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Moments after midnight struck Monday night, Syracuse native Carrie Manolakos took the stage at Madison Square Garden to sing for nearly 20,000 people. She joined iconic jam band Phish for one of their biggest shows of the year: New Year's Eve at The Garden. Phish has played multiple-night runs at MSG the past three years, culminating each year with an elaborate, choreographed stunt at midnight on Dec. 31. This year's stunt featured a golf cart marathon, dancing caddies, a shower of foam golf balls and a special arrangement of the song 'Tweezer Reprise' with soaring vocals by Manolakos. Manolakos, a graduate of Manlius Pebble Hill, rose to Internet fame in May with a cover of Radiohead's 'Creep' to promote her album "Echo." A video of the song went viral after receiving a gushing review from Gawker. Prior to becoming a Web sensation, Manolakos made a name for herself on Broadway, playing Sophie in 'Mamma Mia!' and later toured with the second national run of 'Wicked.' I spoke on the phone with Manolakos this morning from her apartment in New York City about her music career, the weather in Syracuse, her New Year's resolutions and, of course, what it's like to sing with one of the world's biggest bands. Happy New Year! How's it treating you so far? Oh my gosh, it's been incredible. What a great way to start the year. How about you? Great, I was at the show Monday night and got to see you sing. You were? It must have been so much fun. I've never experienced anything like that, there was just so much excitement. I was excited when I found out the guest singer was from Syracuse. Small world. I grew up there and graduated from Manlius Pebble Hill. I'm in New York now, I went to college at NYU and stayed down here. But of course, I miss the people in Syracuse and love going up there. Well it's zero degrees here today. That I don't miss. Tell me how you got hooked up with Phish for the show. Actually I knew the music director. For New Year's they hire people they don't need for their regular shows. They hired Carmel Dean for the music arrangement and I knew her from years ago. I basically got a call out of the blue saying they needed a high belter and riffer for this thing. They were trying to emulate that Pink Floyd song, I forget what it's called... 'Great Gig in the Sky.' Yes! They needed someone like that so they called me. Were you a Phish fan prior to this? I remember listening to them in high school and I think they're great. But being in that room full of people I was like, 'Wow, now these are real Phish fans.' It was such an honor to be able to share the stage with them. Did you have any idea what to expect? I sort of did. After I got that call I did some research on their New Year's gags. We were putting pieces together bit by bit so we didn't really know the whole picture until the day of. So I half-knew what I was getting into, and it turned out to be so much fun. The vocals seemed somewhat improvised. Was there instruction saying, 'here's how to sing it,' or did they just let you go out there and belt away? About three quarters was written out for me and then there's a part in the middle that basically just said, "Riff." Once that hit, I was just improvising until the end. I wanted to keep it consistent, though, because there were so many physical elements and other things going on that could throw you off. There was a lot going on onstage -- confetti, balloons, midgets running around with golf clubs... [See video below] It was wild. It's really hard to describe because it was totally out of body. And I was only onstage for a few minutes. You walk on, there's lights strobing in your face, huge balloons everywhere, and foam ping pong balls all over the ground. Then here I come in wedges and a long dress, so I was just thinking, "Don't fall." What's it like playing for a crowd like that? It was the most magical thing I've ever done being onstage and looking out at the audience. Nothing compares to hearing 20,000 people screaming with excitement and love. It was pure magic and joy. And Trey [Anastasio] is the coolest guy. I was looking at him as I was singing and he was smiling back at me. Two minutes goes by really fast when all that stuff is going on, so I walked offstage and was like 'What just happened?' Did you get to hang out with the band? We hung out before the show and they were nothing but amazing and gracious. They were just as excited as we were -- it's their big New Year's thing. They kept saying how cool it all was. Did you make any resolutions? I made a lot. One of them is to write as many songs as possible this year and play as many shows as I can. And are you making that happen? I had an album come out last April. I'm working on booking shows now. I'm playing the Cutting Room in New York on Feb. 28, and I'm working on booking some West Coast gigs and writing as much as I can. I'd love to play in Syracuse once it warms up a bit, probably sometime in the spring. I'd maybe like to play the Westcott Theater or The Palace. Watch Carrie Manolakos sing 'Tweezer Reprise' with Phish: |
Religion? Cult? Business setup in order to profit and nothing more? The relevance and legitimacy of Scientology is one of the more controversial topics one might think of, but it’s a recognized religion in the United States since 1993, which gives it a tax-exempt status. Turns out they got a lot of free publicity off of Google thanks to that status. How much? Almost $6 million. In September 2014 it was reported that during an event held at the San Fernando Valley for Scientologists (all paying $100 or more to be there) those in attendance were told that Google has approved advertising grants totaling $5.7 million for Scientology churches around the country. Google didn’t comment on that matter, while the Church of Scientology didn’t make much of it, saying this: Google works with more than 20,000 nonprofits in over 50 countries. Unlike those pushing this story, Google is not bigoted or prejudiced against any religion. There’s a transcript of that meeting, which was a fundraising event, with Brandy Harrison, Scientology’s Building Expansion Director doing the talking. In the Bay Area a representative of Google was introduced to Scientology and our 4th dynamic campaigns through the Stevens Creek Ideal Org. This representative connected us up with the department responsible for non-profit advertisements. And as a result, Google awarded us a $10,000-a-month grant for free online advertising. But that’s not all because Google looked into the responses that we were getting from this advertisement, and they increased that grant to the Truth About Drugs and Way to Happiness campaigns, to $40,000 a month. But that’s not all. The second man, now with established Google teams solely for the Church of Scientology, suggested that we might want to extend the same grants to some of our class v orgs around the world. We applied, and now today, every ideal org in the United States has $10,000 a month of free online advertising. In fact, in total so far, we have had $5.7 million in Google grants already approved for our 4th dynamic campaigns in United States ideal orgs. Maybe this is just another exaggeration from the Church of Scientology, often claiming they have millions of members, although surveys have shown there are only about 55,000 in the United States.While there has been no confirmation since, the advertising, or free advertising to be more exact, probably came from the Google Ad Grant programme, providing free advertising for non-profit organisations and charities. As mentioned above, Scientology got its tax-exempt status in 1993, not without controversy, making it a religion (corporate owned) recognized by the government in an official and formal way. Before that, rulings by the court dismissed the idea that Scientology was a real religion, citing ‘the commercial character of much of Scientology, its ‘virtually incomprehensible financial procedures and its ‘cripturally based hostility to taxation. Top Image: Source |
Whistleblower: Obama’s DHS knowingly let in at least 16 MS-13 gang members who arrived at the U.S. as illegal immigrant teenagers in 2014, The Washington Times reports. Via The Washington Times: The Obama administration knowingly let in at least 16 admitted MS-13 gang members who arrived at the U.S. as illegal immigrant teenagers in 2014, a top senator said Wednesday, citing internal documents that showed the teens were shipped to juvenile homes throughout the country. Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said a whistleblower turned over Customs and Border Protection documents from 2014 detailing the 16 people who were caught crossing the border. “CBP apprehended them, knew they were MS-13 gang members, and they processed and disbursed them into our communities,” Mr. Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, said. The gang members were part of the surge of UAC, or “unaccompanied alien children,” as the government labels them, who overwhelmed the Obama administration in 2014, leaving Homeland Security struggling to staunch the flow from Central America. Officials at the time said the children should be treated as refugees fleeing horrific conditions back home — though security analysts said the children were prime recruiting territory for gangs already in the U.S. |
That was just extraordinary. No-one, no one conceived anything like that. Unruh taking out the much-fancied Tan Ya-Ting who collapsed in the last 16. Unruh? And then that fabulous, unreal match when Alejandra Valencia, the giant killer, thumped Choi Misun 6-0, to deafening roars across the concrete, and everything turned upside down. Both Choi and Ki seemed to have every expectation strapped to their backs like a millstone. Neither of them seemed entirely comfortable in any elimination match. I predicted earlier Choi would not get the final gong, but I thought Ki would step up and deliver like she has so many times, when it seems effortless. But the pressure on them, internal or external, was just ridiculous. Chang’s shot was on point leading in to the business end and seemed to have so much less on her shoulders, although you could see the fear in her face backstage when Misun fell apart. I like to think that I’m a sympathetic, empathetic soul, but I’m still bummed that this flash quote, taken immediately after by my GSOH student reporter, got spiked by the desk: It’s a lot of time to be out here, a long, long time to maintain concentration. Worse, there was a four-hour gap between the 1/16 rounds and the machine-gun rounds of the quarter-finals onwards, the train that goes where it goes with no more time to think. I’m guessing a lot of brooding went on in that gap. Too many thoughts, two weeks of being away in Rio, too much waiting, too many ghosts. And it left time for a capricious, djinn-like wind to grow strong and start throwing things about even more. Choi and Ki left it somewhere else. The team medal means a great deal, but the individual title is everything to the Korean women. A chance to step up with the gods. Collectively, they still top the world; individually, the pressure to live up to the legacy was too great. Ki kinda, almost guardedly acknowledged as much in the soft-soap press conference afterwards, at which the only minor frisson came when Chang was asked if she was going to retire after these Games. A wry smile went across her face, before she replied, in the flat tones of the translator, “That is something I’ve never thought of.” Lisa Unruh and Alejandra Valencia brilliantly derailed the train, and Chang Hyejin, the ‘third’, the hard worker, the unlucky one, a deeply religious woman and an proud, gutsy athlete, went out there and did it. There was an aggressive snap to her shot today, a sense of power. She knew it was good. And a special well-done to Lisa Unruh. Kept her head when all about were losing theirs, and picked up a big gong for it. And they’re still letting me in the call room. I guess I’m there for the duration now. Last day tomorrow. Thanks for reading. -John (Colour version of the above pic here). |
Inspired by the song of the same name from the Halo 4 Soundtrack by Neil Davidge. ______________________ The Master Chief gets a rude awakening as he is caught in the middle of a massive engagement between UNSC and Storm Covenant forces over the surface of Requiem. ______________________ This one took a good month or so to complete...Not sure exactly how many hours I put into it, but I wanted to get it done before Halo 4 was released, so I met my deadline. It is a mixed media piece, utilizing traditional art, digital painting, and photo-manipulation. 90% of the image was completed by digital painting in Photoshop CS5. Credits to Halopedia, where photos of the UNSC and Covenant vessels were taken from. _________________ Halo is owned by Microsoft/343 Industries |
The Roosevelt-Marcy Trail is named for the historic route Vice President Theodore Roosevelt traveled on a dangerous midnight stagecoach ride from Tahawus to the North Creek train station to take the Presidential oath. On September 14, 1901, then-US Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was at Lake Tear of the Clouds after returning from a hike to the Mount Marcy summit when he received a message informing him that President William McKinley, who had been shot two weeks earlier but was expected to survive, had taken a turn for the worse. Roosevelt hiked down the mountain to the closest stage station at Long Lake, New York. He then took a 40 miles (64 km) midnight stage coach ride through the Adirondacks to the Adirondack Railway station at North Creek, where he discovered that McKinley had died. Roosevelt took the train to Buffalo, New York, where he was officially sworn in as President.[1] The 40-mile route was later designated the Roosevelt-Marcy Trail.[2] The route is in the beautiful Adirondack Park region, linking unique history to the scenery. Today, the route is a popular tourist attraction, attracting many nature enthusiasts for its exceptional views of the Adirondack landscape. The trail begins in Long Lake at New York State Route 30 (NY 30), and follows NY 28N to its eastern end at NY 28 in North Creek. The trail is 40.2 miles (64.7 km)[3] long. The New York State Department of Transportation has declared the Roosevelt-Marcy Trail a byway.[4] There are signs posted along the trail that display "Roosevelt-Marcy Trail". References [ edit ] |
CCP Games used the press conference for Dust 514, an existing free-to-player multiplayer shooter on the PlayStation 3, to announce a PC title called Project Legion. The team is unsure if Project Legion will ultimately be turned into a full release, and have repeatedly stated that the ultimate decision will be based on the fan’s reaction to the screenshots, ideas and footage that have been released for the game. The fan reaction has been immediate, and largely negative. Sean Decker is the VP of Product Development at CCP, and he told Polygon the days of waiting a few years to show off a game while hoping the fans like it are done. "Put it out in front of them, see if they like it," he said. "EVR [later renamed Eve: Valkyrie] was a perfect example of that. Legion will or will not be an example of that, we’ll see, and if Legion does well, great, we’ll continue to invest in it. If it doesn’t, we’ll open up some beers, have some fun and say, "'Ok, that was fun, let’s do something different now and go again.'" That still doesn’t address the fact that there was next to no news about Dust 514 during the speech, and the small buy loyal following that game has earned have taken to the forums to express their disdain. Decker chalks this up as part of the learning process. "You announced the game you were promising us since 2009 again ... for PC... with no concrete plans what you can give the Dust players who have supported you for years now," one member of the community stated. "Heck. Had you at least that figured out the backlash wouldn't have been as severe." This response is indicative of the overall community reaction to the news of Project Legion, which has been largely negative. They want these features in the PlayStation 3 game they've been supporting since launch, and feel as if they're been abandoned for the new PC title. CCP Games hasn't done much to placate the fans on the message boards, but at Fanfest we were told that sometimes there are bumps on the road to a great product. "I ran DICE for awhile, and the first shooter game out of DICE was a game called Codename Eagle, which tons of people don’t know anything about, and never would, and probably shouldn’t," he told Polygon. "I think it sold like 20,000 units and got a 50 Metacritic, maybe a 40, something like that. It was horrible, and at the end of the day, teams usually have to do multiple iterations of something to get to something really great." It takes learning, stumbling and then getting back up to make something great in other words, and CCP is hoping that Project Legion is the game to execute on the concepts behind Dust 514 in a way that’s much more enjoyable. "And honestly, we didn’t make a great game to begin with. It has to be a great game" "At the end of the day we want to take the things we’ve learned from Dust, and yes it’s in the same IP, same place and all the rest of it, but we want to do some fundamentally different things with it that we feel we missed out on and that we didn’t do right," Decker said. "And honestly, we didn’t make a great game to begin with. It has to be a great game. We did all of these things to try and, we tried to do too much honestly in terms of connecting it into the universe and there’s this MMO piece and all the rest of it, blah blah blah, as opposed to, 'I have a blast second to second. I love this game second to second and I love it minute to minute, hour to hour, and so on and so forth.'" So do they see Dust 514 existing a few years in the future? Does the game have a future? "How many players do we have?" Decker asked about this hypothetical future. I told him I didn’t know. "Neither do I, so that’s the question. I mean, in terms of three years from now, if there are tons of people playing it, and people are really enjoying it, we’ll keep doing it. And if people are like, ‘you know what, thanks for all the fish and we’ve moved,’ then we won’t. It’s as simple as that, and I think it’s true for any game service." |
NASA has spent a lot of time and money resurrecting the F-1 rocket engine that powered the Saturn V back in the 1960s and 1970s, and Ars recently spent a week at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to get the inside scoop on how the effort came to be. But there's a very practical reason why NASA is putting old rocket parts up on a test stand and firing them off: its latest launch vehicle might be powered by engines that look, sound, and work a whole lot like the legendary F-1. This new launch vehicle, known as the Space Launch System, or SLS, is currently taking shape on NASA drawing boards. However, as is its mandate, NASA won't be building the rocket itself—it will allow private industry to bid for the rights to build various components. One potential design wrinkle in SLS is that instead of using Space Shuttle-style solid rocket boosters, SLS could instead use liquid-fueled rocket motors, which would make it the United States' first human-rated rocket in more than 30 years not to use solid-fuel boosters. The contest to suss this out is the Advanced Booster Competition, and one of the companies that has been down-selected as a final competitor is Huntsville-based Dynetics. Dynetics has partnered with Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne (designers of the Saturn V's F-1 engine, among others) to propose a liquid-fueled booster featuring an engine based heavily on the design of the famous F-1. The booster is tentatively named Pyrios, after one of the fiery horses that pulled the god Apollo's chariot; the engine is being called the F-1B. The F-1B and how it differs Ars was on-hand to observe one of the fiery F-1 gas generator tests in Huntsville, and after the test I was able to speak at length with the Dynetics/PWR folks about the engine. Dynetics had set up a display next to the test viewing area featuring a small model of the proposed F-1B rocket engine, along with a chart highlighting the differences between the F-1B and the F-1 and a small model of an SLS rocket with two Pyrios boosters hanging from its sides. Available to answer my questions were Kim Doering and Andy Crocker, the program manager and assistant program manager for Dynetics' space launch systems group. What would the F-1B look like, I asked them? "The first thing you'd notice is that it's large. It's just going to be a very, very large piece of machinery," explained Doering. "In the F-1, they needed every bit of performance they could get, and so they took the exhaust from the turbine and dumped it into the nozzle and got a little extra performance out of that. That made the engine a bit bigger...but when you look at the intricate way they had to build that, it was really, really difficult, and very expensive." No more exhaust recycling "One major difference that most people would notice right away is that...we've decided to do away with that turbine exhaust that feeds into the nozzle, and that part of the nozzle that comes after where the turbine exhaust manifold would dump in," Doering continued. The gas generator's rocket exhaust, which I'd just watched, was used to drive the fuel pump turbine, but then had to be directed somewhere; the exhaust manifold took those gasses and coated the inside of the thrust chamber with them. This turbine exhaust was still fuel-rich and so didn't burn as quickly as the more balanced fuel/oxidizer mixture being sprayed into the F-1's thrust chamber. The slower-burning turbine exhaust rolled down the inside of the nozzle, protecting it from the much hotter thrust reaction and keeping it cool. This dense, slower-burning exhaust is easily visible in the F-1's thrust pattern—it is the darker-colored plume exiting the nozzle for a short distance before the much brighter primary exhaust. The turbine exhaust manifold is one of the F-1's most distinctive features—it branches off of the side of the nozzle and then wraps around the nozzle at approximately its visual midpoint. Doing away with it would change the look of the engine significantly. "So the chamber nozzle would be smaller—would look smaller even to the common person, even though it's still huge," he continued. "That specifically will save a lot of money and complexity in the way we're deciding to build the engine to address NASA's specific goals of affordability and performance." "This will be somewhat different," finished Doering. "You'll see the hot exhaust coming out of a tube right next to the nozzle, and then you'll have the big nozzle plume coming out of the main nozzle." Fortunately, the removal of the turbopump exhaust manifold and its complex series of ducts and baffles and tubes doesn't particularly compromise the engine's performance. Doering is quick to point out that even without ducting in the turbopump exhaust, the F-1B is being designed to have as much thrust as the uprated F-1A concept from the 1960s: about 1.8M lbs of thrust, with the goal of being able to loft 150MT of cargo into low Earth orbit with four engines on two boosters (coupled with the other RS-25 and J-2X engines in the SLS stack). There's also enough head-room in the overall booster design to add another 20MT of total lift capacity without requiring significant engineering changes, to meet other SLS design goals a bit down the road. Dynetics and PWR are trying to hew as closely as possible to the operating characteristics of the old engine's uprated F-1A variant, which was extensively tested in the 1960s but never actually flown. The original hardware worked very well, and changes are only being made where it's necessary to cut costs. "The flow paths will be the same," as the F-1A, Doering elaborated when I asked for details. "The chamber pressure will be about the same, and the thrust will be about the same. It's about a 1.8 million pound thrust engine, and if you look at the F-1A specs, it's going to be about the same." "This is even after ditching the recycling of the gas generator exhaust?" I asked. "You lose very little thrust," confirmed Doering. "You lose a little bit of specific impulse, but you lose very little thrust. The booster flies for just a couple of minutes and drops off and then the vehicle flies on, so specific impulse matters very little." No longer a series of tubes Another clear difference is the construction of the exhaust nozzle itself. The F-1's nozzle was made up of two parts: the first portion was actually an extremely complex series of tubes brazed together and bound by hoops, like staves in a barrel. Kerosene fuel was circulated through the tubes to absorb heat and cool the exhaust. The tubes stretched down to the distinctive turbopump exhaust manifold, and then looped back up. Below the manifold, which wrapped around the engine like a pair of fingers, was a removable nozzle extension that focused the engine's combustion and helped the engine deliver additional thrust. Advances in manufacturing techniques will allow the F-1B to dispense with the complicated upper nozzle tubing; as it's currently envisioned, the new rocket will feature a much simpler thrust chamber and nozzle made of steel—according to Andy Crocker of Dynetics, the nozzle will consist of an inner liner and outer jacket, brazed together, with cooling provided by fuel flowing through simple slots in the inner liner. This is far easier and less expensive to build than the labor intensive "barrel hoop" tube wall design of the original F-1. |
Time is rapidly running out to order JR's products online in time for Christmas. Please visit http://www.wweshop.com, http://www.americansoda.co.uk or http://www.beyondtheropes.co.uk and place your holiday order. We thank you very much. Now...TLC and more talk.... While the Mrs. was watching the Steelers win on Sunday Night Football on NBC, I was in my office watching WWE TLC on my PC. The watching online biz worked just fine by the way. I did not write down any notes but these are the things that stuck in my mind from Sunday's PPV in Houston: Hot start with CM Punk and the Shield. a creative match with a surprising outcome that kept Punk 'good' and furthered the apparent dissension within the ranks of the trio. This matched challenged the balance of the card to follow them which I love. If I'd had a say this is the match that I would have chosen to kick off the show too. Good call in my book. The late, Eddie Guerrero was once highly pissed when he had to open a PPV and felt insulted. He wasn't in the main event that night and I had to sit with him and explain his role for that particular PPV. He got it and essentially stole the show and soon found himself going on later in the card on PPV events. Going on first did not affect Eddie's pay and it set the bar for all that followed to attempt to reach. Next order of business is many fans will second guess the strategy of what seems to be the Shield getting close to imploding. I have no issues with that particular creative matter and no crystal ball to determine if it will be successful or not. My guess is that it is a good thing and should enhance Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins who, in time, are all main event level talents. WWE TV production personnel did their usual stellar job with the video packages and I loved seeing the champions package and felt that it gave much needed historical info to the viewers. I'd guess that many fans watching today don't even know who many of the greats of the game are and have to be educated on men like Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers. AJ Lee vs. Natalya was an extremely solid, Divas match but it should have gone on later in the show IE trading places w/ Brodus vs. Truth. Nonetheless if the Divas strive to be thought of as more than sizzle and support players then having matches akin to AJ vs. Nattie will help their cause. Big E vs. Sandow was what I thought it would be and I thought it was fine for what it was positioned to be at TLC. Big E winning with his finish was the right thing to do. Forecast that the Fatal 4 Way might be the sleeper on the PPV and it arguably was. Happy that WWE made it an elimination rules tag bout as I also wrote about in a pre TLC blog. The elimination rules makes for a better story and the elimination of teams makes the match 'cleaner' as it leads to the conclusion. The Rhodes Brothers are the best thing to happen to the WWE tag team scene in a long time. Brodus Clay vs R Truth followed by Kofi vs. Mix back to back did not work for me nor did it seem to work for the live audience. These men are involved in new stories in new roles that have not yet resonated with the fans. Putting them back to back puzzled me. Enjoyed the Wyatt Family's 3 vs 1 match w/ Daniel Bryan. No issues with the underdog Bryan eventually falling to the three, much larger men. Would have liked to have seen just a bit more of Bray Wyatt but that will come in time. Bray has that all important 2nd gear which is essential for stars to possess and his eventual one on one matches with Daniel Bryan should be excellent. The conclusion of the match made me want to see more of the Wyatt/Bryan saga for sure. Without question, Bray Wyatt can be special if he continues to hone his craft and maintains his athleticism. Plus, like his grandpa Blackjack Mulligan, Bray has a natural gift of gab. Sincerely appreciated the hard work from both John Cena and Randy Orton in the unification match to create the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion. TLC sounds great on paper and makes for a sensational video promo but the match stips can be very limiting. Based on today's boundaries, I thought that the two men did all that they could do to utilize the 'toys' that they had to play with but at the end of the day I'd have been just as happy to have seen a straight wrestling match considering what was at stake. I predicted Orton to win last week here and for no particular reason other than I've always enjoyed various periods of time when there was a villain champion who was being chased by the dogged hero who was striving to be the champion. It will be interesting to see if any new individuals get inserted into the Championship picture. That should be everyone's goal, right? With being WWE World Champion comes great responsibility and requires virtually a 24/7 commitment to the role. Closing the shows on which one is booked, having stellar matches on a nightly basis, carrying one's self as the 'top guy' outside the ring and a litany of other behind the scenes matters makes being the WWE World Champion a massively challenging professional matter that contains many life changing elements. Just a quick reminder, http://www.wweshop.com ships JR's Cookbook world wide with no restrictions of which I am aware. These books have been personally signed by me and have some delicious easy to do, family recipes, grilling tips and tons of wrestling stories from the road and beyond. This is much more than just a book of recipes including the road stories and many photos. Hmmm, what if the winner of the Royal Rumble decided to challenge the Undertaker at WrestleMania in New Orleans and not the WWE World Champion? Then February's PPV could determine the Title challenger in some sort of competition that is culminated in that one night on PPV? Hey, it's just an idea. The fascination with gambling lines on WWE PPV bouts is a head scratcher to me. Building enhanced credibility for the new, WWE World Title is going to be an ongoing matter that will never find its work finished. Nothing should be more important to any WWE talent, friend or foe, than being WWE World Champion. Being the Champion becomes a great story if the title is positioned properly and on a lofty pedestal. One of the many differences in the UFC and WWE, other than UFC being a main stream sport and the WWE being primarily an entertainment entity, is that the UFC titles have meant more than WWE Titles have meant in recent times. The door is now open for that to change within WWE including repositioning the IC Title and the US Title. Why have titles if they are not coveted by all who are eligible to compete for them? Plus, they are not 'hot potatoes.' The bottom line is that building equity in any title sells tickets and PPV's. Ask JR, The Q&A section of the site, is updated. Funny how many wrestling websites reprint our material and fail to tell fans how they can order our products. Seems like that is the least that one could do if they are going to use my material. Just throw a http://www.wweshop.com on there and you're done. Hopefully you will do some timely, online shopping for JR's products and allow us to be a part of your holidays. If you wait, you're burning daylight. Last that I looked I'm less than 5,000 followers from reaching 1M which was my goal on Twitter @JRsBBQ when the year started. I hope that we make it. Be well and kind to others and come back and see us. Boomer Sooner! J.R. @JRsBBQ |
In the January of 2008, India Cements bought a franchise for $91m (approx INR 360 Crores). The franchise was named “Chennai Super Kings”. Back then, it was supposed to be the fourth most expensive purchases of all. India Cements had bought a lot of stars like Matthew Hayden, Stephen Fleming, Muttiah Muralitharan, Albie Morkel and Suresh Raina to name a few. They bagged the costliest buy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni for $1.5m. It made headlines in the papers the next day. CSK earned a few supporters because of MSD while the rest supported CSK because they wanted to back their city – Chennai. The north-south divide came into play yet again as a few mocked how preposterous the name of the franchise sounded, how much they hated our skipper and how badly we would fare. No one could predict that CSK would be the most successful side of the IPL in years to come. The journey of a million roars began. After Brendon Mccullum set the IPL on fire with his unbeaten blitzkrieg knock of 158 for the KKR, the journey for CSK too began in the next match as they went on to make the highest total of the season, scoring 240/5 with “Mr. Cricket” Michael Hussey racing away to 116 off 54 deliveries. There was no looking back after that day. While outsiders like Matthew Hayden, Makhaya Ntini, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mike Hussey and Albie Morkel showed their class, the Indian pool of MSD, Suresh Raina, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Subramaniam Badrinath and Joginder Sharma complemented very well to form an incredible mix of youth and veterans. They lost some matches, but won our hearts. Somewhere down the line they changed from being just another team, to namma team. We raced away to the finals in the first season and took on the underdogs of the season, Rajasthan Royals. We were so close yet so far. We eventually lost the finals but came back harder in the next season’s league matches. The South African pitches did not bother us but the defeat in the semi finals to Royal Challengers Bangalore came as a blow. The third season did not start the way we wanted it to. Halfway through the tournament, a saviour by name of Doug Bollinger arrived. Three local heroes in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay and Subramaniam Badrinath emerged. Ashwin kept strangling the batsmen with his wily off-spin, Vijay showed his class with his 127 against RR and Badrinath showed why he was considered the floater of CSK. But the last league game against the Kings XI in Dharamsala was our key to the semi-finals, and that is when MSD, with the foundation laid by Raina and Badri, played an innings which no CSK fan can ever forget; a night when Irfan was launched by our skipper to the cleaners. CSK beat Deccan Chargers comprehensively and took on one of the favorites of the 2010 edition – Mumbai Indians. Reeling at 68/3, MSD and Raina took us to 168 as we lifted the trophy for the first time after having been written off during the first half of the tournament. We went on to win the Champions League the same year in South Africa as our local boys Vijay and Ashwin won the Golden Bat and Golden Ball respectively. It was an emotional moment for us as fresh auctions were on the cards. We managed to retain and buy back the core of the team – MSD, Raina, Ashwin, Vijay, Hussey, Bollinger, Morkel, Badrinath. Our prowess was shown yet again as we became the first team to win all home games. We went on to beat RCB in the play offs as well as in the finals and lift the cup for the second consecutive time. Edition 5 of the IPL saw us welcome a new super king – Ravindra Jadeja. Few of his performances proved why he was a vital cog in our wheel. Season 5 saw us scraping through to the play offs; some called it luck, but luck has a part to play everywhere. We utilized the opportunity we got and beat MI and DD to finally lock horns with KKR in the finals. Fate had different plans for us that day as we could not defend 190+ in our own backyard. In the hope of claiming a hattrick, the horrors of 2008 returned as we lost a close game. The sixth edition was no different as we went down to Mumbai Indians who took vengeance for what we did to them in 2010. Despite our loss, Mike Hussey and Dwayne Bravo brought us some happiness by topping the orange cap and purple cap list. With the fixing scandals surfacing around us, we were dejected. But a loyal fan stands by his team and players through all happy and sad times. We did the same, we had faith in our team and we stood by them. With another three years passing by, we could not afford all our players. While we were really sad to let go of Hussey, Vijay, Badri, Bailey, we were quite happy to welcome our new Super Kings – Dwayne Smith and Brendon Mccullum most importantly. The dividends have paid off as we’ve raced to the play offs yet again. While there are many memories CSK has given us, here are some of the instances which no Super King can ever forget: 1) Lakshmipathy Balaji and Makhaya Ntini’s hattrick in 2008 against Kings XI and KKR respectively 2) Mike Hussey’s 116 off 54 balls against Kings XI in 2008 and him winning the Orange Cap in 2013 3) Manpreet Gony’s last over heroics against Shoaib Malik, DD in 2008 4) Doug Bollinger’s stunning catch to dismiss Yusuf Pathan, RR in 2010 5) Matthew Hayden’s orange cap in 2009, mongoose assault against DD in 2010, and that match turning catch to dismiss Pollard in an unlikely straight Mid Off position in the 2010 edition finals 6) Subramaniam Badrinath’s heroics as a floater against Kings XI in 2010, against MI in 2012 7) Murali Vijay’s 127 against RR in 2010, 95 vs RCB in 2011 finals, 113 vs DD in 2012 qualifiers 8) Albie Morkel’s 28 run assault on Virat Kohli, RCB in 2012 9) Ravindra Jadeja getting caught at third man off RP Singh, which was a no-ball and gave us victory against RCB in 2013 10) Dwayne Bravo’s last ball six off Rajat Bhatai against KKR in 2012 11) Suresh Raina’s cameo against Kings XI in 2010, fifty against MI in finals in 2010, hundred against Kings XI in 2013 12) Ben Hilfenhaus’ delivery to dismiss Sehwag, DD in 2012 13) Spin twins Ashwin and Murali’s wily off spin resulting in so many 3-fors and 4-fors 14) Faf Du Plessis filling the voids of Mike Hussey and leading from the front in IPL 2012 15) Promising local heroes like Jakati, Tyagi, Mohit, Pandey, Saha 16) Chris Morris’ last over against the KKR in 2013 17) The jaw dropping catches of Hussey, Raina and Faf, and dance moves of Bravo and Vijay 18) MSD’s carnage on Kings XI in 2010 and his ploy to set Hayden at straight-ish mid off to dismiss Pollard in 2010 finals CSK has built a reputation to take matches till the end. It gives us immense tension, makes us sweat, and heartbeats race, but nine out of ten times we emerge victorious. That sigh of relief cannot be compared to any other feeling. And we the CSKians, have become immune to this situation. We can tackle heart conditions better than anyone else. And despite all the last minute theatrics, CSK also has the reputation of playing fair, having won the Fly Kingfisher Fair Play award 4 out of 6 times. Our coaching staffs consisting of Stephen Fleming, Steve Rixon, Tommy Simsek, Russel Radhakrishnan and Co. has shown how happy a unit we are. And hence, it comes as no surprise why every player looks very happy in the yellow shades. Every player who is no longer a part of the yellow dressing room has left behind some fond memories here. Our eyes too bleed when we watch some of them play in any color apart from yellow. But even if they do so, we always hope they do well wherever they are, for whichever team they play. A CSKian still cheers for Hussey, Bailey, Vijay, Balaji, and the rest of them. We are always proud to say that these players once played for us. Under Dhoni; Faf, Bravo and Bailey blossomed as captains for their national sides, and we are very proud of them when we see them sport jerseys for their countries. We have appreciated and always given our opponents their due credits when they beat us. We have come out to cheer in large numbers from across the world for every match. Six out of eight finals, with two victories and four defeats shows the journey we have had; both happy and sad. But those are just numbers. Supporting a team like CSK and being a part of this journey cannot be described in mere numbers or words. Every moment for us is an emotion, not just a mere feeling. Chennai Super Kings is a family, not just another franchise or a team! |
I’m a progressive liberal who frequently listens to Democracy Now! That makes me a bit of an oddity because I am also fiercely pro-nuclear energy. It has numerous capabilities that should appeal to progressive thinkers; it is abundant, affordable, compact, reliable, and emission-free. Unfortunately, the catechism taught to hereditary or geographical liberals includes such talking points as “nuclear is bad,” “nuclear is scary,” “nuclear means bombs,” or “nuclear hurts the children.” Perhaps the root cause of my odd status as a pro-nuclear progressive is that I grew up in a almost completely apolitical household run by an electrical engineer and an English teacher. By the time I was in the learning mode, my parents had rubbed off on each other, so both were rational thinkers who loved to read widely and experience the world without being limited by what they had been taught to think by others. While listening to Democracy Now! on a morning walk yesterday, I heard a though-provoking interview with former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley. During the interview, embedded below, there was an interesting exchange during a segment titled Martin O’Malley: Climate Change Helped Spark Destabilization of Syria, Rise of Islamic State that made me wish I could have been in the studio with the ability to ask questions during the interview. (I get that feeling more and more often as I gain interviewing experience on the Atomic Show.) Here is the question that O’Malley could start answering in an honest way that would capture attention, some criticism and, possible, a major new voting block. As an underdog who has not yet captured enough attention, he might be willing to to think hard about the risk/reward potential of this suggestion. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: You hold many of these progressive positions, yet in the polls Bernie Sanders seems to be sucking up, supposedly, in the polls, all the support of the active Democratic Party progressives at this point. How would you differentiate yourself from Bernie Sanders? And what would you say to convince voters that you are a better alternative within the Democratic Party? Just before Gonzales asked this question, O’Malley had described his position on a number of energy and environmental issues. He expressed opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, Arctic oil drilling, and offshore drilling near the Chesapeake Bay. He expressed support for building the transmission infrastructure that might enable off-shore wind farms to supply power, for the Iran nuclear deal, and for solar energy. However, I heard a pro-nuclear “dog whisper” in the following statements that Juan Gonzales and Amy Goodman could not hear because of their entrenched acceptance of the antinuclear catechism they have been taught by liberal gurus like Ralph Nader for the past 48 years. I am the first candidate in our party—and let us hope not the last—to advance a plan to move us to a 100 percent clean electric grid by 2050. As governor of my own state, we were one of the early states to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative of Northeastern states. We raised our renewable portfolio standard from 7 percent to 20 percent, passed a climate—a greenhouse gas reduction bill in our state. And I believe that this is the greatest business and job creation opportunity to come to the United States in a hundred years. Please notice that O’Malley did not say “100 percent renewable electric grid” and that he specifically stated that the stretch goal his state had established for renewable (aka unreliable wind and solar) was 20 percent. Goodman, Gonzalez and many Democracy Now! listeners probably don’t realize that O’Malley’s phrase “clean electric grid” includes a healthy and growing contribution by nuclear energy. That is one issue where he is a polar opposite of Bernie Sanders, who helped his home state shut down Vermont Yanke a well-run, carefully maintained nuclear power plant that produced enough emission-free electricity each year to supply 80% of what the state of Vermont consumed. Now that Vermont doesn’t have its operating nuclear plant, it has increased its dependence on natural gas, needs new transmission lines from Canada, and is installing industrial wind turbines on some of its formerly pristine mountain peaks. Its neighboring states, which used to purchase a lot of Vermont Yankee’s power output, have seen substantial increases in the price of electricity. Here is a short video clip from 2010 that features O’Malley expressing his support for nuclear energy in general and specifically for the Calvert Cliffs 3 project in Maryland. Just in case the embedded video somehow disappears or changes location, here is the verbatim transcript of O’Malley’s 2010 statement on nuclear energy. I’m very much in favor of nuclear energy and I believe that the sort of technology that is now being employed in Europe. By the French in particular is something that needs to come to the United States. Certainly over the short term I believe it holds a tremendous amount of promise. And I think we need to catch up; I think we’re way behind the ball on nuclear energy and I hope that we’ll have a third reactor that is modern, safe and state of the art in the foreseeable future in Maryland. There have been numerous events in the five years since O’Malley made that statement. Calvert Cliffs 3 has been cancelled, the joint venture supporting its construction, Unistar Nuclear, is now virtually defunct, Exelon has purchased Constellation Energy which was the U.S. partner in the CC3 project and the Fukushima Frenzy has provided virulent antinuclear activists with a new event to fret about. O’Malley’s pro-nuclear statement hasn’t been seen by many voters; it’s been on YouTube since 2010 and has a grand total of 53 views. It is quite possible — even probable — that he decided to distance himself from the nuclear energy issue as part of an attempt to appeal to where his advisors think Democratic Party voters stand. It is a tactic worth reconsidering in light of the growing strength of the Ecomodernist Movement and the potential for O’Malley to attract substantial media attention by stimulating a discussion about an issue that is vitally important to the continued strength of the Democratic Party. Party leaders who disagree should do some historical research so they can recall that both Kennedy and Johnson were supportive of nuclear energy before Ralph Nader began attacking the technology. Concerns about the climate are running into the very real challenge that people LIKE living a high energy lifestyle. The good news is that nuclear energy makes it possible to both reduce our impact on the environment while increasing our energetic living and expanding the good life to an ever growing number of people. That is progressive thinking as far as I am concerned. Aside: When I point out that Ralph Nader is an Arab-American whose family-owned restaurant was a gathering place for other Arab-Americans, it has nothing to do with racism or bigotry, and everything to do with regional economic interests. There is no greater threat to the value of oil reserves — and the economic and political strength of the Middle East — than the prospect of abundant, emission-free nuclear energy. That is a fact that has been known in some circles since Arthur Eddington published a series of lectures titled New Pathways in Science in 1934. End Aside. PS: I have some personal knowledge of Martin O’Malley; I lived in Annapolis, Maryland from 1977-1981, 1991-1993 and 1999-2010. He was elected as mayor of Baltimore, one of the nearby major cities, soon after I returned to the state in 1999 and as Governor in 2006. His reelection campaign in 2010 was in full swing when I retired and moved to Virginia. We keep close contact with our Annapolis friends and return at least five weekends every fall. Though many of my friends complain about relatively high property taxes in Maryland, they also love living there. It is an attractive, well-maintained state with decent roads, a reasonably prosperous economy, good public universities, excellent sailing, a terrific service academy and a well-maintained nuclear power plant. There were improvements in Baltimore during O’Malley’s tenure as Mayor and in the state during his tenure as Governor. Though there is a lot of time left before the first actual votes are cast in the 2016 Presidential election, at this point the most I will say that 80% of the other declared candidates from both parties would be worse for the country — from my point of view — than O’Malley. Additional reading Nuclear: A surprisingly progressive solution to climate change – Special to CNN by Rachel Pritzker, founder Pritzker Innovation Fund and producer of Pandora’s Promise, November 7, 2013 |
If left by themselves, bugs can breed really rapidly and very soon, it is going to trigger significant damaging implications to your health or residence. As roaches will constantly be searching for water, popular areas of inhabitancy would be the washroom or the kitchen. You may find that the normal pesticides for other insects are unsuccessful when used on roaches since they have a higher level of resistance towards light poison. Toxic baits or traps produced specifically to get rid of roaches will likely be necessary for successful outcomes. You need a specific bait to kill a roach fast and get rid of the entire roach colony. Simply killing the one roach you see won’t help. Once that’s accomplished, you must take precautionary steps like sealing off any holes within the walls as roaches can readily breed in dark as well as cramped spots. Dangerous bacterias like E. coli may be transferred on to your kitchenware too if roaches were to crawl on them. Most of these germs can bring about dehydration or even bacterial infections. An extension of the infestation by the bugs is quite likely to occur as they can hide in our belongings while we move them about. It’d be pretty much impossible to deal with a serious bed bug infestation all by yourself so you should get a pest control service to do it in your case. It is completely essential when it comes to a bedbug infestation simply because they can easily infest an enormous area, rather than just being centered in small and specific areas of your house. In extreme cases, a bed that’s infested might have to be isolated in that room from the rest of the property for a long time up until the infestation is treated. Plenty of people had resorted to throwing out their whole bed in their desperation to eliminate these pests, but that is not often the optimal remedy. A rough evaluation or perhaps guess on the type of pests that are existing within your house isn’t good enough. You ought to be absolutely sure. You might also want to look out for this element when you are buying a new home to live in. You need to really watch out for signs of an infestation before deciding to live in the house. Several of the indications of an infestation include things like bug droppings in the home or even sightings of the bugs themselves. Lots of people erroneously believe that pests will almost always be present because they may have wandered in to the house from the outdoors, but that’s simply untrue. A recently established bug nest within or perhaps right outside your home is more likely here. The nests of those pests are definitely not hard to find if you try looking in the proper spots. A bug nest will normally be constructed in between wall surfaces or perhaps floor tiles if there’s a fracture or hollow space. Should you have a deserted structure or an area of the house such as the attic room which is hardly ever utilized, the chances are that some bug might have made that location its home already. Inactivity and clutter will heighten the probability of a bug infestation in a significant manner so keep the house clean. A good example of an extremely common bug in the United States is the ant. Ants breed quickly and if you dismiss them, you’ll need to handle numerous nests later on. Simply because an ant queen can develop as much as 800 offsprings within just one day, it should not be astonishing that they may build up multiple colonies all over your residence in a very short period of time. Killing ants while using typical techniques like bug sprays or by swatting them are typically futile efforts due to the fact that there’s simply far too many of them around. To kill every one of the ants totally, you should use poison that could be carried by the ants to their colonies to infect all the others. Exactly the same can be said in relation to termites which can be associated with ants. Regardless of how similar they appear nevertheless, they’re in fact fairly distinct when it comes to their attributes. Ants are continually looking out for food which we inadvertently leave behind. Termites will not act in the same manner as ants mainly because they can survive off of a greater selection of food items. Termites can eat grass, foliage and even timber. Due to this specific reason, termites can simply bring about increased damage in comparison with ants. Furniture or large structures could be destroyed by these bugs completely if they’re made from timber. The foundation that sustains the base of the house as well as constructions like wooden beams and also pillars supporting the rooftop may be chewed through by these bugs. The fact is, it has been reported that entire properties have collapsed as a result of the destruction that termites had caused. Yet another really troublesome pest that lots of people are terrified of would be the roaches. Mainly because roaches contain the capacity for carrying tons of bacteria that may cause multiple illnesses, they are generally dreaded. Their excrement could potentially cause serious infections or ailments including food poisoning, vomiting, diarrhea and even more. An asthmatic condition can also be activated just by breathing in the bacteria brought on by roaches. |
Just a day before the presidential election, the North Carolina Republican Party issued a press release that celebrated the underperforming voter turnout among African Americans in the state. "North Carolina Obama Coalition Crumbling," the statement read. "As a share of Early Voters, African Americans are down 6.0%, (2012: 28.9%, 2016: 22.9%) and Caucasians are up 4.2%, (2012: 65.8%, 2016: 70.0%)." The North Carolina Republican Party has been widely criticized this election year for its efforts in suppressing the minority vote in the state. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in July that the state’s voter ID laws “target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision.” In October, the NAACP filed a lawsuit alleging that local elections boards in five states, including North Carolina, had illegally purged thousands of black voters from registration lists. These legal quagmires have seemingly failed to alarm GOP leaders in North Carolina. "The vaulted Clinton ground game has been buried in North Carolina by the Republican effort, thus far," the statement boasted today. Last week, Reuters reported that emails between North Carolina Republicans revealed a conspiracy to limit the operating hours of early voting polling places, in the hopes it would limit minority turnout. |
Traditionally, faster processing has always meant greater power consumption, but IBM's new SyNAPSE chip flips that paradigm on its head. To give you some perspective of just how low-powered this supercomputing chip is, IBM's Chief Scientist Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha says it requires power equivalent to that of a battery from a hearing aid. It's an achievement that's merited IBM the cover of the journal Science; it also has the potential to drastically alter conventional approaches to computing. In fact, the new SyNAPSE chip is so disruptive to the current computing landscape that IBM's created a new programming language to go along with it and an educational outreach program called SyNAPSE University. It's no wonder why the project received $53 million in funding from DARPA. IBM's Chief Scientist Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha says [the new SyNAPSE chip] requires power equivalent to that of a battery from a hearing aid. IBM hasn't publicly announced any partnerships to leverage its new SyNAPSE chip yet, though discussions are surely taking place. Currently, the company's been able to build a programmable, working board with 16 of these chips working in concert -- that represents 16 million neurons capable of processing instructions that, Modha says, would traditionally be carried out by "racks and racks of conventional computers." Again, this is all done at an extremely low-powered state, which means the chips produce way less heat. It's not hard to imagine some of the immediate benefits this could bring to consumers: for instance, laptops that don't burn your lap; or even mobile phones that run for days and can process extreme amounts of environmental data. But Modha sums up the magnitude of IBM's new SyNAPSE chip best with this simple analogy: "You can carry our board in your backpack. You can't carry four racks of conventional computers in your backpack." [Image credit: IBM] |
In order to fund a $70.5 million budget, the Rutgers athletics department was subsidized $23.8 million for the fiscal year 2015, according to the university's financial report filed to the NCAA. It marks a 34.5 percent decrease from the $36.3 million that Rutgers received in university, student-fee and government support in 2014. It also marks a 49.3 percent decrease from the record-high $46.9 million in subsidies that Rutgers athletics drew in 2013. The report, obtained by NJ Advance Media on Tuesday, reflects Rutgers' first full year of membership in the Big Ten Conference (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015). The report shows that Rutgers received a $9.4 million check from the Big Ten for its first year of membership, a total that is three times less than what full-Big Ten members receives but an amount that is greater than the athletics program received in its final year in the Big East. In addition to receiving $10.8 million in student fees, the Rutgers athletics department received $12.9 million from the university's general fund and $13,184 in direct government support. While the student-fee total increased by approximately $500,000 from last year, the direct institutional support decreased 50.2 percent from the $26 million total in 2014. Everything you need to know from NJ.com's Rutgers football N.J. recruiting series "I think what it does is it confirms what folks here have been saying for a while and that is the trend is going to continue,'' Rutgers Athletics Director Pat Hobbs said. "You are going to see the institutional support decline as we move toward full participation in the Big Ten. Certainly this year was evidence of it. It was hard to see in the last two years because you had special items, particularly the exit fee with the Big East which is the biggest piece of that." Rutgers officials attributed the decrease to the buyout money used to escape from the Big East/American Athletic Conference finally being off the athletics ledger in fiscal year 2015. "The direct university support number went down just about $13 million,'' Rutgers athletics Chief Financial Officer Janine Purcaro said. "$6.5 million of that is directly attributable to the accrual for the last piece of the (Big East/American Athletic Conference) exit fee. $5 million was paid two years previous. We made the accrual for the additional $6.5 million. It's being paid at $1.65 million over five years. Each Sept. 1 we owe them a check for years. It was on our books (in 2014) as one-time expense.'' Rutgers in a sprint toward facilities upgrades, AD Pat Hobbs says The Rutgers operating budget for athletics in Year 1 of the Big Ten was $70,558,935, which is 2 percent of the university's $3.4 billion total operating budget in FY 2015. Notable expenditures in 2015 include: $11.3 million in student scholarship aid; $10.9 million in coaching salaries; $9.1 million paid to athletics support staff and administrators; $5.7 million in team travel; $5.4 million in facilities debt service, leases and rental fees, a line item which takes in account the nearly $4.9 million that Rutgers paid for the High Point Solutions Stadium expansion debt. In 2009, Rutgers spent $102 million to upgrade its stadium and has $88 million in outstanding debt, according to the FY2015 report. When will Rutgers athletics turn a profit? New AD has a plan Notable revenues include: $13.8 million in department-wide ticket sales, which is a $3.4 million increase from 2014. The football team raked in $11.6 million in ticket sales, which is a $2.9 million spike from the final year in the American Athletic Conference. $8.8 million in contributions, an increase of approximately $700,000 from last year. That line item in the fiscal report only shows the amount of fundraising dollars Rutgers spent, and is not reflective of the overall amount in private money raised for athletics during the 2014-15 season. According to Purcaro, Rutgers raised $14.7 million in cash gifts and pledges in fiscal year 2015, which was an 18 percent increase over the previous year. $6.3 million in licensing, a total that reflects the IMG marketing deal inked in 2014. "It was really the impact of ticket sales across the board in all of our sports, wrestling had tremendous growth increase, football obviously was the biggest,'' Purcaro said. Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com . Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ . Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook |
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: Two Sikhs who were kidnapped over a month back have been beheaded by the Pakistani Taliban in the country's restive tribal belt in a brutal act by the militants.Some more members of the minority community are still in the custody of the rebels.The body of Jaspal Singh was found in the Khyber tribal region, located a short distance from the provincial capital of Peshawar, while the body of Mahal Singh was found in the Aurakzai Agency, sources said on Sunday nightThere was confusion about the total number of Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom from the Bara area of Khyber Agency by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan . A source said four Sikhs were abducted while another report said the total number of kidnapped persons was six.The Sikhs were kidnapped 34 days ago and the Taliban had demanded Rs 30 million as ransom for their release. Two of the kidnapped Sikhs were beheaded after the expiry of the deadline for the payment of the ransom, sources said.Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh are still in the custody of the militants, sources said.The kidnapping occurred in an area where there the government has virtually no control and the militants are in a dominant position, sources said.A sizeable number of Sikhs lived in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, till the Taliban imposed 'jiziya' or religious tax on them last year. Most members of the community then fled to cities across Pakistan. |
President Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court represents a turning point in American religious history: If Kagan, who is Jewish, is confirmed, the high court will not have a single Protestant member. More than half of all Americans are Protestant, while less than one-quarter are Catholic and just 1.7 percent are Jewish, according to the US Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. But, if Kagan is confirmed to the bench, the nation’s highest court, dominated by Protestants for most of its history, will be made up of six Catholics and three Jews. “This whole project of a Protestant America is really going under, and it’s going under quickly,’’ said Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University and author of “God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World — and Why Their Differences Matter.’’ Kagan’s nomination, he said, “is an important moment of saying, ‘Look, we’ve gone so far beyond the idea that this is a Protestant country that we can have a court with six Catholics and three Jews.’’ Martin E. Marty, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School, said that these days, the question of whether there should be a distinctly Protestant voice on the court would elicit “a big yawn’’ from most mainline Protestants. “I was in an Episcopal church in Chicago on Sunday, and there were a lot of movers and shakers there, but we didn’t sit around after and say, ‘How can we get one of us on the Supreme Court?’ ’’ he said. Evangelical Protestants have been slow to embrace or to feel welcomed by elite law schools like Harvard and Yale that have become a veritable requirement for Supreme Court nominees. One reason for this, some scholars say, is an anti-intellectual strain within evangelicalism. “Evangelical Christianity has tended to be a populist religion that’s strongly democratic, in urging people to read the Bible themselves,’’ said Mark A. Noll, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame. “All these are traits that have positive sides, but not for intellectual preparation and education.’’ But Noll and others say this is changing. Like Catholics and Jews of the last century, evangelicals are increasingly realizing that they need intellectual credentials to acquire institutional power in America. Influencing the high court is of special importance to evangelicals because of their opposition to abortion. “I think the Catholics had a 20-year head start on the . . . evangelicals in getting more elite credentials,’’ said Richard W. Garnett, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame. A half-century ago, Catholics and Jews were the outsiders in the top echelons of the legal and political worlds. But barriers to their advancement have now largely disintegrated, as both groups have made significant strides in educational and professional achievement. “Education itself became important, with a kind of edge that was not present for most Protestant groups,’’ Noll said. Republican presidents, seeking Supreme Court nominees with strong educational credentials who oppose abortion rights, have in recent years turned repeatedly to Catholics. “It’s not that every Catholic justice is prolife, obviously,’’ Garnett said. “But if you were looking for a qualified candidate with elite credentials who was prolife in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, you were likely to find a lot of Catholics.’’ Evangelicals sometimes view Catholics as their ideological soul mates, so President George W. Bush could please his political base by nominating Samuel Alito after his first choice, evangelical Harriet Miers, withdrew from consideration over criticism that she was ill prepared. “There was a time that being fearful of Catholics was at the heart of Protestant culture; that’s certainly changed,’’ said David Harrington Watt, a history professor at Temple University. Democratic presidents, seeking Supreme Court nominees who are reliably liberal, have several times nominated Jewish justices. President Clinton appointed both of the court’s current Jewish justices, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Some scholars lament the lack of religious diversity on the court. “We think through ethics and law in our lives, whether we are Supreme Court justices or not, in light of our backgrounds and religious commitments,’’ Prothero said. “And I think it’s a pity to have only two religious traditions represented on the court.’’ Lisa Wangsness can be reached at lwangsness@globe.com. © Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company. |
As the launch of the SpaceX South Texas launch site nears, people living in Boca Chica Village get more fearful about the first rocket launch. Boca Village is a tiny village with a few dozen inhabitants. The village is so close to the rocket launch facility that the people there have to adhere to SpaceX security requirements on launch days, which are once a month. The SpaceX facility is getting built inside the Boca Chica State Park near a sandy beach, the locals enjoy. The Boca Village residents will have no access to the beach during launch days. It is also possible that the village has to be evacuated on launch days. SpaceX apparently did not hammer out the details yet with the villagers. The people in Boca Chica Village are placing their hopes on a legislation called the Texas Open Beaches act. Former Governor Rick Perry has put a law into place that allows for closing down beaches for rocket launches. The Boca Chica residents are questioning the legality of this law. The bigger issue besides going to a swim on launch day is though something else for the village. It could be that access to Boca Village is cut off on launch days. This means that residents either cannot leave or enter their homes during launch times. Austrian reporter Nina Hochrainer has visited the Boca Chica Village and talked to the people about the situation. SpaceX will have to work something out there with the people of Boca Chica Village. Some people interviewed will consider suing SpaceX. This could potentially delay the launch of the space port. Hochrainer's report is available as podcast on FM4 Radio. The report not only covers the issues of the Boca Village with the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site, but also shines the light on other controversial topics. Elon Musk's SpaceX missions are great achievements that we love to watch online unfold. Living next to a SpaceX launch site is something else. About the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site SpaceX is building the world’s first commercial launch site designed for orbital missions in the Boca Chica area of South Texas. The site’s southern, coastal location is uniquely optimized for orbital space launches from the continental United States – it is as close to the equator as possible, while remaining distanced from populated areas. SpaceX South Texas will be optimized for commercial launches, and will support launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy to low-Earth orbit, geostationary orbit, and beyond. |
Ronald Klain is executive vice president and general counsel of Revolution LLC, a Washington-based venture capital firm. On leave from Revolution, he was a senior adviser to Hillary for America; previously he served as chief of staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore. The views expressed here are strictly his own. Time and again during the 2016 campaign—as he faced a dizzying blizzard of attacks, made numerous outrageous statements and navigated countless campaign crises—we heard that Donald Trump was “throwing out the rule book” in how he handled these controversies. It’s true. For decades, some widely accepted rules for handling scandals and missteps had dominated politics; savvy veterans of the Bill Clinton era successfully applied these approaches to the businessworld as well. And Trump blew through them all. But the real estate mogul did more than that. He wrote an entirely new playbook for crisis communications. Story Continued Below As someone who served as an adviser to the Hillary Clinton campaign, I fundamentally disagree with everything that Trump stood for on the trail. But it would be foolish to ignore how often his tactics were effective. The president-elect refused to release his tax returns; he’s been accused of sexually harassing numerous women; and he’s likely to take office on January 20 without having divested his business interests. How did he get away with it? Trump saw a change in the political landscape that many others failed to see; and everyone from political strategists to corporate communicators to those in the media would do well to pay attention. If they want to survive controversies in the future, they’ll want to study these five core postulates of Trump’s new crisis management playbook. Old Rule: Never explain New Rule: Always arm allies with an explanation The “never explain” rule goes back to Ronald Reagan, who said “if you are explaining, you are losing.” The basic idea is this: If you have an unpleasant action to defend, once you start explaining it, you have lost. Instead, you must brush past the problem, apologize for it (see below) or counter-attack in the face of it—but never “explain” it. But the Trump campaign came to understand that in today’s communications environment—where social interactions between supporters and their friends and neighbors (via Twitter, Facebook or old fashioned face-to-face conversations) are critical—a campaign’s advocates must be armed with “explanations” for their candidate’s actions. The Trump campaign thus replaced the “never explain” rule with a determination to always explain his statements and deeds, no matter how inexplicable they might seem. Trump was refusing to release his tax return because he was “under audit.” The comments on the Access Hollywood tape were “locker room talk.” His statement supporting the invasion of Iraq could be disregarded because it was made on Howard Stern, as a sort of joke that he “said very lightly.” Never mind that these explanations did not satisfy fact-checkers or the media; never mind that they ranged from outright false to downright ridiculous. The point is that Trump supporters were armed with an explanation that they accepted and that enabled them to defend their candidate in the face of withering attacks. The lesson is an important one: In a world where social communications (digital and otherwise) are dominant and also seen as more “credible” than mass media, you must arm your network of allies with explanations if you want them to play offense on your behalf. Old Rule: Apologize and move on New Rule: Never apologize and double down At the heart of the old set of rules was a basic idea: Everyone makes mistakes; when you do, offer a heartfelt apology, and then try to move on. Apologizing has become so widespread in crisis communications that pundits analyze corporate apologies each year to praise the most effective ones. In the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton apologized for over a dozen things, ranging from her 1996 use of the word “super-predator,” to her 2002 vote in support of the Iraq War, to her 2009 decision to use a private email server at the State Department, to her 2016 use of the phrase “basket of deplorables.” Trump, by contrast, almost never apologized in 2016. Not for attacking John McCain, a heroic POW. Not for belittling a beauty queen. Not for besmirching a Gold Star family. Not for calling immigrants “rapists.” Not for urging supporters to beat up dissenters at rallies. And not for about 100 other things that “best practice” communications advice would say that someone absolutely, positively must apologize for. And not only did Trump refuse to apologize for these many errors, insults or mistakes, he often doubled down on attacks or controversial comments, re-upping his remarks with renewed intensity or further elaboration. Many observers wrote off Trump’s refusal to apologize as stubbornness, but perhaps it reflects a mindful strategy born from our apology-heavy communications culture. In a world awash in apologies, so commonly offered by politicians, corporations and authorities, perhaps saying “I’m sorry” seems trite and tired. The Trump campaign may have grasped a new reality that apologies today often seem insincere, inauthentic and ineffective. “Sorry I’m not sorry” is a popular saying on social media today: It’s a message Trump embraced and made his own in 2016. Old Rule: Get your facts straight before you comment New Rule: Go with your gut, quickly Of all the aspects of Trump’s Twitter-driven campaign, the most under appreciated was its ability to operate at breakneck speed. After virtually every single news event that occured in the 18 months since he announced his bid for president, Trump was the first Republican or Democrat to comment—because his comments came straight from the gut, in rapidly fired, 140-character shots. While other candidates as well as the Obama White House took time to assess the facts behind a terrorist attack, a new economic statistic or a ghastly crime, and then took time to develop a thoughtful statement, to be cleared by substantive experts and hierarchical chains-of-authority before being released, Trump immediately fired off a tweet with his take, dominating early coverage of events and making sure his voice was heard. Were Trump’s tweets often wrong? Yes. Trump often placed blame erroneously, failed to grasp the true significance of an event or got his facts totally incorrect. But by getting his voice out first, getting his views out ahead of the deluge of commentary and speculation and opining that has become a regular part of the news cycle, Trump made sure he was heard and his points were absorbed by the public. Trump traded making mistakes for having more impact. Putting aside the question of whether we are living in a “post-truth” world, there can be little doubt that “narrative” is critical to public understanding of events—and shaping that narrative early is more effective than trying to reconfigure it later. Old Rule: Don’t feud with people who buy ink by the barrel New Rule: You can score points by going to war with the media Experts disagree on who coined the old adage “Don’t fight with people who buy ink by the barrel,” but generations of political pros and corporate communicators have lived by it. Even as “ink” has morphed into “pixels” in the digital age, the basic idea has remained the same: Political and business leaders may be able to fight against specific stories or points in the press, but they cannot win in the long run by going to war against the press corps as a whole. Trump clearly wrote a new rule here as well—not by objecting to particular stories or particular outlets, but by waging an all-out assault on the “mainstream media,” including the most respected press organizations (the “failing” New York Times), and even on (“bimbo”) Megyn Kelly, the most visible journalist working for conservative media titan Fox News. (She has since been hired by NBC.) Some Trump speeches included more attacks on the press than on his political opponents, and Trump supporters relished it. Trump’s battle against the media was more than an effective rhetorical device for his campaign speeches: It enabled his supporters to discount any criticisms of him that came via the mass media. Critical questions from debate moderators, an unprecedented array of editorials endorsing his opponent, prominent fact-checking sites debunking his claims—all could be dismissed as the product of “mainstream media” bias. Trump did not just survive a battle with the media: He depended on it, and made it integral to his campaign strategy. Old Rule: Drive a consistent message, consistently New Rule: Adapt constantly, disorient your opponents and the media One oft-repeated opinion about the 2016 campaign is that Trump had a consistent, effective message (“Make America Great Again”), while Clinton lacked a similar unifying theme. I disagree: I think the Clinton campaign’s “Stronger Together” message was as coherent and evocative to her supporters as “#MAGA” was to Trump’s. In fact, what Trump did that was innovative on the message front was not his consistent driving of the “MAGA” message, but rather, it was the opposite—his constant changing of messages, almost without regard to whether they were working or not, in an effective effort to disorient his opponents and the media covering him. He would hit his primary opponents with a vicious nickname, and then an enthusiastic embrace. On various days, Trump boasted of meeting Putin, said he had never met Putin, said he would work with Putin, said he was tough enough to take on Putin. He insulted minority voters even as he told them they had nothing to lose by joining him. He was for a ban on Muslim immigration except when he was not; he was for a deportation force unless he wasn’t; he was going to get the Mexicans to pay for the wall but then he wasn’t. He told 100 million Americans on television he didn’t want to raise Bill Clinton’s alleged infidelities at the first debate because Chelsea Clinton was in the live audience; then he did so at the second debate, in front of 90 million Americans and the former first family. He out-and-out denied saying many things that he had absolutely, positively, been captured on video tape saying. After the campaign, this all got swept into a nostrum about taking Trump “seriously, but not literally.” But this fails to appreciate how Trump befuddled political opponents and media coverage by constantly shifting positions, arguments and attacks. The campaign relied on the very short memories generated by the rapidly scrolling Twitter feed and the “Breaking News” appetite of cable television to confuse without suffering much in the way of consequences. Candidates were left unsure of exactly what Trump stand they were opposing—and flummoxed reporters mostly just paroted back the latest Trump declaration. Thus, the 2016 Trump campaign did not just “break all the rules”—it wrote an entirely new rule book. Always arm allies with explanations. Never apologize. Respond immediately. Do not fear conflict with the media. Constantly adapt and disorient. What remains unclear is whether these rules will work for anyone other than Trump. When he launched his campaign, the businessman and reality TV host was already well known, had unprecedented visibility, was largely self-funded and had an appetite for risk and controversy unusual for prominent political or business leaders—all reasons to assume the 2016 playbook might not work for another campaign. But it would be wrong to dismiss the possibility too quickly. While these new rules are particularly suited to Trump, they also reflect a new political reality, different from the one that brought the old set of rules into existence. They take advantage of the importance of social media, of the need to cut through the overwhelming amount of information bombarding us each day and of the rapidly turning news cycles (and shortening memories and attention spans arising from that). The game has changed, and future political players of all stripes—and even corporate message makers, too—will surely want to take at least some tactical pages from the new Trump Playbook. |
Party says leaflet’s suggestion that claimants should catch a bus to help ease congestion will not be part of its manifesto A Ukip-branded leaflet has suggested benefit claimants should be banned from driving on UK roads to ease congestion. The document, which appears to have been sent out by the campaign of Lynton Yates, the Ukip candidate for Charnwood in Leicestershire, asks why claimants “have the privilege to spend the taxpayer’s hard-earned money on a car” and suggests they instead “catch a bus”. “We could likely remove six million cars from the road if benefit claimants were not driving,” it reads. “Why do they have the privilege to spend the taxpayer’s hard-earned money on a car, when those in work are struggling to keep their own car on the road? These people could really catch a bus!” Ukip confirmed that the leaflet had been sent out by the campaign team of one of its candidates but a spokesman stressed: “These are not Ukip policies and they will not form part of the Ukip manifesto.” Yates, a local councillor on Leicester county council’s transport committee, did not respond to a request for comment. Labour’s shadow health minister Jamie Reed said Ukip was “not so much a political party but a stag night out of control”. The leaflet, which emerged on the Facebook page of a Charnwood resident, echoes the suggestion of the former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom that benefit claimants should not vote. In past local and EU elections Ukip has struggled to keep track of racist, homophobic and bizarre statements made by a handful of candidates. It will hope to keep such incidents to a minimum in the runup to the general election as it has brought in much stricter vetting regime for candidates. |
Major League Baseball is in an era of enlightenment, in which organizations are filled with bright minds of men and women who won’t accept the status quo without examination. The phrase That’s the way it's always been done is routinely ignored, thankfully, and more informed decisions are made about defensive positioning, pitch selection, bunts, platoons, trade value and about whether it’s worth sacrificing an All-Star catcher to the act of blocking home plate to prevent one run in one game in a 162-game landscape. But somehow, as the sport has evolved, the practice of retaliation -- through the use of a baseball thrown at a prone human target -- is still in play, left over like a horse and buggy in the middle of an interstate highway. There could be no better example of this than what happened between the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays. To review: On Wednesday night, Jose Bautista clubbed a home run with his Blue Jays down 8-3, and flipped his bat with joy, momentarily glaring in the direction of the Atlanta pitcher, Eric O'Flaherty. Bautista’s celebration seemed kind of silly with his team down by a field goal and a safety, but hey, Bautista's emotional reactions can’t be a surprise to anyone who has watched him play during the past decade. First baseman Jace Peterson said something to him as he rounded base, and so did Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki. After the game, the Braves mostly sounded amused by Bautista’s actions. But from the end of the Atlanta game on Wednesday night to the start of Thursday’s game, it was determined by somebody that Bautista was going to get drilled. This may have been fueled by Freddie Freeman's injury: His left wrist was broken by an Aaron Loup fastball Wednesday, and losing their best player for months may have exacerbated the Braves’ feelings. Whatever the primary motivation for the Atlanta retaliation, Julio Teheran threw his first pitch to Bautista inside, at about 94 mph, and then hit him with his second pitch, at 95 mph -- the fastest pitch thrown by Teheran this year. Bautista said nothing, dropped his bat and went to first base. When Atlanta's Julio Teheran drilled Toronto's Jose Bautista, it helped jump-start a Blue Jays rally. So what was the point? Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP What followed was a lot of Toronto runs. Three in the first, and six more before Teheran’s ugly three-inning pitching line was completed. So what was the point of the retaliation? Longtime broadcaster Joe Simpson asked a really great question as Teheran struggled in the early innings: How much was Teheran thinking about his forthcoming retaliatory strike on Bautista as he prepared and warmed up for the game? Because drilling a hitter on purpose is not something pitchers do often. Keep in mind: Teheran went into Thursday’s start needing performance traction. He really could have used a clean first inning, to get off to a good start, to try to pick up a team reeling from the loss of Freeman. Instead, Teheran and the Braves jump-started a rally for the Blue Jays, and by the bottom of the fourth inning, Teheran was in the clubhouse, having generated his worst start of the year. What was gained? Bautista may have a bruise on his thigh, but in his second plate appearance, he mashed a double; it wasn’t like he was intimidated. There was no competitive advantage gleaned. And what if the Blue Jays had retaliated, and another Braves player was hurt? A really, really smart manager who believed in statistics and reasoning thought through the retaliation about a half-century ago, and he decided that his teams would not participate in the beanball thing for the sake of a competitive advantage. Orioles Manager Earl Weaver discouraged his pitchers -- OK, knowing Earl, he probably barked at them with biting sarcasm -- with logic. If you retaliate, he told them, one of our guys might wind up getting hurt, and our guys are better than their guys. As a result, Orioles pitchers hit relatively few batters. Here are the Orioles' American League Rankings in HBPs in Weaver’s first 11 years as manager: 1969 Second fewest 1970 Fewest 1971 Fewest 1972 Fewest 1973 Fewest 1974 Tied for fewest 1975 Fewest (the Orioles hit just 12 batters) 1976 Second fewest 1977 Seventh 1978 Fewest 1979 Tied for fewest Sarah Langs of ESPN Research dug this out: In Weaver’s first 14 years as the Orioles’ manager, Baltimore pitchers hit by far the fewest hitters of any staff in the AL (the expansion Jays and Mariners, who played their first seasons in 1977, are not included on this list). 1. Angels 537 2. White Sox 502 3. Rangers 492 4. Red Sox 478 5. Tigers 475 6. Indians 458 7. Brewers 455 8. Twins 437 9. Athletics 435 10. Royals 412 11. Yankees 316 12. Orioles 274 And Baltimore was pretty good in this time, playing in the World Series four times. It won more games than any team in those 14 years, with a 1,306-885 record, a winning percentage of .596. The Reds were second, at .571 (1,258-946). This is not to suggest the Orioles won because Weaver was a conscientious objector in the American League’s HBP wars. But what is evident is Baltimore was not hurt because the pitchers wouldn’t participate, and it is possible Weaver’s strategy helped to keep Hall of Famers like Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer on the field. The fact that the Orioles were not engaged in the retaliation meant there were almost certainly fewer situations in which some pitcher purposefully targeted a Baltimore hitter. (Although Orioles batters were hit their fair share in Weaver’s tenure: 469 times, or fifth most.) Cubs president Theo Epstein’s mantra to the front offices he has led has been: "We don’t know s---." In other words: Question everything. Look at the logic behind everything we do. And there is no sound reasoning behind a pitcher intentionally hitting a fellow member of his own union with a 95 mph fastball and placing that other person’s body and career at heightened risk for serious injury. The necessary evolution of thought needs to extend to Major League Baseball, as well, because right now, MLB is in the position of fostering this antiquated practice. Earlier this season, Chris Sale threw behind Manny Machado and everybody in uniform at Fenway Park that day knew that it was probably on purpose, including the umpires. But Sale was not ejected; he was not suspended. Because within the current culture of baseball, in the unwritten rules, there’s The Right Way To Retaliate and The Wrong Way To Retaliate, and by that measure, Sale was OK in the eyes of MLB law. Which is kind of dumb, because if Sale hadn’t controlled the pitch the way he intended and broke Machado’s jaw, Sale’s retaliation would’ve been deemed The Wrong Way To Retaliate. What happened to discouraging retaliation altogether? In what other sport are game officials and league executives looking the other way in retaliation? If a D-lineman goes down to a cut block in the NFL, referees aren’t giving his team one free shot at wrecking somebody’s knee. If an NBA player is hit with a flagrant foul 2, referees won’t look away if the other team attempts a flagrant 2-type violation. Even in the NHL, a league of enforcers and goons, an act of retaliation leads to a penalty, a game misconduct, a suspension. But on Thursday night, Teheran intentionally fired a baseball into the leg of Bautista at 95 mph, and you know what he got? A warning. If MLB sticks with the current practices and standards, Teheran won’t be reprimanded in any way -- and in fact, under the unwritten rules, the message to Teheran is that what he did is The Right Way To Retaliate. How crazy is that? How inane? Earl Weaver was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996, and passed away four years ago. But hopefully the rest of baseball will catch up to him sometime in the next century. |
TOKYO -- Favorable exchange rates appear to be producing a hoped-for upturn in Japanese exports. Export volume rose 3.9% on the year in December, Finance Ministry data showed Monday. Driving this growth was a 6.4% increase in U.S.-bound shipments of passenger vehicles, the first gain in nine months. U.S. auto sales have taken a turn for the better thanks to cheaper crude oil, which has fallen by half in price since June. Steel exports jumped 8%. A 5.5% increase in steel shipments to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations suggests that U.S. economic growth has helped lift sagging Asian demand for the metal. Exports of electronic components climbed 0.9%, rising for a second straight month. The Cabinet Office's export volume index rose 2% in the October-December quarter compared with the preceding three months. By this measure, exports have grown for two straight quarters. This apparent turnaround owes to a slow but steady increase in the number of Japanese exporters that have cut prices. The yen has weakened by slightly more than 40% against the dollar since December 2012. But even with this tailwind, manufacturers were initially reluctant to lower prices for overseas customers, fearing exchange rates would turn stormy. Now that the weak yen has proved durable, they are letting down their guard. An index of export prices fell month on month for a forth fourth straight month in December, sliding to roughly 5% below a near-term peak reached in February 2013. Japanese exports will stage a modest rebound in 2015, many nongovernment economists reckon. Any declines in shipments to economically depressed Europe and oil-producing nations will be more than made up for by gains in U.S.- and Asia-bound exports, says Kiichi Murashima, chief economist at Citigroup Global Markets Japan. The weak yen is also encouraging Japanese manufacturers to increase domestic output. Nissan Motor plans to restart Kyushu-based production of cars bound for North America, raising domestic output by at least 100,000 vehicles. But Japanese exports remain low overall. Volume grew a mere 0.6% last year owing to sluggishness in the first half. Part of the problem is structural: The yen's rapid appreciation after the 2008 global financial crisis spurred manufacturers to shift more production overseas, a trend hastened by the devastating March 2011 tsunami. Exports have recovered to only 80% of their pre-crisis level. Stiff competition from Asian rivals is also holding back Japan's export machine. Chinese steelmakers have a production glut estimated at triple the size of Japanese output of the metal. This cheap product depresses Asian prices. Japan's trade deficit widened to a record 12.78 trillion yen ($107 billion) last year. With cheaper oil reducing the value of Japanese imports, continued export growth could rapidly narrow this gap. (Nikkei) |
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates must be growing anxious after spending the last week cooped up in their lavish, multimillion-dollar homes. And in the spirit of regaining his client’s liberty - at least until such time as court proceedings against them are ready to proceed - Paul Manafort’s lawyer, Kevin Downing, has filed a motion to modify Manafort’s terms of release that would, among other things, allow him to travel to Washington DC, Florida, New York State and Virginia, though he would still be forbidden from leaving the country. The filing was released Saturday ahead of a pretrial hearing set for Monday, where US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will rule on the request. Right now, Manafort and Gates must check in with law enforcement daily by phone, and are only allowed to leave for court appearances, to meet lawyers, for medical emergencies and for religious observance. Prosecutors and officials from pre-trial services have said Manafort is a flight risk because of his extensive ties abroad, and have asked for special monitoring. Manafort has already surrendered all three of his passports, which his lawyer argues were all obtained legally and for legitimate business purposes. In public remarks made following Manafort’s arraignment, his lawyer, Kevin Downing, maintained that Manafort worked for a pro-European Union campaign for the Ukrainians, where he sought to further the cause of democracy and to help the Ukrainians come closer to the US and to the EU. Those activities ended in 2014, he said, two years before Manafort joined the Trump campaign. Downing added that he found it “ridiculous” that the Manafort’s use of offshore accounts amount to a scheme to conceal funds from the US government, while also furnishing an explanation for why Manafort has three US passports - all of which were obtained legally. Along these travel-related lines, much has been made of Mr. Manafort’s possession of three different passports. (See Government Memorandum at 12, n.5). While some reports have painted this as though Mr. Manafort is akin to a 68-year-old “Jason Bourne” character, the facts are much more mundane. Mr. Manafort possessed a passport, the type of which is generally held by most U.S. citizens. He also possessed a second passport to submit with visa applications to certain foreign countries. (The process for obtaining a visa can sometimes be lengthy and U.S. citizens who travel abroad frequently are no doubt familiar with this circumstance.) The third U.S. passport was applied for and obtained by Mr. Manafort only after he lost his primary passport. Months later, Mr. Manafort found that passport and contacted his passport services agency to advise them, and the U.S. State Department, with respect to the same. Downing pointed out several inconsistencies in the government’s case to help justify his client’s release that could be read as a primer for his defense strategy. The parties disagree as to the weight of the evidence outlined against Mr. Manafort. Although the Indictment reads like a criminal tax case, there are no Title 26 (Internal Revenue Code) counts in the charging document. While Manafort was initially released on an unsecured bail of $10 million, he has offered to pledge a mix of properties and life insurance policies to secure his release. His lawyer proposes that Manafort’s family members will sign sureties to help secure his release. Manafort will agree not to apply for any new travel documents such as passports or travel cards. The assets Manafort is offering to pledge have a combined value of $12.5 million. East 5th Avenue, New York, NY (approximate net asset value $3 million); Baxter Street, New York, NY (approximate net asset value $3.5 million). St. James Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (approximate net asset value $1.5 million. A combination of life insurance policies held in trust and/or in his or his wife’s name (approximate net asset value $4.5 million). Manafort will also refrain from traveling overseas, and report to the Pretrial Services Agency by telephone once per week.He also will agree not to take any loans against the properties being pledged toward his bond. Read the whole indictment below: 11 4 17 Manafort Motion to Modify Conditions by zerohedge on Scribd |
I remember when Bills fans thought the world was ending. That was the week they found out Jairus Byrd would be leaving Buffalo for a mega contract to play for the New Orleans Saints. The Bills fans were crushed, but the Bills quickly paid Aaron Williams who they felt was an up and coming safety in the game. The Saints however are in a huge financial crisis already and needed to re-work tons of contracts to get Byrd on the roster. The contract was not the greatest contract, but it did make Byrd one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL. Byrd was given a 6 years, 54 million dollars contract. The Saints fans were pumped up. They just received the best safety in the NFL according to many, but after 3 weeks in the NFL, people are already giving up on Byrd in New Orleans. @ Ghostpig0 Jairus Byrd– $90mil punt catcher. @ milroyigglesfan “Eagles have to sign Jairus Byrd” Malcolm Jenkins 2 INTS, Byrd 0 INTS. Guess Eagles guessed right. @ PriscoCBS Just from watching the TV, it looked like Jairus Byrd whiffed some today. And where was that pass rush for the Saints? @ JimmyKempski Jairus Byrd watch: 6 solo tackles, 4 missed tackles according to PFF. Well after 3 weeks of football, I went to our friends at Pro Football Focus, to get a little stat work. Let’s see how analytics play when it comes to football. After three games Jairus Byrd has 11 tackles, 4 assists, 1 pass break up and 1 fumble forced. That is pretty good for a safety right? Well let’s see what @PFF graded Byrd. Jairus Byrd graded as a -1.6 which is in fact RED, REALLY RED. Then I thought it would be interesting to go to Aaron Williams. The Bills did give him a nice paycheck as well. The Bills gave Williams a 4 year deal worth 26 million dollars, basically half of what Byrd was paid. So let’s go to his stats. Williams has 18 tackles, 6 assists and 1 pass break up. Williams has been awesome when asked to fill a gap as well for Jim Schwartz’s defense. Aaron Williams graded as a 5.2, which is in fact GREEN, VERY GREEN I am not saying that after three games Aaron Williams is a better player than Jairus Byrd, because Byrd has proven to be a stud in the NFL, but I can say after three games, Aaron Williams has been just as productive if not more productive than Byrd. Plus, he is getting half of what Byrd is making and 3 years younger. So let me ask this question now Bills fans, Do you miss Jairus Byrd? |
Beds: 3 | Baths: 3 | Living Area: Approx. 3,279 sqft | Lot: .03 acres Offered at $1,200,000 The Scoop: The Five Degree Residence. Finished in 2009 is a unique architectural design that combines Poured in place concrete, glass, steel, & burnished block construction. LED lighting throughout home. Ply boo cabinets & doors. Granite & Cesar stone counters. Massive windows for breathtaking views of downtown lights and surrounding Phx Mountain Preserve, including North Mtn & Shaw Butte. Hiking and biking trails. Multiple landscaped outdoor areas to relax & enjoy views. Home designed to capture feeling of outside with floor to ceiling windows & large front to back breezeway with large pivoting glass doors. Master & Guest suites are private retreats with their own views. Large upper deck has three sided outdoor views. Master bath has atrium. Landscaping has been selected to attract hummingbirds, quail, and other desert visitors. Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ Lavish pAdZ AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com AZLuxuryHomeBlog.com |
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab-African Affairs, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, who accompanied FM Mohammad Javad Zarif in the one-day Syrian talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday, maintained that two-thirds of the negotiation time during the meeting was devoted to security issues and ceasefire. “The talks specifically focused on ceasefire, and the recent truce pact brokered by Russia and the US, its failure and the reasons for its failure, that is the differentiation of terrorist groups, particularly al-Nusra and ISIL, from other Syrian groups,” he added. “We talked at length about the ways for separating these groups, the considered criteria in this respect, and the schedules related to this issue,” he said. Jaberi Ansari went on to add that a part of the discussion was also concerned with humanitarian affairs and the escalation of emergency relief delivery in Aleppo and other regions in Syria. The Iranian diplomat further noted that the next issues to be discussed at the international talks are the political aspect of the Syrian crisis and the future prospect for this country; “there was little discussion on this topic, but the consensus was that the sides would continue talks on these issues as soon as possible,” he added. The Saturday ministerial talks on Syria was held in the Swiss city of Lausanne with foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, the US, Russia, and Saudi Arabia in attendance and is scheduled to continue on Monday. MS/3796569 |
Terry Bollea testifies in court during his trial against Gawker Media, in St. Petersburg, Fla., in March 2016. Photo: pool/Reuters . By Jonathan Randles ▲ Jonathan Randles The Wall Street Journal BiographyJonathan Randles Jonathan.Randles@wsj.com Updated July 25, 2017 5:46 p.m. ET 0 COMMENTS Advisers overseeing the Gawker Media LLC bankruptcy estate have begun exploring a potential sale of its flagship site, Gawker.com. The estate is looking into retaining an investment bank or other advisers to assist in a sale process, said Will Holden, a managing director in the New York office of professional services firm Dacarba LLC who is administrating Gawker Media’s liquidation plan. The assets for sale include the Gawker brand, domain name, social media accounts and archive of stories. “We have begun the process of how to monetize the residual Gawker brand,” Mr. Holden told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. Mr. Holden said the sale process is in the early stages and that a decision on whether to retain professional advisers hasn’t yet been made. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc. acquired Gawker Media’s other websites last summer for $135 million . Those sites—Jezebel, Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, Jalopnik and Kotaku—were integrated into Univision’s Fusion Media Group and have been operated under a new company, Gizmodo Media Group. But Univision declined to take Gawker.com, leaving the site in the hands of advisers liquidating the media company founded by Nick Denton. The site has been dormant for nearly a year. The terms of the Univision sale restrict anyone from publishing new content on Gawker.com until March 9, 2018, Mr. Holden said. Exploring a sale now is intended to give any interested buyers time to come up with a plan for Gawker before the content restriction expires, Mr. Holden said. The ultimate fate of Gawker.com is one of the few questions that remain unanswered in the bankruptcy. Gawker Media was forced into chapter 11 in June 2016 by a $140 million judgment in a lawsuit brought against it by Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea. The lawsuit was over the publication of the wrestler’s sex tape on Gawker. In bankruptcy, Gawker Media settled with Mr. Bollea , for $31 million. The settlement also entitles Mr. Bollea to 45% of any proceeds from a potential sale of Gawker.com. Mr. Bollea’s lawsuit was secretly financed by venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who was angered by a Gawker article published years earlier that identified him as gay. News reports by Forbes brought to light Mr. Thiel’s involvement in the case. Mr. Thiel said last year at the National Press Club that Gawker’s decision to publish the wrestler’s sex tape was “the most egregious violation of privacy imaginable.” Left behind by Univision, Mr. Denton in the site’s final post in August that Gawker “lingers on the web like a ghost ship, the crew evacuated.” |
If a man publicly proclaims his intention to come into your home, point a weapon at your wife and children, and steal everything you have when a certain set of criteria are met, are you required to wait for him to act before before defending yourself? That’s one of many questions raised by the most recent episode of Doomsday Preppers and the introduction of Tyler Smith. Smith, 29, runs a Buckley, WA-based group that calls themselves “Spartan Survival.” In the event of a disaster, Smith and his merry band intend to attack other citizens and take what they need to survive by brute force. I wish this was a joke, but it isn’t: “We’re not in it to stockpile. We’re in it to take what you have and there’s nothing you can do to stop us,” Tyler Smith says. “We are your worst nightmare, and we are coming.” … Most preppers, Smith says, are concerned with marauders taking their supplies. It’s not an unfounded fear, he says. “We are those people,” he says. “We’ll kick your door in and take your supplies. … We are the marauders.” Simply put, Smith—who admits to being a fan of Barack Obama’s redistributionist government—plans on armed robbery, home invasions, and widespread looting to support his group of bloated, inbred leeches should disaster strike. This would seem to put the citizens of Pierce County, which includes Tacoma, in a bit of an ethical quandary. If even a minor disaster strikes and citizens see the members of Spartan Survival coming together, could they morally and ethically launch a first strike against Smith, his family (pictured above), and his group, in order to head off the attacks he’s already publicly announced? We’ve asked the office of Pierce County Sheriff Paul A. Pastor if he has a plan in place, knowing that he has a gang of “more than 80 dues paying members” of Spartan Survival in his backyard, planning on attacking citizens in the event of a disaster. We’ll let you know if he responds. It’s worth noting that Company A of the 19th Special Forces Group (National Guard) is based in this same small town. I rather suspect that any attempt at a “reign of terror” by Mr. Smith will end suddenly, despite the faith he has in his bathroom tile body armor. |
Image via "Prophet's Prey" With today marking the wide release of the documentary Prophet's Prey, an even more cult-y sect of the Mormon church is in the news again. The film, directed by Amy Berg, tells the story of Warren Jeffs, the current president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). As Berg documents, chronicling the history of FLDS and its abhorrent crimes, the FLDS has been operating as an extreme offshoot of the religion since 1890, after the mainstream Mormon church denounced polygamy as one of its tenets. Hence, the fundamentalist wing formed and ramped up the sister wives. But once Jeffs took over the Utah-based church from his father in 2002, he took it even further. Jeffs, now imprisoned for life, amassed 80 wives, completely severed the ties between members of the church and the outside world, and sexually abused young children, one of his sisters, and his daughter. In 2005, Jeffs was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted list for two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and accomplice to rape. Jeffs' particular brand of Mormonism required women to undergo a bizarre and coercive from of procreation. Following the Latter-Day Saint tradition of marriage and childbirth as a vehicle for men to achieve Godly status in the afterlife, Jeffs mandated that his cult's women were only allowed to copulate with chosen "seed bearers." This meant that only 15 hand-chosen males could impregnate FLDS women to insure that the children they gave birth to would be pure "spirit children." Court documents from the divorce of Warren Jeffs' brother and his wife explain that the practice required the husband "to sit in the room while the chosen seed bearer, or a couple of them, rape his wife or wives." According to CNN, Jeffs is still running the church from prison. Along with the state of Utah, the FLDS has compounds in Texas, Arizona, and Canada. In their remarkable study of the harmful realities of polygamy, professors Julia Chamberlin and Amos Guiora actually found and interviewed women of the church, in which they testified to this practice and other sexist traditions of FLDS. One female member, Terrassa Wall, attributed the isolating secrecy of the church as a factor for abuse, and another, Carolyn Jessop, told Chamberlin and Guiora that young girls had no choice but to become mothers. "Fighting for an education is seen as absolute selfishness [in the eyes of the church]," Jessop said. Jessop was pulled out of school in the eighth grade. During the fall of 2012 and the following winter, Chamberlin and Guiora interviewed former members of Jeffs' controlling cult. Broadly talked with Guiora, a professor of law at the University of Utah, about these extensive interviews and the truth behind the church's mysterious "seed bearers," or rapists. The former temple at the FLDS ranch in Texas, before it was raided by the FBI BROADLY: What was the impetus behind going out and gathering all these interviews from the women and men who had left the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Amos Guiora: I had begun writing about the LDS church in 2009. A book I wrote called Freedom From Religion was published, and in the process of writing that book I was examining religious extremists in five different countries. In the context of the United States, the group that I picked to research was FLDS, and that was my introduction to [the religion]. I met with a wide range of people from [the faith] and that book project lead to another book project called Tolerating Intolerance. That then lead to writing Polygamy: Not "Big Love" But Significant Harm. For that I interviewed young adults—some men, but primarily women—who had left the faith. I was introduced to them by an intermediary who arranged the interviews. That gave me, from my perspective, pretty exploratory accessibility and availability to these women and young girl's stories, in terms of trying to understand the ins and outs of the faith. There's nothing like firsthand interviewing—we're talking about lots of interviews over many, many, many hours that gave Julia and me insight into the harm that's caused by cultural polygamy. That's his form of control over the women—and over the men, too. It seems that, particularly, polygamy in which there's one man with many wives leads to the most harm, especially for women. Did most of women you spoke to talk about sexual abuse in the church? I would never say all, but yes. One of the most painful interviews I conducted was with a woman who was about my age, 58, whose first husband left her and then she remarried. She was wife number whatever in both marriages. I believe she had 16 children—I don't want to misspeak—and she was able to tell me exactly which child was conceived in what she would call normal sexual relations and which child was conceived as a result of rape. It's terrible stuff. I was reading about that ritual with the "seed bearers." Were all her children conceived that way? No. She was in the church before the seed bearers took effect—that has only been happening for a few years, since Warren Jeffs took over the church. Men who he has chosen to be the seed bearers are the only men that women can have sex with. Say, if Jim and Jane are married, but Jim has not been designated by Warren Jeff as a seed bearer, then Jane can't have sexual relations with Jim. So this "seed bearer" concept is the creation of Warren Jeff? That's his form of control over the women—and over the men, too. He's controlling them by dictating with whom you can have sex. They engaged in foreplay and watched pornography and they said they enjoyed every moment of it. That's a form of rebellion. That's a very violent form of power. It's absolute power, and it's largely unquestioned power. And those who question do so at risk. The people I met with were able to escape, but they also pay an enormous price. Some women couldn't convince their children to leave with them and the consequence of that is in all likelihood they will never see their children again. Where do those women go? Did you talk to anyone about their journey leaving the church and how they found shelter? There are organizations that try to assist them, but at the end of the day—you have to get a job, you have to put food on the table—many of them don't have real life skills. They'll be the first to tell you. They've never written a check in their lives; they've never held a job. Not to go back to the seed bearers, but to go back to them: Did anyone talk about how exactly they were chosen? Was it at random? Who the hell knows. Penetrating the mind of Warren Jeff would require profound psychological analysis. In the piece you authored with Julia, you talked about men and women who enacted small rebellions against the tyranny of Warren Jeffs. Can you talk more about that? Absolutely. I met a couple who was very open with me. They were in their late 20s. In FLDS foreplay is not allowed and watching pornography on the internet is not allowed, but this young couple pushed the limits. They engaged in foreplay and watched pornography, and they said they enjoyed every moment of it. That's a form of rebellion. By and large, the state of Utah turns a blind eye to child brides, which is nothing less than statutory rape. Though there is a price to pay. Another one of the women I met was perceived by her husband to be rebellious, but I don't think sexually. So she was punished by her husband and exiled to a cabin by herself, and as a result of her being punished her children were given less food to eat on a daily basis. So it's kind of at the will of the husband how his wife is treated? He can just punish her for anything? Drop of the words "kind of." That's crazy. Another woman—I spent I don't know how many hours interviewing her—she tells me that for her Warren Jeffs was Hitler. I found that to be a very interesting analogy. Note that he's in jail in Texas, and his rules are still enforced. His brother Lyle is now the figurehead of the church, but Warren is still the evil behind it. Ask yourself: How is it that those who participate in the marriage of child brides—how is it that they're not prosecuted? That's a profound legal question. By and large, the state of Utah turns a blind eye to child brides, which is nothing less than statutory rape. Yes, Warren Jeffs was prosecuted, but the infrastructure, the others who are involved, are also committing statutory rape. That's the issue. I don't think there's any way to end this on a positive note, is there? No. |
It has been just over a month since Apple's last round of expansion for its iTunes Match service, but it appears that the company may be preparing to add Japan to the mix.As noted by Mac Otakara , the "iTunes in the Cloud" music component has gone live in Japan, with the "Purchased" tab within the desktop iTunes Store and the iOS music application now allowing users to access their previously-purchased iTunes Store music. The iTunes in the Cloud service has until now been limited to apps and books in Japan.Apple's iTunes Match service that allows users to match or upload their entire libraries of music acquired from any source to Apple's iCloud is a step further than the music re-download service just now rolling out. There are, however, currently no other countries in which Apple offers iTunes in the Cloud music capabilities without also offering iTunes Match. iTunes Match is currently available in 37 countries, and if iTunes in the Cloud music downloads are now appearing in Japan it seems that iTunes Match may not be far behind there. |
Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher — who grew up playing shortstop and catcher on the baseball diamond during summers as a kid in Alberta and B.C. — held his first Celebrity Softball Classic benefiting the Shriners Hospital for Children — Canada on Aug. 12 in Vancouver. Gallagher was asked by RDS about his two new Montreal teammates — Zack Kassian, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Brandon Prust, and Alexander Semin, who signed with the Canadiens as a free agent. “Zack Kassian, I think he’s a big body,” Gallagher said. “He’s a skilled guy for his size, he can play with anyone up and down the lineup. We’re looking forward to coming in and hopefully he can bring us a lot of energy and play the type of hockey he’s capable of playing. I’m looking forward to playing with him. “Semin is a guy that other teams have to be aware of,” Gallagher added. “He’s dangerous every time he’s on the ice. He doesn’t need much time and space to put the puck in the back of the net. So two guys that I’m looking forward to playing with and learning from as well.” It was a tough day on the diamond for @natebeaulieu for sure https://t.co/u2qVvXgY64 — Brendan Gallagher (@BGALLY17) August 13, 2015 At his annual charity golf tournament on Aug. 11 at Club de Golf Le Mirage in Terrebonne, Canadiens coach Michel Therrien was asked about Semin — who will wear No. 13 with Montreal — and said he was looking forward to coaching the Russian, who was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes this summer after scoring only six goals in 57 games last season. “It’s a challenge for a coach to try to get the most out of every player,” Therrien said. “That’s the No. 1 thing. For me, coaching a (Max) Pacioretty, I want to make sure he’s at his best. Coaching a P.K. Subban, I want to make sure … that’s the way I see it. I want to make sure my players be at their best. It’s the same thing with a Gallagher, it’s the same thing with a (Alex) Galchenyuk. Semin won’t be any different. I’m going to work hard as a coach to make sure to get the best out of him. But for sure, all the work is coming from the players. I always see coaching players as a challenge … it’s a fun challenge.” The last player to wear No. 13 with the Canadiens was Michael Cammalleri. Only five other players have worn No. 13 in Canadiens history: Lorenzo Bertrand (1913-14), Edmond Bouchard (1921-22), Billy Boucher (1921-22), Clément Piché (1921-22) and Alex Tanguay (2008-09). Canadiens owner Geoff Molson was also asked about Semin at Therrien’s golf tournament, which raised $226,000 to benefit the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to have an elite player come to our team for at least one year,” Molson said. “(GM Marc Bergevin) gave a lot of thought to it and, obviously, he kept me informed. But at the end of the day it’s his decision, and let’s hope he made a good one.” When asked about Kassian — who will wear Prust’s old No. 8 — Therrien said he’s a young player with a lot of potential. “He’s got size, he can skate, hold onto the puck,” Therrien said about the 24-year-old, who is 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds. “He’s playing a physical game and we like his potential. As a coach, I’m going to try to get the most out of that guy and make sure that he’s going to perform well and try to bring his game to another level.” Imagine if Therrien can somehow get Semin and Kassian to work as hard as Gallagher does on every shift … |
Today marked the second day of 2017 Eagles training camp practice. It wasn’t a full team practice because only quarterbacks, rookies, and selected veterans have reported so far. With that in mind, here’s what I observed. PRACTICE NOTES • Newly signed rugby-player-turned-tight-end Adam Zaruba was not at practice despite officially signing with the Eagles on Monday. The Canadian can’t return to the team until he’s granted a work visa. • The Eagles started off practice with some special teams drills. During one drill, one player was required to block a simulated gunner trying to tackle the punt returner (a dummy). Joe Walker did a nice job of blocking Derek Barnett in this drill. Rasul Douglas also did a good job; he totally flattened wide receiver Greg Ward. Defensive backs coach Cory Undlin saw Douglas do that and it got him fired up. Shelton Gibson didn’t look so hot in this drill. Mack Hollins earned praise from special teams coordinator Dave Fipp for his ability to shed a block. • Greg Ward had another strong day of practice. No one-handed catches but he still caught everything thrown his way, including a deep over-the-shoulder reception on a pass thrown by Nick Foles. Ward ran a precise route that helped him find a soft spot in the zone coverage. Ward also made a tough contested catch at the goal line during a red zone drill. I’m not 100% sure that the ball didn’t touch the ground, but from my view it looked like he held on. Good hands. • Carson Wentz’s first red zone throw went through the hands of a diving Mitchell White. He followed that up with a nice touchdown thrown to Marcus Johnson in the back corner of the end zone. Douglas trailed in coverage behind Johnson. • Here’s an under-the-radar name to keep an eye on: Don Cherry. The former Villanova linebacker came up with two interceptions in practice. (Now that’s what I call “Cherry picking!”) Matt McGloin tried to look off the defense on fake screen before throwing a quick slant, but Cherry wasn’t fooled. He came up with the ball. Cherry’s second pick came on a tipped pass in the end zone. After practice, Jim Schwartz really praised Cherry (more on that later). • Undrafted free agent tight end Billy Brown continues to impress. Haven’t seen him drop a pass yet. He stood out today with a nice over-the-shoulder sideline grab. Walker trailed in coverage behind him. • UDFA S Tre Sullivan picked off UDFA QB Dane Evans on an overthrown deep ball intended for rookie WR Mack Hollins. Credit to Brown for hustling back and stripping the ball out of Sullivan’s grasps even though the rep was practically over. • Corey Clement had a nice catch in the flat for a touchdown with Walker in coverage. On another rep, Walker covered Clement perfectly. Series tied. • Walker recorded an interception on a play where Jomal Wiltz tipped a Foles pass thrown towards the goal line. The ball went high up in the air and a big group of defensive backs tried to jump for it. But Walker skied over everyone and came down with the jump ball. Nice athletic play. • David Watford made a nice catch on a fade pass that was thrown behind him (by McGloin) in the end zone. Sullivan got beat in coverage. • Ron Brooks had another strong day. Like I said yesterday, he should be looking good considering he’s a veteran player going up against young guys. Still, it’s nice to see there are no lingering effects of the quad injury he suffered last year. Brooks got a lot of playing time on the outside. He broke up a McGloin fade pass meant for Johnson and earned praise from Undlin. • Eagles defensive line Chris Wilson was really getting in Derek Barnett’s face during one drill. Wilson stared down the rookie and yelled: “The confrontation has to happen sooner! SOONER!” • Wentz and Foles seem really buddy-buddy. I’ve noticed them talking a lot off to the side when McGloin or Evans is throwing. • Check out video from Eagles practice via the Bleeding Green Nation Facebook page (click here or watch below). Eagles training camp practice! Live from Day 2 Posted by Bleeding Green Nation: For Philadelphia Eagles Fans on Tuesday, July 25, 2017 • Also check video from Jim Schwartz’s post-practice press conference (click here or watch below). Eagles DC Jim Schwartz is speaking now! Posted by Bleeding Green Nation: For Philadelphia Eagles Fans on Tuesday, July 25, 2017 • Also check video from Carson Wentz’s post-practice press conference (click here or watch below). EAGLES QB Carson Wentz speaking now! Posted by Bleeding Green Nation: For Philadelphia Eagles Fans on Tuesday, July 25, 2017 Up next: Right back at it tomorrow with another Eagles training camp practice starting at 8:50 AM ET. Stay tuned for more coverage. |
In 1920, the 18th Amendment banned the production and possession of alcohol, and Prohibition officially began. Strangely enough, drinking alcohol wasn't illegal, so many people went ahead and made their own liquor, known as moonshine. As law enforcement officials tried to enforce the 18th Amendment, alcohol producers had to be clever about their business. To transport illegal liquor, they needed vehicles that would blend and not attract attention. They began transporting the liquor in their personal cars at night, calling themselves "moon runners." Unfortunately, the moon runners couldn't outrun the police. To give their cars an advantage, they began modifying the vehicles. Producers and runners would take ordinary cars and alter them slightly to make them capable of reaching high speeds. The cars still looked like all the other automobiles on the road, but they could now beat law enforcement. Moon runners were constantly bragging about their exploits. They boasted of making nighttime trips on dirt roads at more than 120 mph (194 kilometers per hour) -- with no headlights. Soon, runners started racing on weekends, and stock car racing was born. When Prohibition ended in 1933, racing had become very popular, as did the practice of souping up cars. The sport continued to grow through the next 15 years. By 1948, it was a widespread sport, but different in every region. NASCAR formed in 1949 as a way to organize the chaos. NASCAR had quite a bit of work to do. Read on to learn more about this famous racing league. |
The underdog in the Democratic primary draws thousands to rallies but needs overwhelming turnout in several states for a chance of blocking Hillary Clinton Leah Dean showed up to Bernie Sanders’ rally in a small town 90 miles north of San Francisco carrying a bright blue and yellow sign. It said: “Strength in numbers.” The 30-year-old’s poster was a reference to the slogan of the Golden State Warriors, the team that Sanders recently visited, leading him to compare his underdog campaign to the efforts of the basketball players, who last week overcame a significant deficit and made it to the NBA finals. Dean, a consignment store worker from Sebastopol in northern California, said she hopes progressive voters in the state heed the Warriors’ catchphrase and not only cast their ballots for Sanders on Tuesday’s primary, but mobilize others to do the same. “It’s important to show you care,” she said. “By voting, you’re saying we want change.” No, Bernie Sanders is not skydiving into a rally – but his team did think about it Read more Dean, one of nearly 6,000 people who attended the Friday night rally in Cloverdale, brought a sign that touched on one of the most critical questions for the Sanders campaign as it fights to win California and stay alive in the race. Will his fans actually show up and cast ballots? Hillary Clinton supporters have increasingly urged Sanders to drop out, declaring the race already over. But at the Vermont senator’s packed rallies in California, it’s hard to find any fans who accept that assessment. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mandy Armstrong (left) and Leah Dean Photograph: Sam Levin for the Guardian Sanders supporters insist that when they back him on 7 June, they won’t be offering a symbolic vote for a candidate who has already lost. On the contrary, they say California voters will turn out in droves, launching the comeback that sets him on the path to defeat Clinton – and eventually Donald Trump. On Friday night in wine country, an energetic Sanders took the stage at Cloverdale municipal airport. Many supporters required medical attention as they struggled to stay standing in the nearly 100F temperatures. Earlier in the day, Sanders was forced to address the violence that exploded in San Jose at a Donald Trump rally, condemning protesters who attack supporters of the Republican nominee. But by the evening, Sanders was looking forward to the California race, which he declared the “most important and significant primary of this whole nominating process”. He mocked the media for saying his campaign was dead, noting that Clinton had canceled events in New Jersey so she could spend more time in California. “Sounds like the campaign is not quite over,” he said to loud cheers, adding that Clinton is starting to look “very nervous”. The senator also acknowledged just how high the stakes will be on Tuesday – and the potential for a devastating blow. “If there’s a large voter turnout, we will win. If there is a very large voter turnout, we will win with a big margin. But let’s be honest. If there’s a low voter turnout, we will lose. That’s just the facts. I’m asking all of you to do everything you can.” Pundits here agree that if the Sanders campaign can translate high-energy rallies into strong voter turnout, he has a legitimate shot at beating Clinton in California. “Bernie has spent an enormous amount of time on the ground here. It’s pretty incredible,” said Bill Carrick, a veteran California political strategist not affiliated with either Democratic campaign. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sanders in a crowd in California. Photograph: ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock Sanders’ approach – targeting residents in every corner of the state with giant rallies that sometimes draw tens of thousands – could help get first-time voters to the polls. Since 9 May, Sanders has held about 30 rallies in California, pledging to reach a quarter-million Californians before the primary. “It’s a mammoth undertaking, but I think it bonds him to his supporters in a way that’s going to influence turnout,” Carrick said. Recent polls in California, which has 546 delegates available, suggest Sanders and Clinton are in a very tight race, with multiple recent polls showing that Sanders has cut the former secretary of state’s lead dramatically – and may even be ahead in the state. But the overall math remains very favorable for Clinton, who is only 70 delegates away from becoming the Democratic nominee, including unbound “superdelegates”. The painful reality for Sanders and his California fans is that Clinton could clinch the nomination in New Jersey on Tuesday – before the polls even close on the west coast. Even if Sanders has big wins in other states, he would still need to secure the vast majority of California votes to block Clinton. Despite his dizzying pace of rallies, the fact is, in a huge state like California, Sanders’ events only reach a small fraction of eligible voters, said Derry Swago, a longtime Democratic strategist in the state. “Whether his fans are going to show up is an unknown,” he said. In order to turn out voters on a large scale, the Sanders campaign would need to adopt a labor-intensive, data-driven outreach process similar to the tactics of local campaigners who target specific voters, Swago added. Although Sanders has outspent Clinton on advertising in California and has more than 55,000 volunteers in the state, it will still be an uphill battle to get voters who don’t typically participate in elections to turn in their ballots. In Cloverdale, Walker Best, 20, and Lauren Brandt, 17, said they were confident turnout for Sanders could surpass Clinton’s voters. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Walker Best and Lauren Brandt. Photograph: Sam Levin for the Guardian “I know a lot of Clinton supporters that aren’t going to vote,” said Best, a customer service worker. “It doesn’t matter as much to them.” “Or they don’t know what they’re voting for,” interjected Brandt, who wore multiple Bernie pins but is too young to vote. They both said they make $10 an hour in minimum wage jobs and believe they would have the best chance of making ends meet under a Sanders presidency. Sanders' golden ticket in Silicon Valley: 'People here believe in what' Bernie says Read more “I’m voting because I genuinely believe he can do it,” added Best, who wore a “Bernie Fucking Sanders” T-shirt. “I know he’s gonna win, and I just want to help.” Anja Woltman, 69, said she expected the Tuesday contest would bring out people who don’t regularly vote – such as her sons, who are in their 30s and are generally apathetic about elections. “They have never been so excited about politics. They trust him.” Lorena Cruz, a 22-year-old student, said she was confident Sanders’ fans would take the time to vote for him. But she admitted that some Democrats, primarily driven by fears of Trump, will decide to back the candidate who’s winning the race. “In my family,” she said, “they’re resorting to Hillary, because they think she’s the frontrunner.” Mandy Armstrong, a 30-year-old bartender, said voters’ hatred of both Trump and Clinton would bring them to the polls for Sanders. “California loves a comeback story,” she added. |
Answers in Genesis president Ken Ham appears in a YouTube video (Screenshot) Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham argued over the weekend that the church was losing younger members because they have been “contaminated” by learning about science in public schools. In a post on his Answers in Genesis blog, the creationist warned that Millennials would “fundamentally change the culture and the church” if they did not turn away from secularism. “I believe this is a huge warning sign to the church. When a generation no longer builds its worldview on the foundation of the absolute authority of God’s Word, the new generation begins to question everything it says, including its morality,” Hamm opined, lamenting that many young Christians “also believe science has disproved the book of Genesis and that the Flood did not occur during Noah’s day.” “Doubting Genesis has had horrendous consequences,” he lamented. “It should come as no surprise that as generations are trained to disbelieve the Bible’s account of origins, they also increasingly doubt the rest of the Bible. That’s a part of the greater Satanic strategy that had its origin in the Garden of Eden.” According to Ham, acceptance of same-sex marriage was a “direct result” of doubting the Bible’s creation story. “It is the big ‘elephant in the room’ that most Christian leaders refuse to acknowledge. Or worse, they endorse compromise by accepting the evolutionary idea of millions of years,” Ham opined. “In most cases, the twentysomethings said their high school teachers convinced them not to trust the Bible!” He added: “Let’s face it: children are being contaminated as a result of their secular education, the secular media, and their secular friends. In a world of no absolutes, evolution, sex outside marriage, gay “marriage,” attacks on gender distinction, humanism, and false religions—children are being tossed to and fro.” Ham argued that the solution was to instill Christian doctrine into children by homeschooling them. “When parents humbly start with the Word of God and build ‘from the foundation up,’ it makes a world of difference. Starting with the logical foundations of all the doctrine in Genesis, not trying to prove the Bible with science, but using the Bible to understand science, parents can teach children how to defend the faith by giving them answers to skeptical questions of the age,” he wrote. “This is how we need to teach our children—from the time they are born until the time they leave home.” |
Tough Times at Red 5 Studios? I want to start off by saying that I know it’s hard for a lot of people out there. Everyone is in a tough financial situation and the people at Red 5 Studios (Red 5) are no different. However on this same note, it’s easy to criticize someone and never offer any way to help. Employees at Red 5 have not been paid, and as the Reddit AMA suggests, morale has been really low there for a while. I’ve also tried to reach out to our friends at Red 5, but to no avail; although I’ll keep everyone updated if I hear anything. I want to point out that an engineer at Blizzard by the name of Cher has heard about the situation at Red 5 and wants to do what she can to help. She has started a gofundme page to raise money for the Red 5 employees. I spoke with her briefly and she wants to ensure everyone that she’s not acting on her company’s behalf, but as a way to help those in need. If you’d like to donate to the gofundme page, here is a link to it. I know that in gaming journalism (or journalism in general) it’s best to just watch, rather than getting directly involved in these issues. But what’s the point of owning a website and publishing our own articles if we can’t take a stance on things? So I hope that all our friends at Red 5 will be alright, and that this situation will resolve itself soon. This type of problem is not unique to Red 5; it’s happening lately throughout the gaming industry. Crytek had a similar issue in 2014 where they failed to pay their staff, and it seems to be an ongoing problem. -Daniel Clatworthy- Feel like sharing?: Reddit Facebook Twitter Tumblr |
Students from the United Kingdom are behind Europe for learning a new language at primary school - according to data from Eurostat. This European Languages Day, fifteen years after it was set up, and British pupils are just starting to catch up. Languages are easier to learn as our brains are developing, which is why most of us develop our first language as we grow. Research from Eurostat, compiled by Statista, has found that in 2014 nearly 80 per cent of all European children were learning a second language. The UK has only been committed to compulsory language education in primary school since last year. Prior to this, most formal language teaching did not begin until secondary school. While the brain remains febrile and sponge like for most of secondary school, the late start puts students at a disadvantage. Picture: Statista The extent of this can be seen in the map which shows how many pupils in other European countries were schooling their children in languages - the data for the UK was unavailable. Of these, 17.1 million were learning English as a second language in 2014, followed by 4.9 m learning French. Data for the UK has not been available since foreign language education became compulsory, but the British Council asserts that between 2002 and 2010 the percentage of primary schools teaching foreign languages rose from 25 to 90 per cent. However, this is not the share of pupils learning them. Eurostat also compiles data for learned languages - the UK ranks fourth for learning French, fifth for Spanish, 12th for Italian and 16th for German. A slow pickup over the past 15 years may be the reason why everyone on your holiday seems to know English, and you're still asking for everything in the infinitive. More: The darkest colour in the world is effectively exclusively owned by this artist - here's why More: This is how a 19-month-old sees the world |
Earlier this year, astronomers produced evidence that the Earth was recently subjected to two “nearby” stellar explosions, supernovae that occurred about 300 light years away and roughly two and seven million years ago, respectively. Now, new evidence shows that those previously discovered supernovae would have had a profound effect on Earth, and potentially on the development of the life it held. Given that these were relatively recent events, they are absolutely proximate enough to have influenced the development of primate species that would go on to become mankind — but it could have influenced the evolution of all other species on Earth, as well. The paper, appearing in Astrophysical Journal Letters, is based on computer modelling of the atmospheric and surface effects of the radiation sent to Earth from these supernova events. The expectation was that such distant explosions wouldn’t have a significant effect on the surface, but modelling revealed a significant uptick in surface radiation exposure. The effect would have been so strong that in the early days the night sky would probably have been lit up with the bright blue glow of radiation, disturbing animal sleep patterns. In particular, they found that there should be a major increase in the number of high-energy muons falling on the Earth, giving life on the surface potentially as much as 20 times the normal exposure. These quantum particles are created mostly when heavier particles like high-energy protons impact molecules in the upper atmosphere and destroy them, throwing off all sorts of short-lived pieces of debris. Since they’re generated in the upper atmosphere, even terminal particles like muons can live long enough to reach the surface. Muons only partially interact with conventional matter, and the vast majority simply pass through us (and most of the Earth itself). But we’re still hit with so many that they account for about 1/6th of the average radiation dose — meaning that the muon increase alone could have raised the overall radiation level near the surface by as much as a factor of three. Every land animal on Earth, along with every marine animal living in shallow water, was subjected to about a CT scan’s worth of radiation every year. Played out over the billions of individual animals that would have been affected, this could have significantly affected the path of evolution. Increasing the average radiation dose would have increased the rate of new mutations, which could have in turn affected the rate of evolution. There may have been a period of the Earth’s ancient history in which animals were both subject to a higher-than-normal level of cancers, and a higher-than-normal level of long-term species change. The latter process wouldn’t had had time to get all that far, what with the increased radiation lasting at most a few dozen generations. However, the supernova radiation may have had an equally profound effect on life, in a negative direction: mass extinction. Paradoxically, it seems that the influx of new stellar radiation may actually have contributed to rapidly cooling the planet by rapidly ionizing the upper atmosphere. We can find a roughly corresponding extinction event in the fossil record, starting about 2.6 million years ago. The researchers describe the hypothesis as “controversial,” but they do float the possibility that cosmic rays from these two supernovae could have been a contributing factor to that period of extinction. Rather than directly killing them off with radiation poisoning, the idea is that the radiation rapidly changed the climate, and the world left a large fraction of the world’s biodiversity behind. Now read: What is a supernova — or why stars explode, creating the universe as we know it |
Margaret Brewer, a local Conservative Party official in North East Somerset, recalled that party leaders made repeated calls warning her and the other local representatives not to select him. “It was made quite clear that was not what they wanted in a candidate,” she said. Ms. Brewer was not deterred, though, and neither was Mr. Rees-Mogg. “Jacob doesn’t care what people think,” she said. “He must do,” she added. “But he doesn’t seem to.” In Parliament, Mr. Rees-Mogg fell to the far right of the Tory spectrum, opposing climate change legislation and increased spending on welfare benefits and supporting tax breaks for bankers and corporations. In an interview, he said the Tory party must win a “battle of ideas” between the forces of the free market and socialism, and that its message to voters, especially young ones, had been too timorous. “I think that conservative principles have a broad appeal and you should state them boldly, and the point of a Conservative election is to do conservative things, not to do Labour things but slightly less damaging,” he said. Voters today, he said, were drawn to politicians with more pointed views, both on the left and right, “because the centrist approach didn’t succeed.” Mr. Rees-Mogg’s gentle, erudite manner made him a favorite among his fellow lawmakers, even those repelled by his ideas. But only with “Brexit” did the populist mood swing fully in his direction. Attributes that once made Mr. Rees-Mogg an unviable candidate — like his opposition, as a conservative Roman Catholic, to abortion under any circumstances — now make him look brave and honest, wrote Freddy Gray, deputy editor of The Spectator. In the age of social media, Mr. Gray added, a comic persona also comes in handy. “It’s all part of the LOL, nothing matters, Twitter thing,” he said in an interview. “It’s dangerous, in a way, that if you don’t make yourself an obviously comical figure, or seem like you’re on the fringes, people will regard you with suspicion.” As the Conservative Party conference approached — it begins on Sunday, and Mr. Rees-Mogg is expected to give as many as nine speeches in two days — moderate Conservatives sent up flares of warning. One of his colleagues in Parliament said she would quit the party if he became leader (though she added that she found him “incredibly charming”). Matthew Parris, a prominent columnist and former Conservative member of Parliament, warned that for a party struggling to modernize, elevating Mr. Rees-Mogg “would be pure hemlock.” “His manners are perfumed, but his opinions are poison,” he wrote. “Rees-Mogg is quite simply an unfailing, unbending, unrelenting reactionary.” |
We publish the following, which was sent to the Utah Attorney General in Utah, Sean D Reyes. We invite anyone else that has been victimized to contact us directly at admin@citizensgroup.us to have your story published. Or simply publish it in the comments section below. If you would like to participate in this Class Action Lawsuit against the State of Utah and named others contact Mr. Drockton directly pdrockton@aol.com Dear Sean: Since 2001 I have been the victim of unlawful and illegal harassment resulting from my actions as a whistleblower against Farmers Insurance, Joe Cannon and Chris Cannon. I exposed the company for its unlawful pattern of overcharging Mormons for their auto insurance, harassing and terminating Mormons for their religious beliefs and discrimination against Mormon Church Leaders. I went to Congressman Cannon for assistance and he and his brother used my situation to extort campaign contributions from Farmers Insurance. This I also exposed, as well as Cannon’s criminal handling of Geneva Steel’s Pension Fund, Fraudulant activity towards Geneva Steel Pensioners and towards their Creditors. Mr. Cannon had separated assets worth up to 90 million dollars from Geneva Steel prior to taking the company into bankruptcy. He had also left the Pension plan only 10% funded and fraudulantly turned the Plan over to the Federal Pension Guarantee Corporation for funding. I played the major role in bringing those assets back into the bankruptcy. More recently, my son was assaulted by his now ex-wife. She was prosecuted and convicted. He was awarded full custody in the Restraining Order Hearing. Commissioner Thomas Patton unlawfully and unjustly reversed that custody decree. He also failed to recuse himself based on his past Executive Position with Geneva Steel and his obvious conflict of interest with me and my family. He also bragged in open Court that he ate lunch with Utah Attorney Kelly Peterson, who was defending my son’s ex-wife. Even more troubling was the fact that my son worked for Thomas Patton at a restaurant owned by his wife and himself when he was a teenager. Thomas Patton made multiple illegal and unlawful rulings in my son’s divorce and custody hearings, which we have documented. He also permitted perjured testimony and suborning perjury from Kelly Peterson and his client. I became suspicious of Kelly Peterson’s relationship with my son’s ex-wife and his unwillingness to provide any billing records whatsoever. Peterson had a cold sore and my son’s ex-wife contracted herpes in her last trimester of pregnancy, placing my son’s child in physical danger of also contracting the STD. My son tested negative for any and all diseases. Kelly Peterson took $1500 from me right before the divorce to represent my son and his ex in a custody matter involving her other child. He refused to refund the money and also refused to recuse himself from the divorce matter. Commissioner Patton was also notified of this conflict but refused to take any action. Attorney Dan McKay, who represented my son, refused to file an order for recusal with the Court based on his relation ship with the Kelly Peterson, who served as his law clerk. Mr. McKay also opened my son up to additional liability and prosecution through his structuring of the Divorce Decree. After my son was taken before Commissioner Patton for accusations that he had not paid off divorce debts (which he had indeed paid) and threatened with imprisonment for the same. I notified the Court of my intent to file a UTAH RICO claim against Attorney Kelly Peterson and his client. which I did. The Presiding Judge over the case was moved up to the Utah Court of Appeals, but not before he unlawfully sealed the case contrary to RICO state statute. In the filing, I documented multiple instances of perjury and suborning perjury by Kelly Peterson and his client. I also asked for a Jury Trial. The Presiding Judge, Christine S Johnson, unlawfully cited Federal RICO law to deny me and my son our day in Court, She dismissed the case without prejudice and told me I could only refile with her. I was accusing Kelly Peterson of exchanging Legal Services for Sex with my son’s ex-wife. I was denied my Constitutional Rights of Due Process and Discovery. My Subpoenas for billing records were ignored and unenforced by the Court, even after they were stamped with the Court Seal. To add insult to injury, Judge Christine S Johnson awarded $7,000 in legal fees to Mark Stubbs, who represented my son’s ex-wife in the RICO case, three months after the case was dismissed without prejudice or judgement! Three months is well beyond the 2 weeks allowed by Utah Law to file a request for legal fees. I am a Professional Journalist, I just learned that I had written multiple articles about Judge Christine S Johnson’s leniancy towards rapists and pedophiles. The articles are still in the search engines under her name. She should have never heard my case in the first place, due to the glaring animosity she had towards me for my investigative journalism. Clearly, I had no chance of a fair trial. I am notifying you of these facts not because I expect Justice from you or your office, but because I plan on naming you in a Class Action Lawsuit against the State of Utah with RICO considerations. You are now officially aware and will be held liable for your inaction in these matters. Since my story has circulated, others are coming to me with stories of their own. You have 48 hours to meet with me personally at my location and try to resolve these issues in a way that is beneficial to all of the victims of your corrupt legal system. I am publishing this for my own safety and the safety of my family. Signed: Paul A Drockton |
On reality TV, few things are more valuable than having a tragic backstory — and on Monday’s episode of The Bachelor, we’ll hear what may be the most dramatic backstory… ever. Kristina, the dental hygienist from Lexington, Ky., gets a one-on-one date, which means she finally has enough time to fill Nick in on her less-than-ideal upbringing in Russia. Related: ‘The Bachelor’ Episode 5 Recap: Battle in the Bayou “We didn’t have any food necessarily growing up,” says Kristina. “I remember the cupboards being bare, and I remember eating lipstick.” And that’s not even the worst part of her story. Nick reacts like any human person with a soul would to such a sad tale: It’s unclear whether we’ll hear more about Kristina’s childhood — specifically, how she got from Russia to Kentucky — but either way, she HAS to get the date rose after this, right? RIGHT? Related: Chris Harrison Blogs ‘The Bachelor’ Episode 5 Man, we’re not used to things getting so heavy on The Bachelor. If you need something to cleanse your emotional palate, enjoy this video of Nick talking about that superawkward shower scene from the season premiere. The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of The Bachelor for free on Yahoo View. |
All told, Clinton’s campaign and Democratic groups are spending nearly $9.3 million on television advertisements in seven swing states this week. Two Republican groups that back Trump are spending almost $1.9 million on advertising in five swing states. ADVERTISEMENT Trump’s campaign has yet to run a general campaign advertisement. The data was provided to The Hill by sources keeping tabs on the advertising market. Democrats’ four-to-one spending advantage exists in some of the most crucial states in the nation: In Florida, the Clinton campaign and Priorities USA Action are spending $2.3 million this week. The Rebuilding America Now PAC, a super-PAC run by Trump supporter Tom Barrack, is spending $555,000. In North Carolina, a state President Obama put into play in 2008, Clinton’s campaign is spending $350,000. The Priorities super-PAC and Women Vote, another pro-Clinton group, are running a combined $907,000. The National Rifle Association is running $165,000 worth of ads on Trump’s behalf, while his super-PAC is dropping $191,000 into the state. Clinton backers are spending a combined $1.78 million in Ohio this week, including $865,000 from the campaign. The NRA has dropped $254,000 into television ads across Ohio, and Rebuilding America Now PAC is spending $468,000. In Pennsylvania, where the Trump campaign hopes to woo blue-collar white voters, Democrats are spending a total of $1.6 million — eight times the $208,000 pro-Trump groups are spending. In two swing states, Democratic ads are going unchallenged. Clinton’s campaign and two Democratic PACs are spending $1 million in Iowa. In New Hampshire, Democrats are spending $316,000. Republicans are not airing television advertising in either state this week. |
Cap'n Crunch cereal box, featuring the Cap'n Crunch character. cereal box, featuring the Cap'n Crunch character. Cap'n Crunch is a product line of corn and oat breakfast cereals introduced in 1963[1] and manufactured by Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo since 2001. Cap'n Crunch was developed to recall a recipe of brown sugar and butter over rice, requiring innovation of a special baking process—as the cereal was one of the first to use an oil coating for flavor delivery.[2] Product history [ edit ] Grandma would like to make this concoction with rice and the sauce that she had; it was a combination of brown sugar and butter. It tasted good, obviously. They'd put it over the rice and eat it as a kind of a treat on Sundays ... —William Low, Pamela Low's brother[3] Pamela Low, a flavorist at Arthur D. Little,[4] developed the original Cap'n Crunch flavor in 1963—recalling a recipe of brown sugar and butter her grandmother Luella Low served over rice[5][6] at her home in Derry, New Hampshire.[4] Before developing the flavor, the cereal already had a marketing plan,[7] and once having arrived at the flavor coating for Cap'n Crunch, Low described it as giving the cereal a quality she called "want-more-ishness".[7] After her death in 2007, the Boston Globe called Low "the mother of Cap'n Crunch."[5] At Arthur D. Little, Low had also worked on the flavors for Heath,[7] Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars.[8] In 1965, the Quaker Oats Company awarded the Fredus N. Peters Award to Robert Rountree Reinhart, Sr. for his leadership in directing the development team of Cap'n Crunch.[2] Reinhart developed a technique in the manufacture of Cap'n Crunch, using oil in its recipe as a flavor delivery mechanism—which initially presented problems in having the cereal bake properly.[2] In the mid-1980's, rumors were started (allegedly by a competitor) that eating Cap'n Crunch caused lacerations to the roof of the mouth. These rumors were later debunked as a prank by a disgruntled comedy writer. Marketing [ edit ] The product line is heralded by a cartoon mascot named Cap'n Crunch.[9] The mascot is depicted as a late 18th-century naval captain, an older man with white eyebrows and a white moustache, who wears a Revolutionary-style naval uniform: a bicorne hat emblazoned with a "C" and a gold-epauletted blue coat with gold bands on the sleeves. While typically an American naval captain wears four bars on his sleeves, the mascot has been variously depicted over the years wearing only one bar (commodore), two bars (lieutenant) or three bars (commander). According to a humorous 2013 Wall Street Journal article, the mascot, whose full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch, captains a ship called the Guppy, and was born "on Crunch Island in the Sea of Milk – a magical place with talking trees, crazy creatures and a whole mountain (Mt. Crunchmore) made out of Cap'n Crunch cereal."[9] The article refers to the Captain's bicorne as a "Napoleon-style" hat,[9] and claims that this has led to speculation that he may be French.[9] According to CrunchFacts, a news outlet dedicated to the mascot, Horatio Crunch has a perfect 200 IQ.[10] Cap'n Crunch's original animated television commercials featured the slogan, "It's got corn for crunch, oats for punch, and it stays crunchy, even in milk."[11] In 2013, sources including the Wall Street Journal[9] and Washington Times[12] reported that the three stripes on the mascot's uniform indicate a rank of Commander and not the four needed on his uniform to be a Captain. In jest, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Navy had no record of Crunch and that NCIS was investigating him for impersonating a naval officer.[9] Daws Butler provided the original voice of the Cap'n until his death in 1988.[13][14][15][16] Author Philip Wylie wrote a series of short stories, Crunch and Des, beginning in the 1940s, which featured a similarly named Captain Crunch Adams.[17] The Cap'n Crunch commercials have historically used basic cartoon animation by Jay Ward Productions. Vinton Studios produced a claymation ad during the 1980s.[18] Variations [ edit ] Cap'n Crunch cereal (original flavor) Cap'n Crunch : The original Cap'n Crunch cereal is made of sweetened, yellow, square-shaped cereal pieces made by combining corn and oats. The cereal was launched in 1963, bolstered by a successful advertising campaign created by noted animator Jay Ward introducing the cereal's longtime naval mascot, Cap'n Crunch. [19] : The original Cap'n Crunch cereal is made of sweetened, yellow, square-shaped cereal pieces made by combining corn and oats. The cereal was launched in 1963, bolstered by a successful advertising campaign created by noted animator Jay Ward introducing the cereal's longtime naval mascot, Cap'n Crunch. Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries : Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries cereal was introduced in 1967 and contained, in addition to the yellow pieces found in the original Cap'n Crunch, spherical red Crunch Berry pieces. There was a version of Crunch Berries available briefly in which the berries, instead of being spherical, were three small berries in a cluster. The Crunch Berry Beast mascot was introduced alongside the cereal. There are currently four Crunch Berry colors: red, green (introduced in 2002), blue, and violet (both introduced in the '90s). All the berry pieces are flavored the same, regardless of color. : Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries cereal was introduced in 1967 and contained, in addition to the yellow pieces found in the original Cap'n Crunch, spherical red Crunch Berry pieces. There was a version of Crunch Berries available briefly in which the berries, instead of being spherical, were three small berries in a cluster. The Crunch Berry Beast mascot was introduced alongside the cereal. There are currently four Crunch Berry colors: red, green (introduced in 2002), blue, and violet (both introduced in the '90s). All the berry pieces are flavored the same, regardless of color. Peanut Butter Crunch : First released in 1969, with a large elephant named Smedley as its mascot; according to sales charts, this version was the most successful at the time. It consists of peanut butter-flavored corn puffs. : First released in 1969, with a large elephant named Smedley as its mascot; according to sales charts, this version was the most successful at the time. It consists of peanut butter-flavored corn puffs. Punch Crunch, Vanilly Crunch, Jean LaFoote's Cinnamon Crunch : Three more editions issued in the early 1970s but later discontinued. Punch Crunch was fruit-flavored cereal rings (similar to the General Mills cereal Cheerios) introduced in 1973, and the mascot was sailor-clad hippopotamus named Harry. [20] Jean LaFoote's Cinnamon Crunch featured cinnamon flavored cereal alsointroduced in 1973. Vanilly Crunch was a vanilla flavored cereal introduced in 1971 with Sea Dog as the former mascot which was replaced with Wilma the white whale. : Three more editions issued in the early 1970s but later discontinued. Punch Crunch was fruit-flavored cereal rings (similar to the General Mills cereal Cheerios) introduced in 1973, and the mascot was sailor-clad hippopotamus named Harry. Jean LaFoote's Cinnamon Crunch featured cinnamon flavored cereal alsointroduced in 1973. Vanilly Crunch was a vanilla flavored cereal introduced in 1971 with Sea Dog as the former mascot which was replaced with Wilma the white whale. Choco Crunch : In 1982, a variant called Choco Crunch, featuring the mascot "Chockle the Blob", was introduced. This version contained the yellow corn squares, plus chocolate flavored pieces similar to Crunch Berries. : In 1982, a variant called Choco Crunch, featuring the mascot "Chockle the Blob", was introduced. This version contained the yellow corn squares, plus chocolate flavored pieces similar to Crunch Berries. Chocolatey Crunch : Introduced in 2011, consisting of chocolate flavored corn squares but was discontinued in July 2016 due to poor sales. : Introduced in 2011, consisting of chocolate flavored corn squares but was discontinued in July 2016 due to poor sales. Christmas Crunch : A special edition first released for the 1987 Christmas holiday season. It contains the signature Cap'n Crunch yellow corn squares with red and green Crunch Berries. Currently the Crunch Berries are shaped as Christmas themed items (shapes varied yearly) and the cereal is packaged in a holiday themed box with the Cap'n wearing a Santa Claus or winter themed hat (box color and hat type varies yearly). Originally when the cereal was introduced the Crunch Berries were spherical shaped and the cereal contained a toy or Christmas tree ornament inside the box. [21] On a few occasions the cereal has been packaged with a packed-in food gimmick to add to the cereal like jingle bell rock pieces that changed the milk's color or sprinkled icing. : A special edition first released for the 1987 Christmas holiday season. It contains the signature Cap'n Crunch yellow corn squares with red and green Crunch Berries. Currently the Crunch Berries are shaped as Christmas themed items (shapes varied yearly) and the cereal is packaged in a holiday themed box with the Cap'n wearing a Santa Claus or winter themed hat (box color and hat type varies yearly). Originally when the cereal was introduced the Crunch Berries were spherical shaped and the cereal contained a toy or Christmas tree ornament inside the box. On a few occasions the cereal has been packaged with a packed-in food gimmick to add to the cereal like jingle bell rock pieces that changed the milk's color or sprinkled icing. Deep Sea Crunch : A version of the cereal introduced in 1993, which featured Crunch Berries shaped like sea creatures. This version was discontinued but returned in 2009. [22] : A version of the cereal introduced in 1993, which featured Crunch Berries shaped like sea creatures. This version was discontinued but returned in 2009. Oops! All Berries : First released in 1997, "Oops! All Berries" contained nothing but the berry flavored Crunch Berries and none of the corn squares. [22] This version was discontinued the following year. In 2008, 2009, and again in 2010, "Oops! All Berries" has made limited time only returns. [23] Recent boxes do not state "Limited Time Only" printed on the box. Current "Oops! All Berries" colors are red, purple, blue and green. : First released in 1997, "Oops! All Berries" contained nothing but the berry flavored Crunch Berries and none of the corn squares. This version was discontinued the following year. In 2008, 2009, and again in 2010, "Oops! All Berries" has made limited time only returns. Recent boxes do not state printed on the box. Current "Oops! All Berries" colors are red, purple, blue and green. Halloween Crunch : A limited edition version of the cereal introduced in 2007. This includes green Crunch Berries in the form of ghosts. [22] : A limited edition version of the cereal introduced in 2007. This includes green Crunch Berries in the form of ghosts. Galactic Crunch : A discontinued version which featured space-related marshmallows. [22] : A discontinued version which featured space-related marshmallows. Choco Doughnuts : A discontinued version which featured chocolate flavored doughnut shaped cereal with candy sprinkles. [22] : A discontinued version which featured chocolate flavored doughnut shaped cereal with candy sprinkles. Home Run Crunch : A limited edition version of the cereal, currently available, released in 1995 which featured baseball-related marshmallows, like home plates, caps, and mitts. It has the flavor of Crunch Berries but the pieces of the cereal are shaped as bats and balls. It occasionally comes back during the summer. [22] : A limited edition version of the cereal, currently available, released in 1995 which featured baseball-related marshmallows, like home plates, caps, and mitts. It has the flavor of Crunch Berries but the pieces of the cereal are shaped as bats and balls. It occasionally comes back during the summer. Cap'n Crunch's Mystery Volcano Crunch : Red and yellow fruit flavored berries with "'free' packet of lava rocks that pop in milk!". [22] : Red and yellow fruit flavored berries with "'free' packet of lava rocks that pop in milk!". Cap'n Crunch's Oops! Smashed Berries : Oops! All Berries cereal with flat berries that the kids smashed. [22] : Oops! All Berries cereal with flat berries that the kids smashed. Cap'n Crunch's CoZmic Crunch : Star shaped berries with "orange space dust that turns milk green". [22] : Star shaped berries with "orange space dust that turns milk green". Polar Crunch : A version of the cereal in which the Crunch Berries change color to blue when milk is poured. [22] : A version of the cereal in which the Crunch Berries change color to blue when milk is poured. Cinnamon Roll Crunch : Released in 2013. : Released in 2013. Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Treasures : Star shaped crunchy yellow corn and oat rings. Contains half the sugar of regular Cap'n Crunch. [24] : Star shaped crunchy yellow corn and oat rings. Contains half the sugar of regular Cap'n Crunch. Cap'n Crunch Bars : Later called Cap'n Crunch Treats , they were marshmallow treats similar to Rice Krispies Treats and came in Cap'n Crunch, Crunch Berries, and Peanut Butter Crunch varieties. : Later called , they were marshmallow treats similar to Rice Krispies Treats and came in Cap'n Crunch, Crunch Berries, and Peanut Butter Crunch varieties. Airhead Berries : A crossover between Airheads candy and Cap'n Crunch cereal. [25] : A crossover between Airheads candy and Cap'n Crunch cereal. Cap'n Crunch's Sprinkled Donut Crunch : Released in 2014. Donut-flavored cereal rings smothered in sprinkles. : Released in 2014. Donut-flavored cereal rings smothered in sprinkles. Cap'n Crunch's Orange Creampop Crunch : Modeled after nostalgic orange/vanilla popsicles. [26] : Modeled after nostalgic orange/vanilla popsicles. Cap'n Crunch's Blueberry Pancake Crunch : Released in 2016. Features blue, light blue and white corn and oat puffs with natural and artificial blueberry and maple syrup flavoring. [27] : Released in 2016. Features blue, light blue and white corn and oat puffs with natural and artificial blueberry and maple syrup flavoring. Superman Crunch : Turned the milk blue. : Turned the milk blue. Cap'n Crunch's Chocolately Crunch Berries : Released in 2019. A Crunch Berries cereal with chocolate flavored corn squares and red crunch berries. : Released in 2019. A Crunch Berries cereal with chocolate flavored corn squares and red crunch berries. Cap'n Crunch's Strawberry Shortcake Crunch: Released in 2019. A Crunch Berries cereal with shortcake flavored doughnut shaped cereal and red crunch berries. See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] Kevin Scott Collier. Jay Ward's Animated Cereal Capers. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017. ISBN 1976576849 |
“Russia has come before this Council to say everything except the truth,” she said. “It has manipulated. It has obfuscated. It has outright lied. So we have learned to measure Russia by its actions and not by its words. In the last 48 hours, Russia’s actions have spoken volumes.” On both Syria and Ukraine, officials are having separate, if parallel, debates on how aggressive to be, with Mr. Obama seemingly acting as a brake on more robust actions some advisers seek. Administration officials are preparing for another round of sanctions against Russia with European allies, but they are unsure if the president will take them to the next level, affecting broader swaths of Russia’s financial and energy sectors at the risk of harming American and European economic interests. Some officials have urged going beyond such economic measures and intervening more directly to tilt the odds on the battlefield in favor of Ukraine’s new pro-Western government. Not only do some administration officials want to speed up promises of limited aid to Ukraine’s military, but some are also pressing to provide arms and intelligence that would help Ukraine counter the sophisticated equipment that the United States and Europe say Russia is providing to separatists, as well as to its own forces now crossing the border. Officials are also struggling with how far to go in taking on ISIS in Syria, where Mr. Obama has been deeply reluctant to intervene in a bloody civil war. He has ordered at least one Special Operations raid there, a failed effort to rescue Americans held by ISIS, but it is unclear how willing he would be to authorize more. Officials are debating whether an air campaign would involve manned jets or just drones, and whether it would target massed forces or specific leaders. These were questions Mr. Obama was not eager to address during his session with reporters on Thursday. Instead, he noted that even the airstrikes he had authorized in Iraq for the last few weeks were “limited” and said, “Syria is not simply a military issue; it’s also a political issue.” Mr. Obama acknowledged, however, that Syria had given ISIS “a safe haven here in ungoverned spaces” and that to roll back the group, “we’re going to have to build a regional strategy.” |
About This Game is an online Free to Play FPS game, developed by an small independent studio, that tries to deliver awesome and unique features, such as detailed character and weapon customization.takes place in a modern military setting in a twisted reality. Our uniquewill enable you to have a unique and blasting game experience.However if you are a classic military styled fan, the core is build on a classic shooter experience and ESP/PSY abilities are an optional room-setting.What ever playstyle you prefer, we got your back!Optic, Muzzle, Barrel, Ammo-Type, Utilities, Paint..you name it - you can fully adjust it!Over 40 weapons with infinite tuning possibilites to choose from with more than 1.5 million customization options.Extensive character customization options to create the character you want to playThere are no improved statistic-items purchasable for Real World CurrencyOver 20 different maps spread across the globe, with both day and night options available and several modes to choose from.Jump in, search for equipment, battle to the death - we dont have to explain it..To face enemies on your skill-level and keep your stats tracked with one single click!in any free2play game ever |
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh government may soon try to impound the assets of Opposition YSR Congress’ president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy through the Special Courts Act 2016, approved by the President Pranab Mukherjee recently, claimed at recovering ill-gotten assets of economic offenders.Accusing the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of bypassing prevailing laws of natural justice to settle political scores, the YSR Congress is preparing to contest the ill-use of the new Act, which it says is applicable prospectively, but not retrospectively.For the record, Andhra is not the first state to bring in a law for constitution of special courts aimed at disposing of corruption cases and attaching ill-gotten assets -- Odisha and Bihar had enacted similar laws.“It was part of the assurance made by TDP in its election manifesto to recover assets worth thousands of crores acquired illegally by the government servants and people’s representatives. The new Act enables the government to avert the prolonged process involved in seizing and auctioning the assets earned through corrupt and ill-gotten ways,” said Cherukuri Kutumba Rao, vice chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Planning Board.“The Act helps us expedite probe into several economic offences that were unearthed earlier where the trials went on for years. It can also be applied to the economic offences of Jagan and helps the government identify and confiscate assets that couldn’t be uncovered by the investigating agencies earlier,” he said.Contesting the validity of the new Act brought in by the AP government, YSR Congress senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Venumbaka Vijay Sai Reddy said, “Any law that is enacted by the Assembly or the Parliament can only be prospective and cannot be retrospective so far as criminal cases are concerned. Also, the CBI investigation was ordered by the AP High Court under Criminal Procedures Code, Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act and Money Laundering Act. Hence, there cannot be any subsequent legislation which can supercede the order passed by the AP High Court.”Reddy, who is one of the co-accused in the charge sheets filed against Jagan, told ET that only the CBI and Enforcement Directorate will have jurisdiction over the cases, and no other agencies. “There cannot be two trials in respect of the same offence and there cannot be another trial under the guise of a different Act.”Accusing the TDP government of resorting to political vendetta, YSR Congress spokesperson Ambati Rambabu said their party will contest the applicability of the AP Special Courts Act 2016 in legal and constitutional forums. “Even while the trial is going on in the court, the TDP government is trying to settle political scores by targeting the assets of Jagan, especially Sakshi newspaper and Sakshi TV channel, which have been exposing the rampant corruption of Chandrababu Naidu led government and its failures.”Interestingly, the Opposition members had stayed away from the session of Assembly in September last year when the ruling TDP-BJP combine passed the AP Special Courts Bill. The Opposition members had also staged a walkout protesting against the ruling party’s move to bunch several bills on a single day without providing them adequate time to study the bills.However, the ruling TDP lawmakers led by the legislative affairs minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu argued that the state had no powers to attach properties of economic offenders under the existing Prevention of Corruption Act and that a special Act was required to recover Rs 43,000 crore of ill-gotten assets of Jagan as pointed out by the investigating agencies in 11 charge sheets. |
A prominent West Papuan activist says his movement's relationship with Papua New Guinea is stronger than ever and his recent deportation from the capital Port Moresby was over visa issues. Photo: AFP Benny Wenda, who is the spokesman for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, was detained by immigration officials when in Port Moresby on Tuesday when it emerged he did not have a required visa. Mr Wenda had flown from Britain where he is based to transit to visit supporters around the Pacific region. A spokesman from the office of PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said that as a person on an Immigration alert list, Benny Wenda needed a visa to enter PNG. Mr Wenda confirms that there were technical issues leading to his detention and it had nothing to do with politics. "The government of Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister himself, has already stated that West Papua is their family so based on that we strongly believe that the government level already supports West Papua. Also now the building of the grassroots level to support West Papua bringing into the Melanesian family but my deportation has nothing to do with this movement." Benny Wenda. |
It doesn’t take long for reality to strike when employees decide they’re running the company. On Thursday, conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts, who owns the New York City news sites DNAinfo and Gothamist, announced they are closing, only one week after reporters and editors voted to unionize. In addition to the two news sites, local news sites owned by Ricketts in Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago will also close and the websites' archives have been erased. Ricketts wrote: DNAinfo is, at the end of the day, a business, and businesses need to be economically successful if they are to endure. And while we made progress toward building DNAinfo into a successful business, in the end, that progress hasn’t been sufficient to support the tremendous effort and expense needed to produce the type of journalism on which the company was founded. I’m hopeful that in time, someone will crack the code on a business that can support exceptional neighborhood storytelling for I believe telling these stories remains essential. Ricketts wrote that he founded DNAinfo in 2009 because "I believe people care deeply about the things that happen where they live and work,” adding that he hoped to build “a large and loyal audience that advertisers would want to reach.” DNAinfo and Gothamist were read by over nine million readers a month. Last spring, after DNAinfo and Gothamist New York newsrooms made noises about unionizing, Ricketts warned, “As long as it’s my money that’s paying for everything, I intend to be the one making the decisions about the direction of the business.” By September Ricketts wrote on his blog a piece titled “Why I’m Against Unions At Businesses I Create.” He asserted, “ … unions promote a corrosive us-against-them dynamic that destroys the esprit de corps businesses need to succeed.” The New York Times reported that 115 journalists at the news sites closed by Ricketts will have to find new work. |
I had all but forgotten about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game until this past weekend when I was attempting to find something appropriate for my four year-old sister-in-law to play. Not the selection we went with, but seeing it in my list of games gave me the itch to give the title another run through. Now I have a little more motivation, as the Xbox Live Arcade release of the comic brawler will receive DLC for the first time in nearly two years on August 19. The "Online Multiplayer+Wallace Pack" will run you 400 Microsoft Points and adds... well, it adds online multiplayer, for starters. Finally, you'll be able to play cooperatively with people in completely separate rooms over the internet, considered to be one of the most egregious shortcomings of the original release. The DLC also, as its title suggests, adds Wallace Wells (Scott Pilgrim's responsible roommate and mentor) as a playable character. The pack will be releasing on PSN as well and Ubisoft has stated that more details will be coming soon. It's so strange that the game is getting updated after all this time, particularly with a feature it probably should have had in 2010. The world is a funny place. XBLA Scott Pilgrim DLC adds online multiplayer August 19 ... 2012 [Joystiq] You are logged out. Login | Sign up |
American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television and film actor, and violinist. Recognized as a leading 20th-century American entertainer, Benny often portrayed his character as a miser, playing his violin badly, and claiming to be 39 years of age, regardless of his actual age. Benny was known for his comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated "Well!" His radio and television programs, popular from 1932 until his death in 1974, were a major influence on the sitcom genre. Early life [ edit ] Jack Benny as part of the Waukegan High School band, 1909 Benny was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Waukegan, Illinois.[2]:6 He was the son of Jewish immigrants Meyer Kubelsky (1864-1946)[3] and Emma Sachs Kubelsky (1869-1917), sometimes called "Naomi."[4] Meyer was a saloon owner and later a haberdasher who had emigrated to America from Poland.[5][6][7][8][9] Emma had emigrated from Lithuania. Benny began studying violin, an instrument that became his trademark, at the age of 6, his parents hoping for him to become a professional violinist. He loved the instrument, but hated practice. His music teacher was Otto Graham Sr., a neighbor and father of Otto Graham of NFL fame. At 14, Benny was playing in dance bands and his high school orchestra. He was a dreamer and poor at his studies, and was ultimately expelled from high school. He later did poorly in business school and at attempts to join his father's business. In 1911, he began playing the violin in local vaudeville theaters for $7.50 a week.[2]:11 He was joined on the circuit by Ned Miller, a young composer and singer.[10] That same year, Benny was playing in the same theater as the young Marx Brothers. Minnie, their mother, enjoyed Benny's violin playing and invited him to accompany her boys in their act. Benny's parents refused to let their son go on the road at 17, but it was the beginning of his long friendship with the Marx Brothers, especially Zeppo Marx. The next year, Benny formed a vaudeville musical duo with pianist Cora Folsom Salisbury, a buxom 45-year-old divorcée who needed a partner for her act. This angered famous violinist Jan Kubelik, who feared that the young vaudevillian with a similar name would damage his reputation. Under legal pressure, Benjamin Kubelsky agreed to change his name to Ben K. Benny, sometimes spelled Bennie. When Salisbury left the act, Benny found a new pianist, Lyman Woods, and renamed the act "From Grand Opera to Ragtime." They worked together for five years and slowly integrated comedy elements into the show. They reached the Palace Theater, the "Mecca of Vaudeville," and did not do well. Benny left show business briefly in 1917 to join the United States Navy during World War I, and often entertained the sailors with his violin playing. One evening, his violin performance was booed by the sailors, so with prompting from fellow sailor and actor Pat O'Brien, he ad-libbed his way out of the jam and left them laughing. He received more comedy spots in the revues and did well, earning a reputation as a comedian and musician. Shortly after the war, Benny developed a one-man act, "Ben K. Benny: Fiddle Funology".[2]:17 He then received legal pressure from Ben Bernie, a "patter-and-fiddle" performer, regarding his name, so he adopted the sailor's nickname of Jack. By 1921, the fiddle was more of a prop, and the low-key comedy took over. Benny had some romantic encounters, including one with dancer Mary Kelly,[2]:23–24 whose devoutly Catholic family forced her to turn down his proposal because he was Jewish. Benny was introduced to Kelly by Gracie Allen. Some years after their split, Kelly resurfaced as a dowdy fat girl and Jack gave her a part in an act of three girls: one homely, one fat, and one who couldn't sing. Benny and daughter Joan in 1940 In 1921, Benny accompanied Zeppo Marx to a Passover seder in Vancouver at the residence where he met 14-year-old Sadie Marks. Their first meeting did not go well when he tried to leave during Sadie's violin performance.[2]:30–31 They met again in 1926. Jack had not remembered their earlier meeting and instantly fell for her.[2]:31 They married the following year. She was working in the hosiery section of the Hollywood Boulevard branch of the May Company, where Benny courted her.[2]:32 Called on to fill in for the "dumb girl" part in a Benny routine, Sadie proved to be a natural comedienne. Adopting the stage name Mary Livingstone, Sadie collaborated with Benny throughout most of his career. They later adopted a daughter, Joan. In 1929 Benny's agent, Sam Lyons, convinced Irving Thalberg, American film producer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, to watch Benny at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Benny signed a five-year contract with MGM, where his first role was in The Hollywood Revue of 1929. The next movie, Chasing Rainbows, did not do well, and after several months Benny was released from his contract and returned to Broadway in Earl Carroll's Vanities. At first dubious about the viability of radio, Benny grew eager to break into the new medium. In 1932, after a four-week nightclub run, he was invited onto Ed Sullivan's radio program, uttering his first radio spiel "This is Jack Benny talking. There will be a slight pause while you say, 'Who cares?'..."[2]:40 Radio [ edit ] History [ edit ] The Chevrolet Program Benny in 1933, newly arrived at NBC and the host of Benny had been a minor vaudeville performer before becoming a national figure with The Jack Benny Program, a weekly radio show that ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS. It was among the most highly rated programs during its run.[11] Benny's long radio career began on April 6, 1932, when the NBC Commercial Program Department auditioned him for the N. W. Ayer & Son agency and their client, Canada Dry, after which Bertha Brainard, head of the division, said, "We think Mr. Benny is excellent for radio and, while the audition was unassisted as far as orchestra was concerned, we believe he would make a great bet for an air program." Recalling the experience in 1956, Benny said Ed Sullivan had invited him to guest on his program (1932), and "the agency for Canada Dry ginger ale heard me and offered me a job."[12] With Canada Dry ginger ale as a sponsor, Benny came to radio on The Canada Dry Program, on May 2, 1932, on the NBC Blue Network and continuing for six months until October 26, moving to CBS on October 30. With Ted Weems leading the band, Benny stayed on CBS until January 26, 1933.[13] Arriving at NBC on March 17, Benny did The Chevrolet Program until April 1, 1934. He continued with sponsor General Tire through the end of the season. In October, 1934, General Foods, the makers of Jell-O and Grape-Nuts, became the sponsor strongly identified with Benny for 10 years. American Tobacco's Lucky Strike was his longest-lasting radio sponsor, from October 1944 through to the end of his original radio series. The show switched networks to CBS on January 2, 1949, as part of CBS president William S. Paley's notorious "raid" of NBC talent in 1948–49. It stayed there for the remainder of its radio run, ending on May 22, 1955. CBS aired repeat episodes from 1956 to 1958 as The Best of Benny. Characters [ edit ] Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, and Eddie Anderson (Rochester) in a group portrait Benny [ edit ] Benny's comic persona changed over the course of his career. At some point he developed a miserly persona.[14] This stage character was everything that Jack Benny was not: Cheap, petty, vain, and self-congratulatory. His comic rendering of these traits was the linchpin to the success of his show. Benny set himself up as comedic foil, allowing his supporting characters to draw laughs at the expense of his own flaws. With his humanism and vulnerability in an era where few male characters were allowed such character traits, Benny made what could have been unlikable into an everyman character. Benny said: "I don't care who gets the laughs on my show, as long as the show is funny." Benny felt he got the credit or blame either way, not the actor saying the lines, so there was emphasis on the comedic bottom line. This attitude reached its apogee in a broadcast structured as a Hollywood bus tour of the stars' homes. Each "stop" on the tour was at a house belonging to one of the show's supporting cast, who would then have a scene which included jokes about the absent Benny. Not until the final moments of the program did the bus arrive at Jack Benny's house, at which point the listening audience heard Benny's only line of the episode: "Driver, here's where I get off." Few stars possessed the combination of daring, humility and comic timing to commit to such an extended payoff. Rochester [ edit ] Eddie Anderson played Benny's valet and chauffeur, Rochester van Jones. Rochester's comic persona regularly got the better of his vain, skinflint boss. Rochester saw through the vanities of his boss, and knew how to jab him without going too far, often with his famous line: "Oh, Boss, come now!" With his mock-befuddled one-liners and sharp retorts, Rochester broke comedic racial barriers. Unlike many black supporting characters of the time, Rochester was a regular member of the fictional Benny household, and was functionally his equal. Benny wrote the character as transcending the racial stereotype of the era, and the popularity of Rochester nearly rivaled his own. A New Year's Eve episode, in particular, shows their mutual love and respect as they quietly toast one another with champagne. After the war, Benny made a conscious effort to remove stereotypical aspects from the Rochester character. In 1948, a 1941 script for the show was re-used, including several African-American stereotypes — for example, a reference to Rochester carrying a razor. This prompted some listeners who were unaware the script was a repeat to send in angry letters protesting the stereotypes. Thereafter, Benny insisted that his writers avoid all negative racial jokes or references. Regular supporting characters [ edit ] Mary Livingstone (Benny's wife) was a supporting character, as his wisecracking and not-especially-deferential female friend and secretary. She was not quite his girlfriend, since Benny would often try to date movie stars, like Barbara Stanwyck, and occasionally had stage girlfriends, such as "Gladys Zybisco". Group photograph of Eddie Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mary Livingstone, Jack Benny, Don Wilson, and Mel Blanc Don Wilson, the rotund announcer, also appeared on the show. He also announced for Fanny Brice's hit Baby Snooks. Bandleader Phil Harris appeared as a jive talking, alcoholic philanderer whose repartee was profoundly risqué for its time. Boy tenor Dennis Day appeared as a sheltered, naïve youth who often got the better of his boss. This character was originated by Kenny Baker whom Day replaced. Singer Larry Stevens replaced Dennis Day from 5 November 1944 to 10 March 1946, while Day served in the Navy. Mel Blanc supplied several characters' voices, including the railroad station announcer who said, "Train leaving on track five for Anaheim, Azusa and Cu... camonga!" This gag became well known, and was used in several Bugs Bunny cartoons which Mel Blanc also voiced. It eventually led to a statue of Benny in Cucamonga. Blanc was also featured with Benny as a Mexican character in the classic Si-Sy routine, and on radio as the sound of Benny's Maxwell automobile. He also provided the growling voice of Carmichael, Benny's pet polar bear, and later the squawking voice of Polly, Benny's pet parrot. Blanc is perhaps best remembered as Professor LeBlanc, Benny's perpetually frustrated violin teacher, who was as likely to assault his student out of insane exasperation as he was to jump out the window before he got out the door. Other supporting characters [ edit ] In the early days of the program, supporting characters were often vaudevillian ethnic stereotypes whose humor was grounded in dialects. As the years went by, the humor of these figures became character-based. The method Benny used to bring a character into a skit by announcing his name was a well-known Benny shtick: "Oh, Dennis ..." or "Oh, Rochester ..." typically answered by "Yes, Mr. Benny (Boss)?" The cast included character actors and comedians: Sheldon Leonard – later a successful television producer and creator, as a tight-lipped racetrack tout Joseph Kearns – remembered as the cantankerous Mr. Wilson on the television version of Dennis the Menace , as Ed, the superannuated guard to Jack's money vault , as Ed, the superannuated guard to Jack's money vault Andy Devine – was a regular on the show during the late 1930s, for "Buck Benny Rides Again" sketches, a weekly spoof of cowboy Westerns. Devine always greeted Benny with the expression, " Hiya, Buck! " " Sam Hearn – appeared in the 1930s as "Schlepperman", a sarcastic Yiddish character who referred to Benny as "Boopsie". In the 1950s, Hearn returned to the show as a "Farmer" character, who greeted Benny with the expression, "Hi, Rube!", and treated him with cornball country humor. Verna Felton – portrayed Dennis Day's mother. Frank Nelson – usually as an oily desk clerk or floorwalker, always greeting Benny with an eager Yeeeeeeesss? His character was eager to antagonize Benny. His character was eager to antagonize Benny. singer/bandleader Bob Crosby – succeeded Phil Harris in the early 1950s. Artie Auerbach – as the Yiddish-accented Mr. Kitzel ("Hoo, hoo, hoo! "). "). Sara Berner and Bea Benaderet – as Mabel Flapsaddle and Gertrude Gearshift, two gossipy switchboard operators. Musical contributions came in 1946 from the singing quartet the Sportsmen (members: Bill Days, Max Smith, Marty Sperzel, and Gurney Bell) singing the middle Lucky Strike commercial. Situational comedy [ edit ] This statue of Jack Benny in Rancho Cucamonga , located at the Lewis Family Playhouse, commemorates the program's famed running gag: "Train leaving on track five for Anaheim Azusa and Cu-ca-monga!" The Jack Benny Program evolved from a variety show blending sketch comedy and musical interludes into the situation comedy form we now recognize, crafting particular situations and scenarios from the fictionalization of Benny the radio star. Common situations included hosting parties, income tax time, nights on the town, "backstage" interactions between Jack and his cast at the radio studio during show rehearsals, contract negotiations, or traveling by train or plane to and from Jack's many personal appearances throughout the country (hence the "Train leaving on track five" gag). The writers and star would insert musical interludes from Phil Harris and Dennis Day. With Day, invariably, a brief sketch ended with Benny ordering Day to sing the song he planned for the show that week. One popular scenario that became a tradition on The Jack Benny Program was the annual "Christmas Shopping" episode, in which Benny would go to a local department store to do his shopping. Each year, Benny would buy a ridiculously cheap Christmas gift for Don Wilson, from a harried store clerk played by Mel Blanc. Benny would then drive Blanc to insanity by exchanging the gift countless times throughout the episode. In the 1946 Christmas episode, for example, Benny buys shoelaces for Don, and is unable to make up his mind whether to give Wilson shoelaces with plastic tips or metal tips. After exchanging them repeatedly, Mel Blanc is heard screaming insanely, "Plastic tips! Metal tips! I can't stand it anymore!" A variation in 1948 was with an expensive wallet, but repeatedly changing the greeting card, prompting Blanc to shout, "I haven't run into anyone like you in 20 years! Oh, why did the governor have to give me that pardon!?" Benny then realizes that he should have gotten Don a wallet for $1.98, whereupon the store clerk responds by committing suicide. Over the years, in the Christmas episodes, Benny bought and repeatedly exchanged cuff links, golf tees, a box of dates, a paint set (water colors or oils), and a gopher trap. In later years, Benny would encounter Mel Blanc's wife (played by Jean Vander Pyl) or the clerk's psychiatrist at the store, and drive them crazy as well. In 1936, after a few years of broadcasting from New York, Benny moved the show to Los Angeles, allowing him to bring in guests from among his show business friends, including Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, Judy Garland, Barbara Stanwyck, Bing Crosby, Burns and Allen (George Burns was Benny's closest friend), and many others. Burns, Allen and Orson Welles guest hosted several episodes in March and April 1943 when Benny was ill with pneumonia, while Ronald Colman and his wife Benita Hume appeared often in the 1940s as Benny's long-suffering neighbors. On the broadcast of January 8, 1950, journalist Drew Pearson was the subject of a joke gone wrong. Announcer Don Wilson was supposed to say he heard that Jack bought a new suit on Drew Pearson, but said the name wrong; Don said "Drear Pewson". Later in the show, comedic actor Frank Nelson was asked by Benny if he was the doorman. Changing his original response at the suggestion of the writers, Nelson said, "Well, who do you think I am, Drear Pewson?" The audience laughed for almost 30 seconds. Benny worked with advertising agency copywriters such as Sandy Sulcer (right) to line up sponsors for his television shows. In the early days of radio and in the early television era, airtime was owned by the sponsor, and Benny incorporated the commercials into the body of the show. Sometimes the sponsors were the butt of jokes, though Benny did not use this device as frequently as his friend and "rival" Fred Allen did then, or as cast member Phil Harris later did on his successful radio sitcom. Nevertheless, for years, Benny insisted in contract negotiations that his writers pen the sponsor's commercial in the middle of the program (leaving the sponsor to provide the opening and closing spots) and the resulting ads were cleverly and wittily worked into the storyline of the show. For example, on one program, Don Wilson accidentally misread Lucky Strike's slogan ("Be happy, go Lucky") as "Be Lucky, go happy", prompting a story arc over several weeks that had Wilson unable to appear on the show due to being traumatized by the error. In fact, the radio show was generally not announced as The Jack Benny Program. Instead, the primary name of the show tied to the sponsor. Benny's first sponsor was Canada Dry Ginger Ale from 1932 to 1933. Benny's sponsors included Chevrolet from 1933 to 1934, General Tire in 1934, and Jell-O from 1934 to 1942. The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny was so successful in selling Jell-O, in fact, that General Foods could not manufacture it quickly enough when sugar shortages arose in the early years of World War II, and the company stopped advertising the popular dessert mix. General Foods switched the Benny program from Jell-O to Grape-Nuts from 1942 to 1944, and it was, naturally, The Grape Nuts Program Starring Jack Benny. Benny's longest-running sponsor, was the American Tobacco Company's Lucky Strike cigarettes, from 1944 to 1955, when the show was usually announced as The Lucky Strike Program starring Jack Benny. Writers [ edit ] Benny was notable for employing a small group of writers, most of whom stayed with him for many years. This was in contrast to successful radio or television comedians, such as Bob Hope, who would change writers frequently. One of Benny's writers, George Balzer, noted: "One of the nice things about writing for Jack Benny was that he never denied your existence. On the contrary, he publicized it—not just in conversations, but in interviews and on the air."[15] Historical accounts (like those by longtime Benny writer Milt Josefsberg) indicate that Benny's role was essentially as head writer and director of his radio programs, though he was not credited in either capacity. In contrast to Fred Allen, who initially wrote his own radio scripts (and extensively rewrote scripts produced in later years by a writing staff), Jack Benny was often described by his writers as a consummate comedy editor rather than a writer per se. George Burns described Benny as "the greatest editor of material in the business. He's got the knack of cutting out all the weak slush and keeping in only the strong, punchy lines."[16] Jack Benny has a reputation as a master of timing. Since his days in radio, he often explored the limits of timing for comedic purposes, like pausing a disproportionate amount of time before answering a question.[14][17] Balzer described writing material for Benny as similar to composing music, with one element being the rhythm of delivery as equivalent to musical tempo.[18] Theme music [ edit ] During his early radio shows, there was no recurring theme, the program instead opening each week with a different then-current popular song. Throughout the Jello and Grapenuts years, announcer Don Wilson would announce the name of the show, some of the cast, then state "The orchestra opens the program with [name of song]." The orchestra number would continue softly as background for Don Wilson's opening commercial. Starting in the Lucky Strike era, Benny adopted a medley of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Love in Bloom" as his theme music, opening every show. "Love in Bloom" was later the theme of his television show. His radio shows often ended with the orchestra playing "Hooray for Hollywood". The TV show ended with one of two bouncy instrumentals written for the show by his musical arranger and conductor, Mahlon Merrick. Benny would sometimes joke about the propriety of "Love in Bloom" as his theme song. On a segment often played in Tonight Show retrospectives, Benny talks with Johnny Carson about this. Benny says he has no objections to the song in and of itself, only as his theme. Proving his point, he begins reciting the lyrics slowly and deliberately: "Can it be the trees. That fill the breeze. With rare and magic perfume. Now what the hell has that got to do with me?" "Your money or your life" [ edit ] In an episode broadcast March 28, 1948, Benny borrowed neighbor Ronald Colman's Oscar, and was returning home when he was accosted by a mugger (voiced by comedian Eddie Marr). After asking for a match to light a cigarette, the mugger demands, "Don't make a move, this is a stickup. Now, come on. Your money or your life." Benny paused, and the studio audience—knowing his skinflint character—laughed. The robber then repeated his demand: "Look, bud! I said your money or your life!" Benny snapped back, without a break, "I'm thinking it over!" This time, the audience laughed louder and longer than they had during the pause. The punchline came to Benny staff writers John Tackaberry and Milt Josefsberg almost by accident. Writer George Balzer described the scene to author Jordan R. Young, for The Laugh Crafters, a 1999 book of interviews with veteran radio and television comedy writers: ... they had come to a point where they had the line, "Your money or your life." And that stopped them ... Milt is pacing up and down, trying to get a follow... And he gets a little peeved at Tack, and he says, "For God's sakes, Tack, say something." Tack, maybe he was half asleep—in defense of himself, says, "I'm thinking it over." And Milt says, "Wait a minute. That's it." And that's the line that went in the script ... By the way, that was not the biggest laugh that Jack ever got. It has the reputation of getting the biggest laugh. But that's not true. The actual length of the laugh the joke got was five seconds when originally delivered and seven seconds when the gag was reprised on a follow-up show. In fact, the joke is probably not so memorable for the length of the laugh it provoked, but because it became the definitive "Jack Benny joke"—the joke that best illustrated Benny's "stingy man" persona. The punchline—"I'm thinking it over!"—would not have worked with any other comedian than Benny. The actual longest laugh known to collectors of The Jack Benny Program lasted in excess of 32 seconds. The International Jack Benny Fan Club[19] reports that, at the close of the program broadcast on December 13, 1936, sponsored by Jell-O, guest Andy Devine says that it is the "last number of the eleventh program in the new Jelly series." The audience, who loved any sort of accidental flub in the live program, is still laughing after 32 seconds, at which point the network cut off the program to prevent it from running overtime. According to Benny himself, Mary Livingstone got the biggest laugh he ever heard on the show, on the April 25, 1948, broadcast. The punchline was the result of the following exchange between Don Wilson and noted opera singer Dorothy Kirsten: Don Wilson: Oh, Miss Kirsten, I wanted to tell you that I saw you in "Madame Butterfly" Wednesday afternoon, and I thought your performance was simply magnificent. Dorothy Kirsten: Well, thanks, awfully. It's awfully nice and kind of you, Mr. Wilson. But, uh, who could help singing Puccini? It's so expressive. And particularly in the last act, starting with the allegro vivacissimo. Don Wilson: Well, now, that's being very modest, Miss Kirsten. But not every singer has the necessary bel canto and flexibility or range to cope with the high tessitura of the first act. Dorothy Kirsten: Thank you, Mr. Wilson. And don't you think that in the aria, "Un bel dì vedremo", that the strings played the con molto passione exceptionally fine and with great sostenuto? Jack Benny: Well, I thought— Mary Livingstone (to Jack): Oh, shut up! According to Benny, the huge laugh resulted from the long buildup, and the audience's knowledge that Benny, with his pompous persona, would have to break into the conversation at some point. A nearly identical exchange occurred over a year earlier, among renowned violinist Isaac Stern, actor Ronald Colman, Jack Benny, and Mary Livingstone. The quartet's back-and-forth, which centered on Stern's recent public performance of a Mendelssohn piece, was heard on an episode first broadcast on February 16, 1947. The resulting laughter lasted some 18 seconds, after which Benny retorted, "Mary, that's no way to talk to Mr. Stern." Later in life, while performing as a stand-up comedian in Las Vegas, Benny had just begun to tell an old joke about the salesman, the farmer, and the farmer's daughter: "So the salesman and the farmer's daughter come to the front door, and the farmer opens the door." At this point, Sammy Davis, Jr. walks onstage behind Jack, the audience screams, and Davis proceeds to speak and sing and dance for about 25 minutes while Benny continues to stand at center stage, quietly watching the spectacle. When Davis finally walks offstage and the audience's applause dies down, Benny continues to watch Davis offstage for a few moments, then, as the audience is finally quiet, continues: "... So the farmer said—" And that's as far as that joke got, because the audience laughed for minutes afterward. The Benny-Allen feud [ edit ] In 1937, Benny began his famous radio feud with rival Fred Allen. Allen kicked the feud off on his own show on December 30, 1936, after child violinist Stuart Canin gave a performance of François Schubert's The Bee[2]:131 credibly enough that Allen wisecracked about "a certain alleged violinist" who should by comparison be ashamed of himself. Benny, who listened to the Allen show, answered in kind at the end of his January 3, 1937, show. And the two comedians were off and running. For a decade, the two went at it back and forth, so convincingly that fans of either show could have been forgiven for believing they had become blood enemies. In reality, the two men were close friends and mutual admirers. Benny and Allen often appeared on each other's show during the ongoing feud; numerous surviving episodes of both comedians' radio shows feature each other, in both acknowledged guest spots and occasional cameos. On one Christmas program Allen thanked Benny for sending him a Christmas tree, but then added that the tree had died. "Well, what do you expect," quipped Allen, "when the tree is in Brooklyn and the sap is in Hollywood." Benny in his eventual memoir (Sunday Nights at Seven) and Allen in his Treadmill to Oblivion later revealed that each comedian's writing staff often met together to plot future takes on the mock feud. If Allen zapped Benny with a satirization of Benny's show ("The Pinch Penny Program"), Benny shot back with a parody of Allen's Town Hall Tonight called "Clown Hall Tonight." And their playful sniping ("Benny was born ignorant, and he's been losing ground ever since") was also advanced in the films Love Thy Neighbor and It's in the Bag!. Perhaps the climax of the feud came during Fred Allen's parody of popular quiz-and-prize show Queen for a Day, which was barely a year old when Allen decided to have a crack at it on The Fred Allen Show—an episode that has survived for today's listeners to appreciate. Calling the sketch "King for a Day", Allen played the host and Benny a contestant who sneaked onto the show using the alias Myron Proudfoot. Benny answered the prize-winning question correctly and Allen crowned him "king" and showered him with a passel of almost meaningless prizes. Allen proudly announced, "Tomorrow night, in your ermine robe, you will be whisked by bicycle to Orange, New Jersey, where you will be the judge in a chicken-cleaning contest," to which Benny joyously declared, "I'm king for a day!" At this point a professional pressing-iron was wheeled on stage, to press Benny's suit properly. It didn't matter that Benny was still in the suit. Allen instructed his aides to remove Benny's suit, one item at a time, ending with his trousers, each garment's removal provoking louder laughter from the studio audience. As his trousers began to come off, Benny howled, "Allen, you haven't seen the end of me!" At once Allen shot back, "It won't be long now!" The laughter was so loud and chaotic at the chain of events that the Allen show announcer, Kenny Delmar, was cut off the air while trying to read a final commercial and the show's credits. (Allen was notorious for running overtime often enough, largely thanks to his ad-libbing talent, and he overran the clock again this time.) Benny was profoundly shaken by Allen's sudden death from a heart attack in 1956. In a statement released on the day after Allen's death, Benny said, "People have often asked me if Fred Allen and I were really friends in real life. My answer is always the same: You couldn't have such a long-running and successful feud as we did, without having a deep and sincere friendship at the heart of it." Allen himself wrote, "For years people have been asking me if Jack and I are friendly. I don't think that Jack Benny has an enemy in the world. ... He is my favourite comedian and I hope to be his friend until he is forty. That will be forever."[20] The CBS talent raid [ edit ] On the advice of MCA's Lew Wasserman, Jack Benny formed a holding company, "Amusement Enterprises" (a tax break major entertainers usually enjoyed in those years), which allowed him to bundle his entire program and personnel into a single commodity. The company also gave Benny the opportunity to produce and package other radio programs (including his 1947 summer replacement series starring Jack Paar), and invest in other entertainment ventures, including the production of a 1949 feature film, The Lucky Stiff, starring Dorothy Lamour, and the 1948 Broadway version of Mister Roberts, starring Henry Fonda. While Benny was top of the heap on NBC, CBS czar William S. Paley cast a hungry eye upon the comedian. Paley apparently had good reason to believe Benny could be had. In the summer of 1948, he successfully negotiated a deal with Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, buying their holding company, which owned the Amos 'n' Andy radio show (and the rights to those characters), moving the entire "package" from NBC to CBS that fall: he then learned that NBC balked at buying a "Jack Benny" package deal when "Jack Benny" was not the star's real name. Paley reached out to Benny and offered him a deal that would allow that package-buy. But Paley, according to CBS historian Robert Metz, also learned that Benny chafed under NBC's almost indifferent attitude toward the talent that attracted the listeners. NBC, under the leadership of David Sarnoff, seemed at the time to think that listeners were listening to NBC because of NBC itself. To Paley, according to Metz, that was foolish thinking at best: Paley believed listeners were listening because of the talent, not because of which platform hosted them. When Paley said as much to Benny, the comedian agreed. Because Paley took a personal interest in the Benny negotiations, as opposed to Sarnoff, who had never met his top-rated star, Benny was convinced to make the jump. He convinced a number of his fellow NBC performers (notably Burns and Allen, Edgar Bergen, Red Skelton and Kate Smith) to join him. To sweeten the deal for a very nervous sponsor, Paley also agreed to make up the difference to American Tobacco if Benny's Hooper rating (the radio version of today's Nielsen ratings) on CBS fell to a certain level below his best NBC Hooper rating. Benny's CBS debut on January 2, 1949 bested his top NBC rating by several points while also pumping up the ratings of the show that followed, Amos 'n' Andy. NBC, with its smash Sunday night lineup now broken up, offered lucrative new deals to two of those Sunday night hits, The Fred Allen Show and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. Benny's bandleader and his singing actress wife now starred in their own hit sitcom, meaning Harris was featured on shows for two different networks. Benny and Sarnoff eventually met several years later and became good friends. Benny later observed that if he'd had this kind of relationship with Sarnoff earlier, when he was Sarnoff's number-one radio star, he never would have left NBC. Television [ edit ] Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone, 1960 After making his television debut in 1949 on local Los Angeles station KTTV,[21] then a CBS affiliate, the network television version of The Jack Benny Program ran from October 28, 1950, to 1965, all but the last season on CBS. Initially scheduled as a series of five "specials" during the 1950–1951 season, the show appeared every six weeks for the 1951–1952 season, every four weeks for the 1952–1953 season and every three weeks in 1953–1954. For the 1953–1954 season, half the episodes were live and half were filmed during the summer, to allow Benny to continue doing his radio show. From the fall of 1954 to 1960, it appeared every other week, and from 1960 to 1965 it was seen weekly. On March 28, 1954, Benny co-hosted General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein with Groucho Marx and Mary Martin. In September 1954, CBS premiered Chrysler's Shower of Stars co-hosted by Jack Benny and William Lundigan. It enjoyed a successful run from 1954 until 1958. Both television shows often overlapped the radio show. In fact, the radio show alluded frequently to its television counterparts. Often as not, Benny would sign off the radio show in such circumstances with the line "Well, good night, folks. I'll see you on television." When Benny moved to television, audiences learned that his verbal talent was matched by his controlled repertory of dead-pan facial expressions and gesture. The program was similar to the radio show (several of the radio scripts were recycled for television, as was somewhat common with other radio shows that moved to television), but with the addition of visual gags. Lucky Strike was the sponsor. Benny did his opening and closing monologues before a live audience, which he regarded as essential to timing of the material. As in other TV comedy shows, a laugh track was added to "sweeten" the soundtrack, as when the studio audience missed some close-up comedy because of cameras or microphones obstructing their view. Television viewers became accustomed to live without Mary Livingstone, who was afflicted by a striking case of stage fright. Livingstone appeared rarely if at all on the television show. In fact, for the last few years of the radio show, she pre-recorded her lines and Jack and Mary's daughter, Joan, stood in for the live taping, with Mary's lines later edited into the tape replacing Joan's before broadcast. Mary Livingstone finally retired from show business permanently in 1958, as her friend Gracie Allen had done. Benny's television program relied more on guest stars and less on his regulars than his radio program. In fact, the only radio cast members who appeared regularly on the television program as well were Don Wilson and Eddie Anderson. Day appeared sporadically, and Harris had left the radio program in 1952, although he did make a guest appearance on the television show (Bob Crosby, Phil's "replacement", frequently appeared on television through 1956). A frequent guest was the Canadian-born singer-violinist Gisele Mackenzie. As a gag, Benny made a 1957 appearance on the then-wildly popular $64,000 Question. His category of choice was "Violins", but after answering the first question correctly Benny opted out of continuing, leaving the show with just $64; host Hal March gave Benny the prize money out of his own pocket. March made an appearance on Benny's show the same year. Benny did many television specials after leaving his regularly scheduled show. This is a promotional postcard for one of them, c. 1961 Benny was able to attract guests who rarely, if ever, appeared on television. In 1953, both Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart made their television debuts on Benny's program.[22][23] Another guest star on the Jack Benny show was Rod Serling who starred in a spoof of The Twilight Zone in which Benny goes to his own house..and finds that no one knows who he is! Canadian singer Gisele MacKenzie, who toured with Benny in the early 1950s, guest starred seven times on The Jack Benny Program. Benny was so impressed with MacKenzie's talents that he served as co-executive producer and guest starred on her 1957–1958 NBC variety show, The Gisele MacKenzie Show.[24] In 1964, Walt Disney was a guest, primarily to promote his production of Mary Poppins. Benny persuaded Disney to give him over 110 free admission tickets to Disneyland for his friends and one for his wife, but later in the show Disney apparently sent his pet tiger after Benny as revenge, at which point Benny opened his umbrella and soared above the stage like Mary Poppins.[25] In due course the ratings game finally got to Benny, too. CBS dropped the show in 1964, citing Benny's lack of appeal to the younger demographic the network began courting, and he went to NBC, his original network, in the fall, only to be out-rated by CBS's Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. The network dropped Benny at the end of the season. He continued to make occasional specials into the 1970s, the last one airing in January 1974. In his unpublished autobiography, I Always Had Shoes (portions of which were later incorporated by Jack's daughter, Joan Benny, into her memoir of her parents, Sunday Nights at Seven), Benny said that he, not NBC, made the decision to end his TV series in 1965. He said that while the ratings were still very good (he cited a figure of some 18 million viewers per week, although he qualified that figure by saying he never believed the ratings services were doing anything more than guessing, no matter what they promised), advertisers were complaining that commercial time on his show was costing nearly twice as much as what they paid for most other shows, and he had grown tired of what was called the "rate race". Thus, after some three decades on radio and television in a weekly program, Jack Benny went out on top. In fairness, Benny himself shared Fred Allen's ambivalence about television, though not quite to Allen's extent. "By my second year in television, I saw that the camera was a man-eating monster ... It gave a performer close-up exposure that, week after week, threatened his existence as an interesting entertainer."[2]:279 In a joint appearance with Phil Silvers on Dick Cavett's show, Benny recalled that he had advised Silvers not to appear on television. However, Silvers ignored Benny's advice and proceeded to win several Emmy awards as Sergeant Bilko on the popular series The Phil Silvers Show, while Benny claimed he never won any of the television honors. Films [ edit ] Jack Benny and daughter Joan on the set of his TV show, 1954 Benny also acted in films, including the Academy Award-winning The Hollywood Revue of 1929, Broadway Melody of 1936 (as a benign nemesis for Eleanor Powell and Robert Taylor), George Washington Slept Here (1942), and notably, Charley's Aunt (1941) and To Be or Not to Be (1942). He and Livingstone also appeared in Ed Sullivan's Mr. Broadway (1933) as themselves. Benny often parodied contemporary movies and movie genres on the radio program, and the 1940 film Buck Benny Rides Again features all the main radio characters in a funny Western parody adapted from program skits. The failure of one Benny vehicle, The Horn Blows at Midnight, became a running gag on his radio and television programs, although contemporary viewers may not find the film as disappointing as the jokes suggest. Benny may have had an unbilled cameo role in Casablanca, claimed by a contemporary newspaper article[26] and advertisement[27] and reportedly in the Casablanca press book. When asked in his column "Movie Answer Man", movie critic Roger Ebert first replied, "It looks something like him. That's all I can say."[28] He wrote in a later column, "I think you're right."[29] Benny also was caricatured in several Warner Brothers cartoons including Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939, as Casper the Caveman), I Love to Singa, Slap Happy Pappy, and Goofy Groceries (1936, 1940, and 1941 respectively, as Jack Bunny[30]), Malibu Beach Party (1940, as himself),[31] and The Mouse that Jack Built (1959). The last of these is probably the most memorable: Robert McKimson engaged Benny and his actual cast (Mary Livingstone, Eddie Anderson, and Don Wilson) to do the voices for the mouse versions of their characters, with Mel Blanc—the usual Warner Brothers cartoon voicemeister—reprising his old vocal turn as the always-aging Maxwell, always a phat-phat-bang! away from collapse. In the cartoon, Benny and Livingstone agree to spend their anniversary at the Kit-Kat Club, which they discover the hard way is inside the mouth of a live cat. Before the cat can devour the mice, Benny himself awakens from his dream, then shakes his head, smiles wryly, and mutters, "Imagine, me and Mary as little mice." Then, he glances toward the cat lying on a throw rug in a corner and sees his and Livingstone's cartoon alter egos scampering out of the cat's mouth. The cartoon ends with a classic Benny look of befuddlement. It was rumored that Benny requested that, in lieu of monetary compensation, he receive a copy of the finished film. Benny made a cameo appearance in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. When some of the characters are arguing at the side of the road, Benny pulls up in his car and considerately asks, "Trouble? Having any trouble?", to which the character played by Ethel Merman yells, "Yes, and we don't need any help from you!" Benny does a take with his smile slowly fading and mutters, "Well!", and drives off. Running gags [ edit ] Jack Benny rehearses with members of the California Junior Symphony Orchestra, 1959. rehearses with members of the California Junior Symphony Orchestra, 1959. Benny teamed with Fred Allen for the best-remembered running gag in classic radio history, in terms of character dialogue. But Benny alone sustained a classic repertoire of running gags in his own right, including his skinflint radio and television persona; regular cast members' and guest stars' reference to his "baby blue" eyes, always sure to elicit a self-satisfied smirk or patently false attempt at modesty from Benny; perpetually giving his age as 39; and ineptitude at violin playing, most frequently demonstrated by futile attempts to perform Rodolphe Kreutzer's Étude No. 2 in C major. In fact, Benny was a fairly good violinist who achieved the illusion of a bad one, not by deliberately playing poorly, but by striving to play pieces that were too difficult for his skill level. In one of his show's skits, Benny is a USO performer in the Pacific when playing his violin when he comes under fire; Benny still plays his violin when two Japanese surrender to him–all the other enemy soldiers committed suicide rather than endure listening to Benny's terrible music! A skit heard numerous times on radio, and seen many times on television, had Mel Blanc as a Mexican in a sombrero and serape sitting on a bench. Jack Benny sits down and begins a conversation. To each question asked by Benny, Blanc replies Sí. When Benny asks his name, Blanc replies Sy, which would prompt the exchange, Sy?, Sí. And when Benny asks where Blanc is going, Blanc replies, "to see his sister", Sue (Sue?, Sí.), who of course sews for a living (Sew?, Sí.). A running gag in Benny's private life concerned George Burns. To Benny's eternal frustration, he could never get Burns to laugh. Burns, on the other hand, could crack Benny up with the least effort. An example of this occurred at a party when Benny pulled out a match to light a cigar. Burns announced to all, "Jack Benny will now perform the famous match trick!" Benny had no idea what Burns was talking about, so he proceeded to light up. Burns observed, "Oh, a new ending!" and Benny collapsed in helpless laughter. Benny even had a sound-based running gag of his own: his famous basement vault alarm, allegedly installed by Spike Jones, ringing off with a shattering cacophony of whistles, sirens, bells, and blasts, before ending invariably with the sound of a foghorn. The alarm rang off even when Benny opened his safe with the correct combination. The vault also featured a guard named Ed (voiced by Joseph Kearns) who had been on post down below before, apparently, the end of the Civil War, the end of the Revolutionary War, the founding of Los Angeles, on Jack's 38th birthday, and even the beginning of humanity. In one appearance, Ed asked Benny, "By the way, Mr. Benny ... what's it like on the outside?" Benny responded, "... winter is nearly here, and the leaves are falling." Ed responded, "Hey, that must be exciting," to which Benny replied (in a stunningly risqué joke for the period), "Oh, no—people are wearing clothes now." In one episode of the Benny radio show, Ed the Guard actually agreed when Jack invited him to take a break and come back to the surface world, only to discover that modern conveniences and transportation, which hadn't been around the last time he'd been to the surface, terrorized and confused him. (Poor Ed thought a crosstown bus was "a red and yellow dragon".) Finally, Ed decides to return to his post fathoms below and stay there. The basement vault gag was also used in the cartoon The Mouse that Jack Built and an episode[32] of The Lucy Show. A separate sound gag involved a song Benny had written, "When You Say I Beg Your Pardon, Then I'll Come Back to You". Its inane lyrics and insipid melody guaranteed that it would never be published or recorded, but Benny continued to try to con, extort, or otherwise inveigle some of his musical guests (including The Smothers Brothers and Peter, Paul and Mary) to perform it. None ever made it all the way through. In keeping with his "stingy" schtick, on one of his television specials he remarked that, to his way of looking at things, a "special" is when the price of coffee is marked down. Another popular running gag concerned the social habits of Benny's on-air orchestra, who were consistently portrayed as a bunch of drunken ne'er-do-wells. Led first by Phil Harris and later by Bob Crosby, the orchestra, and in particular band member Frank Remley, were jokingly portrayed as often being too drunk to play properly, using an overturned bass drum to play cards on just minutes before a show, and so enamored of liquor that the sight of a glass of milk would make them sick. Remley was portrayed in various unflattering situations, such as being thrown into a garbage can by a road sweeper who had found him passed out in the street at 4 am, and on a wanted poster at the Beverly Hills police station. One Christmas program had Crosby agonizing over what to get Remley: Benny: "Well, why don't you get him a cordial; like a bottle of Drambuie?" Crosby: "That's a nice thought, Jack, but Drambuie's an after-dinner drink." Benny: "So?" Crosby: "So Remley never quite makes it 'til after dinner." Crosby also got consistent laughs by frequently joking about his more famous brother Bing Crosby's vast wealth. The Maxwell [ edit ] Jack Benny shakes hands with Harry S. Truman from the seat of a c. 1908 Maxwell Roadster Starting with the October 24, 1937 radio show, where Jack proudly announced the purchase of his car, a running joke was that Benny drove an old Maxwell automobile, a brand that went out of business in 1925. Although some details such as the car's body style and its exact model year would vary over the years, what remained constant was that Benny's old car was so worn out that it would barely run, but the miserly Benny insisted he could get a few more miles out of it. Many of the sound effects for the car's clattering engine came from an actual old motor which the sound effects shop had salvaged from a Los Angeles junkyard.[33] When a sound effects man missed a cue for the automobile engine, Mel Blanc quickly improvised a vocal imitation of a sputtering car engine starting up noisily that was so funny it became a regular feature of the show. The ongoing saga of the Maxwell was initially interrupted after just five years, when on the October 18, 1942 broadcast Jack took his car to a local junkyard and contributed it to the World War II junk salvage drive, receiving $7.50 in war stamps in exchange. However much of the radio audience may have remained unaware that the Maxwell was ever gone, because before long Jack was heard traveling around in a decrepit old car again, and by the end of the 1940s his car would once more be specifically identified as a Maxwell. When the Jack Benny Program began appearing on television in 1950, a 1916 Maxwell Model 25 Tourer became one of the production's standard props. Benny's Maxwell later became a 1923 Tourer. In addition to its being on the program, Benny would often make public appearances in Maxwells. He drove a Maxwell onto the stage in one of his last television specials. By 1941, Jack Benny's Maxwell had become such a well-known aspect of popular culture that it was referenced in the Billy Mills song "I'm in Love with the Sound Effects Man" as heard on the June 17, 1941 Fibber McGee and Molly radio show (and later performed on a 1943 recording by Spike Jones). The automobile was also featured in the 1943 Benny film The Meanest Man in the World. Benny and his archaic auto were featured in a series of television and print ads for Texaco from the 1950s through the 1970s. A series of gags were built around the premise that Benny appreciated the value of Sky Chief brand gasoline in keeping his car running smoothly, but was too cheap to buy more than one gallon at a time. In the classic cartoon "The Mouse that Jack Built", Jack has himself and Mary driven by Rochester in a sputtering Maxwell car. Many people believe that Benny appears behind the wheel of his Maxwell in the 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, but in fact it was a 1932 Cadillac.[34] The long shots for the scene were shot months before Benny was cast—with a stunt driver at the wheel—and the role was intended for Stan Laurel (which is why the character wears a derby, which Jack almost never did). When Laurel ultimately passed on appearing, Jack agreed to play it. According to the commentary on the Criterion edition of the film, his close-ups were filmed on a rear-projection stage at the Paramount studio. Final years [ edit ] A mod Benny from his January 1974 special. After his broadcasting career ended, Benny performed live as a stand up comedian and returned to films in 1963 with a cameo appearance in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Benny made one of his final television appearances July 20, 1973 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[35] Benny was preparing to star in the film version of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys when his health failed in 1974. In fact, he prevailed upon his longtime best friend, George Burns, to take his place on a nightclub tour while preparing for the film. Burns ultimately had to replace Benny in the film as well and went on to win an Academy Award for his performance. Despite his failing health, Benny made several appearances on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast in his final eighteen months, roasting Ronald Reagan, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, in addition to himself being roasted in February 1974. His roasting of Lucille Ball was his last public performance, and aired on February 7, 1975, several weeks after his death. Death [ edit ] Tomb of Jack Benny, at Hillside Memorial Park In October 1974, Benny cancelled a performance in Dallas after suffering a dizzy spell, coupled with numbness in his arms. Despite a battery of tests, Benny's ailment could not be determined. When he complained of stomach pains in early December, a first test showed nothing, but a subsequent one showed he had inoperable pancreatic cancer. Benny went into a coma at home on December 22, 1974.[2]:293–294 While in a coma, he was visited by close friends including George Burns, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson and John Rowles. He died on December 26, 1974 at age 80. At the funeral George Burns, Benny's best friend for more than fifty years, attempted to deliver a eulogy but broke down shortly after he began and was unable to continue. Bob Hope also delivered a eulogy in which he stated, "For a man who was the undisputed master of comedic timing, you would have to say this is the only time when Jack Benny's timing was all wrong. He left us much too soon."[36] He was interred in a crypt at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.[37] Benny's will arranged for a single long-stemmed red rose, to be delivered to his widow, Mary Livingstone, every day for the rest of her life.[38] Livingstone died nine years later on June 30, 1983. In trying to explain his successful life, Benny summed it up by stating: "Everything good that happened to me happened by accident. I was not filled with ambition nor fired by a drive toward a clear-cut goal. I never knew exactly where I was going."[2]:301 Upon his death, his family donated to UCLA his personal, professional, and business papers, as well as a collection of his television shows. The university established the Jack Benny Award in his honor in 1977 to recognize outstanding people in the field of comedy. Johnny Carson was the first award recipient.[39] Benny also donated a Stradivarius violin (purchased in 1957) to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.[40][41] Benny had commented, "If it isn't a $30,000 Strad, I'm out $120."[42] Honors [ edit ] In 1960, Benny was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with three stars. His stars for television and motion pictures are located at 6370 and 6650 Hollywood Boulevard, respectively, and at 1505 Vine Street for radio.[43] He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1988[44] and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.[45] He was also inducted into The Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.[46] Benny was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1972 in the area of The Performing Arts.[47] Posthumous tributes [ edit ] When the price of a standard first-class U.S. postal stamp was increased to 39 cents in 2006, fans petitioned for a Jack Benny stamp to honor his stage persona's perpetual age. The U.S. Postal Service had issued a stamp depicting Jack Benny in 1991, as part of a booklet of stamps honoring comedians; however, the stamp was issued at the then-current rate of 29 cents.[48] Jack Benny Middle School in Waukegan, Illinois, is named after the famous comedian.[49] Its motto matches his famous statement as "Home of the '39ers". A statue of Jack Benny with his violin now stands on Genesee Street in downtown Waukegan. Filmography [ edit ] Radio appearances [ edit ] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] The New York Times, April 16, 1953, p. 43, "Jack Benny plans more work on TV" The New York Times, March 16, 1960, p. 75, "Canned laughter: Comedians are crying on the inside about CBS rule that public know of its use" Jack Benny , Mary Livingstone Benny, Hilliard Marks with Marcia Borie, Doubleday & Company, 1978, 322 p. , Mary Livingstone Benny, Hilliard Marks with Marcia Borie, Doubleday & Company, 1978, 322 p. Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story , Jack Benny and Joan Benny, Warner Books, 1990, 302 p. , Jack Benny and Joan Benny, Warner Books, 1990, 302 p. CBS: Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye , by Robert Metz, New American Library, 1978. , by Robert Metz, New American Library, 1978. The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV's Golden Age , by Jordan R. Young; Past Times Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-940410-37-0 , by Jordan R. Young; Past Times Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-940410-37-0 Well! Reflections on the Life and Career of Jack Benny , edited by Michael Leannah, BearManor Media, 2007. , edited by Michael Leannah, BearManor Media, 2007. Jack Benny v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue , 25 T.C. 197 (1955). , 25 T.C. 197 (1955). Balzer, George. They'll Break Your Heart (unpublished autobiography, undated), available at: http://www.jackbenny.org (unpublished autobiography, undated), available at: http://www.jackbenny.org Hilmes, M. (1997). Radio voices American broadcasting, 1922–1952. Minnesota Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Josefsberg, Milt. (1977) The Jack Benny Show. New Rochelle: Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-347-X New Rochelle: Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-347-X Leannah, Michael, editor. (2007) Well! Reflections on the Life and Career of Jack Benny. BearManor Media. Contributing authors: Frank Bresee, Clair Schulz, Kay Linaker, Janine Marr, Pam Munter, Mark Higgins, B. J. Borsody, Charles A. Beckett, Jordan R. Young, Philip G. Harwood, Noell Wolfgram Evans, Jack Benny, Michael Leannah, Steve Newvine, Ron Sayles, Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Marc Reed, Derek Tague, Michael J. Hayde, Steve Thompson, Michael Mildredson BearManor Media. Contributing authors: Frank Bresee, Clair Schulz, Kay Linaker, Janine Marr, Pam Munter, Mark Higgins, B. J. Borsody, Charles A. Beckett, Jordan R. Young, Philip G. Harwood, Noell Wolfgram Evans, Jack Benny, Michael Leannah, Steve Newvine, Ron Sayles, Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Marc Reed, Derek Tague, Michael J. Hayde, Steve Thompson, Michael Mildredson Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services . Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. ISBN 1557509379 OCLC 36824724 . Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. ISBN 1557509379 OCLC 36824724 Zolotow, Maurice. "Jack Benny: the fine art of self-disparagement" in Zolotow, No People Like Show People, Random House (New York: 1951); rpt Bantam Books (New York: 1952). Audio Video |
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