radio, and the voice at the other end
went on for a bit longer this time.
"So you picked him up then. Gotcha."
There seemed to be a pause in the action and I took advantage of it.
"Are you the dispatcher?" I asked through the open glass area of the
"You must be a genius, fella" she said. It might have been a little more
insulting if she hadn't been smiling when she said it. I figured she was
a woman I could talk business with. I handed her one of my cards.
"Private-eye, huh? I don't much like private-eyes myself."
"Maybe I'm the lovable and handsome exception" I smiled at her.
"Or maybe you're just a pain in the ass" she said, smiling again.
"I'm trying to get a line on one of your fares. He was picked up last
Wednesday on the 1200 block of East Walnut. I don't know if he called in
or not, chances are he just flagged one of your drivers down."
"I might be able to find something on the sheets. Assuming you've got
a spare Lincoln on you."
"A Lincoln? Hey, I'm just a working stiff like you."
"Yeah, right. It's a Lincoln or nothing."
"I'll tell you what" I said. "If you come up with a name or address
for me, preferably both, I guess I can spare a Lincoln."
"Hmm. But you better not stiff me" she said, as she pulled a few
clipboards from the back wall.
"You said Wednesday?"
"Yeah, about three-thirty P.M. One passenger."
She flipped through the pages on the clipboard. Then the squawking began
again followed by another incomprehensible voice. She grabbed the
handset.
"Okay" she said, curtly.
The squawking and the voice erupted again.
"I said okay Go to lunch. See if I care" she said, slamming the
handset back. She looked up at me and shook her head sadly, then started
looking through the records again.
"That was Pauly. If there's so much as a ten minute gap between fares,
he wants to go to lunch. But he drives more than he eats, so…"
"Hey, I think this might be it." She made a mark with a pen next to a
line on the sheet and handed me the clipboard.
Each of the sheets on the clipboard was divided into separate columns
for information. The pick-up spot was listed in the first column
followed by the time, and the destination was recorded in the third
column with another time behind that. There were two other columns for
what looked like a mileage estimate or something. On about half the
entries there was a name written in above the pick-up spot.
"Looks to be the right block, right time" I said. "But there's no
destination listed"
"Airport, most likely, if it's not recorded" she said.
"But there might be an exception?" I asked, wanting to be careful.
"Could be. We usually want them to fill it in. We're a classy outfit
here, can't you tell?"
I looked around the garage.
"Yeah" I said. "This place has class written all over it."
"Okay, genius. Now give me my Lincoln."
"This entry doesn't have a name written in like some of the others.
Why is that?" I asked.
"No name if it's a flag-down fare. We only list the fare's name if
they call in for a pick up."
"I guess that makes sense" I said. "Is this the cab driver's name on
the top? And then you get your Lincoln."
"Yeah, speak of the devil. It was Pauly."
"I'd like to talk with him a bit. What time does he come back in to
the garage here?"
"He usually knocks off around midnight. But if you hurry you can catch
him at Taco Joe's. He always has lunch there. And breakfast. And supper.
Now, how about that Lincoln?"
I pulled out a five from my wallet, rolled it and handed it to her
through the window.
"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" I asked her.
"You gonna ask me out for a drink or something?"
"I might."
"Uh huh. Anyway, the name is Rosalyn."
"Thanks, Rosalyn. Gotta run."
I started to walk away. Rosalyn leaned out the window and yelled at
"Hey, private-eye. I've got some tequila under the desk. If you're
ever back in the neighborhood, drinks are on me."
There wasn't much business at Taco Joe's that Sunday night. A man and a
woman sat at one of the outside tables quietly talking and eating. At
another table a guy sat by himself eating a plate of large burritos,
washing them down with several bottles of Coca-Cola. He was a large
round solid man, in his early thirties by the look of it, already
balding. He wore a pair of denim pants and a bright Hawaiian shirt. He
looked like a man who could eat. Seeing as there was a City Cab parked
right next to the tables, I figured the guy by himself must be Pauly.
Since I hadn't eaten yet I went up to the window and ordered the
taco-burrito plate and a Coca-Cola. While I was waiting for the order I
went up to the guy sitting by himself.
"Are you Pauly?" I asked him.
He chewed on his burrito and studied me, as if deciding whether he
really needed to answer or not.
"Who wants to know?" he finally said.
"Name's Maginess. I was talking with Rosalyn at the garage and she
said I could find you here. I've got a few questions about a fare you
picked up last week. No big deal, really. Just checking a few things
out."
"Are you a cop?" he said, chewing.
"Nope. Not a cop. I'm a private investigator. The guy you picked up
last Wednesday at the 1200 block of East Walnut, he flagged you down.
Remember him?"
Pauly ate and considered the question for a minute.
"He was very well-dressed" I added, trying to refresh his memory. "A
rich guy. Black jacket, grey vest. White hair."
"Oh, yeah. That guy's a big tipper."
"Where did you take him?"
"To the airport, eventually."
"What do you mean, eventually?"
"We stopped at the bank first. The little savings and loan over on Vine.
I can't remember the name of it."
"First Western Savings?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's it."
At that point the cook inside Taco Joe's called out my name.
"Hey, I'm just gonna get my food, okay?" I figured by the food on his
own plate that Pauly wasn't going anywhere for a few minutes, but I
wanted to make sure. I picked up my order and went back to the table,
sitting across from him.
"Hmm. Not bad" I said, chewing the first bite of the burrito.
"Yeah, they have pretty good food here. I eat here a lot."
"So I've heard. So how long was the guy in the bank?"
"Oh, about twenty minutes. Came back out with some sort of a package."
"What kind of a package?"
"One of those big yellow envelope type things."
"A manila envelope?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I guess."
"And then you took him to the airport? Didn't make any more stops?"
"After the bank we went right to the airport. He gave me a ten dollar
tip. Nice guy, very polite."
"Did he say anything to you about where he was going, anything
personal like that? Or anything about a clock?"
Pauly picked up another burrito. "A clock? No, nothin' about a clock.
He really didn't say much. Hey, one thing he said, he said he felt young
again."
"He told you that he felt young again?"
"Yeah. That's all he said. I just said, you know, like that's really
great."
I started in on the taco. I was hungrier than I had thought. I was
about halfway through the taco when Pauly brought the subject up again.
"I had him as a fare before, once. He gave me a big tip that time too.
That's why I picked him up when I saw him on Walnut."
"So you had him before. Could you tell me about that?"
"Not much to it, really. I picked him up at a cafe in South Hollywood.
Took him home."
"Home? You sure?"
He chewed and thought about it. "Well, not exactly. It was a big mansion
up north. I just figured it was his house, ya know?"
"Remember the address?"
"Not really. But it was a big mansion up on Pines Avenue. Had a big
black iron gate in front, big dark brick wall all around the place. You
could only see the top of the house sitting way back, because of the
wall and all. And it had a kind of plate on one side of the gate."
"You remember what the plate said?"
"Nah, it's been too long. That was a couple of months ago. It was a
big dark grey plate about this big." Pauly stretched his arms out to
show me approximately how big. It would have been about three feet deep
by four feet wide.
"And oh," he said, "it was about two miles up on Pines, I remember that
much."
I finished off the taco and Cola and gathered the trash up. I pulled a
five dollar bill out of my wallet and handed it to Pauly.
"What's this for?" he said.
"Call it dinner" I said. "And thanks, Pauly."
As I walked back to my car I saw Pauly looking at the five I had given
him and then back over at the order window. I was no psychic, but I had
a strong feeling that there were going to be more burritos in Pauly's
immediate future.
The next morning I was behind my desk looking through the telephone
book. I seemed to remember that there was an art auction house in the
city somewhere that I had come across in passing on another case. Most of
the entries in the book under Art-Antiques were for antique stores or
art galleries. One listing was for a place called Art Auction House of Los
Angeles. That one registered in my memory somehow, so I dialed it up.
The polite woman on the phone informed me that the auction house was in
fact open on Mondays, from ten until six. I told her something of what I
was working on and asked her if I could see the owner of the place. She
set me up for an appointment at eleven-thirty.
It was about nine-thirty, so I had some time to kill. The clock was
sitting on my desk, still partially wrapped in the yellow paper, the
string hanging kind of loose. I decided that it might be more convenient
to get it out of the paper and into some sort of little box or
something. I pulled the clock out of the paper and put it in front of
me. It seemed in good condition, clean and with no visible dust. I
eyed-up the dimensions of the clock and committed them to memory. I
wasn't sure where I was going to get a box that size, but I figured that
the only way to get one was to hit the pavement and find what I could
find.
There were a lot of people out on the street it being a Monday
morning, and the traffic on the street was steady. Since it wasn't too
hot yet I decided to walk. I headed west for no reason in particular,
walked down past the Alley Cat and the Regal movie theater and then
headed south. Along the way I kept an eye out for shops that might have
the kind of box I needed. Three blocks down from the Regal I came across
Murphy's five-and-dime store. That seemed promising, so I went in and
walked around the aisles a bit. I came to a large counter that sold
chocolate, carmel corn, cotton candy and other assorted treats pretty
much guaranteed to make a person fat and happy.
A young girl was working behind the candy counter who immediately
caught my eye. She was obviously very young but had a body that wouldn't
quit, long wavy blonde hair and a face that you could stare at forever.
And I must admit I stared pretty hard. Even in a town full of blonde
bombshells the girl was obviously something special.
She caught me looking at her.
"May I help you, sir?" she said, in a soft, ultra-feminine voice. Her
voice was like a silk scarf carried by a gentle breeze.
"Uh, maybe you can. I'm looking for a box to put something in. About
this big by this big. It doesn't have to be fancy or anything. You
wouldn't have anything like that here, would you?"
"Gee, I don't know. I think we might have something like that. Why
don't you come with me, maybe we can find something."
She walked me through the store and we looked for boxes. As I followed
her I found myself playing the what's-their-story game again. Her
clothes were rather plain and obviously inexpensive. She was wearing a
light yellow sundress with a light blue cardigan sweater, and a pair of
cheap blue flat-heeled shoes with white socks. Except for what was
obviously a very professional quality make up job and hair, she looked
like she could have just stepped off the bus from Omaha or something.
Which maybe she had, for all I knew. From the make-up, I guessed that
she might be an actress or had ambitions to be one. The sweater puzzled
me, as it was really too warm for a any kind of a sweater, even the
light one she had on.
"So what's a gorgeous girl like you doing working in a five-and-dime?"
I asked her as we passed a display of children's toys.
At that she bent forward a little at the waist and pulled both sides
of her sweater in. It was a strangely defensive gesture.
"Oh, you know" she said, kind of sadly. "I guess I'd like to get into
the movies."
Almost by accident we came across a display of small gift boxes.
"Oh!" she said, rather excited. "Some little boxes!"
I took one of the gift boxes and checked it out. It was a little on
the light side, but it was about the right size and I thought that it
would do as long as I was careful.
"Oh, and look!" she said, still excited. "The big box has another little
box inside it!"
I guess her excitement was contagious. I opened the box I had picked
up and checked it out too, though it was obvious that all of the boxes
would be the same.
"My guess is that there's one inside that one too" I told her.
She opened up the second box.
"You're right! Another one!" she cried.
At that point I couldn't help myself. I just had to break down laughing.
She kind of went back onto her defensive mode for a second, but then she
started to laugh as well.
"So, would you like to purchase the boxes, sir?" she said.
"Yeah, and could you put them in a box for me?" I smiled.
At first she took me seriously, looking at the box she was holding and
then around the store as if wondering where she was going to get a box
to put the box in. But then she realized that I must be joking with her.
"Oh, that's just you teasing me" she laughed. "That's not very nice of
you, sir." I could tell she didn't mean it.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"
We walked back to the candy counter and she rang up the sale. Then she
slowly leaned forward across the counter and chewed on her pinky nail. In
just that split second it was if she had turned into another creature.
She was positively oozing sex appeal.
"Would you like me to put the box in a sack, sir?" she said in that
soft, silky voice.
"Uh, a sack?" I said, my brain half numb. And then it hit me that she
was teasing me this time.
"Oh, you're good, gorgeous" I said, picking up my boxes. "And don't
you worry. You'll have all of them in a box. Really, really soon."
Back at the office I removed the inner boxes and saved them up on the
file cabinet. The larger box I took over to the desk. I lowered the
clock down into it.
"Not a bad fit" I said to myself. But I was worried about breaking the
damned thing.
I took the clock out and stuffed the yellow paper that it had come
with down into the box, trying to line the bottom and a portion of the
sides as best I could. When I set the clock back down into it, it seemed
a lot more secure. I closed the lid and put it under my arm and closed
up the office. With traffic and taking my time getting there, I figured
I would get to the auction house just about right, with a few minutes to
The Art Auction House of Los Angeles was located on the second floor
of the Dewey building over on Montevale south of Hollywood. There
weren't any parking spots available around the building and I ended up
having to park about two blocks away. I was suddenly glad I had gotten
the little box. It was a lot more convenient carrying it in the box than
in the flimsy yellow paper.
The building itself was a rather nice one, probably about mid-scale as
rental prices went. I took the elevator up to the second floor and
emerged into a long, slim, lobby-type area with wood panelling and thick
burgundy carpeting. To the left there was a window facing the street
with two tall potted plants on each side. To the right far end there was
a small receptionist counter and a few more plants. Behind the counter
and attached in some way to the panelling there were faux-gold letters with
the name of the auction house. Along the long lobby between the window
and the reception area there were paintings, each placed about six feet
from each other.
I looked at some of the paintings as I walked up to the reception
counter. Some were old looking, some modern. One at the very end caught
my attention. It was a modern, abstract-type painting. There were a
variety of colors to it. At first it seemed to be composed mainly of
rigid squares and rectangles, but as I looked at it I noticed that the
squares were not all that square and the rectangles not all that
rectangular.
My concentration was broken by the receptionist, who had seemingly
appeared from nowhere and posted herself beside the counter.
"My name is Maginess" I told her. "I think I have an appointment with a
Mr. Murdock for eleven-thirty?"
She looked up at me and smiled, and I found myself thinking that she was
a very nice looking girl.
"Yep. You do" she said, clasping her hands in front of her face.
There was a bit of a pause.
"And?" I said.
"And it's not eleven-thirty yet."
"Oh" I said, rather stupidly.
I looked at my watch. I had about eight minutes to wait. Then I looked
back at the lobby. There weren't any chairs around to sit in, so I guess
I was just supposed to stand there.
"You people have something against chairs or something?" I asked her.
"We have showings that sometimes spill out into the lobby area" she
told me. "Chairs we'd just have to move in and out all the time. Why,
you got an old war wound or something?"
"No, no" I said, rather flustered.
I found the girl a little bit intimidating for some reason, and I
realized that I was avoiding looking at her. I decided to overcome my
nervousness and look at her anyway.
She was probably about late-twenties, slender, with very short black
wavy hair cut close to the head and a dazzling set emerald green eyes.
She was wearing a white long-sleeved blouse with a large collar, and
from what I could see behind the counter she had on a black skirt. The
receptionist counter was slightly elevated, but I guessed from her
proportions that she was very petite. She didn't have a wedding ring on.
As I looked at her she looked at me, and I tried to convince myself
that her interest must be more on the professional level than mine was.
At about that exact moment she changed my mind.
"You're a handsome man, Maginess"
I was now very nervous indeed. I was trying to come up with something
brilliantly witty to say, when she struck again.
"Do you like art?" she said.
"Well, sure" I said dumbly.
"You know anything about art?" she said.
"Not really."
"Oh well" she said, as if that was that.
I was just considering that it might be a good time to run away with
my tail between my legs when she stood up behind the counter.
"Time for your appointment. Follow me, please."
About eight feet behind the receptionist counter there was a pair of
doors, one to the right of the counter and one to the left. I followed
her through the left door and down a long hallway that was simply a
narrower version of the lobby and which was also lined with paintings.
As we walked I noticed that she was taller than I had estimated earlier,
due to the fact that she had very long legs. She walked with her right
arm swinging freely and with her left hand placed on her shoulder. She
had a strange irregular gait when she walked, and I found myself falling
slightly behind and then almost running into her.
The hall ended at a window with another potted plant and angled ninety
degrees the right. We walked down another forty feet or so and came to a
door. The receptionist knocked twice on the door and then opened it.
"A Mr. Patrick Maginess to see you, Rupert" she said as she walked
in. Then she turned to me and nodded her head as if to say "There you
are" and walked out, closing the door silently behind her.
A slim man with a thick head of gray hair and a British army
mustache came out from behind the desk. I noticed he had a slight limp.
He offered me his hand and I shook it.
"Rupert Murdock" he said. He had a thick British accent.
"Pat Maginess" I said back at him.
I took a quick look around the office. It was elegantly decorated,
pretty much what one would expect for a man involved in the arts. There
were more paintings and a few small sculptures, and books all over the
place. I was glad to see a set of chairs in front of the desk. He
offered me one of them.
"Thanks for seeing me, Mr. Murdock" I said, setting my box down on the
"That's quite all right. Call me Rupert. I don't really like all that
formality and such."
"All right, Rupert. I'm not much of one for formality myself. Call me Pat."
I lit a cigarette, crossed my legs and relaxed for a bit. It was a
comfortable chair.
"From the way you handle yourself I judge you are a former military man,
am I correct?" Rupert said.
"Yeah, U.S. Army" I said. "Retired" I added, laughing.
"Aren't we all, aren't we all. I got into the fray a bit myself for a
bit, R.A.F. and such. Had a bit of a sticky situation in '42 and lost my
leg. Spent the rest of the war with a pair of binoculars, looking for
villains."
"And did you find any?" I said, smiling at him.
He gave me a good-natured smile in return.
"A few, a few. Well now. How may I be of service?"
I handed him one of my business cards.
"I need some professional advice, Rupert. I've wandered into an area
that I don't know anything about. Do you know anything about antique
clocks?"
"Hmm. What kind of clocks?" he commented. "The big grandfather
variety, or the little mantle top variety?"
"More like the little variety. I have an example, if you would like to
see it."
"Of course" he said.
I reached down and pulled the clock out of the box and carefully set it
on the desk in front of him.
"Somebody left this in my client's shop. I thought it might be valuable,
and would like to return it to him. Can you tell me anything about it?"
Rupert turned the clock face towards him began to examine the clock. He
turned it slowly around, squinting from time to time, lifted it up and
looked at the bottom of it, turned it from side to side. While he was
doing all of that he made small humming noises to himself. Finally, he
put it back down on the desk.
"Do you have the key with it?" he asked.
I got the winding key out of my pocket and handed it to him.
"Excellent" he said.
He stuck the key in and gave the clock a wind.
"You have to wind them slowly" he explained. "Just stick the key in
and wind it until you begin to feel the mechanism get rather tight. Then
stop. The last thing you want to do is to over-wind them, that will
break the mechanism. And then they won't wind any more. No spare parts
for these little lads. And they are pretty much worth nothing then,
either as a timepiece or monetarily. Pretty to look at perhaps, that's
all."
"So, can you tell me anything about it?" I said.
"I could tell you quite a bit about it, actually. The question is, how
much do you want to know? I could give you the long version, which might
very well bore you to tears, or I could give you a summary."
"Well, why don't you give me the summary first" I said. "If that doesn't
work, maybe we'll go for the long version."
"Very well. The clock is a Cogliani. You may have seen that printed on
the face. Even thought the name is Italian it was actually made in
Hungary, due to the fact that the maker, Cogliani, did his
apprenticeship in Italy but then moved to Hungary to open his own shop.
He didn't register the date of his clocks. But they were all made
between 1791 and 1815. According to the story, his shop burned down and
he went broke. This particular clock is probably one of the earlier ones
he made, due to the fact that it has more Italianate elements. That also
makes it rather rare, which is good from an auction standpoint. It is in
excellent condition, in working order with original key, and is a lovely
sample."
I was glad that I had asked for the short version.
"How much is it worth?" I asked him.
"I would say that if you put it up for auction here in Los Angeles it
would fetch about four hundred fifty. In New York or London, slightly
more perhaps. Are you interested in auctioning it off? I think you will
find that our percentage here is quite reasonable."
"I'm sure it is, Rupert. But like I said, I'm just trying to find the
owner. You wouldn't know who around L.A. collects clocks like this,
would you? Evidently it belonged to a gentleman of some means."
"Well, Pat, I haven't a clue. Let me tell you something about collectors
of that sort. They usually are rather quiet about their collections. An
obsessive breed. Some of them are bona fide hermits. If the items in
their collections do come into the light it is usually due to the fact
that the collectors die and their heirs have no interest in their little
hobby. So they sell the collection. Usually all at once. What we call a
large lot."
"So you don't know anybody here in town that would own a clock like
this?"
"I don't know of anyone in town with a large antique clock collection,
no. That doesn't mean there isn't one. Or even several. It would just
mean that if there are that they haven't tried to sell their collections
through me or have not contacted me about procuring any clocks for them
out in the larger marketplace."
"So I guess I'm out of luck, then" I said.
"Well, perhaps not. When you mentioned a gentleman of means I may have
gotten off on the wrong track a bit. As it happens, there has been one
person who has done some business here over the past few months. He came
to me wanting to sell a small Kleinschmidt. That's another kind of
mantle clock. I auctioned it off for him and it brought three hundred,
less my commission. He brought back several after that, all fairly good
pieces. I sold those too. But he was by no means a wealthy gentleman.
Just a lad, really. Works at the Aquarium, actually."
"What was his name?" I asked, suddenly glad to be getting somewhere.
"DeMargio. Steve DeMargio. As I said, he works at the Aquarium. His
address is 1112 West Sunset. Apartment D."
I wrote the information down in my notebook.
"You know that off the top of your head?" I asked him.
"I have a photographic memory" he said, matter-of-factly.
"Oh" I said. I found myself wishing I had a memory like Rupert's. It
would save me a lot of pencils.
"Would you like his telephone number?"
I wrote down the number, and then decided to get back to the clock.
"So how many clocks did you sell for DeMargio, sum total?"
"Nine."
"And it didn't make you suspicious or anything? A guy of little means
selling off a lot of expensive clocks? I don't mean to question your
integrity or anything, I'd just like to know."
"Of course. No offense taken. I do run into thieves and con-men on
occasion. As for DeMargio, he told me that he had inherited the clocks
from his uncle, but now he was down on his luck and working at the
Aquarium and needed the money. It had the ring of truth. And I had no
notification from the police about any clocks being listed as stolen
property. I took DeMargio at this word."
"I guess that makes sense" I said, putting away my notebook.
I took the clock off the desk. It was now ticking after being wound by
Rupert. I put it back in the box, and could still hear it ticking. I
hefted the box into my left arm.
"Rupert, I can't thank you enough for your time. I'll let you get back
to your art. Incidentally, who is the receptionist? She seems…nice."
"Ah, that would be Christine. A lovely girl. And very talented. Do you
think you can find your way out, or should I walk you? I like to
exersize the leg a few times a day. Good for the body and soul."
"Thanks, Rupert. But no. I think I can find my way out. Kinda hard to
get lost in that hallway."
He laughed.
"Quite."
Walking out Rupert's door I began to think about the receptionist
again. I had been intimidated by her on our first encounter, but I
figured that was simply because I hadn't run into her type of girl
before. I thought that if I could talk with her a bit and get to know
her that I would grow more comfortable with her. The only good way I
could think of to accomplish that was to ask her out.
"Time to step up to the plate, Maginess" I said to myself.
She was on the phone as I passed through the door to the lobby. I
stopped at the counter and put the box on it and waited for her to get
off the phone. When she did, I came right out with it.
"I don't know much about art, maybe" I said, "But I think I know
something about beauty and grace. And I think you have both. Would you
like to have dinner with me sometime? Christine?"
She rested her head in the palm of her hand and tilted it to the side,
smiling. Somehow in the time that I had been back in Rupert's office she
had acquired a pair of black oval-shaped eyeglasses.
"How about Wednesday?" she threw out.
"Wednesday's good. Pick you up here at six?"
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What is a Noxious Weed?
Noxious weeds can best be understood by referring to the Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974 that defines a noxious weed as,
“…any living stage (including seeds and reproductive parts) of a parasitic or other plant of a kind which is of foreign origin, is new to or not widely prevalent in the U.S., and can directly or indirectly injure crops, other useful plants, livestock, poultry or other interests of agriculture, including irrigation, navigation, fish and wildlife resources, or the public health.”
This description encompasses issues related to economic damage and threats to human interests. The term noxious weeds does not encompass all invasive plant species in a region. To contrast noxious weeds, invasive species, sometime referred to as invasive alien species, are plants that are not native to an area.
In the state of Idaho, there are 67 listed noxious weeds that are categorized into three tiers of concern. However, there may be more than 67 invasive plant species in the state of Idaho.
Summary of Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities
There are two major pieces of legislation that affect Idaho regarding noxious weeds. The Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974 was enacted during the Nixon administration. As mentioned in the introduction the act is concerned by economic threats caused by invasive species. The Idaho Code, Title 22, Chapter 24 is more pertinent to the Palouse area in regard to citizens’ rights and responsibilities when noxious weeds are present on their property. Specifically, the document contains five duties of landowners and citizens:
It shall be the duty and responsibility of all landowners to control noxious weeds on their land and property, in accordance with this chapter and with rules promulgated by the director.
The cost of controlling noxious weeds shall be the obligation of the landowner.
Noxious weed control must be for prevention, eradication, rehabilitation, control or containment efforts. However, areas may be modified from the eradication requirement if the landowner is a participant in a county-approved weed management plan or county-approved cooperative weed management area.
The landowner shall reimburse the county control authority for work done because of failure to comply with a five (5) day notice, as outlined in section 22-2405, Idaho Code.
If an article is infested with noxious weeds, it shall not be moved from designated premises until it is treated in accordance with the applicable rules, or in accordance with the written permission of a control authority.
The first duty for landowners and citizens, “to control noxious weeds on their land and property,” can only be achieved if individuals are able to identify noxious species on their property.
Why Does PCEI care about noxious weeds?
The Restoration Program at PCEI dedicates a good portion of its time restoring ecosystems in the Palouse Clearwater region with native plants. Native plants grow in native soil and support native wildlife in a way invasive, noxious weeds do not. The AmeriCorps members that work in these restoration efforts spend time identifying and eliminating noxious weeds in order to help native flora and fauna flourish. By helping the native biodiversity grow, the Palouse Clearwater ecosystems improve, which is why PCEI cares about removing noxious weeds from the region.
The Economic Cost of Noxious Weeds
If pulling weeds to aid native ecosystems does not seem reason enough to join the struggle, perhaps their detrimental costs will. Gleaned from the article,“What We’ve Learned From Idaho’s Past,” written by Roger Batt, is a revelation of the exorbitant prices paid due to invasive weeds. The article states:
“It is estimated that invasive weeds will impact Idaho’s economy by approximately $300 million this year. Idaho farmers and ranchers spend in the upwards of $15 million a year to fight this ecological war. And nationwide, noxious weeds are spreading at an alarming rate of 4,600 acres a day if left untreated and are costing our nation’s economy approximately $18 billion annually.”
Native ecosystems and the economy are both suffering from the spread of weeds! So do something good for the environment and the economy – volunteer to help pull weeds!
Restoring Home
Snake River Subbasin
Tammany Creek
Lucky Acres Arena
Best Management Practices Demonstration Project
Clearwater River Subbasin
Lindsay Creek
Walton, Cowger and Neilson Property
Partridge Creek
Christianson Meadows
Potlatch River
Troy High School Restoration of Little Bear Creek
South Fork Clearwater River
Rylaarsdam Project
Kirtner Property
Native Vegetation Establishment Project: A Multiple Landowner Cooperative
Palouse River Subbasin
South Fork of the Palouse River
Fountain Property
Howard Property
Mill Road Bank Stabilization Project
Upper Watershed Project, Robinson County Park
Lower Watershed Project
Adler Property
Espy Property
Flannigan Creek
Broyles and Reynolds Property
Paradise Creek
Bailey-Davis-Shipley
Berman Creekside Park
Big Draw
Bridge Street Park
Bridge Street: Residential
Carol Ryrie Brink Nature Park
Chipman Trail
Dogwood Court
Garton Hardened Rock Crossing
Good Samaritan Village
Hall and Mountain View
Harden Road
Heron’s Hideout
Joseph Street
Leffingwell-Reid
Lefors
Lightfield
Meadow Street #1
Morton Extension
Moscow Wastewater Treatment Plant
PCEI Nature Center
Renaissance Charter School
Styner Avenue
Sweet Avenue
Townsend Property
White Avenue
Plants for Wetland Restoration on the Palouse
Palouse Prairie Native Plants
Palouse Prairie Weeds
Sources for Native Plants
Useful Restoration Links
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The Biogeochemistry of Lakes in the Mount St. Helens Blast Zone
Victor Lee Menting, Portland State University
Portland State University. Department of Biology.
Richard Petersen
1 online resource (2, x, 141 p.)
Lakes -- Washington (State) -- Mount Saint Helens Region, Biogeochemistry -- Washington (State) -- Mount Saint Helens Region, Ions, Freshwater plankton -- Washington (State) -- Mount Saint Helens Region
Dilution and ash weathering are the most important processes controlling the ion chemistry of lakes in the Mount St. Helens blast zone. Gibbs' models indicated total dissolved solids were decreasing as a result of dilution from high precipitation and runoff and the lakes plot in the rock weathering dominated region. Plots of theoretical dilution curves indicated a decline in ion concentrations as a result of dilution. Ion concentrations followed the exponential decline predicted by the dilution curve, although concentrations were higher than predicted by the curve. Increased concentrations were a result of the rapid weathering of ash in basins and on lake bottoms. Rapid weathering of ash in lake watersheds and on lake bottoms continues to influence the ionic concentrations of the lakes. In general, sodium and potassium have declined at a much faster rate than calcium or magnesium. Slower relative declines in concentrations of calcium and magnesium were a result of more rapid rate of leaching of calcium and magnesium from the ash. Ash in the watersheds will continue to be a major contributor to the overall ion chemistry of the lakes until such time as the watersheds are stabilized by vegetation and a permanent soil layer. Ash on lake bottoms will be unavailable as sources of ionic constituents when it becomes buried within deep sediment layers. Ion concentrations observed in study lakes affected by the eruption were similar to those observed in control lakes with few exceptions. Although ion concentrations in affected lakes have declined to values observed in control lakes, most were at higher concentrations than the regional means. Several functions of the ion chemistry were used to correlate planktonic community structure to lake ion chemistry. The data suggested ion chemistry was not influencing biological community structures as no patterns emerged. Analysis of diatom populations with respect to monovalent:divalent cation ratios showed no correlation.
Menting, Victor Lee, "The Biogeochemistry of Lakes in the Mount St. Helens Blast Zone" (1995). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4927.
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What Causes Leucoplakia?
A 6-year-old male came to the dentist because of a swollen lip and a white lesion. He had a filling and metal crown placed the morning before and 8 hours later began to develop swelling of his lower right lip that progressed over 1.5 hours. Initially it was just swollen but then began developing the white lesion. He did not have any pain, difficulty breathing, or obvious trauma to the area. He had been well throughout the day after the dental procedure, and had eaten his normal food and denied biting his lip. His mother called the dentist that evening who was not sure what the problem was but was comfortable watching it over the night as he seemed otherwise well. In the morning he went to the dentist for re-evaluation. He was not taking any medications and had received the same local anesthetic he had previously received without problems.
The past medical history was negative.
The family history was negative for any allergies to foods, drugs, and metals.
The review of systems was negative for any difficulties breathing, other areas of swelling, fever, rhinitis, sore throat, rashes, or halitosis.
The pertinent physical exam showed a well-appearing male in no distress. His vital signs were normal as were his growth parameters. His right lower lip was swollen from just inside the corner of the mouth to approximately 1/3 of the lip. On the buccal mucosa was a 0.5 cm flat uniformly white lesion that was non-painful and was not actually ulcerated. There was slight erythema around the edge of the lesion but no evidence of trauma. There was a small spot at the angle of mandible where the local anesthetic had been previously given. All the soft tissues including around the new crown were normal.
The dentist consulted an oral pathologist who felt that the history and physical examination were consistent with the diagnosis of idiopathic localized angioedema. The pathologist said that this was more common in adults but did occasionally occur in children. The mother was instructed to give him diphenhydramine and monitor him for signs of respiratory distress or rashes and was told that this would slowly improve.
The patient’s clinical course showed that he slowly improved and had complete resolution by 6 days.
Figure 73 – Clinical image showing the flat, white, non-ulcerated lesion on the buccal mucosa.
Angioedema is edema that is non-pitting and self-limited. It occurs in non-dependent areas usually in an asymmetric distribution usually on the lips, face, hands, feet, genitals and also in the bowel (causing acute abdominal pain). It usually develops over minutes to hours (often 1-2 hours) with resolution usually within 24-48 hours. Angioedema often occurs with urticaria but 20% of patients may have angioedema as an isolated finding. Pain, warmth and erythema also may occur with the affected area. Intraoral lesions are often white (i.e. leucoplakic).
Angioedema is similar to urticaria but affects the deeper dermis and subcutaneous tissues. Triggers cause the degranulation of mast cells or kinin formation. Acute allergic angioedema is often caused by drugs (including antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), foods, infections, insects, various organic substances (i.e. latex, preservatives, formaldehyde, etc.), and other allergens such as animal danders, dust mites, pollens and molds. Common triggers in children are infections including the viruses Coxsackie A, Epstein-Barr virus, Hepatitis B, and Herpes simplex. Bacterial causes include otitis media, pharyngitis, sinusitis and urinary tract infections. Parasitic infections causing angioedema include filariasis, strongyloides and toxocara. Physical factors can cause mast cell release causing angioedema. These include exposure to cold, heat, pressure, the sun and vibration. In the patient above, the dental work would have exposed the child to pressure and vibration and possibly to changes in heat and/or cold.
The differential diagnosis for angioedema includes:
Cellulitis of the face
Cheilitis granulomatosa (i.e. recurrent angioedema episodes with permanent enlargement of the lip)
Contact dermatitis of the face
Dermatomyositis
Hypereosinophilia
Hypothyroidism including myxedema coma
Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (i.e. recurrent facial edema, fissured tongue, occasional facial nerve palsy)
Superior vena cava syndrome
Tumors of the head and neck
Because of the rapid onset, neoplasms and infections can usually be ruled out as a cause of the edema. Hematomas can also cause edema and can be diagnosed by their color, and cervicofacial emphysema,which can usually be diagnosed by the “crepitus” of the swollen tissues.
Acute intraoral leucoplakic lesions are most commonly caused by trauma that usually has a concomitant history and presents with an usually single, ill-defined painful area with a smooth surface and erythematous or white border. These are treated symptomatically with anesthetics and coating agents to relieve pain. Occasionally steroids are used to help ulcers heal faster. Most trauma heals in 7-10 days.
Intraoral lesions associated with leucoplakia that may present acutely includes:
Accidental trauma
Chemical injury
Electrical injury
Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis – associated with spirochetes and Prevotella intermedia
Streptococcus Group A
Coxsackie – Hand-foot-mouth disease, herpangina
Heck’s disease – viral induced multi-focal hyperplasia of the oral mucosa
Herpes – primary or secondary infection
Fungal
Salivary gland dysfunction
Mucocoele
Ranula
Bohn’s nodules
Retained food
1. What are the indications for an evaluation for hereditary angioedema?
2. What are the treatments available for angioedema?
3. What are the indications for consultation with dentistry for intraoral lesions?
Symptom/Presentation
Allergy / Pulmonary Diseases
Dentistry / Orthodontia
School Ager
Information prescriptions for patients can be found at MedlinePlus for these topics: Edema and Hives.
Baxi S, Dinakar C. Urticaria and angioedema. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2005 May;25(2):353-67, vii.
Pintos A. Pediatric Soft Tissue Lesions. Dental Clinics of North America. 2005;241-258.
Krishnamurthy A, Naguwa SM, Gershwin ME. Pediatric angioedema. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2008 Apr;34(2):250-9.
12. Evidence from scientific studies related to the patients’ health problems is located, appraised and assimilated.
Bridgett Schmidt, DDS
Pediatric Dental Resident, University of Iowa College of Dentistry
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Vikramadityan Review: Disappointing movie from Lal Jose, Dulquar pales before Unni Mukundan in performance
Directed by Lal Jose, "Vikramadithyan" is a movie that has all the “right ingredients” for a ‘crowd puller.’ The star cast has Dulquar Salmaan, Unni Mukundan, Namitha Pramod, Anoop Menon, and Lena, among others. To me, it felt as though the real lead actors of this movie are Anoop Menon, Lena and Unni Mukundan – their performances, timing and dialogue delivery are excellent and memorable. Their characterization is well-fleshed out and has both depth and consistency from start to finish.
(Source: ibitimes.co.in)
Vikramadityan Review: Weak story
I liked the starting point of "Vikramadithyan" as it unfolds a realistic love story that fails between Vasudev Shenoy (starring Anoop Menon) and Lakshmi Nair (starring Lena), who are police officers but don’t end up marrying each other as they wished to. Lakshmi gets married to another man who woos her by pretending to be a spunky police officer and Vasudev Shenoy marries another lady from his community.
Both the couples have sons who are born at the same time and are named Vikraman (Unni Mukundan) and Adithyan (Dulquar Salman). The story of conflict and competition between the two boys begins here and it intensifies as they grow up and fall in love with the pretty Deepika Pai (starring Namitha Pramod).
Vikraman and Adithyan are ‘rivals’ with opposite backgrounds. Vikraman has a more protected and pampered upbringing than Adithyan. He has the confidence of a boy who comes from a good family and is well brought up, disciplined and ambitious. Due to a difficult childhood, Adithyan grows up without a clear sense of direction and parental guidance. He has anger and it turns destructive.
(Source:cinecafenow.com)
Vikraman aims to be a police officer like his father, so Adithyan wants to beat him to it. It doesn’t help that the love of his life – Deepika – keeps egging him on by relentlessly praising and comparing him to Vikraman. All the odds are in favour of Vikraman but there’s an element of surprise in the film which you should watch to find out what it brings. It’s a good twist and not one you would easily predict.
Vikramadityan Review: Weak characterization of heroine
Deepika’s characterization is a serious flaw in this movie. It is grainy, inconsistent and irritating. She is portrayed as a girl who is shown to be from a conservative Shenoy family in Mattancherry but with a modern outlook. For a very independent thinking girl, her actions are not convincing. She constantly compares the two guys to each other in her actions – which seems like petty behaviour to me – but she calls it a sign of friendship (it’s more like confusion). When her best friend asks her to marry him knowing well she is in love with another guy, she sends a mail first informing the guy she loves that the other guy has beaten him to it and then by asking him to make the decision for her.
Again, at a critical juncture, instead of telling Vikraman that she doesn’t want to marry him, she simply plays the ‘silent, helpless damsel in distress’ and finally Vikraman takes the most important decision in her life for her without even asking her!
On top of all this, she is constantly wedging into the relationship between the two guys – for what? Namitha’s dialogue delivery seems forced instead of natural, her body movements are graceful but there is a clear lack of chemistry with both heroes.
Vikramadityan Review: The Few Things I liked
The depiction of growing up in Mattancherry – with its narrow alleys, schools, the TD temple and the cultural landscaping of several communities living there such as the Shenoys, the Pais, the Nairs, the few Gujaratis – the cultural atmosphere is deftly captured.
All the sequences showing Anoop Menon and Lena are commendable. You know you are watching two veterans with a great sense of timing. I particularly liked the actor who acted as Lena’s husband. His role is small but has tremendous impact. His personality comes through and stays with you throughout the film.
Unni Mukundan is not the hero of this movie but on screen, he steals Dulquar’s thunder and lightning. Dulquar struggles and pales in all scenes where Unni Mukundan is present.
(Source: ibnlive)
I liked the way Dulquer is constantly experimenting with his attire and his body language is always in sync with the nature of the character he presents. Dulquar reinvents his appearance in every movie.
"Vikramadithyan" follows the ‘film masala’ formula perfectly but I feel it’s a “let down” movie with over rated publicity. The first half of the film seemed to be dragging pointlessly. The second half brings in the best part of the movie, thanks to several badly timed surprises mixed with bittersweet moments.
It is disappointing to see a director like Lal Jose come up with a movie like this. Go watch it if you want to waste time – I won’t recommend it though.
Anoop Menon Dulquar Salman Lal Jose Lena Unni Mukundan a rising star Vikramadityan malayalam movie review Vikramadityan movie review
Labels: Anoop Menon Dulquar Salman Lal Jose Lena Unni Mukundan a rising star Vikramadityan malayalam movie review Vikramadityan movie review
NGDCs .. But your descriptions seems good enough tempting me 2 go and see this movie 2oo .. I was thinking about watching some new movie like "Kick" probably and now there seems one more choice with ur interest invoking write up ..
Jairam said…
Given that I am a crazy fan of DQ and Lal Jose, I will anyways go ahead and see this movie despite the thumbs down you have given it.
jes said…
good review ....since i became a victim of this movie today.i felt like this ws a bad effort from laljose
harimohan said…
Good will give it a miss
if a movie is a no-brainer comedy, then it can be enjoyed in that way. but this movie is trying to show a serious theme without any sense and too much of coincidences.. though actors are gud.. some thing is wrong.. bad direction or its bad screenplay..
NGDCS .. just a connected funny share too .. :) ..
https://www.facebook.com/iMightLikeItDoNotMeanIagreeWithThat/posts/557074881092944
Patriciai Josef said…
I’m From Tamil Nadu, I like Malayalam Movies very much, in contrast I heard many Malayalam people like VIJAY, AJITH, SURYA, ALLU ARJUN. Tollywood is completely opposite to molly wood, whereas kolly wood is mixture of both the tolly wood and molly wood. Movies Made by Malayalam Industries are heart warming and life oriented, where you can at least learn something for your Life. I wish People from Malayalam film industry release their movies in Tamil with subtitles so that it will reach wider audience. Because artistic work should reach more people in the world. I used to read all theMalayalam Cinema News, Mollywood News, Gossips from this site, check it , would be useful.
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Molecular fuel cell catalysts hold promise for efficient energy storage
by University of Wisconsin-Madison
A team of chemists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has introduced a new fuel cell catalyst approach that uses a molecular catalyst system instead of solid catalysts. Credit: Stahl Group/University of Wisconsin-Madison
In the quest for better, less expensive ways to store and use energy, platinum and other precious metals play an important role. They serve as catalysts to propel the most efficient fuel cells, but they are costly and rare.
Now, a metal-free alternative catalyst for fuel cells may be at hand. In a study published July 15 in ACS Central Science, a team of chemists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison introduces a new approach that uses a molecular catalyst system instead of solid catalysts. Although molecular catalysts have been explored before, earlier examples were much less efficient than the traditional platinum catalyst.
A fuel cell converts chemical energy into electricity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen at two different electrodes. A catalyst makes the reaction more efficient.
UW-Madison chemistry Professor Shannon Stahl and lab scientist James Gerken took inspiration from their group's previous work with catalysts that use oxygen in applications for the chemical industry. They noticed a striking similarity between these aerobic oxidation reactions and the oxygen reaction in fuel cells and decided to see if they could apply a similar approach to a fuel cell.
The new catalyst is composed of a mixture of molecules called nitroxyls and nitrogen oxides. These molecular partners play well together; one reacts well with the electrode while the other reacts efficiently with the oxygen.
"While this catalyst combination has been used previously in aerobic oxidations, we didn't know if it would be a good fuel cell catalyst," Stahl says. "It turns out that it is the most effective molecular catalyst system ever reported."
Because the approach involves chemical reactions between gases, liquids and solids, moving from concept to demonstration was no small feat. Gerken spent months studying and optimizing each component of the setup they had envisioned before testing everything in a model system.
"This work shows for the first time that molecular catalysts can approach the efficiency of platinum," Gerken says. "And the advantage of molecules is that you can continue to modify their structure to climb further up the mountain to achieve even better efficiency."
New fuel-cell materials pave the way for practical hydrogen-powered cars
More information: High-Potential Electrocatalytic O2 Reduction with Nitroxyl/NOx Mediators: Implications for Fuel Cells and Aerobic Oxidation Catalysis, ACS Cent. Sci., Article ASAP. DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.5b00163
Provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison
Citation: Molecular fuel cell catalysts hold promise for efficient energy storage (2015, July 15) retrieved 19 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2015-07-molecular-fuel-cell-catalysts-efficient.html
NMR: Why do "identical" nuclei not couple with each other?
Resonance Question: stability of a negative charge spread over 2 oxygen atoms versus one oxygen and 3 carbon atoms
Why is this water turning black during electrolysis?
Mixing Substances
How does one prepare standards for headspace gas chromatography?
Vanish to hydrogen peroxide
More from Chemistry
Fuel cell designers need to look beyond the catalyst to the support material
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New catalyst does more with less platinum
New nanomaterials will boost renewable energy
Inexpensive, efficient bi-metallic electrocatalysts may open floodgates for hydrogen fuel
A new material for the battery of the future
Could the heat of the Earth's crust become the ultimate energy source?
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HomeBooksPolitics
Shadow: Five Presidents And The Legacy Of Watergate
608 pages16 hours
Twenty-five years ago, after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, Gerald Ford promised a return to normalcy. "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," President Ford declared.
But it was not. The Watergate scandal, and the remedies against future abuses of power, would have an enduring impact on presidents and the country. In Shadow, Bob Woodward takes us deep into the administrations of Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton to describe how each discovered that the presidency was forever altered. With special emphasis on the human toll, Woodward shows the consequences of the new ethics laws, and the emboldened Congress and media. Powerful investigations increasingly stripped away the privacy and protections once expected by the nation's chief executive.
Using presidential documents, diaries, prosecutorial records and hundreds of interviews with firsthand witnesses, Woodward chronicles how all five men failed first to understand and then to manage the inquisitorial environment.
"The mood was mean," Gerald Ford says. Woodward explains how Ford believed he had been offered a deal to pardon Nixon, then clumsily rejected it and later withheld all the details from Congress and the public, leaving lasting suspicions that compromised his years in the White House.
Jimmy Carter used Watergate to win an election, and then watched in bewilderment as the rules of strict accountability engulfed his budget director, Bert Lance, and challenged his own credibility. From his public pronouncements to the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter never found the decisive, healing style of leadership the first elected post-Watergate president had promised.
Woodward also provides the first behind-the-scenes account of how President Reagan and a special team of more than 60 attorneys and archivists beat Iran-contra. They turned the Reagan White House and United States intelligence agencies upside down investigating the president with orders to disclose any incriminating information they found. A fresh portrait of an engaged Reagan emerges as he realizes his presidency is in peril and attempts to prove his innocence.
In Shadow, a bitter and disoriented President Bush routinely pours out his anger at the permanent scandal culture to his personal diary as a dozen investigations touch some of those closest to him. At one point, Bush pounds a plastic mallet on his Oval Office desk because of the continuing investigation of Iran-contra Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh. "Take that, Walsh!" he shouts. "I'd like to get rid of this guy." Woodward also reveals why Bush avoided telling one of the remaining secrets of the Gulf War.
The second half of Shadow focuses on President Clinton's scandals. Woodward shows how and why Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation became a state of permanent war with the Clintons. He reveals who Clinton really feared in the Paula Jones case, and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and ruthless, cynical legal strategies to protect the Clintons. Shadow also describes how impeachment affected Clinton's war decisions and scarred his life, his marriage and his presidency. "How can I go on?" First Lady Hillary Clinton asked in 1996, when she was under scrutiny by Starr and the media, two years before the Lewinsky scandal broke. "How can I?"
Shadow is an authoritative, unsettling narrative of the modern, beleaguered presidency.
Publisher: Simon & SchusterReleased: Jun 16, 1999ISBN: 9780684869223Format: book
Ford, Reagan, and the 1976 RNC: In this episode of Slate's bite-sized podcast about presidential campaign history, chief political correspondent John Dickerson offers up Part Two in his look at Ronald Reagan's rise to power in the conservative movement. As detailed in our...
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Gerald Ford: 1974–77
Jimmy Carter: 1977–81
Ronald Reagan: 1981–89
George Bush: 1989–93
PART FIVE
Bill Clinton: 1993–
To my daughters, Tali and Diana
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Jeff Glasser, who graduated from Yale in 1996 and interned at The Washington Post that summer, was my assistant and collaborator for the last three years. He tirelessly and resourcefully worked through the presidential libraries of Ford, Carter, Reagan and the National Archives, unearthing key documents, leads and vital new information and corroboration. He also immersed himself in the key memoirs, books, articles—and controversies—of the period 1974 to 1999. A skilled, relentless editor, he repeatedly improved early drafts with detailed comments and suggestions. He assisted in the reporting and writing at every stage. The exhaustive chapter notes are his work, as he made sure the book provided the most explicit attribution where possible and forthrightly stated when the source could not be identified. A child of the information age, he brilliantly used all sources, from the Freedom of Information Act to the Internet. He is wise, intense and independent; I could never have finished this book without him. His friendship and energy made immeasurable contributions to my work and life. He has the highest standards of fairness and accuracy. Jeff was born in 1974, the year Nixon resigned. He is probably one of the few Americans who has a deep understanding of the history of the presidents who have served in his lifetime.
FOR YEARS, I have been struck by a scene in Richard Nixon’s memoir, RN. Just before Christmas 1967, Nixon, then only a former vice president, wrote on a legal pad: I have decided personally against becoming a candidate. He would not run for president. He summarized his reasons. Losing again would be, he put it, an emotional disaster for his family. He did not relish political combat. After years of campaigning he was tired of having to go begging for support, political and financial, even from old friends. He was bored by the charade of trying to romance the media. Personally, he wrote, I have had it. I want nothing else.
By the next month, mid-January 1968, Nixon had reversed course. I had increasingly come to understand that politics was not just an alternative occupation for me, he wrote in his memoirs. It was my life. He ran and won ten months later.
The politics that was Nixon’s life before he was elected president reflected the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. By the time he resigned in 1974, American politics was changed forever because of Vietnam and Watergate.
Although Nixon’s responsibility for Vietnam is large and for Watergate central, he could be forgiven for not entirely understanding the convulsions he had visited upon politics and the presidency. As a result of his actions, presidents not only would be subject to doubt and second guessing, they would be suspected of outright criminality. Nixon’s tapes of his office and telephone conversations left an irrefutable historical record that the president abused government power for political purposes, obstructed justice and ordered his aides to do so as well. Watergate ended with unusual clarity and unusual closure because Nixon resigned. The scandal left a series of obvious questions that would come to plague his successors. Could another president be a criminal? Did presidents talk and plot in private like Nixon? Would another president have to resign?
But after more than 25 years of covering presidents, I am still surprised that his successors did not fully comprehend the depth of distrust left by Nixon. New ethics laws, a resurgent Congress and a more inquiring media altered the prerogatives and daily lives of presidents. Congress, made up of men and women whose lives are largely politics, was determined to play a more prominent, inquisitorial role. The media was going to dig deep and incessantly because much had been hidden before. And quite naturally prosecutors and ethics investigators were more and more determined. The habit of deception and hedging practiced by presidents would no longer be acceptable.
This book is not a history of the presidencies of Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. It is not even a history of all the scandals and investigations that occurred during their administrations.
Instead, it is my examination of the most important moments, small and large, when the honesty and truthfulness of the presidents and those closest to them were challenged. I have tried to single out those times that had the greatest impact on the official and unofficial lives of the five men, their administrations and the inner worlds they inhabited as they struggled to cope with and adapt to the multiple legacies of Watergate. These presidents were inhabiting a new world, but they often seemed not to recognize it.
AUGUST 1, 1974, was a hot Washington summer morning with the humidity heavy in the air, but inside Richard Nixon’s air-conditioned White House it was unnaturally cool. The president looked thin, battered, at times almost like a stroke victim. His chief of staff Alexander M. Haig Jr.’s eyes were red. Early that morning Nixon had summoned Haig, a 49-year-old Army general who had been his right-hand man for the previous 15 months, the most grueling, emotionally exhausting and politically unstable of the Watergate scandal. The incessant hangover of sleep deprivation had become a way of life for both.
Al, it’s over, Nixon said in a surprisingly impersonal, even matter-of-fact tone. Nixon, ever the political realist, said he simply couldn’t govern. His presidency was collapsing. He could almost hear the air rushing out of it—power leaving. All three branches of the federal government had turned against the president. Although Special Watergate Prosecutor Leon Jaworski worked for the executive branch that Nixon headed, he was conducting an independent, relentless investigation. A week earlier the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, had ruled in the special prosecutor’s favor that Nixon had to turn over an additional 64 secret White House tape recordings. Two of those tapes, once released, were going to undermine Nixon and show he ordered the Watergate cover-up. In the legislative branch, a lopsided bipartisan majority of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives had days earlier voted three articles recommending his impeachment based on information that Special Prosecutor Jaworski had provided through the grand jury to the House committee. Governing had been reduced to a series of stopgap pretenses.
Typically, Nixon had a plan. He intended to announce his resignation in four days, he told Haig. He needed the weekend to take his family to Camp David, the presidential retreat in the nearby Maryland mountains, and prepare them. He expected his wife and two grown daughters, Julie and Tricia, to resist and fight his decision with every bone in their bodies.
It might be better to resign tomorrow night and leave town immediately, Haig proposed.
No, Nixon answered. Nixon’s tone was at first gentle. Then he shifted and became gruff, waving a forefinger at Haig as he so often had, demanding his orders be followed. This is my decision and mine alone, Nixon insisted, warning that he would not succumb to political pressure from Republicans, the Congress or his cabinet. I’ve resisted political pressure all my life, and if I get it now, I may change my mind.
Understood, Mr. President, Haig answered.
Nixon directed Haig to inform Vice President Gerald Ford that he should be ready to assume the presidency, but not to give him all the facts. Tell him I want absolute secrecy. Tell him what’s coming. Explain the reasoning. But don’t tell him when.
Watergate had put the presidency in play. The president’s hold on the office was loosened as Nixon contemplated resigning. It was a singular moment in American history, creating a dangerous new space in which Nixon, Ford and Haig had to operate. Where exactly was presidential power at that moment? Nixon held the office, according to the law and Constitution. Ford was stumbling to the presidency. For his part, Haig, mindful of his multiple and competing loyalties to Nixon, Ford and the country, was to be the broker and go-between.
There was no steady hand. Nixon was consumed by a simmering, explosive anger that he was getting a bum rap. He was emotionally disabled, depressed and paranoid. Ford had acquired none of the armor that comes with brutal presidential or vice presidential campaigning. He had no real executive experience. He had never run for a national office, having been appointed vice president by Nixon—and confirmed by Congress under the 25th Amendment—to replace Spiro Agnew, who had resigned the previous year in a financial scandal. He was a man of the House of Representatives, where from 1948 to 1973 he had represented his Grand Rapids, Michigan, district.
Haig also was somewhat ill-equipped. He had no legal, constitutional or political standing as a staff man. But as an Army officer he was used to taking orders and getting the job done. He had received his basic bureaucratic education in the school of maneuver and deception run by Henry Kissinger in the National Security Council staff where he had served as deputy.
That same day, Kissinger, now the secretary of state, told Haig, We’ve got to quietly bring down the curtain on this charade.
Before he saw Ford, Haig met in his West Wing corner office with Nixon’s White House Watergate lawyer, J. Fred Buzhardt, a diminutive, soft-spoken Southerner who had previously worked as Pentagon general counsel. Both were West Point graduates—Haig class of 1947, Buzhardt class of 1946. They had become close over the last year. It was a partnership in survival, forged in one surprise and crisis after another. What was the legal situation if Nixon resigned? Haig asked.
Buzhardt had been working on the issue and had a set of options to present to the vice president. All, with one exception, focused on Nixon—not Ford.
Haig felt it was sensible to concentrate on Nixon. He was still president. They served him, and, as Haig knew, Nixon was an exhaustive explorer of alternatives.
Buzhardt had thought out six possibilities. Five of them were actions that Nixon might take, and two of those included granting a pardon to himself. The sixth alternative: Nixon could resign and hope his successor, Ford, would pardon him. This last one was fleshed out more than the others, spelled out in detail.
Here’s what you should give him, Buzhardt said, handing Haig two sheets of yellow legal paper for the meeting with the vice president.
Ford was on the cusp of assuming the highest office in the land, the leadership of the free world, and Buzhardt was focused on what could be done for Nixon. Haig realized that Buzhardt might be planting a pardon suggestion.
Before 9 a.m., Haig went to Ford’s office.
Ford, then 61, had been vice president only eight months. A warm Midwesterner, whose speech was slow, deliberate—and at times awkward—Ford had been grafted onto the Nixon administration as a necessary afterthought. Under the Constitution, Nixon had to have a vice president. Nixon deemed his preferred choices too controversial, ideological or dynamic to win confirmation, especially former Texas Governor John Connally. This left Jerry Ford, Nixon wrote in his memoirs. Nixon knew that Ford was loyal, a creature of the Republican Party, having served 24 years in the House, nine of those as Republican minority leader. To Nixon, Ford was basically a party chore boy who undertook unsavory tasks such as leading the unsuccessful effort in 1970 to impeach Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. With Nixon bogged down in his Watergate defense, Ford had been almost on his own as vice president, peripheral to the administration.
Ford had Robert Hartmann, a top aide and former newspaperman, with him when Haig arrived in the office. Haig detested and distrusted Hartmann. He had received reports from the Secret Service that Hartmann would drink late at night in his office. So Haig told Ford only that a new tape recording about to be released would present grave difficulties for Nixon in an impeachment trial.
Later in the day Haig called the vice president and asked for a second meeting, this time alone. Ford agreed. At 3:30 p.m. Haig entered the vice president’s suite. He looked troubled and on edge. He had just read the transcripts of two tape recordings made six days after the June 17, 1972, Watergate break-in. Nixon ordered the cover-up. His case would collapse when the tapes were made public. There was a decorated screen in one corner of the room. Haig later said he was certain that Hartmann was stationed behind the screen to take notes in secret and to protect Ford, a charge both Hartmann and Ford categorically deny. But the air was filled with distrust.
Are you ready, Mr. Vice President, to assume the presidency in a short period of time?
Ford, absolutely stunned, said he was prepared.
Haig wanted his assessment of the situation, but Ford did not have a lot to say. These are what the lawyers think, Haig told Ford, taking out the papers Buzhardt had given him.
The options for Nixon and others in the White House were numerous. Nixon could step aside temporarily under the 25th Amendment, he could just wait and delay the impeachment process, or he could try to settle for a formal censure. In addition, there were three pardon options. Nixon could pardon himself and resign. Or he could pardon the aides involved in Watergate and then resign.
Or, Haig said, Nixon could agree to leave in return for an agreement that the new president would pardon him. Haig handed Ford the papers. The first sheet contained a handwritten summary of a president’s legal authority to pardon. The second sheet was a draft pardon form that only needed Ford’s signature and Nixon’s name to make it legal.
Haig asked for Ford’s recommendation about what course Nixon might follow. Haig privately believed that this was a time for mercy if ever there were one. A pardon would be an act of simple humanity. It would spare the country a Senate trial that would create a destructive heritage of hatred and resentment. It would be patriotic and courageous, in his eyes.
Even if Haig offered no direct words on his views, the message was almost certainly sent. An emotional man, Haig was incapable of concealing his feelings; those who worked closely with him rarely found him ambiguous. In fact, Haig not only was incapable of hiding his feelings, he didn’t try. It was part of his style—to convey his attitude, and not just through words.
Ford dwelled on the pardon possibilities.
It is my understanding from a White House lawyer, Haig said, that a president does have authority to grant a pardon even before criminal action has been taken against an individual. Of course, Nixon was the only major Watergate player against whom the special prosecutor had not taken criminal action.
At the end, the general stood up. The two put their arms around each other and shook hands.
We’ve got to keep in contact, Haig said. Things could break so fast that we have to be accessible to each other.
Haig then reported to Nixon on his meeting with Ford, mentioning that he had presented Ford with the six options as drafted by Buzhardt.
Nixon did not comment.
Ford summoned Hartmann. He extracted another solemn pledge of secrecy.
Hartmann promised.
Ford said Haig had reported that Nixon was going to resign because of new, damaging tapes. Haig had listed some alternatives for the endgame, among them the possibility that Nixon could agree to leave in return for an agreement that he, Ford, as president, would pardon Nixon.
Jesus! Hartmann said aloud. What did you tell him?
I told him I needed time to think about it.
You what? Hartmann fairly shouted. Ford’s willingness to entertain a discussion of a pardon was probably all Haig and Nixon wanted or needed. Even entertaining any agreement of resignation for a pardon, Hartmann believed, was outrageous. Ford had already committed a monstrous impropriety and the damage that had been done was irreversible. Hartmann felt it could taint a Ford presidency forever, linking even a voluntary resignation to discussions of an eventual pardon and perhaps an expectation, at least implied, of a pardon from Ford.
Ford didn’t agree. Nothing had been promised. He wanted to talk to his wife, Betty.
Hartmann thought that was a good idea. She was noted for her independence and frankness, and Ford often sought her opinion on important matters. Mrs. Ford would see the danger, Hartmann believed. She could gently turn her husband off Haig more effectively than he could.
Late that night Ford told his wife about Haig’s alternatives. She was firm in her view that her husband shouldn’t get involved in making any recommendations at all. Not to Haig, not to Nixon, not to anybody. Ford seemed to get the message.
About 1:30 a.m., a late hour for Ford, he called Haig.
Al, our discussion this afternoon, I hope you understand there was no agreement, no decision and no deal.
Haig hung up and went through about 30 minutes of anguish. Ford thought he had offered some deal? Haig finally phoned Buzhardt, rousing Nixon’s lawyer from bed.
Goddamnit, Haig told Buzhardt at what must have been around 2 a.m., what did you do to me? He reported that Ford had called at such an odd hour and what he had said. Haig noted that he had gone over the six alternatives with the vice president and done it all based on legal advice. Now Ford thinks it was some kind of agreement or deal. Haig erupted, Why did you, if this man thinks there was some deal offered, how the hell did you give me the advice you gave? Haig felt he had been trapped. He was shocked and worried.
I didn’t do anything to you, Buzhardt replied. Al, that’s all we did was give the options.
Haig concluded there was somebody around Ford who was telling the vice president that he was being snookered. Or maybe it was even worse.
The next morning, Friday, August 2, Haig and Buzhardt discussed at length Ford’s late night phone call. They concluded that there was some real trouble brewing around Ford.
Over in the vice president’s suite of offices in the Old Executive Office Building that morning Ford brought in a second aide, Jack Marsh, a former Virginia congressman, for advice on Haig’s pardon conversation. Marsh, a careful, almost soulful political operative for Ford, was eager to know exactly what had happened. He had dropped in the previous day after Haig’s second meeting, and Ford had been sitting alone with his hands on his knees, staring out into space. Marsh had never seen the vice president with such a grim expression. Ford looked like he had just been told that his house with all his family in it had burned to the ground, destroying everything and everyone.
I want you to swear you will not reveal what I’m about to tell you, Ford said to Marsh.
Marsh assented.
Ford explained that the previous day Haig had said explicitly that new tapes were going to force Nixon’s resignation. Ford went through the alternatives that Haig had presented, including the one in which Nixon resigned. I then, what I would do, I would give Nixon a pardon, Ford said.
Marsh couldn’t believe it. He tried to remain calm. He could see that Ford hoped he would say, It’s the kind of thing, Jerry, you need to do. But Marsh saw the danger. Look, you can’t do this, he said gently.
Ford was standing. He slowly pulled the two pieces of yellow legal paper out of his pocket and handed them to Marsh. You could make a strong case for a pardon, that it would be in the national interest, Ford said. He seemed to be advocating Haig’s arguments for granting Nixon a pardon.
You can’t do that, Marsh said. It could look like or be a quid pro quo for Nixon’s resignation.
Ford didn’t see it.
Marsh knew that Ford could be stubborn once he made up his mind. He was concerned that without further advice, Ford might just go ahead with a pardon. Of the alternatives listed by Haig, Marsh could see that Ford was concentrating on the one that involved him. He was going to become president, and perhaps the best and smoothest way was to grant a pardon. Marsh said he had no problem with Ford considering a pardon but not while he was vice president. As the constitutional successor, he couldn’t consider a pardon. He knew the law. It was illegal to offer anything of value—as a pardon surely would be—in exchange for a federal office. It shouldn’t even be discussed, much less considered.
Marsh and Hartmann talked again to Ford.
Ford was now emotional, saying he had told Haig that Watergate had to stop, that it was tearing the country to pieces. With some contradiction, Ford said he had decided to go ahead and get it over with, so he had called Haig the previous night and told him they should do whatever they decided to do. It was all right with Ford, but there was no agreement.
Hartmann and Marsh were stunned. This version of Ford’s call to Haig was significantly more alarming than what they had earlier heard. Both men tried to elicit what exact words had passed between Ford and Haig, but they couldn’t get clear statements. Ford obviously just wanted the matter closed.
Marsh wondered if Haig might have concluded that a future pardon was still a viable option. Would he then use it as an inducement to get President Nixon to resign?
Of course not, Ford snapped. Haig knew better than that. There was no commitment, just conversation—and in strict confidence.
Hartmann and Marsh both lit into Ford like Dutch uncles.
Marsh was calmer. He said a Nixon resignation and a possible pardon had to be separated. They had to be de-linked. Discussing the two events in the same conversation made it difficult because that created linkage. It was hard to decouple them.
Hartmann decided that they had to figure out how to unmake an omelette. But Ford would not concede that there was an omelette to unmake.
Hartmann and Marsh left the vice president disturbed.
We got to stop him, Marsh said. We got to stop him cold right now.
Hartmann was worried that Ford had already decided to grant a pardon. They drew up a list of ten people that Ford might consult. Who might agree with them and be able to persuade Ford? They put Betty Ford at the top of the list, but they felt it would not be appropriate to enlist her. Second on the list was Bryce Harlow, a former Nixon White House counselor and one of the wise old men of Republican politics.
At their request, Ford agreed to see Harlow.
Hartmann and Marsh poured out their fears to Harlow before he met with Ford. A small, charming, passionate but wordy man, Harlow listened to them and agreed. It was a disaster. The three went to see the vice president.
Haig was carrying out a mission for Nixon, Harlow said, and Ford was in grave danger of compromising his presidency and independence. He said the vice president had to protect himself and ensure that no one could cry deal if Ford later granted Nixon a pardon. But the most urgent thing, Mr. Vice President, Harlow said, is to tell Al Haig, straight out and unequivocally, that whatever discussions you and he had yesterday and last night were purely hypothetical and conversational, that you will in no manner, affirmatively or negatively, advise him or the president as to his future course, and nothing you may have said is to be represented to the president, or to anyone else, to the contrary.
It was a lawyer’s mouthful. But Ford realized the three men were right. He had been naive. He agreed to call Haig to make it clear that he had never accepted the proffered deal. Harlow wrote out what he should say.
Ford called Haig and told him he had no intention of recommending what President Nixon should do about resigning or not resigning. Nothing they had talked about the previous afternoon should be given any consideration in whatever decision the president might make.
Haig said he agreed. But the second call was not necessary because he had received the message in Ford’s call the night before. Haig believed that the second call was a response to advice from Ford’s staff, who in Haig’s estimation were continuing to brainwash the vice president.
Afterwards, Hartmann, Marsh and Harlow had a drink together. They celebrated and declared that they had forced Ford to dodge a bullet. Hartmann was convinced that Ford had taken the yellow lined legal paper that Harlow had written outlining what Ford should say to Haig and put it down the toilet.
Ford still didn’t want to believe that Haig had offered him a deal, but he accepted the judgment of his advisers that in practical terms the offer was effectively a deal. Whatever it was, Ford believed he had rejected it, an important distinction in his mind. Without acceptance the deal was not consummated.
Ford decided both he and Haig would be better off if they never again sat down and talked about the options. The heart of the matter, Ford believed, was that one way or the other Nixon was going to go. Ford’s first concern was that he was about to become president—a job he had never sought. Now it was dropping in his lap. His second major worry was that he really didn’t want to become president.
By that evening of August 2, 1974, Haig had a bigger problem. Nixon called to say he had changed his mind about resignation.
Let them impeach me, Nixon told his chief of staff. We’ll fight it out to the end.
The next day, August 3, the vice president was traveling. In Hattiesburg, Mississippi, he held a press conference. The reporters were interested in Watergate. One noted that Ford’s press secretary had mentioned that Ford had met with Haig two days earlier to discuss impeachment. What was going on and what was Ford’s attitude?
I have met with Al Haig, Ford said. I don’t think this is unusual. Rather than evade the question, the vice president lied. The purpose of the meeting, he said, was to discuss what could be done, if anything, to convince the members of the House that the president was innocent as both of us feel.
Ford was apparently confident that the meetings and discussions with Haig would remain secret. If he answered truthfully, he would effectively declare the Nixon presidency over in Hattiesburg. So he told a whopper.
Later that day in New Orleans, asked again about the meeting with Haig, Ford once more deceived. It was not an extraordinary meeting, he said, if that’s what you want me to say. It was an ordinary meeting of the kind that we frequently have and has no extraordinary implications.
Ford’s statement was, of course, the opposite of what had occurred. It was more than extraordinary. The presidency would probably never be the same. Amid the uncertainty, distrust and secrecy of their small meetings, Nixon, Haig, Ford and three Ford advisers were reshaping the presidency, making the first decisions of a new era. Perhaps for the first time the presidency was to be considered a resignable office.
AT 3 A.M. WEDNESDAY, August 7, Hartmann got out of bed. His mind was churning. Nixon was going to resign in two days, and Ford had assigned Hartmann the task of drafting the speech he would give upon assuming the presidency. Hartmann believed it was the most important job he might ever have. He would have to find a way to bridge—but also divide—the Nixon past from the Ford future. In the clarity of the uninterrupted early morning hours, Hartmann came up with what he was certain was the proper rhetorical theme for Ford: Our long national nightmare is over. It was a work of art, Hartmann believed, the centerpiece of a concept for the new Ford presidency, a firm declaration that America would be different, that Watergate and its multitude of poisons were passing from the governmental system and the political culture.
Proudly, Hartmann gave the speech draft to Ford, who promised to show it to Betty. The next day, Ford pulled the draft from his pocket.
This is fine, Ford said, this is just great except for this one sentence. He pointed to My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.
Isn’t that a little hard on Dick? Ford asked.
Oh, Jesus Christ Almighty! Hartmann shouted in anguish. Throw the whole rest of it away, just don’t throw that sentence away. His voice cracked. That’s the only thing that you’re going to say that anybody will ever remember! Promising the end of the nightmare will make it true, Hartmann felt. He expected it would be the headline and the lead in every story, or certainly in the first paragraph. Hartmann said it had been a nightmare for Nixon’s friends and enemies, torn either by their role in defending a corrupt man or in destroying a Republican presidency. Hartmann virtually got on his knees and begged. He practically wept. He threatened, stopping short of saying he would quit. Hartmann couldn’t have been driven out with whips. He saw himself as about to become number one to the new number one.
Ummm, Ford finally said, maybe you’re right.
On Friday, August 9, 1974, Nixon formally resigned and Ford was sworn in as president. Speaking afterwards in the East Room, Ford promised a new era.
"I feel it is my first duty to make an unprecedented compact with my countrymen.
"I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our government but civilization itself.
"In all my public and private acts as your president, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.
My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.
It was the phrase that did end up in all the news stories and accounts—a blunt acknowledgment that Nixon and Watergate were wrong. Nixon’s much photographed departure by helicopter from the White House seemed to symbolize the end of the scandal.
The outpouring of goodwill toward Ford in the first week of his presidency was immense. There was a sense of cleansing and simplification. Nixon’s crisis had created the feeling of national siege. Ford had punctured the tension. He brought enormous relief, promised to restore trust through his directness and informality. Even before being sworn in, Ford asked Haig to tell the Marine Band not to play Hail to the Chief or Ruffles and Flourishes ; his alma mater’s Michigan Fight Song would suffice. The morning of his first full day as president, he toasted his own English muffins. The muffins and the Michigan Fight Song became symbols of a new approach: the isolated and powerful imperial presidency was over. It needed to be over. The nation seemed to be falling in love with its new Midwestern president.
There was still one lingering matter: Nixon’s future. Would the former president be prosecuted? The nation—or at least the media—seemed transfixed by the question. Some of Nixon’s former aides went to work to keep him from jail. On August 27, Leonard Garment, a Nixon White House counsel and former law partner who had remained on the Ford legal staff, drafted a memo urging that Ford pardon Nixon the next day when his first press conference as president was scheduled. Garment, probably the most liberal of Nixon’s former aides, argued that without an immediate pardon, Ford would lose control. The political costs down the road would be too great as pressure for prosecution mounted and the national mood of reconciliation diminished. The whole miserable tragedy will be played out to God knows what ugly and wounding conclusion, Garment forecast, implying obliquely that Nixon might even take his own life.
Philip Buchen, Ford’s former law partner, friend and now White House counsel, gave the memo to Ford but told the president that it was premature to consider a pardon.
Haig, who had stayed on temporarily as chief of staff, reported to Garment that Ford was going to announce a pardon at the press conference. It’s all set, Haig said, but then later in the day he told Garment that the lawyers had delayed it.
At his press conference, Ford made it clear that a pardon was an option. He also indicated strongly that he was not going to make a premature decision.
In the last ten days or two weeks, Ford said, I have asked for prayers for guidance on this very important point.
Hartmann’s stomach turned to a knot. If Ford was not going to do anything, what was all the praying about?
After the press conference, Ford was seething with anger. He said to himself, Goddamn it, I am not going to put up with this. Nixon was still haunting him.
Later that night, Ford was up in the residence clutching a glass of Jack Daniel’s. He seemed to be staring 1,000 yards in the distance. He was amazed at all the focus on Nixon and the venom, the hate. Although nine of the 28 questions had been about Nixon’s future, Ford thought all the questions or at least 90 percent of them had been about the former president. Ford felt he couldn’t function as president if the Watergate obsession persisted. Nothing could compete with the raw drama of a former president, especially Nixon, trying to stay out of jail.
Ford wondered how he could direct the press to other issues. How could he control the emotions of the American people on the subject? What about Nixon? No one ever controlled him. How could he manage the legal process that was in the hands of Special Prosecutor Jaworski? How would he establish his own legitimacy?
Two days after the press conference, Friday, August 30, Ford met with Haig, Hartmann, Marsh and Buchen in the Oval Office. He swore all to secrecy. Pausing, Ford carefully filled his pipe with tobacco. He said he was strongly inclined to pardon Nixon.
There was silence. Hartmann focused on the antique clock. Its loud tick seemed like a burst of machine-gun fire.
Haig couldn’t believe the good news. He almost had to pinch himself. He tried to excuse himself. Ford waved him back into his seat.
Ford said he didn’t believe the public would want Nixon jailed. If perhaps years down the road Nixon was found guilty, the public might clamor for a pardon. Why wait? My mind is 99 percent made up, Ford said.
The old Ford hands realized that meant 100 percent; the decision had been made.
Ford had to take a phone call, and Haig left. Hartmann darted into his adjoining office to retrieve the transcripts of Ford’s press conference. Waving the papers at the president, Hartmann said, Here are your own words . . . ‘until any legal process has been undertaken, I think it is unwise and untimely for me to make any commitment.’ And you answered that ‘until it gets to me, I make no commitment.’
Ford’s jaw tightened. He noted that Hartmann had left out the part where Ford had said he wouldn’t rule out a pardon.
Well, okay, Hartmann replied. "Maybe that’s what you meant, but that isn’t what I heard or what most people heard. What everybody believes is that you may pardon Nixon some day but not right away. And not until there have been some further legal steps in the case." A pardon now would seem to be a sudden and unexplainable reversal.
Ford grew testy. Hartmann thought he was going to be physically ejected from the office.
Marsh too was deeply worried. He went to see Ford, who was in his study off the Oval Office, having lunch alone, reading and eating ice cream for dessert.
You may want to throw me out of this office, Marsh said. I don’t want you to misunderstand me. He reminded Ford of when Haig had proposed a pardon in exchange for Nixon’s resignation. Ford had rejected the proposal, but what if he now pardoned Nixon, and the press learned of the Haig proposal? Well, Marsh said directly, it could be a huge problem. Questions are going to be raised about a deal, he said.
Ford stopped eating. Jack, Ford said, I know exactly where you’re coming from and I have thought of that and there was no deal.
Marsh was reassured. He tended to believe Ford. But Marsh said there would be a firestorm of public outrage if the press ever learned about the conversation with Haig. A pardon now, so soon after that discussion, would increase the risk of linkage.
One, Ford said firmly, I know and understand the risks, and two, there was no deal.
Ford called in Benton Becker, 36, a longtime friend and former Justice Department attorney who had assisted him during his years in the House. He asked Becker to determine exactly what a president’s pardon powers were even prior to indictment or conviction. In addition, he assigned Becker to help determine what should be done with Nixon’s papers and tapes. Nixon wanted them shipped to him in California. Traditionally a former president owned all his papers.
You will be writing the history of your presidency in the first weeks, Becker told Ford, and history is going to say Jerry Ford participated in the final act of the Watergate cover-up. He was intentionally hitting Ford hard, knowing that Ford was the ultimate Republican team player who would want to help Nixon—with a pardon and by sending his papers out to California.
Ford stiffened.
"There will be one hell of a bonfire out there in California and that is exactly what the history will write about your administration—no matter what happens for the next two and a half years, whatever you do." Becker kept pounding on the issue.
That history must be preserved, Ford finally said at another meeting. He put his arm around Becker. Do whatever you have to do, but it must be preserved. I’m not shipping this stuff out.
In his research on presidential pardons, Becker found a 1915 Supreme Court case, Burdick v. United States. The Court’s ruling stated that a pardon carries an imputation of guilt, acceptance, a confession of it. Becker explained the Burdick precedent to Ford. If they could get Nixon to accept the pardon, they would have a confession, an acknowledgment that Nixon was guilty of criminal conduct.
You make sure that Richard Nixon understands that case too, Ford told Becker. That he understands that our position, the White House position, will be his acceptance is an acknowledgment of guilt. Becker had to get Nixon to accept. Make sure there’s an acceptance, Ford said. I don’t want to be embarrassed.
Ford said he was no longer merely considering a pardon. He had decided to do it if he could.
Herbert J. Miller, one of Washington’s foremost criminal defense attorneys, took a call at home on a Saturday from one of Nixon’s former aides, Richard Moore.
Would you represent Richard Nixon? Moore asked.
If I said no, Miller said, I’d have to resign from the bar. Miller was a lifelong Republican who nonetheless had headed the criminal division of Bobby Kennedy’s Justice Department in the early 1960s. He had unusual bipartisan credibility.
In early September, Miller walked into Nixon’s office in San Clemente to tell him that Ford was likely to grant a pardon. They began hours and hours of discussion.
Nixon was opposed to accepting the pardon. He felt it would imply some kind of guilt. In the public mind the necessity of a pardon would make him culpable.
Miller knew Nixon’s desperate financial situation. If indicted by the special prosecutor, Nixon would have attorneys’ fees that would bankrupt him, Miller said. He had taken as much physically and emotionally as he could. He should accept a pardon for the well-being of himself and his family. Given the saturation news coverage of Watergate, Miller said, there was no way the former president could get a fair trial if indicted. How in God’s name could you find an impartial jury? he asked.
Miller felt any attempt to jail the former president would make the United States look like a Latin American banana republic.
A few days later, Ford decided to send Becker to meet with Nixon and Miller in San Clemente to see what could be worked out on Nixon’s papers and tapes, in addition to a possible statement from Nixon if Ford granted a pardon.
Becker and Miller took an Air Force jet and arrived about midnight, which was 3 a.m. Washington time. Nixon’s former press secretary, Ronald Ziegler, greeted them coldly at Nixon’s compound, the former so-called Western White House situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
I can tell you right now, Ziegler told Becker, "that President Nixon will make no statement of admission or complicity in return for a pardon from Jerry Ford."
Can you tell me how to reach the Air Force pilot that brought me here, Becker replied, so that I can instruct him to take me back to Washington?
Miller calmed everyone down.
The next day they reached agreement on joint custody of the Nixon papers and tapes. It was a complicated arrangement that would allow Nixon to destroy the tapes after ten years and gain sole custody over his papers after three years.
Ziegler produced a draft of a statement that Nixon would be willing to issue accepting the pardon. The draft emphasized the pressure of the presidency, Nixon’s reliance on his staff, how he should have delegated less even though he was focused on foreign affairs.
Becker said no statement would be better.
Miller dictated some ideas. Nixon reviewed it. They went back and forth until a fourth statement was presented to Becker.
In that version, Nixon accepted the pardon and said, I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate.
Becker argued for language acknowledging obstruction of justice.
Miller would not begin to agree since his client categorically denied he had obstructed justice. Miller’s goal was to make sure that Nixon did not say that he had committed a crime.
Becker wanted some reference to the period when justice had been obstructed, and eventually Miller agreed to add that Nixon was wrong, particularly when Watergate reached the stage of judicial proceedings. Becker thought that phrase at least obliquely meant obstruction of justice.
Miller knew it didn’t.
The draft also contained the standard mistakes were made language that Nixon had used for years, putting off the blame on others.
Becker insisted that two words be added— my own.
Miller agreed, but it was in a long paragraph that said: "I know that many fair-minded people believe that my motivations and actions in the Watergate affair were intentionally self-serving and illegal. I now understand how my own mistakes and misjudgments have contributed to that belief and seemed to support it."
Many fair-minded people did believe Nixon’s actions were illegal, Miller realized, but the statement did not say Nixon was one of them.
Finally, a long, six-paragraph statement was agreed upon about 5 p.m. on Friday, September 6. Becker told Ziegler that he needed to see Nixon to make certain he understood Ford’s position on the acceptance of the pardon.
Ziegler said he and Miller had explained it to Nixon. No meeting would be necessary.
Miller again intervened. There would be no harm if Becker went to see the former president, he said.
Becker walked alone some 40 yards to Nixon’s office in the hacienda-style compound. He had never met the former president but had an indelible image of him from decades of watching television. As Becker entered, Nixon rose shakily from behind his desk. The former president’s arms and body were so thin and frail that his head seemed disproportionately, even grotesquely large. His shirt seemed too big at the neck. The famous Nixon jowls were exaggerated, the face deeply wrinkled. His hair was disheveled, his fingernails yellowish. Nixon, then 61, looked about 85. He was stooped and seemed to almost jump with fright at seeing Becker.
The walls were stripped bare. Behind the desk were American and presidential flags on either side.
We’ve accomplished a lot of very important things here, Mr. President, Becker said, adding that history would benefit from the papers and tapes agreement. I want to talk with you about the possibility of President Ford issuing a pardon to you.
The mention of pardon seemed to produce anxiety in Nixon, as if he didn’t want to discuss it. He walked around his desk, then sat down in a chair next to Becker.
Big fella, Nixon said, have you played football?
Long, long time ago, Becker replied.
Becker turned back to the matter of pardon. He explained the 1915 Burdick case, noting that it gave Nixon the right to reject the pardon. The full power of the law would back Nixon up if he wanted to reject. However, the case also made it clear that acceptance was a confession of guilt. Becker wanted to make sure Nixon understood. Acceptance is an acknowledgment of guilt, Mr. President, Becker said. Those are not my words, those are the words of the United States Supreme Court.
Nixon gave Becker a look of understanding but also puzzlement. Did you ever work in my administration? the former president inquired.
No, Becker said. But I do live in Washington.
How are the Redskins going to do this year? Nixon asked about the capital’s professional football team.
Becker said he didn’t know. He returned to the Burdick case. "That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court says and that’s what President Ford’s White House will say. I’ve given a copy of Burdick to your counsel. Jack’s got a copy, and I’m sure you can read it at your leisure."
I understand, Nixon said as if dismissing the obvious. I’m free to say no. Free to say no.
Becker thanked Nixon. He said he appreciated the courtesies they had showed him, and he walked out. As Becker was getting his briefcase and papers together, Ziegler approached.
The president wants to see you again, he said.
Aw, man, Becker thought, he’s going to take it back, wreck days of intense work. He went back into Nixon’s small office.
Nixon, still in his coat and tie, stood behind his chair, which he had pushed to his desk.
Before you left, the former president said, I wanted to give you something. You’ve been a gentleman, and I appreciate that. I’ve seen enough bullies in the last months. With his frail arms he gestured to the empty walls. I wanted to give you something, he repeated; in a tone of distress, near tears, he added, but they took it all away from me. Everything I had is gone. He reached down to a drawer and took out two little boxes. Pat found these for me in the jewelry box, and I want you to have these. There aren’t any more of these in the world.
Mr. President, Becker said, taking the boxes, which contained a Richard Nixon signature tiepin and a pair of presidential seal cufflinks, you don’t have to do this.
I want to do this, Nixon said.
Becker shook his hand and turned toward the door. He then glanced back at Nixon, who was leaning forward over his desk. Becker realized that it was a mirror image of the famous picture of Jack Kennedy from the back leaning over in the Oval Office—The Loneliest Job in the World. Kennedy’s frailties had been largely hidden in his lifetime. Nixon was exposed, almost naked to the world.
Becker showed the cufflinks to Miller.
He really is in a very depressed state, isn’t he? Becker said.
Yes, Miller said, sometimes he can be very difficult to work with.
After returning to Washington, Becker went to the White House to brief Ford on the pardon and papers-tapes agreements.
Ford asked about Nixon’s condition.
Deeply, deeply depressed, Becker said. More depressed than any person I’ve ever seen, lacking any will to survive. Noting he was not a medical doctor, and leaving open the possibility that the meeting was a little demonstration to win sympathy, Becker added, I really have serious questions in my mind whether that man is going to be alive at the time of the election.
Well, Ford noted, 1976 is a long time away.
I don’t mean 1976, Becker said, I mean 1974. That was two months away.
Ford read the draft statement that Nixon had agreed to issue: "I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly.
No words can describe the depth of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused . . . my own mistakes and misjudgments. . . .
This was more personal responsibility than Nixon had ever accepted in public, even when he resigned.
Haig asked Becker, only half-joking, Did you put a gun to his head?
Later that night Ford leaned back in his large chair, stretched out and placed his hands behind his head. He recited his reasons for granting the pardon.
Hartmann persisted. What’s the rush? Why must it be tomorrow? Why not Christmas Eve, or a year from now, when things quiet down? Ford had been president for less than a month.
Ford said every time he had a press conference, he would be asked whether he was going to pardon Nixon. How am I going to answer it?
That’s easy, Hartmann said. Just tell them you haven’t decided.
"But I have decided," the president replied.
Hartmann was amazed, and thought of saying, Jerry, if you can’t be any more of a liar than that you shouldn’t be president. But he held his tongue.
Sunday morning, September 8, Ford went to the 8 a.m. service at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square across from the White House. He sat alone and took Holy Communion. Back at the Oval Office, he reviewed the draft of the pardon statement he planned to read on television that morning. Taking a felt-tip pen, he inserted a phrase saying that possible prosecution was threatening Nixon’s health.
Ford then turned to Hartmann. You know, if I decided to do it and then something happened to him and I hadn’t done it because I was just waiting for a better time, I would never be able to forgive myself.
An hour before Ford was to go on television, Jerry terHorst, Ford’s press secretary and a friend of 25 years, came to the Oval Office. He had just learned of the pardon decision the day before, and he had come to submit a letter to Ford saying he was resigning as a matter of conscience.
Ford read the letter: Try as I can, it is impossible to conclude that the former president is more deserving of mercy than persons of lesser station in life whose offenses have had far less effect on our national well-being.
Ford saw there was nothing he could do to talk his old friend out of leaving. He knew terHorst’s resignation would add substantially to the inevitable controversy.
At 11:05 a.m. President Ford turned to the camera. Of Nixon and his family, Ford said, Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can I must.
The core reason for the decision, he said, was to put both Nixon and Watergate in the past. In essence, the nightmare was continuing. He called the renewed public focus on Watergate bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed.
He added, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough. He then read his proclamation, granting Nixon a full pardon for all crimes he committed or may have committed while president.
The new president had misjudged the mood. Rather than sympathy, the public and media voiced outrage at Ford. The pardon seemed to be on Nixon’s terms—early, complete and without acknowledgment that he had committed crimes or even impeachable offenses. It also was a total surprise. There had been no preparation with the Congress or the public. Ford’s action seemed to contradict his own public statements that suggested he would wait. Ford claimed he acted in the interests of the country. But he included in the announcement the phrase voicing compassion, even tenderness, for Nixon and his family.
One day not long after the pardon, David Kennerly, the new White House photographer and a close Ford friend, was in the Oval Office with the president. Ford had his hands in his pockets and was looking at the seal of office, the large eagle.
You know the only job I really ever wanted was Speaker of the House, Ford said with a note of melancholy. I never thought I’d be standing here.
Later Kennerly joked with Ford about the pardon. What did you think, that by pardoning Nixon on an early Sunday morning no one would notice?
Ford laughed. He was not defensive at first. He was convinced that it was the right thing to do.
On September 16, eight days after the pardon, Ford held his second press conference. Out of 21 questions, 15 were about the pardon or Nixon. Instead of putting Watergate behind and healing the wounds, Ford had rubbed salt in them, plunging the country back into the nightmare he had declared over.
An outcry in Congress about the pardon and suspicions of a deal or secret reason for the pardon continued, and some House members wanted an investigation. Written questions were sent to the White House for answers.
One question was: Did you ever discuss the pardon with any member of the Nixon staff prior to the time you became president?
Phil Buchen, the White House counsel and Ford’s former law partner, prepared
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Digital Subscriptions > Doctor Who Magazine > DWM Special 48 - The 2018 Yearbook > KILLER QUEEN
Although partly obscured beneath make-up and an elaborate, reptilian costume, Adele Lynch gave an unforgettable performance as the ruler of the Ice Warriors in Empress of Mars.
INTERVIEW BY MARTIN RUDDOCK
Iraxxa (Adele Lynch), queen of the Ice Warriors in Empress of Mars (2017).
“It really was going in at the deep end,” says Adele.
Find the complete article and many more in this issue of Doctor Who Magazine - DWM Special 48 - The 2018 Yearbook
Single Issue - DWM Special 48 - The 2018 Yearbook
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About Doctor Who Magazine
At the end of 2017 a remarkable chapter in the history of Doctor Who drew to a close. Two incarnations of the Time Lord overcame an existential threat... before the arrival of the Thirteenth Doctor heralded a bold new era for the programme. The latest Special Edition of Doctor Who Magazine is a unique souvenir of the Twelfth Doctor’s final adventures, from The Return of Doctor Mysterio through to Twice Upon a Time. Packed full of all-new features and previously unseen images, this is the essential guide to the year in Doctor Who.
DATA FILE
SIGNAGE OF THE TIMES
WET LOOK
ADVENTURES IN TIME AND SPAIN
LOCATION HUNTERS
SHOP OF HORRORS
CYBER-MANN
WHO VIANS
The Pyramid at the End of the World
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
The Lie of the Land
Empress of Mars
The Hermaphrodite Civil Servant
The Eaters of Light
WORLD ENOUGH AND TIME
The Finale Countdown
HOSPITAL DRAMA
THE DOCTOR FALLS
Captain Lethbridge-Stewart
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SDP pays fees for students in Western
PNG Sustainable Development Program Limited (SDP) is again paying school fees for students in elementary through to secondary schools in Western Province this year.
This money is to be spent on much-needed equipment, supplies and facilities, and not on administration or staffing.
The payments will be paid in two tranches.
The first payment will be made on July 12 to benefit students in 517 out of the 616 schools in the province, in preparation for the start of Term 3 of the school year.
Of these 517 schools, 397 are elementary, 109 are primary, eight are secondary, and three are vocational schools. Paymentsfor the remaining 99 schools will be made as soon as SDP receives valid bank account details.
This top up payment should coincide with the second payment for all schools targeted to take place towards the end of September.
Provincial administrator of Western Province Robert Kaiyun welcomed this announcement saying “this initiative will contribute to making Western Province an educated province into the future,” adding that the project is in line with the provincial government’s plan to improving education, health, and the wellbeing of the people of Western Province.
“Our aim is to complement and supplement government services and the efforts of other agencies,” said SDP’s director of communications, Esther Sibona.
“To this end, we are committed to working within government policy parametres and consulting widely with elected members, public servants, development agencies and local communities.”
SDP’s spending initiatives are focused on four areas, one of them being education through scholarship programs; improving schools’ infrastructure; funding school fees; using modern technology to support teachers and students in remote locations; and developing a Balimo-campus to provide FODE, teacher; and health worker training.
Other areas include; providing access to remote communities in Western Province, improving health, and creating livelihoods in the cash economy by developing commercially viable agribusiness.
Road to connect Tabubil and Telefomin
THE National Executive Council (NEC) has already approved a substantial increase in tax credit to the OK Tedi mine limited (OTML) to build the 100 kilometres of missing link from Tabubil to Telefomin.
Western Province thanks Somare
THE North Fly people of Western Province have thanked Sir Michael Somare for building Papua New Guinea to where it is today.
District lauds Solomon’s first visit
Community Development and Religion secretary Anna Solomon’s first ever visit to Western’s South Fly district brought much enthusiasm and joy to the sleepy town of Daru this week.
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The independent Atlantic League (which used a Doppler radar plate umpire for its All Star game) has, with MLB support, implemented a new rule: Any pitch not "caught in flight" is a live ball, allowing a batter to run to first base or to be put out. People have described it as "stealing first," although that is not quite accurate. It happened in a game on Saturday. Others have described it as an extension of the uncaught third-strike rule, under which a batter becomes a runner if a third strike is not caught. I am not sure what the point is. I guess it adds excitement by offering a new way to reach first base, away from the home runs and walks that are increasing (and, some argue, making the game boring).
This seems stupid for several reasons.
The rule represents a departure from the game's basic structures. There are, famously, 7 (or 8, depending on how you count defensive interference) ways for a batter to reach base (unless you fine-grain it into 23). However you count, all are based on the batter putting the ball in play and the defense having to catch the ball to complete an out, or on the pitcher not being able to throw too many pitches out of the strike zone (there is no magic number, but it is not one). This rule introduces a new idea--reaching base on one pitch, not batted into play, that is not otherwise significant and would not otherwise produce an out. I agree with the commentators who wonder whether the source of this rule actually likes or understands baseball.
The uncaught third strike analogy does not work. A batter becomes a runner on an uncaught third strike because that third strike is an otherwise significant pitch that would have produced an out had the catcher done his job. Moreover, the batter does not always become a runner on an uncaught third strike--he is out on strikes if first base is occupied with less than two out (for fear of creating Infield Fly-like perverse incentives). So there is a logic to when a batter does or does not become a runner. The new rule does not correspond to that logic and it is facile to label this a simple "extension" of that rule.
The new rule gives batters choices about when to try to reach base, which is otherwise unheard of in the game. A batter who hits the ball in fair play cannot "choose" whether to run--he must run. A batter cannot "decline" a walk to continue batting. The batter's choice begins and ends with whether to swing a bat. A batter cannot even decline to become a runner on an uncaught third strike--he must run. The game does not otherwise recognize the concept of a batter advancing "at his own risk"--at his option rather than forced; the batter is always forced to run when certain things happen. There is no logic to introducing this one optional situation.
The stories I have read do not explain what happens on a ball that goes to the backstop with force-outs in effect on the bases (e.g., bases loaded or 1st/2d) and less than two out. Under ordinary rules, the runners can advance at their own risk on what would be a wild pitch or passed ball and they would have to be tagged. But if the batter attempts to run to first, that would force the runners to advance. Does this play now become a force on the lead runner at home? And how will anyone--the runners or the umpires--know? What if the runners do not plan to run (thinking the ball did not roll far enough away from the catcher) but the batter does run--now the runners are forced to advance but were not expecting to. There is no other situation in which everyone does not know in advance of the play what is a force-out and what is not, because the batter usually does not have a choice between running or not--this potentially adds some confusion. Or the new rule is limited to non-force-out situations--again, for no good reason.
This rule is part of a package that the Atlantic League and MLB are piloting. Two others are liberalizing what constitutes a check swing and allowing two foul bunts with two strikes before it is a strikeout. Again, all are designed to help batters and create offense, although at the risk of prolonging games that are already (it is said) too long. There is no obvious logic.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on July 15, 2019 at 09:25 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (6)
Balls, strikes, and ground-rule doubles
In his opinion concurring in the judgment in Kisor v. Wilkie and arguing for overruling Auer deference, Justice Kavanaugh gave us this:
Umpires in games at Wrigley Field do not defer to the Cubs manager's in-game interpretation of Wrigley's ground rules. So too here.
I know analogies are only analogies and never exact. But they should be close enough to be helpful and this one is not. The problem is that the role of the Cubs and the role of an administrative agency, such as the VA, are not the same in one critical respect--an agency is charged with enforcing the regulations that it enacts, the Cubs are not.
An agency is charged with enforcing a statute, including making regulations to assist with that enforcement. Auer deference thus makes sense for the same reason that Chevron deference makes sense--give the enforcing agency some room to carry out its enforcement obligations, so long as its interpretations are reasonable. The Cubs' responsibility is to enact ground rules unique to their park--e.g., a ball that sticks in the outfield-wall ivy is a dead ball, the batter awarded second base, and runners awarded two bases--but not to enforce those ground rules, a power that rests with the umpires in the first instance.
It seems to me that this makes a difference, rendering the analogy pointless. There may be good reasons not to defer to an agency's interpretation of the regs it is charged with enforcing. One of those reasons is not that we do not defer to a different "agency's" interpretation of the regs it enacts but is not charged with enforcing.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 26, 2019 at 06:06 PM in Howard Wasserman, Judicial Process, Sports | Permalink | Comments (7)
Basketball trumps football for UConn
News that UConn is leaving the AAC to return to the Big East (now as the lone non-private-Catholic school and one of two non-Catholic schools, with Butler (ed.)) reminds me of this post about whether to preference basketball or football. The original Big East dissolved because the schools with football history and ambition wanted more, causing three early members (Pitt, Syracuse, and BC) to eventually leave for the ACC and the Catholic schools that did not want to have big-time football to break away (rebranding as the new Big East). UConn was the one original/early Big East school without a good home when the music stopped--still wanting big-time football but not good enough at it (or in a big-enough market) to attract the ACC or Big 12.
This move shows UConn prioritizing its non-football teams, especially men's and women's basketball. No team in the AAC could compete with UConn in women's basketball--the women never lost a conference game. And the AAC was a lower-profile conference from which it was harder for the men to build a national-championship-level team (although it is impossible to know if the problem was the conference or being unable to replace Jim Calhoun as coach). UConn plans to maintain FBS football, so it is considering options for that team--staying in the AAC as a football-only school (Navy holds the same status), becoming a football independent, or joining another conference as football-only, perhaps C-USA (which is where FIU plays).
But this is the rare example of a school doing something to benefit its basketball teams at the expense of its football team.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 22, 2019 at 07:15 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
Pozen on video review and soccer
A nice takedown by David Pozen of how VAR alters the "rules" of soccer, for the worse. Pozen's argument echoes this piece on how body cameras affect policing.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 21, 2019 at 12:31 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
Politics and sports, again
The Fresno Grizzlies, the Washington Nationals' AAA affiliate, is being criticized for a video it showed on the scoreboard during its Memorial Day game. Images were shown over the sound of Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural; when the speech turned to "enemies of freedom," the video showed Kim Jong-un, Fidel Castro, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and various protesters holding ANTIFA and "NO TRUMP NO KKK" signs. The team has apologized to Ocasio-Cortez specifically and to fans generally; the official team line is that the video was produced by a third party and found online (it seems to be available on You Tube) and no one with decisionmaking authority within the organization watched the whole thing.
This piece of an article, quoting Grizzlies General Manager Derek Franks is interesting:
Franks said it wasn’t a deliberate attack by the employee or the Grizzlies organization on the congresswoman.
“No, no, no, not at all,“ Franks said. “There was no ulterior motive. Our goal is never to mix baseball and politics and in this case, this was not an exception that was made. It was simply a careless mistake that we will make sure never happens again.”
First, bullshit as to the employee's intent. I can believe it was not a deliberate attack by the organization; I buy the excuse that no one with real authority in the organization watched the whole video. That is gross negligence, but not necessarily deliberate. But some low-level lackey must have watched the entire thing and put it forward, probably figuring no one above him was going to check his work.
Second, bullshit on the team not wanting to mix baseball and politics. It is impossible to not mix baseball and politics because baseball is loaded with politics. Otherwise the Grizzlies never would have shown the video. To suggest otherwise defines politics to mean partisanship--the National Anthem or a patriotic video is not political because both parties sing and like it. This is nonsense (even allowing that a speech by Ronald Reagan is non-partisan). There is nothing wrong with mixing baseball and politics--we have been doing it for 100+years--although it makes sense to keep your political message as anodyne as possible to avoid situations like this. But own the political nature of it.
Third, I am less troubled by the inclusion of Ocasio-Cortez (although I appreciate her complaint that things like this ramp-up the barrage of hate mail and threats she receives*) than I am by the inclusion of images of protesters. The idea that protesting--including protesting fascists, an unpopular President, and the KKK--makes someone an enemy of freedom to be defeated is, unfortunately, telling about where we have landed.
[*] And some morons cannot resist making things worse even when purporting to defuse the situation. Fresno Councilman Gary Bredefield called the video inappropriate, but could not stop himself from adding that socialism "is the exact opposite of our founding principles and traditional values"--in other words, that Ocasio-Cortez's political ideas, and thus Ocasio-Cortez, are un-American. Think that might set-off a few crazies with Twitter accounts?
Read more here: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article230903884.html#storylink=cpy//www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article230903884.html#storylink=cpy
Posted by Howard Wasserman on May 29, 2019 at 10:31 AM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
FIU Micro-Symposium: Infield Fly Rule Is in Effect (Updated)
I am happy to announce that FIU Law Review has published a micro-symposium on my book, Infield Fly Rule Is in Effect. We found nine people, in and out of legal academia, to write short comments, followed by my overall response. This was fun to put together.
I want to flag two contributions containing ideas that I really wish I had seen or thought of myself while I was writing the book, if only to respond to them.
Rob Nelson, a former minor-league pitcher and the founder of Big League Chew, introduced what he called the "Enfield Fly Rule." There are two versions, both designed to keep the basic protections of the Rule in place but denying to the defense any windfall from an unintentional drop. Under one version, an infield fly is a foul ball, so the batter is out if it is caught and the ball is foul if it is not caught. Under a second version, the ball is fair and live if caught (so the runners could tag-up), but a do-over if not caught (so it does not even count as a strike).
Spencer Waller (Loyola) identifies another non-baseball situation requiring a limiting rule--flopping in soccer and in basketball. Both fit the criteria I described for when a limiting rule is needed to deter the conduct and avoid an extraordinary benefit. What is interesting is that the solution both soccer and basketball have come up with is post-game sanctions of fines and/or suspensions should officials, upon reviewing plays on video, identify a flop. But these rules do nothing to sanction or deter the flop in the moment, thereby allowing the flopping player to gain the benefit of the flop (a penalty kick or red card in soccer, free throws or a turnover in basketball). So fines or suspensions may not provide sufficient deterrence against the conduct--a player may deem the flop worth it in the moment to allow his team to win, willing to deal with a fine or even one-game suspension after the fact.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on May 23, 2019 at 11:48 AM in Article Spotlight, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ballparks as public spaces and free speech
Interesting interview with architectural critic Paul Goldberger about his new book, Ballpark: Baseball in the American City, in which he describes baseball parks as "a key part of a whole category of public space in the American city." I have a thing for old ballparks, so I look forward to seeing the book.
Goldberger's conception of the ballpark as "public space" is key to my arguments about fan speech. Because the First Amendment is understood as making (publicly owned or controlled) public spaces open for expressive activities, at least so long as expression is not inconsistent with other uses of that space. The grandstand of a ballpark is a large speech zone--the whole point of the space is to allow fans to speak in the form of cheering, shouting, waving signs, etc.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on May 15, 2019 at 09:31 AM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (5)
On the need and scope of the Infield Fly Rule, Exhibit # 613
The Mariners turned a double play against the Angels on a fly ball to second base, on a play that illustrates two points about the need for and scope of the Infield Fly Rule.
The Angels had runner on first with one out. The runner, Brian Goodwin, broke for second; the batter, Justin Bour, popped the ball on the infield dirt near the second baseman. Goodwin ran back to first, while Bour, assuming the ball would be caught, began walking towards the dugout. Seeing this, one Mariners infielder yelled to his teammate to let the ball fall to the ground, which he did. He threw to second for the force on Goodwin (the third baseman was covering second on a shift against the lefty Bour), then a relay to first for the inning-ending double play on the non-running batter.
This demonstrates why baseball does not have or need a limiting rule for fly balls with a runner on first base only (so a force in effect at only one base). There would have been no chance for a double play on this play had Bour run (or even jogged) to first base. The Mariners might have chosen to let the ball fall to the ground to get the one out as a force on the speedy Goodwin while allowing Bour to reach first. But that is a relatively equitable exchange--one out for one baserunner, with a loss of speed on the basepaths. The Mariners gained the inequitable advantage of an inning-ending double play only because Bour did not do what he is expected to do--run to first base on a batted ball.
The video provides a great shot of why the Infield Fly Rule is necessary. Watch the play, imagining a second baserunner on second. We can see how easy it would have been for the second baseman to let the ball hit the ground and immediately make the first of one or two throws for a double play--had the fielder been quicker grabbing the ball off the ground, he could have made one throw to second base for a tag-the-runner-on-second/tag-the-base-to-force-the-runner-on-first double play. And we can see how screwed the baserunnners would be. Having run all the way back to first, Goodwin could not turn around and run 90 feet the other way in time to beat the throws; neither could a second baserunner. And this is with the defense being somewhat nonchalant on the play and a bit confused, because it was unexpected. Imagine life without the Infield Fly Rule, when the defense plans and practices for this play and is ready to pull it off.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on April 20, 2019 at 04:25 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
Football or basketball? Boise State or Gonzaga?
A thought hatched while watching the first two rounds of March Madness and the various mid-major schools winning or playing competitive: If you run a university and want to make a name for yourself through athletics, would you rather have a good football program or a good basketball program and is it better to throw (a limited amount of) money into developing football or basketball?
The prevailing answer is football, because that draws more alumni interest and money. Schools such as UNC, Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky (or Indiana and UConn back in the day)--consistently great in basketball, generally non-competitive with the rare-blip exception in football--still believe that football success is essential. Jealousy of football contributed to the fall of the original Big East (which has been reborn as a basketball-first conference of Catholic schools, all technically east of somewhere). On the other hand, success in basketball seems easier to obtain--a basketball program costs less than a football program and success can be established by snagging two or three great players. And basketball comes without football's physical and moral baggage.
This question is especially salient for schools such as FIU--non-flagship public schools in a low-mid-major conference (comprised of similar schools and one former SWC school no one else wanted) with a finite amount of money to spend on this project. Consider:
Sustained football success caps out at competition in the conference, conference championships, and invitations to obscure, middish-December bowl games that no one watches against similar low-mid-major schools. The chance to make that leap is limited by the conference. And even if you make the leap, you remain locked out of the highest level of competing for a national championship, which will never look beyond the power conferences and Notre Dame. And all this requires a lot of money and a lot of player, who may suffer severe mental and physical problems because of the sport.
Sustained basketball success could mean consistent appearances in the NCAA Tournament, with early-round games watched or followed by many people and early-round victories offering more opportunities to play top-level teams on national tv. There is a chance, however remote, to play for a national championship. The Tournament Selection Committee is at least a bit more solicitous of non-power-conference schools, this year inviting multiple schools from some non-major conferences.
The question, in short: Is it better to be Boise State or Central Florida in football or Gonzaga or Wichita State or Towson or George Mason in basketball? The prevailing wisdom is the former; I would take the latter.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on March 23, 2019 at 04:14 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports, Teaching Law | Permalink | Comments (5)
New flag controversy at Ole Miss, different result (so far)
Prior to a game played while about 100 pro-Confederacy protesters marched through Oxford and onto campus a few hundred feet from the arena, where they were met by about 50 counter-protesters.
At least so far, no one has criticized the players, not even the President. I am curious whether anyone will do so, given that this in specific response to what many people regard as a racist rally by a "hate group." This also highlights the changing meaning of using the flag to counter-speak--the message here was different in context than what Kaepernick did. Finally, we have clear state action here, unlike with the NFL; any attempt to punish the players would implicate First Amendment rights.
Ole Miss Coach Kermit Davis spoke about it after the game (video is embedded in some of the links above):
This was all about the hate groups that came to our community trying to spread racism and bigotry, you know, in our community. It’s created a lot of tension for our campus. I think our players made an emotional decision to show these people they’re not welcome on our campus. We respect our players freedom and ability to choose that.”
Davis' support is important because when was announced as coach last spring, he went out of his way to announce that he would create a program with a "respectful team that respects the flag and the National Anthem." Perhaps he now realizes that these protests are not disrespectful--or at least that it is not as simple as throwing around the word respect.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on February 24, 2019 at 01:12 PM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (4)
Frivolous lawsuits for me but not for thee
What are the odds that the New Orleans Saints season-ticket holders bringing these absurd lawsuits vote Republican and support litigation reform?
Posted by Howard Wasserman on January 22, 2019 at 11:31 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (10)
Ipse Dixit on the Infield Fly Rule
On Thursday, I did an interview with Brian L. Frye (Kentucky) for his Ipse Dixit Podcast on my new book on the infield fly rule. It was a fun conversation.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on December 20, 2018 at 05:21 PM in Books, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
A different take on the purpose of the Infield Fly Rule
Baseball historian (and paralegal) Richard Hershberger for the fall 2018 issue of SABR's Baseball Research Journal argues that the infield fly rule developed from the difficulty of defining and determining when an infielder had caught the ball. He traces the 20-year evolution of the definition of catch, including the development and use of a "momentarily held" standard for only infield-fly situations (the batter is out if the infielder "momentarily held" the batted ball). This marked an "expansion" of when the batter is out, removing for baserunners, umpires, and infielders confusion over when the ball was caught and thus over whether they were forced to run. The ultimate Infield Fly Rule took this to its logical conclusion, but rendering the batter out no matter if, how, or how long the infielder touched the ball.
I am sorry this paper was not out while I was writing the book; I would have enjoyed discussing and responding to it in the book.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on December 19, 2018 at 07:13 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (2)
Infield Fly Rule is in Effect: The History and Strategy of Baseball's Most (In)Famous Rule
I am thrilled to announce that Infield Fly Rule is in Effect: The History and Strategy of Baseball's Most (In)Famous Rule has been published by McFarland Press. This brings together all the writing I have been doing on the subject since 2012, in multiple law review articles and on this blog, including a full eight seasons of an empirical study of the rule's invocation.
Makes a great gift for the baseball fan in your life. And there are four more days of Channukah and three weeks until Christmas.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on December 6, 2018 at 09:31 AM in Books, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (3)
Perfection, athletic skills, and sports
This Deadpsin piece defends the scoring system in gymnastics, under which Simon Biles won the all-around despite falling in two events (her routines have such a higher degree of difficulty than everyone else that even large point deductions for falls do not bring her back to the pack.
The piece includes the following:
Gymnastics is is an aesthetic, performance-based sport. As such, its ideas of winning and perfection are deeply intertwined. The history of the sport suggest that victory and perfection often go hand in hand, and that you can’t have the former without the latter.
Ideas about “perfection” exist in other sports too. There is such a thing as a perfect game in baseball, and they are always the same—a pitcher faces 27 batters and gets them all out in order. Football’s quarterback ratings are notably, ridiculous obscure, but an upper boundary exists and a few dozen quarterbacks have hit it over the years. Perfection is as rare in those disciplines as it is anywhere else. It’s special, but by no means a guarantee of victory. A pitcher can be perfect through nine and watch his bullpen blow it in the tenth; a quarterback putting up a perfect 158.3 has given his team a chance to win, but only a chance.
This captures my line between sport and non-sport. Performing skills perfectly or well is intertwined with victory in non-sports, because victory is determined by a judgment on the internal value and quality of those skills. Victory in sport is extrinsic, determined by the outcome of the performance of the skills and not by the skills themselves. This is true not only for the aesthetic quality of the skill (how nice the jump shot looks or how hard the pitcher throws), but the overall performance of those skills, which still may not produce victory.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on November 4, 2018 at 09:31 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (2)
Update on the Yiddishe World Series
We are three games into the 2018 World Series, featuring one Jewish player on each team. The first two games, both Red Sox wins, were quiet on this front. Ian Kinsler started both games at second for the Red Sox and was a combined 1-for-7 with an RBI. Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson did not start either game; he was one of the Dodgers' four top hitters, all left-handers, who did not start against lefty starters, although he entered both games late, going 0-for-3 combined.
Game Three, an 18-inning Dodger win and the longest game in World Series history, had the Great, the Good, and the Ugly for the Chosen People.
The great:
Sandy Koufax gave Dodger starter Walker Buehler a standing ovation as Buehler left the mound after pitching seven innings of two-hit shutout ball with nine strikeouts. Koufax is two months shy of 83 and looks as if he still could pitch.
Pederson gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead with a home run in the third. But for a blown save, that would have been the game-winning hit.
The ugly:
Kinsler. Inserted as a pinch-runner in the 10th, Kinsler was almost picked-off first. He was called safe and the call upheld on replay review, although it was close. Kinsler then advanced to third on a single, but overslid third base and barely scrambled to get his foot back on the base before being tagged. He then was thrown out trying to score on a fly ball to center. The throw was off-line, up the third-base line. But Kinsler got such a slow break off third that he basically ran into the tag about fifteen feet before the plate.
Then, with the Sox up 2-1 with two out in the bottom of the 13th, Kinsler's wild throw on a grounder up the middle allowed the tying run to score and the game to continue for five more innings and a 14th-inning stretch. Game Four in about nine hours.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on October 27, 2018 at 10:36 AM in Howard Wasserman, Religion, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
Infield Fly Rule as Mitzvah
On last week's edition of Tablet Magazine's Unorthodox podcast, a listener letter (read at the 1:07 mark) argues that baseball is the most Jewish sport, because it has "long tradition, weird and obscure rules that are subject to interpretation and doesn't change on a whim."
I like it, but it got me thinking: Which of the 613 Mitzvot is analogous to the Infield Fly Rule?
Posted by Howard Wasserman on October 21, 2018 at 09:31 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (3)
Historical baseball note
This may prove premature; if so, I apologize. The Red Sox and Dodgers, two of MLB's historic franchises, are each one game away from the World Series, so I had to look up whether they had ever met in the World Series in those long histories. The answer is in 1916, when Babe Ruth was the Red Sox star pitcher and the team from Brooklyn was known as the Robins. The broadcasters could have fun with this one.
Catch-up rule in baseball
I missed this paper by two game theorists (one at NYU) and some news stories about it. It proposes the following change to baseball's rules: A team that is leading gets only two outs in its turn at bat. The goal is to shorten games and to make games more competitive by giving trailing teams an opportunity to come back. It then applied the rule to all MLB games from 1967-2017, finding that it shortened the average game by about five outs (about 24 minutes) and the average score difference by more than one run. I am not sure what to think about this, although WSJ sports columnist Jason Gay is a fan (subscription required).
Posted by Howard Wasserman on October 13, 2018 at 12:21 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (11)
Back-to-back Jewish World Series
Baseball's final four is set and all four teams have one Jewish player--Ian Kinsler (Red Sox), budding superstar Alex Bregman (Astros), Joc Pederson (Dodgers), and Ryan Braun (Brewers). This means we are guaranteed a consecutive two-Jew World Series for the first time (previous two-Jew Series before last year were 2004, 1959, 1945, and 1940). Moreover, each is a regular starter for his team.
Truly baseball's new gildene elter.
An infield fly rule for fake fair catches?
Last weekend, North Texas pulled off an amazing trick play, scoring a touchdown on a punt return by having the entire team (and everyone had to be involved) pretend the returner had called for a fair catch, then racing upfield when opposing players ran to the sideline believing the play was over. On Tuesday, there were conflicting reports as to whether the NCAA was considering outlawing the play. This New York Magazine piece by Will Leitch suggests a rule change may be necessary, with arguments sounding in the infield fly rule.
The infield fly rule (and similar rules) is necessary to address situations defined by four elements: Team A acts contrary to ordinary athletic expectations or fails to do what is ordinarily expected; that move produces an extraordinary cost-benefit advantage; Team B is powerless to counter the move in light of the game's rules, practices, and structure; and that imbalance creates a perverse incentive for Team A to try this often. Leitch's piece suggests that this is a situation requiring a limiting rule.
The key is the third element of Team B's powerlessness to counter the play in light of the game's structure. The punting team's counter is obvious--play to the whistle and hit the ball carrier unless you see the fair-catch signal and/or hear the whistle. But Leitch argues that the renewed focus on head injuries and player safety has changed that calculus. Tacklers no longer want to light-up a defenseless ball carrier and likely will draw a penalty for doing so, even if the hit was legal, because it "looks bad" and results in an injury. And it already can be hard for the punt coverage team to see and determine the fair catch signal. North Texas' coaches essentially exploited that reluctance and that limitation on the tackler.
So while there is a counter, it is one that the tackling team will be unable to utilize without risking penalties on anything that looks close, making not a meaningful counter. Alternatively, if such hits are not going to be called, Team B gets its counter, but it is one the game's rulemakers will not want to encourage. This become a situation that gives one side a cost-benefit advantage (and thus a perverse incentive) and leaves the other powerless to respond, at least without creating other problems in the game's structure.
My first thought after this play was that it was a one-time, not-replicable event, because punt-coverage players now will be instructed to hit the returner unless they hear the whistle on the fair catch. Leitch's piece convinced me otherwise, that the cultural shift away from hitting defenseless players creates a limit on the tackling team and thus a control disparity that requires a limiting rule.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on September 20, 2018 at 11:50 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (3)
Serena and the umpire
I am a week late to the conversation about the blowup between Serena Williams and the chair umpire during the US Open women's final. I do believe there is a race-and-gender piece to this, although it is not as simple or direct as some make it out to be. Kevin Drum has a good blow-by-blow of events and I agree with his descriptions and conclusions. I repeat some of his points with additional commentary below.
• The first called violation and warning, for coaching, was correct, as even her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, admitted he was coaching. And however common coaching is,* it does get called, against men and women, black and white. And this chair umpire is known to call it more than others. This perhaps could have been an instance in which Mitch Berman's temporal variance was appropriate and it should not have been called midway through the second set of a Grand Slam final. And race and sex might have had something (not everything, but something) to do with the umpire's willingness to call a ticky-tack violation at that key time.** On the other hand, Drum points out that the coaching was not subtle, so an easy target for this call.
[*] Or should be. I recognize the argument, that Mouratoglou made when interviewed after the match, that the rule should be eliminated. That has no role to play here. Civil disobedience is still a crime and still punishable until the unjust law is repealed.
[**] Berman's temporal variance argument begins with one of Williams' previous officiating meltdowns, in the 2009 Open semi-finals.Williams was called for a foot fault on a second serve when she was down 15-30 and serving to stay in the match. The call pushed her to 15-40 and match point. That prompted Williams to threaten the line judge, resulting in a code violation. And because Williams had received a violation for--wait for it--smashing her racket, the violation resulted in a point penalty and the end of the match. Pattern of behavior? Pattern of targeting the African-American woman with ticky-tack calls at key moments? Bit of both?
• The interesting thing about this call--and the thing that caused many of the subsequent problems--was that Williams took it as a personal affront to her, an accusation that she was cheating. She protested the call by talking about her daughter and how she would rather lose than cheat; her later demand for an apology was premised on this understanding, that the ump had accused her of cheating. But any "cheating" was by the coach, not Williams. Coaching is "communication, advice or instruction of any kind and by any means to a player," which Mouratoglou was blatantly and not subtly doing via hand signals; the rule does not require that the player see, hear, or respond to the coaching, only that the coach engage in communication. So her taking this as an affront to her honesty or sportsmanship misunderstands the nature of the rule. The player is punished for the coach's misconduct (presumably so the player will tell the coach to knock it off). But the player need not do anything wrong for the infraction to be called.
• Williams somewhat undermined her own cause here. She insisted that she had not seen any coaching, but that is beside the point. But Williams also said she had looked up and seen Mouratoglou, but he only was giving her the thumb's-up. This suggests that she saw something and there was some communuication. Unfortunately for Serena, the cameras were following Mouratoglou and it appeared he was doing much more than giving the thumb's-up.
• The second violation, for breaking the racket, which resulted in a point penalty as a second infraction, is a no-brainer--she did, in fact, destroy her equiment. And, again, the argument that the rule is stupid and made for a game that was played by delicate white men and not strong, athletic, competitive African-American women is beside the point. Again, if the rule is bad, change the rule; otherwise, follow it. A game before Osaka had slammed her racket after a mistake, but the racket did not break, so there was no violation.
• My point of departure from Drum is whether sex (and race) had anything to do with the third violation, for umpire abuse (which resulted in the game penalty). This was a judgment call and Williams was ranting. But we see men's players, especially the top men's players, given a lot more leeway in arguing with officials; it is difficult to imagine any of the top-three men's players getting called for saying the same things Williams did, especially at that point in a championship match. This infraction was not called solely because Williams is an African-American woman. But it is not an unreasonable inference that the umpire's fuse was shorter with her than it would have been with a white man, especially accounting for her position as the GOAT and the idea that the GOAT gets away with more.
• The one reason the call makes sense, apart from race and sex, is that Williams personalized it--she said, "You're a thief." Baseball umpires, asked about the magic word that will prompt them to eject a player, say "You"--in other words, players can say a lot of words, as long as they do not personalize those words to the umpire. (To use the famous example in the movie Bull Durham, Crash does not get ejected when he screams cocksucker at the umpire, only when he says to the umpire "you're a cocksucker."). I am not sure if it is the same in tennis, but that could set her comments apart.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on September 14, 2018 at 10:52 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (15)
Two free expression stories for Labor Day
First, Nike is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Just Do It campaign. Here is the opening image, with the tag line "Believe in Something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." Good for Nike, which has always mixed its product advertising with political messages. I assume the company calculated the lost sales from the more than half the country that seems to oppose the player protests. Or it has more corporate courage than the NFL.
Second, a group called USA Latinx raised almost $ 10,000 in one day to rent this billboard for about $6000. The fundraising effort was helped by Parkland survivor David Hogg, who tweeted about the campaign. The billboard is a response to President Trump's announced plan to come to Texas to hold a rally in a big stadium in support of Ted Cruz's re-election campaign. Several contributors to the GoFundMe campaign urged the group to raise more money to put these ads all over the state.
I presume USA Latinx believes that money is not speech, that corporations have no speech rights, and that Citizens United is the fourth-worst SCOTUS decision ever. Do its leaders realize that this is a campaign expenditure and that they are a corporation or other entity? Do they realize that if money were not speech, there would be no limit on government halting such expenditures? Do they realize that a $ 5000 expenditure limit or a bar on expenditures within 90 days of an election (all perfectly lawful if money is not speech) renders this unlawful?
Posted by Howard Wasserman on September 3, 2018 at 05:48 PM in Culture, First Amendment, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (5)
Every snowflake is different
How is this complaint about NFL player protests from the head of the Broward County PBA different from the complaints from liberals (on- and off-campus) who are derided as "snowflakes" for objecting to Richard Spencer, Milo Yiannapoulos, Chick Fil-A, et al. The PBA is calling on members to boycott and not do business with the team. It is demanding that the Dolphins no-platform the players, calling on an entity to deny a speaker the opportunity to present his message. And the complaint is that the speaker's message is a "slap in the face" to the complainer, who is offended by the speech. There is no practical difference between the two situations.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on August 12, 2018 at 02:44 PM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (9)
Flag protests and public employees
The assumption among supporters of protesting NFL players and critics of the NFL is that the league is trampling on the players' free-speech rights, that the players have a free-speech right to protest the anthem, save for the absence of state action. But the assumption is that if there were state action, the First Amendment would protect the players. Let's push on that question, with a hypothetical to which I genuinely do not know the answer:
The head of a government agency or office (it does not matter what level of government or what office) has decreed that the workday shall begin every day at 8:30 a.m. by everyone in the office standing before the flag with hands over hearts, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and sing America, the Beautiful. The director explains that this symbolic reaffirmation of America reminds public officers of their obligations to the Constitution and to the public they serve in performing their jobs. Must an objecting employer, who believes that America's criminal-justice policies are discriminatory, participate in this ritual?
There are several doctrinal paths competing for attention here.
1) Barnette says students cannot be made to participate in the flag salute. By extension, it should mean other people cannot be compelled to participate in other patriotic rituals. Certainly Jackson's rhetoric speaks of patriotic rituals, not only the Pledge in schools. There also is a nice question of how far the Barnette protection extends--to speaking the words of the Pledge or anthem or to all engagement in the ritual. In other words, does Barnette mean you can opt-out entirely by kneeling or sitting or leaving the room? Or does it only mean you cannot be compelled to utter the word, but can be made to stand there, even at attention?
2) Employee speech rights within the workplace are limited, under the Garcetti/Connick/Pickering line of cases. Workplace speech that is part of the job is per se unprotected, while Connick/Pickering ask whether speech (whether in or out of the workplace) is on a matter of public concern and whether the employer's interests outweigh the employee's expressive interests. But on-the-job core political speech, however offensive, that does not affect government operations is protected. Thus a deputy sheriff could not be fired for stating, in a conversation with co-workers, her hope that a second assassination attempt on President Reagan would succeed.
3) Janus can be read to accord public employees greater protection against compelled speech than they enjoy against restrictions on their own speech, a criticism Justice Kagan leveled in her dissent. Kagan also predicted that Janus was about limiting public unions, not compelled speech generally, so a rule compelling employees to speak in a way other than donating money to a union.
So what might be the answer to my hypo? There are a couple of threshold question. First is how we should understand what the protesting employee (or an NFL player) is doing. Is he seeking to opt out of having to utter the government's message? Or is he trying to make his own affirmative statement about something (e.g., police violence)? This makes a difference between whether we are in Barnette/Janus or Garcetti/Pickering. Second is how much deference the court owes the government in defining what speech is part of the job. So will the court buy the government argument that the pre-opening patriotic ritual is designed to remind employees of their public duties and obligations and thus part of their public jobs. And, if not and we are in Connick/Pickering, how disruptive of the workplace the court deems non-participation to be. Third, if this is compelled speech, can it really be that children in school enjoy greater protection against compelled speech than adults in the workplace?
Again, I do not know the answers, although I know I believe it should come out. Thoughts?
Posted by Howard Wasserman on August 11, 2018 at 11:41 AM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (3)
State action and NFL protests
This morning, I participated in a discussion group at SEALS on the NFL protests; other discussants were Todd Clark (UNC Central), dre cummings (Arkansas-Little Rock), Michael Green (Texas A&M), and Arnold Loewy (Texas Tech). For my piece, I threw out some arguments under which the NFL or its teams could be deemed to act under color of state law and thus become subject to First Amendment limitations. I do not believe the arguments are especially strong, but I flesh them out after the jump. I consider two circumstances: 1) the current one, in which the NFL is seeking to stop players from protesting. and 2) an Indiana proposal that would require teams to provide refunds to fans offended by players kneeling at Colts game (this was introduced in December 2017 and nothing has been done, so I doubt this remains a live possibility).
1) Close Nexus: Private actors act under color if they act under compulsion, coercion, or "overwhelming encouragement" of state officials. There is evidence that the league and the owners have acted out of fear of President Trump's tweets and general demagoguery and a desire to appease the President. Is that sufficient coercion or encouragement? Does it matter that the tweets are targeted specifically at the NFL and even particular players? I doubt this works, but the outline of the argument is there.
2) Symbiotic Relationship. A powerful (if questionably valid) basis is when there is an exchange of mutual benefits between the government and private actor, including where the government benefits from the unconstitutional conduct. The key here is the militarization of the NFL. The military and Department of Defense have paid the NFL millions of dollars to have the league promote patriotism and the military and player participation in the ritual is part of that.* The NFL gets a lot of money, the military and government is promoted and uses this as recruiting opportunities. To the extent those arrangements depend on a clean patriotic presentation and player protests interfere with that, perhaps limiting player protests could be seen as a way to maintain its arrangement with the military. We probably need to learn more about the deals between the NFL and DOD--what each party gets and what the league is expected to do as part of the deal. Again, this is tough, especially because some lower courts do not accept this as a valid test.
[*] On the radio program I did last month, former NFL player Joselio Hanson pointed out that the players remained in the locker room during the anthem prior to 2009. That change suggests a connection between player participation and the business deal between the league and the government.
The state action arguments work better as against the Indiana proposal, which will not become law in Indiana, nor will anything similar become law elsewhere.
3) The Indiana bill creates a close nexus, as the threat of monetary liability to the objecting fans compels or coerces the team to prohibit the players from protesting. Although the trigger for the monetary loss is a private complaint rather than a government-imposed find, the obligation of the teams to respond to the private complaint is government-imposed. In the same way that tort liability and a government fine are the same for state-action purposes, a compelled refund and government fine should be the same.
4) The Indiana bill resembles landlord ordinances. Landlords are threatened with fines or loss of license for having too many tenant 911 calls for disturbing the peace (including calls seeking help from domestic violence); the solution for landlords is to evict these tenants, prompting the tenants to refrain from calling 911, thereby increasing their vulnerability to violence. Although the eviction or threat of eviction comes from the private landlord, it is prompted by the threat of fines or loss of license if they do not evict. The same is going on here--the team is threatened with financial loss to the complaining fan, so it restricts the players' (constitutionally protected) conduct that might cause the team that loss. There is an extra player in the mix compared with the landlord situation; the latter has the government, the landlord, and the tenant, while this has the government, the team, the players, and the complaining fan. But again, there should be no difference between a fine and private liability when both are compelled by the government.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on August 9, 2018 at 11:39 AM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (10)
More on the "Elam Ending" in Basketball (Updated)
I watched my first basketball game (in The Basketball Tournament) using the Elam Ending, the new rules designed to eliminate late-game fouling by a trailing team seeking to come back (the game clock is shut-off at the 4:00 mark and the teams play until one team reaches +7 points of the winning team when the clock was shut off). In this game, A lead X 80-74 at the 4:00 mark, so the target score was 87. X came back thanks to some big three-pointers and some sloppy offense by A to tie the score at 86. A won the game on a free throw following a questionable foul call on what looked like a clean steal that was about to lead to a possible game-winning fast-break for X.
1) X's offense during the untimed period still seemed rushed, in a hurry to throw up threes and get back a lot of points at once. Even with the clock off, there is a sense that, with A at 83 points, there are only a few possessions left, so they have to score in larger bunches, if not necessarily early in the shot clock.
2) I had thought that one goal was that with no clock, each team could execute its "normal" offense down the stretch, but I did not see that from either team. As I said, X seemed in a hurry to score and to shoot 3's. A seemed to tense up, not knowing how to play in this odd situation.
3) There still was an intentional foul. Leading 86-84, A intentionally fouled, giving X two free throws to tie the game, and give A the ball back with the chance to win, rather than risk a game-winning three. But this is equivalent to current practice of fouling up 3 in the closing seconds and a strategy I expected to survive.
Update: The Ringer considers NBA games with historically famous endings (including Michael Jordan's end-of-Bulls-career-game-winner) that would have been changed, while The Big Lead does the same with college games.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on July 26, 2018 at 11:40 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (3)
Three items for light reading and listening
Two unconnected items I found interesting.
1) David Sims of The Atlantic on the 20th anniversary of Saving Private Ryan and the sense of bitterness and pointlessness reflected in that and other of Spielberg's later movies. One of my early Prawfs post asks whether Private Ryan "earned" the sacrifices made for him and this ties into that.
2) Howard Bryant on the objections by some veterans to the commercialized faux patriotism and militarization of sports. (Bryant is the author of The Heritage: Black Athletes, A Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism and the article is outgrowth of some of the interviews he did for the book). Bryant is the guest in the first segment of this week's Hang Up and Listen podcast.
3) Slate's Christina Cauterucci criticizes the decision of the US Women's Soccer team to call up Jaelene Hinkle for an upcoming tournament. Two years ago, Hinkle declined a spot on the team for "personal reasons," which this spring she revealed to be objections to wearing a kit with rainbow-colored numbers to mark Pride Month, consistent with Hinkle's opposition to LGBT rights. Cauterucci argues that US Soccer "sold out" its LGBT players and fan base. Cauterucci is in the second segment of the podcast. Unfortunately left unsaid in this article and in the podcast segment is that it is impossible to adopt Cauterucci's argument and argue that NFL players should not have to stand for the anthem, without engaging in some pretty blatant viewpoint discrimination.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on July 24, 2018 at 04:46 PM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (4)
Infield shifts and limiting rules
Scoring is down in baseball this season (and has been on a downward trend in recent years). Some of the decline is being attributed to the increasing use of defensive shifts, especially against left-handed pull hitters, with teams situating four defenders to the right of second base and placing the second baseman in shallow right field, where he is close enough to field a grounder and throw out the runner. SI's Tom Verducci shows the effects and offers an "illegal defense" rule--prohibiting teams from placing three infielders on one side of the field (so the shortstop could be only as far as even with second base) or requiring infielders to have one foot on the infield dirt (removing the rover in short right field).
In devising a framework to explain the Infield Fly Rule and other rules that seek to limit or eliminate strategic moves within a sport, I distinguish true limiting rules from aesthetic rules. True limiting rules are designed to avoid or eliminate extraordinary cost-benefit imbalances on plays, while aesthetic rules are designed to ensure the beauty of the game. For example, the I/F/R and the rules on uncaught third strikes are true limiting rules; Offside in soccer or rules designed to limit end-of-game fouling in basketball are aesthetic.
I had thought of the possible responses to shifts as aesthetic, because the cost-benefit disadvantage was not unavoidable if the batter could and would learn to hit away from the shift. But the stats Verducci musters give me pause. There appears to be a structural disadvantage for left-handed hitters, something baked into the game that works against these players and that cannot be overcome, at least without altering the game. And while playing the second baseman in shallow right field is not as obviously contrary to expectations as intentionally not catching a fair fly ball, it is out of the ordinary for what we understand of the game.
So the need for an "illegal defense" rule may be not a question of making the game look good, it may be a question of its basic situational competitive balance.
Pine Tar at 35
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the PineTar Game, when the umpires overruled a home run and called out George Brett of the Royals for having too much pine tar on his bat, only to have the league reverse the decision, reinstate the home run, and have the teams complete the game (from two outs in the top of the ninth with the Royals leading). The game even produced scholarship on statutory construction and judicial decisionmaking. Video after the jump.
NFL and NFLPA enter standstill agreement on anthem policy (Updates)
Thursday saw sudden activity on the NFL's anthem policy. Late in the afternoon, reports revealed a "discipline schedule" submitted by the Miami Dolphins to the NFL listing improper anthem conduct (i.e., not standing at attention) as conduct detrimental to the club that could be punished by up to a four-week suspension. The Dolphins and the league quickly backtracked, insisting that this was a routine document that every team had to submit prior to the start of training camp and that the team had not decided if or how to punish protests, but that it "has no intention of suspending a player for four games based on any type of anthem protest."
Late in the evening, the NFL and NFL jointly announced a "standstill agreement" on the league policy and the union grievance (filed last week). The league will not issue or enforce new regulations, the union will stay its grievance, and the sides will continue ongoing confidential discussions. I agree with Deadspin that this is another example of the NFL's incompetence and inability to get out of its own way on this issue--it pushed the policy through as a display of muscle at a time when the issue had mostly dropped off the radar, then abandoned that policy in the face of the grievance and the bad press the Dolphins received this afternoon.
At least the President will have something new to tweet about tomorrow morning. [Update: It took a day longer than I expected, but the tweet that arrived had the advantage of blatant lies about the content of NFL player contracts. And I like the response of NFLPA President Eric Winston] (Actually, it would be nice to spin a conspiracy that the NFL and the owners have taken this self-inflicted wound as an intentional wag-the-dog move to help the President avoid the continued fallout of his meeting with Putin).
I will close on a serious question underlying all of this: Could a public employer require its employees to recite the Pledge or sing the anthem at the start of each day, as part of the job? Janus suggests that the limits on public-employee speech (in which speech that is part of the job cannot form the basis for a First Amendment claim) do not apply to rules compelling employees to speak as part of their job. But does that hold outside of union fees? There is an argument that an employer (even one bound by First Amendment doctrine) can control its employees' speech. But is that equally true for an employer seeking to compel its employees' speech?
Second Update: Conor Friedersdorf of the The Atlantic urges NFL players to square the circle--continue protesting while not playing into Trump's hands. The problem is that the anthem remains their most visible expressive platform. If any flag- or anthem-related protest will be demagogued by this President, as surely will be the case, I am not sure what the players can do.
Is competitive eating a sport?
I should have written this last week, after watching the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, but I never got around to it. Anyway, is competitive eating a sport? The announcers spent a lot of the broadcast talking about how 11-time champion Joey Chestnut trained and worked his mouth, jaws, esophagus, and digestive tract to take and swallow such large amounts of food.
My four-part definition of sport is: 1) Large motor skills; 2) Simple machines; 3) Competition; and 4) Outcome determined by success in performing skills to achieve some other instrumental end, rather than for the virtue of the skill itself. Numbers 2-4 are satisfied--it is a competition, no machines are involved, and the skill of eating and swallowing is performed to the end of consuming lots of food. So the question is whether chewing and swallowing qualify as large motor skills.
Ali/Trump
Before leaving for Canada, the President made statements at the White House that he is "very seriously" thinking about issuing a pardon for Muhammad Ali and that protesting NFL players should let him know about "people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system" or of "friends of theirs or people they know about." I know this was Trump speaking off the cuff, which is not something he is good at (at least if we are looking for things that make sense). And it is on a silly subject, compared with other behavior by him and his administration. But there is a lot here that illustrates how the President understands (or misunderstands) the world, politics, the Constitution, his power, and law.
• Ali's conviction for refusing induction was reversed on appeal, the United States never reprosecuted him, and DOJ conceded that Ali's objections to induction were religiously based and that his beliefs were sincerely held. As Ali's lawyer stated in response to the President's offer, there is nothing for which Ali must be pardoned, as he has no existing conviction and is not under threat of future prosecution for his past actions. Is Trump aware of that?
• In Trump's world, someone who declines to engage in a patriotic ritual derogates and insults the military and should be deported; someone who refuses to join the military and fight in time of war does not, such that a conviction for disregarding his legal obligation to fight reflects an unfair sentence warranting a pardon. Such disparate understanding of symbolic patriotism compared with fighting for the cause is striking and incoherent. But it is consistent with the NFL's symbolic patriotism. And it is consistent with the President's symbolic patriotism, as he similarly went out of his way to avoid service in Vietnam, without having to justify his reasons for not going or losing four years of his career to his efforts.
• All politics is personal. The NFL players must be speaking out about injustices done to their friends or specific people they know and want to help, just as the President uses the pardon power to help his friends or individuals he knows and wants to help. He does not conceive of systemic problems that affect thousands of people, who need help not by the individual remedy of a pardon but by systemic reform. Nor does he appear to understand why players would protest for a cause disconnected to individuals that they know and care about.
• The players are protesting systemic racism, violence, and differential treatment in the criminal-justice system This includes police killing unarmed or non-threatening persons of color with impunity. How does a pardon affect that? Walter Scott is dead, so a pardon does not do him much good. Of course, one of the President's pardons was granted to Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of contempt of court for refusing court orders to stop discriminating and using unjustified violence in his role as a police officer.This President is more likely to pardon Michael Slager, the officer who shot and killed Scott and is serving a federal prison sentence on a civil rights charge.
• Most law enforcement, and so most of what the players are protesting, involves state and local police and the state criminal-justice system. The President can pardon federal crimes, not state crimes. So even if Colin Kaepernick had ten friends wrongfully convicted, Trump could not do a thing about it. So this is demagoguery--an empty and impossible gesture, used to fool the unaware into siding with him against a group and message to which he is opposed. Or the President is unaware of the limits of his pardon power.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 8, 2018 at 04:05 PM in Constitutional thoughts, First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (15)
The White House defines free speech
When asked how President Trump reconciled his belief that a baker has a free-speech right not to sell a cake for a same-sex wedding with his insistence that there is no free-speech right to kneel (or just stay in a different location), Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "The president doesn’t think this is an issue simply of free speech. He thinks it’s about respecting the men and women of our military; it’s about respecting our national anthem.”
Someone opposed to the position of the baker in Masterpiece could say something similar: "It isn't simply an issue of the baker's free speech. It's about respecting same-sex couples who wish to get married and to shop in the marketplace on the same terms as everyone else; it's about respecting equality." Sanders, on behalf of the President, is really saying there is no such thing as free speech. Speech should be stopped when the President agrees with the message being criticized (the flag and the power of police to use whatever force they deem necessary), while speech should be allowed when the President disagrees with the message being criticized (equal rights for same-sex couples).
That one's position on free speech depends on what is on the other side is not surprising; many people approach the First Amendment this way. It is disturbing when it becomes the official position of the White House, as opposed to the position of a bunch of college students.
Next Thursday, June 14, marks the 75th anniversary of West Virginia Bd. v. Barnette. It is ironic and troubling that the principle that a person cannot be compelled to utter patriotic tropes or engage in patriotic rituals is again up for grabs, as the rhetoric around this heats up and makes this into a significant free-speech controversy.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 6, 2018 at 08:11 AM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (8)
Another voice against replay
I could not make this argument better than Will Leitch does at New York Mag. I only would add that the failure of replay in sports to produce Objective Truth reflects the general failure of all video (say, from body cameras) to produce Objective Truth for all things.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 5, 2018 at 11:00 PM in Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
Another day, another NFL protest
Two new items for today. President Trump canceled the Philadelphia Eagles White House visit, amid reports that fewer than ten players were going to show. Nikolas Bowie (about to begin teaching at Harvard) argues at Slate that NFL rules banning player protests violate several state constitutions.
On the Eagles visit. I found it interesting that the press release said that the Eagles "disagree with their President" (emphasis mine) about anthem protests. I know it is folly to parse White Statements, but "their" hints to me of some Dear Leader stuff--I am your President and how dare you disagree with your President (whatever that disagreement may be). The team visit is being replaced with a rally at which the anthem (the words of which Trump almost certainly does not know) will be proudly played for the 1000 fans who planned to attend. The question is how many of those 1000 will still show if the team--the reason most of them wanted to attend--will not be there. Congressional Democrats invited the team to the Capitol, with promises of Wawa coffee.
The President later tweeted, in response to the new NFL protest policy that has not been implemented yet (and had nothing to do with the Eagles visit) that "[s]taying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling." This supports my point that players wishing to protest can make a statement by staying off the field, if in sufficient numbers or with sufficient coverage. This also should drive home to the league and the teams that appeasement does not work and only makes them look worse. The league forced through a compromise that the players (and some owners) hated and that did not achieve the one thing they wanted to achieve, pacifying the President.
By the way, at SEALS on Thursday, August 9, I will be moderating a discussion group on the NFL protests.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 5, 2018 at 08:18 AM in Constitutional thoughts, First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
NFL protests in African-American historical perspective
Chad Williams, a professor of African Studies at Brandeis, places the NFL's efforts to halt player protests in the historical context of patri0tism during World War I, particularly W.E.B. DuBois' 1918 call for African-Americans to "close ranks" during the War and not to air African-Americans' "special grievances." DuBois' efforts backfired, as the period during and after WW I was marked by an increase in racial violence and lynchings. Williams argues that the NFL is attempt to enforce the same form of "love-it-or-leave-it" patriotism on its players.
I wonder if staying in the locker room, which the new league rules allow, could become an effective form of protest. There are many ways to counter-speak to a symbol or ritual, including by absenting oneself from the ritual; players can be conspicuous by their absence from the sideline, with that absence expressing something. The key will be the media--do the broadcast cameras, reporters, or some other sources report on who is absent so it becomes known and public? Or is the protest hidden and unknown, protesters pushed to dark corners?
Irony can be pretty ironic
Does anyone recognize the tragic irony that the Milwaukee Police Department released this (and got this response from the Milwaukee Bucks) on the same day the NFL announced this.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on May 23, 2018 at 08:45 PM in Constitutional thoughts, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (4)
State-created danger in the Nassar case?
Two stories from Deadspin describe the mistakes by the police department in Meridian, Michigan, who received a sexual-abuse complaint against Larry Nassar in 2004, but dropped it (without referring it to prosecutors). Apparently, detectives were convinced by a PowerPoint presentation from Nassar about how what he was doing was a legitimate medical procedure to deal with Scoliosis. No one in the police department conferred with a medical expert to confirm what Nassar told them.
So, could one of Nassar's post-2004 victims make out a due process claim against the Meridian PD and these detectives? Perhaps on a state-created danger, that the police increased the danger to other athletes by not doing a competent investigation and perhaps implicitly suggesting to Nassar that he can get away with this. Or perhaps on an equal protection theory, that they did an incompetent investigation because they did not take sexual-assault against teenage girls seriously.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on February 1, 2018 at 06:49 PM in Civil Procedure, Constitutional thoughts, Howard Wasserman, Law and Politics, Sports | Permalink | Comments (3)
Jews and the 2017 World Series
Some off-the-cuff baseball history.
The 2017 World Series features Jewish players on both teams--Alex Bregman for the Astros and Joc Pederson for the Dodgers. According to Bob Wechsler, author of The Jewish Baseball Card Book, this is the first two-Jew Series since 2004 (Gabe Kapler for the Red Sox and Jason Marquis for the Cardinals); the second since 1959 (when Sandy Koufax played for the Dodgers); and the fifth in history (the other two involved Hank Greenberg in 1945 and 1940).
In Game 2 this evening, Bregman is the Astros regular third baseman, while Pederson will start in left for the Dodgers. This is, as far as I can tell, the first time that both teams have started a Jewish player in a World Series game. Kapler did not start against Marquis in Game 4 in 2004, nor did the Jewish players playing against Koufax and Greenberg.
Bregman homered last night for the Astros' only run. I am trying to figure out who was the last Jewish player to homer in a Series. Greenberg hit 2 in 1945. I cannot find any homers since then. Who am I missing and when?
[Update: Naturally, we need a Halachic ruling on the last point: Steve Yeager, the Dodgers catcher in the '70s and early '80s, hit 2 homers in the '77 Series and 2 in the '81 Series (in which he won MVP), but converted to Judaism only after he retired. So he is Jewish, but was not when he hit those 4 homers. Do these count as World Series homers by a Jewish player?]
[Further Update: Pederson homered for the Dodgers’ first run of Game 2, making this the first Series with home runs by multiple Jewish players.]
[One More Update: According to Ron Kaplan, the only Jewish player to homer in the Series between Greenberg in 1945 and Bregman and Pederson this year (if you do not count Yeager) was Ken Holtzman, a pitcher for the A's, who homered in Game 2 of the '74 Series (in researching this by going through a list of Jewish players and their career stats, I did not think to look at any pitchers).]
Posted by Howard Wasserman on October 25, 2017 at 05:11 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (5)
NFLPA victim of drive-by jurisdictional ruling
The Fifth Circuit last week reversed a district court order enjoining the NFL from carrying out the six-game suspension of Dallas Cowboy running back Ezekiel Elliott because of a domestic-violence incident. I saw the story, but assumed that the court of appeals had reversed for the usual reasons that courts of appeals reverse in these sports cases--the district court had been insufficiently deferential to the arbitrator decision (see, e.g., Tom Brady and Deflategate). And because I do not write on those issues and because I do not like or watch football anymore (and my antipathy for the sport and the league grows), I did not write anything on it.
But a reaction paper from one of my Fed Courts students revealed that the Fifth Circuit issued the dreaded drive-by jurisdictional ruling. A 2-1 divided court held that the district court lacked jurisdiction because the Elliott and the NFLPA had not exhausted CBA grievance processes, which placed a claim for relief "beyond 'judicial review.'" The court stated that Arbaugh, Henderson, and other recent jurisdictionality decisions did not change SCOTUS or Fifth Circuit precedent treating exhaustion as jurisdictional in the labor context. Judge Graves dissented, arguing that jurisdiction was established when a plaintiff claims a violation of a contract between an employer and a labor organization and that the grievance procedures appeared in the CBA, not the LMRA.
Under Scott Dodson's theory (and I think Scott cracked the problem of defining jurisdiction in a principled way),exhaustion is jurisdictional, because it measures when a case can enter a court or move to a court from another body (such as an arbitration panel). But the Fifth Circuit is descriptively wrong under recent decisions and the direction of the doctrine. Very little is jurisdictional anymore, especially when it does not appear in a statute. The "beyond judicial review" language (drawn from a 1967 SCOTUS case) is the sort of loose, figurative language that SCOTUS had used and attached jurisdictional labels, without thinking through the logic or consequences of the label; this is the language Justice Ginsburg had in mind when she introduced, and argued for limiting the effect of, drive-by jurisdictional rulings. And statutory exhaustion (as under Title VII) is not jurisdictional; it seems inconceivable that a statutory requirement would not limit the court's jurisdiction, but a private contractual obligation, not required by any statute, could strip a court of its structural adjudicative authority.
The question is what happens next. Elliott's first game of the suspension is next Sunday. The NFLPA has asked the Fifth Circuit for en banc review and also sought its own TRO in the Southern District of New York (where the NFL offices are located). The jurisdictional basis for the ruling was wrong, but that does not mean that the court of appeals was wrong that Elliott failed to exhaust his contractual remedies and that the injunction should not have issued. Elliott and the NFLPA may have properly lost, just on 12(b)(6) rather than 12(b)(1) grounds.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on October 17, 2017 at 01:10 PM in Civil Procedure, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
Barnette and flag-related speech
Video in this post shows a female fan at last night's Lakers game (played in Ontario, CA) throwing a drink and swearing at two fans who knelt during the Star Spangled Banner. As John Q. Barrett pointed out last week, next year is the 75th anniversary of West Virginia Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette, a high point of First Amendment jurisprudence.
But Barnette's legacy has split in unfortunate ways. Barnette stands for the prohibition on compelled expression, an idea that is popular and thriving, expanding to all manner of expression and expressive conduct, such as baking cakes. But Barnette also stands for a prohibition on compelled participation in flag-related ceremonies, which carries with it the right to express one's own message through that non-participation. The actions described above and the general public reaction to and controversy over the anthem at sporting events shows broad public rejection of that piece of Barnette. The public seems less accepting and tolerant of flag counter-speech, derived from Barnette, now than it was 13 years ago, when I wrote this in the early days of Iraq War. And recall that several Justices changed their minds on this issue from Gobitis to Barnette in part because of the violence directed against Jehovah's Witnesses following the first decision; the shift to protecting the right to opt-out was designed to protect dissenters.
We are organizing a symposium at FIU on Barnette's 75th anniversary for next fall. The seeming demise of this part of Barnette could be an important point of discussion.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on October 7, 2017 at 12:00 PM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
Trick plays and baseball rules
This is a great story about a trick play in a high-school baseball game. Called the "skunk in the outfield," the play arises with runners on first-and-third. The runner on first walks into right field, hoping to confuse the defense into doing something stupid about that runner, allowing the runner on third to score. It did not work, because the defense kept its cool. It instead produce a 152-second standoff, an ongoing "play" on which nothing happened and no one moved--one fielder stood with the ball and stared at the runner standing in right field. And everyone--players and fans--became increasingly angry.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on August 18, 2017 at 10:44 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1)
Update on late-game fouling and the "Elam Ending"
In April I wrote about the proposal from Nick Elam to eliminate late-game fouling basketball by making the end of the game untimed and playing to a target score (+7 of the leading team when the clock is turned off in the final minute). The Basketball Tournament implemented the Elam Ending for its 16-team pre-tournament; it now reports on the results--there was no late-game fouling, some exciting comebacks, and the final time time lasted between two and five minutes of game time.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on July 22, 2017 at 04:13 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (11)
Beckman v. Chicago Bears
Russell Beckman is a Green Bay Packers fan who holds season tickets with the Chicago Bears only so he can attend the Bears-Packers game. Season-ticket holders earn points allowing them to purchase "experiences," including going onto the field during pre-game warmups. But the Bears prohibit these fans from going onto the field in the opposing team's gear; they would not let Beckman participate during the Bears-Packers game last season, and, he alleges, will not let him do it at the game next season. Beckman has sued the Bears, alleging that the no-opposing-team-gear rule violates the First Amendment and seeking an injunction against enforcement of the policy. Beckman is appearing pro se (he and I exchanged emails about the situation a few weeks ago).
The Bears play at Soldier Field, which is owned by the Chicago Parks District and rented to the team for its use. That, I believe, raises the possibility the Bears act under color. If the case involved the Bears stopping fans from wearing opposing-team gear in the stands, this would be an easy case, with the Bears subject to Burton's symbiotic relationship test, just as the New York Yankees were at the old Stadium. But I have been reluctant to say that teams playing in publicly owned arenas act under color for all purposes, as opposed to for the limited purposes of operating expressive fora (the stands, press access, etc.). A team should retain leeway in its organization and operations, including its interactions with customers. Playing at a publicly owned arena would not stop the Bears from being viewpoint-discriminatory in, for example, deciding what people could wear or who could attend a Lake Michigan cruise for ticket holders. The question is where the playing field (ordinarily not part of the expressive forum) falls on the spectrum. I am not sure I know the answer to that question.
Interestingly, the Yankee Stadium lawsuit was brought by the NYCLU in conjunction with NYU's Civil Rights Clinic. It is surprising (telling?) that neither the Illinois ACLU nor a Chicago-based clinic would take this on. Did Beckman never ask around? Does it say something about how that state-action question will be resolved when we move from the stands to the field?
Or are Green Bay Packers fans less popular in Chicagoland than Nazis?
Posted by Howard Wasserman on June 21, 2017 at 11:58 AM in First Amendment, Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
Baseball rules--collect them all, trade them with your friends
For my recent birthday, my wife and daughter got me a baseball card for the Infield Fly Rule. The card, from 1978, features a picture of an infielder (for you fans of late-'70s baseball, it is Jerry Remy, then of the Angels, later the Red Sox) sitting under a fly ball with an umpire (decked out in very-1970s umpire gear and the old league-specific hat) standing in the background, although he has not yet signaled infield fly. The back of the card explains and defends the rule as "Unique and Necessary."
It turns out to have been part of a series of cards produced by the company Sportscaster from 1977-79 on "The Rules." The cards featured a photo of player in action, with an explanation of the rule or play on the back. According to this list, there were cards for Interference, the Hidden-Ball Trick, Pickoff, Rundown, and other plays and rules. I was in the heart of my baseball-card collecting phase in this period, so I am disappointed that I did not know about these at the time. I was fascinated by the Infield Fly Rule even then.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on May 22, 2017 at 09:31 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0)
Are esports sport?
It has been awhile since I wrote on the bar debate over what is and is not sport. Now Gizmodo asks the question about esports.
My preferred definition of sport has four elements: 1) Large motor skills; 2) Simple machines; 3) Competition; and 4) Outcome determined by success in performing skills to achieve some other instrumental end, rather than for the virtue of the skill itself. On that definition, esports fail on # 1--operating a game console involves fine rather than large motor skills. I also would question # 2--the competitors small-motor physical actions do not do all the work--it is the complex machine translating those physical actions into something bigger on the screen. So while esports do require "training, endurance, mental focus, and, yes, physical precision," the physical precision is of the wrong type and works too indirectly.
The comments are interesting in that several people have argued "not a sport" based on a definition that requires direct interaction between competitors and the possibility of one competitor thwarting another.
Infield fly rule is not in effect and it produces a triple play
The Baltimore Orioles turned a triple play against the Boston Red Sox Tuesday night (video in link) on an unintentionally uncaught fly ball into shallow left field. With first-and-second/none-out, the batter hit a fly ball into shallow left. O's shortstop J.J. Hardy moved onto the grass and signaled that he had the ball, then had it carry a few feet behind him. But the umpire never called infield fly, so Hardy threw to second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who tagged the runner standing near second, then stepped on second to force the runner on first, then threw to first to get the batter, who stopped running. According to the article linked above, the Orioles turned an identical triple play in 2000, where the shortstop intentionally did not catch the fly ball, as opposed to this one, where it seems Hardy misjudged the ball.
On one hand, this play shows why we have the Infield Fly Rule--without it, shortstops would intentionally do this constantly and double plays would multiply. Had the baserunners tried to advance when the ball landed, they would have been thrown out, given how shallow the ball was and how quickly Hardy recovered it.
At the same, it shows a problem with the Rule--everything depends on the umpire invoking. And failing to invoke may create its own problems. Here, the Sox players all assumed the Rule had been invoked, so the baserunners retreated to their current bases and the batter, assuming he was out on the call, stopped running to first. It is a close question whether infield fly should have been called on this play. Hardy misjudged the ball, so he was not actually "settled comfortably underneath it." But he acted as if he was and umpires ordinarily use the fielder as their guide. Plus, in watching every infield-fly call for six seasons, I have seen it invoked on numerous similar balls that carried just over the the head or away from the settled fielder. At the very least, this was a play on which the umpire could not determine whether to invoke until the end of the play, because it was not clear the ball was not playable until it carried over Hardy's head at the last instant. And that hung the runners up, because once the non-call was clear, it was too late for them.
So I must consider a new issue that I had not considered before, at least in these terms: There needs to be a bias in favor of invoking the rule in uncertain or close cases. The presumptive move for the baserunners in a close case is to retreat and wait, as the Sox runners did here. But retreating leads to the double play on the close case, because the runners will not be able to reach the next bases when the ball lands. I have discussed this in terms of false positives and false negatives. But this goes further--there may almost be a presumption of infield fly, so the rule should not be invoked except the obvious cases in which no double play would be possible.
Of course, my interlocutor on the Rule, Judge Andrew Guilford of the Central District of California Central district of Florida, would say this is just proof that we should dump the rule, let the players figure it out for themselves, and not have everyone standing around looking confused while four guys in blue jackets confer.
Update: There is a debate in the umpiring community over when an umpire should invoke the Rule. One school says the call should be made when the ball is at its apex, the other says to wait longer until it is clear the infielder could catch the ball with ordinary effort, even waiting until the ball is almost in the glove. Those who urge invoking when the ball is at its apex point to plays such as this one as the justification--waiting longer than that does not leave the baserunners sufficient time to react and run on the non-call.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on May 3, 2017 at 01:57 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (12)
The solution to late-game fouling?
No one likes late-game intentional fouling in basketball, because it drags out games and produces boring basketball of constant stoppages and endless free throws. On the other hand, there is no way around the strategy, as it reflects the only way that a trailing defensive team can save time and get the ball back.
But it appears Nick Elam, a middle-school principle principal and MENSA member from Dayton, has a solution: In the final three minutes of the NBA game (final four in college), turn off the game clock and play until either team reaches a target score, set at +7 from the leading team's score when the clock is turned off. So if Team A leads 99-91 when the clock goes off, the teams play to 106. Elam has been sending his proposal around to basketball types, some of whom purportedly find it interesting, but too radical to implement just yet. But it is going to be used in the early rounds of The Basketball Tournament, a $2-million 64-team tournment featuring teams of former college players. (Elam is interviewed on the tournament podcast).
The proposal does eliminate any incentive to take fouls at the end of the game, because a trailing team can simply play good defense without having to worry about preserving time on the clock. The only fouls we might see are to stop a three-pointer, although that strategy is so time-sensitive (it only works under :04 or so) that it might dissolve on its own. Eliminating the game clock somewhat changes the nature of the game somewhat, which is played in a rhythm of time, but not as much as soccer shoot-outs or college football overtime. And the shot clock remains, so there still is a time element to keep possessions and the game moving.
The proposal may not succeed in shortening games and might lengthen them--not because the clock is stopping constantly, but because teams are not scoring. This will be especially true in close playoff games, where the defense ratchets up in the final minutes. For example, at the 3:00 mark of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the score was 89-89, meaning the game would have been played to 96. The final score was 93-89, and one of those points came on a made free throw off an intentional foul with :10 left. The defense was that good and the players were that tired (this included LeBron James's block of a fast-break layup).
On the other hand, perhaps offenses would be freer to look for the best shot at anytime, no longer worried about any time considerations. Teams now get as many possessions as it takes to score the requisite points, so they need not save or waste time. Back to Game 7: After Cleveland's Kyrie Irving hit a go-ahead 3 with :53 left, Golden State used almost the entire shot clock to get Steph Curry isolated on a weak defender, who forced Curry to miss a three-pointer. But Golden State does not need a three in that situation; it can get a better two-point shot, knowing that, if it plays good defense, it will have a greater number of possessions and opportunities to score.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on April 6, 2017 at 09:37 AM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (21)
Rugby and the Infield Fly Rule?
I do not understand rugby well enough (really, at all) to fully analyze or deconstruct this play that has many people up in arms. But it raises the question of a limiting rule for that sport, a la the Infield Fly Rule in baseball.
As I understand it: When a player is tackled, the tackler must let go and move away from the tackled player, while the tackled player gives up possession by trying to play the ball back to his teammate. The players nearby will then try to stand over the ball to gain possession. When that happens, a "ruck" is formed; groups of players from both teams stand and push each other, trying to heel the ball back out of the ruck or allow a teammate to reach in and pull it out. When the ruck forms, teams must get onside, so everyone not in the ruck must be back and between the ruck and the goal they are defending.
In a game between England and Italy (video in link), Italy, for strategic reasons, never formed a ruck after tackling an English player. The Italian players backed away and let England keep possession. But this also meant that Italy's players did not have to get onside on the other side because there was no ruck--they could wait behind the ball, in the area to which an English ball carrier wanted to pass the ball (the ball only can be passed laterally or backwards in rugby). It took England a while to adjust to the strategy and allowed underdog Italy to stay in the game for awhile. At one point in the Deadspin video, an English player asks the referee what they should do and the ref responds that he is not the coach and they should figure it out. This is all lawful (there is not obligation to form a ruck), but the English coach complained that it is "not rugby."
But does it demand a limiting rule a la the Infield Fly? Based on my limited understanding of how rugby works, I think the answer is no.
First, Italy does appear to be acting contrary to ordinary athletic expectations within the game. Teams ordinarily want to form a ruck because that is the way to get the ball back and the only way to score points, which is the goal of the game.
But the second and third prongs suggest no special rule is necessary. This is not a one-sided, extraordinarily disparate cost-benefit exchange. Rather, both teams are gain something and surrender something on the play: England retains possession, although facing a confusing defensive situation; Italy surrenders possession, but keeps itself in a better defensive posture. Relatedly, England is not powerless to counter the strategy, as shown in the second half. Teams can find a way to get someone open to pass backward. Teams also can kick the ball forward, which they might be better able to do, since so many defenders are now behind the ball. Given the absence of these two prongs, this is not a situation, like the infield-fly, in which the equities of the game demand a rule change.
Instead, this seems to be another example (along with responses to hacking in the NBA) of an aesthetic concern--that deploying this strategy is not playing the game the "right way." Or not playing the game at all, if you believe England's coach that this is not rugby. Sports will enact rules to limit strategy for aesthetic reasons, even if not necessary to maintain cost-benefit balance and equity.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on February 28, 2017 at 02:01 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Digital game + digital clock = Game & Watch!
15May 2013 20 May 2013
This, it is a true slice of my childhood. (source)
Does this look familiar to anyone? If it does, we can totally be palsies and claim that we really aren’t that old over shots of tequila . (If it doesn’t we can still be friends and I won’t hold your youth against you.)
This Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch might just be my first true gaming memory, like from grade school. Like from my TRS-80 days before we got our cobbled-together Atari 7800. It arrived in one of those magical Christmas packages from my uncle, the ones that contained any number of unusual tech toys along with things like hairbrushes, socks, and bins of caramel popcorn. So when I saw that shrink-wrapped, teal blue Game & Watch fall out of that package Christmas morning, I knew it was meant for me! (And my siblings were pretty young at the time so, definitely, it was for me!)
Game & Watch’s were early portable games made by Nintendo throughout the 1980s. (Up until they came up with something called the Game…Child? Little Kid? Something like that.) Game & Watch’s featured black and white LCD screens with static, colored overlays. And they each played a single game; though some had two variations of that game (“Game A” and “Game B”). They were kind of a big deal in my school, and I remember seeing plenty of other kids with them. Some had single screens. Others had two screens and looked much like the DS (history repeating). Still others were configured like tabletop “arcade” games. But no matter the size or type, Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch was my Game & Watch.
From YouTube user FuzzyMemoriesTV.
Donkey Kong Jr., the arcade game, told the simple and heartfelt story of an imprisoned ape and his son who was determined to set him free. And who was the dastardly villain responsible for the capture of Donkey Kong? Why none other than that supposedly loveable scamp of a plumber — Mario! (Hmm. I guess we all have a few skeletons in the closet, no?) And mean ol’ Mario did not make it easy for Donkey Kong Jr. to save his father. Between DK Jr. and the keys that opened DK Sr.’s cage lied a series stages that involved vines. DK Jr. had to maneuver up and down a series of vines in different configurations. While on and around the vines were power-ups and such, they also contained Snapjaws — awful trap-like creatures with deadly bites. While some simply traversed down vines and fell into oblivion, others viciously guarded their vines. There were other enemies also, like an erratic bird that made DK Jr.’s life perfectly miserable.
The Game & Watch version of DK Jr. essentially told the same story except, obviously, without all the bells and whistles of a full-scale arcade game. There were still vines and Snapjaws and stupid birds and powers-up, none of which were terribly dynamic on the little LCD screen. As you moved DK Jr. across the screen, he appeared in any set number of configurations. The enemies sped up with each new level, making the game more difficult as it went on.
And the thing told the time so you knew exactly how little sleep you were going to get before tomorrow’s big test. (source)
I didn’t go into Game & Watch DK Jr. with any grand ambitions of defeating all (how many?) levels, but I did play the game…a lot. Like my phone and iPod are now, this little game was my tether to mobile entertainment. I played it at home when I should have been doing homework. I begged my Mom to carry it to our dentist’s office so I could play it while waiting. I snuck it over to family dinners and quietly crept away during dessert to play. I even brought it to church…once…and then had the thing taken away for for a week. (That was a sucky week.) And of course I took it to school and played it on the bus and during recess. Even had a kid offer to trade me his Snoopy Tennis Game & Watch for DK Jr., and I was like “aw, hells no!” but probably more like “ew, go away you stupid, gross boy!”
My love of the Game & Watch quickly faded once I really got into computers and the Atari, but I kept the little device nonetheless. Years later, I dug it out of my closet during a house-wide spring cleaning/yard sale event. Safely stashed away in a little box, it was still bright teal with its static colors when I found it, though its batteries were long dead. I didn’t really want it, but I couldn’t help scrounging up some new batteries (or rather, pilfering them from my school calculator) to see if the thing still worked. Sure enough, with fresh batteries, it bleeped to life. A few of the pixels had died, so DK Jr. was a tad incomplete, but he still scampered across the screen. I managed to make it through a couple levels before calling it quits. It was a fun if brief moment of nostalgia. And maybe, I thought, it’d make some (little) kid (with no knowledge of Nintendo) really happy. It ended up in the yard sale, with the batteries that I had forgotten to take out. Made the next day’s algebra class pretty difficult.
I coulda been a collector! (source)
Tags: Donkey Kong Jr., Game & Watch, Game and Watch, games, gaming, handheld gaming, Nintendo, portable video games, retro games
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janhutchings says:
Cary I, like you had a number of Game and Watch consoles growing up. I remember playing Baseball, Predator, Batman, Donkey Kong, Balloon Fight, Mickey Mouse and more. I really regret not keeping them as looking back, they’re near and dear to my heart.
If you are looking to pick up a few Game and Watch games, check out http://www.gameandwatch.com/, they’ve got a hell of a collection to choose from.
Oh man, that site is awesome! I’m not a collector, but if I was, wow… Of the ones you mentioned, I do remember Baseball and the Mickey Mouse game. They were so simple, like all those handheld games back then, but still loads of fun. 🙂
duckofindeed says:
I never played those. I am familiar with such things because of the Mr. Game dude in “Super Smash Bros.”. Whom I hated. So I already have unhappy thoughts about the old Game & Watch games, as unfair as my hatred may be, without even playing the poor things. Was the Mr. Game guy from “SSB” actually in any of those? I’d much rather the DK version.
Mr. Game, as far as I know, was just the Game & Watch mascots. He never had his own game. I didn’t know he was in any other games, especially Super Smash Bros.! What ever could he do as a little stick figure?! Cause nothing but trouble, I imagine.
simpleek says:
I always wonder if any of the old games I had like the Tamagotchis would still work if I ever found them lying around a bin somewhere. Nostalgia trips are nice. Hopefully that kid who has your game now appreciates it!
I wish I knew where it ended up cause the things are kind of collectible these days, as are some of those old Tamagotchis from what I’ve read. Of course, its not like they’re worth millions…but we collect games for love not money. 🙂
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Back in Liberty City, this time with motorcycles and techno
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Rae Stonehouse
The Wonderful world of Rae Stonehouse
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Rae has worked as a Registered Nurse for over 40 years. His career has taken him from Ontario, Canada to Dallas, Texas and eventually to where he has settled in Kelowna, British Columbia.
37 of those years have been working within the field of mental health/psychiatric nursing. He has worked in a large provincial psychiatric hospital in specialty areas such as admission wards with acutely psychotic patients, psychogeriatrics i.e. elderly mentally ill patients, developmentally delayed adults with extreme behaviour problems and psychosis and patients with substance abuse and alcohol dependencies. He has managed a community-based specialized residential facility offering life skills training to chronically mentally ill individuals and has also conducted a considerable amount of therapy and counselling during his career.
Rae is currently drawing nearer to retiring from his nursing career and has been working for the past decade or so as a staff nurse in a community-based specialized mental health facility offering a psychosocial rehabilitation program to chronically mentally ill individuals to facilitate their returning to living a productive life in the community.
During his nursing career Rae has also worked as an adult educator teaching health-related programs to support staff and spent a short time in the IT department on a term specific contract.
Rae is known as being a workplace advocate and has been a worker representative in three different unions as well as a occupational health & safety activist for most of his career.
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Published in Rae Stonehouse Profile
Rae Stonehouse Registered Nurse
Rae A. Stonehouse is a Canadian born author & speaker. His professional career as a Registered Nurse working predominantly in psychiatry/mental health, has spanned four decades.
Rae has embraced the principal of CANI (Constant and Never-ending Improvement) as promoted by thought leaders such as Tony Robbins and brings that philosophy to each of his publications and presentations.
Rae has dedicated the latter segment of his journey through life to overcoming his personal inhibitions. As a 20+ year member of Toastmasters International he has systematically built his self-confidence and communicating ability. He is passionate about sharing his lessons with his readers and listeners. His publications thus far are of the self-help, self-improvement genre and systematically offer valuable sage advice on a specific topic.
His writing style can be described as being conversational. As an author Rae strives to have a one-to-one conversation with each of his readers, very much like having your own personal self-development coach. Rae is known for having a wry sense of humour that features in his publications.
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The Board of Regents of Washington State University met pursuant to call in Open Meeting at 9:00 a.m., on Friday, March 3, 2006 at the Consolidated Information Center, Rooms 210-214, WSU Tri-Cities, Richland, Washington.
Present: Regent Elizabeth Cowles, Chair; Regents Kenneth Alhadeff, Theodore Baseler, Francois Forgette, Laura Jennings, Joe King, Justin Leighton, Christopher J. Marr, Connie Niva, and V. Rafael Stone; President V. Lane Rawlins, Provost and Executive Vice President Robert C. Bates, Vice President for Business Affairs Greg Royer, Vice President for Information Systems Mary Doyle, Vice President for University Relations Sally Savage, Vice President for Equity and Diversity Mike Tate, Vice President for Development Len Jessup, Senior Assistant Attorney General Antoinette Ursich, Faculty Senate Chair Ken Struckmeyer, ASWSU President Isaac Wells, GPSA President DaVina Hoyt, Alumni Association President Larry Arcia, Chair of WSU Foundation Board of Governors Mikal Thomsen, WSU Spokane Chancellor Brian Pitcher, and WSU Tri-Cities Interim Chancellor David Lemak.
1. Chair of the Board of Regents. Regent Cowles welcomed everyone to the Board meeting. She introduced Theodore P. Baseler who was recently appointed by Governor Gregoire to the WSU Board of Regents in the seat formerly occupied by Regent Peter Goldmark. Regent Cowles also introduced Mr. Oscar Cerda from the Governors Office who is the Central Washington Liaison.
2. President of the University. President V. Lane Rawlins also welcomed everyone to the Board meeting. He thanked Interim Chancellor David Lemak for hosting the March Board Meeting and asked him to say a few words.
Interim Chancellor Lemak provided a summary of the Tri-Cities campus programs. He then introduced Dr. Terry Young, professor of Education who was named the 2006 recipient of the International Reading Association’s Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award.
3. Minutes.It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve the minutes of the January 27, 2006 Board meeting. Carried.
4. Reports from University Groups:
Faculty Senate Chair Ken Struckmeyer reported that the General Education Program approval at WSU Vancouver has been briefly delayed. He added that they need further discussion on whether there will be different General Education requirements for degree programs with the same university degree titles offered at the various WSU locations. He also reported that Faculty Senate is appointing a committee to look at the entire General Education Program to see what they can do to financially support and enhance the program. The Faculty Affairs Committee is researching Faculty Emeritus Status and the privileges that go along with emeritus status and will develop a process for granting such status. The Academic Affairs Committee has been working on the student conduct code in the areas of discipline and grades given when a student has been caught cheating or plagiarizing. He also reported that the Pac 10 Faculty Senates will meet in May to collaborate in areas of academics, library resources, international programs and research.
GPSA President DaVina Hoyt reported that the current GPSA Bylaws do not have an Initiative Process in place for the GPSA population to vote on any initiative. She added that they will be voting on an amendment to the Bylaws in order to add the Martin Stadium initiative to the ballot.
ASWSU President Isaac Wells reported that students will be voting on the Martin Stadium initiative at the upcoming election. He also reported that there are six individuals running for ASWSU President and that he will be able to introduce the President and Vice President at the next meeting. He reported that ASWSU had a successful term in Olympia with Dan Schafer as their Student Lobbyist. Some of the bills that passed included increased financial literacy education, fair options in the bundling of textbooks for sale to the students and the term for the Student regent has been extended one month. He also reported that with the help of the WSU Foundation, ASWSU has founded the ASWSU Student Initiative Development Endowment. The endowment provides an opportunity for future ASWSU administrations to assist new student groups who have financial needs for their projects and initiatives.
Alumni Association President Larry Arcia reported on the new membership goals of the Association. He indicated that last year the goal was to enroll 3,000 new members by the end of June 2006. They have already surpassed that goal by 1,000 bringing the total membership to its highest level in WSU history of 20,000. They have set a new goal of 23,000 by June 2007 which will bring them to the average of WSU peer institutions. He conveyed that the Alumni Association will continue to deploy their “Membership Matters” campaign to further increase the size and influence of the Association and to provide necessary support for the University’s key initiatives and play a role in helping to achieve the goals of a WSU Campaign. Lastly, he reported that the Alumni Association continues recruiting leadership for each of the Alliances. WSU Alumni Alliances are focused on student recruitment and retention, scholarship assistance, and job placement. In conjunction with their Board meeting and Black History Month, the Alliances collaborated with the Alumni Association and the Office of Equity and Diversity to bring Dr. Cornel West to campus which drew a crowd of nearly 2,500.
WSU Foundation Board of Governors Chair Mikal Thomsen expressed his enthusiasm on the appointment of Ted Baseler to the WSU Board of Regents. He also commented how exciting it is to see the Tri-Cities campus and how wonderful it is that the Board Meetings are scheduled at all the WSU sites. He reported that the Board of Governors had a successful meeting in early February and that Larry Culver as chair elect will take over the helm in early Fall. He added that the Spring Board of Governors meeting will be held in Seattle this year towards the end of May. He noted that the Progress Report is $1.5 million ahead of last year and that more importantly money has been raised from 3,000 more alumni this year than last year which is a 20% increase.
5. Executive, Planning, and Budget Committee. Regent Cowles reported that the committee received an overview on the operating and capital budget request for the next biennium and that the Board will be approving the budget requests for the next two years at the May meeting. She thanked Greg Royer and his staff for the real estate presentation at the committee meeting. She indicated it is evident how far the University has come on creating a better atmosphere for the students and creating more healthy activities. She added that they also discussed improvements that will be made to the policies and procedures relative to managing real estate.
The Board took action on the following recommendation:
Board of Regents Bylaws – It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve the revisions to the Bylaws. Carried.
6. System Report. WSU Spokane Chancellor Brian Pitcher reported for Hal Dengerink who was unable to attend. Chancellor Pitcher reported that President Rawlins and Provost Bates led discussions at the Academic Planning Workshop. He added that they received considerable and favorable response to the workshop. He also reported that the Chancellor’s Council held discussions with the Academic Deans to begin development of a university wide academic plan. He added that they have had a focused discussion concerning the development of new degrees in Informatics and Digital Technology and Culture across the system. While these degrees overlap in their purpose, they have developed separately on different campuses which make it apparent that there is much to be gained from joint planning of these degrees and possibly make them a single degree program.
7. Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs Committee. Regent King reported that Committee discussions reminded him how difficult it is to manage major research organizations with competing constituencies. An item on the agenda as simple as revisions to the student conduct code quickly created a discussion on protecting the rights of minority constituencies vs. academic freedom and freedom of expression issues and how extraordinarily difficult it is to successfully manage such complicated matters. He also complimented the quality of WSU’s management team in dealing with these complex issues. He added that the committee also spent much time discussing retention and scholarship that they were not able to finish all the items on their agenda.
8. Report from the Provost and Executive Vice President.Provost Bates commented on the complexities that come before the areas of Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs. He added that he appreciates the assistance the Attorney Generals Office and the Faculty Senate provides. He also reported that the May meeting will be another full meeting for areas of discussion on the S&A Fee Allocations, delivery and conceptualization of the undergraduate experience and graduate education. He also reported on the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Food Systems degree proposal that is moving forward to the Higher Education Coordinating Board. He announced that Dr. Candis Claiborn was named the Dean for the College of Engineering and also provided an update on the several searches that are currently underway.
9. Report from the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. Interim Vice President Jamison reported that in order for the University to help the students be successful and to improve services to them that they need more input from students. He reported that they have conducted focus groups and surveys asking students specific questions. Some of the information being gathered highlights what the students think they will be doing to be successful, who plays a major role in that success and what can the University be doing? A survey they call BESSIE (Beginning College Student Survey of Engagement) was given to the fall 2005 entering cohort of WSU freshmen as part of a national pilot project. About 1,700 surveys were completed for nearly a 60% return rate. He went over a few of the results and indicated that once all the data is gathered and analyzed they will provide a full report to the Board.
10. Report from the Vice President for Equity and Diversity.Vice President Tate reported on the work that they have been doing over the last 1.5 years to improve as a world class institution. One of the areas that need increased attention and leadership is retention, achievement or scholarship, and graduation rates particularly among students of color. The data that was reviewed pointed out that students of color are not continuing their academic programs to graduate at WSU. He reported that they are now reviewing the data in what students want and what support programs affect their success.
There was much discussion on retention, scholarship and graduation of minority students and how to gather the correct information as to why some of the students are leaving the university earlier, and where they are going when they leave the University. The Regents indicated their desire for the University to keep gathering the data, and to keep moving in the direction of finding ways to improve the graduation rate.
11. Business Affairs and Information Technology Committee.Regent Niva reported on the action items. She also reported on the actions that will come before the Board at the May meeting. She noted that the committee received a summary of WSU television activities from Vice President Doyle.
The Board took action on the following recommendations:
WSU Prosser, IAREC Center for Precision Agricultural Systems, Schematic Design. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve schematic design documents, grant authorization to proceed and delegate authority to the President or his designee, to advertise for bids and award a construction contract, provided costs are within funds available. Carried.
WSU Pullman, Martin Stadium Renovation, Phases I and II, GC/CM Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, to issue final determination to utilize the GC/CM and award contract(s), provided a Maximum Allowable Construction Cost can be established within the funds available. Carried.
WSU Pullman, Compton Union Building (CUB) Revenue Bond Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve a Revenue Bond Resolution to authorize the issuance and sale of bonds to be used for construction of the Compton Union Building Renewal Project. Carried.
WSU Wenatchee, Sunrise Orchards Purchase. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate to the President, or his designee, the authority to purchase the Sunrise Orchards, pursuant to the terms of the offer accepted, execute all documents necessary for the purchase, and complete the transaction on behalf of Washington State University. Carried.
WSU Pullman, Students Book Corporation Property Purchase. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate to the President, or his designee, the authority to purchase the Students Book Corporation property located at 700 NE Thatuna, Pullman, Washington, and to executive all documents necessary for the purchase. Carried.
(Note to record: Regent Leighton voted to oppose)
WSU Pullman, Lease Agreement between Washington State University and the Students Book Corporation. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate to the President, or his designee, the authority to enter in to a long term lease with the Students Book Corporation to lease with the Students Book Corporation to occupy space in the newly renovated CUB beginning Summer 2008, and to execute all documents necessary for the execution of said lease. Carried.
(Note to record: Regent Leighton to oppose)
12. University Development, University Relations and Athletics Committee. Regent Marr first asked Jim Sterk, Len Jessup, and Sally Savage to provide their individual reports. He then reported how evident it has become just by hearing all the individual reports from University Development, University Relations and Athletics, that there is teamwork and communication among all the areas of the University and how nice it is as Regent to know that everyone is working towards a common goal.
13. Report from the Vice President for University Relations. Vice President Savage reported that as Vice President Jessup indicated, the committee reports are becoming more like joint reports as University Relations is working hand in hand with the Foundation to get ready for the fundraising campaign. She also reported on the article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Cougars helping Cougars everywhere and the strong ties and value of networking.
14. Report from the Vice President for University Development. Vice President Jessup reported on the Board of Governors meeting. He reported that at the end of January they rose to 32M mark which is ahead of last year. He was pleased to report that Alumni giving has increased by 14% due to the increased membership. He also reported that nationally Alumni giving has been decreasing. He also reported on the Call-a-Coug program and the success of four students who have each raised over $100,000 and that they are breaking records all over the country. The endowment is doing well with a 10% return and brings the total close to $253 million. He provided an update on campaign preparation.
15. Report from the Director of Athletics. Athletic Director Jim Sterk provided an update on all the current sport activities. He mentioned the retirement announcement of basketball coach Dick Bennett and the hiring of Tony Bennett as successor. He also reported on the collaboration among many university constituencies for the Martin Stadium Renovation initiative. He reported that the NCAA released their academic progress report which is part of the president’s reform initiative that is going on in the NCAA. The report grades each institution on athletes who leave the institution whose academic standing is below the required standing. This report takes a historic look at each institution and could also result in the loss of scholarships. He indicated that 65 institutions lost scholarships and was happy to report that WSU did not receive any penalties.
16. President’s Report. President Rawlins reflected on all the important issues of graduation rates, student conduct code, financing of projects, and fundraising discussed at this meeting, and pointed out that you cannot minimize one item over another. He added that these conversations happen because he has a staff that is willing to work together to achieve the goals of the institution’s strategic plan. He thanked his staff and the Board for their continued dedication and looks forward to meeting again during commencement.
At 11:40 a.m. the Regents Meeting adjourned.
Approved by the Board of Regents at its meeting held on May 5, 2006 at Lighty Student Services Building, Room 405, Pullman, Washington.
ORIGINAL SIGNED COPY AVAILABLE IN THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
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Tag: Prince Rogers Nelson
Home/Posts tagged Tag: Prince Rogers Nelson
Prince: Originals Album Review
By BylinePrincefan046 on June 20, 2019 July 17, 2019
Originals album reviews have been positive overall while “100 MPH” and “Baby, You’re a Trip” are named as top favorites for most fans on our unofficial Instagram poll.
The ultimate eargasm is hearing Prince belt out a sultry falsetto on “Sex Shooter,” “Noon Rendezvous,” and “The Glamorous Life.”
Many of the artists who recorded Prince tracks stayed true to his artistic vision, so the songs sound almost identical to the way Prince presented them. … Continue readingPrince: Originals Album Review
By BylinePrincefan046 on May 25, 2019 July 17, 2019
Prince had the confidence and nerve to pull back the covers and expose everyone’s deepest desires in plain sight as he croons about being nastier than you ever imagined. His lyrical poetry paired with superior musicianship only secured his legion of lifelong fans. Prince reassured fans that the human condition is universal. He became the voice of those to timid to speak their own truth. #Prince4ever … Continue readingHorny Toad
By BylinePrincefan046 on April 22, 2019 July 17, 2019
Prince 20 Song Pop Quiz. How well do you know your Prince catalog?
No matter how refined your musical ear might be, it will be hard to top The Roots bandleader Ahmir Questlove Thompson.
Questlove claims he can identify any Prince track from one second clips. … Continue reading20 Prince Songs in 1 Minute : Expert Level Quiz
WHY I LOVE PRINCE
When someone asks you why you love your favorite things, sometimes the only answer is “I can’t explain it, I just do.”
Many times feelings outweigh all reason. But do you really need a reason?
#Prince4ever #WhyILovePrince #April21 … Continue readingWHY I LOVE PRINCE
PRINCE: THE DEATH OF AN ICON: ON SOCIAL MEDIA
By BylinePrincefan046 on February 15, 2019 June 13, 2019
On Valentine’s day 2019 (2/14) the Prince Estate revealed new @Prince Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Previous posts from the official @Prince pages have been archived to new accounts labeled @PRNlegacy.
The Prince Estate has also launched a new library of 1,700 official images with GIPHY at (giphy.com/prince). … Continue readingPRINCE: THE DEATH OF AN ICON: ON SOCIAL MEDIA
By BylinePrincefan046 on June 1, 2018 July 17, 2019
After the success of the movie Purple Rain, Warner Brothers was so confident in their new star that they green-lit the next Prince movie without ever seeing a script. That movie was Under the Cherry Moon. The film was riddled with setbacks and cast changes. Also, Prince wanted to shoot the film in black and white even though the studio was against it. The movie critics were vicious but some softened their views less than 24 hours after his death. … Continue readingUnder the Cherry Moon: Cringy or Classic?
The Song Prince Recorded Just to Make a Woman Laugh
By BylinePrincefan046 on May 30, 2018 June 13, 2019
The slang Poom Poom or Pum Pum has many different connotations. In Jamaica, it can mean bum/butt or sex in general. The slang means different things to different people.
Most interpret the slang or use it to refer to female genitalia. Whatever the case Prince liked the term so much he created an entire song about it just to make a woman laugh. … Continue readingThe Song Prince Recorded Just to Make a Woman Laugh
Prince Ensemble Nets $108,800 at Auction
The metallic blue ensemble Prince wore during his Rave Un2 the Year 2000 concert film was one of the top items at the Julien’s Auctions event held Friday, May 18, 2018.
Prince’s former wife Mayte Garcia also auctioned off a laminated photo of Prince when he was 10 years old and a five-piece set of Lenox china custom made for their February 14, 1996 wedding.
But Garcia isn’t the only one offering up Prince memorabilia for auction.
A surprising roster of close associates, employees, and friends are offering auction collections. … Continue readingPrince Ensemble Nets $108,800 at Auction
By BylinePrincefan046 on May 7, 2018 June 20, 2019
Prince saved a syrupy sweet love letter written to him in 2011.
The letter was photographed by police shortly after Prince died & released the week of his two year death anniversary April 21, 2018.
The love letter Prince received says says: “I will never forget these last 2 nights,” & “I’m in love with you.” … Continue readingPrince Secret 2011 Love Letter Revealed
Prince & The Second Coming: It won’t be long… hopefully
By BylinePrincefan046 on May 6, 2018 July 17, 2019
“The Second Coming” is an unreleased treasure that is reportedly still in the vault. Prince had planned to release an album and film of the same title however, the project was abandoned shortly after the Controversy tour ended in 1982. The unreleased track “The Second Coming” was played over the PA systems before live Controversy tour concerts. The track has a distinct gospel feel while the lyrics make a political statement about gun control. The harmony is absolutely spine tingling. … Continue readingPrince & The Second Coming: It won’t be long… hopefully
Does Purple Rain Make You Emotional?
By BylinePrincefan046 on April 21, 2018 June 13, 2019
A simple piano version of “Purple Rain” is also the last song Prince played live as the closing number for his April 14, 2016 concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. He died a week later.
Most fans try not to imagine him being physically gone because he lives on through his music and the many lives he touched. Die-hard fans continue to honor his work and work to create a new generations of fans. If you’re reading this you are probably one of them. … Continue readingDoes Purple Rain Make You Emotional?
Purple Rain Live Tour 1985 Exclusive Free Download
Prince performed “Prince and the Revolution: Live” in Syracuse, NY at the University Carrier Dome on March 30, 1985. (free download)
The show was broadcast live throughout Europe as part of the 15th “Rock Night” live TV concert series. The two-hour show starts with “Let’s Go Crazy” and ends with an epic 20-minute version of “Purple Rain” with a 10-minute guitar solo. … Continue readingPurple Rain Live Tour 1985 Exclusive Free Download
Why Prince Stopped Celebrating Birthdays
By BylinePrincefan046 on April 3, 2018 June 13, 2019
Prince and the Revolution celebrated Prince’s 28th birthday at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI, on June 7, 1986. … Continue readingWhy Prince Stopped Celebrating Birthdays
Graffiti Bridge: Maybe it Will Take People 30 Years to Get it
By BylinePrincefan046 on March 31, 2018 January 9, 2019
Was Graffiti Bridge terrible? For years Prince fans have struggled with this one. When the bad reviews rolled in Prince famously said:
“(It was) one of the purest, most spiritual, uplifting things I’ve ever done. It was non-violent, positive and had no blatant sex scenes. Maybe it will take people 30 years to get it. They trashed The Wizard of Oz at first, too.” … Continue readingGraffiti Bridge: Maybe it Will Take People 30 Years to Get it
Prince Says Shopping is Not a Sport
By BylinePrincefan046 on February 24, 2018 February 14, 2019
“Satisfied” from the “3121” album was released in 2006. Prince performed a cheeky version of the track in London in 2007. He threw in a few memorable comedic gems including; “Shopping is not a sport. Please don’t make me go! I don’t want to go!” … Continue readingPrince Says Shopping is Not a Sport
Prince’s Scandalous vs Insatiable Poll Results
By BylinePrincefan046 on February 14, 2018 January 9, 2019
“Insatiable” released in 1991 on the “Diamonds and Pearls” album sounds just like 1989’s “Scandalous” from the Batman soundtrack.
They sound so similar some fans get the two tracks confused. Which do you prefer? See how fans voted on the Princefan046 Poll. … Continue readingPrince’s Scandalous vs Insatiable Poll Results
The Ladder Between Prince & His Father
“The Ladder” is from the 1985 album”Around the World in a Day.” Prince said he gave co-writing credit to his father John L. Nelson because he based “The Ladder” on a chord sequence his father often used. “The Independent” wrote a summary of the troubled relationship between the two as Prince laid his father to rest in August 2001. … Continue readingThe Ladder Between Prince & His Father
Who is Better? Prince or Paula Abdul
By BylinePrincefan046 on February 8, 2018 July 17, 2019
Did you run out to buy Paula Abdul’s “Spellbound” album in 1991? Me neither.
Prince gave her a track entitled “U.” But perhaps her version should be called “Not U.” Prince’s version of the track entitled “All Eye Want Is U” is unreleased. It’s interesting to hear the two versions of the song. Abdul followed the lyrics exactly, but somehow they sound dramatically different. Listen and judge for yourself. … Continue readingWho is Better? Prince or Paula Abdul
By BylinePrincefan046 on February 8, 2018 January 9, 2019
Several vintage Prince photographs, mementos, and a sealed copy of “The Black Album” earned more than $400,000 at auction in February 2018. Boston-based RR Auction opened bidding from February 8 to February 15.
The top five Prince auction items earned more than $130,000 alone. The highest bid was for a rare sealed copy of “The Black Album” which went for more than $42,000. … Continue readingVintage Prince Auction Items Earn More Than $400,000
“Baby Knows” : Turn a Dog Into a Hound
“Baby Knows” She got the long dark legs
She got the butt that go round
This kind of poochie make you beg
Turn a dog into a hound. … Continue reading“Baby Knows” : Turn a Dog Into a Hound
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YouTube Red and Google Play Music to combine, but details are scarce
YouTube Head of Music Lyor Cohen said that Google Music Play and YouTube Red will be combined into a single property. Cohen confirmed the eventual merger during a session at the New Music Seminar event in New York. He said the move would help educate consumers and increase the company’s subscriber numbers.
There have been rumors of such an action for several months, especially after the teams for those services were combined in February. Lyor did not go into more detail about the timeline for blending the properties, and did not discuss specifics around if and how names, branding, or the apps themselves might change.
Source: rainnews.com
Précédent Bertil David named MD of UMPG France as Jean-Philippe Allard exits
Suivant ASCAP and BMI are making a joint database of rights, licensing information
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Pereira talks about controversial calls in Saints-Vikings overtime
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 27, 2010, 10:41 PM EDT
During the on-air portion of the “Official Review” segment of NFL Network’s Total Access, V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira admitted that a flag should have wiped out the third-quarter interception thrown by Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, due to a low hit applied by Saints defensive end Bobby McCray. (MDS has more on the non-call right here.)
It’s possible that referee Pete Morelli swallowed the whistle because he had called a roughing the passer penalty only a few plays earlier, extending the drive. But Pereira explained that the driving of Favre into the ground was “poster-child” evidence of a personal foul, despite the fact that FOX’s Troy Aikman strongly disagreed with the call. So there should have been no need for a make-up call — especially since the hit to Favre’s lower legs was obvious.
During the online-only portion of the “Official Review” feature, Pereira talked about several other disputed plays from the game. Specifically, he addressed two key decisions from the sole drive of overtime.
First, he discussed a catch by Saints receiver Robert Meachem that moved the game-winning field goal attempt to 40 yards. The ball seemed to hit the ground — and move — as Meachem tried to secure possession. Pereira explained that insufficient visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, regardless of whether the call on the field had been that the pass was complete or incomplete.
In this regard, we agreed with the decision. Though it appears that the call was wrong, the “100 drunks in a bar” standard requires clear evidence to overturn the real-time ruling. And clear evidence was not available.
Pereira also talked about the key fourth-down plunge by running back Pierre Thomas, during which the helmet of linebacker Chad Greenway seemed to dislodge the ball after Thomas achieved forward progress. Pereira again explained that insufficient visual evidence existed to permit an accurate re-spotting of the ball, even if it were determined that he lost possession and then recovered possession while in the air. (As to the possible loss of possession, Pereira accurately observed that Thomas might have maintained sufficient possession with his right hand.) The problem is that Thomas was in the air, which makes it virtually impossible to establish the kind of reference point needed to spot the ball anywhere other than where it had been spotted on the field.
So, again, the call might have been bad, but the application of the replay rules was accurate.
Finally, Pereira said nothing at all about a pass interference call on Vikings linebacker Ben Leber on a ball that seemed to be uncatchable — unless Saints tight end David Thomas were 10-feet tall.
Of course, nothing said by Pereira or anyone else after the fact really matters. Vikings fans will continue to believe that their team got a raw deal, and Saints fans will continue to point to the final score and/or the Vikings’ many turnovers and/or calls that went against the home team.
Still, we hope that the NFL will aspire to reach a level of officiating that allows no team to legitimately believe that they lost a game due to anything other than the superiority of the opponent. We also hope that, someday, the NFL will reach that goal, on a consistent basis.
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140 responses to “Pereira talks about controversial calls in Saints-Vikings overtime”
i am just curious if viking fans would like to change their stance on the rodgers facemask call.
sucks when questionable calls effect the outcome of such a close game, eh?
greenbaygamera says:
The Refs sucked this year all away around. In the end the Vikes lost the game with their turnovers. Saints proved themselves to be cheap shot artists and I look forward to watching them lose to the Colts in the SB
BENCHTJACK says:
Vikings were ROBBED! The Katrina effect in play.
Dirty play by Saints also alowed Favre to be late hit play after play everyone saw this.
TheFoo says:
What face mask call? That wasn’t a face mask unless you’re an ignorant fan with understanding of the new face mask rules.
He did mention the PI on Leber later on, not only was it not totally uncatchable if no interference, but Leber did not play the ball and stepped on his foot. He went on to explain that it was incidental contact, but incidental contact only works if the defender is playing the ball. Which Leber clearly wasn’t.
Pervy Harvin says:
Thank you Mike Florio. Bringing the truth to light isn’t easy. I can honestly say that if the Vikings were at home and won the way the Saints did,I wouldn’t be very proud. Gods honest truth. Take your SB BrewOrleans,too bad after 100,000 years your first one is so riddled with crap.
“In this regard, we agreed with the decision. Though it appears that the call was wrong, the “100 drunks in a bar” standard requires clear evidence to overturn the real-time ruling. And clear evidence was not available.” You have to be blind? Everyone saw that was not a catch…ball moving not in control hits the ground! Didn’t even need HD to see it.
SixburghSteelers says:
I really don’t see why people complain about bad calls…
There will be missed tackles, dropped balls, missed assignments, bad coaching decisions, and bad calls in EVERY game, deal with it…some will go your way, some won’t!
NFL.com has taken down close up video of these plays off the website? I wonder why? Saints win=tainted win!
Mike Florio = crying. It would be nice, Mike, if you would come out of your purple & yellow closet.
iusedtobeteddybayer says:
Ya know, “100 drunks in a bar” is a good reference point. As a Denver fan, I think, at this point, I’d rather have a drunk,20 season Green Bay fan than ANYBODY NFL. Ed Hockuli-and-the-gun-show can all kiss my ass. BAD CALLS AND WHERE’S JOE BUCK? A KNOW-SHOW.
DoughBoyRAC says:
Vikes lost. Period.
Like any game, if the officials beat you, you beat yourselves!
Did he discuss the flag that was picked up at the end of the first or third quarter? It appeared to be for illegal touching. Both officials had thrown their hats indicating a player had left the playing field. The flag would have been for that player being the first to touch the ball after returning to the field of play. Morelli’s explanation was the the foul occurred after the quarter had expired. The quarter extends through the end of the play. Morelli seem confused and rattled at times during the game.
The PI was a horrible call. The problem is that the determination of catchability is too difficult for the officials to make. I have seen numerous balls that hit ten feet out of bounds which would make it nearly impossible to be caught, yet PI is called. I am not sure what the solution is, but perhaps it should be illegal contact if the ball does not hit right around the receiver unless it is an intentional PI where the player just tackles the player or grabs him to prevent him from moving.
jaybird0727 says:
Saints fan here. I admit, the McCray hit on Fave was low and would usually be called. However, there was a bad roughing the passer call on Hargrove earlier in the game. The refs were protecting their golden boy. Favre is one tough hombre, though. Anyway, offsetting penalties. Replay the down.
Abe71 says:
Honestly though……….who cares? There’s always next season.
joe6606 says:
The catch and the 4th down play were clearly non-reversible…
The “PI” on the other hand was downright horrendous. On of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in a playoff game. Forget about whether the ball was catchable, there was NO contact…terrible, terrible call.
andy reid's belt says:
Face it…if all f’d up calls were corrected, Dallas would be in the Super Bowl
pmm0455 says:
The refs did a piss poor job of officiating the whole game. This only gives the Vikes more to cry about.
gforce89 says:
Vikings fans I feel for you with those bad calls. It must have brought back bad memories of getting robbed in Pittsburgh too. Welcome to the world of playing against Pittsburgh…the team that gets all the “calls”.
dsb says:
Quite the vitriol here. If I were a Vikes fan, I’d feel the same way. Can’t blame em. With that said, a team with 5 turnovers has no business winning a game. And yet, they still almost won. Don’t like the Saint’s chances in Miami. Got a feeling the Saints won’t be able to duplicate that outstanding 5 turnover defensive performance.
RealPervyHarvin says:
Benchthack is a loser. Get over it. Punks like you who talk crap to other teams thens cries foul when it hits home. You Viking fans are the worst in the NFL. Nobody can standyou. That’s why, even though you have a winning team, your team still isn’t in the top ten among NFL fans. That’s why you babies will be going to LA. Try buying tickets and not being obnoxious. Two ingredients to a successful NFL franchise. Neither of which your team has. Hahahaha.
philwauke says:
So karma is a beeotch… Thats what happens when favre tries to blow up Eugene Wilsons knee in a meaningless preseason game. You got beat…. Look forward to Tavaris running the show next year.
Real Vikings fans wouldn't cheer for Favre says:
Favre choked and is terrible, get over it
JpBirdman says:
I’m going to invest in Kleenex companies with all these Viking fans crying about the refs. Minnesota fumbled SIX TIMES. It’s natural for fans of the losing team in a big game to search for some kind of scapegoat with the refs. Quit your whining, man up, and move forward.
leatherneck says:
Florio, 1 million drunks in a bar saw that it wasn’t a catch.
All this is excuses by the officials. If the Saints don’t have the referees marching them down the field in overtime, they are stopped, and the Vikings go on to win the game.
johnko says:
First off Viking fan here. While I did not agree with many of these calls I can’t fault the refs for them except for two, and while those two were wrong they did not cost the Viking’s the game. The Viking’s lost the game themselves with turnovers and the 12 man huddle.
The two calls to me that were wrong were…
1. The above mentioned hit on Favre’s ankles. How is that missed?
2. The bad replay coverage of the Saint’s 2nd touchdown. They only showed two angles of the back being tackled, each a few times, until after the extra point and TV break. After that they showed the angle which clearly showed the back was down at the 1. So the TV grew gave the Viking’s booth coaches no evidence to call for the red flag until too late. How does this happend in a championship game with 100 network cameras covering the game?
Again, while I think these were badly missed calls, the Vikings lost the game. Bad calls are a part of the game. Don’t be in a position to let them affcet the game if you are the better team.
blitzed says:
when are you gonna start talking about all the horrible calls that went the queenies way for most of the game …. how about the sure interception the Saints would have had when Betty threw the ball right to the Saints DB but Sidney Rice ran by and grabbed the defenders arm well before the ball was there so it was dropped …. how about the other missed penalty in OT on the last play before the FG when the queenie DB tackled the receiver well before the ball was there ?? wasn’t it really odd that there wasn’t a holding call the whole game …. when there is holding on every damn play …. wasn’t the penalty count like 8 Saints 2 queenies into the 4th quarter
Pieces Are In Place says:
Well, Who Dat Nation, Be proud your inferior team played dirty and cheated their way into the superbowl. Have fun getting worked over by Peyton Manning. Favre will be back, and the Vikings will win the superbowl next year. Who Dat Nation is a joke!
Big Smitty SCPO says:
The facts are this 5 turnovers the Vikings lost the game… There is no recovery for that. Before the game Sean Peyton says ” if we are going to win this game we need to protect the football.” Childress ” we are going to show the Saints that we are the better team inside these white lines.” Peytons plan worked Chilly ran his suck!!!!! If you are diasecting a game with referees you are looking for closure. Here is the closure YOU LOST done deal!!!!! If San Diego could of had those 3 FG’s back the jets weren’t supposed to win…. Here it is thats why they play the games!!!!!! The 2 number one seeds are in!!!!
rockotica says:
this explanation MAKES NO SENSE. i saw the angles available; they were the best, ahem, available AKA good enough. under this corrupt official lackey’s excuse, no bad call that was called incorrectly on the field can be overturned unless PERFECT video exists, which that he says can not be gotten at all. he defines perfect as unattainable.
ickeywoods says:
Pereira did discuss the Leber pass interference call during Replay on NFLN. He defended the call saying that a)because Leber didn’t look back for the ball and b)that Leber stepped on Thomas’s foot which caused him to go to the turf therefore the call was justified.
garyl says:
I would have loved the Rogers penalty.
Than AR could have gotten beat to a pulp in NO. Chico was not big enough for AR but GB hickville is just about right.
The GB staff is starting to clear out at first chance.
Hopefully, BF comes back as he knows his team no.
The Vikings will win both games by 32 points.
VASeahawk says:
Aren’t all those whiners the same people who said the Hawks had no complaints about SB XL. Guess the purple tinted glasses change everything. Guess what….tomorrow….you STILL won’t be in the SB.
Look forward to the saints getting embarrassed in Miami. Poor networks.Hoping for a Favre vs Manning. Even colts fans wanted that excitement. Oh well, Fumbles and Refs a song like Boats n Hoes. We lost the famous battle of Fumblaya. Never get 2 gifts…Manning will will scorch them.
snnyjcbs says:
I am not a Fan of either team and the Saints were handed the overtime win by the NFL. You are not talking about one call here but a group of calls or non calls that allowed the Saints to move into FG range and win the game.
So wish all you like, the Vikings did not loose the game as much as the refs put on Saints helmets and played for the Saints on the winning drive.
The owner of the Saints should be sure to have some extra rings made should they win the Super Bowl and send them to the NFL offices
This happens way to often anymore in big games where the winner is determined by the refs and not the players. I pay my money to see the game determined by the teams playing not the refs.
As for the catch that was not a catch at all, if that was the Raiders the called catch would have been overturned and that you can bet your life. All that talk about visual evidence is nothing but bull, they change it as they see fit.
psychobob671 says:
The Saints are going to the Superbowl.
The officiating sucked from the very first play.
Watch Will Smith getting held the entire game, not one call.
You wanted the biggest drama queen in football for
a QB and you got him.
Live by the fjord, die by the fjord.
Milhouse says:
I imagine the refs sent 12 men to the huddle, too?
habibfromnewdehli says:
Okay, whatever…
but how is this joker Pereira going to explain the two non-calls when Mark Sanchez was rocked in the helmet/facemask by the Colts in the first half?
How come for some teams/QBs… the officials are “supposed to be looking for those things, it’s a QB league and we need to protect our QBs”
in games like this, NONE of the officials see it? Twice?
YEEEEAH, just admit the games are rigged, staged, and these guys are all just acting. The betting money is how you really pay all these athletes and unproven 1st round draft picks. Ticket sales and concessions only go so far.
When you lose a fight there is two options: feel like the other man was better and slink away or demand a rematch. Hope to see the Aints again!
RealPervyHarvin put down the Ripple wine and step away from the keyboard. Sober up and try to think of something that makes some kind of sense here, thank you. You call me a punk and a loser? Do you read your stuff after you write it?
raideralex99 says:
Bad calls are part of the game BUT three QUESTONABLE calls ALL on the same drive in a championship game in OT is total BS.
HarrisonHits says:
One of the worst years of officiating I can remember in more than 40 years of watching NFL games.
The league needs to transition to full time refs who are required to study film and work together during the offseason to bring the consistency and standards of calls to a much higher standard.
As it stands now we have a sport that generates billions in revenue and yet the referees are little better than a group of half trained monkeys.
jx4cmario1 says:
Forget the fact that the ball was 10 ft over Thomas’ head, Leber doesn’t even touch him.
The 4th down play where Greenway jars the ball loose was horrible too. The shot from the sideline shows where the ball should’ve been spotted, 1/2 yd short.
Meachems “catch” hits the ground and moves. Clear evidence that he doesn’t maintain control all the way to the ground.
Fumbles, INTs, and 12 men made it possible for these calls to be missed in the first place, but damn, we got hosed.
Panu says:
snnyjcbs says: “This happens way to often anymore in big games where the winner is determined by the refs and not the players. I pay my money to see the game determined by the teams playing not the refs.”
This game was determined by the Saints forcing fumbles and intercepting passes.
Also, as those above have said, NFL Replay shows Leber stepping on the receiver’s foot, which caused him to fall and rendered the ball uncatchable. Without the fall, the ball is catchable, without the trip, there is no fall. Hence, pass interference.
Also, why isn’t anyone whining about the out-of-bounds hit on Brees on the reverse, or the slamming of Brees into the ground on the overtime drive. Those weren’t called either, but they should have been. The refs did what they could to keep the Vikes in the game, but Minny couldn’t execute and take advantage.
redsquare says:
The Vikings turned the ball over too many times. AND they got a raw deal from the refs. Both of these things are true.
The turnovers put them in a position to lose the game. The bad calls sealed the deal on them losing the game. (Funny how most of the bad calls came at the very end of regulation and in overtime…)
I don’t know one way or the other about conspiracies. The Vikings have to work to do better to avoid these situations to begin with.
And the NFL has to work with its officials to make sure this kind of crummy officiating doesn’t continue. Every year a new batch of fans becomes cynical and bitter toward the refs, and even in this impossible age of digital micro-managing, they’ve earned it–a lot of the game-changing bad calls in this season’s playoffs were stunningly blatant, even without a dozen slo-mo replays.
Wrathchild says:
Whatevs Florio. As Mora once said, “Coulda, woulda, shoulda.” “The good teams come in and get it done.” Also, how quickly you forget how the patsies got to their first SB with boy brady.
The Meachem catch was most certainly a catch, if there was a camera angle that showed different, the call would’ve been reversed. It doesn’t matter if the ball moved, only if it hit the ground, and it certainly did not hit the ground.
The Leber PI looked like face guarding to me.
oldlefthander says:
In these uncertain times, we’re forced to look for comfort in the few things that are always predictable.
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Brett Favre turnovers at the WORST time
4. Conspiracy theorists and none-so-blind-as-he-who-will-not-see crybabies claiming their team was cheated
5. Pervy Harvin talking smack about other teams, dismissing their every achievement and making bold but ultimately untrue predictions about glory just over the horizon for his team
It’s all so reassuring in its own sad way.
badfish69 says:
You watched him do it to the Packers for years, and saw him do it to your team this year and you still believe Brett Favre can bring you to the Super Bowl? I see Viking fan might just have a terminal case of BFAS( Brett Favre Apologist Syndrom). I think it’s affecting your brain and by listening to Paul Allen today your not the only one. Everyone knows Brett Favre can’t win a big playoff game. You better hope the divisional game isn’t close at the end because you won’t even make the championship game if it is.
Kay Bee says:
Geez…more whining. Perhaps if the Vikings didn’t turn the ball over a handful of times, they could’ve won. This game should’ve actually been a BLOWOUT in the Saints’ favor.
New Orleans’ offense didn’t play very well, and they still put up 31 points. Face it…Favre is a fraud and he won’t be back next year. The Vikings’ window is now CLOSED.
This is what they get for running up the score on the Cowboys. Karma is a b*tch huh?
biginjapan says:
what city has the worst fans, how about the ghetto who dat nation. i remember all the blacked out home games with 15,000 poor sports wearing bags over thier heads while the dome was full of banners calling your team the aint’s. just because your team sucked so bad for so long, it was rewarded with high draft orders is the only time i hear about real fans in who dat nation. no baseball no hockey no pro championships to speak of, unless standing with your hand out waiting for the rest of the tax payers to pay to rebuild your city that smells like a sewer is considered a sport
Saint33 says:
actually Florio, Perreira did comment on the PI call on Leber. I don’t know if it was on his official review bit on Total Access, but they did show it during the replay of the game on NFL Replay.
Not only did he say that the ball was catchable, which is absolutely preposterous, he said that it was absolutely a PI call. He said that Leber wasn’t look for the ball, and he stepped on Thomas’ foot. They then showed a replay of the play, and not once did Leber step on his foot, but even if he did, since when does stepping on a foot equal pass interference?
I’ve seen a hundred times players getting their feet stepped on and tangled up, and it’s never called. And in most cases, the player isn’t looking at the ball, so I don’t see how he can even try to rationalize that BS
wrath4771 says:
My problem is the “uncatchable” rule. Really you have to throw the ball into another ocunty for it to be ruled “uncatchable” and I’m not just talking the championship game. I think you can find two to three calls a week where no one human (or Randy Moss) is going to catch the ball, but interference is called. And while I’m at it, I think Leber got nailed for “face guarding”. Since DB’s can’t breathe without getting hit with passinterference, take a cue from the college game and allow face guarding.
monet99 says:
I think the Meacham call was correct. The Thomas call almost surely was wrong and it makes no sense what they are saying. It should have been overturned. I am a Packer fan saying this. I was rooting for Saints but call was awful.
For everyone talking about 5 turnovers.
One of the turnovers, Favre’s first interception came on the play that the NFL itself has no admitted should not have been an interception, because of the low hit on Favre. It should have been personal foul, defense, 15 yards, fresh set of downs, offense. Vikings ball, in business.
The score was tied 28-28 at the end of regulation. Yet if that one call had been made correctly, the Vikings likely would have won outright.
So don’t talk to me about five turnovers. The Vikings were robbed.
Skol Vikes says:
I have to agree, if that last so called “catch” was by a raider player I have no doubt they would have overturned it and called it (correctly) incomplete.
straightup says:
No doubt the Saints got some calls, but what about the calls the Vikings got. Punter drops the ball after the fair catch and the Saints tackle him, the ball is live so why was there a 15 yard penalty? What about Drew being driven into the ground the same way Favre was, not call. The Saints won because they created turnovers. Vikings should have held onto the ball and they would have won. I have to wonder how many teams mad it to the super bowl after winning games on a turnover. Do those teams suck? Most of yall will say that if the Saints loose, they didn’t belong in the game. Well they’re there so either deal with it or don’t watch.
AutumnWind999 says:
1. The low blow on Favre’s 1st INT should’ve been roughing under the new Brady Rule.
2. It was a good makeup non-call that erased the extremely weak Roughing penalty earlier in the same drive that would’ve brought up 4th down and a punt. The two plays even out.
3. It looked like Meachem’s hand was probably under the ball when he almost droppped it. No evidence to overturn that call.
4. The pass interference contact on David Thomas is what held him back and made the ball uncatchable. Yes, it was 10 feet over his head, but if he hadn’t been tackled while the ball was in mid-air he may have been able to make a play on that ball. For refs to rule a pass uncatchable it pretty much has to be thrown into the 1st row of the stands. They’re actually pretty consistent on this. I can’t even remember a handful of PI calls that were waived off for being uncatchable passes all season.
5. No way to re-spot that Pierre Thomas carry. It’s basically impossible to tell if he had the 1st down or not with the bobble. He looked to pretty clearly have had it with the initial lunge. No camera angle was definitive though.
6. All that said it’s a tough pill to swallow for Vikes fans. A lot of close 50/50 calls late in the game seemed to go the other way. I didn’t see anything that was blatantly wrong though. Just a lot of plays that could’ve honestly been called either way but the majority of which fell to the Saints. The officiating wasn’t even remotely as sketchy as what the Cardinals had to put up with in Super Bowl XLIII or what the Raiders have to choke down on a weekly basis.
whatthehellisgoingonoutthere says:
He seems to not make any mention of the 2 hits on Brees that were identical to the one that Favre got his “poster child” penalty call on that were not called. I am not a Saints fan, but it was pretty obvious that Favre got the calls that Brees didn’t.
credit_score_rapper says:
Ojectively did the Vikings get hosed to hell in OT….heck yes. Even some of my buddies who are Bear and Packer fans were amazed at the terrible calls. BUT….Farve threw 2 picks and Peterson dropped the ball non stop. Were the Saints a better team that day…not even close. Did the Vikings hand it to them on a silver platter?? Hell yes. Farve should have been sitting on the bench half way thru the 4th quarter not trying to make a play after a incredibly stupid coaching move and having 12 men in the huddle.
packerfanfornot4life says:
Well how the tide has turned!!!!! @ weeks ago all PAckers fan heard from the classless fans in purple was Wah wah get over it Green Bay fans quit your crying about the officials. Well now all i can say is this “shut the F%$K up about the game, at least the officiating in your game was bad on both sides!
Castro95 says:
Colts are going to win anyways. You can give Manning a game with two min left on the clock 40pts down no running back and he still finds a way to win.
Tebow's a Douche says:
Viking’s fans are such cry babies.
this class sucks says:
When the Niners played the VIkings in Minn. the very first play from scrimmage Jared Allen was about a mile offsides and forced a fumble on Shuan Hill. The Niners recovered but the damage was done, they were so far back toward their own goal line they were forced to just run the ball. Frank Gore was injured for three weeks a play later. The Niners lost all three of those games. When its just me and my best friend talking about the Niners we think that missed call is the reason the Niners missed the playoffs. This is clearly far from a fact, and impossible to prove but its how we feel. It is much nicer to blame the officials in that game because the shoulders of the officials doesn’t have a golden ‘SF’ logo on the side. I have loved the Niners every moment of life I can recall and have never easily thrusted blame on to my beloved team. The sad truth however is that blaming the officials changes nothing. It doesn’t make the Niners QB situation better, it doesn’t improve our return game, or give us a good left guard all it does is provide a small amount of comfort and a topic to commiserate over.
For the people trashing the Vikings fans as whiners don’t do it. Have you never blamed a loss on officials? I hated the Vikings (this season only because of Favre) as much as all of you, and laughed loudly when the PI penalty was called (horrible call) and even louder when Brett looked like he was really hurt. But the Vikings are a team that has had more bad luck thrust upon them than most NFL teams and this year could have been their year. Yes they probably wouldn’t have won anyway with all the turnovers, and yes the Favre interception was the worst thing I have seen since, well since Alex Smith threw a pass, but you can’t blame them for wanting to shift blame from the QB who won them games with 3 seconds left, or the RB who trucked Willie Gay (I also love the Steelers so don’t get upset Sixburgh) or the WR who shined as a rookie in the return game and looks to be a solid WR for years to come. Allow them this right to ease the pain of this loss. I know you Packer backers are relishing in this but you need not add to it. You have a franchise QB who will probably be league MVP one day, and the Bears probably have a much brighter future than we all think. Lions fans, go ahead and make fun of the Vikings you guys can make fun of whoever you want because your franchise is god-awful from top too bottom.
Vikings fans: Complain about the officials among your friends, on PF, where ever but I would not stop making a huge fuss about trying to get Chilly out of town.
I don’t how many people will read this all the way through but for those that did thank you. And please feel free to critique my points.
vaultmusic says:
I think I just figured out why the Viking’s fans are so upset…There’s NOTHING to do over there! Once the Vikings lost, their whole year is shot!
I can’t wait for my vacation to come up so I can go to Minneapolis! We’re going to eat at the Denny’s over there…
I went there with some REAL Vikings… They were bored as hell…The biggest high-light was visiting Wal-Mart…
As for the calls, or non-calls – get over it!
The Hargrove penalty was ridiculous…The same happened to Brees, and no call.
I saw Favre about to get slammed by Will Smith, blatant holding – no call…
Meachem did catch the ball…The replays showed his hand under the ball, with no CLEAR evidence that it hit the ground.
I know it’s a little embarrassing when you get beat by a team with the most players on IR in the league…
Here’s some advice for the Vikings: HOLD ON TO THE BALL!
What are they suppose to do? Pick it up and hand it back? ‘Here you go Mr. Peterson, you dropped this! Because this is not suppose to happen to YOU…’
Is Jared Allen still on the team? I didn’t hear him name called all day…He was supposed to beat Bushrod on every play…He was a non-factor.
Enough with all the Katrina bashing…It’s easy to make fun of a hurricane tragedy when you live near the Canadian border and NEVER experienced one.
How would people in Minnesota feel if someone from New Orleans made fun of your bridge collapsing? Remember that? Was there anything funny about that?
The Vikings had their chance to win and it didn’t happen…they lost their poise and were out-coached. Was it the Saints fault they had 12 men in the huddle on the most crucial play in the game? Did the refs make Favre throw that stupid interception? It was a bone-headed play by Favre. That’s when the Vikings lost the game.
The facts: Saints are playing in the Super Bowl and the Vikings will be watching at home.
If_you_only_had_a_clue says:
Isn’t it interesting that the Viking fan can complain about a bad calls. I guess that they will need a state judge to create some fake law that the NFL can’t call a pass interference penalty next year. The truth is that they were lucky to be in the Championship game in the first place. The two tackles should have been serving a 4 game bad for breaking the rules.
Viking Fan what retread from the Packers do you want next year. Maybe Ted T used jock? It’s so sad that you have so much Packer envy.
mannyfresh209 says:
Jeremiah, you are lost, child
argos says:
There were quite a few inconclusive calls.
I say, call it inconclusive and replay the down.
Note though that if the vikings didn’t drop so many balls it wouldn’t have been close.
I’m a Cowboys fan and although I’d love to back the Vikings up in this situation, I can’t.
Sure, the refs blew several calls at the end of the game and in OT, but the REAL issue here…the continuous flaw to the ever-so-awesome offense the Vikings possess…is AP fumbling the goddam ball!
This guy couldn’t be less clutch at a worse time in his CAREER. The only good thing he did was recover the ball the 3rd time he fumbled it.
Terrible AP should never be considered the best RB in the league again.
awfflpete says:
Vikings fans are so pathetic. Get off the library computers and go back to your trailers.
Annuvin says:
Quit blaming the refs what amounted to the utterly inept and abysmal play by Minnesota when they needed it the most.
If the Bi-Queens hadn’t put the ball on the ground so the Saints could recover on the 7th and score their final TD, the Queens would be going to Miami. That being said, it is quite clear that N’awlins didn’t beat the Purple Pansies, the Purple Pansies found a way to lose YET AGAIN.
Peterson did what he did best all season by putting the ball on the ground, Harvin fumbled at a time when it cost them the most, and Favre put the final nail in the coffin by ending the game in a fashion we were becoming far too accustomed to in Green Bay. What were you honestly expecting? The only people who didn’t see a meltdown like this is the Bi-Queens themselves, along with their whiny, obnoxious fanbase.
Par for the course, I’d say.
Michael LaRocca says:
I want the referees to admit that those 89 interceptions by Delhomme were all bad calls. Panther fever! Catch it!
RareBreed says:
Football is looking more and more fixed evey year.
Little Tommy says:
How many refs does it take to call an NFL game??? 40 friggin cameras recording everything in sight from a gazillion angles, slow motion, stop action, instant replay, cameras everywhere and they still can’t get it right! What’s wrong with this picture.
If this game has become this complicated maybe it’s time to simplify the game because, NFL, your officials can’t even get it right anymore!
All this technology was supposed to help but in my opinion it’s just making things worse and your officiating is becoming a joke and ruining the game.
JimmySmith says:
Were the ref’s perfect? Hell no, but as many of these posters have noted, there were calls missed or blown both ways. I believe that the calls tend to balance out over the course of a season and in a very high percentage, even within the game.
Its interesting to observe that the Viking fans are among the loudest complainers. Spending the whole season proclaiming that you are going to the Superbowl when your sorry ass franchise hasn’t won anything in 43 years is bad enough, to blame the refs when it doesn’t happen is laughable. The symbolic image of their head coach wearing a dress sums up the Biqueens, they are always someone else’s bitch.
Hotwaggy11 says:
I don’t mind that they low hit on Favre wasn’t called because the low hit on QBs rule is beyond stupid. You can’t so much as graze thier heads and now you can’t tackle thier legs? When did QBs stop being football players? Whenever anyone else is blind sided, or ‘blowed up’ they end up on a segment called ‘jacked up’ and everyone cheers; but if you so much as fart too loudly near a QB it is a personal foul.
Two of the Vikings scoring drives in regulation were extended by ball calls against the Saints. The bottom line is that the Vikings had 4 quarters to win the game and failed to do so and now people want to complain about overtime calls.
The assumption that the Vikings would have won if the Saints had to punt discounts all of the turnovers that the Vikes had in regulation. Who is to say Favre wouldn’t have tossed a pick in overtime or Peterson wouldn’t have put the ball on the ground again. The 40 yard FG was good from much further back so they may have gotten it anyway. Assuming Vikings victory without the questionable calls is meaningless conjecture.
“If a frog had wings he wouldn’t bump his ass hopping.” Well, he doesn’t so he does…what is, is and the Vikings are better off focusing on teaching Peterson to hold on to the ball and finding a QB for next season.
tv says:
No mention of the non-call when a Vik DE picked up Brees and drove him to the ground towards the end of the game?
That was a virtual replay of the hit on Lord FavRay, yet it was totally ignored by both the refs and the broadcasters.
Only one team moved the ball in the overtime. They did so against a Viking defense that was helpless to stop them. That team was the refs. The overtime was ruined by their inability to enforce the rules in a manner that had one football team or the other determine the outcome of the game. The overtime was not football. I am a Steelers fan, and could care less which team won. Bottom line, the Saints did not win the game. It was a gift. They did not deserve the win. Because of this, they still dont have the victory. There is a difference.
“Though it appears that the call was wrong, the “100 drunks in a bar” standard requires clear evidence to overturn the real-time ruling. And clear evidence was not available.”
And yet, they only trot out this excuse on plays they decide not to overturn because only 90 out of 100 drunks in a bar would have overturned it. The rest of the time, the official makes his best guess based on the replays and ignores the “indisputable evidence” rule.
RobF2010 says:
“Finally, Pereira said nothing at all about a pass interference call on Vikings linebacker Ben Leber on a ball that seemed to be uncatchable”
Looks like a lot of you didn’t watch the show. He DID address it. The defender stepped on the tight end’s foot while NOT playing the ball. It’s only incidental contact if both players are playing the ball. It was clear interference. He also said the ball has to be clearly uncatchable to be ruled so. If you take off your purple glasses and imagine the tight end running upright instead of falling, you’ll see that he would have had a play on the ball.
As for tough non-calls, one of the Vikings did a “lift-and-drive” on Drew Brees in overtime. No call, no referee to help him up and fix his shoulder pads.
I’m all for protecting ALL of the quarterbacks, not just the ones with big names, but only in the pocket where they’re vulnerable and clearly trying to pass. If they’re going to pump fake, play fake, hide the ball, and threaten to run, then they’re just one of the 11 guys on the field. To quote that defender in that old NFL commercial, “This aint no tennis match.”.
tudefit says:
Seems to me on the low hit the guy was blocked and low to the ground but continued and hit Favre. But there were some questionable roughing calls against the Saints earlier and some bad calls against them as well.
Bottom line is the Vikings had a chance to win it in regulation and blew it big time. So dig out all the excuses you want. Bad calls in all games and it sucks but it ain’t never going away.
GirthyOne says:
Florio, I have seen you pander, but this takes the cake.
I hate the Vikings, but bad calls are bad calls, regardless of how funny.
Pierre fumble: After he achieved forward progress? He was still moving, were do you get that line from? Brutal, as is your opinion on it. The ball was clearly dislodged. Also, wether a guy is in the air or on the ground, it is very clear were the ball ends up, which was about a yard further back. This is one of the worst calls, if not the worst ever because of the games significance. On field officials blew it and review official blew it. So bad, it made my beer taste bad. Jerks.
Meachem Incompletion: For years, we have all seen call after call that comes down to holding onto the ball when you hit the ground. In one of the biggest stages of the year and it OT, nonetheless, the on field officials blew the call and the replay did as well. This was nothing short of awful. Not sure what visual evidence they were looking for. It was clear and much clearer than some of the incompletions we have seen called game after game. Jerks.
Non-Interference: This happens a lot. Full-Time officials might just help.
These were some of the worst calls ever. Now I have to listen to the conspiracy theorists all over again and Viking fans whine. I can’t even disagree with them. Thanks a lot. This is a bunch of bull. Goodell should be embarrassed. This kind of crud is what stopped millions from watching basketball. Don’t let it happen to football.
Now I hope the Saints get killed in the Super Bowl. I was hoping Indy would lose before those calls.
Thanks for nothing Florio. Are you going to announce a deal with the NFL now. Terrible.
Joe in Toronto, Canada says:
raideralex99 says: January 27, 2010 11:52 PM
Pestilence1972 says:
Thanks PFT for finally addressing the OT penalties.
4th and 1? That was the bad call of the game (along with the Brady rule non-call). How can they not get that right under review? There are 800 cameras at the game from every possible angle. And the idea that there is no point of reference because the RB is in mid air? How about goal line plays where the RB “breaks the plane” of the goal line in mid air. To me that play is just like a WR bobbling a ball while coming toward his QB. Forward progress is called after he makes the catch (and stops bobbling it). No. That 4th down play should have been moved back to where ever he ended up when the play was over. Once he bobbled (fumbled) the ball, the refs should have placed the ball where it was when the play was finally over.
And enough about the turnovers. The Vikes should not have been in the game with all the turnovers. BUT THEY WERE. And no team wants to see the refs tilt the field in favor of the other team. ESPECIALLY IN O.T. .
Personally, think that the stats, yardages, and turnovers are irrelevant. Those two teams seemed destined to end up tied near the end of the game. The Vikes blew a great chance to kick a field goal. And then the refs handed the victory to the Saints in OT.
I don’t care what team you cheer for, no football fan wants that.
mtjmissman says:
Saints got 5 gifts during regulation..that game should have never been in overtime..
BigEarl504 says:
Florio, your man-crush on the beloved Brett is turning into an obsession. I can’t seem to figure out what this has to do with a) 3 lost fumbles, b) the dumbest decision ever made by a QB in a big game, c) 12 men in the huddle.
Those are your reasons for losing Viking fans(including you Florio), not the officials.
Everyone knows the first rule of playoff football…”Win the turnover battle”
The Vikings didn’t and the Saints capitalized. That’s it.
green&bold says:
boo frickin hoo. First packer fans are whiners, now vikings fans are whiners. The refs did a horrible job when it came to making calls concerning hits on the qb. Horribly inconsistant. The saints win is no more tainted than the cardinals or any other team that benefits from “missed” calls. If it helps you to call them “dirty” and that this win was some how “cheap” then go ahead. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Its been like this forever. You could probably find 5 or so legitimate reasons why your team didn’t win but you don’t want to focus on that.
The facts are this 5 turnovers the Vikings lost the game… There is no recovery for that.
Then why did they have to play overtime? The facts are.
A. despite the turnovers the Vikings and Saints were tied at the end of regulation.
B. my Vikes defense did not stop the Saints from scoring in overtime.
Congrats to the Saints and their fans. There is no coulda, woulda, shoulda. Only the cold hard facts. It was a kick ass game and we came up short in overtime.
12 teams make the playoffs, only one of them ends their season with a victory. That’s the way of it in football. Like a wise person said, there’s always next season.
d.b.cooper says:
You gotta love when some idiot posts the usual garbage that “Pittsburgh gets all the call.”
Hell, the Steelers got two obscenely bad calls against them in that Indy playoff game a few years back and overcame them.
That is what good teams do when they get bad calls….they overcome them instead of whining about them like the pathethic Seahawks and ViQueens.
MrHumble says:
With Periera’s explanation of “clear evidence to over rule a call”…….it doesn’t make sense then how Bush’s (and Saints) last TD was overturned. The call was down at the 1yd line and I don’t think anyone can say there was clear and convincing evidence that the ball made it across the goal line before he was down……and the official who called him down at the time was only 3 ft away from the play. Secondly, how could the officials call P. Thomas’s td (the second saints td) when it WAS clear that his knee was down at the one yd line. I am not a Vikings fan and I don’t care who you are a fan of, the officials were terrible this year and it was cultimated in the vikings saints game. About the worst overall game of officiating, in regards to the total number of blown calls, that we have ever seen.
pushing50 says:
The NFL is rigged. The Jet’s lost because the fools in N.Y. started buying PSL’s to soon. Had they held out, the League would have help them in the SB to increase sales. I don’t know if the Vikes get another shot in Farve part III. I think the NFL wants to help the Saint’s and a SB win would be just the thing. I believe they would prefer to move the Vikes to LA instead of the Saints. If LA comes off the table, then the League will give a SB to Minnesota to help them get a stadium deal like they did for Indy.
Anybodyhome says:
If Tom Brady was taking hits like Favre did, the game would have taken 5 hours with all the penalties…
boysroll says:
viks fans can cry all that want as that org has a long history of choking with no big wins in 30 yrs.
The reason they lost is baldy running that team. That was a horrible play call when favre rolled out to throw it which was intercepted. Baldy screwed up with the extra man in the huddle prior to that play so if I was the owner I would fire his bald a.. and send him back to philly where he came from to screw that org up further as well.
way to go baldy…..
Romad says:
There was no interference on that play. Horrendous. Glad they didn’t call roughing the passer. If you want to protect the quarterback – run the ball.
wow, some people have a problem with hair loss…
Mr Krinkle says:
The Vikings lost because of Favre, Childress and fumbles, not because of the referees. When there are over 100 plays, some are going to be wrong, you just have to accept it. Go back and watch a classic game from the 60’s or 70’s. Pretty much one in every 4 or 5 plays is called wrong: bad spots, knees were down on a fumble, not having possession on a catch, etc. Nobody cared, they just accepted the call on the field and kept playing.
And people act like that pass interference kept the drive alive, but it happened on first down. The call gave them 1st and 10 from the 29 instead of 2 and 10 from the 40. The way Brees was passing at the time they probably would have gotten into field goal range on 2nd and 3rd down anyway.
JaredSlansky says:
Florio,
I used to work for a company called Dartfish which is a sports video analysis solution used for many applaications and mostly motion analysis. The 4th down play was correctly rulled a lack of evidence, the problem being that camera angles that are supplied are for a home viewing audience and not an important ball spotting replay. That play and many like it could be easily spotted by taking overhead and sideline shots and syncing these videos togeather. Alot of this hard to prove video evidence can be easily proven with the syncing of multiple angles. And adding a few angles that are used for challange review only would help even more. For example, If two vides were synced one veido might be able to show posession while a wider angle would be able to prove ball placement.
Anarcho Purplism says:
@vaultmusic says: January 28, 2010 3:33 AM:
You’ll stop hearing people making cracks about Katrina once the media finally realizes that it is no longer an interesting story. When someone cracks Katrina, they are not making fun of the disaster of the actual event, they are making fun of the media & other institutions which exploit the event for their own purposes.
It’s been 4 1/2 years since Katrina. While I am sure there is still pain & turmoil being overcome, since re-building processes take time, many people are tired of hearing about it.
This is very similar to people’s attitude about 9/11. By about 2005, people started making fun of others CONSTANTLY saying “In a post 9/11 world…”
There is always some moron with makeup and a microphone that does not realize that a story has expired.
On to the next Nawlin’s story that will be beaten to a pulp:
-Who does Archie Manning cheer for? How do old-time Saints fans with close ties to the Manning’s feel about this upcoming game?
I will admit the recent Joe Horn story was very interesting. 1- the former hero sitting in the cheap seats & 2- league executives asking his opinion on moving the Saints.
Carl Gerbschmidt says:
Brett Favre and Chili, really not a good post season mix. Viking fans are also blaming Steve Hutchinson for calling heads on the coin flip. Face it viking fans blaming and excuses are something losers use to make themselves feel better. The best complaint I have heard from a viking fan the OT rules are not fair, thats rich. The vikings are a cursed franchise and their fans are classless idiots.
grunt24 says:
hahaha i cant laugh enough how the refs are getting blamed by the fans for the loss, especially in regulation when the saints had 9 penalties for 98 yards to the vikings 2 penalties for 10 yards (not including the boneheaded 12 men in the huddle penalty after a timeout) really looks like the refs favored the saints huh! unreal, players hold on to the ball and favre doesnt throw the pick there then we dont talk about ot, it is what it is
I dare ONE fan to say that is not a true statement!!!
carolinaviking says:
The vikings had the turnovers and were still in the game,The vikings were the better team,but they couldn’t play the saints and the refs,I have seen too many games decided by poor officiating.I saw goodell there and if he trully cares about the nfl he would oversee some changes.i hear too much of “the officiating is a joke”the true unabiased fan sees that. A great game should not be determined by poor officiating,
BigEasy says:
Funny thing is that this is quite a pro-viqueen article Florio……
Why don’t you have Perrira go over all the non calls….like Brees rolling out and getting hit in the head (NO CALL)…..my personal favorite Brett Favre throwing a screen to his Left Tackle or was it his Left Guard cause there wasn’t any other Viqueen around (NO CALL-and extended the drive)….And as for the roughing the pu$$y penalties…..a joke….the only legit roughing was the one that wasn’t called…..the other two were in the act of football..there was nothing intentional…..If you don’t like it then go cover Flag Football!!!!
Sterling says:
No word, either, I suppose, on the Saints TD where replay clearly showed the guy down at the 1-yard line before the ball crossed the plane?
Yeah, I thought not. Chilly’s mistake for not challenging, but it’s more evidence of the Vikings getting jobbed.
Saintnation says:
Hats off to you sir, it is a shame that there is this much animosity amongst folks. Both sides could make cases about calls that were made or not made. Honestly had the outcome been different, I would have been leaning towards the Vikings in the SB
bbeer says:
The truely great football teams won’t let themselves get in a position to where the refs could lose them the game. Not to mention I enjoyed watching Favre get his a-hole handed to him.
purpleguy says:
Hey dopes, read the posts from Viking fans above and after the game. The majority blamed the loss on the turnovers, not the frigging crappy calls by the officials. There are as many posts above from fans of other teams criticizing the officials than from Viking fans. The Vikes lost cause of turnovers — if they’d held on to the damn ball, the official calls wouldn’t have made a damn bit of difference. That’s the position of most Viking fans despite your desire to pigeon-hole (or in Pack fans case, corn-hole) all Vike fans into one position.
joeyabs84 says:
If Jared Allen would have hit someone that low Florio would write about it for 2 weeks.
@ grunt24
You can’t just take a look at the ole stat line and say: derrrr vikings had 98 yards in penalties, saints had 10. Derrrrr that means the vikes got all the calls in their favor, dererrrrrrr.
Lemme guess? Pack fan??
@purpleguy
id say its about 50/50 on who the fans are blaming–but i will say i bet most of the fans who are blaming the refs are more bandwagon fans than anything–id say people who know football more know it was the turnovers and little mistakes that costed them the win, just like the players are saying
Vikins says:
The fact that four calls have controversy surrounding the officiating (or lack of) only reiterates the fact they are questioned because they are wrong. Saints couldn’t get it done on their own in 60min so the refs won it for them, advancing them down the field. If this isn’t the case why are the only calls questioned for the benefit of the saints. Regardless, the officiating remains to stay consistently inconsistent!
Look real close at a slowmo replay of the Meachem catch. The ball may have been loose and moving when he hit the ground, but his hand is underneath it the whole way. Call it splitting hairs, but the catch was good. So was the end result. And Favre got some calls he should have gotten and he received some he should not have gotten. Choose.
I’m sure Jared Allen and the Williams Wall was going to be gentle if they ever got to Drew Brees. Don’t like the beating your QB is taking? Protect him with your players instead of counting on the officials to do it for you. Of course, you’ll have to leave a few more guys in and limit yourselves offensively like the Saints did and you won’t get to pile up all those pretty stats so you can show us how impressive you are in defeat.
The Dolphins held the ball for 45 minutes earlier this year and out-everythinged the Colts. The Colts still won. That one is the most impressive loss of teh season but I’ll give the Vikings the second-most impressive loss trophy or maybe we should call it the First Runner-Up like they do in beauty contests.
Suck it up. There’s no crying in football, either.
@jx4cmario1
actually it was the other way around, read carefully or proofread b4 posting please, deeeeerrereer, embarrassing
Cowboy22 says:
Where were all the Vikings fans 2 weeks ago when Romo got driven into the ground in the first quarter? I didn’t here any complaints then. Why is it that the vikings fans aren’t questioning the 1 st and 2nd down calls on their last drive that put them in position for the INT play. If you stay aggressive on those 2 calls you gain another ten yards and the 12 man call is meaningless. Why are all these fans excusing Favre’s stupidity? After all, OT wouldn’t have happened if Purple Moses hadn’t thrown one of the all-time dumbest passes. Plenty of bad calls against the Saints throughout the game as well. It is really nice and quiet in Minnesota this week.
footballrulz says:
1. RWFV says: January 15, 2010 9:21 PM
mike says: January 15, 2010 7:32 PM
From the Nfl:
Sorry we screwed up the Packers should have won the game.
My god man…..get over it. Grow men don’t cry over missed calls. The packers got down by 17 because of turnovers – how do you blame the refs for that?
Big f’n babies.
1. DocBG says: January 15, 2010 9:26 PM
one thing that has consistently been left out by the reporters on here is that if every missed call and non-call was enforced, the playoff seeding, and indeed teams could be drastically changed, possible resulting in the packers not even making the f-ing playoffs.
any time you have humans making calls, there are going to be screwups, and this is a call that could have really went either way. then again, perhaps simply preventing 1 of the 45 points the cards scored would have negated this anyway right?
1. RealityTrip says: January 16, 2010 1:10 AM
Packers blew it from the beginning so there is no sympathy here. Good teams overcome bad officiating.
Ponder that during the off season losers!!!
1. RealPervyHarvin says: January 14, 2010 10:33 AM
I watched the video and have some thoughts. That game is history,the better team won the Defenseless Bowl. It’s simple…Favre wasn’t there to save the Packers. Rodgers is not clutch with the game on the line like Favre…never will be. He panicks,like a girl. The belt dance says it all…
Just a random sampling of some posts frfom a thread talking about Piera & the Cards/Pack game.
I really like the one from RealPervyHarvin (who is not, by the way) about Favre being there to save the Packers. Just like he did when the Pack played the Giants,Philly & the Rams.
It’s been almost a week. Time to let it go…
When Florio posts something like this of course he’s going to get a reaction from people, so when you say “time to let it go” are you talking to the people merely responding to the article, or Florio himself? STFU….
eballa1 says:
Vikings fans, if you didn’t like the OT calls, just remember, you had a chance to win in regulation but thanks to Favre being Favre the game went to OT.
Where does this idea come from that if the Vikings didn’t have so many turnovers the game wouldn’t have been close? How long did the Saints trail in this game? About a total of 9 minutes. It was 7-0 Vikings after their opening drive. And 14-7 late in the 1st quarter to early 2nd quarter. I know their was a big gap in the yards from scrimmage total but that doesn’t factor in the 80-yard kick return that set up the Saints’ 3rd TD. It doesn’t factor in that the Saints had better field position most of the game (largely because of turnovers) so their drives were obviously shorter because they were playing on a shorter field.
The truth is the Saints forced as many turnovers as any team in the league this year and scored more defensive TDs than any other team. It’s their style to strip the ball and bait QBs into throwing picks. When they do it successfully 4 times in 1 game (the 5th turnover was the botched handoff which was a lucky play for the Saints) it’s just as much or more to their credit as it is the Vikings blame.
So the Vikings didn’t hand the Saints this game. The Saints snatched it away like they did the football so many times on Sunday.
Grunt-
You know what I meant, the point is you weren’t even referencing anything the article is talking about, typical Packer fan, take something out of context and use it to make your point. I’ve seen it a million times.
Obviously these were bad calls, the fact that Pereira even brought them up proves it. But if the Vikes bury them in regulation, none of this matters, but they didn’t.
Irishmeat says:
As a Vikings fan I am pleading STOP the whining!! Bad calls happen. We are sounding like Packer fans. Maybe we should focus on this:
We had the ball on their 33 yard line (50 yarder) and then called a timeout and put 12 guys in the huddle with a Super Bowl trip on the line.
Then after the penalty we still had a 55 yarder and instead called a pass play with a hobbled QB.
All fumbles and penalties aside it came down to coaching. We FAILED.
about the article??? i was refering to the the fans that are complaining about the refs favored the saints soooo much, and i was making a point on how the refs were not favoring the saints due to the fact that the saints had about 8 times as many penalty yards as the vikes did–and id say in ot there was one bad call, when leber was called on the interference, but like pereira said, live motion i can see that the ref would call that, but if leber woulda played the ball there would not have been a flag—as far as the other being bad calls, they were 50/50, looks like he had forward progress on that and yea the ball was knocked back but still had it in his hand as pereira said, u would call it a td if that were the goal line cz the ball touched it, wasnt a clear cut fumble cz he had his hand on it the entire time—and the catch coulda gone either way too, may have touched the ground but looks like he had his hand under the ball who knows…REMEMBER BOTH PLAYS WERE REVIEWED—I feel bad for ya i do but u said it perfect “But if the Vikes bury them in regulation, none of this matters, but they didn’t.”
@ jx4cmar, hut, hut
Feeling a little testy their dude? Oh the bitter taste of a Favre int in a playoff game. You have to learn the let the inevitable go–you’ll live longer.
We can go back and forth all day on this, the only thing I will add is regarding Pierre’s leap, you can’t compare him breaking the plane of the EZ to reaching for a 1st down, once the ball crosses the plane of the EZ the play is over, it’s a TD. A 1st down is totally different, he lost control and the ball should’ve been respotted accordingly. Whether he had control with his other hand is a totally different arguement all together, and that’s where conclusive evidence comes in, they probably didn’t have enough.
@ irishmeat
@ jx4cmario1
Im not saying they were both good calls, but they were the right calls–so it is what it is
30-24 colts, but hoping its 30-27 saints
The truth is that it is over. Nothing changes that one. Both the poor ball control and the crappy officiating contributed to the score being where it was at come the last whistle.
It amazes me that the Packer fans seem to be hollering more about all this than the Vikes fans themselves. Give it a break -the game is done and either way the Vikes did lose it.
Favre proved to be a better QB than Rodgers- THIS year. Aaron will plan MANY more years that Brett as Brett will retire next year or maybe the following.
The Vikes were a better team than the Packers were again THIS year.
It all goes back and forth. The real North fans were and will root for whoever in the NFC North is in there in my book. I can holler at the Packers all year but when the Vikes are out then if the Pack is still in I can root for them and the NFC North.
ITS OUR HOOD. Protect the North and call it like you see it fella’s. The refs sucked and made VERY poor calls but that doesn’t say I am whining or thinking that those calls coming back would have been the difference-ball contol was horrible on the Vikes side and so we will just never know.
footballrulz-
Where did I say anything about the Favre INT besides that that’s where we could’ve burried them? I’m in no way bitter about the INT because that’s part of the game. Please don’t put words in my mouth. If Favre’s back, we’ll be back as the favorite to come out of the NFC. (this is where you say we’ll just choke again) He made a bonehead mistake at a very crucial time and now the obvious “we said it all along” and “you wanted him, you got him” rants are out in full force. He had an unbelievable year and I hope he comes back to finish the job.
MetairieBoy says:
Mike, you’ve bet against the Saints all along, and this just looks like you’re trying to cover your butt.
You have no credibility because you’ve been wrong (“Saints will be the only upset” in the divisional round), in both games. You’re whining about the hits on Farve, but when Brees got similarly driven into the ground, no call was made.
The Vikings had ample opportunities, and they didn’t win the game.
Stop crying, admit your failures in prediction, and move on…
@ jx4c…
I have not been one of the Favre’s gonna fall apart, he can’t make the season, etc. Packer fans. I’ve pretty much said all along he made a good choice and that he never would have survived this year as a Packer. He would have to have endured a whole 1st half of the season taking the beating he took last Sunday. So don’t put words in my mouth either dude.
All I did was bring up a few posts where the shoe was on the other foot and lot’s of VIkes fans were on there with the don’t blame the refs crap & now, well, here we are. Kinda sucks when it happens to your team, huh.
And don’t tell me to STFU.
Does suck. But I also know that the Vikes beat themselves with fumbles, 12 men, bad coaching, ect…the list goes on. There’s no question that some of the calls mentioned were iffy, but there’s also no way that game should’ve even been in OT. I’ll leave it at that, and sorry for the STFU…
No prob man. And yes, Vikes beat themselves, just like Pack beat themselves against the Cards. Bad calls and no calls in both games but bottom line is both teams should have been able to overcome them.
Good luck next season.
screwed again says:
First off, congrats to Saints fans. If I was a Saints fan I wouldn’t care one way or the other about the refs. If you’re in the Super Bowl you don’t care how you got there. If you win the big game, nobody will remember the previous one. I’m sure the Saints have had many games where they’ve been screwed and feel like this is just karma swinging their way.
To the Packers fans on here, as a Viking fan I’m thrilled to have Favre this year and hopefully next, but I must say GB made the right call moving forward with Rogers and will be set nicely for many more years than the Vikes at qb.
As for this game…I moved on from blaming officiating back in the 80’s. Back then it seemed to me the Vikes always got screwed by the refs and would fall apart after getting the short end of a call. I also noticed that the great teams (like Frisco back then) wouldn’t ALWAYS get the call, but would move forward and make a play to regain what was lost. That said, as a fan I can’t help but feeling that the officials (and the inadequate OT coin toss rule) took away any chance of the Vikes winning in OT. Yes, the Vikes turned the ball over 5 times and fumbled 6 times, and yes, the 12 men in the huddle was sickening, but that doesn’t excuse the series of bad calls and marginal calls that all went the Saints way in OT. I wasn’t surprised when the reviewed plays (Meachems catch and Thomas’ fumbled ball on 4th down) weren’t overturned as both appeared to be bad calls, but there wasn’t the perfect camera shot in either case to “prove” they were bad calls. What nobody seems to be talking about is how the refs blew each of these calls initially. If they had been ruled correctly on the field they wouldn’t have been overturned the other way either. I also guarantee that if the refs had swallowed their flags on the Leber PI that there wouldn’t be an uproar about how is should have been called. The refs blew it on the field…repeatedly, and unfortunately they all went in one teams favor in OT.
As for us whining Vikings fans bitching about losing in OT, when we could have taken care of business in the first four quarters; If the refs had called the “Brady rule” on Favre’s first pick the Vikes would have won in regulation despite losing the turnover battle 4-1 (which they did during the regular season on multiple occasions for those of you who didn’t see all the Vikes games). Besides the missed call, Saints fans have to feel lucky the Vikes fumbled away a golden oppotunity before halftime with the botched handoff preventing at least an easy field goal attempt. The vaunted pressure defense of the Saints had nothing to do with forcing that fumble, which could easily have also been the winning point difference in the game.
The Vikings have now lost 4 Super Bowls and 5 straight NFC championship games. Most of these losses I attribute to the Vikes falling apart in “the big one.” A few were helped mightily by horrible calls (Pittsburgh SB in my opinion, the Dallas Hail Mary push off, and of course this one). And, I attribute a couple to simply being outplayed by a superior opponent (SBs – KC, Miami, and Oakland, and I should credit the Giants for kicking the snot out of Denny Green’s Vikes in 2000, 41-0). Thats a lot of losing in very bad ways for us poor Viking fans. I have my doubt any other franchise has endured as much when it comes to self destructing or being screwed in big games. Ownership, coaches, players, even stadiums change, yet somehow history keeps repeating for Viking fans. The Twins winning two titles was huge, but there’s only one thing that would cleanse the average Minnesota sports fans psyche – a Vikings title. This is the seemingly unobtainable event.
I’d also like to say (as though this has been too short) that I’m sorry for any Katrina comments from other Viking fans. As far as I’m concerned, thats in very poor taste and I don’t buy the comment that it was pointed at the media for over covering it.
Why do the Vikes always have rosters riddled with pro bowlers, yet never win when they need too? Was Ditka such a genius back in ’85 when he said it was the best team, not the best collection of players? And if so, why can’t the Vikes ever get a coach to go along with all the talent?
fuhgyou says:
# Kay Bee says: January 28, 2010 12:47 AM
Actually, not a Vikings fan, but without their own fumbles, this game would’ve been a Vikings blow out win, similar to what they did to the Cowboys.
I think they have a legitimate gripe with the refs, but then this does happen all the time. All. The. Time. The Cowboys lose the first game this year to the Eagles without that horrible ball spot on fourth down, and don’t even get to play the Vikings in Round 2.
The refs are absolutely horrible in the NFL. Maybe it’s me, but I do not see anywhere close to as many horribly made or horribly missed calls in any college game.
Does the speed of the pro game really affect the refs ability that much?
Vikes ran up the score on the Cowboys as a result of talent and skill; the Saints won by a measly 3 points in OT in THEIR OWN HOUSE, because the Vikes had butterfingers that day and poor calls. If they hadn’t made so many mistakes, Vikes would have won easily…everyone knows that. The Saints barely won in their own house…even with all the bad calls and Viking TO’s…if they play to that level in the SB….SEE YA. Personally, I think the Vikes VS. the Colts in the SB would have been more competitive and more fun to watch. What’s so fun about watching some Dirty Defensive Saints try to take out Peyton Manning’s knees? Only way they can win is by trying to take out the good players and play all the backups…kinda gives you an idea of what level they think they are at as a Team themselves. QB’s can and should be hit, but not illegally and to the extent Aints go…if you don’t follow the rules, it’s just slop football…SLOP. Warner retires, Favre pulls out of the Pro-Bowl…hmmmm, should tell you something about their tactics…I don’t care how old a QB is…How does it feel to go to the SB riding the DIRTY plane?
Moose says:
Favre didn’t complain why should the pansy fans? I don’t see anyone complaining about the hit on Sanchez [Jets] AFTER he handed off the ball and then was creamed. Someone asked how it felt going to the Super Bowl because of the officiating. IT FEELS GREAT !!!!! Obviously a lot better than not going.
deemic says:
Being a Chargers fan, I’ve gotten used to disappointment and every team deals with bads calls. This is different. The NFC title game was a sham.
The Vikings got screwed big time on that last drive. Not just “in game” calls, but calls that actually determined the outcome of the final drive.
The game was tied and in overtime. At that point, turnovers are irrelevant and each team has a fair shot at victory…. unless the refs hand the game over to the Saints (which they did). It renders your “turnovers decided the game” argument as pointless.
The truth is, the better team in NOT in the Superbowl and the whole country saw the Saints back-in to the game because of horrible officiating.
Illegitimate victory.
Vikings-Colts would’ve been a matchup for the ages. Instead, this game will be a blowout and expose the Saints for the fraud they are.
BikerSaint says:
On the fumbles: consider that N.O. D was first in the league for causing turnovers. Vikes Offense was at the top in fewest turnovers. Gregg Williams admitted the Saint front seven were not dominant enough to win without forcing turnovers. They train and practice on causing them. Why overlook the fact that Saint defenders actually forced the ball out, and it wasn’t just a case of loose hands?
talk about non-calls on celebs? i remember in the 80’s when the 49ers were kingpins. Jerry Rice scored his record breaking touchdown on a long bomb against the Saints, and the replay clearly shows he dropped the ball at the three yard line, as he raised it to the air to celebrate too early.
NJStosh says:
The refs blew this game big time !!!
Hard to believe they were having a bad day with that many calls.
I’ve been watching football for over 40 years and am neither a Saints or Vikings fan. My take is the Viking were the better team and should be playing in the SB this year.
If the refs would have gotten the calls right, the turnovers would have been alot less for the Vikings.
If I was a Saints fan, I wouldn’t be too proud right now. How good can you feel about being a charity case.
Unless more is done about the ref calls in this game, the NFL has as much integrity as pro wrestling !!!
As a fan of the game, I don’t want to see the better team get robbed !!!
vikes backer says:
The saints were playing dirty football and the refs were letting them get away with it. Very poor officiating!!! GO COLTS!
godbassist says:
I bet that Crow taste awful , You thought Peyton was going to give you satisfaction ,he can carve you up but against the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints the knives ware dull .See ya in the at our home …..
drjohnbecker1 says:
Who is that? The Saints.
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Home>Featured Slider>Increased demand in South West sees Lely sign up new service
Featured SliderKitLatestNews
Increased demand in South West sees Lely sign up new service
April Waterston March 28, 2016
17.03.16 - Picture shows Russell and Jason Revill with John Pike from Lely - Revill Mowers Limited, based in Coleford, has become the latest to join the turfcare specialistÕs group of 20 independent, authorised service locations (ASLs), after Lely approached the company needing additional service support in the area.
UK Toro distributor Lely Turfcare has signed up a new Gloucestershire service centre following significant sales growth in South West England.
Revill Mowers Limited, based in Coleford, has become the latest to join the turfcare specialist’s group of 20 independent, authorised service locations (ASLs), after Lely approached the company needing additional service support in the area.
With 15 years’ experience in the industry, Revill Mowers director Jason Revill set up the firm with his business partner Russell Revill in January 2015.
Previous to establishing the firm, Jason says he worked closely with Toro equipment for some time: “Before 2015, I worked for eight years on mower maintenance and repairs, during which time I worked on Toros and got to know the machines very well. I found them to be very well-built, user-friendly and great to work on.”
Having been carefully chosen by Lely as a result of the service centre’s great reputation across the region’s local golf clubs, Jason says he was delighted to be asked to become an official Toro service centre.
“Toro has an exceptional reputation in the industry, and is well known for supplying turfcare equipment to prestigious golf tournaments and clubs around the world. As such, we were very happy to become associated with such a high-status name,” he says.
Since the new partnership, Revill Mowers has invested heavily in specialist Toro diagnostic equipment and staff training; something that Jason says is set to continue.
“We’re big believers in training and have taken full advantage of Lely’s fantastic training opportunities. We’ve been working very closely with Neil Adams, [head of training at Lely Turfcare] and have found the courses great. We’ll be continuing those going forwards so that we can carry on providing the high level of service we have always offered, and match the quality of Toro,” he explains.
Both Jason and Russell are enjoying building on existing training and knowledge, having each already completed a 3-year apprenticeship in agricultural and grounds care machinery at South Worcestershire College in Evesham.
John Pike, regional manager at Lely, adds: “As well as embracing our training opportunities, Revill Mowers Limited has also adopted our Service Level Agreement fantastically well, and has progressed very quickly.”
Lely’s new Service Level Agreement (SLA) was introduced last year. With two of its own service centres, the new agreement is designed to align customer service levels across the UK, and raise the support standards associated with its own bases and across its independent ASLs and UK-wide dealer group.
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Offices (248)
To Let (248)
Offices for rent in Amberdale Avenue, NE6
Create Alert 248 results Sorry, we currently do not have any listings for rent in 0 miles of Amberdale Avenue, NE6 - Please find below the nearest listings available.
A provider of fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Annfield Plain - DH9 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
The property in Stanley comprises a 75,836 sq ft (7,045 m²) industrial estate with 7 units available. The building offers flexible managed workspace accommodation for companies seeking workshop or light industrial premises.
The units are of the latest design, with the frontage incorporating panels of ceiling-to-floor tinted glass. They also include integrated office units with kitchenettes and toilets. In total, this property in Stanley measures 75,836 square feet (7,045 square metres) and has on-site parking for both staff and visitors. The space can be accessed 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
Annfield Plain, Annfield Plain, DH9 7YB
Location: Annfield Plain, Annfield Plain, DH9 7YBGBCounty Durham, StanleyDurhamDH9 7YBParkhead
A provider of fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Hebburn - NE31 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
The premises are single storey units, spread over a number of buildings, which are all accessible through the main entrance. We have 37 units, ranging from 700 - 15,500 square feet (65 - 1,440 square metres) which can be used for Industrial purposes, workshops or storage. The estate offers plenty of free parking and space to load/unload your goods. Each unit has roller shutter access.
Victoria Road West, Hebburn, NE31 1UB
Location: Victoria Road West, Hebburn, NE31 1UBGBSouth Tyneside, HebburnDurhamNE31 1UBVictoria Road West
A provider of fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Pegswood - NE61 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
The centre in Pegswood comprises a 16,000 sq ft (1,486 m²) industrial estate. The building offers 17 units of flexible managed workspace accommodation for companies looking for workshop or light industrial premises which would be suitable for manufacturing, distribution or warehouse space.
The unit has unloading areas, an onsite team and free parking.
Pegswood Industrial Estate, Pegswood, NE61 6HZ
Location: Pegswood Industrial Estate, Pegswood, NE61 6HZGBNorthumberland, MorpethNorthumberlandNE61 6HZPegswood Industrial Estate
Media Exchange is an attractive modern office development in the heart of the Ouseburn which has undergone significant regeneration in recent years. The property is on Stepney Bank which leads to the Cluny and Seven Stories.
Easy access to Newcastle City Centre is only ¾ mile away along the A193 which leads to the A167 Central Motorway.
Media 3 is an attractive self-contained office building with its own front door and the following specification.
Air conditioning units.
Suspended ceiling.
Perimeter Trunking.
Carpeting.
Good WC provisions.
Shower facility
3 car parking spaces with the lease
2 additional spaces on licence (£150 per space per annum).
Media Exchange 3, Coquet Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2QB
Location: Media Exchange, Coquet Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 2QBGBTyne and WearNE1 2QBCoquet Street
The property occupies a prominent position on High Street East the main arterial road through the town and there is a bus stop immediately to the front of the premises.
The two shops have been newly refurbished including replacement of the shop fronts and comprise large open plan front retail area with office storage and WC to the rear. There are also bike and bin stores to the rear of the premises.
TO LET - 25-29 High Street East, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, NE28 8PF
Type: Retail, Office, Offices
Location: 25-29 High Street East, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, NE28 8PFGBTyne and WearNE28 8PFHigh Street East
For Rent£22.00
Landmark Grade A office building located in the very heart of Newcastle City Centre - Behind a fantastic listed façade, the building offers prime Grade A office accommodation and is a home to occupiers including Sir Robert McAlpine, National Audit Office, JHC and Frank Recruitment Group.
The building provides column free office accommodation on ground to fourth floors arranged around a central core and two atria, providing an abundance of natural light.
• 3 x 13 person passenger lifts serving all floors including the basement
• Chilled beam air conditioning system
• Full BMS system allowing flexible zonal control
• Raised access floors
• Suspended ceilings
• Manned reception
• Floor to ceiling height of 3.34m on the ground floor and 2.65m on the upper floors
• Shower facilities
• Bike storage facilities
• On site car parking
• EPC rating: D-96
St Nicholas Building, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 1RF
Location: St Nicholas Building, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, , Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 1RFGBNewcastle upon TyneNorthumberlandNE1 1RFSt Nicholas Street
Size: 2297 - 5096 Sq Ft
For Rent£10.00 Per Sq Ft
Ground and first floor office suites within a three storey building providing traditional office accommodation, conveniently located in the centre of Newcastle available to let either as a whole or on a floor by floor basis.
Office space to let
Location: 6, Higham Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8AFGBNewcastle upon TyneNorthumberlandNE1 8AF5, Higham Place
For Rent£150,000.00 Per Annum
Prime location, Successful Self Storage facility located on the main Team Valley Trading Estate
To Let with a potential option to Buy
Opportunity for expansion
Current turnover of the business is around £400,000p.a with scope to increase with further investment.
24 hour access self storage facility with yard space.
approx 80,000sq.ft
offers around £150,000p.a plus premium to be agreed.
For further information contact the site owner Mr Shareef directly on 07956 593 382
Rare Opportunity Prime main road Storage facility and Business for Rent at the busy Team Valley Trading Estate with a potential option to Buy
Type: Office, Storage, Offices, Self storage, Industrial
Location: 6 Kingsway North, Team Valley Trading Estate, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE11 0LPGBGateshead, GatesheadDurhamNE11 0JH6, Kingsway North
For Rent£15,000.00 - £19,950.00 Per Annum
The premises comprise two independently accessed units
Unit 1 was formerly occupied by Enterprise Rent a Car consisting of retail/office space fronting North Bridge Street with a garage/workshop immediately to the rear with additional roller shutter entrance accessed from Barclay Street. The workshop can be made available separately or can be included with the front retail/office space as necessary.
Unit 2 comprises ground floor reception and a series of cellular offices with main road frontage from North Bridge Street. The premises comprise well-presented office space over ground and first floor with suspended ceiling, recessed lighting and partitioned office cubicles. The office fit out can be retained or stripped out as necessary depending on the intended use of the unit.
Location: Wearside
Tenure: Leasehold
Footage: Unit 1 - 379 sq m / 4,084 sq ft Unit 2 - 250 sq m / 2,687 sq ft
Price: Unit 1 - £19,950 per annum / Unit 2 - £15,000 per annum
TO LET - Units 1 & 2, 16-18 North Bridge Street, Sunderland, SR5 1AB
Type: Retail, Offices, Office, Industrial, Warehouse
Location: Units 1 & 2, 16-18 North Bridge Street, Sunderland, SR5 1ABGBTyne and WearSR5 1ABUnits 1 & 2, 16-18, North Bridge Street
A self-contained office building comprising a range of individual single storey offices with a two storey feature entrance around a communal landscaped courtyard.
All office suites benefit from carpeted concrete floors, plaster and paint wall finishes, fluorescent strip lighting and central heating by way of wall mounted radiators. There is a secure entry phone system attached to all suites.
Communal toilet and kitchen facilities are situated within the lobby areas. On site car parking is immediately adjacent to the building
Location: Gateshead
Footage: 124.7 sq m / 1,343 sq ft
Price: £10.00 per sq ft
TO LET - Vermont House, Concord, Washington, NE37 2SQ
Location: Vermont House, Concord , Washington, NE37 2SQGBTyne and WearNE37 2SQVermont House, Concord
For Sale£175,000.00
The property is situated on a prominent corner position on Victoria Road East.
Very close to Hebburn town centre within a well-established residential area.
Total ground floor area of approximately 1,063 sq ft with a further 830 sq ft on the first floor.
Nearby occupiers include Andrew Craig estate agent, Dhillons fish and chip shop, Subway, Savers and Asda supermarket
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Footage: 176 sq m / 1,893 sq ft
Sale Price: £175,000
Rent Price: £15,750 per annum
FOR SALE / TO LET - 1 Victoria Road East, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, NE31 1XG
Location: 1 Victoria Road East, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, NE31 1XGGBTyne and WearNE31 1XGVictoria Road East
The property provides ground floor retail space with rear yard.
The first floor has a self-contained entrance onto Prince Edward Road. It is currently used as storage but could be converted to a 1 bedroom flat.
Ground floor retail unit with selfcontained storage / flat above.
Popular retail parade with a number of national local operators.
Location: South-Tyneside
Footage: 40.3 sq m / 434 sq ft
Price: £12,500 per annum.
TO LET - 197-199 Prince Edward Road, South Shields, NE34 8PL
Location: 197-199 Prince Edward Road, South Shields, NE34 8PLGBTyne and WearNE34 8PL197-199, Prince Edward Road
Price from £149 per person, per month. This fully inclusive cost delivers fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Newcastle - NE1 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
This centre is situated in the heart of Newcastle and housed in an impressive red brick building. It offers everything you need so that you can focus on running and growing your business including; superfast internet, state of the art internet and phone packages, meeting rooms, car parking, and bike storage.
Lots of natural light fills the centre, making for a productive working environment, and a concierge service is available to help you with everything from personalised call answering, secretarial services, organising a meeting room or even booking a taxi. These offices are available immediately and offer flexibility, great value, and no hidden costs!
Market Street, Newcastle, NE1 6HQ
Location: Market Street, Newcastle, NE1 6HQGBNewcastle upon TyneNE1 6HQMarket Street
The property will be let as a retail shell with benefit from a large glazed shop front onto Market Street with mains services including gas, electricity, water and drainage. Plummer House is on the corner of Croft Street and Market Street in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne close to Carliol Square and with good vehicular access to A167 and the Tyne Bridge.
The property is situated to the east of the city centre close to the Laing Art Gallery where there is a high concentration of offices in the immediate vicinity such as Higham House, Hadrian House, Bamburgh Court.
Footage: 98.6 sq m / 1,055 sq ft
Price: £25,000 per annum
TO LET - Ground Floor Shop Plummer House, Market Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 6NB
Type: Retail, General Retail, Retail - High Street, Leisure Property, Pubs/Bars/Clubs, Restaurant/Cafes, Office, Licensed & Leisure, Offices
Location: Ground Floor Shop Plummer House, Market Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 6NBGBTyne and WearNE1 6NBGround Floor Shop, Market Street
The property is situated on a prominent corner position.
The property comprises the whole of 1 Victoria Road East.
£175,000 / £15,750 per annum
Grade II Office Accommodation
The office can be let as a single unit or alternatively on a room by room basis – with the kitchen and WC facilities being shared.
Good Onsite parking
Asking rent of £10.50 per sq ft + VAT (inclusive of service charge).
For further information please visit the Allendale Estates Website: https://www.allendale-estates.co.uk/business-parks/
Footage: Suites from 13.37 sq m / 144 sq ft to 201.4 sq m / 2,168 sq ft
Rural Services Offices - Flexible terms available
Location: Unit 3 South Acomb Farm, , Stocksfield, NE43 7AQGBNorthumberlandNE43 7AQUnit 3
For Rent£7,700.00 Per Annum
Two Storey Office Suite
The office has a kitchenette, WC facilities and is heated via a “district” biomass woodchip under floor heating system.
Popular Rural Office Development. Situated only 500m from the A69. There is a good provision of on-site parking available
There is an additional service charge payable estimated at £2,855 per annum + VAT and Heat Charge £1,300 + VAT per annum.
Footage: 767 sq ft
Price: £7,700 per annum
Rural Office Suite
Location: 5 Bearl Farm Cottages, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7AJGBNorthumberlandNE43 7AJ
For Rent£7.50 Per Sq Ft
Refurbished offices available to let ranging in size from 500 sq ft to 7,200 sq ft
Excellent location in Newcastle city centre in Grainger Town on the edge of China Town.
Situated within an attractive Grade II Listed Building.
Rents available from £7.50 per sq ft.
Footage: From 136.2 sq m to 524.9 sq m / From 1,465 sq ft to 5,649 sq ft
Price: £7.50 per sq ft
Type: Offices
Location: 9-10 Charlotte Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 4XFGBTyne and WearNE1 4XFCharlotte Square
Price from £34 per person, per month. This fully inclusive cost delivers fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in North Shields - NE29 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
This modern business centre combines a multitude of space options including serviced office space as well as workshop and storage to cover a variety of business needs. The centre offers on-site parking for tenants and their business guests as well as being fully IT and telecoms ready. The office spaces come in a variety of sizes and all have heating and carpets.
Orion Way, North Shields, NE29 7SN
Location: Orion Way, North Shields, NE29 7SNGBNorth Tyneside, North ShieldsNorthumberlandNE29 7SNOrion Way
A provider of fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Gateshead - NE10 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
This centre comprises 152,000 sq ft, and offer flexible accommodation for businesses looking for a workshop, light or heavy industrial units on a short/medium term lease. Providing car parking facilities for easy access, site security and unloading areas for extremely competitive prices and a single page license agreement. At this centre, you will benefit from having 24-hour access, allowing you to work through your own timetable. This is ideal for those with international clients with contacts across different time zones. The near to various train stations and benefits from a fantastic location.
Green Lane, Gateshead, NE10 0QH
Location: Green Lane, Gateshead, NE10 0QHGBGateshead, GatesheadDurhamNE10 0QHGreen Lane
A provider of fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Jesmond - NE2 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
The Studio is a self-contained fully serviced creative office space situated in the heart of Jesmond, a fashionable suburb within close proximity to Newcastle city centre.
The Studio’s façade looks out onto the lively Osborne Road; which is home to a number of bars, restaurants and artisanal eateries and boutique cafes. The area is popular among foodies, socialites and young professionals.
The space itself has been newly refurbished and features a boardroom table and chairs, fully furnished and LED TV.
The space is available as a fully serviced option with the monthly rate inclusive of rent, bills, business rates, service charge, cleaning and IT.
Osborne Road, Newcastle, NE2 2AD
Location: Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, NE2 2ADGBNewcastle upon TyneNorthumberlandNE2 2AD20, Osborne Road
Excellent City Centre Location overlooking St James Boulevard
Only 3 units remaining ranging in size between 215 sq ft and 495 sq ft (1,200 sq ft in total)
Suitable for retail, leisure and office occupiers (subject to planning)
Rents ranging from £10,000 per annum to £30,000 pa for all three units.
Footage: 20 sq m - 111 sq m / 215 sq ft - 1,200 sq ft
Price: From £10,000 pa to £30,000 per annum
Self-Contained Retail Units & Office Accommodation
Type: Retail, Office, Leisure, Offices
Location: 31, 33B & 33C Blandford Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4HZGBTyne and WearNE1 4HZ31, 33B & 33C, Blandford Square
The property comprises first and second floor office suite with shared ground floor access in a prominent Grade II Listing building. The suites have the benefit of carpeted floor, strip florescent lighting and WC.
Footage: 240 sq ft to 1,365 sq ft
High Street Office Suite
Location: 1st and 2nd floor, 25 Main Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE20 9NHGBNorthumberlandNE20 9NH1st and 2nd floor, 25, Main Street
A provider of fully equipped serviced office space with furniture, shared meetings rooms and business support services. Ideal for both small and large requirements, serviced offices provide a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing you to expand and contract at short notice. This business centre in Houghton Le Spring - DH4 has offices available which would be ideal for 1 to 100 people with sizes and options coming available every day. For free, impartial advice call 03332 200 754 now to speak to one of our expert team and arrange a viewing today.
This is a well-established estate, totaling 27,200 square feet (2,526 square metres) split into 8 business units. The units vary in size, from 2,002 - 6,997 square feet (185 - 650 square metres) and are purpose-built industrial units. Each unit has roller shutter access. The estate is surrounded by palisade fencing and provides secure parking for all customers.
Fencehouses, Houghton Le Spring, DH4 5RJ
Location: Fencehouses, Houghton Le Spring, DH4 5RJGBSunderland, Houghton Le SpringDurhamDH4 5RJCherry Way
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Club Directory with Photos
Email Services Members ONLY
Club Banner
Web Site Sponsorship Guide
Club Brochure January 2019
Membership Proposal Form - Fill In
Membership Proposal Form - Print Out
New Member Expectations Form
Past Presidents and Past District Governors from our Club
Project Proposal Forms
Rotarian of the Year
Unlike other membership categories that can be requested by the member, Honorary Membership is bestowed upon a member by election from the Board of Directors.
Honorary Membership will be offered to members who have distinguished themselves by meritorious service in the furtherance of Rotary ideals. Honorary membership is the highest distinction that a club may bestow and should be conferred only in exceptional cases. Honorary members cannot propose new members to the club or hold office and are exempt from attendance requirements and club dues. A person may be an active member of one club and an honorary member of another club. Persons may hold honorary membership in more than one club.
The Rotary Club of La Crosse has designed the following criteria in addition to the above: Member must have been classified as an active member for 20 years in the Rotary Club of La Crosse or another Rotary Club. Certain exceptions may apply and be determined by the board of Directors; member must be in good standing; member must have had an active leadership position in the Club or Rotary Works Foundation. (Active is defined as: club officer or board member, committee chairperson.); Member must have monetarily contributed to the Rotary International Foundation to earn at least one Paul Harris Fellow. Contributions to the Rotary Works Foundation will also be considered; and there is no term limit and all past Honorary Members are grandfathered in. Honorary members will continue to receive The Rotarian Magazine compliments of the club.
Rotary Club of La Crosse, PO Box 1914, La Crosse WI 54602-1914
rotarylax@charter.net
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If Kurukshetra was the greatest battle in Hindu mythology, Kuruksastra is the greatest battle of Southern india to establish proven talent and bring to the fore previously unheralded ones. A sublime melange of style and substance, glamour and colour, Kuruksastra, SASTRA's cultural bonanza consists of arts, music, literary events(English, Tamil and Hindi) and dance. Top Institutes from all over India turn up to give fierce competition to each other in the race to win the ultimate prize- the title of overall championship at Kuruksastra.
The Pro show is the highlight of KS. Eminent artistes who can really set the stage on fire have been a permanent feature of our pro-nights. Stars like Shankar Mahadevan, Benny Dayal, Crazy Mohan and Naresh Iyer,among others, have always left enthusiastic crowds asking for more. In a short span of 4 years, KS has shown phenomenal response and is only going to get bigger this year.With the student group and support staff we have and going by the response that the fest has received, there is no looking back.
It offers unlimited opportunities to talented students who are given the limelight to enthral the buzzing crowds with mind blowing performances.Enough reason for all of you to turn up in numbers and show the world what you are made of!
EVENTS @ KS
Whether it be the moves which would make Michael Jackson cry for joy in heaven(or wherever he is) or the chime of anklets as Bharatanatyam dancers full of finesse gliding across the stage, dance at Kuruksastra has always been a study of contrasts. All the feet tapping and jaw dropping moves are put to test in an event where east meets the west,where the best compete and offer wholesome entertainment at packed auditorium
LITERARY EVENTS:
Do you think that your strength lies in being able to impress people with oratory skills, intellectual abilities or being comical verbally? If you can do anyone of the above, English literary events at KS are your thing.
A conglomeration of events, each different and testing various nuances of the English language, like JAM, dumb charades, shipwreck and debate attract huge crowds at KS each year, not to forget the quizzes, offer an opportunity for everyone to enjoy and compete.
The Hindi literary events at KS include fiery debates on subjects that can make it as tense as parliament sessions . Antakshari tests the music knowledge of the participants so thoroughly that audiences are left wondering how many songs Bollywood really has. A quiz about our country in the national language to test the mettle of the participants is a favourite.
Tamil events range from the movie quiz, which tests participants’ knowledge on our very own Kollywood to the popular “Pattimandram” (debate) which brings to the fore breathtaking exchanges of ideas.
KS also has its own version of the popular “Kalakka Povadhu Yaaru”, popularly known as KPY, a stand-up comedy event which promises plenty of laughter and is extremely popular among contestants and audiences alike. A chance to have fun and compete with the best in the business..
So, why wait?
“Vaanga kalakitu ponga”.
If theatre provides a melange of emotions, and literary events provide intellectual entertainment, then arts is the one which adds colour to Kuruksastra. Paste out your creativity in colours in collage, give a whole new dimension to the black and white world in pencil sketching and then shift from paper to the three dimensional world of modelling! With fingers moving across the canvas creating magic in the form of beautiful sketches and a swirl of paints, arts is where you bring images to life.
A language in its own, music is one of the most fiercely challenging clusters. For all the rock-music lovers and the passionate classical music listeners, this is the place to be. Spirits soar as blockbuster hits are belted out by college bands or instrumentalists entertain people with their rendition of classical melodies.
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Home > ETDS > OA_DISSERTATIONS > 800
Topics in Elementary Particle Physics
Xiang Jin, University of MiamiFollow
Physics (Arts and Sciences)
Thomas L. Curtright
Luca Mezincescu
Fulin Zuo
Carolyne Van Vliet
Alexander Dvorsky
The author of this thesis discusses two topics in elementary particle physics: n-ary algebras and their applications to M-theory (Part I), and functional evolution and Renormalization Group flows (Part II). In part I, Lie algebra is extended to four different n-ary algebraic structure: generalized Lie algebra, Filippov algebra, Nambu algebra and Nambu-Poisson tensor; though there are still many other n-ary algebras. A natural property of Generalized Lie algebras — the Bremner identity, is studied, and proved with a totally different method from its original version. We extend Bremner identity to n-bracket cases, where n is an arbitrary odd integer. Filippov algebras do not focus on associativity, and are defined by the Fundamental identity. We add associativity to Filippov algebras, and give examples of how to construct Filippov algebras from su(2) , bosonic oscillator, Virasoro algebra. We try to include fermionic charges into the ternary Virasoro-Witt algebra, but the attempt fails because fermionic charges keep generating new charges that make the algebra not closed. We also study the Bremner identity restriction on Nambu algebras and Nambu-Poisson tensors. So far, the only example 3-algebra being used in physics is the BLG model with 3-algebra A4, describing two M2-branes interactions. Its extension with Nambu algebra, BLG-NB model, is believed to describe infinite M2-branes condensation. Also, there is another propose for M2-brane interactions, the ABJM model, which is constructed by ordinary Lie algebra. We compare the symmetry properties between them, and discuss the possible approaches to include these three models into a grand unification theory. In Part II, we give an approximate solution for Schroeder’s equations, based on series and conjugation methods. We use the logistic map as an example, and demonstrate that this approximate solution converges to known analytical solutions around the fixed point, around which the approximate solution is constructed. Although the closed-form solutions for Schroeder’s equations can not always be approached analytically, by fitting the approximation solutions, one can still obtain closed-form solutions sometimes. Based on Schroeder’s theory, approximate solutions for trajectories, velocities and potentials can also be constructed. The approximate solution is significantly useful to calculate the beta function in renormalization group trajectory. By “wrapping” the series solutions with the conjugations from different inverse functions, we generate different branches of the trajectory, and construct a counterexample for a folk theorem about limited cycles.
n-ary algebra; Nambu-algebra; BLG; functional method; beta function; limit cycle
Jin, Xiang, "Topics in Elementary Particle Physics" (2012). Open Access Dissertations. 800.
https://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/800
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How Nuclear Fusion Reactors Work
by Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.
Browse the article How Nuclear Fusion Reactors Work
Nuclear Power Image Gallery Proposed construction site of ITER fusion reactor plant at Cadarache, France. See more nuclear power pictures.
Photo courtesy ITER
Fusion reactors have been getting a lot of press recently because they offer some major advantages over other power sources. They will use abundant sources of fuel, they will not leak radiation above normal background levels and they will produce less radioactive waste than current fission reactors.
Nobody has put the technology into practice yet, but working reactors aren't actually that far off. Fusion reactors are now in experimental stages at several laboratories in the United States and around the world.
A consortium from the United States, Russia, Europe and Japan has proposed to build a fusion reactor called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Cadarache, France, to demonstrate the feasibility of using sustained fusion reactions for making electricity. In this article, we'll learn about nuclear fusion and see how the ITER reactor will work.
Physics of Nuclear Fusion: Reactions
Current nuclear reactors use nuclear fission to generate power. In nuclear fission, you get energy from splitting one atom into two atoms. In a conventional nuclear reactor, high-energy neutrons split heavy atoms of uranium, yielding large amounts of energy, radiation and radioactive wastes that last for long periods of time (see How Nuclear Power Works).
In nuclear fusion, you get energy when two atoms join together to form one. In a fusion reactor, hydrogen atoms come together to form helium atoms, neutrons and vast amounts of energy. It's the same type of reaction that powers hydrogen bombs and the sun. This would be a cleaner, safer, more efficient and more abundant source of power than nuclear fission.
There are several types of fusion reactions. Most involve the isotopes of hydrogen called deuterium and tritium:
Proton-proton chain - This sequence is the predominant fusion reaction scheme used by stars such as the sun. Two pairs of protons form to make two deuterium atoms. Each deuterium atom combines with a proton to form a helium-3 atom. Two helium-3 atoms combine to form beryllium-6, which is unstable. Beryllium-6 decays into two helium-4 atoms. These reactions produce high energy particles (protons, electrons, neutrinos, positrons) and radiation (light, gamma rays)
Deuterium-deuterium reactions - Two deuterium atoms combine to form a helium-3 atom and a neutron.
Deuterium-tritium reactions - One atom of deuterium and one atom of tritium combine to form a helium-4 atom and a neutron. Most of the energy released is in the form of the high-energy neutron.
This content is not compatible on this device.
Conceptually, harnessing nuclear fusion in a reactor is a no-brainer. But it has been extremely difficult for scientists to come up with a controllable, non-destructive way of doing it. To understand why, we need to look at the necessary conditions for nuclear fusion.
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons and electrons but a different number of neutrons. Some common isotopes in fusion are:
Protium is a hydrogen isotope with one proton and no neutrons. It is the most common form of hydrogen and the most common element in the universe.
Deuterium is a hydrogen isotope with one proton and one neutron. It is not radioactive and can be extracted from seawater.
Tritium is a hydrogen isotope with one proton and two neutrons. It is radioactive, with a half-life of about 10 years. Tritium does not occur naturally but can be made by bombarding lithium with neutrons.
Helium-3 is a helium isotope with two protons and one neutron.
Helium-4 is the most common, naturally occurring form of helium, with two protons and two neutrons.
Conditions for Nuclear Fusion
When hydrogen atoms fuse, the nuclei must come together. However, the protons in each nucleus will tend to repel each other because they have the same charge (positive). If you've ever tried to place two magnets together and felt them push apart from each other, you've experienced this principle first-hand.
To achieve fusion, you need to create special conditions to overcome this tendency. Here are the conditions that make fusion possible:
High temperature - The high temperature gives the hydrogen atoms enough energy to overcome the electrical repulsion between the protons.
Fusion requires temperatures about 100 million Kelvin (approximately six times hotter than the sun's core).
At these temperatures, hydrogen is a plasma, not a gas. Plasma is a high-energy state of matter in which all the electrons are stripped from atoms and move freely about.
The sun achieves these temperatures by its large mass and the force of gravity compressing this mass in the core. We must use energy from microwaves, lasers and ion particles to achieve these temperatures.
High pressure - Pressure squeezes the hydrogen atoms together. They must be within 1x10-15 meters of each other to fuse.
The sun uses its mass and the force of gravity to squeeze hydrogen atoms together in its core.
We must squeeze hydrogen atoms together by using intense magnetic fields, powerful lasers or ion beams.
With current technology, we can only achieve the temperatures and pressures necessary to make deuterium-tritium fusion possible. Deuterium-deuterium fusion requires higher temperatures that may be possible in the future. Ultimately, deuterium-deuterium fusion will be better because it is easier to extract deuterium from seawater than to make tritium from lithium. Also, deuterium is not radioactive, and deuterium-deuterium reactions will yield more energy.
Fusion Reactors: Magnetic Confinement
Plasma toroid
There are two ways to achieve the temperatures and pressures necessary for hydrogen fusion to take place:
Magnetic confinement uses magnetic and electric fields to heat and squeeze the hydrogen plasma. The ITER project in France is using this method.
Inertial confinement uses laser beams or ion beams to squeeze and heat the hydrogen plasma. Scientists are studying this experimental approach at the National Ignition Facility of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in the United States.
Let's look at magnetic confinement first. Here's how it would work:
Microwaves, electricity and neutral particle beams from accelerators heat a stream of hydrogen gas. This heating turns the gas into plasma. This plasma gets squeezed by super-conducting magnets, thereby allowing fusion to occur. The most efficient shape for the magnetically confined plasma is a donut shape (toroid).
A reactor of this shape is called a tokamak. The ITER tokamak will be a self-contained reactor whose parts are in various cassettes. These cassettes can be easily inserted and removed without having to tear down the entire reactor for maintenance. The tokamak will have a plasma toroid with a 2-meter inner radius and a 6.2-meter outer radius.
Let's take a closer look at the ITER fusion reactor to see how magnetic confinement works.
Tokamak
"Tokamak" is a Russian acronym for "toroidal chamber with axial magnetic field."
Magnetic Confinement: The ITER Example
ITER tokamak
Courtesy ITER
The main parts of the ITER tokamak reactor are:
Vacuum vessel - holds the plasma and keeps the reaction chamber in a vacuum
Neutral beam injector (ion cyclotron system) - injects particle beams from the accelerator into the plasma to help heat the plasma to critical temperature
Magnetic field coils (poloidal, toroidal) - super-conducting magnets that confine, shape and contain the plasma using magnetic fields
Transformers/Central solenoid - supply electricity to the magnetic field coils
Cooling equipment (crostat, cryopump) - cool the magnets
Blanket modules - made of lithium; absorb heat and high-energy neutrons from the fusion reaction
Divertors - exhaust the helium products of the fusion reaction
Here's how the process will work:
Magnetic-confinement fusion process
The fusion reactor will heat a stream of deuterium and tritium fuel to form high-temperature plasma. It will squeeze the plasma so that fusion can take place. The power needed to start the fusion reaction will be about 70 megawatts, but the power yield from the reaction will be about 500 megawatts. The fusion reaction will last from 300 to 500 seconds. (Eventually, there will be a sustained fusion reaction.)
The lithium blankets outside the plasma reaction chamber will absorb high-energy neutrons from the fusion reaction to make more tritium fuel. The blankets will also get heated by the neutrons.
The heat will be transferred by a water-cooling loop to a heat exchanger to make steam.
The steam will drive electrical turbines to produce electricity.
The steam will be condensed back into water to absorb more heat from the reactor in the heat exchanger.
Initially, the ITER tokamak will test the feasibility of a sustained fusion reactor and eventually will become a test fusion power plant.
Fusion Reactors: Inertial Confinement
Inertial-confinement fusion process
Courtesy National Ignition Facility
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is experimenting with using laser beams to induce fusion. In the NIF device, 192 laser beams will focus on single point in a 10-meter-diameter target chamber called a hohlraum. A hohlraum is "a cavity whose walls are in radiative equilibrium with the radiant energy within the cavity" (Science & Engineering Encyclopaedia).
At the focal point inside the target chamber, there will be a pea-sized pellet of deuterium-tritium encased in a small, plastic cylinder. The power from the lasers (1.8 million joules) will heat the cylinder and generate X-rays. The heat and radiation will convert the pellet into plasma and compress it until fusion occurs. The fusion reaction will be short-lived, about one-millionth of a second, but will yield 50 to 100 times more energy than is needed to initiate the fusion reaction. A reactor of this type would have multiple targets that would be ignited in succession to generate sustained heat production. Scientists estimate that each target can be made for as little as $0.25, making the fusion power plant cost efficient.
Fusion ignition process
Courtesy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Like the magnetic-confinement fusion reactor, the heat from inertial-confinement fusion will be passed to a heat exchanger to make steam for producing electricity.
Applications of Fusion
The main application for fusion is in making electricity. Nuclear fusion can provide a safe, clean energy source for future generations with several advantages over current fission reactors:
Abundant fuel supply - Deuterium can be readily extracted from seawater, and excess tritium can be made in the fusion reactor itself from lithium, which is readily available in the Earth's crust. Uranium for fission is rare, and it must be mined and then enriched for use in reactors.
Safe - The amounts of fuel used for fusion are small compared to fission reactors. This is so that uncontrolled releases of energy do not occur. Most fusion reactors make less radiation than the natural background radiation we live with in our daily lives.
Clean - No combustion occurs in nuclear power (fission or fusion), so there is no air pollution.
Less nuclear waste - Fusion reactors will not produce high-level nuclear wastes like their fission counterparts, so disposal will be less of a problem. In addition, the wastes will not be of weapons-grade nuclear materials as is the case in fission reactors.
NASA is currently looking into developing small-scale fusion reactors for powering deep-space rockets. Fusion propulsion would boast an unlimited fuel supply (hydrogen), would be more efficient and would ultimately lead to faster rockets.
For more information on nuclear fusion reactors and related topics, check out the links on the next page.
In 1989, researchers in the United States and Great Britain claimed to have made a fusion reactor at room temperature without confining high-temperature plasmas. They made an electrode of palladium, placed it in a thermos of heavy water (deuterium oxide) and passed an electrical current through the water. They claimed that the palladium catalyzed fusion by allowing deuterium atoms to get close enough for fusion to occur. However, several scientists in many countries failed to get the same result.
But in April 2005, cold fusion got a major boost. Scientists at UCLA initiated fusion using a pyroelectric crystal. They put the crystal into a small container filled with hydrogen, warmed the crystal to produce an electric field and inserted a metal wire into the container to focus the charge. The focused electric field powerfully repelled the positively charged hydrogen nuclei, and in the rush away from the wire, the nuclei smashed into eachother with enough force to fuse. The reaction took place at room temperature. See Coming in out of the cold: Cold fusion, for real (csmonitor.com) to learn more.
How Atoms Work
How Atom Smashers Work
How Electricity Works
How Hydropower Plants Work
How Nuclear Bombs Work
How Nuclear Power Works
How Nuclear Radiation Works
How Power Grids Work
How Solar Cells Work
Nuclear Power Quiz
Inertial Fusion Energy: A Tutorial on the Technology and Economics
National Ignition Facility Project: How NIF Works
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Project ITER
World Nuclear Association: Nuclear Fusion Power
CPEP: Fusion - Physics of a Fundamental Energy Source. http://fusedweb.pppl.gov/CPEP/Chart.html
Fusion Reactors http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/fusrea.html
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Science & Technology Review: The National Ignition Facility Comes to Life http://www.llnl.gov/str/September03/Moses.html
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Science & Technology Review: The NIF Target Chamber - Ready for the Challenge http://www.llnl.gov/str/May01/Sawicki.html
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Science & Technology Review: On Target Designing for Ignition http://www.llnl.gov/str/Haan.html
LLNL: Inertial Fusion Energy: Opportunity for Fusion Innovation http://www.llnl.gov/nif/library/ife.pdf
National Ignition Facility Project: How NIF Works http://www.llnl.gov/nif/project/nif_works.html
Peterson, Per F. "Inertial Fusion Energy: A Tutorial on the Technology and Economics." http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/thyd/icf/IFE.html
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory http://www.pppl.gov/index.html
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory: Operate Your Own Tokamak Reactor http://w3.pppl.gov/~dstotler/SSFD/
Project ITER http://www.iter.org
Rostoker, N et. al., (1997) Colliding Beam Fusion Reactor, Science 278: 1419-1422
Science Museum (UK) Online: Fusion http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/fusion/index.asp
University of California Irvine: Fusion Energy and Pulsed Power Research http://fusion.ps.uci.edu/
US DOE Office of Science: Fusion Energy Sciences http://wwwofe.er.doe.gov/Sub/Organization/program_offices/Fusionflier.pdf
US DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences http://www.ofes.fusion.doe.gov/
Virtual National Laboratory: Tutorial on Heavy-Ion Fusion Energy http://hif.lbl.gov/tutorial/tutorial.html
World Nuclear Association: Nuclear Fusion Power http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf66.htm
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A Quick Burst
Filed under: automobile racing, Motorsport, roadraceparts.com, roadracing, TransAm Series, Uncategorized, vintage racing — 5 Comments
First my apologies for not having the time to write something this past week. I wont bore you with the details, but over the years I have come to realize what it is about work that I hate so much. It just takes way too much time.
So with that out of the way, just a couple of things to quickly comment on.
The news that two drivers who arguably made their name driving for Roush Racings Trans-Am program are returning to the series. Interestingly enough it will supposedly be in the TA2 class. In addition I had a conversation with a friend who was building a TA1 chassis. I say one because he is going to instead build a TA2 Camaro. As I listened to his reasoning it was hard to find an argument against it. As much as I love the “big” cars, it makes more sense perhaps to go down the TA2 route.
Its good to see that Williams F1 was atop the time sheets yesterday at Barcelona. That team which is has fallen from the top of the sport to mid pack certainly needs to have a good year. A note of caution creeps in though when you remember all the years that they were really fast in winter testing. Unfortunately as soon as the season started reality reared its ugly head, and they went straight to the mid pack. Hopefully this year will be different.
Now that Nascar has returned to Daytona, how do you feel about it? Is it living up to the Barnum and Bailey style hype, or will it quickly return to the ho-hum of recent years? If you take away the wrecks in the Bud shootout, it was hard to find excitement. I must admit seeing Kyle Busch save it a couple of times was pretty amazing. How much of that was the car high centering on the banking?
Lastly, as most of you know, a fair amount of competitors buy hand me down Nascar parts. With the introduction of EFI the supply of carbs will be finite now. So if you can find a good road racing carb for a reasonable price, you may want to snag it.
As I said a quick burst, but I warn you I should be able to find more to write about this weekend.
Tags: Nascar, SCCA Trans-Am, TA2, TransAm Racing, Williams F1
Mike Donohue
I found it incredibly interesting that the former Roush guys are going the TA2 route , perhaps their knowledgeable people around them and in the industry have more insight to where Trans Am is heading? I look at that with a two pronged view ….. #1 being that is where it very much makes sense for the T/A series to go in current economic conditions as well as racing is somewhat relevant to having as many competitve cars as commercially (sponsorship availability) allowable . And once costs are somewhat contained and close racing will present a great opportunity to show close racing for excellent entertainment. #2 Is the concern these guys may very well limit my opportunity to shine , since I bought a TA2 legal car pretty much so I could actually do some T/A races with the hope of being well within a competitive realm.
I totally understand your point. And this is the Roush guys going to TA2, I imagine it is for the same reason you did. That class seems to make a bit more sense economically than the “big class”. And believe me it pains me to say that, as I really love those cars.
As to what those guys will do, I have no idea. No idea what kind of resources they plan to bring to the table and how. However I would be shocked if it is anything even approaching the Roush program of old. Given the rules in TA2 I suspect that you wont see the things you fear.
While none of us want to see a return to the days when Rocketsports totally dominated, and thats a discussion for another time, the sport does need names. Sadly people are more likely to watch somebody they have heard of. So in that sense its a positive, lets hope it is just a beginning.
But please don’t get me confused with not wanting former factory drivers in the series , I very much do like that , so long as nobody is lobbying for major cost increases to allow for more ex$pen$ive parts and drivetrain combinations. And I’d really prefer any factory “help” be limited to contingentcy programs as when factories get involves it seems to be on a 3 to 5 year plan and then they exit and when they leave all the expensive stuff they brought in is still around for a very few and most NOT being available openly. Reasonably widely and cost effective parts like are found in late model short track racing can be extremely cost effective for ALL racers and provide a playing field that can entertain spectators.
Mike, no worries with misunderstanding your point. And certainly everything you say is exactly on point. But isn’t this the age old complaint, and I dont know how to get around it.
One article I touched on earlier and am going to revisit has this for a point.
Even with more power, and better tires, the TA cars aren’t any faster, if as fast as ten years ago. Why? Is it that the people now aren’t as sharp? Is it money?
Or, is it like the well known former “factory” driver said over dinner one evening after he had had a few adult beverages. His contract required that he win 50% of the races entered that year or it would not be renewed. Only after signing, was he shown where the controls for the traction control, the adjustable suspension, etc. were. True story.
Following along with the very valid points that Mike Donahue raised, I have shamelessly copied a portion of the Aston Martin press release announcing their new new entry for the World Endurance Championship.
What do you think of cars built to this kind of spec? Speaking for myself the only concern would be the repair of crash damage. If the factory unit body were to be tweaked, who would be able to repair it.
The Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE
Photo by: Aston Martin Racing
GAYDON, England (February 24, 2012) – Aston Martin Racing will embark upon an exciting new challenge in 2012 as it prepares to make a return to international GT motorsport in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team will campaign a V8-powered Vantage in the GTE Pro category of the eight round series, which spans three continents. At the third round of the championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing will field a second works Vantage GTE.
The Vantage GTE is a development of the Vantage GT2, with significant improvements to all areas including the engine, drivetrain and suspension. Carrying the iconic Gulf colours, the new car will make its competitive debut at round one of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 60th anniversary edition of the Twelve Hours of Sebring, on March 17th. The driver line-up has been confirmed as Darren Turner (GBR), Stefan Mücke (D) and Adrian Fernandez (MX).
Aston Martin Lagonda Chairman David Richards shared his enthusiasm for the new project: “It’s great to be returning to our core motorsport activity; production-based GT racing. It formed the basis for Aston Martin’s return to competition when the DBR9 GT1-racer was launched in 2004, and it was in GT racing that we achieved our famous victories at Le Mans in 2007 and 2008.
“The GT category is also now the most competitive class in world sports car racing and with the new FIA World Endurance Championship the GTE class will, I believe, offer the closest fought and most exciting spectacle. We will see many premium sports car brands competing with great sounding racing cars based on their production models, which all the fans can relate to.”
In order to give the team more competitive experience of the Vantage GTE ahead of Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing will also contest the Long Beach and Laguna Seca rounds of the American Le Mans Series on April 14th and May 12th respectively.
At the heart of the Vantage GTE is the road-going Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The GTE is a significantly updated version of the original GT2 car and has been specifically designed to compete in championships running to the Automobile Club De L’Ouest GTE regulations. Under the bonnet, the engine is based on the standard Aston Martin V8, but with competition components including cylinder heads, connecting rods, valves, camshafts and a racing exhaust system. As in the road car, the transmission is mid-rear mounted, but with a six-speed semi-automatic sequential transmission and competition clutch. The transmission also has a dedicated oil/air cooling system.
The bonded aluminium structure is taken directly from the V8 Vantage road car. Into this, Aston Martin Racing integrates an aerospace specification steel roll cage built to FIA standards. With the exception of the roof, the bodywork is manufactured from lightweight carbon fiber and features an advanced aerodynamic package with carbon fiber splitter, flat floor and diffuser, and a carbon fiber rear wing designed using the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The Vantage GTE retains the road car’s double wishbone suspension layout at the front and rear, but with bespoke wishbones and coil springs over Koni adjustable aluminium bodied dampers. Powerful but lightweight six-piston Brembo racing calipers are fitted to the front axle with similar four-piston calipers at the rear.
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Rain on Nascar’s Biggest Parade »
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Topic Cybersecurity
SubTopic Security management
It's time for the DevOps organization to stop ignoring security
Nicole Laskowski
Cyber resilience weaves cybersecurity into dev process
Deployment pipeline diagrams expose process and tech gaps
Unmask IT operational risks for resilient apps
Middleware-layer performance issues: How to plan and who's in charge
+ View All Videos
DevOps teams often focus on speed at the expense of security, and it's an oversight that needs to change, according to Lev Lesokhin, executive vice president of strategy and analytics at CAST, a software company in New York.
Lesokhin is a proponent of a concept called cyber resilience, which aims to disperse security efforts more holistically throughout the enterprise. For the DevOps organization, that means integrating security into the development process rather than leaving it to the CISO's organization -- a change Lesokhin called "shift-left thinking."
One of the questions CIOs might ask themselves is how to get the DevOps organization to care about security in the first place. Lesokhin has an idea about that: He suggested CIOs use gamification techniques. SearchCIO caught up with Lesokhin at the recent MIT Sloan CIO Symposium where he explained why cyber resilience should be on every CIO's to-do list and how CIOs can make security a DevOps team sport.
Below are excerpts from the interview; click on the player button to hear the interview in its entirety.
What is the relationship between DevOps and cyber resilience?
Lev Lesokhin: One of the things that's driving the change in thinking around cyber and cyber resilience is what's happening in the digital realm with DevOps and cloud. DevOps naturally breaks down the barrier between development and operations. Whereas before you would have a lot of process before you put anything in production, now there are some instances where the developer will press a button and promote something into production.
Because of that process, it forces the organization to break down the barriers between the operations team and the business continuity team, which has typically been concerned about system uptime and making sure that nothing fails in production; and the development team, which is typically concerned with getting things out as quickly as possible. They kind of clash in the middle, with the CISO being a bit more on the production side, saying, 'If it doesn't pass my CISO requirements, then you can't put it out.'
The business has been trying to move more quickly using DevOps techniques, and it's been causing organizations to think differently about how they introduce cyber resilience and security concerns into the development cycle. That's been part of the reason for this kind of shift-left thinking to integrate resilience concerns all the way into the whole lifecycle of how digital capabilities are delivered.
How do DevOps organizations typically deal with security?
Lesokhin: With DevOps, security is still an afterthought. I don't want to paint the picture that security is fully baked into the DevOps cycle. ... Most developers want to do creative things. They want to put out creative functionality. They want to be responsive to the business. They don't want to be that concerned about stability, security -- these things are traditionally in the realm of things that happen after I'm done with what I'm doing.
So, there's a cultural shift that has to happen and an education industrywide on the development side of DevOps and for developers everywhere, which is why this has to go beyond the CISO. This has to be a whole-organization movement.
How do CIOs get the DevOps organization to care?
Lesokhin: Some organizations we see have performance metrics. They measure what developers are producing. The Software Engineering Institute, the Object Management Group, and the Consortium for IT Software Quality have put out some standards for how you measure reliability, security, performance efficiency and maintainability of software. We're seeing some organizations adopt these metrics and create scorecards to get developers to care about these types of concerns.
It's rare that [metrics] come into a formal MBO [management by objective] or appraisal metrics or HR metrics. That's usually not a good idea because that kind of creates a negative environment. But the way that we've seen the most innovative organizations apply these metrics is to make them very transparent.
Typically, development is a team sport; it's not something recommendable to measure individual developers, although many managers would love to do that. But development is a team sport, and when you have teams competing on certain metrics, and you put them up on the fishbowl or on the walls, you put the leaderboards up there, it kind of gamifies the process and it gets developers to care.
Nicole Laskowski asks:
How is security part of the DevOps process at your company?
Nicole Laskowski - 18 Aug 2017 3:00 PM
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HDS storage 'freezing' really a focus on future
Rodney Brown
Senior Site Editor
CTO Yoshida: HDS storage needs to transform the ... – SearchStorage
The new HDS VSP arrays enhance QoS and data reduction – SearchStorage
New Hitachi VSP G1000 storage virtualization array ... – SearchStorage
Increase Data Lake ROI with Streaming Data Pipelines –Attunity
How All-Flash Helps this Power this Retailer's Online Store –Hewlett Packard Enterprise
There has been some noise in the storage space lately, based on the English translation of a Japanese IT website that said Hitachi Data Systems was “freezing” investment in its high-end storage products. Lost in this declaration is that HDS gets it that arrays alone aren’t the future of enterprise storage.
On June 1, the site IT Pro Nikkei published a report based on an HDS briefing that said the vendor would be “freezing the investment in the high-end model of the storage business.” That led media sites and competitors to speculate that perhaps HDS was going to let its high-end storage business languish and die.
HDS has been quick to deny it will exit the high-end storage market. But the strategy outlined in the IT Pro Nikkei story is not new or surprising. High-end enterprise disk arrays are far from a growth market in this age of flash, cloud, hyper-convergence and software-defined storage.
HDS CTO Hu Yoshida revealed the vendor’s new strategy in a January interview on our SearchStorage site with senior writer Carol Sliwa.
In that interview, Yoshida said, right out of the gate “The infrastructure market is not going to be a growth market. Instead of trying to compete on infrastructure, we’re going to have to compete on application enablement.” Translation: HDS’ new Lumada line for handling data from IoT sources, based on the Pentaho IoT data analytics technology HDS acquired in 2015, will play a major role in the company’s future.
Yoshida specifically calls out IoT as a vital component of the future of HDS. “We have an overall corporate strategy with Hitachi, called Social Innovation, where we are moving toward the Internet of Things (IoT), trying to build smart cities and provide more insights into data centers, telco [and] automotive,” he said.
IoT was also a big topic at the HDS Connect partner conference a year ago.
On his own blog, Hu’s Place, Yoshida this week clarified what “freezing” investment in high-end storage means for HDS. He wrote that hardware investments in the flagship high-end HDS hard disk drive arrays are no longer necessary due to the ability to use standard Intel processors and flash for performance, with storage features running in software. HDS will shift research and development from its Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) hardware to Storage Virtualization Operating System (SVOS), flash and storage automation.
“There is no need to build separate hardware for midrange and enterprise customers,” Yohsida wrote. “They all have access to enterprise functionality and services like virtualization of external storage systems for consolidation and migration, high availability with Global-Active Device, and geo-replication with Universal Replicator.”
In April HDS added to SVOS what it apparently considers to be the last hardware puzzle piece, building NAS functionality (or, as Yoshida described it “embedded file support in our block storage”) into its G series of hybrid flash arrays.
So the upshot is, HDS will invest in making SVOS and VSP perform better for specific applications, like IoT data storage and analytics. That sounds much less like the sky is falling on HDS, and a lot more like a strategic investment in what it sees as the future in which application integration rather than storage features becomes the major differentiator between storage vendors.
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One of Apple’s ‘most important people’
Sir Jonathan ‘Jony’ Ive.
David Livingston | Getty Images
Apple’s longtime design leader Sir Jonathan “Jony” Ive will leave the company later this year, a development that came as little surprise to Wall Street analysts but as a drag on the company’s stock nonetheless.
Shares of Apple slipped 0.6% in premarket trading from Thursday’s close of $199.74.
Analysts rued the announcement, as Ive had been with Apple for nearly 30 years. As Apple’s chief design officer, Ive styled the vast majority of Apple products over the past two decades.
“In our judgment, we view Jony Ive as one of the most important people at AAPL and perhaps second only to CEO Tim Cook presently in terms of impact to AAPL’s success,” Deutsche Bank said in a note to investors.
Nomura Instinet analysts called his leaving “a sentimental negative,” as “he represents a particularly strong connection to Apple iconic heritage.”
“His departure, therefore, should prompt much nostalgia, and may lead some investors to question Apple’s ability to retain leading industrial design,” Nomura said.
However, the analysts did not see this as a significant enough loss to the company to adjust their ratings or price targets. Nomura said the firm believes “this a sensible and even expected time for Mr. Ive to disengage,” while Evercore ISI said there will be little impact beyond the slight negative from the announcement.
“While Mr. Ive’s departure is a headline negative for the stock, given AAPL’s deep design bench and future relationship with Mr. Ive’s new company, we think any impact should be fairly limited,” Evercore ISI said.
Here’s what every major analyst had to say about Ive’s departure.
Deutsche Bank’s Jeriel Ong – Hold rating, $205 price target
“In our judgment, we view Jony Ive as one of the most important people at AAPL and perhaps second only to CEO Tim Cook presently in terms of impact to AAPL’s success. He has marked his design style/skill on nearly every AAPL product in the last 20 years, ranging from the iMac to the iPhone/iPad, and to the Apple Watch and HomePod speaker in recent years … While it could be viewed as a bit sensational to claim that 1 employee out of 132,000 full-time equivalent employees at AAPL (and another 17M supplier employees who build AAPL products/components) could be this important to AAPL, we see Ive’s contributions to AAPL products as central to the company’s design-centric strategy, which has propelled it to one of the largest companies in the world over the last 20 years. We are confident that AAPL can find others internally to fill some of his responsibilities, while what can’t be filled by other subordinates, could be supported by what Ive’s new company, LoveFrom, will contribute to AAPL’s process externally when the firm launches in 2020.”
Cowen’s Krish Sankar – Outperform rating, $220 price target
“We view Sir Ive’s departure as disadvantageous for the company. But AAPL is undertaking a transition from being focused on hardware products to services and content. While it remains unclear how Apple’s future hardware product innovation may be impacted without Ive, the multiple stakeholders that will be tasked with design decisions going forward will undoubtedly open a new chapter in Apple’s design language. Sir Ive will continue to work with Apple on exclusive projects in his new proprietorship.”
Nomura Instinet’s Jeffrey Kvaal – Neutral rating, $175 price target
“While investors may rue a resignation of a long-time executive, we consider this a sensible and even expected time for Mr. Ive to disengage, at least officially … an essential design influence for close to 30 years. Mr. Ive and his small team of designers played a vital role in Apple’s industrial design across products ranging from the Newton, iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Mr. Ive was understood to share a similar design aesthetic with Steve Jobs, which allowed a close collaboration. Mr. Ive’s departure is a sentimental negative. He represents a particularly strong connection to Apple iconic heritage given his intimate role in developing many of Apple seminal products and of course his tight bond with Mr. Jobs himself. His departure, therefore, should prompt much nostalgia, and may lead some investors to question Apple’s ability to retain leading industrial design.”
Evercore ISI’s Amit Daryanani – Outperform rating, $215 price target
“We think any potential impact from Mr. Ive’s departure should be manageable given: 1) Mr. Ive is leaving to start his own independent design company, of which AAPL will be a key client and 2) Apple’s design team leaders Evans Hankey (VP of Industrial Design) and Alan Dye (VP of Human Interface Design) will remain in their leadership roles … While Mr. Ive’s departure is a headline negative for the stock, given AAPL’s deep design bench and future relationship with Mr. Ive’s new company, we think any impact should be fairly limited.”
– CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Shares of ad giant Publicis plunge after cut to revenue guidance 19/07/2019
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« New of interest at SSRN | Main | Strong commentary on Cunningham »
Tennessee's Gov halts executions over lethal injection concerns
As detailed in early press reports here and here, Tennessee "Gov. Phil Bredesen on Thursday postponed four pending executions, saying the state needs to rework its procedures for lethal injection." Here's more:
Bredesen reiterated his support for the death penalty but said he was issuing temporary reprieves for four condemned killers because of concerns the state’s written protocol for execution isn't specific enough. "The document describes the drugs to be used, it doesn't describe how much is to be used. That's a huge failure of that document," Bredesen said.
State officials want to complete a "comprehensive review" and reworking of the execution guidelines by May 2, the governor said. "There's no question in my mind the protocols are not adequate. that’s why we're taking this action today," Bredesen said. The governor said he called for the review because of a case pending in federal court that challenges the state's lethal injection process.
A kind reader who alerted me to this news also sent along the Governor's executive order, which can be downloaded here:
Download tenn_dp_exec_order.pdf
Some recent related posts:
Amazing times for the death penalty
Nationwide and Ohio capital developments of note
With NC execution stays, "these go to 11"
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HomeNDTVTrump’s North Korea Summit May Bring Peace Declaration – But At A Cost
Trump’s North Korea Summit May Bring Peace Declaration – But At A Cost
By admin 5th June 2018 NDTV 0 Comments
Washington: If Donald Trump’s summit next week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produces a peace declaration formally ending the Korean War as he has suggested, it could give the US president a big headline-grabbing, made-for-TV moment on the world stage.
But the public relations value of such a historic event could quickly fade if Trump fails, in return, to wring any significant concessions from Kim toward the dismantling of his nuclear arsenal, former US officials and analysts say.
After meeting a top North Korean envoy on Friday, Trump appeared suddenly to back away from his demand for Pyongyang’s swift, complete denuclearization. He suggested instead that the most tangible outcome of the unprecedented June 12 summit in Singapore could be the “signing of a document” to bring the technical state of hostilities to a close – 65 years after the Korean conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
While Trump might seize on that as a way to tout the summit as a foreign policy success, it would mean granting North Korea something it has sought for decades but which previous administrations have said would only be possible if Pyongyang first agreed to give up its nuclear weapons.
Any end-of-war declaration – even if short of an actual treaty – could erode US leverage in future negotiations if North Korea does not give ground on nuclear issues, experts warned. It also could give Pyongyang a stronger platform to press for a halt to joint US-South Korea military drills, as well as the removal of US forces from the South.
There are even some doubts within the administration on the wisdom of such a move, especially since it may do nothing to stop North Korea’s development of nuclear missiles it says are capable of hitting the United States.
“A peace treaty would be a major accomplishment,” said one US official involved in summit preparations. “But whether it would also be the start of eliminating the dangers North Korea poses to its neighbors with its weapons programs and to others with its exports of weapons and technology is far from certain.”
Evans Revere, a former US negotiator with North Korea, said any kind of joint peace declaration at this stage – when Pyongyang has shown no real willingness to give up its nuclear program – would be premature.
“Among the many traps that the US president might fall into in Singapore, this would be a powerfully significant one,” he said.
But Trump’s aides say a peace agreement early on could lower tensions, clear the air for future nuclear talks and undercut North Korea’s longtime contention it needs its nuclear program to deter a “hostile” United States. Washington keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 war.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
‘Can You Believe …?’
Trump’s effort might appear a worthy goal and in line with South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s recent agreement with Kim to seek an end to the conflict between the Koreas. There has been media speculation that Moon might travel to Singapore for the summit, although South Korean officials stress they are considering a three-way meeting at a later date.
The idea of a peace deal may also appeal to Trump, a former reality-TV star, because it would allow him to claim an achievement no other president has had. At the same time, it might boost supporters’ hopes he could win a Nobel Peace Prize.
“Can you believe that we’re talking about the ending of the Korean War?” Trump mused to reporters on Friday, saying it would be a “historically” important moment.
But the reason previous administrations have not offered such an agreement – or even to hold a summit between the countries’ leaders that North Korea has long sought – is that Pyongyang has resisted nuclear disarmament.
US officials have welcomed Kim’s recent announcement of a suspension of long-range missile tests and the closing of his nuclear bomb test site but say these steps are reversible.
Trump has left unclear whether he seeks the possible signing of an actual peace treaty, which experts believe would require lengthier negotiations, or a political statement agreed upon by the two sides that could form the basis of a detailed accord.
Upgrading the armistice to a full-scale treaty also would likely require all signatories, which includes China, allied with North Korea during the war, in addition to Pyongyang and Washington, which headed the United Nations command.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it supports efforts to reach a “peace mechanism.” But the influential state-run Global Times newspaper said Beijing must be a signatory to any peace treaty “to ensure its legal and historical status.”
Either way, it could have major implications and possibly unintended consequences for the United States.
“Kim would like nothing better than to drag the US into prolonged negotiations over America’s military presence in the South,” said Danny Russel, a former top Asia policy adviser in the Obama administration.
“But what the North Koreans are more likely to have in mind for Singapore is a quick win via a vague declaration that the two leaders commit to preserving peace and to reaching a permanent peace arrangement,” he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2018
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trumps-north-korea-summit-may-bring-peace-declaration-but-at-a-cost-1863036
If Not For Sardar Patel, Would’ve Needed Visa For Hyderabad: Vijay Rupani
“Favour Friends”: Rahul Gandhi Targets PM On Biggest Fighter Jet Deal
Donald Trump Says Would “Absolutely” Talk To Kim Jong-Un On Phone
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SCC's Comics Talk
Contributions comprise pieces by members of Singapore Comics Community
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Comics Review - Nov 2016
Comics General Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene Comic Reviews
S!LENCE Story/Art: Tanky Big Egg Comics One of the best local comics to come out this year, S!LENCE debuted at this year's STGCC and reading it again, it still holds up as a strong story. Created originally as an entry for the Silent Manga Audition, Tanky has done a SF / jungle manga story that will have you at the edge of your seat and still tug the heartstrings. S!LENCE didn't win anything but it gave Tanky the opporunity to create this delightful silent comic, which reminds me of HK's Lai Tat Tat Weng. The same kind of quirkiness and sense of discovery. Silent comics have been around for a long time. See David Berona's Wordless Books: The Original Graphic Novels. And for us in Southeast Asia with our myriad of languages, a silent comic actually transcends boundaries and borders. I did a few myself with artists from Indonesia and...
Comic Reviews - Oct 2016
Comics General Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene Comic Reviews Asian Comics
Ratings out of 5 stars. The Mighty Skullboy Army Vol 1 Story/Art: Jacob Chabot Dark Horse Books The great thing about visiting cons or festivals is that it gives you a chance to browse through new (or old) works that you have not encountered before. Jacob Chabot, an invited guest of this year’s STGCC, is someone I have not known about. Picked up the first volume of The Mighty Skullboy Army and was surprised to find out it’s been around since 2000. This volume one collects the self-published mini-comics from 2000 to 2006 and was originally published in 2007. This reformatted second edition came out in 2015, which boasts a new cover and over 30 revised story pages. The premise is hilarious. What if your villainous CEO of an evil MNC (Skullboy) needs to go to a primary school because he is, well, too young to be that evil...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 23 March 2016
Comics General Comics Indy / Alternative American Mainstream Comics Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene
Ratings out of 5 stars. Mainstream comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). Shipment only came in on Thursday this week. Through the Habitrails: Life Before and After My Career in the Cubicles Story/Art: Jeff Nicholson Dover One of the big comic news of last year was that Dover has entered the graphic novels market. What they did was to pick up titles that have gone out of print and reissued them. This has given many lost classics a fresh breathe of life. Through the Habitrails by Jeff Nicholson is one such seminal title. Jeff Nicholson is one of the pioneers of small press comics that no one has heard about. He started self-publishing in the early 1980s, drawing a parody of the Ulraman TV series called Ultra Klutz. He had enough bad experience in the small press that he did Jeff Nicholson’s Small Press Tirade (1989). The anger is...
Comics General American Mainstream Comics Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene Comic Reviews
Ratings out of 5 stars. The mainstream stuff are available at Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). The Zodiac Legacy Vol 2: The Dragon’s Return Story: Stan Lee and Stuart Moore Art: Andie Tong Disney Press At the age of 93, Stan Lee is still going strong. He created the world of The Zodiac Legacy with Stuart Moore and Andie Tong a few years ago and the YA series is going strong. The Dragon’s Return is second book and sees the return of Steven Lee and his friends, recipients of the Zodiac power – each of them chosen to possess the strength and wisdom of one of the Zodiac animals in their fight against the evil Vanguard led by Maxwell. Steven is the Tiger and in this latest volume, he struggles to keep the team together as allies start to mistrust each other. By having Asian characters and background, The Zodiac...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 10 Feb 2016
Comics General Comics Indy / Alternative American Mainstream Comics Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene Comic Reviews
Shipment was delayed and only came on Thursday. Ratings out of 5 stars. The mainstream stuff are available at Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). Second Sight #1 Story: David Hine Art: Alberto Ponticelli AfterShock Comics I’ve been looking forward to this new baby by David Hine. The British writer tells one hell of a ghastly story. Check out his cult book, Strange Embrace and his adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs. Second Sight is about Ray Palmer, a psychic who can see bad things happening. He calls it ‘remote viewing’. 20 years ago after his first sighting, he is divorced, his ex-wife had taken out a restraining on him, his daughter is running a blog exposing society’s elites and getting into trouble. For the life of me, I don’t know why he has the same name as the Atom, but Ray looks like the burnt out hippie who...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 20 Jan 2016
Ratings out of 5 stars. Comics available at Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) except for The World Is So Big - go buy it from Basheer Books at Bras Basah Complex. Run, don't walk. Secret Wars #9 Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Esad Ribic Marvel Comics The comic event of 2015. This last issue was much delayed and it came out last week. But I didn’t want to review it until I read the whole series in one sitting to see how well it holds up. Well, Jonathan Hickman has held up his side of bargain in telling one hell of a Marvel Universe ‘end of the world’ story that started with his Avengers/New Avengers run in 2012. The secret Avengers (The Illuminati) learned that the world is ending. The multiverse is clashing with each other. To save their universe from being destroyed during an Incursion, Black Panther, Namor, Dr Strange,...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 6 Jan 2016
Shipment was delayed by a day. Ratings out of 5 stars. Marvel and Vertigo Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). Match Point Story: Adrian Teo Art: Ken Foo Self-published The political culture of Singapore is as such that we find it hard to laugh at ourselves, much less making fun of our political leaders which is a no-no since independence. Political cartoonists would satirize other countries' leaders but not our own. That is why the 'I don't give a flying xxxx' attitude of Adrian Teo and Ken Foo is refreshing in this stifling environment. They will make fun of any social situations, from the dating scene (Date King) to the competitive school sports environment in Match Point. This new book by the politically incorrect duo is a mix of high school romance, sports comic and shojo manga. Think Slam Dunk but it's female tennis players in super short...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 30 Dec 2015
Happy new year. Shipment was late this week, so instead of these being the last comic reviews of the year, they are the first comic reviews for 2016. Clearing the backlog I have to review. Do read more local and regional comics. Doesn't matter if they are from here or overseas. As long as they are good, go read them. Marvel comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). Peeping Through Jakarta Story/Art: Haryadhi, Sheila, Mice Octopus Garden It’s Sooooo Indonesian! Story/Art: Mice Octopus Garden Benny and Mice are the most famous cartooning duo in Jakarta whose weekly Sunday strips appeared in Kompas from 2003 to 2010. They have since gone their separate ways but both are still drawing. A few years ago, Benny drew a book about Singapore. Mice continues to draw for Kompas and his strips continue to hold up the savage mirror for all Jakartans to...
Merry Xmas. Ratings out of 5 stars. Marvel comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). I bought my own copy of The Resident Tourist Vol 7, as you should, yeah? After all, it’s only Christmas. The Resident Tourist Vol 7 Story/Art: Troy Chin Math Paper Press Just in time for Xmas. More than a year in the making, Troy continues to chronicle his life in public, something he has been doing for the past eight years since his return from NYC. He did well in school, went to U. Penn to do business studies, landed up in a dream job with a major record label. But he got depressed, started seeing a psychiatrist who advised him to draw. He returned to Singapore and drew comics. Troy is still unsure of himself, despite winning the Young Artist Award and meeting the president, and representing Singapore with other artists at the...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 11 Nov 2015
Ratings out of 5 stars. Shipment was delayed by a day but it is a good week for new mainstream comics, a slew of number ones – All-New Wolverine #1, The Goddamned #1 and All-New Hawkeye #1 courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). The Goddamned: Before the Flood #1 Story: Jason Aaron Art: r.m. Guera Image Comics Jason Aaron has been working hard – Ghost Rider (drawn by Tan Eng Huat), Star Wars, and the new female Thor. All star titles in recent years. Now he reteamed with r.m. Guera, his partner for Vertigo’s Scalped series to do their creator-own take on the Book of Genesis. Or what happened to the folks who left Eden. No more spoilers. Violent and great art by Guera. Has a Moebius feel to it. Go get. (4 stars) All-New Hawkeye #1 Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Ramon Pere z Marvel Comics One wonders if...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 4 Nov 2015
Ratings out of 5 stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) except for Snowpiercer and JJ's Science Adventure. Snowpiercer Vol 1: The Escape Snowpiercer Vol 2: The Explorers Story: Jacques Lob (Vol 1) and Benjamin Legrand Art: Jean-Marc Rochette Titan Comics The Bong Joon-ho (The Host) directed movie starred Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton has brought worldwide attention to the original French bande dessinee first published in 1982. After the death of writer, Jacques Lob in 1990, Benjamin Legrand continued the story of Snowpiercer with artist Jean-Marc Rochette in The Explorers (1999) and The Crossing (2000). Last year, Titan Comics put out the translation of all three stories in 2 volumes – The Escape (Vol 1) contain the original graphic novel while The Explorers (Vol 2) contain the remaining two stories. News has just reached us that a fourth Snowpiercer bande dessinee, The Terminus, written by Olivier Bocquet...
Weekly Comic Reviews - 28 October 2015
Ratings out of 5 stars. These comics are courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) – Squirrel Girl #1, Uncanny Avengers #1, Black Magick #1, Lady Mechanika #6. Black Magick Story: Greg Rucka Art: Nicola Scott Image Comics Greg Rucka is known for his excellent characterization of tough female heroes – Whiteout, Queen and Country, Gotham Central, Wonder Woman, The Question, Batwoman and more recently, Lazarus. Add Rowan Black, the white witch and police detective, to this list. Nicola Scott graced our shores a few years ago when she drew Earth 2. Recently, she did stuff for Alan Moore’s Electricomics and now this. Her style has changed and it suits moody tone of the book. Worth following. (4 stars) Lady Mechanika #6 Story: MM Chen Art: Joe Benitez Benitez Productions Joe Benitez draws like the late Michael Turner and this reminds me very much of a Top Cow comic. In...
Ratings out of 5 stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) except for War Stories #13, Mythic #4 and Singapore Subterranean Grapevine Book 9. Mythic #4 Story: Phil Hester Art: John McCrea Image Comics Released 3 weeks ago, this is still worth hunting down. Phil Hester and John McCrea get back together 10 years after their horror series, The Atheist, for Image Comics. Mythic deals with working class magicians trying to police the mythical world. You know, normal blokes like you and me and working towards our government pension and retirement. (of course, there is no more pension in Singapore, but if you believe in magic…) Imagine BPRD set in Britain and the team knocking back for a pint at the local pub after work, you get an idea of the world of Mythic. John McCrea (Hitman, The Boys) is pretty active recently. Drawing this and also regular...
Weekly Comic Reviews – 7 Oct 2015
Ratings out of 5 stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) except for Island #3, Perfect World Today, Roleplayers #1-3 and Paper Girls #1 Island #3 Story and art: Various Image Comics Another one too good to miss. Even though this came out on 16 September, 3 weeks ago, this is the comic to read now. Just like 8House is the brainchild of Brandon Graham, Island, the new oversized comic magazine (no ads!) published by Image, is conceived by Emma Rios and Graham. Comic magazines are rare these days – the other recent one is Meanwhile published by Soaring Penguin Press. I am really excited by Island’s esoteric stories. It is anything goes. From Kelly Sue DeConnick’s heartfelt essay (with illustrations by Ríos) about her friendship with the late writer and poet Maggie Estep in the first issue to Rios writing and drawing her own story in the...
Four-Coloured Red Dot
Jeff Sebastian
Comics General Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene Asian Comics
We have stories to tell. Singaporeans, I mean. Which isn't the same as saying that we have stories about Singapore to tell. Yes, there's a place for stories about growing up in Toa Payoh or kampong life – but we're capable of more than that. On the other end of the spectrum, that doesn’t mean we have to carve out our own Marvel or DC universes either. And while that’s not to say that we can't create our own superheroes, we're still capable of more than that too. So, what exactly are we capable of? Well, you don’t really need me to tell you. People talk a lot about the Singapore comic scene as if it’s some elusive phenomenon, or still in its gestation – but we already have comics out there that we can proudly point to as Singaporean, either because of the creators behind them or their subject...
Popcon Asia 2015
Comic Conventions / Events / Workshop Asian Comics Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene Comics General
As Singapore gears up for STGCC and the General Elections in September, the region is going abuzz with comic and toy conventions, which gives you an idea of the kind of creatives we have in Southeast Asia and the big money that is generated through pop culture. For some of us, pop matters more than politics. In the month of August itself, two major conventions took place in Jakarta, Indonesia and in Metro Manila, the Philippines. The latter was held Komikon Indieket 2015 at Pasig City while the city of Jakarta played host to Popcon Asia 2015. I had the privilege to attend Popcon Asia 2015, which was a great event for local comics and original IP. Held over three days at the Jakarta Convention Centre, this was my second time to Popcon and it was bigger than ever. Estimates given were that 37,000 attended this 4th edition of Popcon...
STGCC toy conventions
Comic Shops of Yesteryears Part I
Comics General Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene
One of the most popular threads on SCC is about the old comic book shops of the 80s and 90s in Singapore. We all have our own memories of Leisurecraft, Comics Mart, Comic Art Gallery, Comics World, The Comic Shop and the uncles and aunties behind the counters – Mrs Wong, Raymond, Uncle Bill, Carol and Ming, and especially this individual by the name of Carlos. Most of us have our own Carlos story. I have mine, which I will share later. The story of the first comic shops in Singapore is similar to the development of comic speciality shops in America with the rise of the direct market as a result of convention organizer and comic dealer Phil Seuling approaching comic publishers in 1972 to purchase their titles directly from them on a non-returnable basis. This was different from the traditional distribution model of selling comics at newsstands and...
book shops Singapore Comics Mart Comic Art Gallery Comics World
The Comic Collector In Singapore
Like Superman and Spiderman, the comic collector in Singapore can be elusive. Some of us have wondered who is this person. Does he or she have a secret identity like the superheroes? Even for the bestselling titles, newspaper reports would only give rough estimates based on ballpark figures provided by comic shops or booksellers. A few years ago, I...
collector newspaper reports shops
Comics General
American Mainstream Comics
Local Comics / Singapore Comics Scene
Comics Indy / Alternative
Collecting Comics as a Hobby or Investment
Asian Comics
Comic Conventions / Events / Workshop
Comics Based Movies
Slabbing and Grading
Comics Related Toys / Games
SCC Bloggers
Alex Lee
Irwan Shah
Brighton Yap
Nathan Ho
Nic Tan
Myron Tay
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NewsTransitTransportation
BART nightmare to drag on for ‘months’
By Brett Johnson :: Bay City News March 17, 2016
Reporting from Concord
BART riders could face months of shorter, more crowded trains as a consequence of an ongoing electrical issue that afflicted part of the Pittsburg/Bay Point line Wednesday morning, according to the agency.
BART’s fleet is down 58 train cars from what it typically has after cars were hit with a damaging voltage spike while passing between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord/Martinez stations, BART Chief Mechanical Officer Dave Hardt said during a press conference today.
Although the precise reason for the electrical surge and the exact location of it is still being investigated, Hardt said the agency’s engineers have identified the damage it has caused to the cars’ propulsion systems – and the repair process could be lengthy.
Hardt said:
“It’s going to take months for the fleet to be recovered fully.”
Hardt also said in his around nine years with BART, he’s never seen an issue of this sort and of this magnitude.
BART officials first reported problems between the two stations shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Train service between the stations has been halted since then and buses have been transporting riders.
Hardt said there’s a voltage problem that either stems from an oversupply of electricity or an issue the train cars are having with returning the power received.
He said the cause of the problem hasn’t been isolated. Potential reasons run the gamut from malfunctioning aged infrastructure to too much power coming from PG&E.
BART is flying in at least one outside expert in power control and protection and is consulting with PG&E officials to further investigate the issue.
Hardt said that although the areas are not associated with the same electrical infrastructure, BART train cars were damaged similarly due to a problem mid-February in Oakland.
There were also intermittent train car propulsion failures around the same time in the Transbay Tube, which runs under the Bay and connects the East Bay with San Francisco.
The latest glitch, between Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord/Martinez, has not been intermittent. Hardt said there’s a silver lining in that, given that the source of this new issue can be isolated.
Hardt was not able to provide an estimate on when the cause could be pinpointed or how long the section of the track affected will go without train service, a separate timeline from when the BART fleet will return to its normal operation.
Earlier today, BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said there are typically around 590 train cars running in BART’s fleet during a weekday morning commute but only 534 were operating today.
BART officials also said there were 11 trains shorter than usual by one car and five trains shorter by two cars this morning.
Trost said riders should expect trains to be more crowded under such conditions.
Some of the train cars that need maintenance will require much more time than others to be re-introduced into the fleet to ease that crowding.
Hardt said on the train cars that use direct-current components, the voltage spike impaired a device called a thyristor, which costs $1,000 each and are received sporadically from a specialized manufacturer.
BART’s engineers only had 12 on hand and may need around 100, Hardt said. Although some of the devices may be salvaged, buying these devices alone may cost up to an estimated $100,000.
The alternating-current model train cars, which have been updated much more recently, mostly sustained blown fuses – a much easier and less expensive fix, Hardt said.
Despite the damage the voltage spike caused to train cars, it did not present a danger to riders, BART officials said.
Buses will continue transporting people between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord/Martinez stations Friday, a trip estimated this morning to take around 15 minutes.
BART officials apologized for the inconvenience and said crews were “working around the clock to identify the problem and fix it.”
North Concord/Martinez BART
Pittsburg/Bay Point BART
BART service issues to last through at least Friday
Inmates sue deputies over gladiator-style fights
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SF Creative Writing Institute
Find Your Voice. Tell Your Story.
The Jack Grapes Method Writing Program
Posted on April 3, 2015 September 11, 2015
by SF Creative Writing Institute
Spring Renewal
A Time for Creative Rebirth
Hello, comrades at arms in the artistic struggle of life.
One thing that strikes me is how much internal resistance I get when I start doing new projects. It happens to me often. I struggle with internal resistance when I am taking on a new and innovative project. Self-doubt is like the ten-headed hydra. You cut off one head and another one grows in its place. It happens to all of us.
Everyone gets rejected. Part of being a “real writer” is putting yourself out there and continuing to do so even as it stretches you in new and uncomfortable ways.
When you put yourself out there, you might hear a lot of no.
Yet, the longer I stay a writer, the longer I realize that most people are fighting a battle against themselves. It’s always you against you. It’s kind of like how runners are always competing against their best time. People often give up too soon. I’ve given up too soon.
As artists, our main opponent is often our own inertia. Sometimes it comes from lack of self-confidence, or imposter-syndrome, feeling like a fraud, etc. Other times interaction with a person or institution that is utterly awful can get us down. For me, when people act all arrogant about their art and have big egos it can really turn me off, or when one artists does something cruel, or petty to another, it makes me want to crawl underneath the covers, eat chocolate and hide from humanity.
It’s normal to want to go back into your shell if somebody dislikes what you are doing or naysays, or if someone is yucky out there in Artlandia. (I made up that word!) I think I’ve found a way to combat it. Make more art. Lean into the turns. Collaborate. Conspire. Create. Hit the reset button. Then roll up your sleeves and get to it. Make something new. Design something. Write something. Apply to a contest or a fellowship. Send out something for publication. Post to your blog. Write a poem and post it on social media. Write in your journal, while drinking coffee and staring at the ocean.
Engage in some act of poetic defiance over the blocked creatives within and without.
Give yourself a do-over.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been giving myself a do-over lately on a lot of things.
As writers and artists, often as we strive to build our skills, there is a lot of quiet time dedicated to woodshedding and going underground, and then there is a time to bloom.
For me, I feel like now is that time. It’s scary to start new projects, but these particular projects have come forward and announced themselves and I feel like there is no time better than the present to charge ahead with them.
Alexandra Kostoulas reads her poetry at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC Feb. 23 2015.
© Alexandra Kostoulas
Method Writing SF
The Jack Grapes METHOD WRITING Program in San Francisco
Founder, The SF Creative Writing Institute
Read on for an overview and more on how you can get involved! We’ve got a reading coming up tomorrow, Spring classes starting at the end of April as well as featured student work by Rowena Henry, good news and updates, and more.
I’ll start with the big news: we’re expanding.
The SF Creative Writing Institute is a community of artists and makers dedicated to the teaching and telling of great stories, both true and fictional. Welcome aboard!
After three years of holding successful classes in San Francisco
in the Jack Grapes Method Writing Program, we are expanding to include other teachers and add new classes to the mix. We’re growing from Method Writing SF to the broader and more diverse San Francisco Creative Writing Institute. Jack Grapes’ METHOD WRITING Program will still be a staple course within the Institute. You can always get updated on the classes I teach in the Jack Grapes METHOD WRITING Program at methodwritingsf.com but, now, I also invite you to visit our new website: sfwriting.institute That’s right. It’s a new domain and instead of a .com or .org, it’s a .institute. You can visit our website for a complete list of courses that we offer. We’re starting small, but already looking to add more in the fall so keep an ear to the ground and stay tuned! If you haven’t done so already, please like us on Facebook, follow our institute on twitter and on instagram, and share with your friends and loved ones who may be interested in our courses. We’ll still be tweeting out #bestlines from Jack Grapes’ Method Writing Program classes via our old twitter handle. Feel free
to follow us there too. It’s @MethodWritingSF.
S.A.F.E.= Saving Arts from Extinction
We’re partnering with SAFEhouse for the Performing Arts
and its executive director Joe Landini (formerly of
The Garage). They’ve agreed to be our fiscal sponsor in order for us to receive grants and tax-deductible donations to help us grow. More on that coming soon.
Bay Area Book festival June 6-7 in downtown Berkeley
The SF Creative Writing Institute has been offered a booth at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley! I have a booth from 9am-6pm on both days. On Saturday, June 6, we’ll be selling chapbooks and shmoozing with people who walk by. On Sunday, June 7, We are scheduling non-stop readings at our booth as well as selling chapbooks. If you are interested in signing up for a reading slot with us, please let me know so I can put you on the list. We’ll keep reminding you about it.
BOOK Publishing: We’re producing an the Bay Area’s very best work
After many people have suggested that we publish our own book, I finally bit the bullet and started putting a team together. Yvonne Campbell has agreed to spearhead this project and act as the managing editor and Izzy Fischer will be directing the art. Flavia Stafani Resende is joining our editorial board as a reader. If you are interested in helping out with our anthology and directing its course, please let me know and I’ll put you on the list and invite you to the editorial meetings as they unfold. And, most importantly, if you want to get something published in our anthology, please start thinking about sending us your very best work. We’ll put out an official call for submissions in the coming months. We also need a name. Any ideas?
Mid-Market News
Not related to the SF Creative Writing Institute, I am starting to work as publisher alongside managing editor Ted Andersen on a new hyper-local media project called the Mid-Market News which is dedicated to telling the story of SF’s emerging Mid-Market neighborhood. If you are interested in writing for us or know any full-time students who would like a summer journalism internship, cue them in on this new project. For more info, or to get involved, email midmarketnews@gmail.com.
SPRING 2015 SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:
We’ve still got your old favorites, but also adding something new flavors as well.
Check out Tuesday Nights’ Intermediate/Advanced Editing for people who have taken Method Writing many times.
Meet our new instructor, Nick Mamatas. He has extensive experience in the writing world and works as an editor at Viz Media. He also teaches at various low-residency MFA programs. Learn more about Nick here or come meet him this Saturday at our reading.
Click on the class you want to sign up.
Tuesdays: Intermediate/Advanced Editing
w/ Alexandra Kostoulas
April 28 – June 16, 2015 * 6:30-9:30pm* Tuition: $445
This class is offered by invitation & audition and geared toward people who have taken Method Writing many times and who have found a project they want to take to the next level. We focus on crafting short pieces, rewriting, and the principles of storytelling in order to help the students leave the class with solid finished pieces or excerpts/chapters from a larger work. The focus is on polishing the product. It is recommended that the interested student already have familiarity with the concepts and techniques of Jack Grapes’ Method Writing and have found their voice and a particular project that they want to work on. (Great for if you are nearing the end of a project or if you are currently enrolled in an MFA program and need to produce pages.) Interested parties, drop us a line at alexandra@methodwritingsf.com. There will be some take-home editing and in-class critique of printed out manuscripts.
Thursdays: Jack Grapes’ METHOD WRITING Program
April 30-June 18, 2015 * 6:30-9:30pm Tuition: $395
In this workshop, we will focus on stripping away the artifice of writing, the baggage that keeps us from the most essential building block of any writing: the Deep Voice. We’ll turn journal entries into poems and stories, and by the end of the class, you’ll produce a “chapbook” of your work, turning process into product. This class focuses on weekly journal writing using the techniques and concepts of Method Writing. Suitable for both poets and prose writers, beginners and advanced, this class will help you find your deep voice and use it to create clear and compelling written work.
We’ll be using Grapes’ textbook, METHOD WRITING: THE FIRST FOUR CONCEPTS. Continuing students can begin Level 2: The Four Voices and beyond or continue through the program if so inclined. These classes have been running for 30+ years and were founded by Jack Grapes. Classes are offered in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. San Francisco classes run three times per year.
Saturdays: Writing the Literary Page Turner
w/ Nick Mamatas
April 25-June 20, 2015 * 2:00-5:00pm *Tuition: $495
(skipping the week of May 25)
Exciting plots and larger-than-life characters are the cornerstones of popular fiction and the emphasis of this course. Whether you’re writing romance, mystery, science fiction, or suspense, the principles of writing popular fiction – interesting prose, characters with whom we can empathize, and a story that moves – are key.
In this course, we’ll workshop your short stories and novel chapters, explore the history of the genres, perform writing and idea-generating exercises, and discuss the magazines and publishers looking for your sort of fiction. The goal is to give you a solid grounding in the demands of popular fiction from an editorial point of view, and a better understanding of your favorite genres.
Come to Our Reading This Saturday:
Write From the Gut! Reading Series #8:
End-of-Class Reading w/ special guests
SAFEhouse Arts
1 Grove Street
Come join us for an end-of-class reading at the location of our newest co-conspirator, SAFEhouse for the Performing Arts. Writers are students and alumni of the Jack Grapes Method Writing Program in SF taught by Alexandra Kostoulas. Each reading we strive to involve featured readers from the writing community at large and musicians that inspire us. Alumni of METHOD WRITING are always welcome to show up and read a quick piece on the mic. If you want to read, just let me know.
WE HAVE SPECIAL GUESTS…
For the first time, I’ve invited several writers I admire from the East Bay to read alongside the Method Writers. They are all active in the local reading scene and I want you to meet them. They are each powerhouses in their own way, each with a fierce presence all her own. Here they are in the order in which they responded to my invitation:
Cassandra Dallet + MK Chavez + Alexandra Naughton + Hollie Hardy
Here’s a little bit about each of them:
Cassandra Dallett lives in Oakland CA . She writes poetry and memoir of a counter culture childhood in Vermont and her ongoing adolescence in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cassandra has published in a full length book of poetry called WET RECKLESS recently released by Manic D Press.
MK Chavez is the author of Virgin Eyes (Zeitgeist Press) Visitation, Next Exit #9 (with John Sweet) and Pinnacle(Kendra Steiner Editions.) She also co-curates the reading series Lyrics & Dirges at Pegasus Books at 2349 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.
Alexandra Naughton is a writer based in Oakland, California. She wrote I Will Always Be Your Whore [love songs for Billy Corgan], which was published by Punk Hostage Press in January, 2014. She hosts a reading series in the Bay Area and also publishes a literary magazine, both called Be About It. She’s also the co-founder of empathlit.
Hollie Hardy can teach you how to survive anything. Her first collection of poetry, How to Take a Bullet, And Other Survival Poems is available now from Punk Hostage Press (2014). She teaches English at Berkeley City College and at SF State University where she received her MFA in Poetry. She co-hosts Saturday Night Special reading series in Oakland and is a core producer for the Beast Crawl Literary Festival in Oakland, co-curator of Litquake’s Flight of Poets.
We also have a featured musician:
Lake Lady Charise Sowells a.k.a. Lake Lady began writing songs with a Tascam 4-track and her voice. A singer with a penchant for interesting harmonies, her tone harkens back to an era before her time. Playing shows with her acoustic guitar and singing a capella led to a multitude of collaborations with singer/songwriters, bands, electronic DJs, pop producers and rappers in LA, NY and abroad. Following a national tour as a lead singer in a band, she started her own duo called Lake Lady and the Mountain Man. Since the birth of Lake Lady in 2014, in addition to playing live, she has heard the first single, “Will Your Feelings Change?” from her forthcoming EP in collaboration with Midnite Tiger on multiple radio stations. In the vein of Massive Attack and Portishead, this soulful pop song features sensual vocals, chilled out rhythms and haunting melodic structure.
/////////////and, headlining the whole shebang will be Creative Writing Instructor in the SF Creative Writing Institute and Featured Author, Nick Mamatas////////////////////
is the author of seven novels, over one hundred short stories, and dozens of essays and articles. His books include the novels Love is the Law and The Last Weekend, the short fiction collection The Nickronomicon, and the how-to guide for writing short fiction and non-fiction, Starve Better. Nick’s short fiction has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories, Asimov’s Science Fiction, New Haven Review, and many other anthologies and journals. He has written about writing for The Writer, Fine Books & Collections, and Wonderbook. His anthologies include the award-winning Haunted Legends (co-edited with Ellen Datlow) and The Future Is Japanese (co-edited with Masumi Washington.)
This Month’s Featured Writer
From the Jack Grapes’ Method Writing Program
Rowena Choy Henry, RN
The female shaman, the mudang, that Seok had consulted had chosen this particular night of the waxing moon as the most auspicious for grave digging. Using the traditional ceremonial rites the mudang had invoked the ancestral spirits of Seok’s clan and had received their approval of the undertaking. So on this dark night while a few distant stars twinkled dimly in the nocturnal sky Seok and the two shabbily dressed men that she had hired in town walked single file on the pebbled path with dim lanterns to light the way. Under the cover of darkness and carrying a shovel, a pick, and some rope they had slipped quietly into the large cemetery here in Pyongyang, successfully avoiding the night watchman.
The night was icy cold and the fierce wind chilled Seok’s body despite the thick, old, gray padded coat she was wearing. The coat had belonged to her late father and many nights she had seen him tiredly putting it on after dinner to go out and milk the goats in the old wooden shed behind their small farmhouse. It still smelled faintly of his pipe tobacco and it seemed fitting she was wearing his coat tonight as she had come to collect the body of her beloved younger brother Young Jin.
Her witch of a sister-in-law had not even bothered to consult a mudang when she decided to bury her husband’s body next to her parents and their son in this Catholic cemetery. Now Seok’s brother was alone because his profligate wife had flitted off to Peking to join her brothers and his children were scattered, some in China with their mother and the rest being raised by his eldest married daughter in Seoul. There was no one here to honor his grave or his memory, a serious breach of Korean traditions.
Seok was convinced that Young Jin’s gravesite was unlucky and that her little brother was wandering and lost on his long and difficult journey to the other side. He could not enter the after life because the three separated aspects of his spirit were unable to reunite. Her memorial shrine at home where she paid her daily respects housed one part of his spirit, the other lay in his grave here in this cemetery, and the last was a restless drifter who could eventually become a malignant ghost and bring bad luck to his descendants. This belief was a festering wound in Seok’s heart so she had planned and schemed for seven years to bring Young Jin’s body back home to the remote mountain village where they were born and their parents and ancestors were buried.
As they walked quietly to the hillside where her brother was buried, she could hear the men’s nervous whispers. They were terrified of ghosts and other spirits that inhabited graveyards. The fact that Seok was able to find two men who had even agreed to accompany her tonight was an indication of how desperately poor they were. One of the hired men limped badly and the other was blind in one eye. They were older gray haired men from the ostracized lowest caste in Korean society, the baekjeong, and their suffering and hard lives were easy to read in their morose, careworn faces. But even these impoverished men had charged her a high price when they learned she needed illegal grave diggers. Seok had already paid them half the amount and promised to pay the other half when their task was done.
It was well known in Korea that demons and ghosts and spirits preyed on unlucky people in graveyards or dug up and ate the livers of the newly buried dead. So every sound, every owl hoot, the creaking noise made when the wind rubbed two tree branches together made the men jump and glance around fearfully. The cold wind blew the mist from the nearby river over their path. The mist swirled and covered trees and bushes and grave mounds creating momentarily half recognizable figures that frightened the men. “Is that a Gumiho there next to the path?” whispered one of the men pointing with a shaky finger at a nebulous shape with what appeared to be a foxlike nose. This legendary demon was a 9 tail fox, an animalistic shape changer who often assumed the figure of a beautiful woman to lure men to their doom. The wind blew away the mist and they saw a large gravestone. Then later “Look!” said his companion and pointed to what looked like a group of malignant trolls, the Dokkaebi, but that turned out to be bushes planted around a tree. Only Seok was not afraid. She had lost everyone she had loved years ago and she had nothing left to lose.
She remembered, all those years ago, when she first fell in love with her little brother. She was eight years old and her mother had just died in childbirth after finally bearing her husband the son he had wanted for so long. Seok could see her mother’s lifeless body lying on her straw pallet on the floor. What would she do without her omani? Outside their old farmhouse she could hear her aboji, her father, wailing and sobbing. She too was crying inconsolably when the midwife, an old white-haired woman, had thrust the squalling newborn baby into her arms, his still bloody body swaddled hastily in an old underskirt of her mother’s. The midwife, in an attempt to distract and comfort Seok touched one of the baby’s earlobes with a gnarled finger and said “Ai! Your father has a son! And look he has such big fat earlobes. I’ve never seen any so big on a baby before. That’s good luck. He’ll grow up to be a successful man! He’ll be rich!”
Seok tried to stop crying, sniffling as she looked at the baby, really looked at him for the first time-the small red face, the surprising thatch of black hair, the perfect pink lips open wide as he cried, the tiny fists waving in the air, and yes, those outsized earlobes. She felt a sudden welling of love and a fierce protective feeling for this helpless little brother who had just lost his omani. She felt her beloved mother’s gentle presence in the room and the passing of the responsibility of the baby to her. One day her father’s only male heir would grow up and become the head of their family and Seok, Young Jin’s nuna, his older sister, was duty-bound to ensure his survival and well-being.
Her father, a kind quiet man, was a poor tenant farmer with a small plot of land in a remote mountainous area. They lived in a one room weather beaten old farmhouse and her father labored long hours every day for the local landholder. Seok took the baby to bed with her every night to keep him warm and to comfort him. She fed him by dipping a small cloth into a cup of warm goat’s milk, watching him suck it greedily. She took over her mother’s household duties-the cooking, and the cleaning, and hand washing all of their clothes in the nearby stream. They raised a few goats and had small yearly crops of sweet potatoes, beans, and some greens. When Seok went out to care for the goats or work on their plot of land she would strap Young Jin to her back and later when he was little he would play in the fields laughing when he tripped over the furrows while she worked. All day he would follow her calling “Nuna! Nuna! She and their aboji, who adored his young son, pampered Young Jin and gave him the best tidbits at mealtimes so he would grow up strong.
Seok scrimped and saved and even went to work as a farmhand alongside with her father when she was fifteen so they could pay the school fees for Young Jin. Both she and her father were illiterate but Koreans have a traditional respect for knowledge and they wanted to provide Young Jin the opportunity to go to school. Perhaps he could become a scholar? It was one of the few ways men from their class could rise to a higher social level and gain respect. Young Jin excelled at school, as she knew he would, especially with numbers. By the time he was a teenager he was the official family barterer with their neighbors-he had a knack for buying and selling and not only intuitively understood what his customers wanted but could charm them with his friendly chatter.
When Young Jin was seventeen years old he stunned his aboji when he announced that he did not want to be a scholar or farmer but wanted to become a traveling peddler. This break with tradition was unheard of and considered highly disrespectful to his familial traditions and the sacrifices his father and sister had made for him. But after his aboji recovered from his shock even he had to admit that Seok was a better farmer than Young Jin. His handsome, bright son with the laughing eyes and winning ways deserved a better life than that of a downtrodden poverty-stricken tenant farmer who was so dependent on unreliable weather conditions and the foibles of his landlord. Becoming a successful scholar would take more years of study which they could ill afford. Besides he had never denied his dearly loved son anything and it was hard to do so now. However Young Jin had ambitions but no money.
To provide her brother with funds, Seok sadly and regretfully decided to sacrifice her only claim to beauty-her thick, glossy, waist-long black hair that had never been cut. She knew Koreans believed hair was part of the body and they received their body from their parents and ancestors so to cut it was almost sacrilegious. And because women’s bodies were covered from neck to feet by their traditional billowing hanboks rich, thick hair was one of the few ways their beauty, health and fecundity could be judged. Plus It was her one vanity. She had grown up to become a tall, rawboned, strongly muscular young woman with a broad tanned face and her work worn hands were roughened by years of farm work. She was well aware that she didn’t have the pale moon skin, the large lustrous eyes, and the delicate beauty that was so highly prized then. But every night she brushed her long beautiful hair before she went to bed and every morning she woke and brushed and braided it. As an unmarried woman she was not allowed to wear it up so she was accustomed to the weight of the thick heavy braid hanging down her back.
On the next market day she secretly went to the local hair buyer and sold her beautiful hair. She cried when she saw how ugly she looked with the shockingly short chin length haircut but she was bitterly aware that she wasn’t the first poor woman who had been forced to sell her only asset. Thankfully her sacrifice had not been in vain and she had received enough money for her brother to buy supplies to sell and even a little left over for lodgings. The day Young Jin left home Seok and their aboji stood in front of their farmhouse with tears running down their faces as they watched his departure. Her heart was broken-she knew he would never return and she was right. After several years peddling he had made enough money to open a small business in Pyongyang. He bought hair from poor Korean women and manufactured wigs, hairpieces, and hair extensions that were much in demand. His business grew and grew and he eventually exported hair products as far as China.The midwife was right everything he touched turned to gold. He married a woman from a merchant family and they had 9 children. A dutiful son, he never forgot his nuna and his aboji and sent money home regularly so they could buy farm land and live a more comfortable life.
But when Young Jin was forty-one years old tragedy struck-his oldest son, the smartest of his nine children, his golden child who held all his hopes and his dreams in the palms of his hands was killed in a tragic diving accident. He’d been a brilliant scholar and had been accepted by Tokyo University to study medicine. Young JIn was devastated. Within a year Seok’s handsome, vibrant, hardworking brother was dead. He literally drank himself to death. No modern medicine, no herbal remedies, no priests, no shamans could save his life when he had willed himself to die. Sometimes, deep in her heart, Seok wondered if she and her father had pampered Young Jin too much when he was young, had smoothed too many bumps in his life’s road because they loved him so much. Though he had started life as a poor farm boy everything had come easily to him, maybe too easily, and perhaps that’s why he had lacked the inner strength, the fortitude, the resilience to overcome his grief when his son died.
Seok and the men finally reached Young Jin’s gravesite. The light from the lantern showed her that the traditional earthen mound that covered his grave had been neglected-there were weeds and dead leaves and overgrown grass and her heart grieved. The men set to work shoveling away the grass covered dirt on the grave. Luckily it had rained the previous day and the ground was still soft and damp and smelled richly of fertile earth. Within a couple of hours the men had exposed the wooden coffin. Using their ropes they hauled it up out of the grave and laid it on the ground. Seok brushed the dirt gently off the top of the coffin. Outwardly calm, she was suddenly afraid. How badly had his body decayed? How would he look? Would she have the courage to be able to do this one last thing for him?
In the meantime, the men were becoming extremely spooked and more nervous and anxious. They kept glancing around fearfully though it was hard to see beyond the light of their lanterns. They pried off the lid of the coffin with the pick. Seok raised her lantern and looked upon her brother’s face for the first time in seven years. She was surprised and relieved to see that Young Jin’s body looked remarkably well preserved. Perhaps it was due to all the rice wine he had drunk or the multitude of medications and herbal remedies that were given to him in a hopeless attempt to save his life in the last few months before the end. But the blankness of his pinched, gray face testified that his spirit had fled his body a long time ago. His body was still clothed in the white hemp suii, the traditional Korean clothing for the dead.
One of the men gingerly picked up her brother’s arm. The flesh on his whole arm slid off silently leaving the shocked man holding the bone. The man shrieked as he dropped it. The other man cried out in horror and then they both suddenly bolted, plunging down the hillside as fast as they could in the dark. Seok could hear their pounding feet and the sound of them crashing into bushes and tripping over gravestones. Luckily the wind was blowing so hard and so loudly that she doubted the watchman on the other side of the cemetery heard them.
Finally the sound of the fleeing men faded and there was only the whistling of the wind on this dark misty night. Seok was alone with her brother. She told him softly “Your nuna is here. I’ll take you home so you can finally rest.” She unwrapped the bundle she had carried all evening. She unfolded a large piece of white hemp cloth on the ground and slowly, piece by piece she carefully placed her brothers bones on the cloth in a neat pile. Like his arm, the flesh slid easily off his other bones too. She carefully wrapped the pile of bones into as neat a package as she could manage and stowed it all into a large sturdy burlap sack.
Then Seok sat on the cold ground on her knees and bowed her head and cried silently for a long time. When she had finally finished weeping and had wiped her eyes, she told her brother of the arrangements she had made back home. A mudang had selected a lucky spot for his gravesite near their parent’s and a grave had already been dug and was ready for him. She had hand sewn Young Jin a new Hanji suii, a set of white hemp burial clothes and a shroud to wrap his body for his final journey. And, after they got home, on a propitious day already chosen, he would have the Jangnye, the traditional three day/three night memorial service and the mudang would conduct the shamanistic rituals to unite the three parts of her brother’s spirit and lead him to the afterlife where he would join their ancestors for his eternal rest.
Afterwards she bowed her head and prayed that they would have a safe passage home. She doubted anyone would bother her, a poor old peasant woman from the mountains. She picked up the burlap sack and threw it over her shoulder. Luckily, years of hard farm work had toughened her body and she was used to carrying heavy loads. Seok started walking slowly down the hillside, holding the lantern in one hand, and her head bent as she carried her heavy burden. But the heartache she had borne so long was gone and she felt an overwhelming thankfulness that she had fulfilled her filial duty and that she was finally bringing Young Jin home.
Written while taking the Jack Grapes METHOD WRITING Program. March 2, 2015.
Good News from our students, alumni and instructors
Alexandra Kostoulas and Liz Peters
at the Bowery Poetry Club Green Room
in New York Taken: Winter, 2015
I’m pleased to announce that several students of METHOD WRITING got into excellent MFA programs:
Flavia Stefani Resende was accepted into the MFA Program in Fiction at California College of the Arts, San Francisco State University, University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Liz Peters was accepted into the MFA program in Poetry at SF State University (last year), and this year she was accepted at CUNY @ Queens to the MFA in Translation Program. She currently co-curates the Bowery Poetry Club readings and the Kaf reading series in Brooklyn.
Simon Thomas was accepted into the MFA Program in Fiction at California College of the Arts.
Alexandra Kostoulas to feature at Why There are Words Reading Series on Thursday, April 9 on a houseboat in Sausalito! http://whytherearewords.com. Why There Are Words presents “Sure,” an evening of readings free of doubt about their quality from these unwavering authors. Join us, and be convinced. April 9, 2015, Studio 333 in Sausalito. Doors open at 7pm; readings begin at 7:15. $10.
–Do you have any news you’d like to share with the group? Let us know and we’ll include it in our next newsletter.
Looking for literary goings on in the Bay Area? Check out…
LITSEEN
A local website that features readings and literary culture around the Bay Area.
They have 3 or 4 Bay Area literary arts events per day. Visit litseen.com for more info.
Want to learn more about our classes?
Evenings, Weekends & By Appointment
2019 Schedule of Classes
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The Slatest
Slatest PM: The Computer Glitch That Brought Down the Nasdaq
By Josh Voorhees
Aug 22, 20134:32 PM
A reporter (TOP) broadcasts from the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square as passerby (BOTTOM) are reflected in the window after trading was halted on all Nasdaq-listed stocks on August 22, 2013 in New York City
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Nasdaq Goes Down: Bloomberg: “Computer breakdowns shook American equity trading for the second time this week, freezing thousands of stocks listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market for three hours and raising fresh concerns about the fragility of exchanges. The second-biggest American exchange operator, home to 3,200 companies from 37 countries, halted transactions in all of its securities shortly after noon, a decision that caused buying and selling to stop on its platform and dozens of others where the securities trade. Errors in the feed used to disseminate quotes and prices were to blame, Nasdaq said on its website.”
The Biggest Loser: Associated Press: “The Nasdaq shutdown appeared to occur in an orderly fashion and didn’t upset other parts of the stock market. One stock that did take a hit was the parent company of the exchange, Nasdaq OMX. That stock fell $1.07, or 3.4 percent, to $30.48 in heavy trading even as the broader market rose.”
Not the First Time: Wall Street Journal: “Thursday’s problem is the latest in a string of technology-related mishaps affecting exchanges and brokers as markets over the past two decades have migrated to electronic systems. System problems marred Nasdaq OMX’s rollout of the Facebook Inc. initial public offering last year, costing Wall Street firms approximately $500 million in trading losses. Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. flooded U.S. stock-options markets with erroneous orders, most of which were later canceled.”
Instant Anaysis: Moneybox: “And yet the great engine of capitalism powers forward without them, just as a non-scheduled halt in trading has very little impact on the gears of industry in the real world. Now obviously if you didn’t have stock markets at all, that would be a big change. But the fact that one can go away for hours unexpectedly without it being much of a disruption to anything anyone is doing is a reminder of the fairly marginal role of stock trading in actual economic activity, even as more and more of corporate governance has somewhat perversely been oriented toward trying to make share prices high.”
Happy Thursday! Welcome to the Slatest PM, where if we squint we can see the weekend from here. (It looks glorious!) Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at@JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @Slatest.
The Slatest: 911 Tape Shows Just How Amazing Ga. School Clerk Antoinette Tuff Was Under Pressure
Bales Says Sorrys: Associated Press: “The U.S. soldier who massacred 16 Afghan civilians apologized Thursday for his ‘act of cowardice’ as he made his case for why he should someday have a chance at freedom. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales did not recount specifics of the horrors, but described the March 11, 2012 slaughter of villagers, mostly women and children, as an ‘act of cowardice, behind a mask of fear, bullshit and bravado.’ … Bales, 39, pleaded guilty in June in a deal to avoid the death penalty. A military jury will determine if his life sentence should offer a chance of parole. Bales said he was mad at himself for being angry all the time, drinking too much and hiding his problems.”
Slate’s Chelsea Manning Coverage:
The Slatest: Bradley Manning: “I am Chelsea. I am a Female.”
XX Factor: Bradley Manning Is Now Chelsea Manning. The Press Should Start Using Female Pronouns Immediately.
Weigel: Callous Conservative Response to Chelsea Manning News Could Be Just the Beginning
Future Tense: Wikipedia Beats Major News Organizations, Perfectly Reflects Chelsea Manning’s New Gender
Waiting on Obama: Reuters: “President Barack Obama on Thursday faced growing calls at home and abroad for forceful action against the Syrian government over accusations that it carried out a massive deadly chemical weapons attack. While the White House said it was ‘appalled’ by reports of hundreds of people gassed near Damascus on Wednesday, it made clear that any U.S. response must await confirmation of the attack and again demanded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad give U.N. inspectors immediate access to the sites of the alleged attacks. … The consensus in Washington and allied capitals is that a concerted international response can only succeed if the United States takes the lead. But Obama has shown no appetite for intervention, mindful of opinion polls showing most Americans opposed to a new military entanglements in the Muslim world.”
The World: Would You Know a Civil War When You Saw One?
Fort Hood Jury Begins Deliberations: NBC News: “Military jurors on Thursday started deliberating in the case of the soldier accused of killing 13 people during the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood. Maj. Nidal Hasan, who faces numerous counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder for the 2009 attack on the Texas military base, skipped his final chance to address jurors earlier Thursday, even after prosecutors insisted he carried out a planned attack and asked jurors for a verdict that would allow the death penalty. Maj. Nidal Hasan is acting as his own attorney but declined to plead his case after prosecutors wrapped up their closing argument. When the judge told Hasan he could begin, he said: ‘The defense chooses not to make a closing statement.’”
The Slatest: How the FBI’s Poor Reading Skills Led It to Suspect an Acclaimed Author Was the Unabomber
Coburn Wants a Constitutional Convetion: Tulsa World: “U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn urged Oklahomans on Wednesday to join the movement for a national constitutional convention to cut down an oversized federal government and counter what he repeatedly referred to as a ‘lawless’ Obama administration. ‘I used to have a great fear of constitutional conventions,’ Coburn told about 300 people at the Muskogee Convention Center. ‘I have a great fear now of not having one.’ A national convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures is one of two ways the U.S. Constitution can be amended. Such a convention has never been called, largely because the Constitution itself was the product of a convention authorized only to amend the existing Articles of Confederation, but which replaced it entirely. Thus, political leaders and scholars have long held that such a convention could be dangerous and even destructive to the nation.”
Weigel: Eric Holder: We Won’t Allow “Open Season” on Voter ID Laws
Ex-Pat Indicted: Boston Globe: “Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez was indicted today on a charge of first-degree murder in the slaying of a Boston man whose bullet-riddled body was found in a North Attleborough industrial park in June. Hernandez also faces five gun charges in the slaying of Odin L. Lloyd, 27, of Boston, in the latest chapter of the downfall of a wealthy NFL star who once seemed to have a bright future. … If convicted of first-degree murder, Hernandez faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.”
Weigel: Here’s a Video of Bob Filner Leaving City Hall With Packing Boxes
Goldman Banker Accused of Hamptons Rape: New York Times: “A Goldman Sachs banker has been charged with raping a young woman in an East Hampton rental home, the authorities announced on Thursday. The banker, Jason Lee, 37, was arraigned on rape charges in court in East Hampton on Wednesday and posted $20,000 bail, according to a court official and a statement issued by the East Hampton Town Police Department. … Mr. Lee is a managing director in Goldman Sachs’s equity capital markets group, which handles initial public offerings, is on leave following his arrest, an official at the bank said.”
A Few More Quick Hits From Slate—
Brow Beat: Paris Tourism Board Fights Parisian Stereotypes by Stereotyping the Rest of the World
Future Tense: Lightning Strikes Worker at the Creationism Museum, Pretty Much Nowhere Else
Moneybox: Republicans Won’t Like Obama’s Higher Education Ideas—And Not Just Because They’re Opportunists
The World: How Come Bill Gates Thinks the Poor Don’t Want Internet Access?
Moneybox: The New Fiery Doritos Locos Taco Is a Triumph of Human Ingenuity and the Best Bargain in Fast Food Today
That’s all for today. See you back here tomorrow. Until then, tell your friends to subscribe or simply forward the newsletter on and let them make up their own minds.
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20 Best A to Z Hindi Video Songs Downloading Sites of 2019
Hindi video songs downloading sites are best option to keep all your favorite video songs on your devices and watch them anywhere anytime. Downloaded video songs help to save much data also. But the problem is most of the genuine sources to download A to Z Hindi video songs are unknown to all. Do you know about such sources? If not, then don’t go anywhere else without reading the article, because this article will let you about all the sources from where you can download latest music videos of 2017 – 2018.
After a long research, we have found the list of 20 best A to Z Hindi video songs downloading sites. All these free video song download websites allow the users to download upcoming movie trailers, new released videos, trending video songs, top remix video songs, and lots more. So bookmark the page now and then try out all the video song download sites mentioned in the below list.
Top A to Z Hindi Video Songs Downloading Sites List 2018
Video songs downloading sites are available on the web today. But most of them are not dedicated to Hindi video songs only. Hence have a lot of unnecessary options and formalities. That is why we have listed out the best Hindi video song download websites among the thousands on the web. So the top video songs download sites are mentioned below.
Youtube.com is the largest video streaming site. It provides the biggest library of videos, trailers, movies, news, tutorials and more. Here users can search and watch all the latest video songs, movie trailers, movie clips, and whatever they want. Though it is not a video song or MP3 download site, the music videos can be downloaded from Youtube using various tube downloader like Tubemate, KeepVid, Vidmate, etc. Using these sites/ apps, users can download Hindi video songs of different formats like 3GP, MP4, HD ready, full HD, etc. So those who have one of the apps mentioned above, Youtube would be the best option for downloading Hindi video songs for them.
Video9.In
Video9.in is also one of the best sources to download music videos. It provides A to Z library of Hindi video songs and trailers. Users can find and download latest as well as old music files from the different categories available on the site like the Latest Updates, New Movie Video, and A to Z Movie Video. The user interface of the site is also very easy and simple that gives simple downloading options to choose from. Users can download videos of different qualities including 144P, 240P, 360P, 720P, and 1080P. Video9 allows the users to download all the files from its site for absolutely free. So browse the site and download all the favorite Hindi video songs.
Like Youtube, Hungama.com is another largest source for browsing and downloading Hindi video songs and music files. It is the second largest media company in South Asia. It allows the users to stream and watch music videos online as well as to download them in MP4 format. Users can choose to stream and download other language music files or video songs like Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Oriya, and others. Not only this, Hungama.com provides Hindi and other regional Indian movies, kids’ special animated movies, and TV shows too.
Mix MP4
MixMP4.com is one of the best Hindi video songs downloading sites. It gives the easiest and the simplest video song download options to the users in comparison to other websites. Users just need to search the video songs they want to download, and then click on the desired songs. It will give download option directly. Not so many options for downloading, it allows the users to download HD quality (1920x1080P) video songs only. Mix MP4 uses to upgrade its library on a regular basis. Hence users do not need to wait for a long time to get the new released videos.
FilmyVid
From the name, you must get an idea about the contents of the site. Yes, FilmyVid.net provides all the movie, video songs, trailers, and others. And not only Hindi, users can download video songs of regional Indian movies including Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam from here. All are absolutely free. Searching videos on FilmyVid is also very easy because of the integrated search option and free user interface; there are no unnecessary options. It provides videos of different mobile and PC compatible formats like 3GP, MP4, HD ready, and Full HD as well as qualities like 360P, 480P, and 720P.
The name DJ Punjab may force everyone to think it a site for Punjabi songs, but it is totally dedicated to Hindi songs and music videos. The user interface of the site is very simple. Users will get direct access to the library of the site where all the latest and trending video songs are available to click and download. It gives three different options for downloading videos including 360P, HD 720P, and full HD 1080P. Apart from different downloading options, DJPunjab.video provides complete details of the songs including Producer, Director, Singer, Music Director, Star cast, etc.
Song MP4
SongMP4.com is an all in one platform for all the video contents that users may think to download from the web. Along with Hindi video songs, users can download Hollywood songs, Tamil video songs, Malayalam songs, Bangla video songs, Punjabi songs, short movies, and much more. The best thing about Song MP4 is that it allows the users to play and watch video songs before downloading them. Downloading the files is also very simple because there is no need to go through various time-wasting options. All the files are in MP4 formats, so just click and download.
As it bears the name, it provides the service too. HD9.io is dedicated to providing all the HD video songs of Hindi Movie Remixes, Movie Trailer, Music Albums, and different language songs like Hindi, Bengali, English, and Punjabi. So HD9 is the perfect site for those who want to download HD as well as full HJD videos for absolutely free. Apart from music videos, HD9 provides full movies, funny videos, world amazing videos, TV Ad videos, and cricket videos. Options for getting live cricket score, watch live TV online, and online movies are also available on the site.
DJ Maza
DJMaza.fun is the one-stop destination for Bollywood videos, English videos, and Punjabi video songs and movie trailers. Users can choose all the latest as well as old Hindi video songs and download them onto their devices. Contents of DJ Maza are compatible with all devices. Apart from the music videos and trailers, there is a huge library containing albums and singles including Bollywood, DJ Remixes, Punjabi, English, Indipop, and special releases. And all the files available on the site are completely free for the users.
Mr. HD
Another best source that provides all the latest Hindi movies video songs for the users to download is the Mr-HD.in. The best thing about this site is that it provides all the HD quality Hindi video songs. Not only Hindi video songs, here users will get updates related to all the Hindi remix video songs on the web. There is no need to search for the new updates. Apart from the Hindi video songs and remixes, users will get all the Punjabi video songs, Punjabi remix video songs, and Hollywood video songs available on the site. So browse Mr. HD and download A to Z music videos.
Pagal World
PagalWorld.Info has no comparison with others in case of downloading music videos because it is the site that has the highest numbers of collection for the users. The best thing about this site is that it upgrades its library on a regular basis, hence all the latest video songs, as well as mp3s, are available on the site. The user interface of the Pagal World is also user-friendly. It gives updates about all the latest music videos on the homepage. Apart from this, categories like “Bollywood 2018”, “Punjabi 2018”, “IndiPOP 2018” and “Top Songs 2018” are also available. Users can search their favorite music videos too using the integrated search option.
Bollywood MDB
BollywoodMDB.com is not just a website for downloading music videos; it’s a database of the industry. Here users can download and watch new trailers & videos, latest video songs, trending Hindi songs, dialogue promo and the top viewed videos of the time. In the movies section, it has provided movie trailers and movie stills of all upcoming as well as new released movies of 2017-18. These features will surely help the users to get updated with latest video songs and to download them. Apart from these, Bollywood MDB provides movie calendar, reviews, interviews, box office collection report, and showtimes of theatres of different cities.
Like Wap
LikeWap.top is specially created for mobile users who like to download and watch movie trailers, video songs, and movies. It brings mobile videos, MP3, video songs of all the latest and upcoming movies, even full movies are also available for downloading. The quality of these videos available on this site is awesome. Users can download mobile compatible video formats like 3GP, MP4 and HD videos from the site for absolutely free. All the updates of upcoming movies are also available. Apart from these, Like Wap brings ringtones, games, applications, and animations too. PC users can also use this site.
New HD
If you are looking for a simple site for downloading Hindi video songs, then NewHD.in is the place. It does not provide any unnecessary features, options, or formalities to increase the browsing time. It only has the list of videos available on the user interface. All you need is to just click and download the video songs. New HD uses to upgrade its library on a regular basis; hence all the latest music videos are available here. Most importantly, it gives download options for different file formats including MP4, HD ready, and Full HD. So choose the suitable file formats for your devices and download Hindi video songs from New HD.
Videoming
VideoMing.com is dedicated to videos only. It brings videos of all categories and genres. Here you can search and download featured video songs, new released videos, Bollywood special videos, Indian POP and Remix, Punjabi Hits, English POP and remix, Devotional videos and songs, and other video songs. Apart from these categories, it has some other listings like Top 21 Downloads of the day, the previous day, week, months and of all time. So it makes it easy to download top Hindi video songs of all time. Options to download videos of different file formats like 3GP, MP4, HD ready, and Full HD are also available on the site.
Best Wap
The BestWap.Org or BestWap.Mobi is almost same as the above-mentioned LikeWap.top. Though it is designed especially for the mobile users, PC users can also use the site for downloading videos. The simple user interface provides videos all the categories including latest video songs – Hindi and others, full mobile videos, top downloads of the day as well as of all time. Best Wap allows the users to download video songs or mobile videos in different file formats like 3GP, MP4, HD ready, and Full HD. Apart from the videos, full movies mp3 songs, mobile animation, mobile games, mobile ringtones, mobile secrets, mobile themes, wallpapers, and movies information are available on the site.
Fresh Maza
FreshMaza.Net is nothing but a must try option in the list of A to Z Hindi video song download sites. Its simple and easy user interface contains updates of all the latest Hindi movie trailers, video songs, MP3 songs, and other videos. There are different download options like “High-Quality MP4”, “HD Android Videos”, and “MP3 Songs Download” also available for each and every trailer or music videos. While downloading, Fresh Maza provides related Hindi videos’ list too. If the list does not contain the music files the users are looking for, they can use the integrated search files option to search and download whatever they want. Categories like FAcebook Masti, Music, Videos, Ringtones, Wallpapers, Animations, Games, Themes, Fun Stuff, and Student Zone are also available.
Boss MP4
Like VideoMing, the BossMP4.com is another source that totally dedicated to providing video download option for the users. Its user interface is so simple and easy that contains different categories of video or video songs like the latest Bollywood video songs, Special Zone, IndiPOP video songs, New Added videos, Top 21 Files. Apart from these, there are options for English, Punjabi, and Bengali videos songs also available. Users just need to click and download video songs in different file formats like 3GP, MP4, HD 480P, and HD 1080P for absolutely free. There is an integrated search files option also available for further requirements.
Jio HD
If we categorize different video download sites on the basis of the number of users, then JioHD.in would be on top of the list. That’s because millions of users have chosen the site for downloading their favorite music videos and others. For Hindi video songs download, there are different categories available here like the Hindi HD Video Songs, New Latest Hindi HD Songs, Hindi A to Z Movie Songs, Hindi Old HD Videos, Hindi Album Videos, Hindi Artist Collection, Hindi Mashup Remix Songs, and Bollywood Upcoming Movie Song. Any Hindi songs can be searched and download from here. Download options are also cool. Users can download 3GP, MP4, HD videos with 320P, 720P, and 1080P resolutions. Other categories like Purulia HD Video Song, Bhojpuri Item Songs, Nagpuri Video Song, English HD Songs, and Punjabi Video Songs are also available here.
Won HD
Last but not the least is the WonHD.com. Its simple user interface and largest collection have attracted many users. Here users will get different categories like “Video Songs”, “Full Mp3 Songs”, “DJ Remix Songs”, “All Artist Collection”, and “English Video Songs”. Other categories like “Featured Videos”, “Latest Updates”, “Top 21 Downloads: Today | Yesterday | Week | Month | All Time” are available to facilitate easy searching option for the users. WonHD allows the users to synchronize the search results in “New to Old”, “Popular”, “A to Z”, and “Z to A” formats and then download the video songs in 3GP, MP4, HD ready and full HD file formats.
So these are the best A to Z Hindi video songs downloading sites of 2018. These sites provide all the trending video songs, newly released music videos, Popular Hindi songs, and also the upcoming movie trailers. The websites also have a huge collection of Hindi songs and allow the users to download their favorite videos or video songs in any file formats including 3GP, MP4, HD (144P, 320P, 480P, 720P, and 1080P) and other mobile and PC compatible formats. So bookmark the page and try all the websites one by one to download and watch free Hindi video songs. If there are any queries related to the sites mentioned above, please do comments in the comment box.
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Cilic, Dimitrov, Anderson all lose at Queen’s Club
Associated PressJun 20, 2019, 10:24 PM EDT
LONDON — Defending champion Marin Cilic, former winner Grigor Dimitrov and 2018 Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson all lost at the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament on Thursday.
Cilic and Anderson were knocked out in the second round, while Dimitrov didn’t make it past the first round having waited four days to play his opening match.
Diego Schwartzman of Argentina beat the fifth-seeded Cilic 6-4, 6-4 and Anderson, the second seed, was defeated 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 by Gilles Simon.
Dimitrov followed Anderson on Court 1 and fell 6-4, 6-4 to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas ensured he would play two matches in one day at the rain-hit event by beating Kyle Edmund 6-3, 7-5.
Tsitsipas faces Jeremy Chardy later Thursday, while Andy Murray makes his return after a six-month absence because of injury in a doubles match partnering Feliciano Lopez.
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The Rob Young Investigation: Key findings
Category: Event analysis, High performance management, Running, Sports management
Yesterday, the investigation that I had been commissioned to do with Roger Pielke Jr on the allegations of Rob Young cheating during his TransAmerica run was published by Skins. The report concludes, very strongly, that Young had to have traveled large parts of the run in the vehicle, until he was discovered by Asher Delmott and subsequently observed by a group of volunteers.
You can download the full report at this site, but below I have pasted the section of the report that deals with the data confirming his cheating, which is what we identified as the smoking gun. It’s pasted from the full report.
I’d like to thank Skins for taking the initiative to do this – when I was contacted by Jaimie Fuller in June this year, he said that he wanted independent evaluation of the allegations and data, and thereafter, he and his team made every attempt to provide all possible data, and were extremely accommodating of the process that Roger and I felt needed to be followed. It was an exercise in integrity on their part, and that deserves significant recognition – it certainly makes a change from sponsors protecting cheating.
Second, this investigation was the result of online investigators who responded to Asher Delmott’s initial Letsrun post (this is all in the fully report), and then took it upon themselves to scour his data records and social media posts to build a picture of suspicion. Our investigation confirmed many of the theories they had developed. And while there was the usual amount of vitriol and personal attack in a good deal of the discussion, there was also some very high quality analysis, which we were able to use to a) start drawing the picture, and b) complete the loop once we had the important cadence data described in this post.
As for Young, I note that he has continued to protest his innocence, despite the very strong evidence. I have no idea where the story goes from here – everyone deserves redemption and second chances, but continued denial is not a good place to start the search for it. I would advise the truth, and then perhaps look to rebuild an ultra-marathon career if possible. That process can only follow the truth, and this exercise, along with the background to it, have raised significant doubts over what is true and what is not.
The data of record
During the record attempt, Rob Young used two TomTom watches, described below. The data from the TomTom watches was uploaded to Young’s TomTom account throughout the run. It is known that this was happening because screen shots of the uploaded records were being posted to the Rob Young Facebook page during the attempt, though these records, and the associated Facebook posts, were deleted from Facebook once allegations of cheating began to surface (See the sections below on the Kansas incident).
The TomTom record was however the final data source provided to investigators, after Strava and MapMyRun files had been initially provided via log-in details to these sites where Young had uploaded the original TomTom data. The Strava and MapMyRun data were however found to be incomplete and otherwise unsatisfactory. Those records, discussed below, were compared to the TomTom record for validation purposes, but either did not have cadence data, or produced a calculated cadence number based on a formula, and were thus deemed inappropriate for reliable analysis.
Further, we established that TomTom data, uploaded directly, could not be altered, unlike MapMyRun and Strava entries uploaded from files, which can be edited. Therefore, a priority for the investigators was to obtain both the watches (to have a record of the data in their collected, “raw” form) and the original TomTom data files, which would have been backed up to a local computer (two laptops that accompanied the attempt).
TomTom log-in information was eventually obtained on July 11, 2016 (the investigation began July 1). We requested, but were not provided access to the backup TomTom files from the two laptops that accompanied the attempt. These would have included all TomTom files uploaded from the watches. The watches were provided to us but had been completely cleared of all data. We know that the TomTom files that we were provided were a subset of all runs recorded during the attempt. An unknown number of files were not provided to us.
The TomTom data that was provided to us (the “record” of the attempt) formed the basis for the primary analysis of the record attempt, with other records serving validation purposes only. None of the other evidence that we looked at, including interviews, provided any basis for an alternative explanation for what was displayed in the TomTom data.
The TomTom Data-of-Record
A total of 322 running sessions, spanning from May 13 to June 16, were found in this record.[1] This compares to 299 sessions recorded in the hand-written log book. Futhermore, we have evidence that more than 322 sessions were actually collected by the TomTom watches, based on screenshots for certain runs and segments of runs not present in the data files that we were provided. Certain sessions were duplicated, and overlapping segments were also found. Taking these issues into account, the exact number of total running sessions is unknown.
With these issues understood, we proceeded to use the TomTom data provided to us as the Data-of-Record for the analysis of the attempt.
What the data-of-record says
The TomTom record of 322 sessions covered 2113 miles between May 13 and June 16, 2016.
Session length ranged from 0 miles to 33.99 miles, with 230 of the 322 sessions covering 3 miles or more. 64 of the sessions were run at a pace faster than 9 min/mile. In order to account for some of the “noise” in the data, we focused specifically on these subsets of the total record with longer runs (more than 3 miles, 230 sessions) and faster runs (faster than 9 min/mile, 64 sessions).[2]
Appendix A contains a tabulated record of these sessions, which are also summarized in an Excel file that accompanies this report. We have also made available to accompany this report all of the TomTom records that were provided to us by Young.
The analysis of cadence data
The primary focus of the analysis is cadence data, rather than speed or the performance during the runs. We chose this approach because analyzing the running performances invites allegations and rebuttals that are by nature subjective and unprovable – any individual can claim to be capable of running at a certain speed for a certain period provided that speed is reasonable (that is, not obviously unrealistic). In the absence of direct observation and bench-marking against that athlete’s known capabilities, any claim, even if exceptional, is impossible to confirm or to refute. Since we have no direct evidence of what Rob Young is capable of, and since the data of record is the only performance data relevant to this analysis, this approach would be fraught with subjectivity and suppositions, even if suggestive.
Cadence data, on the other hand, might reveal cheating, irrespective of performance, because:
It is more constrained than actual running speed – even elite athletes running at vastly greater speeds do so at cadences that are similar to those achieved by recreational runners
It is a direct means of assessing the primary investigative focus in this case, namely whether Young gained unauthorized assistance in the attempt.
Consequently, cadence data are key to our focus.
The TomTom record allowed us to examine the cadence data, which had previously been absent from any analysis of the attempt. The MapMyRun record does provide a step number for each session, but we analysed this data and discovered that it is not a true step count, but rather a number calculated by the software based on an estimated relationship between the number of steps taken per mile and running pace (min per mile).
Infeasible and impossible cadence values
Figure 1 on the following page shows the cadence in steps per minute (counted as each foot-strike) as recorded by the TomTom watches for the 230 sessions longer than 3 miles. These are displayed on the graph in chronological order from left to right. The typical ranges for slow walking, normal walking and a typical minimum for jogging are shown. Also, the incident involving Asher Delmott is shown, as is the timing of Delmott’s first post on the LetsRun website which led to subsequent analyses and accusations against Young.
Figure 1: Cadence during sessions longer than 3 miles
It is clear from this figure that many sessions have extremely low cadences. Of the 230 logged sessions longer than 3 miles:
44 have a cadence lower than 20 steps/min
26 have a cadence between 20 steps/min and 40 steps/min
What is most notable is that after the Asher Delmott post (June 7), the number of sessions with a cadence below 60 steps/min (corresponding to a slow walk) virtually disappears, as shown by the figure below:
Figure 2: Change in cadence after Asher Delmott LetsRun post
That is:
Two sessions out of 54 runs after the Delmott post have a cadence below 60 (4%), compared to;
84 out of 176 sessions (48%) prior to the Delmott post on LetsRun
Instead, most sessions after the Delmott post fall within the range that is expected for a mixture of normal walking and typical running (42 out of 52 sessions, 78%), and which is consistent with the paces logged by Young during these sessions
Cadence data can only be interpreted when the other details of the running session are known, however, because a person who is traveling very slowly on foot would be expected to have a very low cadence. They may stop frequently, causing both speed and cadence to drop, and this could account for those sessions observed to have extremely low cadence values.
Therefore, we next looked at the relationship between cadence and running pace for sessions that were completed at a faster running pace, specifically by examining only sessions that were run at a pace faster than 9 min per mile. The graph below shows the cadence values of those faster paced sessions only.
Figure 3: Stride rate during sessions faster than 9 min/mile pace
It is clear that when Rob Young was running faster than 9 min/mile (64 sessions in total), there were a number of sessions with an implausibly low cadence. These sessions ranged in distance from 1.02 miles to 31.98 miles, and in pace from 4:56/mile to 8:51/mile. Of these 64 sessions:
39 had a cadence lower than 20 steps/min
18 had a cadence between 20 steps/min and 40 steps/min
Only three had a cadence greater than 90 steps/min
It is unequivocally impossible for a runner to maintain a pace of 9 min/mile or faster with cadence values this low. The data strongly suggest that the TomTom watches cannot have been worn by a runner during these sessions – they must have covered the distance without the taking of steps, which implies inside a vehicle for all or part of the logged session.[3]
One potential counter-argument that could be made is that the watches were malfunctioning or otherwise not working properly. We note, firstly, that no one has made this argument to us. Secondly, and specific to the data, referring to Figures 1 and 2, if both watches were not working properly, then the pattern of very low cadence would continue all the way to the end of the record attempt.[4] This did not happen – immediately after the Delmott LetsRun post, and during the period of observation, the cadence values (on both watches used in the attempt) returned to what would be described as ‘typical’ or normal cadence values.
Furthermore, Figure 3 reveals that after the LetsRun post, not a single run faster than 9 min/mile was achieved, at any cadence. In combination, Figures 1, 2 and 3 show that Young continued to run after the Delmott post, but at slower speeds and with typical cadence values. This refutes any suggestion that the atypical cadence data can be attributed to simultaneously malfunctioning watches.
Another explanation of the data is that Young was running while the watches were repeatedly left (accidentally) in a vehicle. But when this question was posed to both him and Michael Speicher, both emphatically denied that any runs had been performed without the watches on Young as he ran.
Specifically, here is what Rob Young told us when asked:
[7:27:08] Ross Tucker: Next question, straight forward, Did you, at any stage of the run, benefit from driving in a vehicle, as indicated by the watch data?
[7:29:15] hania: No!!!!! but i did jump on the truck several time less than 5 times as a dog chased me and only for 100meters maximum. We did run that distand (sic) to make it up
We asked Rob if he had ever traveled in the vehicle:
[7:30:44] Ross Tucker: Sorry, just to come back to that, we want to be clear about the data that we’ve got and have analysed. that the watch data indicates that fairly long distances, much longer than can be explained by signal loss or a short run away from dog, were travelled at speeds suggesting a vehicle.
[7:31:03] Ross Tucker: And we wanted to give you a chance to respond to that data
[7:31:16] Ross Tucker: The data is very clear on this, so any further comment?
[7:37:10] I was never in the vehicle at any point unless we had stopped and went for food or to a safe resting point – oh i did at points when i came in the vehicle for a break leave my watch and live tracker and headed back out to run again but fairly quickly realised and put it back on me – i state again on everything, at no point did i use the vehicle for self gain in the run
We put similar questions to Michael Speicher:
[17-Aug-16 9:27:25] Roger Pielke Jr.: The cadence data indicates that the watch-of-record was in the vehicle at times. When we spoke to Rob earlier today, he indicated that there were instances when he did leave the watch-of-record in the vehicle by mistake and would quickly realize it and put it back on. Do you recall any such incidents?
[17-Aug-16 9:29:50] Michael Speicher: I have no knowledge of him coming back into to vehicle
[17-Aug-16 9:30:19] Roger Pielke Jr.: Ok, thanks.
[17-Aug-16 9:31:11] Roger Pielke Jr.: Before leaving the cadence data, we want to be very clear here that we are following what the data says. The cadence data is unequivocal in what it shows. It will be released with our report to be openly examined. The data shows, without a doubt, that the watched traveled in a vehicle. We want you to have every opportunity to respond to this now, as it will become public. Any further comment?
[17-Aug-16 9:34:35] Michael Speicher: Rob, at all times, was in charge of the watches and in charge of the data. He was in charge of changing the watches. I was not his minder.
Absent any explanation offered by the team to counter the implications of the data, we therefore conclude that the only potential explanation for these infeasible low cadence values, present despite relatively high running speeds, is that the watches had to have been in a vehicle for part or all of the logged sessions.
Impossible step lengths
The next part of our analysis involved calculating the average step lengths that would be required for Rob Young to cover the known distance at the known pace. Because there is a known and established relationship between running pace and step length, this method allows all the performance factors – cadence, speed, distance and pace to be factored into a single outcome that may be deemed feasible or infeasible.
By way of introducing this method, in order to cover a given distance at a given pace, a certain combination of cadence (steps/min) and step length is required. If the distance, pace and stride rate for a session is known, then it is possible to calculate the required step length of that session.
Consider the following illustrative example:
Cadence, as reported by TomTom = 170 steps/min
Distance covered during session = 5 miles
Time taken for session = 47:00
The step length can be calculated as follows:
Step length (m) = Distance in meters/(cadence x time in minutes)
For this illustrative example:
Step length (m) = (5 miles x 1609m)/(170 x 47)
= 1.00 m per step
We present the step length findings below for the Rob Young attempt, again based on the data-of-record:
Figure 4 shows the calculated average step length during runs longer than 3 miles.
Figure 4: Calculated average step length for every session longer than 3 miles
Of the 230 sessions longer than 3 miles:
82 had a step longer than 2m, which we deem to be a conservative cut-off for implausible step length given the average pace Young was running for these sessions
18 had a step length longer than 40m
14 had a step length between 20m and 40m
19 had a step length between 5m and 10m
148 sessions had step lengths of <2m
The 82 runs with step lengths >2m are all clearly implausible and impossible for running, and are the result of the exceptionally low cadence combined with relatively fast running speeds that we described previously (Figures 1-3).
For reference, a runner who is running at 3-hour marathon pace would be expected to have an average step length of between 1.30m and 1.50m, given typical cadence values at this pace.
Similarly, a runner who is taking 2m long steps, and who is running with a typical cadence (150 to 180 steps/min) would be running at a pace between 4:30 and 5:20 per mile. These are the stride parameters that would be observed in world class half marathon and marathon runners. We would deem any step length longer than 2m to be clearly infeasible and unrealistic for Rob Young during a Trans-USA Record Attempt.
It is clear from the data that Rob Young’s TomTom record has a number of sessions with step lengths much, much higher than this, despite never reaching these running paces. Some of the step lengths are clearly not humanly possible by anyone.
This is further confirmed by Figure 5, which shows the calculated step lengths for sessions faster than 9 min/mile:
Figure 5: Calculated step length for sessions faster than 9 min/mile pace
Confirming the previous findings, for faster paced runs:
62 out of 64 sessions have a calculated step longer than 2m
57 out of 64 sessions have a calculated step length greater than 5m
29 of 64 sessions have a calculated step length over 20m
16 of 64 sessions have a calculated step length longer than 40m
Notably, not a single instance of impossible or infeasible step lengths was observed after the LetsRun post on July 7 (Figure 4 and Figure 5), and no sessions faster than 9 min/mile pace were logged after this point either (Figure 5).
The change in the proportion of sessions with different calculated step lengths for sessions longer than 3 miles after the Asher Delmott LetsRun post is summarized in the figure below.
Figure 6: Change in step length after Asher Delmott LetsRun post
Finally, we analyzed the relationship between running pace and step length. This method allows us to identify sessions that are infeasible or impossible taking into account the cadence, calculated step length and the running pace. Figure 7 below shows the findings for sessions longer than 3 miles (Fig 7A) and sessions faster than 9 min/mile (Fig 7B).
Figure 7: Pace per mile as a function of step length for longer sessions (A) and faster sessions (B)
For ease of viewing, we have removed the most extreme values from both graphs. These were sessions which had an average step length greater than 150m (three sessions). We also highlight the sessions deemed infeasible, having step lengths longer than 2m, with red symbols.
It is clear that in the majority of the longer runs, and in almost all the faster paced runs, the pace achieved is done with step lengths that are impossible (longer than 2m). Indeed, only 2 faster paced runs out of 64 were achieved with a step length less than 2m (Figure 7B).
One of these two runs was the first run of the attempt. The data we were provided includes a duplicate file (i.e., identical) of the very first run in the attempt These two files have different dates, May 13th and 14th. We hypothesize that these two files reflect (a) a time zone error on one of the watches (during its first use); and (b) one of the watches traveling by bicycle while Young ran alongside.[5] One of the duplicate files has step lengths above 2m (consistent with a bike) and one below (consistent with a run). In addition, the Reinvestigation website has documented several other instances of duplicate files being uploaded from the two watches indicative of a bike being used while a run was taking place.[6] The duplicate files do not bear on our bottom line conclusions.
We conclude that the sessions with impossible step lengths could only have been achieved with the watch traveling for part or all of the route by vehicle, because we can rule out faulty equipment and the possibility that Rob Young ran without the watch by accident.
Impact of time of day on performance, cadence and average step length
Figure 8 below shows the pace and calculated step lengths for sessions longer than 3 miles logged during the day, and for sessions longer than 3 miles logged at night. We have again cut the x-axis off at 150 to provide a clearer picture of the finding (because several sessions had step lengths of >150m).
Figure 8: Pace during day and night sessions as a function of average step length
This figure reveals that the vast majority of the infeasible and impossible step lengths occur at night. The breakdown is as follows:
Table 1: Comparison of sessions logged during day-time and night-time hours
The average pace of night sessions is faster, with a greater average step length. 60% of night sessions have a step length greater than 2m (which we deem infeasible). Indeed, the average step length at night is 2.86m, which is considerably higher than both the day average (1.15m) and any step length that would considered possible given the pace of the runs.
Of the 82 infeasible sessions with a step length longer than 2m, 63 or 77% come during the night-time hours.
We conclude that during at least more than half of the night time runs, the watch covered all or part of the logged sessions in or on the vehicle. That this did not occur in the same high proportions during the day:
Provides us with further evidence that the watches are not faulty, since their measurement of cadence and related parameters clearly differs from day to night and is not consistently or uniformly wrong, and;
Is suggestive that the cover of darkness, and the reduced likelihood of being discovered, was likely a factor in deliberate attempts to cover the route with vehicle assistance.
The possibility that observation and risk of discovery changes the behavior is explored next.
Impact of observation by the Geezers on step length and implications
After the LetsRun post, we observe the almost complete disappearance of infeasible and unrealistic cadence and step length data. This period coincided with Rob Young’s observation by a group who called themselves the “Geezers.” This group joined Rob on June 11, and accompanied him uninterrupted for the next five days before the Record Attempt was ended on June 16.[7]
The period of observation by the Geezers makes for a useful comparison against the period prior to observation, both for sessions logged at night, and during the day. The two periods offer a quasi-experimental design for this part of the investigation.
The day vs night comparisons are also important, because we have already shown that the majority of the impossible cadences and step lengths were found to occur at night (Figure 8 and Table 1).
Figure 9 shows Rob Young’s pace as a function of calculated step length during the period before and during the observation by the Geezers in order to examine how the presence of observers influences the stride parameters and performances.
Figure 9: Pace vs step length before (9A) and during (9B) observation by the Geezers
The breakdown and summary of the two periods is shown in Table 2:
Table 2: Comparison of sessions longer than 3 miles logged before and during observation by the Geezers
These graphs and Table represent the “smoking gun” in the analysis of the TomTom data.
They show:
Before observation, a high number of sessions had impossible step length implications. This has been shown in various ways previously (Figures 4-7 and Table 1).
Before observation, there was a significant difference between day-time and night-time sessions, with the majority of impossible stride parameters coming from night-time sessions (see also Table 1 for details)
Once the Geezers joined Rob Young, two critical changes can be observed:
First, the impossible stride parameters disappeared completely (Figure 9 and Table 2). During the period of Geezer observation, not a single session longer than 3 miles had a step length above 2m, and the longest step length calculated was 1.06m. Prior to observation, 82 out of 195 sessions had step lengths longer than 2m. Most of these came during night-time hours.
Second, the difference between day-time and night-time sessions disappears. Rob Young continued to run at a slightly faster pace at night than during the day, but the relationship between pace and step length (Figure 7) is consistent with published literature and is similar between the day and night-time sessions
Of interest is that the greatest ‘outlier’ of all these performances are those that occurred before observation, during the nighttime hours. Here, Young had infeasible step lengths (3.57m average), cadence (45 steps/min) and pace (10:02 min/mile) compared to all other categories (daytime before observation and both day- and nighttime during observation).
Finally, as confirmation of our analysis described above, we report a key finding of an analysis that was conducted by a group of investigators who began mining Young’s data, uploaded to Strava, to analyse his performances after the allegations of cheating emerged. One of their key findings, described on a website established to report various lines of evidence (http://ryinvestigation.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/strava-data-analysis.html), was the pair of histograms shown below.
They show the time spent (in hours) at various running paces during one-hour time bands. The top panel shows the period prior to observation by the Geezers, and it is clear that a significantly larger portion of Young’s runs are spent running faster than 8 min/mile (orange and red shading) between 6pm and 8am than during the daylight hours.
In contrast, during observation, there is a marked change, with much less time spent running at faster paces during the night-time hours.
Figure 10: Histogram plots of time spent at various running paces as a function of time of day
(Source: ryinvestigation blogspot)
We interpret this analysis to strongly support our conclusion, based on the cadence data rather than running paces, that Young gained assistance using a vehicle, predominantly during the night-time hours, to achieve all his faster pace runs (see Figure 7B) prior to observation. The presence of independent observers eliminated this practice, and profoundly changed the running paces he was capable of, in accordance with changes to the measured stride parameters achieved (Figures 4 – 7).
We conclude that this data is strongly suggestive that before being observed by the Geezers, Rob Young was receiving assistance in or on a vehicle for all or part of his runs. This was particularly the case during night-time hours. Once the observation from the Geezers begins, with no opportunity to cover distance without running, performance (pace per mile) and the stride parameters (both cadence and step length) immediately return to typical values, and are more consistent with what was observed during daylight hours before observation.
This analysis also confirms that the watches cannot have been faulty, because time-of-observation would have no impact on the measured parameters if this were the case. Instead, the data indicate normally functioning TomTom watches, which had to have travelled by vehicle for some or part of the logged sessions during the period prior to observation.
When asked about these anomalies and infeasible parameters, neither Rob Young nor Michael Speicher was able to offer any plausible explanation.
Our conclusion is expressed in terms stronger than the “balance of probabilities” threshold stated in the terms of reference. The data tell a very compelling story.
[1] The attempt actually began May 14. We believe that a duplicate run on May 13th may have been the result of a time zone mis-setting on one of the watches. The hand-written log records the first run as May 13th which was subsequently corrected to May 14th.
[2] Some sessions fall into both categories.
[3] It is, of course, possible that the watches were either inside or outside (e.g., on top of) the vehicle, the available data does not differentiate.
[4] An online search of known problems with TomTom watch cadence data revealed a few examples of cadences that are too fast, but none in the other direction.
[5] The GPS track takes the watches on bike paths and across areas where a vehicle could not travel.
[6] See: http://ryinvestigation.blogspot.com/2016/06/was-bike-used-to-cheat.html and http://ryinvestigation.blogspot.com/2016/06/yet-another-bike-ride.html
[7] Some details on the “Geezers” and their accompaniment of Young can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/22/robert-young-marathon-record-attempt-cheating-rumors
8 Note that the embargoed version of the report (29 September) contained an error in Table 2 – the average step length for day was indicated as 1.14m and for “Day” and 1.03m for “Night”. The values have been corrected and accurately reported in Table 2 above
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Editorial: Two industries go hand-in-hand
A frequent question posed to wine tasting servers at North Fork wineries rarely has anything to do with wine.
What patrons often want to know, especially those visiting from up-island, is which local restaurant the server would recommend. In some ways, the wine servers become de facto food critics.
The link between local restaurants and wineries is a key point in the debate about whether food trucks should be allowed at wineries in Southold Town. This debate between wineries and restaurants is hardly new — food trucks are merely the latest wrinkle. Code enforcement officers began issuing summonses two weekends ago and Southold Town attorney William Duffy noted the citations were for having a “non-permitted use” and a “violation of site plan.”
According to town code, food trucks are not allowed in Agricultural Residential zones. At a special Town Board meeting in June, Councilman Bill Ruland noted there had been several complaints from deli and restaurant owners that food trucks were creating an uneven playing field.
But is that the reality? Are people skipping local restaurants now because at a handful of wineries they can grab a quick bite from a food truck?
It’s worth remembering just how much the wine and food industries go hand-in-hand on the North Fork. During the summer and fall, tourists plan trips here centered on great wine and food. The wineries often provide a boost for nearby restaurants as servers direct patrons to different spots.
The restaurant industry should take a stand to support wineries who wish to bring in a food truck.
By the letter of the law, food trucks are not necessarily prohibited, they are merely not listed as a permitted use, and therefore not allowed, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell had previously explained. Mr. Russell has noted that food trucks are allowed in the town in certain zones that permit them to operate like a deli or restaurant. It’s not a question of wineries, he has said, but about food trucks and zoning.
Code changes can be updated simply enough, although Mr. Russell has cautioned against changing codes “with the tides.” The question now is: Are people willing to support food trucks as a permitted use?
We think so, and with the support of local restaurants, that change could happen sooner rather than later.
Wineries cannot function like restaurants, on that much everyone can agree. But for a few wineries to bring in a food truck, expanding its offerings beyond the standard cheese platter, hardly seems like the slippery slope that endangers Southold’s rural integrity.
editorial, food trucks, Southold Town, wineries
Final chapter of Town’s Master Plan focuses on improving traffic
‘It went down quick’ — Three rescued after 31-foot sailboat sinks in Peconic Bay
by Joe Werkmeister
For generations, the fields at Mattituck High School have been filled with soccer players. In more recent years, lacrosse has…
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Mortality and economic level in an urban area
Patno, Mary Ellen
urn:sha256:fbb4bfd4d2a30f1ebaf1c10c88aaa6ea562ceb98196e3777f9e02836cd2d4fb7
An approach to metropolitanism
Hope, Malcolm C.; Mallory, B. Cowles;
Airport sanitation
Westbrook, Louis F.; Reed, Elizabeth;
Accidental poisoning as an indication of high accident frequency
McInnes, Robert S.; Bissell, Dwight M.;
Epidemiology of endemic cholera
Cockburn, Thomas A.; Cassanos, James G.;
Microbiological standards for foods
The issues in chronic disease control
Evaluation of tuberculosis casefinding by mass small film radiography
Fleck, Andrew C.; Hilleboe, Herman E.; Smith, George E.;
Continuous diabetes screening in a rural area
Meyer, William J.
The institutionalized population in Minnesota
Carroll, Stephen J.
The future of alcoholism programs
Brightman, I. Jay
Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR
Public Health Rep. 75(9):840
Public Health Rep. v. 75, no. 5 : Masthead
Public Health Rep. 75 (9)
Includes frontispiece: Morning at a tank near Dacca, East Pakistan. Men bathe, clean a plough, throw a fishnet. In the background, dhobies wash clothes, man washes a bullock. In the far distance is a row of latrines. (See paper on pages 791-803 on th...
Public Health Rep. v. 75, no. 5 : table of contents
Trends in Suicide by Level of Urbanization — United States, 1999–2015
Kegler, Scott R.; Stone, Deborah M.; Holland, Kristin M.;
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 66(10):270-273.
Suicide is a major and continuing public health concern in the United States. During 1999-2015, approximately 600,000 U.S. residents died by suicide, with the highest annual rate occurring in 2015 (1). Annual county-level mortality data from the Nati...
Data set directory of social determinants of health at the local level
Hillemeier, Marianne; Lynch, John; Harper, Sam; Casper, Michele L.;
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (U.S.), Division of Adult and Community Health., Cardiovascular Health Branch..
"The contents of this directory are adapted from the following article: Hillemeier M.M., J. Lynch, S. Harper, and M. Casper. 2003. “Measuring contextual characteristics for community health.” Health Services Research 38(6 part 2):1645-717." : Thi...
The socioeconomic distribution of mortality rates in Des Moines, Iowa, 1974.
Frey, R S
1982 Nov-Dec
The relation of socioeconomic factors to incidence of childhood leukemia
Githens, John H.; Elliot, F. Eileen; Saunders, Lyle H.;
Disparities in premature coronary heart disease mortality by region and urbanicity among black and white adults ages 35-64, 1985-1995.
Barnett, E; Halverson, J;
2000 Jan-Feb
Public Health Rep. 115(1):52-64
Regional and urban-rural disparities in premature coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality were evident in the US as early as 1950. Recent favorable trends at the national level may obscure less favorable outcomes for certain regions and localities. Th...
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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Wiki
Shadow of Chernobyl
Mentioned only
Cut from the game
Call of Pripyat
Call of Pripyat missions
“ Well... I had an old suit that was starting to wear out, so I figured I need a new one. Soon as I thought that, I saw a brand spanking new suit for sale... It had a closed-cycle respiratory module and everything... I counted my money this way and that but came up short every time... Then Jack, the seller, said to me, "Don't worry Vano, you can pay me the rest later." I was like, "What a nice guy!" and all that... I sold my old suit, got all my cash and brought it to him. Jack was like, "Well done, Vano, but what about the interest?" I thought, "Yeah, he's right... I need to get the interest to him..." I put together some more cash and took it to him. When I got there he said, "While you were out, more interest built up, Vano." Seems the interest grows so fast I can't catch up... I had to pawn the new suit and my weapons, too...
- Vano ”
Vano's Debt is a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat side mission given by Vano in Yanov station.
Vano can be found at the bar in Yanov station. He explains the player he needed a new suit as his old one was getting worn out and then he saw a new SEVA suit for sale by Jack. However, he always came up short when counting his money but then Jack told Vano that he can pay the rest later. When Vano came up with the cash, Jack then demanded interest, which Vano obliged to pay. Much to Vano's dismay however, once he paid the interest, Jack then said that more interest builds up as he fails to pay him which eventually led to Vano selling his SEVA suit and weapons just to keep up with the ever rising interest.
The player can offer one's help to Vano to pay his debt to Jack once and for all and he will provide the player with 5000RU to pay his debt.
Jack and his group of Bandits can be found at the Military Checkpoint. The player can ask Jack's bodyguard to enter and meet Jack.
Options Edit
The player has a number of options for Jack when paying off Vano's debt:
Pay him with interest Edit
Pay Jack a total of 7000RU. Vano only gives 5000RU so the other 2000RU will come from the player.
Pay him without interest Edit
The player can intimidate Jack into paying only 5000RU. The player can access this option by saying that he's not afraid to use his shooter and that interest is no good to a corpse. In order to do this, the player must wield a high-tier weapon. A Tunder S14 can be found by giving either Shulga or Loki Morgan's PDA and looting the Duty warehouse, and an RPG-7u can be found in the armory of the Volkhov AA Complex.
If one shows up with a common low-tier weapon like an AKM-74/2 or a TRs 301, he'll just laugh the player off and still demand interest.
Weapons that can be used to intimidate Jack:
SGI-5k
Strelok's SGI-5k
FT-200M
Tunder S14
SA Avalanche
Vintar BC
SVDm-2
SVUmk-2
RP-74
Zulu's RP-74
SPSA-14
Gauss gun
RPG-7u
Kill Jack Edit
This can be done by simply attacking Jack's group or telling Jack that they "prefer to shoot [Jack] down for free", resulting in his group becoming hostile. The fight isn't especially hard, as most of Jack's group will be using low-tier weapons, the only potential threat being Jack's Eliminator shotgun. In case the player picks this way, it is best to taunt Jack as they will be able to shoot him and his bodyguard, then stay into cover inside the building and eliminate the rest of the group.
Another way is to lure a powerful mutant, preferably a Chimera or a Pseudogiant into the camp and let the mutant kill all the Bandits. However, these two mutants only spawn once the player has completed Night Hunt and Unidentified weapon, respectively. A Chimera is a very mobile creature that can easily wipe out the camp without taking too much damage (minus Jack's Eliminator that can kill a Chimera easily), and the Pseudogiant can withstand an incredible amount of damage and kill NPCs with two hits.
As well, the player could wait for an emission to occur. Once all the Bandits are grouped in the room, throw grenades inside - most of them will be killed, and the player can then simply finish off the survivors. With luck, one could also wipe out the whole group with a single RPG rocket.
There is no reward for the mission. However, if the player picked the 'hard way', Vano will allow the player to keep the 5000RU. As well, Vano will accept to join the player in the Jupiter Underground afterwards.
As well, the 'hard way' allows the player to collect Jack's Eliminator and Black Kite. Otherwise, paying Jack is a prerequisite for the Diplomat achievement.
After paying Jack, he may attack the player near Jupiter Station, with three other bandits (for a total of 4 hostiles). Jack will attack the player using the Eliminator shotgun and Black Kite pistol, which can later be looted. This random encounter is another way to obtain Jack's weapons with the Diplomat achievement. (This was tested paying without interest, and already having the Diplomat achievement.)
Retrieved from "https://stalker.fandom.com/wiki/Debts?oldid=70286"
More S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Wiki
1 List of mutants
2 Cheeki Breeki
3 Monolith
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community.
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Ex-History, MTV execs form indie
By Jesse Whittock
29th January 2016 @ 12:17
Sky Vision and transatlantic indie October Films are backing a new production company from former History scripted chief Julian Hobbs and ex-MTV current series chief Elli Hakami.
Talos Films will be based in New York, and focus on creating high-end event documentaries, formats and scripted series.
Sky Vision, the sales arm of European pay TV giant Sky, and US-UK indie October are backing Talos, taking seats on the company’s board in exchange. Sky Vision’s managing director, Jane Millichip, and October MD Adam Bullmore will form the board with Talos co-presidents Hobbs and Hakami.
Hobbs was most recently History’s scripted development and programming chief, where he oversaw The Bible, Vikings and the upcoming Roots. He also headed up the A+E Networks channel’s doc division, where he executive-produced Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Errol Morris’s The Known Unknown.
Hakami was previously EVP, current series and programming at MTV, where she oversaw shows such as Catfish, The Challenge and the True Life series. She left the Viacom channel in the massive restructuring that took place last year.
She was also senior VP of programming and production at LA-based BBC Worldwide Productions, where she worked on HBO’s Americans in Bed, National Georgraphic Channel’s Life Below Zero and TLC’s version of What Not to Wear.
Sky Vision’s Millichip said Talos would become “another important partner” as the company builds its presence in the US market.
“Using our experience to form innovative partnerships with other individuals and help them build their businesses is a key part of October’s commercial and creative strategy as we continue our own growth as an independently owned company,” added Bullmore, whose company October is understood to be looking at other similar investments.
“We could not imagine better partners in the launch of our company, Talos Films,” said the Talos co-chiefs in a statement. “We are very excited to have the support of Sky Vision and October Films as we dive in and create fresh, new content for audiences around the world.”
Tags: Adam Bullmore, BBC Worldwide Productions, Elli Hakami, History, Jane Millichip, Julian Hobbs, MTV, October Films, Sky Vision, Talos Films
ITV sets live game show format
UK broadcaster ITV has commissioned a local version of a game show from Chalkboard TV that’s already out in Italy and the Middle East. Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain is the latest remake of Sky Vision-sold format Don’t Ask Me. Alexander Armstrong (Pointless) has been tapped as host and it will broadcast live from next […]
NBCU Int’l makes structural changes, folds Sky Vision sales ops
NBCUniversal International (NBCUI) is set for a restructure after Comcast’s acquisition of Sky, which will see it close Sky Vision’s sales operations and reshuffle its channels. Sky Vision’s sales operation will now be folded into NBCUniversal Global Distribution, under chairman Kevin MacLellan. The Sky company’s MD Jane Millichip will oversee production entities such as Love […]
Sky Vision & Welsh gov’t extend programming fund
Sky Vision, the international distribution and production arm of Sky, and the Welsh Government have agreed to extend its funding to support the creation and production of factual and entertainment TV programmes and formats in Wales. The fund is part of Sky Vision and the Welsh Government’s commitment to support the growth of the independent […]
October launches studio targeting US market
October Films has launched a new prodco, October Studios, for the US market offering high-end reconstruction and drama filming support for the international market. October Studios, based in the UK and now run by October execs Steve Murphy and Josh Wilkins, will offer multiple studios, standing sets, costume and prop stores, as well as budgeting, […]
A+E Networks hires Sky Vision scripted exec for co-pro drive
MTV returns to Jersey Shore
Ex-MTV reality chief joins Viceland
Discovery, Sky both claim victory as dispute is resolved
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Team brit announce new partner for 2017 stanair
Team BRIT is thrilled to announce another partnership for the 2017 season. We welcome the support of the UK’s first specialist industrial door repair company – Stanair.
Stanair has over four decades of experience in their trade. They offer an extensive range of products and services to cater for all commercial and industrial door, loading bay, entrance and access needs. They proudly serve in various locations over the UK, including Kettering, Milton Keynes and Peterborough, where they offer a 24 hour emergency call out service.
Stanair and Team BRIT will work closely throughout the next twelve months to ensure support for our race drivers, who are injured troops, on their journey to the pinnacle of motorsport – Le Mans.
Director of Stanair, Martin Wall, stated that “Stanair is delighted and proud to be backing Team Brit and the inspirational support they give to so many people.”
“As a business we are looking forward to working in partnership with the team over the next twelve months to raise the profile of their work, to encourage more supporters to come on board and ensure the success of the drivers and the real difference they are making to the lives of so many people.
“Team BRIT and Stanair have a great deal in common. We are both rooted in the communities we serve and we both believe in supporting others to achieve their aims and their goals. We are very much looking forward to working together.” he said.
Director of Team BRIT, Dave Player, said “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Stanair. It’s great to have a fantastic, homegrown company supporting our journey to Le Mans.”
“We believe that with the partnership of Stanair, the 2017 season will be one to remember as we support our drivers to further progress in motorsport and compete at the highest level.”
If you would like to find out more information about Stanair, please visit www.stanair.co.uk or follow them on Twitter via @StanairServices.
As we reveal our new livery and sponsors, one company at a time, don’t forget to visit Team BRIT’s Facebook page on Thursday the 16th of February at 12pm to view our live stream of our final announcement about our title sponsor.
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taxi aggregators
Karnataka govt
Uber gets digital meters & physical panic buttons to comply with Karnataka govt's guidelines
We found certain drivers with digital meter printers and a panic button already present in their vehicles in Bangalore over the weekend.Aritra Sarkhel | ETtech | Updated: June 22, 2016, 18:23 IST
Uber*, one of the world’s largest online taxi aggregators seems to be giving in to Karnataka State Government’s regressive and redundant policy for ride hailing services.
Earlier, for the same policy, Uber had requested the intervention of the Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy into the same matter. The new rules which have still not come into action include installation of digital printers, panic buttons and a signage of “Taxi” on all the vehicles.
Interestingly, we found certain drivers with digital meter printers and a panic button already present in their vehicles in Bangalore over the weekend.
Muralidhara is one such driver on UberX who has been given a printer and a panic button by the company and has been instructed to install it in the near future. “Around 100 of us were given these digital meters and a panic button in the car without any further clarity on this,” said Muralidhara.
He added these digital meters has been given free of cost to the drivers without further clarity on as to whether the drivers will have to bear the cost of the device or not.
When we contacted Uber for the same, a spokesperson said they have currently borne the hardware cost for 100 cars.
“As part of the compliance requirement to obtain licence we have supported some drivers in Bangalore with some of the hardware requirements and we bore the cost for these as the requirement was for only 100 cars for the licence ,” an Uber spokesperson said in an emailed statement to ETtech.
Nagaraj, one of the spokespersons of the digital printer manufacturer, DMT Technologies in Bangalore mentioned that they have given away around 200 meters in the last two months to Uber and pointed out that the cost of the printer is around Rs 4,500 but it may go up to Rs 9,000 when one adds receipt printing and GPS to it.
This clearly indicates that the US based online taxi service is slowly trying to adapt to the state government's guidelines, a week after it wrote to the state transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy claiming these guidelines were "practically impossible to comply".
“We feel that these regulations are out of step with the progressive rules that are needed to create an enabling environment for a nascent industry likes ours and that is why we have challenged it in court,” an Uber spokesperson told ETtech.
The spokesperson further added that the Karnataka High court has adjourned the hearing of the case between such online taxi companies & themselves and has extended the previous interim order till the next date of hearing.
This development comes at a time when the world's most valuable startup is battling with the market leader Ola to dominate India's booming cab hailing market.
The cab hailing service has so far invested more than $1 billion in its Indian operations and recently closed a $3.5 billion funding from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Uber India President Amit Jain had said a "substantial portion" of this fundraise is expected to come to India.
*Disclosure: Times Internet which owns ETtech is a minority investor in Uber
Tags : Mobile, Uber, taxi aggregators, Karnataka govt, Government
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Liverpool legend Neil Ruddock warned he could drop dead at ANY minute
For the two-part documentary, Harry Redknapp is charged with taking a group of middle-aged former football stars from the 90s and getting them fit enough to face a German side again.
But Redknapp is so worried about Razor‘s weight and general health, he sends him to see a heart specialist, who delivers the news to the former Spurs and Liverpool ace.
Dr Enam Abood tells him: “Your good cholesterol is weak and your bad cholesterol is higher than it Harry‘s Heroes: The Full English, is on at 9pm on both March 18 and 19 on ITV.
“Given your lifestyle, we’ve got to do something drastic about that. If I don’t intervene, you are at a risk of having a heart attack and a stroke.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Razor has stodgy grub (Pic: Freemantle Media )
ADVICE: Redknapp and Ruddock with nutritionist Luke Worthington (Pic: Freemantle Media )
HARD WORK: Neil dropped four stone in the run up to the show (Pic: Freemantle Productions )
I’m A Celeb star Razor, 50, has two daughters aged 11 and eight with wife Leah Newman.
She is left horrified by the news, saying: “He could drop dead at any minute.”
The former England defender lost four stone in the run-up to making the documentary, which also features David Seaman and Robbie Fowler.
● Harry’s Heroes: The Full English, is on at 9pm on both March 18 and 19 on ITV.
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Orrell St James 28-4 Thatto Heath Crusaders
A tough game for our u16 girls, with only 12 available players. Playing 12-a-side, with no subs, there was little to choose between the teams with Orrell only ahead 8-4 at half time, with our try coming from a first try in Thatto colours for Maddie D, who managed to squeeze in at the corner. Fantastic defence from Sapphire and Gabby, along with Lexi and Georgia, kept Orrell to two tries in the first half. Ava and player of the match Phoebe, both playing out of position, constantly caused trouble in the middle and put in some great passes.
Playing uphill with no subs and a number of girls carrying knocks was tough and the game got away from us. Opposition player of the match Hattie battled on despite taking a couple of knocks and looked dangerous as always with her darting runs. The final score didn’t reflect the effort, teamwork and entertaining rugby on show, with even opposition parents commenting on the standard of rugby being played.
Only three games into the season and we can see massive improvement, with the team gelling really well. We are very proud of the effort all of the girls put in during the game and look forward to see them grow as a team as the season progresses.
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Belt & Road Online
Treasury & Trade
The Asset Plus
ESG Forum
CRBC begins work on expressway in Cambodia
China-built and funded strategic road project is expected to relieve traffic logjams and promote economic development
By Michael Marray
The groundbreaking ceremony has taken place for the for the 190-kilometre expressway which will run from Phnom Penh to the deep-sea port of Preah Sihanouk.
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is investing around US$2 billion in the four-year project. The scheme is supported by debt from Chinese development banks and is scheduled for opening to traffic around March 2023.
At the ceremony, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the expressway would boost the economic development of Cambodia. Chinese vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou also attended the event.
The expressway is being built on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with tolls levied on road users based on the size and type of vehicle.
"This expressway is very important to connect the country's first economic pole, Phnom Penh, to the second economic pole, Sihanoukville," Hun Sen says, as quoted by Xinhua. It will become an important strategic road, increase logistics efficiency in the country, and reduce the time and cost of moving goods, he adds.
Further to these aspirations, the expressway is expected to cut in half the time required to travel between the two destinations, which presently takes about five hours.
Meanwhile, Hun Sen said China's progress had not only given direct benefits to the Chinese people, but also provided advantages to other developing countries, especially those along the Belt and Road initiative. China has so far built more than 3,000 kilometres of roads and eight large bridges in Cambodia.
Cambodian minister of public works and transport, Sun Chanthol, said the expressway would connect Phnom Penh's Pursenchey district to the southwestern coastal province of Preah Sihanouk through Kandal, Kampong Speu, and Koh Kong provinces.
The super highway should reduce volumes of traffic emanating from National Road No. 4, which is the busiest road connecting Phnom Penh to the deep-sea port province of Preah Sihanouk. The two-lane highway will have a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour.
CRBC's chairman Lu Shan said the project was an example of the alignment between China's Belt Road and Cambodia's Rectangular Strategy.
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Consortium including GSRC awaits decision on UK West Coast Line
UK weighs up economic interests with China as Hong Kong row escalates
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All Rights Reserved. No unauthorized reproduction by any means.
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Australian Census [1981, 1986, 1991]
Australian Census 2011 demographic map – Australia by SLA. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Australian Census of Population and Housing is conducted every 5 years in Australia by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to document the population of Australia. The first census of Australia was conducted in 1911 and since 1961, the Census of Population and Housing has been conducted every five years. On census night, every person in Australia are enumerated at the dwelling in which they stayed on census night. From this enumeration, tabulations of census counts for people and dwellings are then generated for various geographic units generated by the ABS.
This collection includes the census tabulations for the 1981, 1986 and 1991 Census years, along with associated digital boundaries for the relevant geographic areas.
Detailed documentation for each census year, including tabulations, dictionaries and other materials, are available from the ABS Historical Census catalogue site. Documentation for each year is available from the ADA catalogue, with additional publications from each census year accessible through the ABS:
Year ADA Dataverse ABS Historical Census Catalogue
1981 https://dataverse-dev.ada.edu.au/dataverse/census_1981 http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyCatalogue/B4B38C5D358CFEAECA25758400151EE1?OpenDocument
1986 https://dataverse-dev.ada.edu.au/dataverse/aurin_dev?q=&fq0=timePeriodCoveredStart_ss%3A%221986%22&types=dataverses%3Adatasets&sort=dateSort&order=desc http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyCatalogue/1A9E458F439B5229CA2574CF0013E898?OpenDocument
1991 https://dataverse-dev.ada.edu.au/dataverse/census_1991 http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/2101.01991?OpenDocument
The ABS also provides detailed information on the geographical structures used in the Census tabulations. For the 1986 and 1991 Censuses, this was based on the Australian Statistical Geographic Classification (ASGC). An overview of this classification is presented in Figure One.
Figure One: Australian Standard Geographical Classification (Source: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/be4aa82cd8cf7f07ca2570d60018da27/7f46393b062b19adca2576320019809b/Body/0.25C!OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=gif).
The data is presented in the form of spreadsheets, where each row represents a geographic unit (such as a local government area, state or urban centre), and each column represents the a specific count of the population in that geographic area (such as males aged 85 and over). This format is referred to as a Census Summary File.
The Australian Data Archive have curated these files into common statistical formats (SPSS, SAS, Stata and CSV), and AURIN have then ingested the files into the AURIN portal for access through the AURIN workbench.
The data is available in four formats, based on the most commonly used statistical software:
SPSS *.sav format
Stata *.dta format
SAS *.sas7bdat format
CSV format
Who Owns/Curates this Dataset?
The Commonwealth of Australia owns the copyright in all material produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Australian Data Archive curates the statistical datasets and makes them available through the ADA Catalogue. These data are then ingested by the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network through the AURIN workbench.
How is it Licenced?
The data is licensed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics under a CC-BY license.
What’s the citation?
Direct download of the citation for the data is available from the ADA Catalogue.
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Harmonised procedures necessary for full economic integration – CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General tells customs officials
By Michelle Nurse Last updated Apr 13, 2018
Delegates at the workshop
Harmonised approaches to conducting trade across borders in the Caribbean, and effective customs valuation, are among the steps that must be taken towards full economic integration within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration, Mr. Joseph Cox, said on Monday that harmonised laws, procedures and best practices would increase the predictability with intra-regional movement of goods under the CARICOM Single Market and within the context of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
He was at the time addressing the opening ceremony of a three-day regional workshop targetting Customs officials from across Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) member states. The workshop on the Single Administrative Document (SAD) and Customs Valuation, is aimed at building capacity in CARIFORUM. The sessions are being held at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.
The Workshop is being facilitated by Mr. Paul Hilaire, Team Leader, and Mr. Martin Wilde, Customs expert and is part of a Project under the ACP TradeCom II Programme funded by the European Union. It has as one of its outcomes, the development of a regional SAD pursuant to Chapter 4 of the EPA, and capacity-building, which requires the promotion of regional integration, and the progressive development of systems to facilitate the electronic exchange of data among traders, customs administrators and related agencies and the implementation of a CARIFORUM SAD.
See more photos here
Mr. Cox said at the opening that trade facilitation was high on the Region’s agenda.
“As the trading environment continues to evolve, and as the Community seeks to deepen the integration process, trade facilitation has shifted to a higher level of priority on the regional trade agenda”, he said.
Providing a synopsis of steps that the Region had taken so far, the Assistant Secretary-General pointed out that with the Community’s approval of model Harmonised Customs Bill and Regulations in September 2016, work had advanced to develop a CARICOM Customs Procedure Manual. With the signing last month of a Memorandum of Understanding between the CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and the Secretary-General of the World Customs Union, His Excellency Kunio Mikuriya, the Region was positioning itself to become significant players in the future landscape of trade with Europe, he said. The MOU places emphasis on training coordination, cooperation, and capacity-building.
Study recommended SAD development
A study that was conducted in preparation for the implementation of the EPA recommended the development of SAD. The study assessed the state of readiness of the customs administrations in CARIFORUM States. The CARICOM Secretariat began work to develop the SAD in 2010. The SAD is to be used to prepare customs declarations in their EPA and other trading arrangements.
In his remarks, the Assistant Secretary-General also placed emphasis on customs valuations in the Region and the mobilising resources to confront those challenges, including revenue leakage.
“Our encounters with regional customs authorities suggest that non-compliance among traders to declare true and correct values is the single biggest cause of revenue leakage, with a conservative estimate of 20% of projected revenue being lost. Our expectation from this workshop is that you the participants will develop a clear understanding of how to put into practice, policy guidelines that are effective at reducing revenue leakage”, he said.
Mr. Adam Wisniewski, First Secretary, Trade Affairs Manager, European Union Delegation to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, also spoke at the opening ceremony.
He pointed out that the EU was the main partner in the ACP TradeCom II Programme which focuses on economic integration. He said the harmonisation of customs procedures was a very important step towards concretising regional economic integration and inclusion in the global trading arena. He lauded the progress made but cautioned that there were still areas that needed to be addressed.
About 30 stakeholders are attending the workshop.
Participation in the Workshop was funded, in part, from resources under the 10th European Development Fund Programme of Support for Wider Caribbean Cooperation – Regional Technical Facility.
ACP TradeCom II ProgrammeAdam WisniewskiCaribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM)CARICOM Customs Procedure ManualCARICOM Single MarketCARIFORUM-EUCustoms ValuationIrwin LaRocque
Regional Poultry Association keen on achieving CSME goals
Great benefit in strengthened regional relations – CARIFORUM DG, EU Ambassador
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A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 79F. W winds shifting to SE at 10 to 15 mph..
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 79F. W winds shifting to SE at 10 to 15 mph.
Arizona guard Allonzo Trier looks for a shot as he is defended by Colorado’s Josh Scott, right, and George King during the second half of their quarterfinal matchup in the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.
Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Wildcats Ryan Anderson, left, and Kaleb Tarczewski reach for a rebound in the second half at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Hansen: Buffaloes pay price for first-half lapses against Cats
Basketball coaches say the darndest things. I mean, on Thursday, Colorado coach Tad Boyle told his athletic director, Rick George, “if we win this game, we can win the tournament.”
You wonder if George didn’t look at his coach and say, “Tad, did we just activate Lew Alcindor or Jason Kidd? Did Utah miss the bus to Vegas? Are the Ducks in quarantine from an outbreak of the swine flu in Oregon?”
And then the Buffaloes fell behind Arizona 37-16 and lost 82-78, after which Boyle said, “We’re a team that I don’t think people are going to want to play (in the NCAA tournament).”
There’s a lot of that going around in college basketball this month, a lot of false bravado, especially in the Pac-12, where Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Cal combined to go 69-3 at home.
But by this time in March you don’t play at home anymore. You pay for every mistake, especially a colossal mistake such as falling behind a Top 25 team like Arizona by 21 points in the first half.
The Buffaloes went 0-5 on the road in the last half of the Pac-12 season and 2-7 overall, and none of those games were at McKale Center. So Thursday’s moment-of-truth at the MGM Grand Arena was in effect another road game for Colorado. Of the 12,916 fans in the arena, about 9,000 wore Arizona red.
Pac-12 Networks analyst Don MacLean told his audience it was “almost unfair” that UA fans could buy up so much space.
Nevertheless, Boyle said “we really felt in our hearts we could win this tournament.”
Do you think his athletic director will buy it?
It’s probably more accurate to say that Colorado is a lot like Arizona State, with one exception: The Buffaloes have senior center Josh Scott, who is a difference-maker. Take Scott out of the lineup, and CU is ASU North.
“It was a tough game like always against Arizona,” said Scott, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds, which didn’t match, or come close to his 26-point game against Arizona last month, in which he scored 17 of CU’s final 25 points and triggered a court-storming at the Coors Events Center. “They play incredibly hard.”
The only person in Las Vegas worrying about Colorado’s after-the-fact rally, a 58-point second half burst that made the Wildcats squirm in the final five minutes, was Arizona coach Sean Miller.
He did not seem to agree with Scott’s “they play incredibly hard” declaration.
By the time Miller arrived for his media session, the survive-and-advance factor had kicked in. Thousands of UA fans celebrated in the many MGM Grand saloons and worried not about hanging on against Colorado, but about how difficult it will be to beat Oregon on Friday night.
Did it matter that the Wildcats mailed it in after halftime? Only if your name is Sean Miller.
“In our best and worst moments this season, we’ve been a one-half team,” he said, chopping off his words. “It has really plagued us through 31 games.”
Miller had a choice to (a) admire his club’s first-half in which it played to a we-own-Vegas theme and attacked Colorado so relentlessly that 7-foot Kaleb Tarczewski shot 0 for 7 and it didn’t matter.
The Wildcats led 37-20 and, if you subtract Scott’s numbers, the Buffaloes shot a combined 3 for 22 from the field.
But Miller chose (b) to be in near-shock that Colorado out-rebounded Arizona 51-35 — rebounding is the UA’s calling card, and took an unthinkable 45 field goal attempts in the second half. His team took 17.
“I choose to focus on the latter,” said Miller. “I’ve never been part of a (second half) like that.”
Colorado had scored more than 50 points in the second half several times this season, but it was against Omaha, Nichols State and Hampton. It didn’t matter any more then than it did Thursday.
Thursday’s second half is by now as inconsequential as Arizona’s 75-72 February loss at Colorado, and it’s as meaningless as Gabe York’s remarkable nine three-point baskets against Stanford last weekend.
York made one three-pointer Thursday. It didn’t matter. What matters is beating the Ducks in Friday’s semifinals.
Miller won’t be lacking in psychological ammunition. His club’s lack of second half fire and the memory of Oregon snapping a 49-game winning streak at McKale Center should fuel a roaring motivational fire.
Arizona won and was unhappy. The Buffaloes lost and, as Boyle said, “when you lose to Arizona, there’s no reason to hang your head.”
It must be March. Nothing much makes sense anymore.
Contact Greg Hansen at 573-4362 or ghansen@tucson.com. On Twitter: @ghansen711.
Photos: No. 15 Arizona 82, Colorado 78
Arizona basketball: On crazy hat day, Gabe's fame, Red Sea
Arizona basketball database: Coaches, opponents, results since 1904
Find information about Arizona basketball coaches, opponents and results from every game since 1904.
Scouting report: No. 1 seed Oregon vs. No. 4 seed Arizona
Watch: Arizona fans take over Vegas
Arizona Wildcats basketball
Watch: Wildcats on win over Colorado in quarterfinals
Pac-12 Tournament
Tad Boyle
Sean Miller
Don Aclean
Mckale Center
Millennials & Mobile Shopping, Not!
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FRESH SHEETS
River Park Square
South Spokane
Station Park
FASHION PLACE
Twigs announces Vancouver, WA. location
by Mike Hollingworth
Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar to open first restaurant at The Waterfront in Vancouver, Washington
Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar, has signed a lease with Columbia Waterfront LLC, as the first restaurant at Grant Street Pier at The Waterfront Vancouver, a significant announcement for the project to have a major restaurant signed. Since last November, when digging began on the new half-mile long waterfront park, The Waterfront along the Columbia River has become one of the largest mixed-use construction sites in the Pacific Northwest.
“Twigs, as a growing restaurant company, is the perfect first eatery tenant for this location, overlooking the Columbia River at Grant Street Pier,” said Gramor Development Inc.’s President Barry Cain. “This is a prime location for Twigs, which will overlook a cable-stay pier and open up to the bustling promenade and waterfront park, with expansive outdoor seating giving patrons a front row seat to the beautiful Columbia River. The structure will have a riverfront boathouse feel including modern lines and large sliding doors creating the perfect backdrop for Twigs to become a new favorite destination.”
Twigs will lease 8,320 square feet on the ground floor of Block 12, and will be one of a host of signature restaurants for both Blocks 9 and 12. Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar is headquartered in Spokane, where they have opened four locations as well as restaurants at Bridgeport Village in Tigard, Oregon; Kennewick and Union Gap in Washington; Meridian, Idaho and Farmington, Utah. The Waterfront Vancouver site will be the 10th location for the expanding company.
“This location absolutely embraces the waterfront success we’ve built our brand upon,” said Twigs Vice President Trevor Blackwell. “Traditionally, we have opened up our 9 locations near water and in retail developments and malls, so this spot at the Waterfront gives us the opportunity to branch out, and to seize a unique opportunity in an unparalleled urban and south-facing location. The proximity of this location is the combination of all the right factors.”
In June, 2015, Gramor Development filed the pre-application for two buildings each to occupy Blocks 9 and 12, which will host multiple restaurants. Construction on Block 12 will begin in Spring, 2016. Twigs’ Blackwell estimates that restaurant will open in the Summer of 2017 as design and development of the new waterfront park is now underway. Russell Page Architects is developing preliminary design for the restaurant. Approximately 250,000 square feet will be dedicated to retail and mixed-use space, within the total at 5 million developable square feet.
Property infrastructure implementation such as underground utilities, sewers and electrical cabling has been completed. Street paving, streetlights, curbing, and overall surface readiness is also complete, with the extensions of Esther and Grant Streets. Columbia Way’s connection of Esther and Grant Streets is complete and opened in September, 2015. New and Neville acted as lease brokers for the Grant Street Pier restaurant. Property information can be found at http:// www.newneville.com/properties/the-waterfront-vancouver or by calling (503) 241-1222 or Gramor Development at (503) 245-1976. (http://www.gramor.com/)
Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar is locally owned by Jeff Blackwell, and Trevor and Jayne Blackwell of QOL Restaurant Group who operate locations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Utah. Twigs is open daily for lunch, dinner and late night. They are well-known for their signature martinis, a great selection of American dishes along with weekly Fresh Sheets featuring locally-sourced products.
Twigs Catering
About Twigs
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TWIGS CORPORATE OFFICE
401 E Farwell Rd
©2018 Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar
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← Michigan Football 2014 National Signing Day Recap: Defense
2014 NFL Scouting Combine Recap Day 2: Quarterbacks, Runningbacks and Wide Receivers →
2014 NFL Scouting Combine Recap Day 1: Offensive Linemen, Tight Ends, Special Teamers
Posted on March 1, 2014 by Jeff Weintraub
Obviously this is far later than I would have liked to be posting this, but exams were a bit more of a pressing need. The big key to take away from the NFL Combine is that a bad Combine won’t kill your stock, but a good one can help you out a lot. The Combine is just a small part of the draft process. It’s more important for the lesser-known guys to have good days than the big names, because the big names are highly touted for a reason. The eye in the sky does not lie, and game tape is still the best way to determine a player’s abilities.
The NFL Scouting Combine consists of 11 groups each holding certain positions that take the field for drills over the course of four days. Group one has kickers, special teamers, and some offensive linemen. Group two is all offensive linemen, and group three is the tight ends. Groups four and five consist of quarterbacks and wide receivers, and the running backs are in group six. Groups seven and eight consist of defensive linemen and group nine has the linebackers. Groups 10 and 11 hold the defensive backs.
Offensive Lineman:
The big three offensive lineman, Taylor Lewan, Greg Robinson and Jake Matthews all checked the boxes on their day at the NFL Combine. Lewan showed off his athleticism, running the fastest 40 of all of the offensive lineman. When going through drills he looked a bit tight in the hips, but he still has explosive power and athleticism that makes him a highly coveted player. Running a 4.87 40, with a 10-yard split of 1.64 and adding 29 reps on the bench with a 30.5” vertical is impressive.
Robinson’s combine was simply outstanding, posting a 4.92 40 time at 332 pounds, which is absurd. His 1.68 split with 32 reps on the bench and a 28.5” vertical is scary for a guy that big. Robinson is a bit more raw than Jake Matthews at this point, but I think that Robinson’s Combine moved him into the conversation for best tackle available. Robinson has the highest ceiling in the draft and it wouldn’t surprise me if he is the first tackle taken off the board.
Matthews has been the most-talked about offensive tackle and with good reason. His Combine was nothing amazing, but it showed why he is talked about so highly. Posting a 5.07 40, with a 1.70 10-yard split, 24 reps on the bench and a 30.5” vertical aren’t amazing numbers, they just confirm what is already known. All three of these offensive lineman will go in the Top 10, unless there is a run on quarterbacks where teams reach. It would be a mistake, but it also wouldn’t surprise me.
Michael Schofield was another player that stepped up his performance and since the Senior Bowl, his stock has been on the rise. Schofield ran well at the Combine with a 5.01 time. He showed fluidity in his movements and his versatility between right tackle and right guard will help him get drafted in the 3rd or 4th round.
Seantrel Henderson is one of the most intriguing draft prospects. If you can keep him motivated and help him develop, he will be a solid right tackle. He’s athletic and absolutely massive. At 6’7” 331 lbs, a 5.14 40 with a 1.71 10-yard split is absurd. He can move well and even though he’s a bit stiff in his movements, he’s a player when he wants to be.
Cyrus Kouandjio had a rough Combine, multiple teams failed him physically because of his surgically repaired knee. He needs to work on pass protection and was slow and stiff in his movements, but he’s a road grader. That being said, there are teams that have taken him off their board because he failed his physical and that is going to limit his landing spots. He’s definitely one of the big losers of the Combine, but not because of anything that he can really control.
UPDATE: Interesting update from Alabama’s Pro Day.
I just asked Saban about Cyrus K's medical reports at combine. Saban is adamant that he's spoken to NFL several teams. Not one failed him.
— P. Schrager (@PSchrags) March 12, 2014
Cyril Richardson was once thought to be one of the top offensive guards at the start of this season but he has fallen off the map. He’s extremely slow, stiff and is a liability in pass protection. At the Combine he ran a 5.36 40 (1.82 10-yard split) and only put up 25 reps on the bench at 6’4” 329 lbs. At that size, if you’re going to be slow, you need to put up more reps on the bench. Obviously it’s tougher to do when you have long arms like Richardson, but as a road grading offensive lineman, you’d think he’d be stronger.
Other notable offensive lineman with good Combines: Gabe Jackson, Gabe Ikard
Here are the measurables for all of the offensive linemen:
Tight Ends:
Eric Ebron ran a great 40-yard dash time and posted a 4.60, but unfortunately he hurt himself and was unable to participate in any of the drills. It’s not ideal, but it won’t hurt him much. The 40 time confirmed his on-the-field speed and has solidified him as the best available tight end in this year’s NFL Draft.
Jace Amaro, one of the top 3 tight ends, had a good Combine from a measurables stand point. Posting a 4.74 40 time with 28 reps on the bench. He’s very solid athletically and is going to be a mismatch like Jimmy Graham. During drills Amaro had some drop issues and ran a few poor routes. It’s not going to be the end of the world or greatly affect his stock, but he certainly didn’t do himself any favors with that.
Colt Lyerla is an intriguing prospect. He’s a stud athletically, but he has major off-the-field issues. He ran a 4.61 40 with 15 reps on the bench and a 39” vertical, but getting arrested for cocaine possession after quitting on your college football team is no-joke. It’s going to take a strong organization and a solid locker room to keep Lyerla in line and make sure he stays on track and keeps developing.
Here are the measurables for the tight ends:
Also,this clip shows you that the official 40 times might not be all that official. Just some food for thought.
Michael Sam was also the big story of the day, getting a chance to speak to the media. Between he and Clowney, it was the most populated media sessions the Combine has ever had. Here’s the video of Sam’s press conference, definitely respect his attitude and poise at the podium.
It’s too bad the media is stirring the pot and wondering if a locker room can handle a gay NFL player. According to Deion Sanders, there was a gay player on every team that he played on and every one knew about it. None of them care because they all want to win. Guys will play with sworn enemies if it is the only way that they can win.
I figured this was as good of a place as any to put this, but Doug Baldwin went on an absolutely epic rant about the NFL Combine. I don’t completely agree with it, but I can see where he is coming from.
Related: 2014 NFL Scouting Combine Recap Day 3: Defensive Backs
Related: 2014 NFL Scouting Combine Recap Day 3: Defensive Line and Linebackers
Related: 2014 NFL Scouting Combine Recap Day 2: Quarterbacks, Runningbacks and Wide Receivers
[PHOTO: Bleacher Report] [PHOTO: USA Today]
This entry was posted in NFL and tagged 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, Colt Lyerla, Cyril Richardson, Cyrus Kouandjio, Doug Baldwin Rant, Eric Ebron, Gabe Ikard, Gabe Jackson, Greg Robinson, Jace Amaro, Jake Matthews, Michael Sam, Michael Sam Press Conference, Michael Schofield, Offensive Lineman, Scouting Combine Day 1, Seantrel Henderson, Taylor Lewan, Tight Ends. Bookmark the permalink.
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How Pandering To Iowa’s Ethanol Lobby Hurts America
While a small group of corn farmers may benefit from the Renewable Fuel Standard, higher gas prices and less fuel-efficient gasoline hurt everyone.
October 21, 2015 By Erik Telford
Ten years ago this month, President George W. Bush signed the Renewable Fuel Standard into law, implementing regulations that require companies to blend specific amounts of renewable fuels into gasoline. No state benefits more from the RFS than Iowa, and with the Iowa caucuses six months away, presidential candidates are already pandering, flip flopping, or avoiding the issue altogether as they attempt to woo voters.
While Iowa farmers who grow corn specifically for biofuels have greatly benefited from the RFS, ethanol and other biofuels are overwhelmingly hurting the planet and people’s pocketbooks. This crop of presidential candidates needs to keep that in mind as they continue to canvass the Hawkeye State.
It’s easy to see why politicians pander to Iowans. The last two Republicans to win the Iowa caucus, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, both supported the RFS. Candidates that have opposed the RFS—like Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, and Rand Paul—have avoided the issue in Iowa, skipping well-attended events like the Iowa Ag Summit.
They, along with other RFS opponents like Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz, are unsurprisingly outside the top three, according to the most recent polling in the state. The top three in Iowa include RFS supporters Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina. As is the case with many policy issues, it’s still unclear where polling leader Donald Trump stands on the RFS.
Iowa Squeezes Everyone Else Dry
But candidates should not focus solely on the benefits this corporate welfare program has had on Iowa farmers, because it has had devastating effects for many outside of the state.
Perhaps more importantly, RFS has not reduced carbon emissions—one of the primary objectives of the policy.
The “corn boom” RFS created has impacted over 5 million acres of land once set aside for conservation. Landowners have filled in wetlands and have sprayed billions of pounds of fertilizer to facilitate the demand for corn to fulfill gas ethanol requirements. As a result, rivers have been contaminated and the habitat of waterfowl and other wildlife has been damaged.
Perhaps more importantly, RFS has not reduced carbon emissions—one of the primary objectives of the policy. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin found that the corn boom has released as much carbon dioxide as 34 coal power plants in one year. It turns out ethanol is not carbon-neutral, as promised, and it actually worsens gas mileage, making cars less fuel-efficient and worse for the environment.
Aside from the environmental impact, less fuel-efficient vehicles means spending more on gasoline. Ethanol delivers 25 percent fewer miles per gallon than gasoline, and ethanol-induced higher gas prices increase the impact of the RFS. Last year, the Congressional Budget Office reported that if the RFS is not repealed, gas prices could increase 13 to 26 cents per gallon by 2017. While a small group of corn farmers may benefit from the RFS, everyone is impacted by higher gas prices and less fuel-efficient gasoline.
Big Agribusiness Smashing Moms and Pops
The RFS also hurts American families’ budgets by damaging their cars and other gasoline-operated equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency is well aware of this fact, and has acknowledged that ethanol in gasoline can damage internal combustion engines by increasing exhaust temperatures and indirectly causing component failures. Higher percentage ethanol-blended fuels may increase the damage to American’s cars if the RFS remains in place.
While the RFS may be a boon to Iowa corn farmers, it’s essentially a tax on the poor, who are suffering from higher prices because of it.
It’s not just prices at the gas pump and costs at the repair shop increasing because of RFS—it’s prices at the grocery store, too. Anything corn goes into is more expensive because of the RFS. Purdue University researchers found that repealing the RFS would cause food prices to fall 13 percent overall. In 2012, the average U.S. family of four faced a $2,000 increase in food costs due to the higher corn prices RFS has caused. The increase in costs for both food and fuel are especially harmful to lower- and fixed-income families that spend a larger percentage of their wages on food and fuel.
While the RFS may be a boon to Iowa corn farmers, it’s essentially a tax on the poor, who are suffering from higher prices because of it. Plus, it’s a net negative for the environment. It’s time for presidential candidates, particularly Republicans, to stop pandering to voters in Iowa and promise to repeal the harmful Renewable Fuel Standard.
Erik Telford is senior vice president of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity.
Photo by Benjamin Chan
carbon emissions corn corn prices Environment Ethanol ethanol subsidies gas prices Iowa Iowa Caucus renewable fuel standard
Other Politicians Should Follow Ron DeSantis’s Lead In Draining The Farm Bill Swamp
The farm bill represents an unholy alliance between lawmakers looking to give wealthy farmers more subsidies and lawmakers looking to expand food stamps.
‘This Blessed Earth’ Considers The Fraught Future Of Family Farming
A journalist chronicles the experiences of one Nebraska farmer and his daughter, as they seek to keep their six-generation family farm alive.
Wrong, Politico: Today’s Farmers Are Obsessed With Healthy Soil
If the reporter had spent a little more time researching the topic or speaking to more than one farmer, she’d realize soil health has long been a focus — even an obsession — among farmers.
Here’s What You Need To Know About The Estate Tax and Family Farmers
Only a tiny fraction of the nation’s family farmers are eligible for the federal estate tax—but that doesn’t mean it’s a popular or profitable tax.
Today’s Farmers Are Trying To Achieve ‘Sustainability,’ But It’s Easier Said Than Done
A new agricultural sustainability program seeks to offer a ‘cleaner’ version of current farming methods. But is that really going to be enough?
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The Democratic Party’s Fault Lines Are Immigration And Identity Politics
December 4, 2018 By Sumantra Maitra
The left is divided on issues of identity and security. Republicans should realize that there’s an opportunity to appeal to the alienated working class.
No, Preventing Job-Seekers From Illegal Entry Is Not Comparable To The Holocaust
November 30, 2018 By Aryeh Spero
These comparisons to the Holocaust dishonor the six million Jews who were rounded up to be tortured and murdered.
Are Americans Forgetting The Troops Currently Dying In Afghanistan?
November 27, 2018 By The Federalist Staff
Amber Smith and Bre Payton discuss our war in the Middle East, PTSD, and the migrant caravan on the Federalist Radio Hour.
If Recent Patterns Hold, There May Indeed Be Terrorists Inside The Border Caravan
November 26, 2018 By Todd Bensman
Middle Easterners do travel the same routes as Hondurans to the U.S. southern border, and rising numbers of suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the border in recent years.
Today Hundreds Of Migrants Stormed The Border. What Do We Do When It’s Thousands?
November 25, 2018 By David Marcus
Leftists and mainstream media called Trump’s fears about Central American migrants racist. But now they are literally storming the border.
Unpacking The Birthright Citizenship Debate On The Federalist Radio Hour
November 1, 2018 By The Federalist Staff
Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, talks tourist births, illegal immigration, and U.S. asylum laws.
Podcast: Bomb Threats, Migrant Caravans, And Papadopoulos
October 26, 2018 By The Federalist Staff
Mollie Hemingway and Buck Sexton discuss the immigration implications of the anticipated caravan, and the implications of wiretapping of George Papdopoulos.
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← Away from the Fringe, life goes on… Micky Fawcett meets Brown Bread Fred
Edinburgh Fringe, Day 8: These shows are all far too good and then Consignia →
Aug 8, 2017 · 11:58 pm
Edinburgh Fringe Day 7: Three naked bottoms, tears and a cunning stunt
Today, I watched three performers talking out of their arses. Hardly a new thing at the Edinburgh Fringe, you might think.
I couldn’t possibly be cheap enough to use a pun
Except this was the much-touted Wild Bore comic theatrical piece at The Traverse in which Zoe Coombs Marr, Ursula Martinez and Adrienne Truscott perform with their naked bottoms (and occasionally with the rest of their bodies).
It is a knowingly self-referential post-modernist labyrinth of analysing and criticising critics and the performance itself with some wonderful surreal images – the sight of them running around naked and erect with their heads inside their own bottoms made me glad I never remember my own dreams and nightmares.
The self-referencing reminded me inevitably of that 1969 movie I am always banging on about in this blog – Anthony Newley’s Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? – You sit there thinking the movie is a self-indulgent mess and then, at one point, three ‘movie critics’ walk on the screen and start criticising it in detail for all the many faults you have just been thinking about. I sat through it twice when I first saw it, because I had no idea whether I liked it or not. I was still not sure after seeing it twice, but it was and is certainly addictive.
Nathan Willcock’s State of The Nathan at Moriarty’s also kept referring to itself and had a strangely straight, middle-of-the-road, middle-aged, non-Fringe audience happily sitting through and enjoying an hour of his (as he admitted to them) liberal Londoner comedy.
Daddy Kamali – indefatigably charismatic
The indefatigably charismatic Jody Kamali was pretending to run a hotel – Hotel Yes Please – in a room in the actual Apex Hotel/Sweet venue in Grassmarket where he played multiple characters, integrated the audience into the show and unusually-for-him added some genuine personal stuff into a character playing another character. Apparently last year’s Fringe show was such a happy experience that, on the final night, he celebrated with his wife and the result is that he now has a daughter.
I think he will make a good dad.
Which was something Lewis Schaffer’s dead mother told him (Lewis) in one of the 23 letters he is opening nightly in Unopened Letters From My Mother at the Counting House. As he said in this blog two days ago: “To me, the letters are full-on scary and sad. But funny for the audience.”
Lewis Schaffer reads his mother’s letter for the first time
He says he does not know why he did not open the 23 letters she sent him between 2000 and her death in 2011, some from a mental hospital.
But I do remember the late Malcolm Hardee, going through a bout of depression the like of which people would not imagine Malcolm Hardee had, telling me that he was only opening one in three of the letters he received through the post. The other two he threw away without even checking who they were from.
After tonight’s performance – well, performance is the wrong word – experience – someone said to me: “I have never seen Lewis show that sort of real emotion on stage before”.
Lewis’ shows are always one-offs. These ones almost go beyond unique, if such a thing were possible.
Which could also be said of Becky Fury’s show tonight at the Black Market. Well, she did not actually perform her prepared show but improvised 55 minutes around the audience which included a Polish social worker who came to Edinburgh for the Fringe last year and just stayed. He said he was attracted to her show title Molotov Cocktail Party because of what happened at Polish football matches.
Becky Fury – not hosting a Christian show at all
Then there was the young Spanish couple who were there despite, it seemed, not actually being able to understand any English. Becky at first persuaded them it was a Christian show in which everyone had to bare themselves and managed to get the male half of the couple to strip off.
And then there was the American girl who arrived late. She said she played the violin and sewed.
“Simultaneously?” asked Becky.
Alas no, but she then took out her sewing and continued throughout the rest of the show while listening and participating. She said she was not a performer but did busk naked in Seattle, playing the violin.
I do believe this was and is true. But who knows?
In this blog four days ago, Martha McBrier mentioned that she had received a complaint about the fact that she plays a didgeridoo during her Balamory Doubtfire show – something that women are not allowed to do in Aboriginal culture. A white sociology professor in New York had accused her of racism, sexism and subjugating an entire culture.
The story was followed up, with more details, in Bruce Dessau’s Beyond The Joke site, on the Chortle comedy site and in The Scotsman.
Chortle carried quotes from Janet McLeod, producer of the Melbourne Comedy Festival show Aborigi-LOL, and Dane Simpson, a comedian from the Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay culture.
Martha McBrier – cunning player of religious instruments
Tonight, I got a message from Martin Walker, who told me that, during the recording of his On The Mic podcast, Martha had admitted that the whole thing was a cunning stunt.
The didgeridoo appears on her flyer/poster and makes an admittedly brief appearance in her show so I do wonder if this is a stunt planned so far in advance that it is almost a work of art in its own right.
On the other hand, allegedly offending Aboriginal didgeridoo players might not have been a stunt at all but, on seeing the reaction, Martha decided to say it was a stunt to fan the flames of publicity and edge ever closer to a Malcolm Hardee Cunning Stunt nomination.
Only time will tell.
Filed under Comedy, Theatre
Tagged as Adrienne Truscott, Becky Fury, Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?, comedy, cunning stunt, edinburgh fringe, Jody Kamali, lewis schaffer, Martha McBrier, Nathan Willcock, post modernism, theatre, Ursula Martinez, Wild Bore, Zoe Coombs Marr
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The Insurance Disputes Law Review - Edition 1
Editor's Preface
Published: December 2018
Allen & Overy LLP
This is the first edition of The Insurance Disputes Law Review. I am delighted to be the editor of this excellent and succinct overview of recent developments in insurance disputes across 16 important insurance jurisdictions.
Insurance is a vital part of the world's economy and critical to risk management in both the commercial and private worlds. The law that has developed to govern the rights and obligations of those using this essential product can often be complex and challenging, with the legal system of each jurisdiction seeking to strike the right balance between the interests of insurer and insured and also the regulator who seeks to police the market. Perhaps more than any other area of law, insurance law can represent a fusion of traditional concepts that are almost unique to this area of law and entrepreneurial development, as insurers strive to create new products to adapt to our changing world. This makes for a fast-developing area, with many traps for the unwary. Further, as this indispensable book shows, even where the concepts are similar in most jurisdictions, they can be implemented and interpreted with very important differences in different jurisdictions.
To be as user-friendly as possible, each chapter follows the same format – first providing an overview of the key framework for dealing with disputes, and then giving an update of recent developments in disputes.
As editor I have been impressed by the erudition of each author and their enthusiasm for this fascinating area. It has also been particularly interesting to note the trends that are developing in each jurisdiction. A strong theme in almost every jurisdiction is the increase in protections for policyholders. Much of the special nature of insurance law developed from an imbalance in knowledge between the policyholder (who had historically been blessed with much greater knowledge of the risk to be insured) and the insurer (who knew less and therefore had to rely on the duties of disclosure of the policyholder). With the modern era of Big Data and more detailed scope for analysis across risk portfolios, the balance of knowledge has shifted; it will often now be the insurer who is better placed to assess the risk. This shift has manifested itself in tighter rules upon insurers to be specific in the questions to be answered by policyholders when they place insurance and in more targeted remedies to the insurer if full information is not provided, with variable remedies now imposed rather than insurers being able to resort to the nuclear option of rejection of the entire policy. The evolution of rules around motor insurance in each jurisdiction also reveals an area of continuous important change.
No matter how carefully formulated, no legal system functions without effective mechanisms to hear and resolve disputes. Each chapter therefore also usefully considers the mechanisms for dispute resolution in each jurisdiction. Courts appear to remain the principal mechanism but arbitration and less formal mechanisms (such as the Financial Ombudsman in the United Kingdom) can be a significant force for efficiency and change when functioning properly.
I would like to express my gratitude to all the contributing practitioners represented in The Insurance Disputes Law Review. Their biographies are to be found on page 159 and highlight the wealth of experience and learning that they bring to this volume. I must also thank Russell Butland, who is a senior associate with my firm and a highly talented lawyer. He has done much of the hard work in this project, together with Benjamin Scrace and Oliver Troen, who helped enormously in the research and liaison with our co-contributors.
Finally, I would also like to thank the whole team at Law Business Research who have excelled at bringing the project to fruition and in adding a professional look and more coherent finish to the contributions.
Buy this book Download PDF
The Insurance Disputes Law Review
The Professional Negligence Law Review Edition 1
Editor Nicholas Bird
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain
This first edition of The Professional Negligence Law Review comes at a time of unusual political challenge to some elements of globalisation. Yet international trade and cross-border transactions are, and will remain, firmly entrenched in the day-to-day business of commercial institutions, and the fact that this is the 54th title published by The Law Reviews comes as little surprise. The insight that each title provides into the major commercial jurisdictions is invaluable to all those conducting and advising on modern commerce in specific areas.
The Dispute Resolution Review Edition 11
Editor Damian Taylor
Slaughter and May
The Dispute Resolution Review provides an indispensable overview of the civil court systems of 37 jurisdictions. It offers a guide to those who are faced with disputes that frequently cross international boundaries. As is often the way in law, difficult and complex problems can be solved in a number of ways, and this edition demonstrates that there are many different ways to organise and operate a legal system successfully. At the same time, common problems often submit to common solutions, and the curious practitioner is likely to discover that many of the solutions adopted abroad are not so different to those closer to home.
The Tax Disputes and Litigation Review Edition 7
Editor Simon Whitehead
Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP
The objective of this book is to provide tax professionals involved in disputes with revenue authorities in multiple jurisdictions with an outline of the principal issues arising in those jurisdictions. In this, the seventh edition, we have continued to add to the key jurisdictions where disputes are likely to occur for multinational businesses. Each chapter provides an overview of the procedural rules that govern tax appeals and highlights the pitfalls of which taxpayers need to be most aware.
The Securities Litigation Review Edition 5
Editor William Savitt
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
The Securities Litigation Review is a guided introduction to the international varieties of enforcing rights related to the issuance and exchange of publicly traded securities. Unlike most of its sister international surveys, this review focuses on litigation – how rights are created and vindicated against the backdrop of courtroom proceedings.
The Global Damages Review Edition 1
Editor Errol Soriano
Duff & Phelps (Toronto)
In this, the inaugural edition of The Global Damages Law Review, we survey the codified rules and common law principles underpinning the presentation of damages evidence. We also summarise recent common law decisions that provide new or improved guidance on these frameworks. This first edition summarises principles governing the quantification of expert financial evidence in select common law jurisdictions including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia; and highlights important precedents from recent case law in each of the jurisdictions.
The Labour and Employment Disputes Review Edition 2
Editor Nicholas Robertson
Mayer Brown International LLP
Thirty years ago, employment law was almost entirely a national subject. During the past 15 years or so, that position has changed as business has become increasingly international. As this process developed, employers structured themselves internationally, so that legal and HR teams, among others, are able to deal with a globally mobile workforce. Employment law is a fast-moving area with significant developments occurring every year in all the jurisdictions covered by this book – employment law does not stand still.
The Sports Law Review Edition 4
Editor András Gurovits
Niederer Kraft Frey
The Sports Law Review is intended as a practical, business-focused legal guide for all relevant stakeholder groups in the area of sports, including sports business entities, sports federations, sports clubs and athletes. Its goal is to provide an analysis of recent developments and their effects on the sports law sector in 18 jurisdictions. It will serve as a guidebook for practitioners as to how a selected range of legal topics is dealt with under various national laws.
The Patent Litigation Law Review Edition 2
Editor Trevor Cook
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
The Patent Litigation Law Review does not only summarise patent litigation procedures. The respective contributors to it, as leading practitioners in each of their jurisdictions, also focus on recent developments in substantive patent law as demonstrated by the most important recent court decisions in their respective jurisdictions, meaning that this Review also provides insight into the current controversies that affect patent law generally.
The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review Edition 4
Editor Barton Legum
The past year has again confirmed The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review’s contribution to its field. The biggest challenge for practitioners and clients over the past year has been to keep up with the flow of new developments and jurisprudence in the field. Many useful treatises on investment treaty arbitration have been written. The relentless rate of change in the field rapidly leaves them out of date. In this environment, therefore, The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review fulfils an essential function. Updated every year, it provides a current perspective on a quickly evolving topic.
The Complex Commercial Litigation Law Review Edition 1
Editor Steven M Bierman
This first edition is published at a time when the world grows ever smaller and commercial relationships are the common currency that links countries and cultures across the globe. Whether you are a corporate counsel, a business executive, a private practitioner or a government official, and whether you are facing litigation or arbitration of a commercial dispute, negotiating a contract with an eye towards minimising litigation risk, or simply interested in learning more about this important area of law as related by a seasoned and savvy practitioner, we hope you will find this volume informative, instructive and enjoyable.
The Banking Litigation Law Review Edition 2
Editor Christa Band
Linklaters LLP
As we noted in the Preface to last year’s edition of the Banking Litigation Law Review, banks will always be regular litigants – generally as defendants – and this year’s contribution of jurisdiction-specific chapters explains how and why.
The Class Actions Law Review Edition 3
Editor Camilla Sanger
Class actions and major group litigation can be seismic events not only for the parties involved, but for whole industries and parts of society. That potential impact means they are one of the few types of claim that have become truly global in both importance and scope, as reflected in this third edition. As with previous editions of this review, this updated publication aims to provide practitioners and clients with a single overview handbook to which they can turn for the key procedures, developments and factors in play in a number of the world’s most important jurisdictions.
The Product Regulation and Liability Review Edition 6
Editors Chilton Davis Varner and Madison Kitchens
This edition covers 16 countries and territories and includes a high-level overview of each jurisdiction’s product liability framework, recent changes and developments, and a look forward at expected trends. Whether the reader is a company executive or a private practitioner, we hope that this edition will prove useful in navigating the complex world of product liability and alerting you to important developments that may affect your business.
The Private Competition Enforcement Review Edition 12
Editor Ilene Knable Gotts
Private competition litigation can be an important complement to public enforcement in the achievement of compliance with the competition laws. For example, antitrust litigation has been a key component of the antitrust regime for decades in the United States. Private antitrust litigation is largely a work in progress in many parts of the world. Change occurs slowly in some jurisdictions, but clearly the direction is favourable to the recognition that private antitrust enforcement has a role to play.
The International Arbitration Review Edition 9
Editor James H. Carter
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
International arbitration is a fast-moving express train, with new awards and court decisions of significance somewhere in the world rushing past every week. Legislatures, too, constantly tinker with or entirely revamp arbitration statutes in one jurisdiction or another.
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Coasterbill's Alcohol, Coaster and Culture Trip Reports Land
Busch Gardens San Antonio Part 1
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Philrad71
Re: Coasterbill's Alcohol, Coaster and Culture Trip Reports
by Philrad71 » Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:24 pm
Got to check MoA out a couple of times during work trips, but Valleyfair has been closed every time (offseason).
I've always said that something like this would be a huge hit in Buffalo - where it's also winter for 3/4 of the year.
by coasterbill » Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:34 am
Canobie Coaster wrote: Awesome report!
That Mall is on my bucket list of places to visit. Theoretically that new mall in New Jersey should have some similarities, but I strongly doubt it will have the same woodsy atmosphere. I'm stunned and glad they kept it looking as nice as it did during the Camp Snoopy days.
Lastly, how did they miss the opportunity to theme Ghost Blasters to Danny Phantom? I loved that show growing up and that ride layed it up for them.
Thanks! The one unfortunate thing about this trip was that it made me excited for the American Dream and nobody should ever be excited about the American Dream because it'll never open. I mean... American Dream won't be *as* good because it won't have Log Chute but it'll have better coasters.
ytterbiumanalyst wrote: :lmao: Fantastic report!
Glad you got on Orange Streak! My oldest doesn't usually ride roller coasters, but she loved that one. Something for everyone.
Maybe it's that a giant orange turd was dumped on my city today, but I laughed way too hard at the glass ceiling joke. Spectacularly done.
We also got the combo tickets with Sea Life, and why not? IIRC, they were ony a few dollars more than the NU wristband anyway, plus huge awesome aquarium. It's way bigger than the Sea Life in the Crown Center mall in Kansas City.
That log flume is the best in the Midwest. It's been there since before the Nickelodeon stuff and I'm glad they haven't messed with it.
And of course...Margaritaville. Perfect.
Thanks! Yeah, unless you're on a whore run and you have a flight out of MSP or something that same day you're insane not to do the combo ticket with the aquarium. I was surprised at how good it was considering it was in a mall (that statement was a recurring theme for everything throughout the day).
PKI Jizzman wrote: Ahhhhyeah, you finally got to check out the flume! Glad you like it, and glad you got on Orange Streak. The place is seriously as modern engineering marvel, every theme park fan needs to check out MoA.
Thanks! Agreed.
boldikus wrote: Super awesome update. I might have been a little embarrassed to say this park is near the top of my list. It looks so fun and this fab report just made me want to go there even more. And the missus lives to shop so she'll enjoy the mall its attached to.
You would love it. It's weird that it's normally so expensive to fly there but if something cheap pops up don't hesitate. Just pull the trigger.
bluestreak wrote: That Ninja turtle ride is one of, if not the best flat I've ever ridden. It's absolutely amazing. Glad you had a great time!
Yeah, we loved that thing.
CaptainUnknown wrote: That log flume is a national treasure. I knew you'd love it.
The fact that that thing exists in a mall makes me want to move to Minneapolis. What's the trade in value of a Honda at the moose dealership?
anonymouscactus wrote: Wow. Great report. I had no idea the park had all of that theming and awesomeness rolled into it as this is the first report and photos I've seen of it. Very cool.
That was the biggest surprise for me also. I really just assumed that there would be a bunch of rides plopped on the floor and that would be it.
Philrad71 wrote: Got to check MoA out a couple of times during work trips, but Valleyfair has been closed every time (offseason).
I feel like it could work in a lot of places. I know malls are dying but malls that double as major entertainment destinations are really in their own category. Mall of America is pretty much killing it.
RCjunkie wrote: Nice trip report. Good to see you like my 'winter' park. Glad you got to ride Orange Streak, it is the 'train' of the park and lets you see it from all angles. Log Chute is the only original ride from Camp Snoopy and it was themed to Paul Bunyan (as you can see his ax in one of your pictures). Why they did not re-theme it I don't know but I am also not complaining. I had a strange feeling you might like this ride. Having it at NU makes up for VF removing their Flume ride. Airbender is not down a lot but I would say it lives up to it's Intamin reputation and is down more than any other ride there though.
Thanks! It's really weird to me that they didn't re-theme the flume but I'm thrilled with their decision to leave it alone.
hoppedup
I teach at the school of donkey!
Location: Greensboro, NC
by hoppedup » Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:51 pm
Nice report! I think I'll add MoA to the itinerary for our eventual trip to Valleyfair.
Buffett fan, eh? He has recorded my friend Will's songs on all of his albums since License to Chill.
Parks: 20 | Coasters: 137 | Wood: 36 | Steel: 99 | Fiberglass: 2
by coasterbill » Tue Sep 25, 2018 1:24 pm
hoppedup wrote: Nice report! I think I'll add MoA to the itinerary for our eventual trip to Valleyfair.
Honestly you've got it backwards. If you could only go to one park you should go to Nick Universe. That said, in a pinch you can do both in a day.
by Philrad71 » Wed Sep 26, 2018 2:57 pm
^^^ You're absolutely right about some malls being a dying breed.
The Galleria Mall in Buffalo is something similar to MoA, although smaller in size with no theme park.
But in its defense, it has lots of premier restaurants, bars, hotels and such either attached or right next door...and the place always seems to draw a huge crowd.
Hell, all they'd need to do is add two more levels, add an indoor water or amusement park and an aquarium and they'd have pretty much the same thing.
cparkes92
The only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!
Location: The red-headed stepchild of Michigan (Manistee)
by cparkes92 » Thu Sep 27, 2018 6:47 pm
I've been to the Mall of America once. That was back in 2000 when the only coaster there was what is now Orange Streak. The log flume was wetter than Splash Mountain IMHO
Top 10 steel: Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Maverick, Mako, Incredible Hulk, Banshee, Diamondback, Raptor, SheiKra, Montu
Top 10 wood: Mystic Timbers, Shivering Timbers, Beast, Racer (KI), Viper, American Eagle, Woodstock Express, Blue Streak (CP), Mean Streak (RIP), Wolverine Wildcat
Delicious & Refreshing
by jedimaster1227 » Thu Oct 04, 2018 6:55 am
Thank you for sharing such a great report from the Mall of America! This is definitely on my park bucket list... I'm just not sure when I'll get out to that side of the country, but when I do, I'll definitely be stopping into Nick Universe!
Change the scheme, Alter the mood! Electrify the boys and girls if you would be so kind!
robbalvey
by robbalvey » Mon Nov 05, 2018 3:03 pm
coasterbill wrote:
TPR is on: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Tumblr
This is my life: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/making_things
by coasterbill » Tue Nov 06, 2018 1:46 pm
Wow, I made it to the big time. I guess I should probably write something finally.
by coasterbill » Fri Nov 09, 2018 9:30 am
^On that note...
Our Minnesota trip was a weird one because due to Frontier's weird flight schedule we actually had an extra day and no clue how to spend it. I pretty much resorted to hopping on Tripadvisor for "Things to do in Minnesota" and after passing the top results of elk milking, moose tipping and Oxycodone we noticed that the area had not one but two zoos. Once Brit got wind of that our search was over. We were going to the zoo.
At first we considered just going straight to the larger zoo (The Minnesota Zoo) but reviews actually made it look like the smaller free zoo (Como Zoo) was worth a visit also, mainly because they had a polar bear which is pretty rare for an American zoo and even more rare for a free American zoo. Even better, they had a coaster!
Como Zoo seems to be split into three main sections. There's the zoo, there's a conservatory and there's an amusement park. A few coaster people had told me to go to this place since they had a coaster but I assumed that it was some embarrassing kiddy credit and was absolutely planning to skip it. That said, when we pulled up and made our way towards the zoo I caught a glimpse of it and realized that it actually looked like a full size Zyklon (or whatever). We quickly bought our tickets and made our way over, somehow managing to walk right on to the ride ahead of the massive queue that was sure to build up later in the day.
A few seconds later we found ourselves locked in, faced with taming this relentless tiger.
I'm far from "proud" of this, but it's not that embarrassing. I'm in. My enthusiasm level is clearly visible in this photo though.
The ride starts out with a slow turn to the right to build suspense followed by an unnerving and slow climb towards the stratosphere. After your ears pop and you reach the top you struggle to make out the tiny ant-sized figures below as you slowly begin to turn and build up speed while traveling through the clouds.
After a few heart-pounding seconds that feel like an eternity you're abruptly ripped down a massive drop, throwing your whole world upsideown (I mean, not literally but you know). You rise again and scream into a high speed unbanked turn to the right that barely allows you to catch your breath before you careen down another massive drop, throwing you into an RMC-style airtime hill followed immediately by an abrupt turn. After a helix that puts I305's greyouts to shame, the ride slams into the 37th trim of the ride (where it shatters the world record previously held by Rip Ride Rockit) but it barely offers a break from the intensity. While it does trim, it seems to do so only so the ride won't totally Daytona itself but it does nothing to control the relentless speed and intensity.
Following the trim, the ride immediately barrels into another rapid-fire, stomach churning trim before it throws you down a drop and into another trim. Just as your body starts shutting down from the intensity and strong G forces and your terrified hands feel as if they're about to break the grab bar in two you rocket through another out-of-control low speed turn before you mercifully meander into the brake run.
Make no mistake, this is an elite coaster. If you haven't already dropped everything to book a flight to Minneapolis please stop reading this report and do so immediately.
This ride really does embody the spirit of the tiger
After our terrifying brush with death we decided to check out the rest of Como Zoo. I'll be honest, I was impressed. For a free zoo they have an amazing animal collection... wolves, primates, giraffes, lions, tigers, polar bears, bison, zebras, seals, gorillas, sea lions, birds, reptiles and more, holy sh*t! (Lions and tigers and bears, oh sh*t!)
This zoo was really impressive for what it was
The giraffes were front and center
While the animal collection was impressive the quality of the exhibits was more in-line with what you would expect from a free zoo. It's pretty no-frills.
Say what you want about the ride itself, but SeaWorld Orlando's new penguin exhibit has totally ruined the traditional "behind the glass" penguin exhibits for me.
Do you like bison pictures? Well you f*cking better because our Yellowstone trip report is coming soon. If you don't you should probably leave this thread. Bi, son. (I had to)
Confucius monkey say, "Man who ride Tiger Trax be $5 poorer, but infinitely richer at heart ".
Nothing to see here, just a gorilla licking a surfboard
The zoo's pride and joy (besides Tiger Trax obviously) is their polar bear exhibit and for good reason. While it's still not on the level of a large zoo, it's the nicest exhibit in the park and they attempt to make it much more of an event than just walking up to a fence and looking at a polar bear.
They're clearly pretty proud of their polar bear, as they should be...
The exhibit features a gift shop, interactive features, tons of information and a nice view into the indoor and outdoor areas. Even though it was almost Labor Day, they had the polar bear outside because... Minnesota.
What an amazing animal.
We were probably done with Como in 2-3 hours but it's a nice little zoo. As we didn't pay for parking or admission we were sure to hit up the gift shop and support the zoo in Brit's traditional way... buying literally everything.
If you have the time I highly recommend popping in if you're in the area. Not only is there a credit (for the whores among us) but it's a really nice little zoo and it's a great place to kill a few hours for free.
Up next: The Minnesota Zoo!
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Top 10 “Story Songs” # 6 Johnny Cash (A Boy Named Sue)
May 7, 2013 by Dale Nickey in LIST, Story Songs and tagged cash, country, dylan, miranda, nashville, sanquentin, shelton, silverstein, thevoice
Click here for Parts>>> 10 9 8 7 5 4 3 2 1
NUMBER 6…..
A Boy Named Sue – (Composer – Shel Silverstein)
Definitive version (Johnny Cash) 1969
Smells like mean spirit…….
You would be forgiven for assuming “A Boy Named Sue” was written by Cash himself. He owns the song from the first note. The song was written by Nashville Hall of Famer Shel Silverstein. But any version other than Cash’s is pointless. Not only one of the greatest story songs of all time, it would rank high on any ‘Greatest Father’s Day Song’ list as well. The “story song” requires an engrossing narrative and a payoff ending. “A Boy Named Sue” hits home runs on both counts. The fact that this tune was recorded live at San Quentin in 1969 in front of an ornery, rapturous, and captive (literally) audience, only adds to the allure of the perfect storm recording that conquered the Billboard country charts at # 1. A novelty tune no doubt; but still one the finest “story songs” ever.
NOTE: Sadly no film version of the “San Quentin” performance exists. This spunky (albeit expurgated) Danish TV version will have to do…..
← Top 10 “Story Songs” # 7 The Kinks (Lola)
Top 10 “Story Songs” # 4 Bob Dylan (Tangled Up In Blue) →
2 thoughts on “Top 10 “Story Songs” # 6 Johnny Cash (A Boy Named Sue)”
Leslee says:
January 16, 2014 at -07:00thPDT
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you
relied on the video to make yoour point.
You definitely know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting
videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something informative tto read?
jacqke says:
September 19, 2016 at -07:00thPDT
I really liked this page your posting about the Johnny Cash song, “Boy Named Sue.” I thought I would share a link to what I am told is a video of the San Quentin performance. It is definitely an early performance, as Johnny is reading the lyrics to the music off the top of his guitar. https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/a-boy-named-sue-live/id206640160
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Chikungunya virus is an Alphavirus that has recently been the cause of large-scale outbreaks in the Americas since 2013. Clinical symptoms including high fever, rash, headache, vomiting, myalgia, and severe joint pain, which can last for many years. CHIKV fever is a debilitating illness that has a significant economic impact in areas where CHIKV is endemic.
At The Native Antigen Company, we offer an extensive range of Chikungunya antigens and antibodies to support IVD assay development and vaccine R&D. These include mammalian expressed recombinant virus-like particles, soluble envelope proteins, cell receptor proteins and neutralising monoclonal antibodies. We also offer ELISA assays for the detection of IgG and IgM antibody response to Chikungunya virus.
Chikungunya Virus Background
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the genus Alphavirus, a member of the Togaviridae family of viruses. CHIKV is closely related to other alphaviruses including Ross River virus, O’nyong’nyong virus and Mayaro virus, which are know to cause arthritis. Three genotypes of Chikungunya virus have been identified to date and named Asian, East Central South African and West African, according to their geographical distribution.
In urban areas, humans act as the major host for CHIKV and the virus is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Africa, CHIKV is maintained in a sylvatic cycle between animals, mosquitoes and humans. The virus can also be transmitted from mother to child during delivery.
Chikungunya fever, caused by CHIKV, was first identified in Tanzania in 1953. Since 2004 there have been extensive outbreaks throughout Africa and Asia. In 2013 the first cases were identified in the Caribbean, and by September 2014 more than 650,000 cases had been reported in the Americas. Cases of CHIKV infection have also been reported in France, Spain and Italy where the vector is distributed. CHIKV is now recognised as an emerging disease of significant public health concern in these and other regions of the world (CDC).
Chikungunya fever usually starts 2–4 days after infection. Patients present with clinical symptoms that include high fever, rash, headache, vomiting, myalgia, and severe joint pain that may persist for weeks or years (CDC). In some cases, severe cardiac and neurological complications have been reported in infants, the elderly and patients with underlying illness. Transmission of the virus from mother to baby during birth has also been reported, which carries a high risk of morbidity (Morrison, TE).
Diagnosis of CHIKV may be hampered by the fact that clinical symptoms of CHIKV are similar to those seen in cases of Dengue Virus and Zika Virus infection. Therefore, differential diagnosis is an important consideration in areas where flaviviruses such as Dengue and Zika co-circulate. Currently, there is no specific treatment available for the treatment of Chikungunya fever or licensed vaccine for the prevention of CHIKV infection.
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention: Chikungunya virus.
Morrison TE. (2014). Reemergence of Chikungunya virus. J. Virol.88:11644-7
Chikungunya Virus Antigens
We offer a range of recombinant antigens for Chikungunya virus studies, prepared using our proprietary mammalian cell expression system. Antigens include our unique virus-like particles (containing E1, E2 and Capsid proteins), and soluble E1 and E2 envelope proteins.
The most recent addition to our Chikungunya range is a recombinant MXRA8 protein, which has been identified as a cell surface receptor mediating CHIKV entry into host cells.
£471.87 – £3,175.00 excl. VAT
Chikungunya Virus E1 Envelope Protein
Chikungunya Virus E2 Envelope Protein (Human Fc)
View All Chikungunya Virus Antigens
Sheep Anti-Chikungunya Virus
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Mouse Anti-Chikungunya Virus Capsid Protein (19B02)
Mouse Anti-Chikungunya Virus E2 Protein (16A12)
View All Chikungunya Virus Antibodies
Chikungunya Virus Antibodies
Our range of antibodies specific to Chikungunya virus includes monoclonal antibodies binding capsid protein and E2 envelope protein. We also offer polyclonal antibodies raised against our Chikungunya virus-like particles, which bind capsid, E1 and E2 proteins.
Chikungunya Virus Immunoassays
We are pleased to offer ELISA assays for the detection of antibody response (IgG and IgM) to Chikungunya virus. These assays are suitable for use in laboratory research and development activities and vaccine research studies.
Chikungunya Virus IgG ELISA
Chikungunya Virus IgM capture ELISA
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Stolen Valor – Parolee back in prison after allegedly impersonating Navy SEAL team member
by NEWSREP · August 30, 2016
A Utah State Prison inmate is under investigation for allegedly posing as a retired U.S. Navy SEAL Team 4 member to receive financial assistance, according to a newly unsealed search warrant affidavit.
Eric Robert Purdy, 41, has not been arrested or charged in connection with the investigation. But Purdy, who has been convicted in the past of theft by deception, forgery and theft, and was paroled from the Utah State Prison in June of 2013, did have his parole revoked two weeks ago and remained in prison Monday.
According to a search warrant filed in 5th District Court, an Adult Probation and Parole officer conducting a check of Purdy’s laptop found evidence of child pornography.
“This was especially concerning because Mr. Purdy had been coaching a female children’s soccer league earlier this year,” the warrant states.
Man I just wanna punch that guys face. You know how you can just tell when somebody is a sac-o-shit by their expression? If I brought my little girl to soccer and this eggheaded dirtbag was coaching we would be finding a new league.
@DTOM_1775
Good grief. WTF is wrong with people?!?
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Ryan: "Reduce violence" on campaign trail
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan calls for less violence on the presidential campaign trail. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
ROUGH CUT - SUBTITLED (NO REPORTER NARRATION) U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday condemned efforts to disrupt political rallies, but said all presidential candidates must bear responsibility to help curb violence at campaign events and create a less hostile atmosphere. "All candidates have an obligation to do what they can do ...provide an atmosphere of harmony, to reduce violence, to not incite violence," Ryan told reporters, speaking after a string of chaotic events that have been most notable at campaign rallies for front-runner Donald Trump. Separately, Ryan said he has spoken with Trump and the three other Republicans vying for the party's nomination and received a good reception for the House's planned agenda. He still plans to support the eventual Republican candidate in the November presidential election, he added.
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A predictable view of Jerusalem from the BBC’s ‘Man in the Middle East’
By Hadar Sela on May 22, 2017 • ( 1 Comment )
This is a cross-post from BBC Watch.
On May 18th listeners to BBC Radio 4 heard the fourth part in Jeremy Bowen’s series of programmes ‘Our Man in the Middle East’.
Titled ‘Jerusalem’, the programme is both rambling and predictable, with Bowen’s portrayal of the city focusing on blood, violence, religion, power and nationalism at the expense of any mention of its diversity and eclectic coexistence.
From his opening sentences onward, Bowen places the spotlight firmly and exclusively on ‘the conflict’:
“The first thing to understand about the struggle for Jerusalem is that they’re fighting over a tiny piece of land. Down there in that walled compound around the golden dome is the single most contested piece of land in the Middle East; probably the most contested piece of ground in the world.”
Categories: BBC
Tagged as: 'Our Man in the Middle East', BBC, BBC Radio 4, Hussein-McMahon correspondence, Jeremy Bowen, Jerusalem
The Guardian presents an ideal view of Hamas
What did the Economist erase from its picture of ‘occupation’?
leah27z says:
I can’t even see that ghastly man’s face without wanting to puke.
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Posts tagged with: Mac OS X
The Question of WireLurker Attribution: Who Is Responsible?
After news of WireLurker began circulating in handful Chinese-language tech forums over the summer, a Chinese-language technology blogger conducted online research in an attempt to track down the author of WireLurker and engage him in an online chat. While it is unclear whether he found the actual author, it appears he was able to locate
By Jen Miller-Osborn
WireLurker: A New Era in OS X and iOS Malware
Today we published a new research paper on WireLurker, a family of malware targeting both Mac OS and iOS systems for the past six months. We believe that this malware family heralds a new era in malware attacking Apple’s desktop and mobile platforms based on the following characteristics: Of known malware families distributed through trojanized
Palo Alto Networks Addresses Bash Vulnerability Shellshock: Mitigation for CVE-2014-6271
Around 6:00 am PST on September 24, the details of a vulnerability in the widely used Bourne Again Shell (Bash) were disclosed by multiple Linux vendors. The vulnerability, assigned CVE-2014-6271 by Mitre, was originally discovered by Stephane Chazelas, a Unix and Linux network and telecom administrator and IT manager at UK robotics company SeeByte, Ltd.
By Ryan Olson
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injustice system
Obama Admin Details Historic Clemency Eligibility for Drug Offenders
April 24, 2014 meganchristi Leave a comment
The Obama administration has unveiled its plan to grant early release to federal prisoners sentenced under harsh drug laws. The Justice Department will widen the criteria for clemency to consider nonviolent felons who have served at least 10 years behind bars and who would have received shorter terms had they not been sentenced under old laws. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 reduced sentencing disparities between users of crack cocaine and powdered cocaine to address a racial imbalance in prison terms. But the law did not apply retroactively. Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the new policy is a matter of basic fairness.
James Cole: “These defendants were properly held accountable for their criminal conduct. However, some of them, simply because the operation of sentencing laws on the books at the time, received substantial sentences that are disproportionate to what they would have received today. … Correcting these sentences is simply a matter of fairness that is fundamental to our principles at the department, and it’s a commitment that all Department of Justice employees stand behind.”
The move marks the most substantial clemency effort since President Jimmy Carter offered a reprieve to those who avoided the Vietnam War draft. But while tens of thousands of prisoners may be eligible for the new clemency guidelines, experts warn a lengthy review process and other restrictions could lead to just hundreds being released. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, called the shift a small step forward, saying: “We’ve had a significant rhetorical shift in the war on drugs, but we’ve had a moderate policy shift.” Both President Obama and drug reform advocates are now calling on Congress to take additional action with major sentencing reforms.
Via @ http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/24/headlines#4241
SEE THE FULL SHOW @ http://www.democracynow.org/
administrationamy goodmancocianecrackdemocracynowdrugsinjustice systemnew jim crowobamapoliticsprison systemthree strikes lawunited states
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« Leaving Scientology: ‘I think this recovery is something I’ll be doing the rest of my life’
Want to go Clear? Has Scientology got a deal for you! »
As Scientology crumbles, read the dreams its members are still chasing
We’re once again indebted to one of our tipsters for sending us something revealing about how things are going inside the Church of Scientology. In this case, we get a really remarkable glimpse inside the mind of a young Scientologist and his dreams for what Scientology could be.
Jeremy Moll grew up in the church and is a graduate of the Delphian School, an unaccredited and very expensive private school in Oregon where wealthy Scientologists send their kids. Jeremy’s a talented 25-year-old today, and had dreams, coming out of Delphian, to be a musician and a filmmaker.
He was thinking of moving to Los Angeles and making a play for the big time. But then, he decided to put those plans on hold and sign a contract at the Portland Scientology “Ideal Org.”
Staff members at Scientology orgs sign 2.5-year or 5-year contracts. (The billion-year contracts are reserved for the even more dedicated members of Scientology’s ‘Sea Org.’)
We have a special affinity for the Portland Ideal Org. When it opened in May 2013, Mark Bunker was on the scene for us, and he had a wild time trying to keep from getting arrested by Scientology’s dirty tricks.
Portland was a classic Ideal Org case — an over-the-top grand opening, followed by a dead facility in a poorly-situated location.
But a guy like Jeremy can dream. After all, he’s put off his plans for success in the arts to man the Portland facility as Scientology itself is dwindling and going through the worst storm of negative press in its history. But here, in the recruiting letter he put out, he paints a remarkable picture of how he imagines it could all be so different.
Imagine how difficult it must be for some to reconcile what’s going on. We remember well the hype around the opening of the Portland building. During the intense fundraising that precedes the opening of all Ideal Orgs, Scientologists are told that once they get their building renovated and open to the public, the rush of new public will be astounding. All they need is for their Ideal Org to open its doors, and the special kiosks that Scientology leader David Miscavige has installed in them will do the rest. They will be magnets for Scientology.
Or maybe not. The subtext of this plaintive letter sent out this week by Jeremy Moll is the unstated admission that the Portland Ideal Org is a total failure. Now, we’re told, the building will actually become the magnet it was intended to be if they can just get a few more staff members hired. That’s the secret to turning the org into a magical lure for the public. And when that doesn’t work, they’ll come up with another excuse.
Please read Jeremy’s letter, and then give us your thoughts. These truly are the end days, are they not?
From: Portland Org portland@scientology.net
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2015 6:04 PM
Subject: Personal Message from Jeremy Moll
To my fellow Portland Scientologists,
My name is Jeremy Moll. I am a professional musician, and I have been a Scientologist for all of my 25-year life. A month ago, I was making preparations to move to Los Angeles to establish myself as a Global Artist in Music and Film. Today, however, I am adding one more chapter to my story.
This is the Scientology Staff Member Chapter.
Let’s take a moment to look at some present time facts:
— We have a beautiful, ideal building in Historic Downtown Portland which accurately represents what Scientology is all about.
— Processing and training are occurring at unprecedented speeds, thanks to our new releases from Phase II of the Golden Age of Technology. This means that Scientologists are getting up the Bridge FAST.
— The successful actions of Scientology’s booming Model LA Org are being carefully studied and implemented in other Orgs around the planet. Our own Portland Executive Directors are soon returning from LA, where they have been for months rigorously studying and drilling the technology that will create this same boom here at Scientology Portland.
— Scientology Media Productions is launching this Summer. This means that every human in the Portland area with access to television, radio, magazines or the internet will have their eye on OUR ORG here on 3rd and Oak.
I am writing you today, on behalf of my more than 100 fellow Staff Members, to deliver a bright and clear message: SCIENTOLOGY PORTLAND IS INCREASING ITS STAFF TO PREPARE FOR THE PUBLIC DEMAND WE WILL BE FACING IN THE COMING MONTHS.
Would you like to know what a fully-staffed Scientology Portland looks like?
Imagine walking through Downtown Portland and coming across members of our uniformed Staff in cheerful conversation with Portlanders on the sidewalk. These new public each have a Personality Test in hand, and they have stopped what they are doing to immediately visit the Church for their first experience with Scientology.
You approach the entrance to our building and take a moment to appreciate the nearby sidewalks and crosswalks speckled with bustling, uniformed staff and Scientology public, similar to what we see on the streets of Clearwater and on the PAC Base in LA.
You walk into the entrance and receive a friendly greeting from our Org Receptionist, who is also swiftly answering and routing phone calls. You look to the left at the testing area (which is fully occupied) and notice that our guests are overflowing onto every available writing surface to fill out their Personality Tests. “Hmmm,” you ponder. “Maybe we should start to think about a separate testing center like the one in Hollywood!”
You arrive on the second floor and head to the Freedom Cafe to order a coffee and grab a snack. Our full-time cafe team, in Action on the tone scale, is busily taking orders from the long but fast-moving line of customers. The sound of the espresso machine steaming milk, the clank of porcelain dishware and the dull rumble of dozens of happy conversations fill the air.
You hear, from several floors above, several voices simultaneously shout: “Are you ready to start?” Several packed courserooms resound enthusiastically, “Yeah!!!”
“Starts” are given, Student Hat lectures are begun, course packs are opened, Mark Ultra VIII E-meters are turned on.
The Survival Rundown area is so successful that co-auditing students are overflowing into the nearby hallways and floorspace, clipboards in hand.
The Examiner is busy all day with a constant stream of SRD and HGC preclears arriving for examination.
You head to the Hubbard Guidance Center where the seating area is a gathering place of people of all types, waiting for their next sessions, all with one thing in common: they are winning preclears who are making consistent, intensive progress on their personal routes to Clear.
Our Friday Graduations kick off with world-class musical performances and end with a stage packed with smiling Scientologists proudly displaying their new certificates. Attendees leave excited and inspired and immediately head to the Freedom Cafe for snacks and time with friends.
Members of our Scientology community reappear after being gone, each with OT levels completed and with wins to share from their visits to Los Angeles, Florida or the Caribbean.
Portland will be known on the Freewinds for sending massive groups at a time for conventions, conventions which have been specially designed for Scientology Portland because of our high and consistent demand for them.
The Scientology Portland community we are building is a close-knit, caring group whose members hold each other to the highest standards of ethics and thereby survival. We take care of each other, and we ensure that each and every member makes it up to Clear and OT. We grow together, we train together, we get up the Bridge together. And, no matter where we eventually end up, we are life-long friends.
This is what we are building here in Portland. Believe it or not, it is actually very simple to achieve. All of the necessary components are in place, save one missing ingredient. We’re not missing the technology; the Bridge is open to us to ascend as fast as we decide to ascend it. We’re not missing a building; this breathtakingly beautiful Ideal Org is ready and waiting to deliver its full potential. We’re not missing a Field of Scientologists; we have an incredibly strong community of thriving Scientologists. There is one missing ingredient, my friends, and that is a full staff.
I will now let Ron do the talking for a bit.
“The mission of organizations is to form the first part of the Bridge up from the wog world up to the level of Clear.” Ron’s Journal 67 (lecture)
“In a smooth organization that runs well and succeeds EACH PERSON WEARS HIS OWN ASSIGNED HAT….Each member is a specialist. He specializes in his own hat….The whole theory of successful organization is to have posts that only do specific things, to have sections and departments and divisions which specialize, and to have people who only wear their own hats and know who is wearing the other hats and send their work to them.” LRH, HCO PL 1 July 1965 III HATS, THE REASON FOR
Now let’s look at the Scientology Portland we are building as described in the paragraphs above. How many “specialists” do we need? What are some of them? How about the staff walking the Portland streets who specialize in talking to new public and in bringing them into the building? How about the Freedom Cafe baristas and servers? And the Academy course supervisors? Examiners? Auditors?
These are only a few of the many hats that can be worn in a Church of Scientology. Each one is an exciting post with specific duties that play a key role in the overall mission of an Org, which again is “to form the first part of the Bridge up from the wog world up to the level of Clear.” (Ron’s Journal 67)
Scientology Portland is stronger than we have ever been. But we can’t stop here or be complacent; we must continue to expand and to push the bar higher.
That is why, today, you are receiving a message from me asking you to do one simple thing: give an honest thought to joining us during this game-changing time for Scientology Portland. Consider putting on a uniform and working alongside us. We cannot do this alone; we need help.
Before you make your decision, I would like to explain (briefly) a bit more about the staff lifestyle. There are two different groups of Org Staff Members: Day and Foundation.
A Day Staff Member works Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm.
A Foundation Staff Member works Monday through Friday from 7pm-10pm and Saturday & Sunday from 9am to 6pm.
Each of our staff members leads an individual and unique life outside of their Church work schedule. Many are professionals in other occupations, and they maintain strong family lives of their own. We are a diverse crew of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. We work hard, we laugh, we eat lunch together. But together we form the crew of Scientology Portland. Together we are here to guide people step by step toward their own Total Freedom. And if we weren’t here to help them take that step, who would be?
So, want to be staff? Yes? Great! You’re staff. Come take care of the paperwork, get measured for a uniform and arrive for muster. It’s that simple. We’ll train you up and get you going in your own section of the beautiful and intricate machine that is a Scientology Organization.
Want to arrive but think you can’t because of life’s obstacles? We will help you overcome any obstacle and fast. Don’t believe it? Try us. That’s what we’re here for.
You are important to us. So is your own happiness and spiritual freedom. We want you on our team. There is a uniform and a desk here with your name on it.
Chief Body Registrar PORTLAND DAY
“From here on the world will change. But if it changes at all and if it recovers, it will be because of the Scientologist; it will be because of the auditor and his technical skill; it will be because of the organization and the organization staff member and his dedication. In all the broad universe there is no other hope for Man than ourselves. This is a tremendous responsibility. I have borne it too long alone. You share it with me now….Thank you very much for being here. I appreciate what you’re doing. I need your help and I am very grateful for what you have done. Goodbye for now. I will see you up the line, at the other end of the Bridge.”
Ron’s Journal 67 (lecture)
Happy Birthday, Dear Leader
David Miscavige turns 55 years old today. Hey, Dave, how about picking up the phone and giving us your thoughts on this auspicious day? We know you have the number.
Leah Remini makes a joke on Instagram. Actual caption: “Is someone trying to tell me something? Okay, okay I get it! #GoingClear #InsideJoke #SuppressivePerson,Inc”
Tampa Org, actual caption: “Tampa is going Double Saint Hill Size!!! In the last 7 weeks we have had 43 new staff join our team! We still need more though. Who do you know that would WANT to be part of this team and game? We are expanding and looking for upstat, qualified beings to join the crusade. Let us know!”
On May 14, you will be able to purchase ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ from Amazon in either electronic or print format, and simultaneously in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
The book will not be available for pre-order before that date. It is going live for sale on Thursday, May 14, and not a moment earlier. And hey, that’s just a few weeks away, so you won’t have to wait long.
Our appearances…
May 16: Santa Barbara Humanist Society (with Paulette Cooper), 3:00 pm
May 17: Center for Inquiry-West Los Angeles, 4773 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, 11 am (with Paulette Cooper)
May 17: CFI Orange County (Costa Mesa), 4:30 pm (with Paulette Cooper)
May 20, San Diego We’re getting some help from locals trying to assist the San Diego Association for Rational Inquiry (SDARI) find a venue for us (appearance with Paulette Cooper)
May 22: San Francisco (with Jamie DeWolf and Paulette Cooper)
(Finalizing a New York City event in early June)
June 20: Chicago
June 22/23: Toronto (with Paulette Cooper)
June 27/28: Florida (with Paulette Cooper)
July 12: Washington DC, Center for Inquiry
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They Just Found Your Father in the Swimming Pool
Posted by Will Errickson at 7:25 PM No comments:
Labels: '80s, leisure books, novel, unread
Stephen King Speaking at the University of Dayton, March 1982
Posted by Will Errickson at 8:58 AM 1 comment:
Labels: '80s, other stuff, stephen king
Shadowings: Reader's Guide to Horror Fiction, ed. by Douglas E. Winter (1983): Not Dark Yet... But It's Getting There
An unexpected find in a Washington used bookstore with an otherwise decidedly anemic horror section, Shadowings had been on my want list for years. Editor Douglas E. Winter was the preeminent horror critic of the 1980s, to me a kind of personal guiding light, and so I knew any "reader's guide" he put together had to be sought out. Subtitled The Reader's Guide to Horror Fiction, 1981-1982, it was issued by Starmont House, a small literary press specializing in SF/F/H criticism, and intended more for library reference shelves than for the casual everyday reader. It's an enlightening foray into the state of horror art in that decade so pivotal for the genre. Winter's foreward notes the burgeoning of the field, as well as his aim for this collection critical essays:
Criticism—effective, conscientious criticism—is not simply a means of informing the reading public about the availability of books. It is vital to the integrity and advancement of writers as well as of the literary form in which they work... traditionally [horror fiction] has found its best critics within the ranks of its working writers, as attested by H.P. Lovecraft's Supernatural Horror in Literature and Stephen King's Danse Macabre.
Shadowings isn't up in the rarefied heights of those two works (what is?!), but there's lots here to enjoy: Winter's own general overview of highlights and lowlights of the genre between '81 and '82 will blow up your to-read list, or at least get you to reassess titles and authors you've already read (The Delicate Dependency is disappointing?!). Stephen King contributes a short review of Red Dragon, praising the novel's "raw, grisly power" and laments the fact that "serious critics" won't deign to review such a work of suspense, even though "the best popular fiction can combine art with nearly devastating insights into The Way We Live Now."
Karl Edward Wagner takes a look at "an original visionary," Dennis Etchison and his outstanding collection The Dark Country. Jack Sullivan covers Ramsey Campbell's short fiction, noting his "uncompromising bleakness" and "compression and intensity" as he moved from Cthulhu Mythos tales to his own "fragmented, jagged" psychological horror. Charles L. Grant reviews Peter Straub's Shadowland, Alan Ryan reviews titles by Charles L. Grant, Michael McDowell, and Thomas Tessier, Winter himself talks to David Morrell about the part violence plays in fiction, while others like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, John Coyne, and Suzy McKee Charnas also weigh in (no one more perceptively than Etchison, however: "I submit that death, like anything else in art, may be used as a symbol"). Also included are several essays on "modern" horror films, Cronenberg, Creepshow, et. al. All this and more!
Douglas Winter, 1985
One can find copies of Shadowings online for around $10, which is what I paid for it; I'd say it's worth the sawbuck for an in-depth tour through early '80s horror at ground zero, back when Stephen King had published novels that numbered in the single digits and nobody yet, no matter what they thought, had seen the future of horror. Also: dig that typeset!
Labels: '80s, david morrell, dennis etchison, douglas winter, nonfiction, read, stephen king
Unholy Trinity by Ray Russell (1967): The Grandest Guignol of All
This little Bantam paperback from 1967 seems slight and cheap—the Halloween-costumed models beyond silly, although making specific reference to the three novellas within—but it packs a solid wallop of historical horror. Unholy Trinity collects Ray Russell's three greatest tales of the neo-Gothic, "Sagittarius," "Sanguinarius," and of course the much more well-known "Sardonicus," which was made into a 1961 film by notorious showman William Castle. Long a TMHF favorite, Russell was fiction editor at Playboy magazine during its height of 1960s influence, publishing Vonnegut, Bradbury, and others, so, you know, class (quite unlike the sleazy delights of his 1976 novel, the infamous Incubus). And class is what Russell brings to the proceedings, a triumvirate of history's most monstrous: Countess Bathory, Gilles de Rais, and Jack the Ripper (what, you say, no Vlad III? Nope) all appear. These monsters may be garbed in the finest raiment, but beneath they are as ghoulish, as diabolic, as unspeakable, as ever they have been.
As one can surmise from a 1985 dust-jacket photo of the author, his style is at once saturnine, urbane, regal even, with a wicked vein of dark humor and irony winding through. His work suggests a sophisticate's interest in pain and debasement, mitigated by the mists of history but also given weight by the fact these the events described actually happened (for the most part; "Sardonicus" is Russell's own literary conceit). Therefore it can be stated that one's sadism is sated while using the cloak of respectable historical detail as disguise... if you even care about that.
We begin with "Sanguinarius"—actually no, wait, we begin with an intro essay by Mr. Russell, "The Haunted Castle: A Confession." He recounts a taxing day as an editor in a modern office and upon returning home, exhausted by the existence of television, telephone, Dictaphone, typewriter, etc., and reading "smart, savvy stuff full of bright slang and hip allusion," he wants to relax with "one of those good old aromatic baroque tales, told in an unhurried, leisurely, painstakingly structured way, with plenty of unashamedly elaborate language." Of course Russell's read everything like that on his shelves (giving credence to Harlan Ellison's cry, "Who the hell wants a library full of books they've already read?"), so what's he do? He begins writing one himself! "Fevered with compulsion, totally absorbed," he produces first "Sardonicus," and within a short time the other two works within. Huzzah!
And so: "Sanguinarius" is a fictionalized first-person account of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, written in faux-16th century hand, detailing her descent into blood lust. From her entombment in a high Castle Csejthe room she writes this memoir, beseeching her Lord to hear her now that she's being punished for unimaginable deeds. In the village below, she writes, "no soul will dare display a thing of crimson." The marriage of the Bathory and Nadasdy lines brought together Hungarian royalty; she is expertly wooed by Count Ferencz Nadasdy (although it was probably an arranged marriage). Imprisoned Elizabeth writes of her and Ferencz's lovemaking, which gets Russell's pen flowing:
...for indeed to peaks of pleasure Ferencz led me, slowly to start with, step by timorous step, then setting out with more audacity, striving together, each succouring the other, climbing, first to one ledge, then to a higher, and then to yet a higher more dizzying ridge, finally to soar as if on wings to attain, both in the same heart-bursting moment, that cloud-capp'd ultimate point.
When Ferencz is called off to battle, Elizabeth mopes and mourns, unconsoled by "faithful old servant" Ilona, till one day Dorottya arrives. A beautiful young "woman of the wood" with the knowledge of healing herbs and ointments, she offers her services to the lonesome Countess. Things turn... heady. Ilona hears illicit cries in the night. You know how it goes. When Dorottya asks Elizabeth if she might bring others to cheer her, the Countess agrees, although slightly hesitant. What follows when of course Ferencz's sudden arrival home interrupts proceedings. Will it surprise the reader to learn that Dorottya is Ferencz's long-time mistress in unholy arts, that he sent her to Elizabeth at her time of weakness, and she was to be his wife's teacher in torture?
"And let us lead thee onward," added Dorottya, "to keen delights far stranger and more bold than those thou has already savour'd..."
"Ay, wife" said Ferencz, "and be thou Bathory not but in name, but in hot deed, as well!"
"And let us seal this compact with a solemn pledge," Dorottya said, "a ceremonial bath to signalize our fealty to sin."
I think you know what kind of ceremonial bath is to follow. Russell doesn't attempt to make her a sympathetic character. Self-serving, oblivious, even if at times regretful, Bathory blames her husband and Dorottya for developing her taste for blood and torture (even if such traits ran in her family). The little twist at the end is welcome, however; welcome, appropriate, refreshing even.
"For who would be disposed to smile under the same roof with him who must smile forever?"
Sandwiched in the middle of the book is Russell's most famous work, "Sardonicus." In 18— (I've never been able to ascertain why that dash was used in dates in pre-20th century literature...) one Dr. Robert Cargrave, an esteemed English physician, is called to a mountainous region of Bohemia by an old friend, Maude Randall. She is now married to a man who calls himself Sardonicus and together they live in a castle, a "vast edifice of stone... cold and repellent... of medieval dankness and decay" which "strike[s] the physical and the mental eye as would the sight of a giant skull." Of course they do! Once there, Cargrave and Maude strike up their old friendship (never consummated) and then she introduces her husband, Mr. Sardonicus.
"The gentleman before me was the victim of some terrible affliction that had caused his lips to be pulled perpetually apart from each other, baring his teeth in a continuous ghastly smile. It was the same humourless grin I had seen once before: on the face of a person in the last throes of lockjaw. We physicians have a name for that chilling grimace, a Latin name... risus sardonicus."
German edition, 1971
Sardonicus's backstory is a clever one, reaching back to creepy Eastern European folklore. He then reveals himself to be a diabolic mastermind, enlisting Cargrave's medical prowess to cure his wretched face while dangling a promise of bliss with Maude—or, failing in this, Sardonicus threatens the tortures of the damned for his platonic wife:
"Perhaps now you will better understand the necessity for this cure. And perhaps also you will understand the full extent of Maude's suffering should you fail to effect the cure. For, mark me well: if you fail, my wife will be made to become a true wife to me—by main force, and not for one fleeting hour, but every day and every night of her life, whensoever I say, in whatsoever manner I choose to express my conjugal privilege!" As an afterthought he added, "I am by nature imaginative."
It may not surprise you to find that Russell's attitude is one firmly set in the 1960s it was written in; the subtext of "Sardonicus" is like a recasting of the Playboy philosophy, that libertine stew of sex, sophistication, and rationality, in terms of the Gothic. In the end modern urban bachelor Cargrave outwits the violent, boorish cad and wins the woman. Sardonicus's comeuppance is utterly terrible and unutterably fitting. As I said: Playboy! Philosophy! No, really: whether you agree with my reading or not, "Sardonicus" is superb.
Playboy Press, 1971
The final piece, "Sagittarius," is a tale-within-a-tale, two men in an upper-class club exchanging bon-mots over cigars and Scotch. You know the scene. Elderly Lord Terrence and young Rolfe Hunt converse of "the series of mutilation-killings that were currently shocking the city, and then upon such classic mutilators as Bluebeard and Jack the Ripper, and then upon murder and evil in general..." You know, the yoozh. Lord Terry then launches into speculation: what if Mr. Hyde, of Stevenson fame, were real? And supposing that, what if he had sired a son? Then that conversation, about the twists and turns of good and evil in one soul, turns into Lord Terry's reminiscences about his younger days in turn-of-the-century Paris, when he knew a famous actor of Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol named Sebastien Sellig.
Ah, the Grand-Guignol! Theatrical performances of death and dismemberment, madness and the macabre, that drew standing-room-only crowds to witness buckets of stage blood spurting about. A terrific setting for a horror tale, and for Russell to show off his erudition. Into this brew he mixes Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and as a pièce de résistance, Gilles de Laval, Baron de Rais, that 15th century butcher of children and occult dabbler, compatriot of Joan of Arc and a man of—but of course—wealth and taste. Mystery piles upon mystery, and young Rolfe Hunt has, in the story's final sentence, a mind-freezing realization...
In the street, I felt I had to make some utterance. "To think, I said, "that her last evening was spent at the Guignol!"
Sellig smiled sympathetically. "My friend," he said, "the Grand Guignol is not only a shabby little theatre in a Montmartre alley. This—" his gesture took in the world "—is the Grandest Guignol of all."
I spent several days entranced by Russell's imagination, the twists and insights, the decadence of an aesthete's intelligence, enchanted by his delicate yet precise prose used to describe the indescribable. Russell's affection for the wormy tropes of Gothic literature is clear; his facility with them dexterous; his ironic repositioning of them enlightening. Thus I can recommend Unholy Trinity without hesitation (in print as Haunted Castles). High-minded, cultivated, blackly ironic and delighting in the debauched and the deranged from the vantage point of the mighty, Russell is a trustworthy guide through this netherworld populated by crumbling castles, dank dungeons, torture chambers, bleak landscapes, and most terrifying of all, the unfathomable cruelties of the human mind.
Not from God above or Fiend below,
but from within his own breast, his own brain, his own soul.
Labels: '60s, bantam books, favorite, historical horror, novella, playboy press, ray russell, read, sexy horror, sphere books
Stephen King Speaking at the University of Dayton,...
Shadowings: Reader's Guide to Horror Fiction, ed. ...
Unholy Trinity by Ray Russell (1967): The Grandest...
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Couture-Haws L, Harris MW, Lockhart AC, and Birnbaum LS. 1991. Evaluation of the persistence of hydronephrosis induced in mice following in uteri and/or lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 107:402-412.
Arrellano, L., M. Harris, and S. Safe. 1991. Induction of Cypiai Gene transcription by TCDD in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Society of Toxicology 30th Annual Meeting. February 25-March 1, 1991. Dallas, TX.
Couture-Haws L, Harris MW, McDonald MM, Lockhart AC, and Birnbaum LS. 1991. Hydronephrosis in mice exposed to TCDD-contaminated breast milk: identification of the peak period of sensitivity and assessment of potential recovery. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 107:413-428.
Copeland, T., M. Harris, B. Finley, and D. Paustenbach. 1991. Health effects and environmental characterization of Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD): Impact on risk assessment of former wood treatment sites. Society of Toxicology 30th Annual Meeting. February 25-March 1, 1991. Dallas, TX.
Frankos VH, Schmitt DF, Haws LC, McEvily AJ, Iyengar R, Miller SA, Munro IC, Clydsdale FM, Forbes AL, and Sauer RM. 1991. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) evaluation of 4-hexylresorcinol for use as a processing aid for the prevention of melanosis in shrimp. Reg Toxicol Pharmacol. 14:202-212.
Fernandez, P., M. Harris, and S. Safe. 1991. Effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on T47-D human breast cancer cell lines. Society of Toxicology 30th Annual Meeting. February 25-March 1, 1991. Dallas, TX.
Piskorska-Pliszczynska, J, Astroff B, Zacharewski T, Harris MA, Rosengren R, Morrison V, Safe L, and Safe S. 1991. Mechanism of action of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin antagonists: characterization of 6-[125I]methyl-8-iodo-1,3-dichlorodibenzofuran-Ah receptor complexes. Arch Biochem Biophy. 284(1):193-200.
Harris, M., L. Biegel, T. Zacharewski, S. and Safe, S. 6-methyl-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofuran (MCDF) as an antiestrogen: effects on nuclear estrogen receptor levels, cell growth and the 17_-Estradiol-induced secretion of proteins in MCF-7 Cells. Society of Toxicology 30th Annual Meeting. February 25-March 1, 1991. Dallas, TX.
Safe S, Astroff B, Harris MA, Zacharewski T, Dickerson R, Romkes M, and Biegel L. 1991. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related compounds as antioestrogens: characterization and mechanism of action. Pharmacol Toxicol. 69:400-409.
Harris, M., B. Finley, R. Wenning, and D. Paustenbach. 1991. Evaluation of Potential Sources of 1,2,8,9-TCDD in Aquatic Biota from Newark Bay. Society of Toxicology 30th Annual Meeting. February 25-March 1, 1991. Dallas, TX.
Safe S, Harris MA, Biegel L, and Zacharewski T. 1991. Mechanism of Action of TCDD as an antiestrogen in transformed human breast cancer and rodent cell lines. Banbury Report 35: Biological Basis for Risk Assessment of Dioxins and Related Compounds Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 367-377.
Jackson, B.A., L.C. Haws, R.J. Wixtrom, and T.B. Starr. 1991. Secondary mechanisms in carcinogenesis: breaking out of the no-threshold paradigm. American College of Toxicology Annual Meeting. Savannah, Georgia.
Simmons HF, James RC, Harbison RD, Patel DG and Roberts SM. 1991. Examination of the role of catechotamines in hepatic glutathione suppression by cold-restraint in mice. Toxicology 67:29–40.
Piskorska-Pliszczynska, J., B. Astroff, T. Zacharewski, M. Harris, R. Rosengren, V. Morrison, L. Safe, and S. Safe. 1991. Mechanism of action of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Antagonists: characterization of [125I]-6-methyl-8-Iodo-1,3-dichlorodibenzofuran-Ah receptor complexes. Society of Toxicology 30th Annual Meeting. February 25-March 1, 1991. Dallas, TX.
Harbison RD, James RC and Roberts SM. 1991. Hepatic glutathione suppression by alpha-adrenoreceptor agonist compounds. Toxicology 69:279-290.
Roberts SM, Harbison RD, Seng JE and James RC. 1991. Potentiation of carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity by phenylpropanolamine. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 111:175-188.
Roberts SM, Harbison RD and James RC. 1991. Human microsomal N-oxidative metabolism of cocaine. Drug Metab. Dispos. 19:1046-1051.
Zacharewski T, Harris MA, and Safe S. 1991. Evidence for a possible mechanism of action of the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-mediated decrease of nuclear estrogen receptor levels in wild-type and mutant Hepa 1c1c7 cells. Biochem Pharmacol. 41:1931-1939.
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Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Deluxier Edition Nintendo Switch Review
Posted by Jordan Humphries | May 31, 2018 | Reviews | 0
Knights of Pen & Paper Nintendo Switch Review by SwitchWatch
Developer: Seaven Studio / Behold Studios
Publisher: Plug In Digital
Release Date: May 29th 2018
Price as of Article: $14.99 USD, £13.49 GBP
Game code provided by Plug In Digital for review
Knights of Pen & Paper is a fantasy styled RPG with a heavy dose of Dungeons and Dragons and create your own adventure vibe to it. Dungeons and Dragons fans will instantly connect with this one. Right from the beginning you’re introduced to the game as the dungeon master sits across the table beckoning the creation of your group of players to set you on your adventure.
While the story does play out like it’s made up on the spot, it’s still fairly linear as you help a village, curing a cursed King and tracking down the offending malevolent force. It’s charming, purposely cliched and full of 4th wall breaking conversation. I really found it pleasing, especially when your characters would break their in-game character claiming they need to use the bathroom or take a call, something which no doubt plagues D&D games around the world. Obviously it’s not the most necessary or engrossing of stories which will no doubt put off many an RPG fan but I enjoyed its eccentric nature.
Knight of Pen & Paper isn’t exactly big on tutorials, which I don’t mind, but it’s not exactly easy to just pick up the game and play right from the beginning. It’s not a complicated game by any means but some sort of guidance would have been nice for beginners, even if it was optional. I was never sure if I was doing the correct thing or not, or what the general means of certain things were, which left me a little apprehensive about playing.
You begin with the dungeon master across the table, telling you to create the people you want to join the game as well as their characters in game. Do you want the nerd to be a paladin or a mage? The office guy to be a cleric or a rogue? At the end of the day, it seems to have very little impact as to who you chose to be what, but that seems to be a theme of the game. It’s not exactly the most in-depth game that I’ve ever played. In fact the gameplay of Knights of Pen & Paper is definitely secondary to the story and quirkiness it wants to present. Take away the referential, 4th wall breaking D&D skin and you’ve got yourself a very basic time.
As your dungeon master sits opposite you talk to him to receive a choice of quests, some of which are for advancing the story, others are for grinding cash, experience and more likely; watching some funny dialogue. You travel from location to location fighting battles to appease the dungeon masters whacky antics.
Battles are quite basic as you would expect. Set out like a Dragon Quest game, your characters are planted at the bottom the screen (still attached to their gaming table) with enemies above. You have a physical attack or your special attacks which use up your magic points. Depending on which characters you’ve chosen will depend on what’s available, but you’ll definitely want a healer in there as soon as possible.
An interesting gimmick is that you can often choose how many foes you want to battle at a time. This isn’t always the case for big story battles or surprise attacks but for the most part you can pick and choose how many you want to take on. Between battles you can even rest up all your health and magic before attempting to take on the rest of the required total. It’s so casual, almost to a condescending level but you can forgive it because it’s so whimsical in its style. It also emits fallout from its mobile origins, its ripe for a quick pick up and play with plenty of opportunity to be half distracted by something else.
Even though that may give off a feeling that Knights of Pen & Paper is easy, you may want to take time to grind a few levels here and there between story points since, you’ll find that the next main story mission will often have a higher recommended level than you’ll currently be at if you’re just casually making your way through the game. There’s even a specifically designated grind area where enemies will be perfectly levelled to help advance you the most. It seems like a bit of a copout for a lack of balance but it’s not a huge issue.
I did have some interface issues with this game. As you may have seen from the gameplay footage, at the beginning I found it very easy to click the wrong command for a variety of reasons. Firstly it’s not always clear where everything is or what everything means. This is thanks to the lacking tutorial but there are other elements such as the default cursor placement being on the second command of magic, rather than the first. The cursor highlight isn’t great either, the icon you are on is only a slightly darker shade of grey. It’s not great design in my opinion. Of course you do become accustomed to it eventually but it doesn’t excuse it.
As you may be wondering from the title, this is supposed to be the Epic Super Turbo Championship Edition of the game. As I have not played the original release I don’t know what exactly the +1 or the Deluxier moniker have added to the gameplay. It is promised that more quest lines, items and places have been put in. How much? I don’t know.
Visuals & Performance
Visually it’s taken a lot of inspiration from the 16-Bit era RPGs and I think it looks bright and colourful enough. There is the slightly generic medieval fantasy style that we’ve seen a million times over, but that’s the point. There’re some decently designed enemies and environments although the scope is obviously quite small. I do wish there was more animation. Everything is very, very static which makes things become a little unappealing after a while.
The sound is pretty good but a little on the repetitive side. If you stay in the same places for any length of time you may become a little tired of the song loops, even if they are fairly good and catchy. The songs are very 16-Bit to go along with the art style in a nicely fitting way. A bit more variety would have been nice though.
For value, this Deluxier Edition of Knights of Pen & Paper is selling for $14.99 or £13.49 which is probably more than you guys were hoping for. With this price you’re getting more than a dozen hours of charming, reference laden, laid-back RPG gameplay. That sounds like decent value right? At least compared to other games. The offbeat nature of it means there’s always something new and funny to experience and so it’s a decent amount of content for the price.
Humorous story
Nice retro presentation
Great pick up and play
May lack depth for some
Interface issues
Summary Overall I think if you’re into or nostalgic for Dungeons and Dragons I’m sure this will be a nice little title for you to download on your Switch. The gameplay is a little simplistic, baring the hallmarks of a more casual title and general RPG fans may not get a long with the mechanics and the less serious (although admittedly funny) story. Still I think this is a nice little offbeat time spender that you can easily pick up and play any time and make progress. I would give it a nice recommendation even if it’s not exactly top tier material for an RPG on the Switch.
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Brexit: Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage says 'maybe we should have another referendum'
By Gareth Platt
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said "maybe we should have a second referendum on EU membership".
Farage said a second vote would "kill off the issue once and for all", during an appearance on TV chatshow The Wright Stuff this morning.
The prominent eurosceptic said: "My mind is actually changing on this.
"What is for certain is that the Blairs, the Cleggs, the Adonises, will never, ever, ever give up. They will go on whingeing, and whining, and moaning.
"So maybe, just maybe, I'm reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership."
EXCLUSIVE - Nigel Farage says "just maybe I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership".@Nigel_Farage | @Matthew_Wright | #wrightstuff pic.twitter.com/T0fROToskr
— The Wright Stuff (@5WrightStuff) January 11, 2018
Asked by host Matthew Wright whether he meant "the whole thing," Farage said: "Of course, of course. Unless you want to have a multiple-choice referendum, which would confuse people.
"If we had a second referendum on EU membership we'd kill it off for a generation. The percentage who would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round.
"And we may just finish the whole thing off, and [Tony] Blair can disappear off into total obscurity."
Following Britain's decision to leave the EU Farage sensationally stepped down as Ukip leader, and subsequently campaigned for Donald Trump in the US.
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Read Next: Starz Nears Realignment: Why Lionsgate Won't Hire a CEO to Replace Chris Albrecht
February 22, 2014 7:20PM PT
NBC’s ‘Heroes’ to Return as Miniseries in 2015
By Cynthia Littleton
Cynthia Littleton
Business Editor @Variety_Cynthia FOLLOW
Cynthia's Most Recent Stories
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NBC is re-engaging the “Heroes” team, ordering 13 episodes of an event miniseries to air next year with series creator Tim Kring at the helm.
NBC teased the plan to revive the franchise with a promo spot that aired during Saturday’s telecast of Olympics coverage (watch above).
The brief spot featured a fade-in on the “Heroes” logo with the word “Reborn” added along with “Coming 2015.”
There had been rumors last year that the Peacock was looking to revive the mystery-fantasy drama that aired from 2006-2010. Kring is set to exec produce 13 new episodes.
Details of the storyline are being kept under wraps. It’s described as a stand-alone arc. A digital series will bow prior to the TV return to introduce (or perhaps re-introduce) fans to the characters that will be the focus of “Reborn.”
“The enormous impact ‘Heroes’ had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening,” said NBC Entertainment prexy Jennifer Salke. “Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another installment. We’re thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”
The original series starred Zachary Quinto, Hayden Panettiere, Jack Colman, Ali Larter, Adrian Pasdar, Milo Ventigmiglia and Greg Grunberg as a motley group of people who slowly realize they have extraordinary powers.
Here’s the “Heroes” promo from Saturday:
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Category Archives: Best Attractions in Pensacola Florida
Visit Jimmy Buffet’s Favorite Attractions in Pensacola Florida
English: Map of Florida Panhandle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A bust of Andrew Jackson at the Plaza Ferdinand VII, where Jackson was sworn in as Governor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Blue Angels 2010 (Photo credit: ryan spalding)
Pensacola, Florida: Plaza Ferdinand VII. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Florida (Photo credit: tico_manudo)
English: Downtown Pensacola sign, taken by me. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Pensacola, Florida: T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, in the old city hall. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
View of Fort PIckens, near Pensacola (Photo credit: StevenM_61)
Pensacola Beach is a luscious beach town on the Florida Panhandle that has historically been a strategic military deep-water port.
This area of Florida is often refered to as the Emerald Coast; the beaches and coastal resorts from Pensacola to Port St. Joe.
English: 0 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today, the Pensacola Naval Air Station is the home of the Blue Angels incredible flight demonstration squadron. It is also the site of one of my favorite Florida Hotels; The Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Beach Hotel.
Margaritaville in Pensacola Florida 2014
A former U.S. Navy “Blue Angels” Grumman F9F-8 Cougar (BuNo 131205) on display at Florida Welcome Center, Interstate 10 near the Alabama border, Florida Panhandle (USA). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Jimmy Buffet’s roots are on this Gulf Coast; he was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and spent part of his childhood in Mobile Alabama.
Cover of Jimmy Buffett
My favorite place to stay in Pensacola Beach is the pristine Margaritaville Beach Hotel at 165 Fort Pickens Road. Some tourists might prefer the Fort Pickens Campground; I’m just not that girl. I want a room with a view, breath-taking sunsets, a pool that overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and unlimited access to the finest Margaritas in the Emerald Coast! By the way, “Frank’s Fresh Margarita” was my favorite. It’s the one with the Gran Marnier!
Margaritaville in Pensacola Florida
While your staying at Margaritaville in Pensacola, you may want to read his 1989 bestselling novel; Tales from Margaritaville. By the way, Margaritaville is a mythical island. Or is it Pensacola? You can be the judge of that.
To get around town, you can take the seasonal beach trolley that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Pensacola is proud of its rich heritage, and has plenty of historically significant events and landmarks. For their “450th anniversary, they hosted the king and queen of Spain and brought in the world’s third largest tall ship the Elcano.” Pensacola was the first European settlement in the US.
Visit Historic Pensacola Village.
Historic Pensacola Florida
Tour furnished houses and visit one of Florida’s oldest churches at Historic Pensacola Village.
Pensacola has a thriving downtown area with plenty of shops and restaurants. I love Jackson’s Steakhouse Restaurant at 400 S. Palafox Street in the heart of the historic Downtown District.
Downtown Pensacola Florida
Downtown Pensacola Flolrida
While you are there, visit these interesting places:
1. The Naval Aviation Museum at 1750 Radford Blvd. has “360 degree full motion flight simulators, special hands-on exhibits and more than 150 historic aircraft”.
English: A U.S. Navy Grumman YF-14A Tomcat (BuNo 157984) at the U.S. National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida (USA). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Pensacola, Florida: Pensacola Historic District: Lear-Rocheblave House. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2. Historic Pensacola Village at 120 Church Street is a collection of 22 historical buildings and museums operated by the University of West Florida. Visit Christ Church, built in 1832 in Pensacola, Florida. The historic architecture was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Located at 405 South Adams Street, the old church is now part of Historic Pensacola Village.
3. Visit the T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State History at 330 Jefferson Street. The building was built in 1907 as the Pensacola City Hall and served as such until 1985 when the present city hall was built at 180 Governmental Center.
English: Pensacola Light, FL (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Pensacola, Florida: Old Christ Church. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
4. Climb to the top of Pensacola Lighthouse at 2081 Radford Blvd.
5. Camp at Fort Pickens National Park
6. Tour the Pensacola Museum of Art at 407 S. Jefferson Street.
If you need more reasons to check out Pensacola, visit http://www.visitpensacola.com/landing/3-minute-adventures
Pensacola, Florida: Pensacola Historic District: The Museum of Art. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Don’t forget to go to Peg Leg Pete’s for some Pensacola Viagra!
Peg Leg Pete’s in Pensacola Beach Florida
Eat fish live longer. Eat oysters love longer
Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ http://www.vino-con-vista.com
Pensacola Beach at Fort Pickens
Pensacola Florida – a Beautiful Place to Visit
Pensacola Attractions: Things to do in Pensacola
Filed under Best Attractions in Pensacola Florida, Italy Travel Guides
Tagged as Best Attractions in Pensacola Florida, Emerald Coast, Florida, Florida Air Museum, Florida Panhandle, Florida Pensacola Beach, Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Alabama, Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Florida, Some of Jimmy Buffet's Favorite Attractions in Pensacola Florida, T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum
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Realtor & Team Leader
Phone: (240) 479-9124 Office: (202) 243-7700 Email: [email protected]
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Property Overview The Area
Nestled between the neighborhoods of Columbia Heights & Petworth, 14Spring is perfectly situated to bring you the best Washington DC has to offer.
Steps to Columbia Heights Metro & Petworth Metro, as well as all the activity on 14th Street.
Dining, style, and culture at your fingertips with easy access to chic neighborhood boutiques, world-class restaurants, Rock Creek Park, and so much more!
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Unit 1 – 1BR/1BA 650 sqft $63 Monthly Condo Fees
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The Neighborhood:
Adams Morgan is a very diverse and culture-savvy neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., The neighborhood boasts a strong reputation in ethnic eccentricity, abundant social interaction, and good neighbor-familiarity.It is known as a major night life area in DC full of restaurants, bars, performance spots, iconic stores and many other venues along 18th Street (The main commercial district) and Columbia Road. 18th Street is the buzzing center of activity and social life, while Columbia Road occupies more homey places – grocery stores, local businesses, smaller eateries, etc. The neighborhood is made up of 19th- and early 20th- century row houses and apartment buildings
Adams Morgan is bounded by Connecticut Avenue to the southwest, Rock Creek Park to the west, Harvard Street to the north, 16th Street to the east, and Florida Avenue to the south.
A Little History:
Adams Morgan derived its names from the desegregation of two elementary schools in 1955. One was named Thomas P. Morgan and the other, John Q Adams. A group of residents worked with city officals to organize and construct a new elemmtary school and recreational complex which became a community hub. The facility was named “the Marie H. Reed Learning Center.” To this day Adams Morgan continues to live up to its multicultural upbringing.
Woodley Park Metro Station (Red Line).
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‘Here We Go Again’
Posted on | November 29, 2011 | 36 Comments
So said Mrs. Herman Cain, when told of the allegations made by Ginger White. That quote was from Herman Cain’s appearance on Wolf Blitzer’s show, in which he made a flat denial:
“I have nothing to hide,” he said. “I did nothing wrong.”
Asked directly by Mr. Blitzer, “Was this an affair?” Mr. Cain responded, “It was not.”
But then Cain’s lawyer, Lin Wood, issued a non-denial:
“This appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults — a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public,” he said.
If I were a candidate for office accused of having an affair, and my lawyer issued that kind of statement, I’d need another lawyer to defend me against assault charges for trying to strangle the first lawyer.
But moving on, we find some curious facts about Ginger White:
Ms. White is an unemployed single mother. Before the interview, Fox learned that she had filed a sexual harassment claim against an employer in 2001. That case was settled. The station also found a bankruptcy filing nearly 23 years ago in Kentucky, and several eviction notices in the Atlanta area over the past six years.
The station also reported that Ms. White had a former business partner who once sought a “stalking temporary protective order” against her for “repeated e-mails/texts threatening lawsuit and defamation of character.” The case was dismissed, but it was followed by a libel lawsuit against Ms. White. A judge entered an order against Ms. White because she failed to respond to the lawsuit, Fox reported.
“Several eviction notices”? She is supposedly the mistress of a millionaire businessman, but can’t pay her rent? There would appear to be a contradiction involved here.
Beyond any question of whether Ginger White is telling the truth, however, the Cain campaign made at least three different statements Monday: First, there was Cain’s pre-emptive denial on CNN. Then, there was Lin Wood’s non-denial, which raised eyebrows at AOSHQ. Then there was the press release issued by Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon. So the “message discipline” was problematic.
More problematic, however, was a progressive blogger’s reaction, described by Donald Douglas at American Power:
TBogg’s racist black sexual stereotype slam on Herman Cain as a “jungle boogie black stud” who has “Sexed Up Every Woman In America Including Your Mom.” Racist TBogg spices up the post with some white go-go boot betties looking to go down on a big bad black Cadillac-drivin’ Shaft-style mofo.
If you accurately describe a New York Times column, Dave Weigel says that’s racist. But lefty bloggers throw this stuff at Herman Cain, and that’s OK, because it’s stereotyping on behalf of progressivism.
UPDATE: ABC News has more details on the accuser:
Ginger White . . . has liens and civil judgments in Kentucky and Georgia dating back to 1994.
Eleven of those liens have been filed since 2009, with nine in 2011. The owners of her apartment complex in Dunwoody, Georgia have sued her for non-payment of rent nearly every month since the beginning of the year.
White, a 46-year-old unemployed single mother who is at least twice divorced, was described by WAGA as an Atlanta-area businesswoman. . . . According to WAGA, she filed a sex harassment claim against an employer ten years ago, and the case was settled. . . .
In January, there is a scheduled court date in an unrelated civil suit filed against her by a former business partner, Kimberly Vay, who alleges that White stalked and harassed her and had sought a protective order. A judge has entered a default judgment in Vay’s favor.
She’s nine months behind on her rent?
Category: Election 2012, Herman Cain
36 Responses to “‘Here We Go Again’”
November 29th, 2011 @ 10:43 am
I’m not a Christian, so I honestly have no idea how to answer this: if Cain, an ordained minister, had a pastoral relationship with this woman, and not a sexual/romantic relationship, isn’t this pretty much how he’d have to answer if asked about the details of that relationship?
This is almost as funny as seeing an ad to re-elect Alan Grayson on your page.
My sister is a Methodist minister, and that’s how she would have to answer. There’s a reason there’s a clerical privilege defined in laws on testimony, similar to doctor and attorney.
Ladd Ehlinger Jr.
All of which begs the question… http://filmladd.com/?WhenBookToursGoBad
Let it go. Cain didn’t do anything to you…blame your contact, sure.
On another note, if the story is true and that lady rants money…she us going about it wrong. I’m sure Cain would have paid he off….if true.
@FilmLadd Heard a lot of complaints like that. “Mongo just pawn in game of life.”
Ladd, I am still willing to give Cain the benefit of doubt…but I have doubts. And even if this is the most insidious evil hit job ever, Herman Cain’s candiacy is terminally damaged. Not over the hit job (assuming it is a hit job)–oh it damaged him but if false he could survive that–but over a terrible campaign.
I want to defend Herman. But it is getting increasingly harder to do so. While I like Herman Cain and support his message, we have to win the White House in 2012. Herman can’t win it if this continues.
steve benton
Maybe Herman can get an adviser to handle all his booty calls. The same guy that’s going to tell him what to think on foreign policy can also do the actual harassment. I hope this doesn’t endanger receiving our lil pony through Herman.
DarthLevin
My new concern about Cain is his ability to choose qualified advisors. I mean, your own lawyer puts out a non-denial denial like that?
Christy Waters
Found this: Cain “Reassessing” Candidacy
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/284321/breaking-cain-reassessing-candidacy-robert-costa
November 29th, 2011 @ 12:04 pm
BREAKING: via FoxNews – ‘Cain campaign conducting an “assessment” of campaign’
Will the realize too late that they should have embraced the Conservative media that wanted to help them? Will he quit? WHAT?
They should have fucking hired some new media savvy people, they should have listened to Stacy! Hell, they could have had Ladd on their team too! But NOOOO, they had to jerk around people who could have HELPED THEM.
I suspect the Cain camp0aign has been run by lib saboteurs all along. The way the campaign undermines itself is worse than anything those bitches or the lefty media has done.
If Cain’s relationship with her was “pastoral” that would have been a good thing to lead with.
The campaign was run by Mark Block. We have experience with him in Wisconsin. He’s in WAAAAYYYYYY over his head; he thought he could run the campaign as a Peter Fonda/Born to be Wild re-write.
This link updated with comments from Herman Cain.
Finrod Felagund
Why does his lawyer need to deny it again, except to mollify fools like Leon at RedState? You would think that one denial is enough, especially when it was done preemptively.
Linked, with commentary on one aspect.
Bringing it up once or twice is one thing. Bringing it up a fourth or fifth time is whining.
Herman Cain ‘Re-Assessing’ Campaign : The Other McCain
November 29th, 2011 @ 1:38 pm
[…] an emotional toll, but the people in the audience tonight will never know it.”Accusations by hyper-litigious bankrupt divorceés? No biggie.Leaving me off a key conference call? That could be serious trouble.I’ve got to go […]
ThePaganTemple
Oh, so their relationship was pastoral? What does that mean, that they did it in a corn field?
Dicentra spectabilis
A commenter at protein wisdom confirms the diagnosis: the woman’s a real piece of work: http://t.co/qZMa1iwt
“She looks like the gal I interviewed and I remember her name was Ginger.
I don’t remember her last name. It would have been in 04-05. She was
dippy. Didn’t get the job and kept hounding me to find her something
else. I finally had the admin screen my calls and didn’t return her
messages. I hate having my calls screened at work. She finally quit
calling. IIRC her resume was very spotty and she was kinda vague about
her past history. Was very incensed that she wasn’t chosen.”
Adjoran
So, Cain defenders: how about the dozens of phone calls and text messages to Cain’s private cell number? Was she ordering pizza?
Reality is not what you want to believe.
How many FROM Cain?
*Good times?*
He Said, She Said | Daily Pundit
[…] RSM isn’t buying any of it. Not yet, at least. Cain, Gingrich, Primary 12, RomneyPermalink ← Gingrich Locking It […]
“If I were a candidate for office accused of having an affair, and my
lawyer issued that kind of statement, I’d need another lawyer to defend
me against assault charges for trying to strangle the first lawyer.”
Funniest thing I’ve read in a week.
Herman Cain Out Within a Week? | Reluctant-Rebel
[…] other words, the story seemed fishy from the beginning. Then revelations about Ginger White surfaced. Ginger White . . . has liens and civil judgments in Kentucky and Georgia dating back to 1994. […]
#tcot @AceOfSpadesHQ So, You’re Still Kinda Butt-Hurt About Rick Perry, Huh? : The Other McCain
[…] seriously doubt that 78 days from now I’m gonna be grousing bitterly about Gloria Allred and Ginger White. So why — 78 days after the Tampa debate — is Ace still ax-grinding against Michele […]
As If the Campaign Wasn’t Weird Enough : The Other McCain
November 30th, 2011 @ 7:08 am
[…] next employer after getting paid “go away” money by the National Restaurant Association.Ginger White, an unemployed twice-divorced single mom who is nine months behind on her rent and made libelous […]
House of Eratosthenes
[…] Ginger White, an unemployed twice-divorced single mom who is nine months behind on her rent and made libelous accusations of racism and drug abuse against her ex-business partner. […]
Newtmentum!: New Rasmussen National Poll Has Gingrich Beating Obama 45% to 43% « Nice Deb
CRISIS LOOMS FOR HERMAN CAIN CAMPAIGN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE : The Other McCain
[…] As If the Campaign Wasn’t Weird EnoughNov. 29: Herman Cain ‘Re-Assessing’ CampaignNov. 29: ‘Here We Go Again’Nov. 28: Herman Cain Campaign Press ReleaseNov. 27: Cain on CNN: ‘In Terms of the Mechanics of the […]
Herman Cain to Neil Cavuto: Affair Accusation Came ‘Out of the Blue’ : The Other McCain
[…] If the Campaign Wasn’t Weird EnoughNov. 29: Herman Cain ‘Re-Assessing’ CampaignNov. 29: ‘Here We Go Again’Nov. 28: Herman Cain Campaign Press ReleaseNov. 27: Cain on CNN: ‘In Terms of the Mechanics of the […]
Newt Nails It: Media ‘Would Rather Worry About Rumors About Conservatives Than Facts About The President’ « Start Thinking Right
December 1st, 2011 @ 9:32 am
[…] take the latest serial accuser of Herman Cain. Consider the credibility of Ginger White: Ms. White is an unemployed single mother. Before the interview, Fox learned that she had filed a […]
Crossposted from TheOtherMcCain – Ginger White’s Business Partner — GraniteGrok
December 5th, 2011 @ 9:34 am
Hanging by a Rope Thread | Tea Party Tribune - Tea Party & Political News
[…] Ginger White, an unemployed twice-divorced single mom who is nine months behind on her rent and made libelous accusations of racism and drug abuse against her ex-business partner. There’s a country saying that cow chips need to dry out a spell before you toss ‘em. What was purported to be Cain’s “blue dress” are the text messages, and a call that was supposedly made at 3A. Maybe he thought it was Hillary. The text messages were just proof of correspondence, and there were no records of the conversations. As for the 3A call, I have called back wrong numbers early in the morning, thinking, it might be an emergency. So Cain admitted to knowing the woman and helping her in the past, perhaps helped her financially. Glenn Beck said that he would have had his wife write the check. Way to pile on, Glenn. According to this report in USA Today, Cain’s campaign is dead; lynched by an unknown assassin, though his answers on Libya and some of the campaign tactics certainly had Cain placing the noose around his neck. But somebody else moved the horse from under the tree. Don’t expect the NAACP, the CBC or other black Liberals to form a posse. There will be no white Liberal guilt. No, this is one murder that will go unsolved. Politically speaking, sometimes it’s ok to look the other way, when a black man gets lynched. He just must be a Republican. That’s my rant! © 2011 Kevin Jackson – The Black Sphere, LLC – All Rights Reserved Article Source – http://theblacksphere.net/hanging-by-a-rope-thread/ Tags: black conservatism, black republicans, democrat president, grass roots, Herman Cain drops out of race, herman cain sexual harrassment, republican nomination, rope thread, sexual allegations, sexual harasser, sharon black […]
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Be wary of racism absolvers
Needed: White people who will hold other whites accountable for their racism
Up Next From Culture
By Brando Simeo Starkey @BrandoStarkey
The best way, I believe, to think of white supremacy is as a cultural practice to advantage whites over nonwhites. In the real world, it leads to wickedness — whites and their nonwhite collaborators disproportionately hoarding the economic fruits of American capitalism for whites while using the power of the state to promote whites’ interests and sanction people of color. Like all other pathological cultural practices, to expunge a culture of white supremacy from our midst requires first that it be identified. To do that, a societal scourge will need to be resisted and conquered — racism absolvers.
Racism absolvers exonerate whites against charges of racism even when prosecutors possess enough evidence to secure a conviction. Having launched themselves into prominence in the aftermath of the election, racism absolvers are peacocking around, parading their polluted plumage for all to peep. We must expose this flock for its heinousness.
Perusing recent tweets from The New York Times, reporter Jeremy W. Peters compelled me to write this. He shot off a few ideas that revealed him to be a racism absolver:
https://twitter.com/jwpetersNYT/status/813811340087357441
Of course racism was a factor. Not suggesting otherwise. But a lot of people want to overlook the Dem Party's fault here too
— Jeremy W. Peters (@jwpetersNYT) December 27, 2016
Peters tweeted in response to a New York Times piece titled Sorry Liberals. Bigotry Didn’t Elect Donald Trump by David Paul Kuhn, a political analyst. Kuhn’s offering is a recent iteration of a flurry of commentary that absolves the racism of many of Trump’s voters. Both Kuhn and Peters assert an absurdity that anyone who cares about truth must oppose lest it continue to live and grow: that racism was not a driving force in the election of Trump.
Many have heard something resembling the following statement: Racism did not win Trump the presidency. Such remarks conjure the specter of causation. They imply, in other words, racism did not cause Trump to be elected. The fact the election came down to about 80,000 votes in three states complicates matters because many factors can be deemed decisive in 270 electoral votes falling into Trump’s tally.
Presidential election is another example of 'involuntary sacrifice' of black people
Help me understand, white America
Implicit bias and the NFL draft
How to combat implicit bias
How the U.S. Supreme Court helped create police abuse
Can America make Black Lives Matter without making white lives better?
How tort law deals with causation can help assess whether a prudent mind would deem racism as having caused Trump’s election. In a case where various factors might have caused a result, say a negligence injury case, courts frequently employ the “substantial factor test.” Courts, under this test, determine whether the supposed cause was a “substantial factor” in precipitating the outcome. The “substantial factor test,” per Black’s Law Dictionary, is defined as “the principle that causation exists when the defendant’s conduct is an important or significant contributor to the plaintiff’s injuries.”
Work by social scientists based on survey data forms a body of empirical evidence that establishes racism was “an important or significant contributor” in this year’s presidential election. Racist or racially resentful views were so tied to support for Trump one cannot plausibly contend he would have been elected sans such sentiments. We must conclude, therefore, that racism helped get Trump elected.
Michael Tesler, for example, a University of California-Irvine political science professor, reports that whites holding “racially resentful beliefs, such as blaming racial inequality on black culture” strongly predicted support for Trump. The perception that whites are the real victims of racial discrimination, furthermore, “appeared to be an unusually strong predictor of support for Donald Trump in the general election,” writes Tesler.
Brian Schaffner, a University of Massachusetts-Amherst political science professor, finds similar results, although his research focuses on both race and gender. Whites who denied that racism hurts minorities were far more likely to support Trump. Believing white privilege exists, though, dramatically reduced support. Schaffner told Sean McElwee of Salon, “Yes, economic anxiety mattered, but views on gender and race mattered more.”
‘Last Chance U’ seasons one and two: Where are they now? Read now
Many, including a lot of whites, want to transcend these ills, a space we inhabit when those who have reproduced and feasted on this culture finally cleanse it from their palate. They must be persuaded into extracting racism from their diet, a process that starts with acknowledging their gluttony. By pretending the racism social scientists have measured doesn’t exist, racism absolvers — skinny mirrors for bigotry — play defense against the requisite reckoning.
Racism absolvers coconspire, along with racists themselves, in preventing America from becoming truly racially egalitarian. Absolvers perhaps see themselves as extending kindness to the sort of people they hold dear — my uncle Ned is a great guy, and I’m uncomfortable with people like him seemingly being called bad people, so I’m going to cover for his ilk. Instead, they shield people from the bullets they deserve to take, bullets that will cause injuries but might motivate them toward personal growth.
I cannot fathom watching racists being called racists and defending them taking precedence over defending their victims. Although absolving racism is less objectionable than perpetrating it, neither immorality can be stomached if we are to ever overcome our race problem.
Brando Simeo Starkey is an associate editor at The Undefeated and the author of In Defense of Uncle Tom: Why Blacks Must Police Racial Loyalty. He crawled through a river of books and came out brilliant on the other side.
This Story Tagged: Commentary Donald Trump
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Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984)
Tags: Ator, Cannon, Ginger, Knights, Miles O'Keeffe, Sir Gawain, Sir Sean Connery, Sword of the Valiant, Tarzan, The Green Knight
After a slew of Chuck Norris movies, Ninja movies and a Ninja movie with Chuck Norris Cannon Inc. bravely decided to experiment with a wining formula and produce a lush fantasy epic set in the Arthurian times with no one else but Sir Sean Connery himself as he main antagonist. Now, Sean is a fascinating human being- that man doesn’t do anything half-way, it’s always win or lose, brilliant or terrible when he is concerned! The mere fact that you’re here proves in which column this one goes to.
Story is interestingly enough based on 14th Century poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Based in the sense that it has the same name and nothing else.
Shame on you Tolkien, shame on you…
Movie starts with the He- Man music and a young blacksmith showing of his chiseled physic and homosexual haircut (so it’s He- Man all the way I guess). The grand feast starts in the court but King Arthur is not amused. Even though he is old as a bible he demands some action!Prolonged time of peace left his knights obese and useless. But fear not- sound of storm approaching and a strange green light promise something of a challenge.
None other but Sir Sean Connery rides into the hall, with a black face, glitter, green plastic armor and fuzzy hair. Strangely King doesn’t seem to be amused by that. Sean aka The Green Knight demands the good sport(?) He takes his axe and after demonstrating the incredible sharpness of the blade he seeks a man brave enough to try to hack his head off with it. If he survives he demands a chance to return the favor. All fair, right?
At this point all those brave knights decided they have something else to do, mostly concentrate on the same spot on the floor and be really, really quiet. Knowing that it’s now or never young blond blacksmith decides to take a chance and make his king proud. King is overjoyed that he has at least one champion to represent him among the fat slobs he is surrounded with and hastily proclaims the boy Sir Gawain. Unfortunately that doesn’t change the fact that the boy looks like he’s going to piss himself any moment so let’s say he’s got a long way to go in the heroing department.
Gawain successfully beheads Connery but he completely fails at shutting him up. With immortal words “My body… come to me my body” Sean calls forth his remaining parts and after easily reattaching his head start laughing like a maniac.
…and the body came.
Gawain realizes that he made the biggest mistake of his (presumingly short) life. Seeing how pathetic Gawain is Knight spares his life, at least for a year- giving him time to grow beard and answer the mysterious riddle. After that he disappears and King finally amused decides to finally continue the feast.
Next thing you know Gawain, now a knight in a (literally) shining armor with his (ironically) bearded assistant starts his epic quest. Quickly he find out that it’s not easy to pee when you have a ton of armor on but the assistant hands him the can opener (I kid you not!) and all problems are solved. Then he sees a pony unicorn and decides to do what any valiant knight would do in that situation- TO FREAKIN’ KILL IT WITH A CROSSBOW! Thankfully the animal escapes never to be seen again.
Bit disappointed they keep going and end up in a tent of a sexy witch! She offers many pleasurable things to the knight but he seems more interested his quest thingie so she sends him to fight the evil black knight (who makes robot-like noises for reasons unknown). After defeating the evil robo- knight in a sloppy battle in the swamp he heads to his city the mysterious and beautiful city of Lioness. Showing (finally) some signs of chivalry he brings the wounded guardian inside the city walls he returns the black knight to the city too, but the guardian (in fact not the robot!) felt a bit leas chivalrously and commanded soldiers to kill the young knight where he stands. No good deed goes unpunished, right? He tries to run for it but it seems they seal the city walls and our young knight fate seems doomed. But NO, young princess, also possessing a magical powers instantly falls in love with him and saves him by rendering him invisible!!! Didn’t see that one coming!
Another fine example of medieval fighting arts!
She tries to hide her new found love but her old witch queen- mother finds him and decides to marry him ASAP after depositing of her last husband. He again runs for it, now with the princess but they end up separated. Meanwhile The Green Knight found out the Sexy Witches scheming and punishes her, not in the usual Sean Connery back-fist slap manner but rather with a green beam from his finger- that transforms her into a small red porcelain frog, the kind you can maybe find in a Chinese Shop or somewhere like that.
Happens all the time!
Then he blows a terrible wind which takes our hero miles and miles away just in time to meet a ex thief- now a priest and a mighty wizard that’s also a dwarf.
Connery blows, not the way you think so though…
Dwarf wizard summons a mummy knight (hmmm, first time I’ve seen one of those too) from the sarcophagus but Gawain destroys it easily. He continues down the wizard’s cave and exists into the City of Lioness- again! It’s just that all the kingdom have grown old, crumbling and covered in cobweb (including his love). He takes her into his arms, moves her to some small shack in the woods and she comes to life again! Oh, the good forest air truly does miracles for the health!
Now it’s obviasly time for gratitude sex scene. No, it seems not! Gawain looses himself in the woods for a moment- just long enough for a procession of knights to appear out of thin air lead by *The Evil Fat Ginger and his king Peter Cushing (Dr. Van Helsing himself)!
Gingers now & then
Gawain seems slightly disappointed to lose the love of his life and organizes the heist of his darling soon afterwords. Unfortunately he fails and Lady of Lioness seemingly dies in the fire? Heartbroken he finds a way to the neighboring kingdom who are of course in conflict with those that held his lady captive. He looses conciseness and is nursed to health by… Lady of Lioness! We can safely assume that his whole noble quest was a bad mushroom trip at this point.
HE- MAN, TA- TA- TA- TATATA- TA!
After regaining his strength he realizes that his borrowed year is over and that he must finally confront The Green Knight. His lady awards him with a sash (?) and he rides out to meet his fate. His bearded squire joins him out of nowhere ’cause “he knew the day”. On the battlefield he is surprised by the evil redheaded dude who want’s to settle the score with him and they engage in a duel. Duel somehow escalates into a full on battle between the two kingdoms and Gawain finally menages to stab the annoying bastard thru the heart. Evil Peter Cushing is disappointed and heads back to this castle. And then out of nowhere- The Green Knight appears! He invites him to the Green Chapel( sounds like an offer you can not refuse). He says goodbye to his friends and fallows the Green Knight.
Once in the Chapel he trembles before the blade (fallowed by terrible synth sound effects) but finally finds the courage to meet his maker. But then the mysterious scarf that his Lady gave him saves him his life and he joyfully engages in a short and bloody battle in which he stabs Sean to death. “The full circle of the year is done…” he proclaims boldly and then dies by drying away like a plant left without the sunlight and water for way too long. We almost catch a glimpse of the message that the director tried to get across here, almost… He returns to the battlefield and finds Lady of Lioness waiting for him there. Lady being joyful as she is instead of giving him a kiss, a hand or anything – turns into a dove and flies away thus trying to let us know she symbolizes the force of nature like the Green Knights himself. A Passable idea yes, but catastrophically realized to the point of idiocy.
Verdict: He went from one kingdom to the next, traveled, fought, fell in love and lost his love, fought some more and experienced many things in life. That (at least in theory) provided him with tools to survive the final confrontation with the Green Knight aka solve his riddle. Yet, after all those things he was still incapable to grow a beard and looked absolutely the same- as a pathetic gay ass He- Man ( not really the most straight character) ripoff and for that alone he deserves to be slain!
To be truthful The most impressive thing about this movie is how manly Sean Connery managed to look despite the fact that he was painted in brown, scattered with glitter, wearing plastic green horns on his head and wore a costume that had a something of a man’s boob window on the chest! But in the end we shouldn’t’ really be all that surprised- that man managed even to look manly in a wedding dress as this completely unrelated photo shows.
Manlier in a dress than you’ll ever be in your regular clothes… ’nuff said!
A (nice) bit of Trivia: Miles O’Keeffe (Gawain) continued his string of long haired, barbarian looking characters with the incredible Ator, the Flying Eagle franchise(more on that at later date), as well as a mute version of Tarzan, you know the version that has Bo Derek as Jane getting naked and captured as the main selling point of the film.
Director Stephen Weeks actually made this film two times!!! First one in 1978, and of course both version failed financially as well as critically.
Sir Sean Connery was incredibly dedicated in his involvement in this film even though he had to make another one, a Bond film at the same time (Never Say Never Again)! Still he found the role of Green Knight so intriguing he spent free time from the Bond shoot filming his scenes in The Sword of the Valiant.
Director was originally adamant in having Mark Hammil (of Star Wars fame) as Gawain, far FAR superior actor for the role but in their infinite wisdom the gods of Cannon Films Yoram and Globus decided that Miles is the right man for the job and quite possibly killed any chance of success that this film had with this simple decision.
Ator The Fighting Eagle aka Ator The Blade Master aka Ator l’invincibile (1982) | Worsemovies says:
[…] awful scenes of fight, low budget, ugly women, Miles O’Keeffe being even more gay than in Sword of the Valiant, static camera, boring and repeating choreography… The fact is, women do like Miles, but […]
Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
Deathstalker (1983)
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Soul music (disambiguation)
Soul Music (novel)
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States; where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential in the civil rights era. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying". Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the soloist and the chorus, and an especially tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds. Soul music reflected the African-American identity, it stressed the importance of an African-American culture. The new-found African-American consciousness led to new music, which boasted pride in being black.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Soul_music
Soul music may refer to one of the following:
Soul music, a musical genre, closely related to rhythm and blues, which grew out of the African-American gospel and blues traditions during the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States
Soul Music (novel), the title of a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett
Soul Music (TV series), animated TV Series based on the novel by Terry Pratchett
Soul Music (album), the title of Dru Hill band member Woody Rock's 2002 gospel album
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Soul_music_(disambiguation)
Soul Music is the sixteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1994. Like many of Pratchett's novels it introduces an element of modern society into the magical and vaguely late medieval, early modern world of the Discworld, in this case Rock and Roll music and stardom, with nearly disastrous consequences. It also introduces Susan Sto Helit, daughter of Mort and Ysabell and granddaughter of Death.
A young harpist, Imp Y Celyn from Llamedos (spelled backwards, "sod 'em all," a tribute to LLareggub in Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood), comes to Ankh-Morpork in hopes of becoming famous. Unable to afford the Musicians Guild fees, he and fellow unlicensed musicians Lias Bluestone (a troll percussionist) and Glod Glodsson (a dwarf hornblower) form "The Band with Rocks In," named after Lias' tuned rocks. When Imp's harp is destroyed, he acquires a guitar from a mysterious shop, unaware that it contains the awareness of a primordial music that was responsible for bringing the universe into existence. Imp takes the new name "Buddy," as "Imp Y Celyn" literally means "bud of holly," and Lias starts calling himself "Cliff."
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Soul_Music_(novel)
A music store or musical instrument store is a retail business that sells musical instruments and related equipment. In United States and Canada, most music stores sell musical instruments as well as the sound reinforcement system and PA system gear used in live concert performances and the sound recording equipment used to record music, such as microphones and digital recorders.
In the 2010s, general music stores typically carry a range of instruments used in popular music and traditional music such as the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass, guitar strings, instrument amplifiers (guitar amplifier, bass amplifier and keyboard amplifier), electronic effects (e.g., distortion pedals), electronic keyboards (including digital pianos, stage pianos, clonewheel organs and synthesizers), drum kit components, which include drums, cymbals, drum and cymbal stands and drum accessories (drum sticks, drum heads, etc.) and percussion instruments (e.g., tambourine, shakers, etc.). Some stores carry other types of stringed instruments, such as mandolins and ukuleles.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Music_store
soulmusicshop.net
soulbandshop.com
ghanasoul.com
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soulmusicstore.net
musicshopaustralia.com
folkmusicshop.net
soulmusicsupply.com
folkmusicshop.org
shoeshop.com
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odessashops.com
Soul Music, Everlast
Soul Music, Lisa Mcclendon
-You came into my life
-I don't have to wonder no more, I can feel it all in my soul
It's Soul Music
-It's deep down in my soul
Feel the Burn
I can see I got a good foundation deep down in my soul
-Its deep down in my soul
I feel the need for contemplation deep down in my soul
Yo, I first took breath in Hemstead, Long Island
Born in American ancestry from Ireland
You ain't knowin me, you'd better stop smilin'
Aint nothin funny once my dummies start whiling
You talkin loud now all of a sudden it's silent
Your premonitions say it's about to get violent
You want permission just to blink your own eyelids
I got my soldiers, everywhere they go, I win
No stick moves, aint no cap peeling
Where I come from real men don't catch feelins
We don't rhyme about fake jacks or drug dealin
The shit I drop will leave all your brains on the ceilin'
Mass appealin, done it since the '80s
Rock rhymes for my dogs, sing songs for my ladies
Spend money like crazy, aint got no babies
If I don't make it in heaven I'll run shit in Hades
Now I can see I got a good foundation deep down in my soul
-It's in my soul
And I can feel a dark sensation deep down in my soul
Tryin to find an explanation deep down in my soul
Yo I shit on competition
Spit on percussion
Beats are bonecrushin
One deep I'm bum-rushin
Guns they get stuck in
Someone starts buckin
The jewels that I'm truckin got pimps upchuckin
You can't hold me down
You can't hold my hand
A full grown man with the one God plan
I represent the colors that never run
God bless DMC
God bless Reverend Run
R.I.P. for the J.M.J.
Tell Big and Scott LaRock that we all say hey
Be like Tupac or be like Kid 'n Play
Do you wanna burn out or just fade away
I can rock the mic with no delay
With my head to the ground every time I pray
You can catch a heart attack or get blown away
Cause this type of shit happens everyday
-I can feel it all in my soul
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VPR Archive (https://vprarchive.vpr.net/vermont-edition/predicting-the-end-then-and-now/)
Predicting The End, Then And Now
By Jane Lindholm | June 1, 2011
More on Vermont Edition
Subscribe to Vermont Edition
In the 1840s, people
across Vermont and much of the northeast were preparing for judgment
day. A local preacher, William Miller, had predicted in the 1820s that the end
was coming, and that it would be sometime between March of 1843 and March of
1844. Many of his followers, "the Millerites," sold or gave away their
possessions and their land, and chose not to plant their crops. When the day came, they donned white ascension robes and went to churches and
streams, rooftops and mountains to wait for the end. Their reactions, when it
didn’t come, are collectively described as "The Great Disappointment."
We learn more about the
Millerites from Paul Searls, a professor of history at Lyndon State College and
executive board member of the Center for Research on Vermont, from Ray Patterson, a professor of religious studies at
St. Michael’s College, and from Margo Caulfield, coordinator of the Cavendish
Historical Society.
Also on the program, we
explore the Vermont-Swiss connection with current Swiss Ambassador Francois
Barras, and former Swiss Ambassador – and former governor – Madeleine Kunin.
vermont history
vt edition picks
Bennington Battle Stories And History
We’ll learn the stories of soldiers and civilians who lived through the Battle of Bennington in 1777, and hear from bluegrass musician Bob Amos.
Academics Mark 150th Anniversary Of Morrill Act’s Signing
One-hundred-fifty years ago Monday, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act. That’s a law named for Senator Justin Morrill of Strafford that established a system of public colleges and universities devoted to engineering and agriculture. And those schools today enroll nearly five million students.
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press releases Gallery
When it went on sale in the UK in November 2005, the new R32 became the most powerful and fastest production Golf to date. It followed the successful formula laid down by the previous R32, and, in doing so, established itself at the top of the Golf range, above the already highly acclaimed...
Click here to view full press kit
Golf Mk V R32 Press pack 127 KB Word Doc
Golf MK V R32 Prices and equipment 302 KB PDF
40 years of the Volkswagen Golf 144 KB PDF
pricing and specification confirmed for golf r32
Volkswagen has today confirmed pricing and specification for the most powerful production Golf to date, the new R32. The second generation high performance, four-wheel drive Golf goes on sale in the UK in November, with a starting price of £23,745 on the road for the Golf R32 V6 4MOTION 3-door with manual gearbox.The R32 offers the...
first details of next generation golf r32 are unveiled
Volkswagen has today unveiled first details and images of the most powerful production Golf to date, the new R32. The second generation high performance, four-wheel drive Golf will make its international debut at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show next month, ahead of a UK launch in November.The new model is powered by a development of...
r32 ' the most powerful production golf ever
Ever since the introduction of the GTI over 25 years ago, Volkswagen's Golf range has featured a string of performance-oriented models.
The Golf R32
Added: 1 Jan 2010 | ID: 4177
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© 2019 Copyright Volkswagen UK press site . Reproduction free for editorial use only.
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Greater Greater Washington is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that brings people together online and offline to discuss, organize, and advocate for an inclusive, diverse, growing Washington, DC region. Below are Walter Deleon’s (5C02) responses to their ANC candidate questionnaire:
The status of the controversial redevelopment of Brookland Manor is uncertain. What is your position on the RIA development and how would you engage with the project’s future?
I’m disappointed that the Brookland Manor redevelopment project has been scaled back and stalled several times since it’s announcement over two years ago. Ideally, the redevelopment would give us a chance to preserve and expand housing stock, including affordable housing, in an area so close to the RIA Metro station.
Because of DC’s housing shortage, I would only continue supporting the project if it could be done without mass displacement and the one-for-one replacement of affordable housing units Mid-City Financial initially promised.
What is your vision for economic development in your neighborhood, and how would you support that as a commissioner?
DC Brau, Scratch DC, and Harper Macaw are great examples of businesses that have moved into our community in recent years due to the abundance of vacant warehouses. I will push the DC Council to give tax credits to businesses that move into disused warehouses in my Single Member District.
I will also push DDOT to study an infill MARC commuter rail station at NY Ave & Bladensburg Rd. A commuter rail station would help make our community less of a transit desert and connect us with the rest of DC.
What is your stance on the proposal to use eminent domain to remove the trash collection facility on W Street?
As ANC of 5C02 in 2016, I was proud to support a resolution in favor of the Council’s legislation authorizing the use of eminent domain for the trash transfer facility on W St.
I will continue to support the use of eminent domain not only for the W St. trash transfer station, but for the trash transfer facilities at 2160 Queens Chapel Road and 2106 Bryant St. (both in my SMD.) It’s high time for these blighted facilities next to residential areas to close.
What are your hopes and/or concerns with the ongoing development at Union Market? How can we better support our neighborhood’s connectivity to that area?
I would like to see better connectivity between our neighborhood and Union Market through the establishment of a direct bus route between Woodridge, Union Market, and Downtown through New York Avenue. I also support the creation of a separated bike trail between these areas alongside N.Y. Avenue.
If there were a way to improve bus transit or bike infrastructure in your neighborhood, but it required removing on-street parking, how would you approach the situation? Give a specific example if possible.
Methods of transit that carry more people than a car should always be accommodated more.
For example, I would support removing a parking spot if it allowed for the construction of a bus boarding island/platform in its place.
Where would you like to see new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, or other infrastructure to make it safer for residents, families, and seniors to walk and bike? What are the top Vision Zero priorities for your community?
This is a question that requires my community and constituents to weigh in. However while campaigning, many neighbors across 5C02 have asked for more speed bumps on their streets and have pointed out areas where sidewalks should be replaced.
What role do you think your ANC could play in addressing housing affordability challenges? How can your neighborhood contribute its fair share of the housing our growing city needs?
As DC goes through a severe housing shortage, every neighborhood has a responsibly to take on new housing. With regards to the ANC’s role, the Commission could demand more concessions from a new development project, like more affordable housing units.
What is the biggest controversy in your neighborhood not already listed on this questionnaire, and what is your position on it?
For many years, the overabundance of nightclubs in our community has been a huge source of concern for neighbors. The lack of decent transit options paired with lack of space for cars/taxis along Bladensburg and Queens Chapel Road cause enormous traffic jams on many weekends and headaches for residents nearby.
I will continue seeking solutions to the issues of noise, congestion, and lack of transit options by working with neighbors and businesses in our area.
Why do you think you are the best person to represent your SMD? What’s your vision for your ANC in 2 years?
As a proud DC native, activist, and former Commissioner I’ve been proud to establish strong relationships with community and civic leaders, members of the DC Council, and residents. These ties have helped me effectively advocate for my community in the past and will help me effectively advocate for my community again as Commissioner.
If given another chance to serve, I’ll keep fighting for an even more safe, equitable, and transit-connected community.
Help support Walter Deleon today! This campaign can only be successful with your support. Donate anything from $1 to $25 today for proven leadership for ANC 5C02:
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Drops of Time: YunJae
Title: Drops of Time
Request: chloe1910
Pairings: Yunjae (hehe...what else??)
Rating: Rish
Genre: Fluff
Yunho first saw him leaning against the brick wall of the alley behind Trance, sloe-eyed and prettier than any of the men singing on stage decked out in sequins and makeup. For a moment under the watery moonlight, the young man looked as if he were carved from glacial ice, long lines of blue shadow playing over his porcelain face.
Tendrils of smoke wreathed the man’s head, curling up from his pursed lips as he exhaled a lungful of cigarette smoke. Misty dragons danced in the darkness, chasing one another before the light wind carried them off down the street. The scent of cloves reached Yunho’s nose, a musky sweetness that made him wonder… for the briefest of moments… what the young man’s mouth would taste like.
“Hyung! Come on, we’re leaving,” Junsu called out to Yunho, breaking him away from his staring. He nodded at the dancer and when he turned back, the clove-scented young man was gone, whispered away into the night.
They tangled, growling as they passed one another. Yunho pushed at the pretty-faced waif with the flats of his hands, shoving Jaejoong into the wall. Clumsy, the lanky young man stumbled as his long legs twisted under him and he fell, hitting the wooden floor with a heavy thump.
He was up before Yunho was ready for him, fists clenched and swinging. Gone was the sweet-voiced little boy with a shy giggle and hidden secretive smile. Teeth bared, Jaejoong struck with closed hands, violent and hard. One blow hit Yunho’s mouth, cutting Jae’s knuckles on the snaggle of his canine. He tasted blood, first his, metallic harsh on his tongue and then a sugary copper when his lips parted under the next blow and Jae’s cut skin slithered across his mouth.
They became an embroiled ball, Yunho flinging himself at the smaller man, flailing at Jae’s head, hoping to land at least one blow in between the windmill fury of the singer’s fists. Coming in close proved to be Yunho’s undoing when Jae’s teeth sank into the soft flesh above his collarbone. Shredded skin peeled off under the force of Jae’s bite, not deep enough to draw blood but ripping off enough layers to bead water up from the wound.
Gasping, Yunho pulled back and literally screamed. Jaejoong’s fist came up between his legs, slamming into his manhood. Yunho’s breath rushed out in a squeak and black waves. Light crystallized in his vision and the world spun. Panting, he pulled back, clutching at his side and hoping his stomach didn’t spill out onto the dance room’s wooden floor. Blood dripped from the cuts on his face and Yunho choked on it, bile hitting the back of his throat, a raw yellow film mingling with his spit.
He hit the floor hard, rolling over onto his back. Stars curved in and out around his head then cloves infused his air when Jaejoong leaned over him. The singer’s stiff index finger poked Yunho’s chest, stabbing him with a pinprick of pain.
“I’m not one of those little boys who think you’re hot shit just because you’ve rapped and danced for other singers.” “Jae’s full mouth was peeled back in a feral snarl. Hit me again like that and I’ll kill you.”
Jaejoong stepped over Yunho’s prone body, his bare toes skimming the back of the other’s hand. Heechul stood at the doorway, blocking the lithe singer’s exit. He thought twice about hemming Jaejoong in when Jae approached, his eyes a murderous glare that pierced Heechul’s guts. Bumping the other singer’s shoulder as he passed, Jae shoved his way out of the dance studio, stalking down the hall to the showers.
“We should catch him later and beat him,” Heechul grumbled as he helped Yunho to his feet.
“No, I started it,” Yunho said, shaking his head and immediately regretting the motion. Seafoam swam about in his brain, crashing from one side to the other with a soft shushing sound of waves. An aching headache split over his forehead, lodging between his eyes. It throbbed there, embedding itself with a fierceness that reminded Yunho of Jae’s defiant snarl. “Anyway, I’m the one who keeps pushing him. It was only time before he pushed back.”
It was a quiet sniffle that brought Yunho up the stairs, the sound carrying down from the rooftop access door that should have been closed that late in the night. Stumbling home from a night of clandestine drinking with the others, Yunho fumbled to find the key to the lodging he shared with some of the others, freezing when he first heard the sound.
At first, he thought someone smuggled in a kitten, its mewling softly hidden under his breathing but the echoing bounce sounded again… clearly a muffled sob choked back and hidden behind either cloth or a closed fist. A scritch of a lighter followed then the distinct scent of musky smoke wafted down the short stairwell, its spicy aroma tickling Yunho’s nose.
Seoul had already put herself to bed, the streets numbing under the cold of the new winter. Yunho’s breath frosted in the dank air as he reached the access door. It lay propped open with a broken piece of cinderblock, letting the cold in through a cracked sliver. The clove smell grew stronger and Yunho knew it could only be one person, the incompetent dancer he and Heechul were slotted to be grouped with.
They’d come to an uneasy truce, broken only when Yunho snapped at the young man for missing steps as they practiced. He couldn’t master the simplest of routines, and the wild flailing of his limbs lacked the basest of grace. Yunho tried to coach Jaejoong at first then finally resorted to bullying, grabbing at the young man’s too long sleeves, wanting to roll them up so he could see what the other’s arms were doing under all that fabric.
He found a clenched fist under his nose and another snarl, then Jaejoong walked away, taking himself to the far corner of the studio to practice alone.
“Aish,” Yunho hissed in the back of his throat. The young man sat on the air compressor, the vents kicking up slightly warm air as it pumped heat through the dormitory apartments. Jaejoong’s arms were bared, his shoulders hunched over under the thin tank top he wore over his slender body. Sharp bony juts poked the shirt into small tents on either side of his spine, the blades barely covered by skin and too little muscle.
The red tip of his kretek glowed for a moment as Jae took a drag on its end, pulling its acrid sweet smoke into his lungs. Jae exhaled upward, letting the wind catch his scented breath in its fist, carrying it towards Yunho. The breeze was stingy with its prize, letting the dancer catch only the smallest of aromas.
Gauze tape wrapped around both of Jae’s elbows, holding a bit of cotton in place on the inside of his arm. Yunho stepped forward, a frown creasing his forehead. Heechul whispered once into his ear that the country-born singer did drugs… as well as other disgusting things that normal people didn’t even think about. The bandages were proof of something but Yunho didn’t think drug users bound up their arms.
They’d made fun of Jaejoong’s nearly impenetrable accent earlier that evening, fueled by drink and Heechul’s mocking impersonations. Yunho’s cheeks ached afterwards, his stomach hurting from the pull of his muscles. His friend mimicked Jaejoong’s dreamy long-distance stare perfectly, overacting the startled wide-eyed look the young man got when he was startled out of his thoughts.
Now, staring at the young man’s curled over body, Yunho wondered what he’d found so funny.
Tears marbled the singer’s snow-pale skin with silver lines, his lashes clumped together from the silent crying. The tip of Jae’s nose was red, either from the cold or from shedding some of his sorrow. His fingers shook as he brought the cigarette up to his pursed mouth, and the shivers that racked his body were painful for Yunho to watch.
Yunho was at Jaejoong’s side before he knew it, shedding the top layer of his clothing and placing the thick jacket over Jae’s thin shoulders. The singer jerked back, frightened by the sudden appearance of the other man. Heartbreak and fear lay in his eyes and Jae’s mouth trembled with panic. Vulnerable and open, the singer’s carefully laid fierceness cracked under the cold, long veins of something dark rising up to eat away at the young man’s confidence. Yunho saw a little boy there, beaten until bruised and broken, cut loose from any ties to family and friends.
Jaejoong struggled to reassert the ferociousness that kept Yunho at bay but swaddled in the other’s thick parka, he looked more like a drowned kitten hissing at the dog that dragged him out of the river’s current. Climbing up onto the compressor, Yunho crossed his legs and pulled Jaejoong close, letting his warmth flow over the young singer.
They didn’t speak. Neither dared. Yunho feared breaking apart the meager control he had over his own tears and Jaejoong didn’t know what to say. Instead, they sat there together until the sun turned the horizon a bright crimson and chased the night away.
The four of them were slated to be a group then they got news of a fifth member joining them. Each reacted to the news with different perspectives, Junsu worrying if he was being replaced while Changmin shrugged off the inevitable, knowing his life was no longer his own. Their “best friends” would be chosen for them, their relationships plastic and false under the glare of the camera. Yunho overheard the American-chosen singer’s audition tape and scowled, hearing a deep thread in the young man’s voice. He was the low point singer, providing a foundation for the group to rest on.
Stalking down the hall, he searched through the cramped apartment to look for someone to either talk to or yell at; he’d not decided which.
Jaejoong was the only one home and the singer lay on his bed, propped up against the wall with a manhwa spread open in his hands. He barely glanced up when Yunho came into the room, burying his attention into the pages. Yunho sat down on Changmin’s bed, his knees hitting Jae’s mattress. Annoyed, Jae flicked his eyes up, staring at the singer through his lashes.
“What?” Jae snapped, his mouth coloured with a pretty sneer.
They’d fought earlier, Yunho yelling at him when Jae missed a turn while dancing. Only Changmin’s irritated hiss at Yunho’s tirade brought the fight to an end before it escalated into blows. They stalked away from one another, coming together a few minutes later when Jaejoong walked off his mad.
“I need someone to talk to,” Yunho said, cutting his words with a bite.
“Go find Junsu,” Jaejoong said, returning to his book. “Or Heechul. I’m sure he’d like to fall down onto his knees and open his mouth wide for you. Who knows? He might even hear something you say.”
“Junsu’s not here,” He mumbled. “And Heechul won’t… understand.”
“Okay.” Jaejoong softened, moving himself over until he was against the side wall, making room for Yunho to sit down. The dancer swung over, settling into the nest of pillows Jae hoarded at the head of his bed, grabbing at a soft feather square to hug against his stomach. “Talk.”
“The new one… I don’t think he’ll fit in,” Yunho started, resting his head back against the wall. His hair puffed up against his skull, bristling to stand up around his head. “We’re fine at four. Why do they have to bring in someone new?”
“Did you ever think that he’s going to be scared coming into a four that’s already been together?” Jae countered. “You’re going to be our leader, remember? If you’re going to lead, you have to think about he feels. Park Yoochun doesn’t have family here, not like you and the dongsaeng. His Korean’s probably not going to be good after spending all that time in America and he’ll miss his friends. You don’t think he’s going to be scared?”
“No,” Yunho murmured, drawing out the word until it hummed in his throat. He’d not given Yoochun a single thought, concerned only with the possibility that the velvet voiced singer would replace him. “You’re right. They told us he’s being brought in to balance us out. I should trust that.”
“Good, now go away. I want to finish reading this,” Jaejoong said, reaching for his manhwa. Yunho grabbed his wrist before he could grab the book, pinning Jaejoong’s arm against him. The singer’s surprise was soon replaced with annoyance, his eyebrows knitted together in a frown. “What?”
“Why don’t you want to be the leader?” Yunho asked, pressing on a subject he’d left for being too tender to discuss. “You’re the oldest of us.”
“Because I’m…you’re better with people than I am,” Jae admitted, dropping his eyes. “I’m not… good enough to speak to the interviewers and I still sound like I’m stupid… from the country. You speak better. They can understand you and sometimes, I have a hard time focusing on what people are talking about. We need someone who is focused. You’re focused, Yunho-ah. You want to drive all of us forward. I have just enough inside of me to drive myself. I can’t do it for anyone else. Now go away.”
“Okay, fine,” Grumbling, Yunho slid off of the bed, tossing the pillow at Jae’s head. He stood there, staring down at the lanky singer as Jaejoong rearranged his bed, moving the cushions about until they cradled his back and shoulders.
“Now what?” The exasperation in Jae’s voice was more playful than pissed and Yunho smiled.
“I wanted to say thank you.. for listening to me,” He said, ruffling Jae’s hair, hoping to annoy him like Yunho bothered his younger sister. His fingers twisted in the soft silky black, curling around the other’s long hair. Jae slapped at Yunho’s hand and he pulled away with a laugh, stepping back into the living room and back to the video game he’d left paused on the screen.
There, alone and in private, Yunho lifted his fingers to his mouth and tasted Jaejoong on them.
There was a cold going around. It lodged deep into a person’s chest and scraped their throat raw. Yunho was the first to catch it and it lingered there, unwilling to give up its prize. Min fled the room they shared, dousing himself liberally with tonics. Junsu took off to be with his parents, taking a very healthy Yoochun with him while Jaejoong remained behind, his family too far away and too estranged to be of any use.
Grumpy from being isolated, Yunho raged at the singer in between coughs, mumbling foul things under his breath as he fought the seductive sleep brought on by the cold medicine Jaejoong shoveled down his throat. Drowsy, he fought the singer on every turn, sometimes using up all of his energy to protest being bathed with a wash cloth like a baby.
“If I wasn’t scared they’d make me the leader, I’d let you choke on your snot,” Jae said, slapping Yunho’s flailing hand away from the wash basin. “And if you make me spill this, I’m going to feed the rest of it to you as soup.”
Sleep claimed Yunho before he could respond.
He opened his eyes hours later, rubbing at the sleep crusted on his lashes. His chest hurt, a dull ache that smelled strangely of… cloves and cinnamon. Lifting his shirt, he sniffed under the collar and reeled back from tiger balm on his chest. Eyes watering, he began coughing, falling into a long, hard fit. Hands were on his back before he could pass out from lack of air, rubbing at the soreness along his spine.
“Drink,” Jaejoong ordered, passing Yunho a cup of warm tea.
The steaming liquid scorched the leader’s tongue and he grumbled when his tastebuds went numb. “Too hot.”
“Too bad,” The singer replied, leaning over to sniff at Yunho’s chest, His breath rippled Yunho’s t-shirt, his full lips whispering over the leader’s nipple hardening under the fabric. Straightening, he nodded with satisfaction. “There’s enough ointment on you. How does your chest feel? Better? Can you breathe easier?”
“Better,” Yunho gulped, shifting on the bed. His body was doing strange things, reacting to the softness of Jae’s hair when the singer bent back down to fluff up the pillows behind Yunho’s back. There was a tenderness to the stern order for Yunho to sit up and the taste of the tea was sweet with the raw sugar Yunho liked, not with the honey that the others preferred.
Breathing cautiously, Yunho waited for his lungs to seize up but only a twinge echoed. Coughing at the spasm, he handed the tea to Jae to hold until it passed. The bed gave slightly when Jae sat on the edge of the mattress, reaching with his free hand to rub at Yunho’s heaving chest. The friction felt good… too good for Yunho’s liking and he coughed again, trying to pull up his knees before Jaejoong noticed the thickening between his legs.
“I’m okay… good,” Yunho muttered, reaching for the hot tea.
Cradling the mug, he sipped carefully, wondering if Jae could give him enough of the cough syrup to knock him unconscious until he came to his senses. He drained the tea, not caring when it boiled down his gullet and sloshed heat into his belly. The curious burbling in his stomach now matched the odd tightening prickles along his sex and Yunho sighed, leaning back into the soft pillows, wishing Kim Jaejoong to be anywhere in the apartment… anywhere but next to him.
“If you can go to the bathroom, go but come back,” Jae said, standing and brushing the back of his fingers against Yunho’s temple, drawing away the sweat-dampened hair from the leader’s face. “You need something in your stomach. I’ll get you something to eat.”
Yunho waited a few moments then climbed out of the bed, staggering to the bathroom. A splash of cold water on his face cooled the flush from his cheeks but the knots in his belly remained, curling up again when he re-entered the bedroom to find Jaejoong stripping the sheets from his bed.
“Sit down.” Jae gave him a hard look. “You don’t look good.”
“I’m tired,” Yunho admitted.
A covered bowl held the promise of some kind of soup and his traitorous stomach griped about its emptiness. He barely had enough energy to cross the room, nearly falling flat on his face when his toes struck the area rug. Jaejoong was there waiting for him, the singer’s strong hands catching at his arms before he tumbled to the floor. Easing Yunho into the newly made bed, Jae helped the other man lift his legs up, pulling the linens up over Yunho’s belly.
“Here, open your mouth,” Jae said, sat down and held the bowl up, filling the wide bodied spoon with soup. “I don’t trust you to hold it.”
“I can feed myself,” Yunho fretted, wincing when a cough shook his chest. Gasping for air, he leaned back, stretching himself out as far as he could to ease the ache. Jaejoong waited patiently, blowing on the spoon’s contents until Yunho sat back up.
“Open and swallow. That’s all you have to do,” The singer said.
The words, innocently erotic, were hotter than the tea that Yunho gulped earlier. Sipping at the soup, he drew back, chewing on the lengths of seaweed he’d slurped up. “You made me miyeok guk? With shrimp?”
“Yes. Now eat.” Jaejoong pressed another spoonful up to Yunho’s mouth, his lips pursed over the bowl to blow it cooler. “You like it better with seafood in it instead of the beef, right?”
“Yeah,” Yunho replied, swallowing another mouthful of the sesame seed infused soup. “I do.”
“Good,” The other man murmured, dropping his eyes as he refilled the spoon. “Because, that’s why it has shrimp in it.”
Yunho never heard that affection could be shrimp-flavoured but if anyone ever asked him, he would swear it were true.
Bora Bora was exotic to their Korean-born eyes. Long stretches of white sand and sparkling blue waters were as foreign to them as the wilds of Russia. Sunlight sparkled bright as they disembarked the plane and Jaejoong slid on the orange metallic-lens sunglasses he’d purchased in Yongsan. Yunho followed close behind, ducking his head to accept an island-crafted wreath around his neck. Working the strand over his hat, he kept in close step with the singer, snagging the pull on Jae’s sweatshirt to slow him down.
“What?” Jae tilted his head back, staring up at the cerulean space above them. Clouds frosted the edges of the horizon, brushing against the range of mountains in the distance. The air was fresh, slightly ripe with the promise of a light rain and he tugged up the hood of his jacket, covering his head in case it misted. “It smells like.. a river is in the air. Yes, Yunnie-ah?”
“Yeah, like a river,” Yunho smiled, pulling Jaejoong out of the way of the baggage cart trundling past them. “Come here, you’ll get run over.”
Cameras were there to greet them, focusing in on their movements and capturing everything they said. Jae distanced himself from the frenzy, easily slipping into the mysterious persona the record company constructed for him. The concept matched his outward icy features but Yunho knew there was a small prick of pain when Jae overheard the managers saying that he couldn’t be trusted to speak for the group. The singer swallowed the eavesdropping with a steely aplomb but Yunho knew better.
He’d come to recognize the unshed tears on Jaejoong’s sensitive soul.
“Hey, hey…” Yunho called out to Jae again, grabbing him close. Turning the singer around, he hooked one arm around Jaejoong’s waist, pulling him into a loose embrace.
A spot of water sparkled on Jae’s cheek, pristine and as salty-sour as the waters that surrounded the island. Concerned, Yunho tightened his hug, cradling Jae in close.
“Why are you crying, Boo?” It was a hated nickname, a teasing mockery of the dreaming that Jaejoong fell into when the world spun too fast around him. He suffered it from Yunho, hearing the affection in the word rather than the disdain others spat at him. He’d once told Yunho in the safe darkness of a backstage that the leader made the word sound as if he were special. Yunho made certain from that moment on, he would use it only when the two of them were together, a sign of affection between them.
“It’s so pretty here,” Jae whispered, looking up into the sky to follow the clouds. “It can’t be real. Or I can’t be real. Something here is wrong.” Yunho’s heart stopped when Jaejoong whispered again, his words barely loud enough to be heard over the wind. “I feel like I’m the something wrong here. It’s too pretty for me to be here.”
Yunho could barely begin to find the words to soothe the singer’s troubles when a woman’s voice intruded, asking them if they were good friends.
Turning, Yunho glanced over his shoulder at one of the interviewers scheduled to follow them lurking close by, her assistant fixing the camera’s lens on them. Jae’s quiet sob caught on the wind, carried off like the cigarette smoke Yunho had been entranced with not so long ago.
“What kind of relationship do you have?” She asked, motioning the cameraman in.
Rocking Jaejoong, Yunho covered the singer’s mouth, knowing that what he did next would shock Jae but he wanted to give the singer something to hold on to, something worth as much as Jae was worth.
“We have this type of relationship,” Yunho said, bending his head to the side and laying a kiss as gentle as Jae’s heart on his neck.
He barely heard the cameraman murmur his appreciation or even the interviewer’s response. All Yunho knew was that in that moment, he found Heaven in the taste of Jaejoong’s skin. Pulling away, he smiled and grabbed at Jaejoong’s hand, pulling the other man towards the van.
“Yunnie-ah,” Jaejoong’s soft protest faded when Yunho pushed him against the parked van, the airport’s high cement walls blocking them from anyone’s view. “You’re supposed to be the sane one, remember? Aish, they’re going to think I infected you with my craziness.”
“You did that a long time ago, Joongie-ah,” Yunho replied, cupping Jae’s face in his hands after removing the bug-eye glasses Jaejoong wore. Then, he took his full real taste of the other man, imprisoning the lips that enticed him with a delicate tenderness. The singer tasted of sesame seed oil and cloves… of a midnight Korean wind and the promise of rain in the air. Breathing into the curve of Jae’s mouth, Yunho slid his hands down until they rested on Jaejoong’s waist and he pulled the other man close, fitting his body into the curves of Jae’s torso and hips.
He took another kiss, first with a gentle press then harder, as if Jae’s exhaled breaths carried the nectar of forgotten gods. Jaejoong responded under him, a slither of a moan escaping from his throat and then being trapped between their joined mouths. It died there in a content heaven, unable to break away from its exquisite prison.
“I should have done this a long time ago, Boo,” He suckled at the edges of Jae’s kiss swollen mouth, licking at the dips and valleys he found there. “A very long time ago.”
“Yes,” Jae said, tilting his chin up, his mouth parted slightly in an unconscious beg for another kiss. “It was too long… we should have.”
“Don’t worry, baby,” Yunho captured Jae’s chin between his fingers, bending his head to get another taste of the stars blossoming in Jaejoong’s mouth. “I’ll make it up to you. In fact, I think I’ll take an eternity of kissing you. Because, BooJae, forever sounds just long enough for me to be tired of loving you.”
drops of time,
shinchul303
Dec. 4th, 2008 12:06 am (UTC)
LOVED Cookies and Fire!
So warm and sensual...almost forgot I was reading; it was more like direct physical feeling.
heh... thank you! :::hugs:::
shinchul303 : (no subject) [+1]
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Border Wall, Breaking News
BREAKING: Migrants Storm Border, Hit With Tear Gas!
Happening right now!
9.8k shares, -16 points
Here we go folks, it’s all coming to a head.
Yesterday we reported that a portion of the Migrant Caravan was less than 500 feet from the U.S. border.
Today that gap has been closed as some tried to storm the border.
And it didn’t go well.
Of course the U.S. agents were ready for them and stopped them in their tracks with tear gas.
What is so hard to understand about respecting borders and immigration laws? I just don’t get it.
Hundreds try to storm the border. Expect significant US response #tijuana pic.twitter.com/0T50XUnXtY
— emma murphy (@emmamurphyitv) November 25, 2018
Families crossing the river and after that a steep hike to the other side pic.twitter.com/UHvfx7dnic
— Annie Rose Ramos (@Annie_Rose23) November 25, 2018
The San Ysidro port of entry is now closed, according to a loudspeaker announcement. Barricades in place to block entry under the Chaparral footbridge and Mexican immigration officials blocking the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/Zqwj4uRbSz
— Maya Averbuch (@mayaaverbuch) November 25, 2018
Clashes and tear gas fired as migrants try to storm US border @LBC https://t.co/rRPjY0zPkd
— Global's Newsroom (@GlobalsNewsroom) November 25, 2018
Yahoo/AP had more on this breaking story:
Migrants approaching the U.S. border from Mexico were enveloped with tear gas Sunday after a few tried to breach the fence separating the two countries.
U.S. agents shot the gas, according to an Associated Press reporter on the scene. Children were screaming and coughing in the mayhem.
Honduran migrant Ana Zuniga, 23, said she saw migrants open a small hole in concertina wire at a gap on the Mexican side of a levee, at which point U.S. agents fired tear gas at them.
"We ran, but when you run the gas asphyxiates you more," she told the AP while cradling her 3-year-old daughter Valery in her arms.
Mexico's Milenio TV also showed images of several migrants at the border trying to jump over the fence. Yards away on the U.S. side, shoppers streamed in and out of an outlet mall.
U.S. Border Patrol helicopters flew overhead, while U.S. agents held vigil on foot beyond the wire fence in California. The Border Patrol office in San Diego said via Twitter that pedestrian crossings have been suspended at the San Ysidro port of entry at both the East and West facilities. All northbound and southbound traffic was halted.
Earlier Sunday, several hundred Central American migrants pushed past a blockade of Mexican police who were standing guard near the international border crossing. They appeared to easily pass through without using violence, and some of the migrants called on each other to remain peaceful.
They convened the demonstration to try to pressure the U.S to hear their asylum claims and carried hand-painted American and Honduran flags while chanting: "We are not criminals! We are international workers!"
A second line of Mexican police carrying plastic riot shields stood guard outside a Mexican customs and immigration plaza.
That line of police had installed tall steel panels behind them outside the Chaparral crossing on the Mexican side of the border.
Migrants were asked by police to turn back toward Mexico.
More than 5,000 migrants have been camped in and around a sports complex in Tijuana after making their way through Mexico in recent weeks via caravan. Many hope to apply for asylum in the U.S., but agents at the San Ysidro entry point are processing fewer than 100 asylum petitions a day.
Irineo Mujica, who has accompanied the migrants for weeks as part of the aid group Pueblo Sin Fronteras, said the aim of Sunday's march toward the U.S. border was to make the migrants' plight more visible to the governments of Mexico and the U.S.
"We can't have all these people here," Mujica told The Associated Press.
Get Your FREE Trump Ornament:
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REPORT: First Migrant Caravan Member Arrested After Crossing Border
Hilarious: Thank You For Flying Trump Airlines!
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Hamill, Wanderers part ways
Soccer Staff Writers - May 14, 2019, 10:13
The overhaul of the Western Sydney Wanderers' squad continues.
Keanu Baccus wins Wanderers Medal
Soccer Nathan Taylor - May 1, 2019, 16:13
Western Sydney Wanderers A-League star Keanu Baccus and W-League star Servet Uzunlar have taken out the Player of the Year awards at Tuesday night’s Wanderers Medal in Parramatta.
Wanderers to tackle Leeds in July
Soccer Staff Writers - November 26, 2018, 11:12
The Western Sydney Wanderers will take on Leeds United at the new Western Sydney Stadium on Saturday, July 20 to officially open the stadium...
Soccer Nathan Taylor - October 26, 2018, 3:46
Three weeks ago the Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC were doing battle at Panthers Stadium, tomorrow they’ll be playing an old-fashioned Sydney Derby...
Wanderers ready for new campaign
Soccer Nathan Taylor - October 17, 2018, 15:06
For the first time in more than 12 months, the Western Sydney Wanderers will go face to face with the man that not only...
Wanderers to play Sydney FC in Penrith
Soccer Staff Writers - September 27, 2018, 13:57
The Western Sydney Wanderers will host their FFA Cup Semi Final match against Sydney FC at Panthers Stadium on Saturday, October 6. The historic fixture...
Glenmore Park FC hunts silverware
Soccer Nathan Taylor - September 11, 2018, 13:52
Glenmore Park FC will field an impressive eight teams at this weekend’s prestigious Football NSW Champion of Champions tournament. Commencing in 1968, Champion of Champions...
Matildas confirm return to Penrith
Soccer Staff Writers - September 3, 2018, 14:00
The Matildas will return to Penrith later this year to take on Chile at Panthers Stadium. Penrith Mayor John Thain said the announcement is a...
Big stage beckons for Emma
Soccer Nathan Taylor - August 28, 2018, 13:27
In just a couple of months Emma Kocbek’s hard work, commitment and determination will finally come to fruition when she officiates her first ever...
Wanderers sign German defender
Soccer Staff Writers - July 25, 2018, 12:34
The Western Sydney Wanderers have announced the signing of German-born defender Patrick Ziegler for the next three Hyundai A-League seasons. The 28-year-old towering defender comes...
Call for pitch overhaul
Soccer Nathan Taylor - June 27, 2018, 16:04
The Nepean Football Association (NFA) have started a petition to assist in making the dream of having a synthetic pitch constructed in the local...
Santalab departs Wanderers
Soccer Staff Writers - June 19, 2018, 11:03
Popular striker Brendon Santalab has parted ways with the Western Sydney Wanderers. Santalab, a fan favourite and the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, spent five...
Wanderers name Markus Babbel as new coach
Soccer Troy Dodds - May 19, 2018, 15:04
Markus Babbel has been named as the new coach of the Western Sydney Wanderers. The former German international (51 caps), Bayern Munich and Liverpool defender...
Local football matches to introduce sin-bin
Soccer Nathan Taylor - March 21, 2018, 15:35
With 30 per cent of football referees quitting every single year due to player dissent, the code is now fighting back in a big...
Wanderers shut down RBB for next home game
Soccer Staff Writers - February 27, 2018, 12:09
The Western Sydney Wanderers have taken the extraordinary step of shutting down the Red and Block Bloc (RBB) for this Sunday's home game against...
Summer lovin’ players keep soccer thriving
While most people would usually identify the summer months with cricket and tennis, there’s a popular winter sport that’s still kicking goals even as...
Group chat was first hint players had of Popovic’s departure
Soccer Nathan Taylor - October 4, 2017, 15:52
When the news of Tony Popovic’s shock departure from the Western Sydney Wanderers broke on Sunday afternoon, a players-only ‘group chat’ on the smartphone...
Wanderers name new head coach
Soccer Staff Writers - October 3, 2017, 13:40
The Western Sydney Wanderers have announced that Hayden Foxe will take up the role of caretaker head coach with Wanderers Academy Technical Director Ian...
Popovic quits Wanderers seven days before new A-League season
Soccer Troy Dodds - October 1, 2017, 12:49
Tony Popovic has dramatically quit the Western Sydney Wanderers just a week out from the A-League season. The Wanderers are yet to officially confirm their...
Matildas ready for landmark match
Soccer Staff Writers - September 12, 2017, 7:46
The Matildas have assembled in Western Sydney today as they prepare to face Brazil in front of the biggest home crowd the Australian women’s...
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six pump court
Directories & Awards
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Nina Ellin
Call: 1994
"A highly effective and no-nonsense advocate."
Grade 4 CPS panel Advocate (London and South East)
Grade 4 CPS Serious Crime Panel
CPS rape specialist
Regulatory List – Care Quality Commission (List B)
Legal Assessor at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
Approved Advocacy and the Vulnerable Facilitator
Approved Pupil Supervisor
LLB (King’s College London)
Maîtrise en droit français (Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Nina Ellin is an experienced specialist criminal practitioner who undertakes both prosecution and defence work across all areas of the criminal spectrum, including serious sexual misconduct, drugs, serious violence, organised crime, fraud and dishonesty.
She has particular experience in cases involving vulnerable witnesses, both in relation to physical and sexual abuse as well as domestic violence. She has used intermediaries on a number of occasions.
Cases have involved child familial abuse (recent and historic), stranger attacks, abuse of trust involving professionals/persons in a position of authority and gang related sexual abuse. Witnesses have included very young children, teenagers and young people, mentally disordered and vulnerable adults.
Nina Ellin has also prosecuted for various local authorities in relation to unfair trade practices, fraud and Housing Act offences.
She has been appointed as a Legal Assessor to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and has experience in the field of professional disciplinary work.
Cases Undertaken
R v L [2019]
Successfully prosecuted a man who conducted a campaign of rape and sexual abuse against a female aged between 10 and 20. He was jailed for 21 years with a 5 year extended licence.
Click here for news report in Kent Online
R v Sandulache [2019]
Successfully prosecuted a lorry driver for causing death by dangerous driving, who was involved in a fatal collision whilst watching a TV programme on his phone.
Click here for BBC News Report
R v Belovas [2019]
Defended a member of a gang involved in a BMW car part conspiracy.
R v Ali [2019]: Successfully prosecuted a retired GP in relation to a sexual assault of a family friend and former patient.
R v Tamakloe and Others [2018]: Lead prosecuting counsel in the final series of trials (17 defendants in total) relating to a conspiracy to rob and firearms allegations arising from a violent planned robbery of a traveller site by gangs from the south east. The men involved were masked and carrying an array of weapons including firearms as they entered the site and tied up and threatened the occupants including children. The case was factually complex and there were thousands of pages of evidence. It involved phone and cell site evidence, items found at the scene and other locations, ANPR, forensic and other evidence.
Click here for report in The Mirror
Click here for report in The Sun
R v Obasa and Others [2018]: Prosecution counsel in a case involving the sexual assault of a young female at a party, who was extremely drunk and unconscious at times. She was sexually assaulted and filmed in a state of undress and being abused. She was also urinated on by a males, including Obasa. The defendant Obasa admitted the offence of sexual assault during cross-examination and pleaded guilty to that count during the trial. The footage obtained was shared around with others on social media.
Click here for News Report
R v Cato and Gordon [2018]: Prosecuted a case concerning a targeted burglary of a flat and theft of a number of valuable items form the flat of a reality star, including car keys and then a Mercedes car, parked in the parking space underneath the flats. There was gratuitous ransacking and damage caused to items of property and the fabric of the flat itself.
Click here for report in The Daily Mail
R v H [2018]: Successfully defended a former Detective Inspector following allegations of sexual assault on a female he met through PlentyofFish.com. The couple ended up back at his flat, where there were references made to Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey. The complainant made allegations of rough kissing, spitting in her mouth, grabbing her face and twisting her nose, as well as other serious sexual assaults described as rough and painful.
There were significant factual differences between the allegations made and the defendant’s account and the trial also raised issues of BDSM and consent. There were also significant failings in the police investigation and in relation to disclosure.
R v B [2018]: Successfully defended a retired senior fire fighter charged with historic allegations of rape and serious sexual assault. The allegations dated back 30-40 years.
R v M [2017]: Successfully defended an Albanian illegal immigrant charged with sexual offences, where part of his defence was that he was not in the UK at the material time. It was necessary to call a Greek legal expert to demonstrate that Greek documents which he had in his possession had been obtained in Greece by him, at a time when it was said he was in the UK, and to support his alibi.
R v Y [2016]: Successfully defended a 72 year old man charged with sexual offences against his niece during the 1970s.
R v Leppard & Others [2016]: Successfully prosecuted a young male for the rape of a female who was unconscious through drink, which was videoed by her friend on a mobile phone.
R v Stilwell & Stribling [2016]: Prosecuted two men charged with facilitating the illegal entry into the UK of 18 people on a RHIB dingy.
R v WM [2016]: Successfully defended a 75 year old man charged with offences of indecent assault on a male and buggery dating back to the late 1970’s.
R v B [2016]: Successfully defended a man charged with cruelty (neglect) relating to an occasion when he was visiting his girlfriend’s home and her young child went missing.
R v Jackson [2016]: Successfully prosecuted a builder charged with fraud and unfair trade practice offences related to the overcharging of elderly home-owners for poor quality or non-existent repairs to their homes. Sentence was appealed, see: [2017] EWCA Crim 78.
R v B [2015]: Successfully defended a 69 year old man facing serious sexual allegations made by his step-daughter dating back to the 1970s. Although now an adult, the complainant required the assistance of an intermediary during her evidence.
R v T [2015]: Successfully prosecuted (as junior counsel to Philippa McAtasney QC) a father charged with serious sexual offences, including rape against his wife, and natural daughters, who both had significant mental health difficulties by the time of the hearing and required the use of an intermediary – one of them becoming selectively mute during the trial.
R v Ward & Others [2014]: Successfully prosecuted (as junior counsel to John O’Higgins) a 14 handed conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, involving a scam on multiple elderly victims resulting in over £250,000 worth of money being defrauded.
R v Adesanya [2014]: Successful prosecution of a fashion stylist accused of fraud and theft from multiple victims of high value jewellery loaned to him under the false pretext of it being used for fashion shoots for specific magazines.
R v Molloy [2014]: Successful defence of a lorry driver accused of importing 360 kg of cannabis into the UK.
R v Hassan [2014]: Successful prosecution of a young male for attempted rape of a drunken female in the grounds of a block of flats in south London, where the issue was consent.
R v JF [2014]: Successfully responded on behalf of the CPS to the appeal against sentence which followed the defendant’s conviction for the sexual assault of a profoundly deaf victim (see below): Reported – R v JF [2014] EWCA Crim 1034.
R v JF [2013]: Junior prosecution counsel (to Eleanor Laws QC) in a case concerning sexual allegations involving a victim with profound deafness, learning difficulties and severe communication problems. Two intermediaries working together were required in order to enable the victim to give evidence and parameters for cross-examination were set during an extensive ground rules hearing.
R v S [2013]: Defended a young adult male who was found unfit to plead and stand trial in relation to allegations of rape and sexual misconduct made by two boys.
R v B [2013]: Prosecuted allegations of historic rape and sexual misconduct on a female from the age of under 13 years into adulthood (prosecuting counsel – trial). Defendant convicted and received 17 years.
R v S [2013]: Successfully defended a mother charged with child cruelty (neglect) when her four month old son received severe head injuries at the hands of his father (leading defence counsel – trial).
R v P [2013]: Defended allegations of assault by penetration and sexual assault of a girl under 10 by her mother’s boyfriend (defendant acquitted).
R v Heffer [2013]: Successful appeal to the Court of Appeal against sentence for ABH – reported at [2013] EWCA Crim 253.
R v M [2012]: Defended a rape allegation concerning a brother and sister (aged under 16), where the defence was consent. The defendant was acquitted after trial.
R v H [2012]: Successfully prosecuted the natural grandfather of a 9 year old autistic girl in relation to sexual allegations. The use of an intermediary was required at trial.
R v E [2012]: Successful prosecution in relation to allegations of kidnap and sexual assault by a stranger on a 13 year old girl (prosecution).
R v Sivakumar [2011]: Fraud in breach of trust by an employee using customer credit cards (defence). Successfully appealed sentence to the Court of Appeal, reported at [2011] EWCA Crim 1594.
R v Parker and Steele [2010]: Causing death by dangerous driving (trial – prosecution).
Nina Ellin has been approved as a Facilitator for the Advocacy and the Vulnerable training programme and facilitates at training days at the Inner Temple. She also acted as group leader at an advocacy training weekend at Highgate House in May 2019 run by Inner Temple.
Nina has lectured to the CPS RASSO unit in Kent as well as to local solicitors and colleagues on matters relating to vulnerable victims, the use of intermediaries and ground rules.
She has spoken at the “Child and Adolescent Health and Wellbeing: Safeguarding Children from Sexual Exploitation” symposium hosted by the Public Policy Exchange in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and at the Public Policy Exchange Event on Serious and Organised Crime in 2016.
She has also lectured at the Child Safeguarding Conference hosted by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine in relation to evidence and forensic issues.
Nina Ellin taught on the Bar Vocational Course between 2007 and 2009. She has a Certificate in Academic Practice (City University, London) in 2009.
Double murder trial underway - Oliver Saxby QC and Nina Ellin prosecuting
The trial of Louise Porton began yesterday before Mrs Justice Yip at Birmingham Crown Court. The defendant, aged 23, is charged with murdering her two children, Lexi and Scarlett, within 18 days of each other. Lexi was aged 3, Scarlett 17 months. The Crown’s case revolves around the absence of ...
Nina Ellin prosecutes lorry driver convicted of causing death by dangerous driving
The lorry driver was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. He had been watching a TV programme on his phone whilst driving an HGV. Viorel Sandulache, was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of causing Abi Harvey's death. Nina Ellin was prosecuting. News coverage of the ...
Catherine Donnelly and Nina Ellin - Level 4 prosecutors on CPS serious crime list
Chambers congratulates Catherine Donnelly and Nina Ellin who have been successful in their applications to be on the CPS "serious crime" list at Level 4. Level 4 is the highest level and is reserved for barristers able to prosecute the most serious of offences. ...
see all news for this barrister
telephone020 7797 8400
emailnina.ellin@6pumpcourt.co.uk
pdfdownload
Criminal Bar Association
Kent Bar Mess
South Eastern Circuit
Clerk Contacts
6 Pump Court
London, EC4Y 7AR
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Stefanik wants 1,846 new staff members at US-Canada border
JOE LoTEMPLIO
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik speaks with the Enterprise editorial board Oct. 5, 2018, at the newspaper’s Saranac Lake office. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)
PLATTSBURGH — North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is pushing for the addition of 1,846 new positions within Customs and Border Protection, including 1,200 new officers.
The additional staffing, she says, will help curtail the need to transfer officers from the northern border with Canada to the southern border with Mexico.
Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, and Northern Border Caucus Co-Chair Brian Higgins, D-NY-26, released a letter sent to House appropriation leaders supporting the addition of the news positions.
CBP employs almost 45,000 law enforcement personnel across three divisions that cover U.S. ports, borders, air, maritime and overseas operations. The letter led by Higgins and Stefanik and signed by fellow Northern Border Caucus members Reps. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., Collin Peterson, D-Minn., Peter Welch, D-Vt., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Daniel Kildee, D-Mich., notes “current staffing levels fail to address the growing demands of travel and trade at our ports-of-entry.”
Last month, members of the Northern Border Caucus released a bipartisan letter opposing U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to transfer CBP officers stationed along the Northern Border and U.S. airports to posts at the southern border.
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Welcome to Alaska
Outdoors at a Glance
Wrangell-St. Elias
Trail Tips
24 Hours in Anchorage
Downtown Anchorage
Anchorage Trails
Alaska Breweries
Kodiak & Southeast Alaska
Girdwood, Whittier & Seward
11 glacier adventures near Anchorage
Author: Laurel Andrews
Matanuska Glacier Park guide and caretaker Bill Stevenson walks along a narrow slot of ice at the foot of Matanuska Glacier on February 23, 2017. Matanuska Glacier Park now requires first-time winter visitors to take a $100 guided tour. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)
Whether you live in Alaska or are visiting, glaciers are one of the state's most awe-inspiring and unique attractions. Alaska is, after all, home to most of the glaciers in the United States.
There are glacier trips for people of all ages and athletic abilities. We narrowed those trips down to the glaciers under 150 miles — or a two- to three-hour drive — from Anchorage.
But before we get to the adventures, let's talk briefly about glacier safety.
Michelle Dalps, a park ranger at Kenai Fjords National Park, urges all glacier travelers to bring warm, layered clothes, sturdy shoes or boots, and a windbreak layer. Glaciers are colder than surrounding areas, and often windy.
Walking on glaciers can be dangerous unless — and sometimes even if — you have proper training and equipment.
"Ice is unpredictable," Dalps said.
Crevasses and moulins (deep holes) form in the glacier. Crevasses especially are not always visible. If you want to trek the surface of a glacier, you need to either know what you are doing (i.e. be an experienced outdoorsperson with training in glacier travel) or hire a guide.
If you are on a kayak or boat near a glacier, stay half a mile away, as glaciers shift and calve without warning and create massive waves, Dalps said. Land on a beach at least a mile from a glacier, and camp 2 miles away.
When walking around the toe (where the glacier ends), keep a distance of twice the glacier's height. Same goes for paddling around an iceberg.
Got it? Phew. Now for the fun stuff.
Disclaimer: This list explores some of the most popular glaciers and ways to see them, but for brevity's sake it does not include many of the tour operators that offer hikes, scenic flights, kayaking, etc. More information about tours can be found with a simple online search.
View of Byron Glacier in the Kenai Mountains from across Portage Lake in the Chugach National Forest. (Bill Roth / ADN archive)
1. Portage Valley
About an hour's drive from Anchorage on the Seward Highway is Portage Valley and the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. Two glaciers are easily accessible in the valley.
Byron Glacier is touted as being highly accessible for all ages. The 1.4-mile trail is a flat, easy walk. The first half is well-maintained, with a wide path. The second half is rocky, and to get closer to the glacier, visitors must cross boulders and small streams.
Then there's Portage Glacier. The glacier has receded out of view from the visitor center, but in the summer there's a daily cruise, and a pull-off where you can see the glacier from the road. A little farther down the road, Portage Pass trail is a 4-mile round-trip hike with glacier views.
During the winter, frozen Portage Lake is a popular spot for skiers and bikers traveling to the toe of the glacier, although there are no park rangers around in case of emergency.
2. Whittier and Prince William Sound
Continue down Portage Glacier Road another few miles — including a trip through the 2.5-mile-long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel — and you wind up in the town of Whittier.
Whittier is the launching point for many cruises in Prince William Sound, which boasts more tidewater glaciers than any other region in North America. (Valdez is another launching spot, about a five-hour drive from Anchorage.)
Columbia, Meares and Blackstone glaciers are just three of the oft-visited glaciers in the area. There are many different types of tours, kayaking opportunities and public-use cabins in Prince William Sound.
Kids explore the waterline at Spencer Lake with a good view of Spencer Glacier and some of its icebergs. Hikers can access the area, south of Portage in Chugach National Forest, by way of Alaska Railroad’s whistle stop service, which drops passengers about a 1.3-mile walk from the lake. (Marc Lester / ADN archive)
3. Spencer Glacier
About 60 miles southeast of Anchorage, Spencer Glacier is only accessible via the Alaska Railroad's Glacier Discovery Train, which runs daily from May 26 through Sept. 17.
Visitors get off at the Spencer Whistle Stop in Chugach National Forest at 1:45 p.m. You can hike about 1.3 miles one way to the glacier viewing platform, or another 1.7 miles to the edge of the glacier (but be mindful of getting back to the train in time for the 4:40 p.m. pickup). Hike on your own or take a hike guided by a U.S. Forest Service ranger.
Campsites and a cabin are open mid-June and can be reserved through the railroad. Tour operators offer guided kayaking, ice climbing or trips down the Placer River.
The train continues past Spencer Glacier to Grandview, where Bartlett and Trail glaciers can be seen. There's a short, 20-minute stop before the train loops around and heads back to Anchorage. A train ride to Seward has the same glacier views.
Jim Saylor, left, and Tucker Spohr in the meadows on the lower east flank of Benign Peak with Eklutna Glacier and 7,040-foot Peril Peak beyond them. (Shawn Lyons / ADN archive)
4. Eklutna
About an hour northeast of Anchorage is Eklutna Glacier, which provides most of the drinking water for Alaska's largest city. Part of Chugach State Park, Eklutna Lake Campground has a large campsite, bike and kayak rentals, and a trail system that leads out to the glacier.
Glacier access is a bit of a journey — to get up close, take the Eklutna Lakeside Trail, 12.9 miles one way. The path follows the shore of the lake, then to the river and glacier. Alternatively, the Bold Ridge Trail is about 4 miles long with a steep 3,600-foot elevation gain that rewards you with glacier views.
A tour of the toe of Matanuska Glacier one year included a view of a cavelike channel. (Marc Lester / ADN)
5. Matanuska Glacier
The Matanuska Glacier is about a two-hour drive on the Glenn Highway northeast of Anchorage. It's touted as one of the few major ice sheets in the world that visitors can drive to and explore on foot. The glacier itself is gigantic — about 26 miles long and 4 miles wide at its terminus.
The Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Area has 12 campsites, and a 20-minute walk to glacier-viewing platforms, but no direct access to the glacier.
The only road-accessible route directly to the glacier face is through property owned by Matanuska Glacier Park LLC. Tours are sold out of a gift shop and information center. Then, it's a short drive and hike to reach the glacier. Guided tours are available.
The Glacier Park access costs $25 for Alaska residents, $30 for those from out of state in the summer. Winter access is $100 for first-time visitors, guided only.
6. South Fork Valley Trail
The South Fork Valley Trail is a relatively easy hike to Eagle and Symphony Lakes in Eagle River, about half an hour east of Anchorage. The hike is about 10 miles round-trip. Flute Glacier can be reached by walking to Eagle Lake, then heading another 2 miles up the valley to the toe of the glacier.
Glacial moraines stripe the surface of a glacier in Denali National Park. The glaciers are like conveyor belts for moving rocks and gravel downward with the flow of the ice. (Anne Raup / ADN archive)
7. Talkeetna
A little over two hours north of Anchorage, the town of Talkeetna is the staging point for climbers heading to Denali. It also has flightseeing options for those who want to bask in the splendor of North America's tallest peak without climbing it.
There are hundreds of unnamed glaciers on Denali, and 40 named ones, according to the National Park Service. The longest ones — Ruth, Kahiltna and Muldrow — are each more than 30 miles long.
Multiple Talkeetna air taxi operators offer trips around the mountain. Some land on the different glaciers.
Linda Keys, visiting from Korea, takes photos of Exit Glacier from the lower level of the Harding Icefield Trail in Seward. (Yereth Rosen / ADN archive)
8. Seward
Exit Glacier is the only glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park accessible by road (and received a visit from former President Barack Obama in 2015).
The Exit Glacier Nature Center is the starting point for a system of trails leading to the glacier. Those wanting more can make the strenuous 8.2-mile round-trip hike up the Harding Icefield Trail for spectacular views of the massive ice field.
There's also a 12-site, tents-only campground near the nature center.
Exit Glacier Road is only open to cars during the summer, usually mid-May. In the winter, snowmachines, skiers, dog sleds and fat bikes are still allowed on the road.
Then, there's the rest of Kenai Fjords National Park. The park website highlights Bear Glacier Lagoon and boat tours that take visitors along the park's tidewater glaciers.
Hikers brave a stiff breeze at the top of Bodenburg Butte. The 360-degree view includes the Talkeetna Mountains, the Knik Glacier and River and the Chugach Mountains. (Anne Raup / ADN archive)
9. Knik River
Excursions to Knik Glacier in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough exploded in popularity this winter, with fat-bikers taking a northern route that crosses a river.
Summer access comes by way of Knik Glacier Trail. There's an 8-mile trail starting from Knik Glacier Tours that requires river crossings. Biking and boating are common. Tours are also offered through Knik River Lodge.
There's also flightseeing available to Knik and Colony Glacier.
A Crow Pass Crossing racer begins the descent from the vicinity of Raven Glacier toward Eagle River in Chugach State Park. (Marc Lester / ADN archive)
10. Crow Pass Trail and Raven Glacier
Raven Glacier can be seen on the 23-mile Crow Pass Trail, which has trailheads at Girdwood (40 miles from Anchorage on the Seward Highway ) and the Eagle River Nature Center (about 26 miles east of Anchorage). This hike is recommended from late June to early September due to snow and avalanche danger.
For a glacier view with an 8-mile round trip, start from Girdwood's Crow Creek trailhead. Hikers follow a series of switchbacks uphill, passing Jewel Glacier to the east of Crow Pass Cabin, and eventually arrive at Crow Pass and Raven Glacier. Hikers can continue on past the glacier, or turn around.
11. Hatcher Pass
About 80 minutes north of Anchorage is the Hatcher Pass Management Area, a popular recreational area.
Gold Mint Trail is a 16-mile round-trip journey that follows the Little Susitna River to the Mint Glacier Valley, where hikers can follow a fairly undeveloped trail up to Mint Glacier. There's also good glacier viewing — and traversing — on the multiday Mint-Bomber Traverse for more advanced outdoor explorers.
Laurel Andrews
Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.
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Wake-up call for investors facing lower returns in Labor franking plan
William McInnesReporter
Mar 1, 2019 — 11.00pm
Some investors will need a serious reshuffle of their investment portfolios to avoid losing regular income if Labor wins the election and scraps the refund of excess franking credits.
While some wealth advisers say the proposed changes could be positive in that they will mean more diversified portfolios, they add the changes could also mean investors look to asset classes they don't understand in search of regular income.
"Investors shouldn't be reactive to this and they shouldn't suddenly start looking at investments they don't understand because without advice they can make big mistakes," says Sentinel Wealth managing director Justin Hooper. "The fact that dividend yields have historically been higher in Australia means investors have got used to this situation and now they're being reactive."
The Australian equity market returns far more to shareholders through dividend distribution than other global markets and the complacency of local investors has meant they are often unaware of other investment options.
The current earnings season has shown that the appetite for companies to pay out dividends to shareholders is still well and truly alive, with the amount of dividends paid set to hit a record high of $84 billion in 2018-19.
Providence Wealth managing director Grant Patterson is worried investors who will receive less income under the Labor proposal will try to chase higher returns through assets they don't fully understand. "Our concern would be if the rules change and investors are trying to replace that income, it may result in chasing income that would increase the risk in their portfolio," he says.
Under Australia's system of dividend imputation, shareholders receive franking credits to account for tax paid at the corporate level, which in most cases is 30 per cent. Credits can be used to offset tax owed by the shareholder.For people who pay little or no tax (such as superannuation funds and retirees), excess franking credits are paid out as cash refunds. Labor will end those refunds, except for people covered by its "pensioner guarantee". The guarantee means anybody receiving a Centrelink age pension will still be eligible for refunds. A limited exclusion for SMSFs applies only if one member was receiving a part or full pension before March 28, 2018.
Wealthier shareholders will be less affected because they tend to have tax liabilities and can therefore fully use imputation credits. People with more than $1.6 million in superannuation will have moved any excess into their accumulation account, where it is taxed at 15 per cent. They will be able to use their tax credits to offset this liability. But for those who pay no tax, the credits will go to waste.
While investors with larger balances (paying tax) won't be hit, Hamilton Wealth Management managing partner Will Hamilton says the changes will leave investors with smaller balances (paying no tax) in the lurch. As the table shows, those paying higher levels of tax won't be worse off under the proposed change but those on zero or 15 per cent tax will be worse off because they will no longer receive a tax refund.
"We've had new clients that have come to see us and it's a big discussion," Hamilton says. "The sophisticated investor can prepare for this. Some people have a lot of money and have still struggled with this conversation. It's the impact on smaller balances where I do feel the shadow treasurer doesn't quite realise what he's done."
Mason Stevens portfolio manager Alwyn Hung says those with taxable income are better protected from the proposed changes while lower-rate taxpayers would be hit hardest.
"The community of net losers if the Labor party were to win office and implement this change would be, for the most part, those that have tax liabilities less than the value of the franking credits. Broadly speaking, these are not-for-profit organisations, self-funded retirees, self-managed super funds (SMSFs) and income earners earning less than $18,200 and exempt from tax."
"The one positive will be that there will be some discipline towards asset allocation," Hamilton says. "I don't agree with people having 100 per cent cash and Australian equities.
Investors should consider alternatives with caution, says Sentinel Wealth's Justin Hooper. Daniel Munoz
"There's a familiarity that sometimes does breed contempt. They're using the system and supplementing their income by investing long in Australia equities. [But] people have made plans based on the laws that have existed and these people do things themselves. If they look to diversify, there's going to be another cost from that."
Hamilton says many smaller investors have expressed concerns about trying to readjust their portfolios, particularly those unable to pay for professional advice.
"They're really worried. Suddenly that tap [of refunded franking credits] is going to be turned off and it's really sad. They can't go and [reallocate assets] to the same extent."
Despite concerns the changes will force investors away from assets they know and understand, advisers believe there could be some unintended positive consequences.
Providence Wealth's Grant Patterson is worried investors who will receive less income under the Labor proposal will try to chase higher returns through assets they don't fully understand. Peter Braig
Where to invest instead
The implementation of Labor's franking policy would be just the latest hurdle for dividend-chasing investors. The blue-chip dividend stars of yesteryear have disappointed in the last few months and while the big iron ore miners have paid generous dividends in the past few months, they are heavily exposed to the fluctuations of the commodity cycle.
"What people have to do is change the focus. Stop looking at the yield and start looking at the total returns," Hamilton says. "Look at growth companies, international equities or, if their risk appetite is correct, some alternate debts products."
Sentinel Wealth financial planner Jon James believes investors need to have a strong objective and find the right portfolio to match that objective.
"It really does come back to your asset allocation and having a strategy," he says. "One of the concerns we have is people abandoning their investment strategy because they'll introduce some additional risk into their portfolio."
Bond proxies
Advisors say bond proxy stocks, such as infrastructure and real estate investment trusts (REITs), are a good option for investors looking for regular income and are already well understood by equity investors.
REITS and infrastructure stocks are closely linked to the bond market due to their high levels of debts, with investment spurred by lower interest rates.
They can offer predictable returns, with revenue streams similar to bonds. Due to the defensive nature of infrastructure stocks, they can typically offer a greater level of certainty for investors than other sectors.
"Some of the infrastructure stocks on the ASX and the real estate investment trusts are certainly options clients might look at," Sentinel Wealth's James says.
Providence's Patterson says both sectors are likely to provide good income. "[Infrastructure] has its own dynamics but it traditionally pays a reasonable income because it's very highly geared. The real estate investment trust sector might also attract more interest because of the distribution yield."
According to data from Factset, the dividend yield of the S&P/ASX 200 is about 4.6 per cent and 6.1 per cent after franking, making it relatively attractive compared with real estate investment trusts at 5.5 per cent with no franking and utility stocks at 5.1 per cent with no franking.
Were franking credits to be removed, stocks like Transurban, Sydney Airport, Spark Infrastructure and Atlas Arteria would look significantly more attractive from an income perspective relative to the S&P/ASX 200.
Corporate bonds could also provide a reasonable level of income to investors, although advisers are cautious on the risks surrounding them.
"People might look at corporate debt instruments," says Sentinel's James. "However when people move into the corporate bond world, the overall risk is a concern."
Corporate regulator the Australian Securities and Investments Commission says it is vital investors know the risks associated with corporate bonds.
"The main risk with corporate bonds is that you may not receive interest payments or get your money back if the company issuing the bonds goes out of business," it highlights.
ASIC recommends assessing the business environment the company operates in, including looking which country it is in, what the outlook for the industry is and the strength of management.
Providence's Patterson agrees, saying that while debt markets can diversify a portfolio, investors need to be aware of the elevated risks.
"The potential positive in returning the franking is Australian shares become less attractive at the margin and portfolios might become more diversified," he says. "It may mean investors focus more on corporate bonds but they need to understand the risk of credit markets. As we saw in the global financial crisis, credit markets basically imploded."
Income trusts
Hybrid securities are another asset class often used by not-for-profit organisations, SMSFs and self-funded retirees as a proxy for fixed income, with the added benefits of franking.
Hybrids are also set to be impacted under franking changes, with the dividends being paid out from them subject to the same rules as equity investments. Mason Stevens' Hung says: "The proposed tax changes may mean they need to rethink this strategy."
A note from Bell Potter analysts Damien Williamson and Barry Ziegler in early February suggested investors in hybrid securities could shift some of their investments to an income trust to avoid losing their tax refund.
"In quantifying the impact on an SMSF with a $600,000 investment in Westpac Capital Notes 5 generating $22,050 cash and $9,450 in franking credits, the SMSF would lose a surplus franking cash rebate of $4,725 under the ALP policy," they said. "To maintain the same level of after-tax income, this investor may reallocate half their Westpac Capital Notes 5 holding into an investment such as NB Global Corporate Income Trust."
They added the move by investors away from the capital structure of banks to offshore investments would likely increase bank funding costs and limit government revenue. "This investment strategy also brings into question the quantum of revenue this policy will generate," the Bell Potter analysts add.
Overseas shares
Buying overseas shares, where the total returns and prospect of share buybacks are greater, could also be another option for investors searching for income.
Hamilton says overseas markets are becoming better understood by investors. "If you spoke to people 15 years ago about international equities, they weren't as popular."
Most advisors agree that international equities should form a part of any diversified portfolio but say the income stream isn't as simple.
"[International equities] have got to be part of your overall investment strategy," says Sentinel's James. "You shouldn't just be going overseas to search for dividend yield. So by going to the US market, you're not necessarily going to get a very high yield but they generally have higher capital growth. You're also exposed to currency movements."
Providence's Grant is more sceptical. "Investors are unlikely to go to international equities because it won't provide enough income," he says. "Overseas companies' excess capital is used to buy back shares rather than dividends. I don't see it as a replacement for people requiring income."
Additional reporting by Joanna Mather.
William McInnes covers markets from Sydney including editing the Markets Live blog. Connect with William on Twitter. Email William at w.mcinnes@afr.com.au
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Smaller companies: big opportunity?
Harry Nimmo, Head of Smaller Companies
Why should investors in smaller companies expect a higher return? What are the risks involved? And what are the opportunities for active managers?
In this piece, we set out the historic strong performance of smaller companies. We describe the fundamental drivers of their above-market returns and the risks involved. We explain the different risk exposures that create the opportunity to add value through portfolio diversification. And we highlight the opportunity for active management.
For investors looking for a deeper understanding, we explore the history of poor performance of junior stock markets and the opportunities that arise as they mature. We dig deeper into the differences between large and small-cap exposures. These include higher credit costs, different country and sector exposures, and lower average levels of profitability. And we review academic studies of smaller companies, finding anomalies that active investors can aim to exploit. We finish with a brief history of smaller-company investing.
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Above-market returns from a broad and deep investment universe
Why should investors consider allocating money to smaller companies? Why should they expect a higher return? And what are the risks involved?
The Center for Research in Securities Prices at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business provides the longest history of size-ranked stock indices. A dollar invested in US larger companies in 1926, with dividends reinvested, grew in value to $5,767 by the end of 2017. A similar investment in small-caps grew to $38,842, over six times more.1 A 2% annual return premium translates into a significant sum when compounded over a number of decades.
“Smaller companies represent a greater proportion of the world index than any single country outside the US.”
Chart 1: Cumulative historical performance of US small-caps and large caps, 1926-2017
Source: Professors Dimson, Marsh, Staunton and Evans, London Business School, CRSP, Morningstar, December 31,2017
Smaller companies raced ahead between 1975 and 1983, attracting the attention of academics and investors. Between 1984 and 1997, the ‘small-cap premium’ turned negative, leading investors to question the higher return produced by investing in smaller companies over large. Instead this difference was rebranded the ‘small-cap effect’, reflecting that smaller companies performed than large, sometimes lagging and sometimes leading.
The poor performance during the 1980s and ‘90s was not just the unwinding of a crowded trade. The composition of small-cap indices was changing. The globalization of manufacturing was transforming the investment landscape. Industrial production was shifting from the developed world to the emerging world. Small-cap indices started to fill up with fading manufacturing companies.
Similarly, the recovery since the turn of the century has occurred against the backdrop of improving fundamentals. Small-cap indices have benefited from the strong performance of companies that have captured the growing opportunities created by technological advances.
Small companies – big investment universe
Smaller companies represent a greater proportion of the world index than any single country outside the US. They also represent a higher weight than the combined emerging markets. They account for 13% of the MSCI All Country (AC) World IMI Index.2 This index captures 99% of the global equity investment opportunities, across 23 developed markets and 24 emerging markets, including large and small-cap stocks.
They are also large in number. Splitting this index by company size, the MSCI AC World Small Cap Index has 5,967 constituents. By comparison, the MSCI AC World index (of large and mid-cap stocks) has 2,758 constituents.
Chart 2: MSCI All Country World IMI Index, by market capitalization
Source: MSCI, December 31, 2018
Chart 3: MSCI All Country World IMI Index, by number of index constituents
Smaller companies premium – a global perspective
Rolf Banz, a PhD student at the University of Chicago, first identified the small-cap premium in US stocks in 1981.3 This triggered similar studies around the world. In a 2018 study, Professors Dimson, Marsh and Evans from the London Business School provided a global perspective.4 They calculated the small-cap premium to be 5% annually for the largest 28 countries in the FTSE World Index between 2000 and 2017. Smaller companies outperformed in 25 of the 28 countries (see chart 4).
Chart 4: Global smaller companies premiums from 2000 to 2018
Source: Professors Scott Evans, Paul Marsh and Elroy Dimson, Numis Smaller Companies Index 2019 Annual Review, December 31, 2018
Smaller companies effect – understanding the risks
The fundamental explanation for the small-cap premium is that the stocks of smaller companies are higher risk. Returns are higher but so is the volatility of returns. There is no ‘free lunch’ available simply by buying a smaller companies index. Instead, successful investing requires a deep understanding of these risks and the potential rewards that they offer.
Small-cap premium:
the outperformance of smaller companies over large
Small-cap effect:
the tendency of smaller companies to perform differently from large
The maturing of junior stock markets
The success of NASDAQ, the US stock exchange ‘junior’ to the mainstream New York Stock Exchange, has led to many imitators. More than 130 new junior stock exchanges in more than 70 countries had formed by 2015. Lower barriers to entry led to high failure rates among the listed firms. However, these markets are maturing. Investors who look at individual companies rather than buy an index are able to find attractive opportunities.
Junior stock markets have a poor reputation. Lower barriers to entry provide smaller, growing companies with easier access to capital. However, these lower barriers also represent higher risk for investors. And higher risks do not always translate into higher returns.
In 1989, Forbes magazine labelled the Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE) the “scam capital of the world.” An alternative to the major Toronto Stock Exchange, it operated between 1906 and 1999. It featured many small mining and oil & gas exploration stocks. The magazine stated that the majority of these stocks were either total failures or frauds. “Out of 1,205 mining companies on the VSE, only 50 actually produced minerals, and only 10 to 15 are profitable.”
AIM, the London Stock Exchange’s alternative investment market, describes itself as “the most successful growth market in the world. Since its launch in 1995, over 3,600 companies from across the globe have chosen to join AIM.”
“There are signs that the AIM market has matured. More companies pay dividends and a larger number are profitable.”
Long-term investors might use a less favorable description. The Numis Alternative Markets Index includes all AIM-listed stocks. From its launch to the end of 2017, the index has underperformed fully listed smaller companies by 8.6% per year.4 This index has a back-history dating to 1980, incorporating stocks traded on the now discontinued Unlisted Securities Market (USM) and Third Market. Underperformance was even greater between 1980 and the launch of AIM, at 9.5% per year.
NASDAQ: the poster child of secondary stock markets
Of course, there is one very notable exception. The New York-based NASDAQ may be America’s second stock exchange, but it is also the second-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization. Launched in 1971 and opened as an electronic exchange in 1981, it has attracted some of the world’s most successful companies. It is home to all of the FAANGs, the tech giants that led stock market performance in 2017: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google (via the listing of its parent company, Alphabet). In 2017, PepsiCo switched its listing from the New York Stock Exchange to NASDAQ after nearly 100 years on the primary exchange. The company told investors that a NASDAQ listing was more cost efficient. And it offered additional tools and services to connect with shareholders.
The success of NASDAQ has attracted many imitators. “Worldwide by 2015, over 130 new junior stock exchanges in over 70 countries had formed,” according to Professors Robert Eberhart and Charles Eesley, authors of The Dark Side of Institutional Intermediaries: Junior Stock Exchanges and Entrepreneurship.5
This paper provides a number of findings that help explain why stocks listed on junior stock markets have generally performed poorly. These exchanges lower the barriers to entry on a variety of measures: company size, growth, profitability and stability. “This results in higher failure rates of the listed firms and the frequent failure of the junior exchange itself.”
The lowering of reporting standards leads to greater asymmetry of information. Easing the access to capital for the entrepreneur increases the uncertainty that investors face. Without the ability to carry out proper due diligence, investors fund less worthy firms.
Many of these exchanges were launched to promote the formation of new technology firms. The increased supply of capital to that industry led to the funding of more marginal firms, creating greater competition. The authors studied the performance of over 19,000 companies listed on the MOTHERS exchange and NASDAQ Japan (subsidiaries of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Exchange). They found that “annual growth in revenues decreased by an average of 5.9% for technology companies compared to non-technology firms. In sum, the new junior stock exchanges facilitated investment into new technology ventures to the detriment of their prospects.”
Simple analysis can help overcome some of the risks associated with a lightly regulated environment, such as the AIM market. Chris Mallin and Kean Ow-Yong studied Factors influencing corporate governance disclosures: evidence from Alternative Investment Market (AIM) companies in the UK.6 “We report clear evidence that compliance increases with company size, board size, the proportion of independent non-executive directors, the presence of turnover revenue, and being formerly listed on the Main Market. However, we find that shell and highly geared AIM companies disclose relatively lower levels of corporate governance than recommended under QCA* guidelines.” This provides a clear list of factors for a fundamental analyst to assess.
How has NASDAQ succeeded against this backdrop? It introduced a tiered listing standard. Standards strengthen for companies as they move up from the bottom to top tier. The success of companies in the top tier, such as Apple and Microsoft, provide credibility and legitimacy to the exchange.
*The QCA, or Quoted Companies Alliance, is an independent membership organization that champions the interests of small to mid-sized quoted companies.
AIM: a maturing market
There are signs that the AIM market has matured too. Prior poor performance was mostly linked to recent initial public offerings (IPOs) and fad businesses. In particular, the TMT bubble around the turn of the century and the ‘commodity supercycle’ of the last decade led to many low quality IPOs. At the end of 2010, the oil & gas sector and mining sector together accounted for 46% of the AIM 50 Index.7 By December 2017, the two largest sectors were pharmaceuticals and general retailers, which together represented 31% of a more diversified index.
Today there are fewer fad stocks. Many stocks pay dividends: 68% of the AIM 50 Index in December 2017, compared to just 16% in December 2010. There are now a number of profitable companies with good business momentum listed on the exchange.
Chart 5: Proportion of profitable and dividend paying companies on AIM (% by value)
Source: Scott Evans and Paul Marsh, Numis, December 31, 2018
The lower barriers to entry of junior exchanges mean that investors should always apply higher levels of due diligence. But the maturing of these markets is creating opportunities. Selective stock pickers can identify attractive investments, backed by solid fundamentals.
the risks
Explaining the return premium and exploring the diversification potential
What are the higher risks that explain the small-cap premium? And what characteristics explain why smaller companies perform differently than their larger peers?
Risk and return are two sides of the same coin. Academic studies have tried to identify the higher risks involved in investing in smaller companies. These help explain why investors should demand a higher return. Less noticed are the risks that are lower for smaller companies than larger. Investors also need to understand the risks that are neither greater nor smaller but simply different. These provide a source of diversification. Finally, investors cannot ignore the risk factors that are common to all companies, large and small.
“Academic studies have tried to identify the higher risks involved in investing in smaller companies. These help explain why investors should demand a higher return.”
A smaller company can have a lower market value for two reasons:
• it is small (which investors can measure in a number of ways), or
• it is relatively risky.
Investors should apply a higher discount rate to future cash flows of more risky companies. A higher discount rate means a lower valuation. In other words, for two companies with the same annual sales, the riskier company will have the smaller market capitalization.
Does Size Really Matter? by Professor Jonathan Berk looked at the performance of smaller companies, classified by factors other than market capitalization, such as annual sales.8 Using these other measures, he found that returns were unrelated to size. The relative riskiness of smaller companies is the dominant factor in explaining the observed relationship between market value and returns. Understanding these risks is key to understanding the value of the company.
In general, academics explain the small-cap premium as the reward for accepting the poor performance of smaller companies during periods of market stress. Active investors must decide if they are being adequately rewarded for this risk. Or they can decide to control these risks, for example by tilting portfolios toward higher-quality companies.
In summary, an investment in a smaller-companies index is higher risk than the equivalent larger-companies index. But investing in a smaller-companies portfolio does not have to be.
1. Illiquidity risk
The shares of smaller companies are less liquid. They also have higher insider ownership, leaving a smaller free-float for external shareholders. This risk can be mitigated in a portfolio context. However, it translates into a higher cost for entering and exiting positions.
2. Recession risk
Smaller companies have historically underperformed from the peak of an economic cycle to its trough (see chart 6). For the US equity market, this underperformance was 5% on average during the five recessions that have occurred since 1980.9 A longer view captures the Great Depression (1929-1933) and the deep recession of the 1970s (1973-1975).1 These were periods of significant pain for holders of smaller companies.
Chart 6: US Small-cap relative performance and US recessions, 1926 - 2017
Shaded areas indicate US recession.
Source: Professors Dimson, Marsh, Staunton and Evans, London Business School, CRSP, Morningstar, NBER, December 31, 2017
This analysis is based on perfect hindsight of when recessions began and ended. In practice, there is a long lag between the start of a recession and its identification. We associate recessions with bear markets. But here too, investors require hindsight to identify the start of a bear market. Nor do economic downturns and market downturns neatly coincide. This helps explain the somewhat counterintuitive findings of a Numis study.4 UK smaller companies outperformed in bear markets, but underperformed in recoveries (see chart 7).
Chart 7: When do small caps do well?
3. Credit risk
The cost of borrowing is higher for smaller companies.10 (Indeed the cost of equity is higher too. Lower average valuations for share buyers translate into higher cost for the companies issuing those shares.) This is consistent with the underperformance of smaller company shares when times are tough: during recessions. The small-cap premium is higher when rates are low than when they are high. And higher when interest rates are falling than when they are rising.
4. Inflation risk
Equity market valuations are higher when inflation is close to target. They are lower in periods when inflation is high, or when inflation falls close to zero or turns negative (deflation). This pattern is exaggerated for smaller companies. This means the small-cap premium is higher when inflation is close to target but lower during periods of low or high inflation.4
5. Price volatility
The risks above translate into higher volatility of returns for an index of smaller companies than their larger peers.
6. Complexity
Big companies are complex organizations. Sony grew rapidly in the second half of the 20th century on the back of sales of Trinitron TVs and the Walkman. By the 1990s, the company had become a bloated behemoth, employing 160,000 people.11 With profits under pressure, the company divided into smaller units, asking each to focus on their own profitability. In 1999, one unit launched the company’s first portable digital player at a trade fair in Las Vegas. Next on stage was a rival product from a competing Sony unit. Not surprisingly, consumers were confused and both failed. The complexity of large companies makes it harder for management to be in control.
7. Index concentration
The composition of market indices reflects past success. Sometimes one theme dominates the market, leading to a concentration of stocks at the top of the list. Today, five US technology companies head the MSCI World Index: Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (which owns Google), Amazon and Facebook. Together they represent a combined 7.5% of the index.12 This concentration increases in regional portfolios and is yet more pronounced in single country portfolios. For example, Samsung Electronics represents 28% of the MSCI Korea Index.13 A few large stocks can skew the overall performance of market-cap weighted equity portfolios.
Different risks
8. Currency exposure
Smaller companies have a higher proportion of domestic sales, while larger companies include more multinationals. For example, domestic sales account for 63% of total sales for companies in the MSCI US Index. This compares to 78% of sales for companies in the MSCI US Smaller Companies Index.14 This means small and large companies have different responses to currency moves.
9. Stock-specific risk
Stock-specific risks are a more significant driver of performance for smaller companies than their larger peers (see chart 8). By contrast, larger companies are more sensitive to other factors such as country, sector and style.
Chart 8: Stock specific risk as percentage of total risk
Source: Axioma, December 31, 2018
10. Different companies
A portfolio of smaller companies is a different set of companies to a portfolio of larger companies. This might seem too banal to mention. Yet investment in factor-driven (or smart-beta) portfolios is growing and can lead to the same stocks appearing in more than one factor sub-portfolio. For example, 55 of the 151 companies in the iShares Edge MSCI USA Value Factor ETF are also included in the iShares Edge MSCI USA Size Factor ETF15. This overlap is illustrated in the Venn diagrams below (see chart 8).
Chart 8: Index overlap: number of stocks
Source: MSCI, ISHARES, December 31, 2018
11. Long-cycle performance
These different risks help explain why capturing the small-cap premium involves periods of outperformance and underperformance. The cycle between small-cap and large-cap leadership differs across different countries. These cycles can last for a number of years.
Same risks
12. Traditional risk measures
Portfolio managers still need to account for country, sector and industry exposures. They need to understand their exposure to style factors, such as quality, momentum and value. And, in particular, they need to be aware of the stock-specific risks. These are best understood through fundamental analysis.
In conclusion, investors must understand the complex set of risks associated with smaller companies. But it is this understanding that provides the opportunity for active managers to deliver performance.
Beyond size - digging deeper into the differences
How does a portfolio of smaller companies differ from a portfolio of larger companies? We provide facts and figures to illustrate the differences. We look at borrowing costs, company fundamentals, country and industry weights, analyst coverage and regional performance differences.
Borrowing costs
The credit market neatly boils the risks of a company down into a single number: the credit spread over government bonds. We identified companies included in the MSCI US Smaller Companies Index which also had a corporate bond. (The bond yield had to be available on Bloomberg.) We plotted the bond spread against the equity market capitalization, for both investment grade corporate bonds and high yield corporate bonds (see chart 10). Log scales for both the credit spread and market capitalization help illustrate the relationship. The charts demonstrate that smaller companies are priced as higher risk by the market: the credit spread increases as market capitalization decreases.
“The stocks of smaller companies have a wider range of investment outcomes, from best to worst. This reflects a wider range of fundamental outcomes.”
Chart 10: Interest rate spread versus market capitalization
US High Yield bonds (log scale)
Source: Bloomberg, 31/01/2018. For illustrative purposes only. No assumptions regarding future performance should be made.
US Investment grade bonds (log scale)
Smaller companies are in general less profitable than their larger peers. They also have lower debt ratios.
MSCI All Country World
MSCI ACWI Small
Return on equity 16.9 11.1
Operating Margin 19.5 15.0
Long-term Debt to Capital 34.2 29.1
Source: Worldscope/Factset, December 2018
Country and industry weights
There are notable differences in sector exposure between the MSCI AC World Index and the MSCI ACWI Small Cap Index (see chart 11). The smaller companies index has higher weights in real estate and industrials. The larger companies index has higher weights in financials and information technology.
Chart 11: MSCI World Index and ACWI Small Cap Index Sector Weights.
Source: MSCI, December 2018
By contrast, there is little difference between country weights. The smaller companies index has a 4% lower exposure to US stocks and 3% higher exposure to Japanese stocks. But all other differences are less than 1%.
42% of companies included in the MSCI ACWI Small Index have seven analysts or fewer. This compares to 5% of companies in the MSCI AC World Index.
Sell-side analyst coverage
MSCI ACWI Small Index
MSCI ACWI Index
% Index % Index
Less than 3 Analysts 7.6 0.5
3-7 Analysts 34.3 4.1
8-11 Analysts 25.5 5.4
12+ Analysts 28.2 89.8
N/A or No Coverage 4.4 0.2
Total 100.0 100.0
Source: Thomson Reuters Datastream, Data December 31, 2018
The smaller companies effect is not a global phenomenon. We compared the performance of large and small companies in five regions. We looked at calendar years from 2007 to 2017. In only one year in 11 did smaller companies outperform large in every region (2011). In no year did they underperform in every region.
Smaller companies performance by region
Source: Thomson Reuters, December 2018
The opportunity for
Adding value through fundamental analysis in a large, under-researched universe
Where are the opportunities for active managers to add value when investing in smaller companies? And how does this differ from their peers investing in larger companies?
Larger universe + fewer analysts = greater opportunity for active managers
There are fewer investment banking analysts per company for small companies than large. This is due to the combination of a larger number of companies and their lower market capitalization. Lower capitalization means lower share turnover, which translates into lower revenue for the investment bankers. The US market represents nearly half of the MSCI AC World Smaller Companies Index. Here there are 23 analysts covering large-cap companies on average compared to seven for small-caps.16
MIFID II regulations are reshaping the broking industry. One year after the new regulations took effect, a Numis study of the UK smaller-companies market looked at the effect on analyst coverage.17 They found that total research coverage had declined by about 8%.
"The dominant risk – and opportunity – in a smaller companies portfolio is stock-specific risk"
An earlier Numis study found that broker recommendations on small-cap stocks added value.4 Relative returns were positive when there had been a strong consensus buy. (There was one exception: stocks with just one recommendation). By contrast, this was not the case for large-cap stocks.
The stocks of smaller companies also have a wider range of investment outcomes, from best to worst performer. Of the stocks in the MSCI AC World Smaller Companies Index, 26% generated positive returns of over 50% in 2017. This compares to 17% for the MSCI AC World Index.18 Just 0.5% of the Smaller Companies Index (70 stocks) saw negative returns of greater than 50%, compared to 0.02% (or just five stocks) of large and mid-cap stocks. This reflects a wider range of fundamental outcomes. Smaller companies have more scope to grow. But they also include a higher proportion of loss-makers: 16% for the MSCI AC World Smaller Companies Index versus 7% for MSCI AC World Index in 2017.
The small-cap research that is available is often much shallower. This information gap opens up opportunities to find compelling investment ideas that others have yet to discover.
Rising role of passive investors
Three trends are combining to leave an increasing portion of the equity market under the management of passive or quantitative investors.
First, the shift in assets from active to passive management has been a pervasive theme among large-cap portfolios. However, it is less significant for smaller companies, although it is growing from a low base. The fee differential between passive and actively managed equity funds is less stark for smaller companies. Fidelity recently made headline news by offering two zero-fee funds to US investors. A UK investor in Vanguard’s FTSE 100 Index Unit Trust will pay ongoing charges of just 0.06%.19 By contrast, the Vanguard Global Small-Cap Index Fund has ongoing charges of 0.38% for UK investors.
Second, smart-beta products are growing in popularity, with investment decisions driven by quantitative models. Assets under management for these products, in mutual funds and ETFs, surpassed $1 trillion in 2017 according to Morningstar. Many products include a tilt to smaller companies (or size factor, alongside value, quality, momentum and low volatility strategies).
The cost of gathering and processing data has fallen. The number of investment professionals with quantitative skills has risen. These quants can rapidly turn the latest academic research into investment practice. However, anomalies that can be exploited by fundamental analysis persist among smaller companies. This is, in part, due to higher trading costs and limited scope to implement short positions.
Third, there has been a growing role for macro managers. They typically buy and sell index products to implement their trading views. They often ignore smaller companies altogether. If they do invest in smaller companies – long or short – it is typically to take a view on the relative merits of smaller companies versus large.
Together, these trends mean managers who do not analyze individual companies play a growing role in the market. This may increase the scope for stock-pickers to add value through fundamental analysis.
Institutional investors often overlook smaller companies
Few institutional investors break out smaller companies from the wider equity category.
The author (Harry Nimmo) has a strong track record of investing in smaller companies – one that stretches over more than two decades. Yet Requests for Proposals (RFPs) have been extremely rare. Many institutional investors follow the advice of investment consultants. Consultants help their clients design and validate their long-term investment strategy. This important and influential group of advisors has systematically over looked the opportunities within the large investment universe of smaller companies.
A style analysis of a typical actively managed equity portfolio would show an overweight to smaller companies. A typical fund is underweight the very largest companies in an index. And, when permitted, these funds own a handful of (the largest) smaller companies. This factor exposure discouraged adding a dedicated exposure to smaller companies.
Investors who ignore smaller companies based on style analysis overlook the stock-picking opportunities within a very large portion of the overall equity market.
Wide range of risks = wide range of opportunities
The small-cap universe is large, placing a premium on manager resources. Extracting value from a large universe of global stocks requires a disciplined investment process. Some form of quantitative screening is a necessary first step in assessing over 6,000 companies. This is true whether investors base their subsequent decisions on judgement, quantitative analysis or a combination of the two.
The small-cap premium is not the only style premium available to investors in smaller companies. Value, quality, momentum and low-volatility strategies have also delivered long-term premiums, but also with significant periods of underperformance. For example, value has lagged even on a decade-long view.
Investors also need to be aware of country, industry and currency risks. This is true whether they actively target these risks or they are a by-product of their stock selection process.
Company-specific risk
The dominant risk – and opportunity – in a smaller-companies portfolio is stock-specific risk. A quantitative screen can highlight where to look for these opportunities. But fundamental analysis provides investors with a deeper understanding.
Portfolio managers who meet with company-management teams can assess those aspects of investment that are hard to quantify, such as corporate strategy. Investors need judgement to understand environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks. ESG analysis is not only a necessary step in understanding risk, but also allows investors to encourage companies to change their behavior. And it provides scope for investors to profit from changes to ESG ratings.
Finding alpha in academic literature
Smaller companies have delivered strong performance since the turn of the millennium. Yet the asset class remains under-researched by academics. The little research that has been done offers encouragement to stock pickers. It also offers insights to asset-allocation strategists considering their exposures to smaller companies.
A search of the Financial Analysts Journal going back to 2000 reveals just four papers on smaller companies. Each provides an interesting angle for active investors.
Profiting from index rebalancing
Long-Term Impact of Russell 2000 Index Rebalancing (2008) by Jie Cai and Todd Houge examined the performance of companies added to and removed from this most widely followed index of US smaller companies.20 They found that a portfolio ignoring changes and following a buy-and-hold strategy outperformed the rebalanced index by over 2% per annum (from 1979-2004). The authors established that index deletions had provided significantly higher returns than index additions (adjusting for factor exposures).
They explain that “Part of these excess returns can be explained by strong short-term momentum effects. Stocks with good performance grow too big for a small-cap index and continue to have superior performance after being deleted from the index; stocks with poor performance become small enough to enter the index but continue to generate low returns.”
“Active investors in smaller companies can exploit the full range of return premiums on offer in markets. Momentum, low volatility and income strategies have provided long-term excess returns, alongside value.”
Active managers, who can choose whether to adjust their portfolios in response to index changes, were able to benefit from this. The strongest-performing funds held onto stocks that had been deleted from the index, avoided index additions, or both. The authors concluded that “index methodology may provide a structural incentive for portfolio managers to drift from their benchmarks”.
Extracting value from the ‘accruals anomaly’
Investors in smaller companies can exploit the ‘accruals anomaly’ to deliver outperformance. A seminal paper written by Professor Richard Sloan in 1996 identified that investors were overly focused on the bottom-line earnings, without sufficient consideration of the quality of those earnings.21 This left scope for investors to outperform by favoring companies where more of their earnings came in the form of cash flow rather than accrued income.
This anomaly was an example of a market inefficiency rather than a structural risk premium. Once investors spotted it and codified into trading algorithms, it largely disappeared. However, The Accruals Anomaly and Company Size (2008) by Dan Palmon, Ephraim Sudit and Ari Yezegel found that this opportunity persists for smaller companies.22 Higher trading costs meant the anomaly had not been arbitraged away.
Finding value (and other factor returns) in smaller companies
Active investors in smaller companies can exploit the full range of return premiums on offer in markets. Indeed, Disentangling Size and Value (2005) by Rob Arnott found that ‘When the size effect is separated from the value-versus-growth effect, size as measured by market cap is seen to be far less powerful than is generally believed and the value effect becomes more powerful and more consistent than generally believed’.23 In other words, much of the historic premium return from smaller companies comes from the fact that these stocks are cheaper, rather than because they are smaller.
Beyond the Financial Analysts Journal, The Numis Smaller Companies Index 2018 Annual Review studies style returns.4 It found that momentum, low volatility and income strategies have also provided long-term excess returns to investors in smaller companies, alongside value.
Information in international flows
Asset allocators considering an exposure to smaller companies need to understand that international investor flows can influence the small-cap premium. The Impact of International Institutional Investors on Local Equity Prices: Reversal of the Size Premium (2011) by Hau Jiang and Takeshi Yamada analysed performance over the period between 1995 and 2008.24 The size premium went into reverse in Japan during this time. They observed that international institutional-investor ownership of Japanese shares increased threefold over this period. These investors showed a preference for large-cap stocks. In some ways, Japan is a special case. Its economy was in a very different cycle for much of this period. However, country-specific risk is very much back on the global agenda. Brexit, the election of a populist government in Italy and President Trump’s pursuit of an America First agenda may share common drivers, but they are local affairs.
Investors can look beyond dedicated smaller company research for useful lessons. Mononationals: The Diversification Benefits of Investing in Companies with No Foreign Sales (2017) by Cormac Mullan and Jenny Berrill reveals its conclusion in its title.25
A portfolio of companies with domestic-only sales offers an antidote to the integration of financial markets. These mononationals are primarily smaller companies.
Of course, the investment community has not ignored the small-cap premium. Instead it has been embraced by a new breed of investors: quant investors employing smart beta strategies. The flow of money into these strategies may have been one ingredient in the outperformance of smaller companies since the turn of the millennium. However, these investors are typically buying every index constituent. For active managers willing to undertake fundamental research, this trend may increase the scope to add value above the index.
The study of the small-cap premium is one area of investment where academics have mostly led and investors followed.
19641964 Bill Sharpe published Capital Asset Prices: A Theory of Market Equilibrium under Conditions of Risk. This introduced the concept of beta as the market return. It provided a one-factor model of the market. This proved to be a key ingredient in the development of the idea that markets are efficient. It played an important role in the birth of passive investment.
19711971 NASDAQ was launched, introducing the era of all-electronic trading. It opened as an electronic exchange in 1981. Today approximately 3,900 companies have chosen to list on their US, Nordic and Baltic exchanges.
19801980 The Unlisted Securities Market launched in the UK. Companies could float as little as 10% of share capital. They did not require the three-year trading history of the main market. The market closed in 1996.
19811981 Rolf Banz published The Relationship Between Return and Market Value of Common Stocks. He examined the performance of New York Stock Exchange constituents back to 1926. He found that the smallest 50 stocks outperformed the largest 50 by 1% per month. This challenged the idea that markets were efficient. These returns came with greater risk. But the scale of outperformance was sufficient that risk-adjusted returns were well ahead of larger companies. This outperformance of smaller companies over large became known as the small cap premium. Smaller companies underperformed during the Great Depression but raced ahead after 1975. Practitioners were quick to latch on to this opportunity. Investment managers launched a number of dedicated small-cap funds soon after.
19841984 The Russell 2000 index was launched, now the most widely tracked US small-cap index.
19861986 Professors Dimson and Marsh from the London Business School published a study of the small-cap premium in the UK. Their research provided the underpinnings of the Hoare Govett Smaller Companies Index, launched the same year (now the Numis Smaller Companies index). By the end of 1988, at least 30 open or closed-ended funds investing in UK smaller companies had been launched.
19931993 Fama and French published research on a three-factor model, which included value and size factors alongside the market factor in explaining stock market performance. By adopting a long-short strategy – buying small companies and selling large, buying lowly valued companies and selling highly valued shares – they showed that investors could isolate these sources of return from the overall market return.
19951995 AIM was launched as the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller-growing companies, replacing the Unlisted Securities Market. Over 3,600 companies have joined the exchange since launch.
1999In 1999 Dimson and Marsh provided an update on their work (Murphy’s Law and Market Anomalies). It highlighted that the small-cap premium had gone into reverse. The strong relative performance of US smaller companies that started in 1975 peaked in 1983. A sustained period of underperformance between 1984 and 1997 saw the long-term premium from owning small-cap turn from positive to negative. This led Dimson and Marsh to refer to the small-cap effect, the tendency of smaller companies to perform differently from larger companies. They questioned the existence of the small-cap premium.
20012001 The MSCI World Small Cap Index was launched, followed by the FTSE equivalent in 2003.
20022002 Dimson, Marsh and Staunton published Triumph of the Optimists. This book provided returns across equities – large and small – for 16 countries over 101 years back to 1900. This demonstrated that a smaller companies premium had been a global phenomenon. Smaller companies had outperformed in 15 of the 16 countries covered over the full 100 years. They have since provided an annual update of the data, now released as the Credit Suisse Global Investment Returns Yearbook.
20042004 The JASDAQ automated quotation system, operational in 1991, was reorganized as a securities exchange - the first new Japanese exchange in almost 50 years.
20072007 The MSCI All-Countries World Small Cap Index was launched, adding coverage of 24 emerging markets.
20092009 Ang, Goetzmann & Schaeffer published The Evaluation of Active Management of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund. The authors concluded that the fund was not really actively managed at all. Instead, the performance had been driven by a small number of systematic factors. These could be replicated through rules-based approaches. Arguably, this paper lit the fuse for the boom in smart beta, both in academic studies of alternative risk premiums and in the launch of related products.
2017The 2017 edition of the Investment Yearbook from Dimson, Marsh and Staunton provided an overview of factor investing from an historical perspective. It includes an updated view of the small-cap effect, with coverage extended to 23 countries over 117 years. Viewed internationally, smaller companies had given a long-run premium, relative to larger companies, averaging 0.3% per month.
This edition compared results to the studies carried out by Banz in 1981 and Dimson and Marsh in 1986. The premium they found in the 2017 study was smaller, more often negative and more volatile. This led the authors to conclude: “if researchers were for the first time investigating the long-run returns on smaller companies, they would today recognize the small-firm effect (the tendency of small caps to perform differently from large caps) and would note that there had been a modest small-firm premium. But the magnitude of the premium would command less attention than in the past, and would not suggest there was a major 'free lunch' from investing in small-caps.”
Smaller companies are too big of a portion of the global investment universe to ignore. They offer the potential for a return premium for long-term investors. They bring diversification benefits through exposure to different risks. And the combination of a large universe and fewer analysts provides scope for active managers to add value above the index return.
‘Junior’ stock markets have lower barriers to entry to encourage new firms and new industries to develop. Historically this has translated into higher risk and lower returns for investors in these markets. But as these markets mature, they offer opportunities for selective investors to find high-quality opportunities.
“Investing in smaller companies opens up the opportunity to find compelling investment ideas that others have yet to discover.”
Smaller companies are different from their larger peers on many levels. Understanding the differences allows investors to achieve a better balance of risk and return.
Academic literature offers encouragement to stock pickers. The lack of analyst coverage and higher trading costs means that well-known anomalies persist in the universe of smaller stocks.
Investors should not buy smaller companies simply because they are small. Yes, smaller companies are expected to outperform their larger peers over the long term. But this return premium simply reflects the higher risks involved.
But investors shouldn't ignore smaller companies simply because they are small. Investing in smaller companies opens up the opportunity to find compelling investment ideas that others have yet to discover.
We acknowledge the work of Paul Marsh and Elroy Dimson, Emeritus Professors of Finance at London Business School. Together, they designed the Numis Smaller Companies Index (previously the RBS Hoare Govett Smaller Companies Index).
1 Professors Dimson, Marsh, Staunton and Evans, London Business School, CRSP, Morningstar (2018).
2 MSCI Index Factsheets (Dec 2018).
3 Rolf Banz (1980), The relationship between return and market value of common stocks, Journal of Financial Economics. This study somewhat overstated the historical outperformance of smaller companies because there was no adjustment for survivorship bias.
4 Scott Evans, Paul Marsh, Elroy Dimson (2019); Numis Smaller Companies Index 2019 Annual Review.
5 Robert N. Eberhart, Charles E. Eesley (October 2018), The dark side of institutional intermediaries: Junior stock exchanges and entrepreneurship, Strategic Management Journal, Volume 39, Issue 10.
6 Chris Mallin & Kean Ow-Yong (2012), Factors influencing corporate governance disclosures: evidence from Alternative Investment Market (AIM) companies in the UK, The European Journal of Finance, Volume 18, Issue 6.
7 Historical AIM statistics, London Stock Exchange (Dec 2017).
8 Jonathan B. Berk (Sept/Oct 1997), Does Size Really Matter?, Financial Analysts Journal.
9 E. Lecubarri et al., J.P.Morgan (09/12/2017), The Case for SMid.
10 Aberdeen Standard Investments, Bloomberg, 01/31/2018.
11 Gillian Tett (2015), The Silo Effect.
12 MSCI World Index factsheet (Feb 2018).
13 MSCI Korea Index factsheet (Feb 2018).
14 Worldscope/Factset (Dec 2018).
15 iShares (Dec 2018).
16 Bloomberg (2016).
17 Scott Evans, Paul Marsh, Elroy Dimson (2018); Numis Smaller Companies Index 2018 Annual Review.
18 Factset (Dec 2017).
19 https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/what-we-offer/index-active-products
20 Jie Cai and Todd Houge (2008), Long-Term Impact of Russell 2000 Index Rebalancing, Financial Analysts Journal.
21 Richard Sloan (July 1996), Do Stock Prices Fully Reflect Information in Accruals and Cash Flows about Future Earnings?, The Accounting Review, Vol.71, No. 3.
22 Dan Palmon, Ephraim Sudit and Ari Yezegel (2008), Accruals Anomaly and Company Size, Financial Analysts Journal.
23 Rob Arnott (2005), Disentangling Size and Value, Financial Analysts Journal.
24 Hau Jiang and Takeshi Yamada (2011), The Impact of International Institutional Investors on Local Equity Prices: Reversal of the Size Premium, Financial Analysts Journal.
25 Cormac Mullan and Jenny Berrill (2017), Mononationals: The Diversification Benefits of Investing in Companies with No Foreign Sales, Financial Analysts Journal.
Source: MSCI. The MSCI information may only be used for your internal use, may not be reproduced or redisseminated in any form and may not be used as a basis for or a component of any financial instruments or products or indices. None of the MSCI information is intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such. Historical data and analysis, should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance analysis forecast or prediction. The MSCI information is provided on an ‘as is’ basis and the user of this information assumes the entire risk of any use made of this information. MSCI, each of its affiliates and each other person involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating any MSCI information (collectively, the ‘MSCI’ Parties) expressly disclaims all warranties (including without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose) with respect to this information. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any MSCI Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including, without limitation, lost profits) or any other damages (www.msci.com).
Past performance is not an indication of future results.
Companies mentioned for illustrative purposes only and should not be taken as a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market.
Equity stocks of small and mid-cap companies carry greater risk, and more volatility than equity stocks of larger, more established companies.
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NEWS / ACE News / New Progress Network Board appointments
NEW PROGRESS NETWORK BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Georgia Hughes of Arcadis appointed chair as network continues to grow
ACE is pleased to announce new board appointments for the Progress Network, the group formed to help the emerging generation of consultants and engineers working in the natural and built environments.
Georgia Hughes of Arcadis has been appointed as chair and Katherine Theobald of Ramboll, UK as first vice chair. Other appointments will be made to fill the remaining Progress Network board positions in the coming months.
They replace former chair Athena Livesey of WSP and vice-chair Rebecca Wooding of DFID, who have reached the end of their two-year tenure.
The chair of the Progress Network also sits on the ACE board.
Georgia Hughes said: “I’m delighted to be taking up the reins at Progress Network. I want to build on the strong foundations laid by Athena, Rebecca and the rest of the Progress Network over the next two years and reach even more emerging consultants and engineers. We’ll be actively engaging with ACE’s Future of Consultancy campaign, specifically leading on the Future of the Workplace stream, as well as working on issues such as sustainability, and professional capability development. It’s an ambitious remit, but I’m looking forward to tackling some big issues with the Network during my tenure.”
Welcoming the new members, Anil Iyer, ACE chief operating officer with responsibility for the Progress Network said: “I’d like to thank Athena and her team for their commendable work in the last two years. The Network has seen incredible growth over that period, increasing the membership base by over 30% to more than 1,000 people across the country. I'm looking forward to working with the new team to build its presence across the UK, notably in Scotland, and the Northern, Eastern and South West regions of England.”
In 2018, the Progress Network held 23 events for its members, led a reverse mentoring pilot and published a number of articles and comment pieces on our website.
Keep up to date with Progress Network and its regional events on our website and receive updates in your inbox via newsletters.
The Progress Network is currently sponsored by Mott MacDonald.
News categories: ACE News
Related articles: #Emerging Professionals
MORE FROM ACE
2019 European CEO Conference announced
ACE responds to Capital Homes Report
New report echoes ACE's 'Unlocking Housing' paper
Three new ACE Agreements
New documents released for 2019
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Baby News: Days of our Lives Alum Martha Madison
Little girl on the way.
Updated: November 4.
“Days of our Lives” alum Martha Madison has welcomed a little girl into the world. Charley Elizabeth Gilbert was born at 11:18 PM on November 3. Soaps.com sends our congratulations to the happy family on their big news.
35 hours of labor = totally worth it! Charley Elizabeth Gilbert joined our family at 11:18pm last night! #BabyCWatch #futurepresident #phew
— Martha Madison (@Marth27) November 4, 2013
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Original article: April 30.
Martha Madison (ex-Belle) announced on Twitter that she and her husband AJ Gilbert are currently expecting a little girl. The baby is due to be born around Halloween.
My wise husband once said, "Life isn't a fairy tale. It's a series of complex chapters." This should be fun!#ItsAGirl #HalloweenBaby
— Martha Madison (@Marth27) April 29, 2013
Madison played Salem's Belle Black on "Days of Our Lives" from 2004 until 2008. Since then, she has done guest spots on "Passions" and was the replacement Elizabeth on "General Hospital" in 2011. Soaps.com sends the happy couple our congratulations.
Find out who else is expecting by checking out the Hollywood Baby News. Then be sure to check out Soaps.com's AMC recap: I Promise.
Join us on Twitter @soapoperafan and Facebook. Come tweet and Facebook with us about "Days of our Lives," all the other soap operas, "Dallas," "Glee," "Grey’s Anatomy," "Pretty Little Liars," "Revenge," "Vampire Diaries," and "Venice The Series!"
Header Photo: Nikki Nelson / WENN.com
- Matt Purvis
Days of our Lives Saturday Teaser...
Deliverance Creek Casts Ex-Days of...
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