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Americans across the U.S. will see the country’s first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in 99 years. While millions of people get ready to watch the Aug. 21 eclipse, local authorities are the treating the event more like a natural disaster and are preparing for the worst. Teens Turn Rowdy During Cookout At Germantown Rec Center, Again The disaster prep work stems from the massive tourist attraction the solar eclipse has become. The eclipse’s path of totality, where the moon will almost completely block the sun, covers a 70-mile-wide lane that will cut across 12 states from Oregon to South Carolina. There are an estimated 12 million people in the eclipse’s path. According to greatamericaneclipse.com, another 1.8 to 7.4-million people will travel into the path on Aug. 21. Several small towns and less populated states are preparing to see their populations double or even triple in the week leading up to the solar event. Black Lives Matter Protesters Disrupt Litter Press Conference At City Hall Several counties in Idaho and Oregon have already issued emergency declarations. Local officials are citing increased public safety risks, financial damage, and excess costs of cleanup and property damage for the alerts. Christie Makes ‘Garden State’ New Jersey’s Official Slogan On the East Coast, officials in South Carolina are reportedly stocking up on bottled water and port-a-potty services to prepare for the influx of tourists. The Red Cross is also setting up emergency shelters in the 12 affected states to help with possible emergencies that may overwhelm local governments. |
The U.S. Men’s National Team kicks off 2019 this week with its annual January Camp. Here are five things you should know about the gathering: New Coach, New Era The 2019 January Camp marks the first under new MNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. A former center back who amassed 44 caps and was part of two U.S. World Cup rosters, Berhalter was named the team’s new head coach last month after five successful seasons with Columbus Crew SC. Addressing media before Christmas, the 44-year-old manager laid out his goals for his first camp in charge. “I think we can use this opportunity to start the process and set the tone for what this group is going to be like,” he said. “We’re talking about three things: building a culture within this team, instilling a style of play and competing in everything we do.” History of January Camp In the nascent years of Major League Soccer, the league’s regular season schedule was much shorter, leaving the MNT’s domestic player pool with less opportunity to be prepared for games on the international calendar in the early part of the year. While the length of the domestic season has grown in the intervening years, January Camp has remained a fixture on the MNT calendar, serving as a preparatory exercise for official matches while providing youngsters and newcomers that stood out during the previous year an extended look. Because the camp takes place outside of a FIFA international window, not all players in the MNT pool are available. Nonetheless, there is no shortage of examples of guys who launched successful international careers following a strong showing in January. The list of players with zero or only a few caps who made the leap with is impressive and counts a number of guys who have a World Cup appearance on their resume (in bold): Pablo Mastroeni (2002), Tim Howard (2003), Jonathan Bornstein and Ricardo Clark (2007), Jozy Altidore and Maurice Edu (2008), Sacha Kljestan (2009), Geoff Cameron and Graham Zusi (2012), Matt Besler (2013), DeAndre Yedlin (2014), Gyasi Zardes (2015), Kellyn Acosta (2016), Sebastian Lletget and Jorge Villafaña (2017), Tyler Adams and Wil Trapp (2018). The Roster Berhalter has summoned 28 players – all from Major League Soccer – for this year’s camp. With an average age of 24 years, 190 days, the roster provides a good mix of experienced veterans like Michael Bradley, Gyasi Zardes and Wil Trapp, as well as 13 uncapped players, eight of whom will experience their first MNT camp (noted with a * below). U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals): GOALKEEPERS (4): Alex Bono (Toronto FC/CAN; 1/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 5/0), Tyler Miller (LAFC; 0/0)*, Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 6/0) DEFENDERS (10): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 2/0), Greg Garza (FC Cincinnati; 10/0), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 2/0), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 0/0)*, Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union; 0/0)*, Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids; 0/0), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; 0/0)*, Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 4/1) MIDFIELDERS (11): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 23/2), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 17/2), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)*, Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 142/17), Russell Canouse (D.C. United; 0/0), Marky Delgado (Toronto FC/CAN; 6/0), Jonathan Lewis (New York City FC; 0/0)*, Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 5/1), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire; 0/0)*, Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 5/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 11/0) FORWARDS (3): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; 0/0)*, Christian Ramirez (LAFC; 0/0), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 40/6) Change of Scenery This year’s camp is being held at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center – formerly the Olympic Training Center – near San Diego. Traditionally the January gathering has taken place at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles; however, Berhalter believed the setup in Chula Vista provide a better and more concentrated environment as he seeks to install a new culture and style of play. “Being in Chula Vista will help us create a team environment as we start to establish our culture and really be able to work on the details of our style of play. The facilities are outstanding and provide everything we need to accomplish our goals both on and off the field. They are accustomed to hosting elite athletes, so we believe this will be a great place for this group to get started.” The Schedule Players will report to the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 6 where it they will train through Tuesday, Jan. 22. Camp then shifts to Glendale, Ariz., where the MNT will do its final preparations before the first match of the year against Panama on Sunday, Jan. 27 at State Farm Stadium (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, UniMas and UDN). The following day, the MNT heads north to San Jose, Calif., where it will train before closing camp with a game against Costa Rica on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Avaya Stadium (3 p.m. ET; FOX, UniMas and UDN). Both of these matches against Concacaf rivals provide good exposure to the styles of the play the U.S. will face in regional competition, staring with this summer’s Gold Cup and moving on to the Nation’s League and 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. |
I like the sound of N9 but I'd also be interested in classic beige or black. Classic beige is great as well, i mean if there was enough interest by the end we could do two colors as a single set, pricing should still be under 50 bucks. People could always split kits as well if they wanted, but having a light and dark color would pretty much give something that would go with just about any set. In the case of a single color i just think darker would be a safer bet so that the mods are darker than most alphas, and just be visually what people are more accustomed to.Again, this is all what the community ends of wanting. The only thing that is definite is that they will be blank. Not even opening the can of worms to get molds made and decide which ones to make, and make everyone pay wayyyy more for this than needed. |
LAGUNA NIGUEL – Months after dropping Angus burgers from its menu, McDonald’s is experimenting with build-your-own-burgers made with premium ingredients selected from an iPad menu. The upscale-burger test, launched Monday in restaurants in Laguna Niguel and Illinois, allows diners to choose from more than 20 toppings and sauces. Some new offerings include sharp white cheddar cheese, guacamole, caramelized onions, grilled mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon and creamy garlic sauce. The patty is the same one used on the Quarter Pounder, but it is “chargrilled-to-order,” McDonald’s said. At a newly remodeled McDonald’s in Laguna Niguel, customers create their custom meal using one of two iPad ordering stations near the entrance. Employees wearing fine-dining-style black and white chef’s aprons are there to help customers use the touch-screen menu. “With these tests, we will have an opportunity to hear directly from our customers in real-time on what they expect from McDonald’s in terms of the overall restaurant experience and their ability to further customize their menu choices,” McDonald’s told the Register in a prepared statement. Restaurant industry experts say McDonald’s is going after fussier and older fast-food eaters who have migrated to better burger concepts like Smashburger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. “This is an effort to deal with fast-casual,” said Jeff Davis, president of Sandelman and Associates, a San Clemente-based fast-food consulting firm. “McDonald’s is becoming way more adult-focused.” The limited-time experiment comes as McDonald’s and its rivals scramble to add premium offerings. Last week, Carl’s Jr. debuted fresh-baked buns for its Six Dollar Angus burgers. Lake Forest-based Del Taco introduced “epic” fresh-Mex inspired burritos last week. Wendy’s is hawking a bacon portabella melt on a toasted brioche bun and a pretzel pub chicken sandwich. Arby’s is selling a roast beef sandwich with King’s Hawaiian rolls. Irvine-based Taco Bell launched a Chipotle-style Cantina Bell menu last year. “When you look at the QSR (quick-service restaurant) industry, they have been striving to close the gap with the fast-casual players,” said Dennis Lombardi, a restaurant consultant with Ohio-based WD Partners. One way for McDonald’s to close that gap is to test a customized premium burger, Lombardi said. New research from restaurant consulting firm Technomic shows that 95 percent of consumers say they eat burgers at least once a month. And they’re not looking for subpar burgers. “Consumers expect something extra when dining out, and better burgers with quality ingredients and customer-chosen toppings or specialty preparations can really help deliver that as part of a solid value equation,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic. In Laguna Niguel, the test is playing out in a McDonald’s that recently reopened after a major makeover. The new look includes large upscale lamp shades and bright colored booths and barstools. Customers can choose one of three specialty burgers with set ingredients or they can build their own burger. The three signature burgers include SoCal Style, Hot All Over and Grill Thriller. The SoCal burger, for example, comes on a bakery-style bun with white cheddar cheese, chili-lime tortilla strips, tomato, lettuce and garlic sauce. Specialty and custom burgers cost $5.79. If you add bacon, the burger cost $6.79. Once you swipe through selections, an employee re-enters the order on a separate handheld tablet. A third device is used for paying. The burgers are served open face in a stylish aluminum basket – similar to Smashburger. After ordering a McRib sandwich on Wednesday night, McDonald’s regular Jeff Weiss took a quick look at the custom burger options available at the Golden Lantern restaurant. “It looks new and exciting, but it is too hard of a left turn,” said Weiss, 49, of Laguna Niguel. “It doesn’t fit their business model.” McDonald’s provided no other details about the test, including when or if it would go national. The other restaurant testing custom burgers is in Romeoville, Ill. “It is too soon to tell whether these concepts, or something similar, would be rolled out nationally, and these tests represent just one aspect of our broader menu innovation journey,” McDonald’s said. Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com |
Story highlights Firsthand accounts are helping build a picture of why the boat capsized Lampedusa is a common destination for African refugees There's been criticism more was not done to help Survivor: "My mind is scarred" At the port in Lampedusa, recovery teams continue to fill trucks with the bodies they're still pulling from the sea. More than 190 so far -- and climbing. They are among 500 African immigrants believed to be aboard a boat that sank off the island Thursday in Italy's deadliest migrant shipwreck. The survivors -- 155 of them, mainly from Eritrea -- wait in a cramped migrant detention center. It was built to hold 250 people but houses more than 1,200. Germani Nagassi, 30, told CNN he'll never forget what he saw. "For five hours we were floating, using the dead bodies of our companions," he said. "There is nothing worse than this. There were many children. There was a mother with her four children, a mother with an infant, all lost at sea. My mind is scarred and in a terrible condition." The traumatic first hand accounts are helping build a picture of why the boat ended up on the seabed of the Mediterranean with most of its passengers entombed below deck. JUST WATCHED Dozens dead in Italian boat accident Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Dozens dead in Italian boat accident 01:10 13 days at sea The vessel was packed with hundreds of African migrants. Because of its location as the closest Italian island to Africa, Lampedusa is a common destination for African refugees seeking to enter European Union countries, and shipwrecks off its shores are common. Survivors described spending 13 days on the boat before the engine stopped less than a mile from the small Mediterranean island, halfway between Sicily and Tunisia. There's been criticism more was not done to help, that the Italian Coast guard was too slow to respond, that they spent precious time filming footage of the rescue instead of saving more lives. Hamid Mohammad, 18, swears an Italian vessel spotted them in trouble off the coast, but did nothing. "The Italian's boat started circling around us. They circled our boat twice, then just went away," he said. "That's when people started to panic." Fire on board The boat's captain told the passengers to set fire to clothes and blankets to attract attention. "He gathered some clothes and bed sheets and lit them. But his container of benzene exploded," Mohammad said. The fire then spread and when many of the migrants crowded to one side, the boat capsized, said Italian lawmaker Mario Marazziti, citing survivors' accounts. "People were screaming as the boat capsized," Mohammed said. The lucky few In response to criticism, the coast guard Saturday defended its response time and said its crews were on site 20 minutes after receiving the SOS call. "The moment we got the emergency call from the fishermen at 7 a.m. we immediately intervened and started coordinating the rescue operations," said coast guard spokesman Filippo Marini Abrahalli Amare, 23, was one of the lucky few who were eventually rescued. "We left our country because of hardship, so that we could live in peace and help our families," said Abrahalli Amare, 23. "But we have found this bitter sadness. It was so unexpected, so disturbing. And now we can't think of anything else," |
The injured mother of the teenage girl who died after she was thrown off a bus in Punjab's Moga. (Press Trust of India) A day before Moga shuts down in protest against the death of a teenager, who was molested and shoved off a running bus, the government worked out a compromise with the girl's family under the eyes of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Mr Badal's son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal's family has stakes in Orbit Aviation, which owns the bus. The family accepted Rs 30 lakh in compensation - the cash was handed over on the spot -- and a government job for the girl's father, who works as a Class 4 employee at a private firm. The girl's body was cremated in the evening. Mr Badal had gone to Moga to personally monitor the compromise, sources said. Later, he met the family and assured them that justice will be done in the case. The compromise left in the lurch the Congress-led opposition, which had planned a strike on Monday. The girl's immediate family will not be joining the protests. In a U-turn after his meeting with the officials, the girl's father, who had accused the police of putting pressure on them, also said "no one had threatened" him. In a statement, the furious Congress called it "blood money", which will "further promote crime". Aam Aadmi Party Parliamentarian Bhagwant Mann said the family had been "pressured for compromise". The Badals, he said, should have paid the money "from their own pocket," instead of using the state exchequer. For four days since she died, the girl's body has been at the centre of the protests in Moga. The tragedy came as a shot in the arm for the opposition, given Mr Badal's connection with Orbit Aviation. The opposition had been demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister and his daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal- who is a minister at the Centre -- and a judicial inquiry into the case. |
Here is something neat that I hacked together - a `top' like Python program (called Hacker Top) to follow the Hacker News from the console! Hacker News has become the 2nd source for news after programming.reddit for me. I have a couple of ideas for a startup myself and the tips I get from Hacker News are priceless. If you have never heard of Hacker News, I suggest you visit the site (http://news.ycombinator.com/). It's a Digg/Reddit like social news site for startup founders and hackers created by Paul Graham. This program works ideally for me. I spend lots of hours hacking away at my shell and all I have to do is switch the terminals to the one running the Hacker Top program to get the latest stories! Here is a screenshot of the program running: Try the 'm' keyboard shortcut to change display modes ! Download Download link: hacker-top.tgz How to run the program? 1) Make sure you are running a Unix type operating system. 2) Make sure you have Python installed. Any recent version will do. 3) Download and unpack the hacker top program archive. $ wget 'https://catonmat.net/ftp/hacker-top.tgz' $ tar -xvzf hacker-top.tgz 4) Change to 'hacker-top' directory which was created by unpacking the archive. $ cd hacker-top 5) Give the 'hacker_top.py' program execute permissions. $ chmod u+x hacker_top.py 6) Run the hacker_top.py program. $ ./hacker_top.py (If that does not work out, try running 'python ./hacker_top.py') Also make sure your terminal is at least 80 columns wide, otherwise the program won't be able to display the results nicely. Command Line Options If you run the program with '--help' argument, it will display the possible command line options: Usage: ./hacker_top.py [-h|--help] - displays this Usage: ./hacker_top.py [-i|--interval interval] [-u|--utf8 <on|off>] [-n|--new] As the help message suggests, the three main options are: -i or --interval , which specifies refresh interval. The default refresh interval is 3 minutes. Here are a few examples: 10s (10 seconds), 12m (12 minutes), 2h (2 hours). or , which specifies refresh interval. The default refresh interval is 3 minutes. Here are a few examples: 10s (10 seconds), 12m (12 minutes), 2h (2 hours). -u or --utf8 , turns on utf8 output mode. Default: off. Use this if you know for sure that your terminal supports it, otherwise you might get gibberish. or , turns on utf8 output mode. Default: off. Use this if you know for sure that your terminal supports it, otherwise you might get gibberish. -n or --new, which follows only the newest hacker stories. Default: follow front page stories. Keyboard Shortcuts There are several keyboard shortcuts which you should know about when using the Hacker Top program: q - quits the program. - quits the program. u - forces an update of the news. - forces an update of the news. up arrow / down arrow (or alternatively j / k keys) - scrolls the news list up or down. / (or alternatively / keys) - scrolls the news list up or down. m - changes the display mode. There are 5 different display modes for your taste. Download Hacker Top Program |
Jens Schlueter/Getty Images The Equifax data breach was yet another cybersecurity incident involving the theft of significant personal data from a large company. Moreover, it is another reminder that the modern world depends on critical systems, networks and data repositories that are not as secure as they should be. And it signals that these data breaches will continue until society as a whole (industry, government and individual users) is able to objectively assess and improve cybersecurity procedures. Although this specific incident is still under investigation, the fact that breaches like this have been happening - and getting bigger - for more than a decade provides cybersecurity researchers another opportunity to examine why these events keep happening. Unfortunately, there is plenty of responsibility for everyone. Several major problems need to be addressed before people can live in a truly secure society: For example, companies must find and hire the right people to actually solve the overall problems and think innovatively rather than just fixing the day-to-day issues. Companies must be made to get serious about cybersecurity - at a time when many firms have financial incentives not to, also. Until then, major breaches will keep happening and may get even worse. Finding the right people Data breaches are commonplace now, and have widespread effects. The Equifax breach affected more than 143 million people - far more than than the 110 million victims in 2013 at Target, the 45 million TJX customers hit in 2007, and significantly more than the 20 million or so current and former government employees in the 2015 U.S. Office of Personnel Management incident. Yahoo's 2016 loss of user records, with a purported one billion victims, likely holds the dubious record for most victims in a single incident. In part, cybersecurity incidents happen because of how companies - and governments - staff their cybersecurity operations. Often, they try to save money by outsourcing information technology management, including security. That means much of the insight and knowledge about how networks and computer systems work isn't held by people who work for the company itself. In some cases, outsourcing such services might save money in the short term but also create a lack of institutional knowledge about how the company functions in the long term. Generally speaking, key cybersecurity functions should be assigned to in-house staff, not outside contractors - and who those people are also matters a lot. In my experience, corporate recruiters often focus on identifying candidates by examining their formal education and training along with prior related work experience - automated resume scanning makes that quite easy. However, cybersecurity involves both technical skills and a fair amount of creative thinking that's not easily found on resumes. Moreover, the presence (or absence) of a specific college degree or industry certification alone is not necessarily the best indicator of who will be a talented cybersecurity professional. In the late 1990s, the best technical security expert on my team was fresh out of college with a degree in forest science - as a self-taught geek, he had not only the personal drive to constantly learn new things and network with others but also the necessary and often unconventional mindset needed to turn his cybersecurity hobby into a productive career. Without a doubt, there are many others like him also navigating successful careers in cybersecurity. Certainly, people need technical skills to perform the basic functions of their jobs - such as promptly patching known vulnerabilities, changing default passwords on critical systems before starting to use them and regularly reviewing security procedures to ensure they're strong and up to date. Knowing not to direct panicked victims of your security incident to a fraudulent site is helpful, too. But to be most effective over the long term, workers need to understand more than specific products, services and techniques. After all, people who understand the context of cybersecurity - like communicating with the public, managing people and processes, and modeling threats and risks - can come from well beyond the computing disciplines. FILE PHOTO: Credit reporting company Equifax Inc. offices are pictured in Atlanta Thomson Reuters Being ready for action Without the right people offering guidance to government officials, corporate leaders and the public, a problem I call "cyber-complacency" can arise. This remains a danger even though cybersecurity has been a major national and corporate concern since the Clinton administrationof the 1990s. One element of this problem is the so-called "cyber insurance" market. Companies can purchase insurance policies to cover the costs of response to, and recovery from, security incidents like data breaches. Equifax's policy, for example, is reportedly more than US$100 million; Sony Pictures Entertainment had in place a $60 million policy to help cover expenses after its 2014 breach. This sort of business arrangement - simply transferring the financial risk from one company to another - doesn't solve any underlying security problems. And since it leaves behind only the risk of some bad publicity, the company's sense of urgency about proactively fixing problems might be reduced. In addition, it doesn't address the harm to individual people - such as those whose entire financial histories Equifax stored - when security incidents happen. Cybersecurity problems do not have to be just another risk people accept about using the internet. But these problems are not solved by another national plan or government program or public grumbling about following decades-old basic cybersecurity guidelines. Rather, the technology industry must not cut corners when designing new products and administering systems: Effective security guidelines and practices - such as controlling access to shared resources and not making passwords impossible to change in our "internet of things" devices - must become fundamental parts of the product design process, too. And, cybersecurity professionals must use public venues and conferences to drive innovative thinking and action that can help fundamentally fix our persistent cybersecurity woes and not simply sell more products and services. Making vulnerability unprofitable Many companies, governments and regular people still don't follow basic cybersecurity practices that have been identified for decades. So it's not surprising to learn that in 2015, intelligence agencies were exploiting security weaknesses that had been predicted in the 1970s. Presumably, criminal groups and other online attackers were, too. Therefore, it's understandable that commercialism will arise - as both an opportunity and a risk. At present, when cybersecurity problems happen, many companies start offering purported solutions: One industry colleague called this the computer equivalent of "ambulance chasing." For instance, less than 36 hours after the Equifax breach was made public, the company's competitors and other firms increased their advertising of security and identity protection services. But those companies may not be secure themselves. There are definitely some products and services - like identity theft monitoring - that, when properly implemented, can help provide consumers with reassurance when problems occur. But when companies discover that they can make more money selling to customers whose security is violated rather than spending money to keep data safe, they realize that it's profitable to remain vulnerable. With credit-reporting companies like Equifax, the problem is even more amplified. Consumers didn't ask for their data to be vacuumed up, but they are faced with bearing the consequences and the costs now that the data have gotten loose. (And remember, the company has that insurance policy to limit its costs.) Government regulators have an important role to play here. Companies like Equifax often lobby lawmakers to reduce or eliminate requirements for data security and other protections, seek to be exempted from liability from potential lawsuits if they minimally comply with the rules and may even try to trick consumers into giving up their rights to sue. Proper oversight would protect customers from these corporate harms. Making a commitment I've argued in the past that companies and government organizations that hold critical or sensitive information should be willing to spend money and staff time to ensure the security and integrity of their data and systems. If they fail, they are really the ones to blame for the incident - not the attackers. A National Institute of Standards and Technology researcher exemplified this principle when he recently spoke up to admit that the complex password requirements he helped design years ago don't actually improve security very much. Put another way, when the situation changes, or new facts emerge, we must be willing to change as necessary with them. Many of these problems indeed are preventable. But that's true only if the cybersecurity industry, and society as a whole, follows the lead of that NIST researcher. We all must take a realistic look at the state of cybersecurity, admit the mistakes that have happened and change our thinking for the better. Only then can anyone - much less everyone - take on the task of devoting time, money and personnel to making the necessary changes for meaningful security improvements. It will take a long time, and will require inconvenience and hard work. But it's the only way forward. |
On Thursday night, July 3, his bosses at Sirius XM radio fired him for it. Anthony Cumia gets attacked all the time: Most often for telling the truth about black crime and violence that is stratospherically out of proportion. And how reporters condone it. “The decision was made, and Cumia informed, late Thursday, July 3, after careful consideration of his racially charged and hate-filled remarks on social media,” said the suits at Sirius. “Those remarks and postings are abhorrent to SiriusXM, and his behavior is wholly inconsistent with what SiriusXM represents.” Cumia was typically defiant: “Sirius decided to cave and fire me,” he told his fans in a Tweet. “Welcome to bizarro world. Fired for (something) that wasn't even on the air & wasn't illegal.” The dominoes began falling Tuesday night, after midnight. The black woman in a mini-skirt who punched Cumia in the face in Times Square in Manhattan and called him a “white motherfucker” probably did not know he was a national radio personality. To her, “Ant” was just a white photographer taking her picture. And she did not like that. Cumia liked being attacked even less. He called her lots of names -- the kind that would have gotten him fined had he said them on the air during his stint as a terrestrial radio star. But no N-bombs. That is all he did: “I knew not to put my hands on her,” he tweeted. “Never felt my life was threatened. Was ultra pissed. Called her bad words. Then she punched me 5 more times,” Then five blacks started giving me shit!” All the while taking more pictures of his street-walking assailant. Soon the late night violence was over, the but real attacks were just beginning. The Daily News, the Washington Post and the Daily Mail of London and others pronounced Cumia a racist because he said the woman who savagely attacked him was a “savage.” “It's really open season on white people,” Cumia tweeted. “No recourse. Fight back and you're a racist. The predators know this.” Truth is the new hate speech: “There’s a deep seeded problem with violence in the black community,” Cumia said. “Try to address it and you’ll be exiled to racistville. But it’s real.” Not to the Washington Post: “Whether or not Cumia was assaulted is not actually the point,” pronounced the Post house liberal, Alyssa Rosenberg. She did not like the fact the Cumia did not like someone punching him and calling him nasty racial names. The New York Daily News said it was surprised that Cumia would try to claim a black woman would use racially antagonistic language. Guess they don’t have a YouTube account over there. In London, the Daily Mail blasted Cumia as well, but some of its readers were not convinced: “From what I can gather from the asterisks, nothing he said was racist,” said one. “Sure, this fellow wasn't exactly acting with perfect decorum. But that said, darned if he wasn't spot on!” said another. Now Cumia has the summer to contemplate how to become the victim of racial violence -- and not get upset about it. Perhaps Mr. Cumia could take a lesson from his competition over at National Public Radio. Admittedly, Ira Glass of "This American Life" was not being punched in the face at the time, but he had no problems keeping his cool when a black female graduate of Yale Law School told her story about how she routinely bullied white people. Both before and after law school. “I was going to the movies with another black friend, she was also from Yale,” said Jenna McDonald. “And there was a long line. We were like ‘let’s jump the line, these white people, they are going to be scared of us.’ So we went to the front of the line. It was like ‘yeah, you want to try me? I’m black.’ That usually works in New York. But these people were ready to rip our hair out and they were white. I couldn’t believe it.” “I was shocked,” she said. “These were white people? And they’re not scared of us?” “It was humiliating because we were supposed to be the scary ones.” Last Thursday night, it worked on the folks at Sirius: Someone got real scared real fast. Now Cumia is gone. Though his partner, Greg “Opie” Hughes remains. To Taleeb Starkes, Cumia is just another victim of racial bullying and corporate cowardice. The kind that Starkes documents in his book, The Un-civil War. Starkes was waiting in a "10 items or less" line at a North Philadelphia grocery store when he noticed a black woman ahead of him with a cart full of groceries. “She repeatedly tried to convince the white cashier to break the rule for her,” Starkes said. “After the umpteenth attempt, the black woman launched a verbal assault at the cashier, calling her names such as 'white bitch' and 'white trash.' Clearly, the black lady was baiting the cashier into responding with any word that could be interpreted as racist. The cashier remained professional.” “As Mr. Cumia is experiencing, this race-baiting method automatically ensures that the black victimizer becomes the victim. And the real victim, Cumia, is somehow to blame when he objects.” Former prison psychologist Marlin Newburn has been on the front lines of this kind of racial violence for 30 years. Usually the victims do not speak out because they are afraid of becoming victims a second time -- exactly like Cumia. “Anthony experienced an assault from one of America's most protected classes of people, the black street predator,” Newburn said. “The latter has the impulse control and emotional maturity level of a preadolescent, and animal instincts that react violently to any trivial imposition or insult -- real or imagined. The MSM quickly comes to its defense without thought to its non-black victims. Predator-enabling at its worst.” Colin Flaherty is the award winning author of White Girl Bleed a Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It. |
Want your own Flyers bicycling jersey and shorts as sported in recent Toyota Flyers Charity Classic? Click here: https://t.co/lPfNsjPEyI pic.twitter.com/LKURVWQvjq — Flyers Alumni (@FlyersAlumni) August 18, 2017 1) Schedule note: Flyers Rookie Camp gets underway on Mon. Sept 11, with the Flyers Rookies vs. Islanders Rookies game taking place at the Wells Fargo Center on the 13th. Flyers veterans must officially report for the start of full training camp on Sept. 15 but it is typical for most everyone to be on hand ahead of the reporting date.2) The Four Nations U20 prep tournament wrapped up on Saturday. Flyers 2017 sixth-round pick Olle Lycksell had a rough final game, as did the entire Swedish team, in a 6-1 blowout loss to Finland. Lycksell was minus-three in the game with 2 PIM. Flyers 2017 third-round pick Kirill Ustimenko, who is being groomed for U20 international play a year from now. served as Russia's third-string goalie for the round-robin tournament and did not appear in a game.3) Flyers defense prospect Linus Högberg was in the lineup for the Växjö Lakers as the SHL team shut out Swiss National League team HC Davos, 3-0, in Champions Hockey League action on Saturday. On Sunday, Flyers goalie prospect Felix Sandström will be in goal for Brynäs IF Gävle against Polish team ComArch Krakow. The game is a probable mismatch, so the biggest challenge for Sandström will be to deal successfully with long stretches without seeing any pucks come his way before he has to make a save.4) Preseason hockeyin the QMJHL, while thepreseason begins on Tuesday of this week and theslate starts on Friday.5) By request, here is a repost of the Flyers 2017-18 directory of prospects in the CHL. Europe and the NCAA (originally published on Aug. 3).Ontario Hockey League: Morgan Frost (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Connor Bunnaman (Kitchener Rangers), Isaac Ratcliffe (Guelph Storm), Matthew Strome (Hamilton Bulldogs), Maksim Sushko (Owen Sound Attack), Anthony Salinitri (Sarnia Sting).Quebec Major Junior Hockey League: German Rubtsov (Chicoutimi Sagueneens, AHL eligible if the Flyers opt to place him with the Phantoms instead), Pascal Laberge (Victoriaville Tigres), undrafted/unsigned training camp invitee Ivan Kosorenkov (Victoriaville Tigres).Western Hockey League: Nolan Patrick (Brandon Wheat Kings if he is not in the NHL), Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips), Carsen Twarynski (Kelowna Rockets).NCAA: Wade Allison (Western Michigan (NCHC) sophomore), Tanner Laczynski (Ohio State (Big-10) sophomore), Cooper Marody (University of Michigan (Big-10) junior), Brendan Warren (University of Michigan (Big-10) junior), Wyatt Kalynuk (University of Wisconsin (Big-10) freshman), David Drake (University of Connecticut (Hockey East) senior), Terrance Amorosa (Clarkson University (ECAC) senior).USHL: Noah Cates (Omaha Lancers, committed to University of Minnesota-Duluth starting in 2018-19), Matej Tomek (Waterloo Black Hawks, left University of North Dakota after two seasons and will have two seasons of NCAA eligibility left come 2018-19).SHL: Felix Sandström (Brynäs IF Gävle), Linus Högberg (Växjö Lakers), David Bernhardt (Djurgårdens IF Stockholm), David Kase (Mora IK).J20 SuperElit (Swedish junior hockey): Olle Lycksell (Linköpings HC J20, top junior club of the Linköping team in SHL).MHL (Russian junior hockey): Kirill Ustimenko (MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg, parent team is Dynamo St. Petersburg of the VHL; the top Russian minor league below the KHL).VHL (Russian minor league hockey): Ivan Fedotov (Toros Neftekamsk).5) August 27 Flyers Alumni Birthdays: Adam Oates (1962), Mark Botell (1961), Evgeny Medvedev (1982), Ryan Bast (1975).*************Flyers right winger Wayne Simmonds celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday (Aug. 26). The power forward, who has steadily blossomed into NHL stardom since coming over to Philadelphia, will enter his sixth season with the Flyers in 2017-18.The defending Bobby Clarke Trophy winner as Flyers MVP, the alternate captain is also coming off his first All-Star Game selection. He's also been honored with the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award (2015-16) for the insights he's offered the local media. The Flyers Fan Club chose him as the Gene Hart Memorial Award (work ethic, heart and dedication) winner his first year with the team (2011-12).From a statistical standpoint, he has already scored 28-plus goals (30-plus in each of the last two seasons) five times as a Flyer. He has brought a physical brand of hockey, and plays both ends of special teams with a particular prowess as a netfront presence on the top power play unit. "Simmer" has emerged as an emotional leader in the dressing room and has an excellent work ethic. One of the pound-for-pound toughest players in the NHL, he willingly and routinely goes to battle on behalf of teammates.Overall, Simmonds has an old-school hockey mentality, and he has become a huge favorite among the fanbase. Nothing has ever been handed to him, nor does he expect it to be. He has always earned his keep.At first glance, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Simmonds does not look like he'd be one of strongest players in the NHL from a physical standpoint. His long legs look downright skinny and his musculature in general is sinewy rather than bulky. Nevertheless, Simmonds wins the decided majority of his battles in the trenches. He is also downright fearless.The Sarborough, Ontario native is a classic late bloomer. As much as his talent, it has been his will and work ethic that have enabled Simmonds to work his way up from an obscure prospect to becoming a multi-season 30-goal and 60-point player in the National Hockey League.Simmonds played Junior A hockey for the Brockville Braves after being bypassed in the Ontario Hockey League draft, and was also bypassed in his first year of NHL Draft eligibility. Joining the OHL's Owen Sound Attack and posting 23 goals, 49 points and 112 penalty minutes in 66 games during the 2006-07 season, Simmonds started to attract NHL attention. The Los Angeles Kings selected Simmonds in the second round (61st overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.At his Simmonds' first camp with Los Angeles, general manager Dean Lombardi discovered the draftee sleeping in his car hours ahead of reporting time. Simmonds, who was staying with friends across town, didn't want to take any risks of getting caught in traffic. Each day, Simmonds was the first player on the ice each day and often the last to leave. Although still quite raw in many aspects of his game, the young man's work ethic and athleticism made a strong impression on the Kings.Rewarded with his first pro contract, Simmonds played one more season of junior hockey for Owen Sound and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 2007-08 and earned a spot on gold medalist Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.Simmonds was willing to work his way up from the minor leagues if he had to, but set an ambitious goal of making himself too valuable to cut at LA's 2008 training camp. Kings coach Terry Murray, general manager Lombardi and assistant GM Ron Hextall could not help but be impressed by what they saw. Through will as much as skill, Simmonds earned an NHL roster spot with the Kings out of training camp in 2008-09. He went on to dress in all 82 regular season games (nine goals, 23 points, 73 penalty minutes).Over the next two seasons, Simmonds became a reliable third-line player for LA, bringing energy, speed, penalty killing and a physical presence as well as hints of goal-scoring ability (16 and 14 goals, 40 and 30 points respectively in 2009-10 and 2010-11). On June 23, 2011, the Kings traded Simmonds, top prospect Brayden Schenn and a 2012 second-round pick to the Flyers in exchange for center Mike Richards. Lombardi later admitted that it pained him to deal the 23-year-old Simmonds but felt Richards could be the final piece for the Kings to advance from Stanley Cup contender to champions.Simmonds' role grew steadily after his arrival in Philadelphia, rapidly becoming a top-six forward and a regular as the net-front forward on the top power play unit.In 2011-12, Simmonds eclipsed his previous career highs as he notched 28 goals and 49 points for the Flyers in the regular season, while totaling 114 penalty minutes. In the 2012 playoffs, he added six points (one goal, five assists). During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Simmonds produced 15 goals, 32 points and 82 penalty minutes in 45 games.After the season, the player signed a six-year contract extension with Philadelphia.Simmonds hit the 60-point mark for the first time in 2013-14, and also bettered his previous career high in goals, tallying 29 times. During the Flyers' hard-found seven-game loss to the New York Rangers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Simmonds scored a hat trick in Game Six and five points (four goals, one assist) overall in the series. The next year, a late-season leg fracture cost Simmonds a shot at his first 30-goal season in the NHL but he tallied 28 goals overall (14 on the power play) in 75 matches.The rugged forward hit the 30-goal milestone in 2015-16, producing 32 goals, while notching his second 60-point season and a career-high 147 penalty minutes. Simmonds, who won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award, also continued his emergence as a team leader.On the final weekend of the regular season, shortly before the passing of Flyers co-founder and longtime chairman Ed Snider, it was an emotional Simmonds who promised a playoff spot clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in honor of Mr. Snider. The Flyers' right winger then went out and scored the tying and winning goals to secure a postseason berth.In 2016-17, the Flyers took a step backwards in the standings. The team missed the postseason despite rattling off a 10-game winning streak in late November to mid-December and enjoying a 25-11-5 record (55 points) at the Wells Fargo Center.Simmonds, however, churned out one of the best individual seasons of his career. In addition to posting 31 goals (16 on the power play) and maintaining his typical level of physical play, he assumed regular penalty killing duties for the first time since leaving LA. Simmonds took pride in performing the unglamorous task with the same gusto he brought to the offensive side of the game.Dressing in all 82 games for the fourth time in his career, Simmonds was a shoo-in for the 2016-17 Bobby Clarke Trophy. As a bonus, Simmonds also claimed MVP honors in his first NHL All-Star Game.After the season, Simmonds hosted his sixth annual "Wayne's Road Hockey Warriors" ball hockey tournament on July 9. Much like the large-scale work that Snider Hockey does year-round in the Delaware Valley, the tournament raises money for underprivileged youth that cannot afford to play hockey. Simmonds' fundraising efforts have provided brand new hockey gear for more than 270 local youths in his native Scarborough, Ontario. Simmonds also serves as a member of the Snider Hockey board, and takes the role seriously.Wayne Simmonds has always been a hockey player and man who walks the walk both on and off the ice. People talk about hard work, sacrifice and selflessness but Simmonds lives by it. He's always been one of the most charitable of Flyers players, always quite generous with his time and willing to reach out to others when he learns of people in need, especially kids.Simmonds also cares about Hockey Fights Cancer even more than the average NHL player because his beloved grandmother, Catherine Mercury, passed away from breast cancer in 1995. He has explained that the reason why he often sports a Toronto Blue Jays cap when out and about in public is because his "Nana" was a diehard Blue Jays fans and it's one of his ways of honoring her memory.In general, Simmons is an emotional person who wears his heart on his sleeve. What you see is what you get with him. His place in Flyers annals is already secure and he still has more of his personal "Philadelphia Story" to author.************Are you a cycling enthusiast and a Flyers fan? Flyers-themed cycling jerseys, as sported by many of the riders in the recent 2017 Toyota Flyers Charity Classic bicycling events, areon Voler.com. Proceeds from the Charity Classic go to Flyers Charities and the Flyers Alumni Association's pledge to held Snider Hockey build a new community rink. |
If you ask executives at Toyota or Nordstrom about President Donald Trump’s Washington, they will quickly tell you that the game has changed. They are a few of the nearly 20 companies that have withstood social media attacks from the president. Businesses that want to thrive in this environment need to know how to avoid the president’s wrath and, when necessary, communicate with the new administration through the rapidly evolving media world. The media landscape has changed from a 24-hour news cycle to a 12-hour news cycle, due, in large part, to social media. ADVERTISEMENT A recent study by Pew Research Center revealed that 62 percent of American adults receive news through social media. Trump has leveraged this to his advantage, using Twitter to circumvent the mainstream media and take control of the narrative. Companies can do this too. Last month, when Nordstrom dropped Ivanka Trump’s clothing line, President Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE took to Twitter, accusing the company of treating his daughter “unfairly”. This caused Nordstrom’s stock to dip temporarily due, in part, to the shortened shelf life of news today, but also due to the masterful response by Nordstrom. The company was quick, thoughtful, respectful to the Trump family, and void of any perceived partisanship. It seemingly placated Trump from further attacks. This provides a perfect case study for playing defense against Trump. Other companies are taking more proactive measures to engage President Trump and his administration, conveying their message through cable news shows watched by the president. In response, cable news companies have spiked the cost to advertise on shows like Fox News' O’Reilly Factor and MSNBC's Morning Joe. Not all businesses have the budget to pay for a 30-second spot on primetime cable news shows, however. Under the Trump administration, alternative news outlets are gaining an audience that includes, most notably, the president himself. A survey by Fox News found that a whopping 68 percent of survey participants did not trust the news. People’s distrust for the media, plus the rapid innovations in internet and social media, have propagated dozens of new, alternative news options. This has led to a great migration away from mainstream monopolies to smaller outlets that are benefitting from the new administration. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has invited numerous small and local news outlets to White House press conferences, either in person or via Skype. Mainstream institutions, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN, have taken a backseat to smaller media organizations, like Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Newsmax, Christian Broadcast Network, and IJ Review. In fact, it was IJ Review, a four-year-old online news outlet, that broke news on Trump’s highly-anticipated nomination of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. The revelation here is that newer outlets have access to the administration. Thus, companies wanting to capture the attention of the administration should target these outlets for advocacy efforts and understand the messages that resonate with the president. Trump wants a quick win and cares little about how he gets there. The president is focused on success and perceived benefits for the American people. Ford and Carrier have caught on, understanding that President Trump wants the headline. The two companies recently floated new initiatives that bring thousands of jobs to the U.S. To avoid Trump’s wrath, businesses must strategically tailor messaging to meet Trump’s stated goals — jobs for blue-collar Americans, eliminating waste, strengthening American values and security and generating wealth for the American people. These are messaging themes businesses should incorporate into any advocacy effort — through social media, public statements, advertisements, or a public relations campaigns — directed at Washington. Trump will praise and amplify any signs that point to him leading America in the right direction. The president has the largest audience in the world. With over 25 million followers on Twitter, Trump's own account nearly matches the New York Times readership and roughly triples that of the Washington Post. The media frenzy surrounding Trump’s every tweet is a spectacle only rivaled by the hysteria that surrounds every move of the U.K.'s Prince William and Kate Middleton. This business executive/reality star hybrid has revolutionized the way the president operates. Trump has shattered the conventional relationship between the White House, the media and America’s businesses. Companies can benefit from this new approach if they harness the power of new media to engage the Trump administration, using “America first” themes that will resonate with the White House. Finally, recall the news cycle is short and so are people’s attention spans. Sometimes, it is best to say nothing at all. Garrett Marquis is a managing partner at Prism Group, a public affairs group with locations in Washington, D.C. and around the world. Marquis specializes in developing and executing full-service political and public affairs campaigns involving media relations, third-party outreach, political grassroots, and coalition management. The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill. |
One December morning, the body of a man in his 70s was found on this craggy outcrop in the south Pennines. Who was he, and did he come here to die? On a desk in Oldham police station is a grey box file. Written on its lid is “John Doe”, beneath a photo of a grey track winding up a rocky moorland valley. I know the track quite well. It’s on Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester, and takes you from Dovestone reservoir at the bottom of the valley, to the smaller Chew reservoir, which, when it was built in 1912, was England’s highest, at 488 metres. Close by, in Greenfield, lies the Clarence pub, built from the burnt-looking millstone grit that is used in most of Saddleworth’s older buildings. The closest pub to Dovestone reservoir, it’s popular with daytrippers, but when I drop in one spring afternoon the place is deserted save for a table of four men in their 60s, walkers sitting around their emptied lunch plates. Once the pub has cleared out, Mel Robinson, the landlord, comes and sits with me while I finish my pint. He speaks solemnly, wanting to focus on the facts of what happened that afternoon five months ago. Identity of man found dead on Saddleworth Moor is confirmed Read more At about 2pm on 11 December 2015 a stranger walked in. Tall, white, with receding grey hair, brown eyes and a prominent nose, he looked about 70. “It seems like I’m the last person to talk to him,” says Robinson. “It was cold outside, and going dark already. Overcast. It rained all day the day before, and it rained all day the day after.” It being the quiet period after lunch, he was sitting at the end of the bar. He got up, but the stranger didn’t want a drink: “He wanted to walk to ‘the top of the mountain’. It was unusual, the way he was dressed. He was wearing just a light mac, normal trousers and shirt, and slip-on shoes.” The top of the mountain. That was unusual, too. Walkers often come in for directions, but this isn’t mountain country, and the locals don’t use the noun of even the highest escarpments. “He didn’t say Indian’s Head, he didn’t say Dovestone reservoir. He just said ‘the top of the mountain’.” There has been speculation he was a spy. 'My left testicle,' a local reporter tells me. 'But he belonged to someone' Robinson thought about the highest accessible place nearby, and gave the man directions to Chew reservoir. Then he walked him to the door. “Past those gates,” he told him, indicating the footpath that leads to Dovestone reservoir, “that’s the easier walk.” He added that he wouldn’t get there and back before dark, but the man simply asked him to repeat the directions, thanked him and went on his way. Robinson thought no more about it until the next day. “The police came in to see if I knew him, if he’d been in. It’s a mystery to us. We’d all like to understand what’s happened.” People getting off the train at Greenfield sometimes ask the way to Saddleworth. “You’re in it,” Richelle Walsh, the station assistant, will tell them. She may explain that Saddleworth is not actually a village, but a civil parish of 10 or so villages and hamlets scattered around the river Tame. Saddleworth Moor itself lies above the villages, forming the north-western edge of the Dark Peak. I make my way past Dovestone reservoir, with its sailing club and dog walkers, and on to the track. It’s four years since I was last here, researching a book. On that occasion, the moor’s gullies and hollows were deep in crusted snow after blizzards the week before. When I reached Chew reservoir, I found it frozen over, the wind coming off it cold enough to bring tears to the eyes. This winter’s snow has gone, but the vegetation is still sparse and the landscape’s bareness makes you conscious of the violence of geological processes. As you look up the valley, the scene is almost colourless: the blacks of heather and peat scattered with paler moor grass and boulders of millstone grit. But the moor is beginning to revive. The curlews and grouse are tentatively calling, and I hear the odd lark. For all Saddleworth Moor’s notoriety, it’s never seemed anything but tranquil to me. Saddleworth Moor death: image of 'Neil Dovestone' released Read more It was about 10.50am on Saturday 12 December when the body was found by a cyclist. He was lying on his back, 700 metres down from Chew reservoir, at a place where the track widens to allow vehicles to pass. If he followed Robinson’s directions, he’d walked a little over 4km, much of it uphill. His arms were at his sides, his feet facing downhill. It is natural to assume that a man of his apparent age, found dead in an exposed location, has had a heart attack. In his right trouser pocket was £130 in £10 notes. In his left coat pocket were three train tickets from the previous morning: a single from Ealing Broadway to London Euston (£4.80), and a return from Euston to Manchester Piccadilly (£81.50). The train from London, the 10am service, would have got him to Manchester just after midday, about two hours before he went into the Clarence. How he travelled the 17km from Manchester to Greenfield is unclear. Also in his coat pocket was a medicine box made of card. Inside was an empty container labelled thyroxine sodium, a drug produced by GlaxoSmithKline for the treatment of hypothyroidism. The label was printed in both English and Urdu. Facebook Twitter Pinterest CCTV of the man at Manchester Piccadilly. Photograph: MEN media Back in Greenfield, I meet Ken Bennett in the yard of the Clarence. A former Fleet Street journalist, Bennett has lived in the area for 50 of his 75 years. These days he’s employed by the Oldham Evening Chronicle as a roving reporter for Saddleworth. He knows the case, and the region, better than most. Bennett was living nearby in Ashton-under-Lyne when he was posted here in 1965 to cover the search for the remains of the Moors murders victims. He remembers the mist. “I’d never been to Saddleworth. I thought it was like something from Great Expectations when I arrived.” It’s almost exactly 50 years since Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were sentenced, but the media still tend to mythologise the region, he says – “the constant reference back to the Moors murders” – and the taint of their crimes persists. Even he refers to the moors as the “shadowlands”. As for the man who came here last December, “It’s one of the most unfathomable stories, it really is. He mightn’t have known where he was going, but he was going on a journey, and he didn’t want anyone to find him.” The story has been picked up as far away as Japan and the US. An Australian news website speculated that the man was an international spy. “My left testicle… But I’ll tell you this, he belongs to someone.” *** John Coleman, the detective sergeant leading the investigation, was on the scene within half an hour of the discovery. It was clear it was an unusual case. For a start, the man was carrying no ID. No wallet. No cards. No keys, phone, watch or driving licence. “Unless you’re out running, for somebody in the modern age to have no identification on them whatsoever is almost unheard of.” We are in his office in Oldham police station on a day of inexhaustible greyness. Coleman is a runner, and often follows the circuit round Dovestone reservoir and on to Saddleworth Moor. “It does have an air of being bleak and desolate,” he says. “You wouldn’t want to spend the night up there, but I consider it quite beautiful.” Coleman has been in the force for 19 years and his vocabulary is partly that of the career detective: undertaking, demise, elimination, conducted. He sometimes pauses and smiles tightly while he works out how best to put something. In his mind’s eye, a wife or a child is reading this. He and his colleagues, who are working on the investigation alongside the usual CID caseload of fraud, rapes and serious assaults, no longer call the man John Doe. “The people who work at the mortuary found it very difficult to have somebody in their…” He looks down at the folders on his desk, “…care, would you say? Who they didn’t have a name for. So they gave him the name Neil Dovestone, after the reservoir.” To him the man is now Neil, and that is how he refers to him during our conversations. “They would do the same thing for a baby,” he adds. “It’s a big why, isn’t it?” he says. “What led him to this? Why that day? Has there been a traumatic experience, or has it been a build up? Why travel in that way? Why Dovestone? Why climb up there, inappropriately dressed for the conditions? All these questions.” Among the first thing Coleman’s office did was cross-reference the man’s DNA against the national criminal intelligence and missing persons databases. Neither provided a match. But the train tickets enabled him to trace Neil Dovestone’s steps on CCTV, rewinding his journey from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston to Ealing Broadway. He was also filmed in Ealing on the morning of 11 December, walking towards the station. At Piccadilly, he went back and forth between the station shops for 53 minutes, bought a sandwich in Boots and spent about four minutes at the station information counter. It is a long time, four minutes, but it isn’t known what he was asking about. He left the station at just after 1pm and walked towards the city centre; and that’s the last footage of him to have been recovered. He has been described in the press as “smartly dressed”, but look at the CCTV stills and his smartness is that of many men of a particular age: white shirt, blue cords, blue jumper, brown jacket, all from Marks & Spencer, and the black, flat shoes Mel Robinson remembered, sold by Bally. “He looks like a gentleman who has had money at one stage,” Coleman says, and indeed the cheapest loafers on the Bally website are £250. He is a big man (6ft 1in) with big hands; and yes, that nose is prominent – not long, so much as wide. (Bennett, half-joking, says he has a “northern” face, “like an Easter Island head”.) He looks neither unhappy nor anxious. In some images there’s a trace of a smile. As he did not appear on CCTV at Greenfield, Saddleworth’s only station, and the earliest bus would not have got him there until well after he went into the Clarence at about 2pm, it’s assumed he took a taxi from Manchester. And yet, despite the unusual 45-minute fare, no taxi driver has responded to appeals. Nor have inquiries in Ealing resulted in any leads. Coleman describes the work he and Met colleagues have done there: “He’d need to get his hair cut, let’s go to all the barbers. He’d need to go to the dentist, let’s do the dentists. He’d need a GP, let’s do them. We went to bookmakers, we went to old people’s homes, we went to local clubs, we produced posters.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Saddleworth Moor. Photograph: Gary Calton for the Guardian Which brings us to perhaps the strangest thing about the case: five months after Neil Dovestone died, and despite the media coverage, he is still unidentified. In January, someone contacted Coleman to tell him that their elderly neighbour in Camden matched the description in the news: the man hadn’t been seen since 10 December, they explained, his front door had been left ajar, and he was known to make frequent trips to Manchester. “So we do those inquiries. Negative. He’s alive and well, just left for no reason.” Later that same month came a more promising lead. A man from Northern Ireland, Sean Toner, contacted Coleman. His father, Hugh, had gone missing from a Craigavon hospital in 1994 and had not been seen since. In photos, he bears a resemblance to the man in the CCTV images, even allowing for the 22 years that have elapsed. But when a DNA sample was taken from Sean Toner, it proved not to be a match. The calls continue to come in. Calls that are at once hopeful and full of dread. A brother, a husband, a father, an uncle, a cousin, a friend. During 2014–15, more than 137,000 people were recorded as missing in England and Wales. At the time I spoke to the UK Missing Persons Bureau, their database contained the details of 5,478 people missing for more than a month. “And each one of the people that you speak to, it’s tragic,” says Coleman, “because either way it’s not good news: if it turns out it’s not the person, well, the father or brother is still missing. Then again, if it is him, it’s still bad news.” Nor is Neil Dovestone’s case unprecedented. In 2015–16, 126 reports were logged of bodies whose identity could not immediately be determined. Of these, only 80 have so far been identified. On Coleman’s desk is a spiral-bound policy document, the first of three such case files, each an inch thick. Like the train tickets and the cash and the box that contained the medicine bottle, it is dog-eared. “The weather was horrendous,” he says, and shows me a photograph of the track. You can barely see the valley bottom, so heavy is the rain. *** Up on the moor, a helicopter has been coming and going all afternoon, ferrying bags of fertiliser from the valley. On the plateau, you find acres of exposed peat where nothing grows, largely because of a century of acidifying pollution from the industrial centres that ring the Dark Peak: Stockport, Manchester, Huddersfield, Halifax, Barnsley, Rotherham, Sheffield. The quiet is broken, too, by planes making their approach to Manchester. In part, it’s the proximity of the cities that accounts for Saddleworth Moor’s notoriety. I trace my afternoon’s route on the map and realise I have crossed Hollin Brown Knoll, where the bodies of two of the Moors Murders victims were found. It takes less than an hour to drive here from Manchester, and Brady and Hindley knew the moor well. (I felt no shiver at the time, of course. I was probably whistling.) Then there was the gravestone at the cemetery at St Chad’s, dating from 1832: “Here lie interred the dreadfully bruised and lacerated bodies of William Bradbury and Thomas his son both of Greenfield who were together savagely murdered in an unusually horrid manner.” The murders took place at the Moorcock Inn, the ruins of which lie next to Dovestone reservoir. The crime became a local cause célèbre, both because the perpetrator was never identified and on account of its sheer bloodiness: according to the Manchester Courier, “the wall of the room, on three sides, was sprinkled with human blood, which had flown from the bodies of the murdered men, in consequence of heavy blows from some iron instrument.” People in their thousands came to view the scene. You could even buy a commemorative plate. On the plateau above the reservoir, I’d come across a crumbling stone cross marking the spot where James Platt, the MP for Oldham, was killed in 1857 “by an accidental discharge of his own gun”. More recently, in 1963, two ice-climbers were killed by an avalanche in Chew valley itself. If you spend enough time digging any piece of ground you will eventually unearth bones, but one of Coleman’s early lines of inquiry was whether the setting itself – Saddleworth Moor – was significant. At the lower end of Chew valley is the towering millstone-grit outcrop known as Indian’s Head. In outline, Indian’s Head (Wimberry Stones on the OS map) looks more like the finned back of a stegosaurus than the recumbent head in profile from which it takes its local name. It was here, in August 1949, that a British European Airways DC-3, flying from Belfast to Manchester, crashed in fog. When I climb partway up the clough, I find the frame of the landing gear propped in the grass. Twenty-four people were killed. The local GP said at the time, “I have been a doctor since 1914 and served in both wars, but this was the worst sight that I have ever seen.” Among the eight survivors were two boys, Michael Prestwich, aged two, and Stephen Evans, who was five. Had one of them made a pilgrimage to the site? Coleman wondered. Was Neil in fact Michael or Stephen? But Prestwich, it turned out, had been killed 10 years later in a train crash, and when Coleman’s theory was publicised, a 72-year-old professor of pharmacology, Stephen Evans, contacted Oldham CID to say he hadn’t been to Saddleworth since that appalling day in 1949. People have asked why we're making so much effort. But if it was your father, you'd want to know, wouldn't you? On 11 January, a postmortem was carried out. The month’s delay is accounted for by the coroner’s reluctance to carry out the procedure before any family had been consulted. It did not reveal an immediate cause of death, but there was no reason to suspect it was anything other than a cardiac arrest. “You have to remember it had the appearance of just being – I don’t want to make this sound flippant – but an everyday occurrence.” On 29 January, with the man still unidentified, a secondary postmortem was done to investigate a scar on his left hip. As anticipated, fixed to the femur was a 10cm surgical titanium plate of a sort used in fractures. The hope was that it would carry an identifying number. The strength of the femur means it tends to fracture only after significant trauma – a road accident, or a fall from a height. The operation is not particularly common, and in the UK such plates are routinely numbered; but in this instance there was only a simple diagram indicating the angle at which the plate was to be implanted, and the logo of the manufacturer, Treu-Dynamic, whose website states: “Treu Dynamic International (Pvt) Ltd was established in 1997 to provide quality services in the field of surgical, orthopaedic, spinal and maxillofacial instruments and implants in the Pakistan market.” While the plate is also sold into Morocco, the fact that it did not carry an identifying number means it could only legally have been implanted in Pakistan. According to Treu-Dynamic, around 500 of these plates were distributed each year in Pakistan between 2001 and 2015, meaning approximately 7,000 during the relevant period. Assuming that half of the patients were male and half of the operations involved the left leg, the number who underwent this operation is around 1,750. (These are crude figures, Coleman stresses.) Since GlaxoSmithKline had confirmed that the thyroxine sodium was of a batch distributed only in Pakistan (hence the Urdu text), Coleman’s attention was directed to that country. “When you look at the CCTV,” he says, “the gentleman looks white European.” He’s choosing his words very carefully. “He does, to my mind, and to everyone I’ve spoken to. But when you see the deceased… it may be that he is from Pakistan.” He won’t say just what he means by this, but adds that the CCTV footage does not give a particularly representative impression of Neil Dovestone’s face. He’s keen to get a better likeness into the public domain, especially in Pakistan. “Clearly we can’t use a photograph of a deceased person, so we’ve had a forensic artist put an image together.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest A forensic artist’s impression of ‘Neil Dovestone’. Photograph: Greater Manchester Police A few weeks later, the image arrives in my inbox. Here he is, finally. It’s not what I expected. Less austere, less statuesque. It’s not an Easter Island head. Even allowing for the licence taken by the forensic artist – whose job, after all is to conjure life into the dead – there is a softness to his eyes and something wry in the set of his mouth. His nose, Coleman says, looks like it might once have been broken. As is normal, the image has been rendered without colour, meaning that the nuances of skintone are lost; but Coleman is mindful that Pakistan’s second-largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns, are often fair-skinned. What seems clear to me is that anyone who has spent time in the company of that face, with its lopsided nose, is likely to remember it. A dental examination showed his teeth to be in poor condition, but the forensic odontologist’s view is that the work that had been carried out is likely to have been done in the UK. At Manchester Royal Infirmary, meanwhile, Prof David Mangham, an orthopaedic pathologist, is working to categorise Neil Dovestone’s femur injury more precisely, age the scar and establish whether any suture material has been preserved that might narrow down the period or place of the operation. “If we’ve got a specific type of fracture, along with a usable image, the surgeon may well be able to recognise their work,” says Coleman. “The scenarios are, a) that he’s a Pakistani national, b) that he’s dual nationality, c) that he’s gone out there and had an accident at work or in the army or whatever, or d) that he was a health tourist.” By the time the surgical plate was analysed, the story of Neil Dovestone had shifted to a new, more discordant key. On 22 February, a routine toxicology report revealed an unusual alkaloid in his system: strychnine. Strychnine has been banned in the UK since 2006, when its only remaining legal use, in the killing of moles, was deemed unduly cruel. “There are very, very few deaths by strychnine poisoning,” Coleman says. “It’s a terrible death.” As a pesticide, it remains available in other countries, including Pakistan, where it is commonly used to cull feral dogs. When the empty thyroxine sodium bottle was analysed, it bore traces of the poison. By interfering with neurotransmitters that moderate nerve function, strychnine causes muscles to contract uncontrollably. It is partly the violence of its effects that accounts for the poison’s regular appearance in Agatha Christie’s novels. The ultimate cause of death, which does not come quickly, is asphyxiation. We can’t say for sure that Neil Dovestone knew what the thyroxine sodium bottle contained, or even that he was alone when he died (although alternative scenarios seem farfetched), but it’s fair to say that strychnine would not be the choice of someone who wished to go gently. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Indian’s Head, Chew valley, the site of a plane crash in 1949. Was ‘Neil Dovestone’ among the survivors? Photograph: Gary Calton for the Guardian “My father was a merchant seaman,” Ken Bennett tells me. “He always said, never trust the sea; it broods, it’s always watching you.” Britain’s earliest topographers often equated moorland with the sea: the rolling, treeless hills that resemble waves, the exposure and isolation and sense of imperilment. “You’ll hear some wonderful, lyrical things about the moor, but I always think you treat it with massive respect. It holds an awful lot of secrets.” It’s persistent, this belief that a landscape can be not only unknowable, but inimical. “No community wants to be identified as somewhere you go to and you don’t come back,” he adds. “Somewhere you just vanish.” It seems that’s just what Neil Dovestone came here to do. Looking downhill from the spot where he was found on that soaking morning five months ago, you can see the edge of Dovestone reservoir and vehicles passing along Holmfirth Road. Rising beyond the road, 3km away, is the millstone grit outcrop known as Pots and Pans, and the first world war obelisk that obtrudes from it. In mid-December, as night fell, the birds would have been silent, but the sound of Chew brook never ceases. DS Coleman is right: it is beautiful; but if you are looking for the pastoral, a landscape of consolation, this is not it. The reposefulness of the setting serves to emphasise not only the loneliness of Neil Dovestone’s death, but its violence. With no lines of inquiry remaining open in the UK, Coleman has two hopes left: that either the forensic artist’s image will be recognised, or Mangham’s analysis of the femur injury will lead to a particular hospital or surgeon in Pakistan. “The whole ethos of this investigation has been different to most,” Coleman says. “We’ve all had family members die, and you’d want to know, wouldn’t you? If I’d lost my father, I’d want somebody to tell me. People have asked why we’re putting so much effort into this case, and that’s the reason; because the family needs to know.” For now, Neil Dovestone’s details remain logged on the Missing Persons database, awaiting the day when his real name will be returned to him. This article was amended on 16 May 2016. Thyroxine sodium is used for the treatment of hypothyroidism, not hyperthyroidism. This has been corrected. • William Atkins is the author of a journey around England’s moors, The Moor (Faber). |
Most marinades are thin water-based liquids that foods swim in before cooking. But marinades themselves are bathed in myth and mystery. Marinades usually have a number of ingredients such as salt, oil, flavorings, and acidic liquids (SOFA). The molecules of each are different sizes and some are attracted to the chemicals in meats and some are repelled by them. Some can flow easily into the microscopic voids between muscle fibers, some are too large. Click here to read more... Recipe for a marinade for seafood & veggies: Mrs. Meathead's Italian Marinade Select rating Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 1/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 2/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 3/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 4/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 5/5 Average: 2.9 ( 7 votes) Average Rating - Votes are tabulated end of day Please rate this recipe ONLY after you cook it: Select rating Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 1/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 2/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 3/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 4/5 Give The Secrets And Myths Of Marinades, Brinerades, And How Gashing Can Make Them Work Better 5/5 Share This Recipe: Print Recipe This is my standard marinade for seafood and vegetables such as zucchini and eggplant. I occasionally use it on pork or chicken. Course. Sauces and Condiments. Cuisine. Italian. It is based on a wonderful, herby salad dressing that my wife created. I have added more salt to to make it into a brinerade. Best of all, it allows the flavor or seafood and veggies to come through without burying them under strong flavors. Click here to see how to use it to make wonderful Tuscan ribs. Elegant. Ingredients 2 cups Mrs. Meathead's Italian Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons Morton's kosher salt 3/4 cup water Method Pour the vinaigrette and salt into a bowl, whisk, and pour into a bottle. It can be refrigerated for months. Shake well before using. "Some marinades are as goofy as a dog in a tutu. Just what is wrong with the unadulterated taste of beef?" Meathead Return to Top Marinade myths Let's debunk some myths about marinades, and then we can get into how to make them and how to make them work. Some facts: Myth: Marinades penetrate deep into meat. Marinades are primarily a surface treatment, especially on thicker cuts. Only the salt penetrates deep. Period. End of story. Meat is a protein sponge saturated with liquid. About 75% of meat is water. There's not much room for any more liquid in there. Think of a sponge. When you are wiping up a spill, as it gets fully loaded you just can't get any more liquid in there. Marinades, unless they are heavy with salt, in which case they more properly are called brines, do not penetrate meats very far, rarely more than 1/8", even after many hours of soaking. Especially in the cold fridge where molecules are sluggish. Salt penetrates because it reacts chemically and electrically with the water in the meat. But molecules like sugar and garlic are comparatively huge and they do not react electrically when dissolved. Salt is made of just two atoms, sodium and chloride, NaCl. Sucrose is C 12 H 22 O 11, that's 45 atoms. Garlic's active ingredient is allicin, C 6 H 10 OS 2 , and it has 18 atoms, and garlic powder is even larger and more complex than that. As research by the AmazingRibs.com science advisor Prof. Greg Blonder has shown, it takes salt almost 24 hours to penetrate meat 1" deep (see my article on brines). On top of this, most marinades have a lot of oil in them. And meat is mostly water. As we all know, oil and water don't mix. That oil is just not getting past the microscopic cracks and dents in the surface. Sugar can move inward a bit after days of marinating, but most ingredients go no further than the surface. There are important exceptions: Fish, shellfish, eggplant, and mushrooms, for example, absorb marinades more rapidly and deeply (see the photos at right). But for most meats and veggies, the benefit of marinades is that they flavor the surface. We are often bamboozled into thinking the marinade has soaked in because the knife, fork, and liquid on the plate are full of marinade flavor, because the flavors on the surface get on our tongue, and they get pushed down into the meat by our teeth. Try this experiment: Marinate a 2" thick porkchop as long as you like in whatever you like. Since your marinade probably has some salt in it, take another 2" chop and just salt it. Cook them side by side, bring them in and rinse them off to remove as much surface flavor as possible. Then cut off the outer 1/4" of both. Be very very careful to not let the juices from the outsides touch the center. Now have a friend serve you tastes of both without telling you which is which. Hard to tell apart, aren't they? They both taste like plain ol' pork. You might taste salt, but no sugar, garlic, pepper, or whatever. If you marinate thin slices of meat, say 1/2" thick skirt steak, the flavors may penetrate 1/8" on either side and so it will get close to the center, especially since skirt steak has loose fibers running parallel to the surface, but not thick pieces. Think of prime rib. The outside crust really tastes like the seasonings while the center tastes like plain old beef. But in most cases it is good that marinades don't penetrate very far. If that red wine marinade you used on your flank steak penetrated all the way, would you and your guests prefer purple meat to bright red? But let's not demean surface enhancement. When you cook meat that has marinated, the marinade cooks first before the meat. A touch of sugar can help with browning and add flavor and color. Spices and herbs on the surface can make wonderful aromas and moist surfaces attract smoke. And oil can conduct heat to the surface and help with browning and crust formation. After you finish reading the rest of the marinade myths below, you will see some experiments that show how poorly marinades penetrate. Myth: Marinades tenderize. Tenderizing is a process of making the proteins softer, both the proteins in the muscle fibers and in the connective tissues that sheath the fibers and connect them to bones (see my article on meat science). This softening is called denaturing. Since marinades do not penetrate very far they cannot denature the protein bonds much beyond the surface, so there is little tenderizing beyond the surface. In fact, some ingredients, especially acids, such as vinegar and fruit juice, can make some surfaces firmer, and some surfaces mushy. In some cases acid can even reduce water holding capacity. This can be good if you are trying to form a dry crust. Myth: Marinades improve everything. Water based marinades such as wine, beer, soft drinks, and juices keep the surface wet so when they go on the grill or in a pan, the water evaporates, steaming the meat, and steam can impede browning and crisping of the surface and prevent the formation of the crust or bark we love. Crisp brown meat has more flavor, and one of the main reasons we like to grill (see my article on the maillard reaction, caramelization, and why brown is beautiful). On the other hand, the wet surface can help prevent dehydration and the drying effect of the grill, producing moister meat. Myth: You can use just about anything in a marinade. If marinades contain sugar, they can burn and ruin the food. Sugar is less of a problem for low slow roasting over indirect heat with convection airflow. And oils can drip off causing flareups and soot deposits on the food. You can use sugar and oil, but judiciously. Myth: Longer is better. Actually, longer is worser. The problem is that acids in marinates mess up proteins, faux cooking them. That's how ceviche is "cooked". Fish is marinated in citrus until the proteins get all unwound and the color changes and they sorta cook. The longer meat sits in an acid, the mushier it becomes. Myth: Stabbing with a fork helps marinades penetrate. Stabbing meat with a fork or a jaccard blade pushes bacteria down in. And the holes seal up as the meat collapses in on the trauma and fills with water. Myth: Vacuum marinators suck in the marinade. There are several companies that make devices in which you place the food and then a motor sucks out the air and creates a vacuum. In theory the vacuum sucks the marinade in. Not! There is no air in meat to suck out. So all they suck out is water/meat juice. When you release the vacuum, a small amount of liquid will get sucked in just a fraction of an inch, but most molecules are just too large to penetrate. That said, on very thin cuts like jerky, the tumbling and sucking might help a bit. Marinating at work Below are cross sections of lean meat. They were all soaked for 18 hours in a simple marinade recipe: 3/4 cup of canola oil, 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar, 1 tablespoon of table salt, and 10 drops of green food coloring. Some of the coloring in these cross sections is caused by the knife traumatizing the muscle as it moved through. The food coloring has large molecules, but not as large as herbs, spices, and sugar, and it reacts differently with protein, but these models demonstrate how difficult it is for foreign objects to invade fortress meat. Although not definitive, this study indicates that large flavor molecules as found in dyes and the herbs and spices in marinades do most of their work on the surface, within 1/16" of the surface, or in cuts in the surface. It shows that salt penetration goes deeper, so marinades should always contain salt. Read more about this in my article on brines. The exception to the rule are lobster and it's smaller cousin, shrimp. This means that marinades are best on thin cuts of meat. 1) Beef sirloin. As you can see the dye significantly colored the surface, but it barely penetrated. There is a slight discoloration that extends an average of about 1/8" caused primarily by the denaturing of the proteins by salt and acid. Where there were cracks and cuts in the meat, the dye got in deeper. On some beef cuts, where the fibers are more loosely packed and run parallel to the surface, like skirt steak and sirloin flap, marinade will move in a bit further, and in the case of skirt steaks, which are rarely more than 1/2" thick, a few hours of marinating can get it close to the center. 2) Pork chop from the loin. Again, most of the marinade is on the surface with a small amount penetrating a fraction of an inch, and salt going deepest to denature the proteins. 3) Chicken breast. You can see the marinade entered where there are cracks on the bottom, but not much got in anywhere else. 4) Pounded chicken breast. This breast has been pounded so it is at most about 3/4" thick. I have photographed the place where two muscles meet, the tenderloin(left) and the pectoral (right). The connection is very thin and as you can see, although most of the marinade is on the surface, it has had an impact on the meat edge to edge. Also, the underside cracks when pounded, and marinade enters there. 5) Salmon steak. As with the others, slight penetration of large molecules, best in cracks. Some denaturing of proteins from the salt, oils, and vinegars. 6) Whitefish steak. No real dye penetration, but about 1/4" denaturing from salt and vinegar. 7) Florida lobster tail. Lobster tail and shrimp are highly susceptible to marinade penetration. They really drink it up in a short time. 8) Yellow squash. Zero penetration through the skin, and unlike the meats, the dye doesn't even discolor the skin. But unlike the meats, there is excellent penetration through the cut ends. If you marinate slices of squash, you can count on it going through. Industrial marinades You have probably noticed more and more meats in the grocery that are pre-marinated and "enhanced" which can include injection. A nice idea, more or less. It makes cooking dinner quick and easy, you don't have to start the marinade the day before because the marinade has had days to work. The marinade has probably been formulated by a meat scientist and will not only tenderize and help retain moisture, but chances are it tastes pretty darn good. On the down side, you may not want the additives and preservatives in your diet, and the meat might not be the freshest. So you are paying meat prices for water and additives. According to the Amazingibs.com beef scientist, Dr. Antonio Mata, "The level of marination in retail branded products range from 8% to 22% by weight. Some cooked deli items contain up to 60% enhancement. There is a whole array of 'functional' ingredients that the industry uses to improve the retention of the marinade: phosphates, salt, starch, alginates, soy isolates, etc., etc., etc. USDA labeling regulations are not consistent. Any beef product that has been 'enhanced' must indicate on the label the level of enhancement but this does not apply to poultry products." Some better ideas Injecting is much more effective in driving flavor down towards the center of the meat. Another excellent option is a spice rub. A blend of spices and herbs, it delivers more flavor per square inch than any marinade. And then there is a sauce. Pack in lots of flavor with a sauce which goes on just before serving. A great way to bring the brightness of herbs and the other usual flavors in marinades to the table with little effort is a board sauce. Or you can use all of these methods! Gashing helps marinades work Think of marinades as a spice mix. What marinades do best is find their way into cracks and crevices on the surface of meats producing a flavorful baked on spice blend, much like a dry rub. When it dries out during cooking, it leaves behind the flavors. They work best on thick cuts of meat like roasts where the food bakes for a long time on the indirect side in a 2-zone system and the marinade can dry out, leave its flavor on the surface, and then brown. In general, it is best to think of marinades as a spice blend. Where they differ from normal spice blends is that you can get exotic flavors that can't normally find on your spice rack, such as flavors from liquids like wine, juices, coconut milk, soft drinks, liqueurs, etc. Help marinades by gashing the food. Since marinades don't penetrate very far into most foods, give them a hand. Gash your food. Cut slices into the surface, rough it up, give the marinade cuts, cracks, and pits to enter. There is also more surface area to brown and more surface area coated with baked on marinade. This meat was gashed in a cross-hatch pattern with a knife before marinating. As you can see, the marinade has penetrated as deep as the gashes making 1/2" cubes of flavored meat. This is a great technique for use with marinades. Gashing even works on veggies like the yellow squash below. Making a brinerade A brinerade is a new word from the clever folks at Cooks Illustrated magazine to describe a marinade that has enough salt to do double duty as a brine, and in my humble opinion all marinades should be brinerades. SAF The best marinades usually contain three working components: Salt, acid, and flavoring, and if you remember the acronym SAF, you can create your own easily. S is for Salt. Salt is the most important ingredient because it is a flavor enhancer and it is good at penetrating meat and altering proteins to hold more of its water during the trauma of cooking. Soy sauce is a great source of salt. Shoot for about 6% salt by weight. My article on wet brines will explain how to get there. A is for Acid. Citrus marinades were probably among the first, historically. They have it all, acid, sugar, flavor, aromatics. Acid can denature protein on the surface and make the surface of the meat mushy so use them judiciously, no more than 1/8 of the blend, and only for their flavor.Typical acids are fruit juice (lemon juice, apple juice, white grape juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, and wine work well), vinegar (cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar, or any old vinegar), buttermilk, yogurt, and even sugar free soft drinks. Acidity is measured on the pH scale of 0 to 14. Solutions with a pH of 7 are said to be neutral. Below 7, the solution is acidic. Above 7 it is alkaline. Here are the approximate pH measurements some common solutions for reference. Obviously you do not want to use battery acid or lye. I include them for reference. 0 pH - Battery acid 1 - Stomach acid 2 - Distilled vinegar, lemon juice 3 - Carbonated drinks, orange juice 4 - Tomato juice, wine 5 - Black coffee, beer, yogurt 6 - Saliva, cow's milk 7 - Pure water 8 - Sea water, wet brines 9 - Baking soda, olive oil 10 - Milk of magnesia 11 - Antacids 12 - Ammonia 13 - Chlorine bleach 14 - Lye, liquid drain cleaner F is for Flavoring. Typical flavorings include herbs and spices such as oregano, thyme, cumin, paprika, garlic, onion powder, and even vegetables such as onion and jalapeños. It's a good idea to add some umami. That's the savory meaty flavor from glutamates found in meat stocks, soy sauce, and mushrooms. It is also a good idea to add some sugar. It aids in browning the surface, but go easy. Too much will burn the surface. You want it to caramelize after the water evaporates without burning. Where's the oil? Most marinades contain oil, but oil cannot penetrate meat. Remember, meat is 75% water and oil and water don't mix. Here's proof that oil will not penetrate meat. In the image below, I dug a hole in a beef steak about thimble size and filled it with a nice greenish olive oil. I took the top picture 33 seconds after pouring in the oil. The bottom picture was after 3 hours, 9 minutes, and 58 seconds. As you can see, not a scintilla of oil penetrated. Other tips Refrigerate. Keep marinating meats in the fridge. No alcohol. A lot of folks like to use wine, beer, and spirits in their marinades, but this is not be a good idea. Here's what the great Chef Thomas Keller says in his award winning The French Laundry Cookbook: "If your marinating anything with alcohol, cook the alcohol off first. Alcohol doesn't tenderize; cooking tenderizes. Alcohol in a marinade in effect cooks the exterior of the meat, preventing the meat from fully absorbing the flavors in the marinade. Raw alcohol itself doesn't do anything good to meat. So put your wine or spirit in a pan, add your aromatics, cook off the alcohol, let it cool, and then pour it over your meat. This way you have the richness of the fruit of the wine or Cognac or whatever you're using, but you don't have the chemical reaction of 'burning' the meat with alcohol or it's harsh raw flavor." Use a nonreactive container. The acids in a marinate can react with aluminum, copper, and cast iron, and give the food an off flavor. So do your soaking in plastic, stainless steel, porcelain, or, best of all, zipper bags. Pour the marinade and meat in the bag and squeeze out all the air possible and the meat will be in contact on most surfaces. Put it in the fridge and flip it over frequently. What to marinate. Thin cuts are best for marinating. Now here's a neat trick. Fresh pineapple, papaya, and ginger have enzymes that tenderize meat. Papain, the enzyme in papaya, is an enzyme in papaya and the main tenderizing ingredient in Adolph's Meat Tenderizer. These enzymes work fast. Within 30 to 60 minutes the meat is ready for the grill. Alas, pineapple and papaya add very little flavor to the meat in such a short time. Some people like the softer meat, others feel it is mushy. You decide. The enzymes are destroyed by the canning and bottling process, so be sure to use fresh pineapple, papaya, and ginger if you want the tenderizing. Go nekkid first. Chicken and turkey skin are very fatty and they are a like a condom to marinades. If soaked, they only get soggy and won't crisp properly. So if the skin won't get crispy, what's the point? Get rid of it. Skinless chicken will drink up more flavor. And it's healthier. And yes, you can get skinless meat crisp. If you must have the skin, cut it into 1/2" squares and brown it in a pan over medium heat like bacon, and use it as a garnish. Read my article on chicken skin and duck cracklins. Save money. Some recipes call for marinating in barbecue sauce. Don't do it. It's just a waste of expensive sauce because it is too thick to penetrate very far and most barbecue sauces are sweet. They can burn. Warning. Remember, all uncooked meat has microbes and spores. If your marinade recipe calls for heating it, let it cool thoroughly before using it to discourage microbial growth. Used marinades are contaminated with raw meat juices so if you plan to use it as a sauce, it must be boiled for a few minutes. Better idea: Discard it. A shortcut. If you don't want to make a marinade from scratch, just buy a bottle of your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing. The thinner the better. Salad dressings usually have all the necessary ingredients, although they tend to be too acidic, so diluting it 3:1 with water is a good idea. Just make sure you don't get the Caesar. It has cheese and anchovies in it. We don't need no cheese or no stinkin' dead fish in our pork or steak. And watch out. Some salad dressings have a lot of gums (emulsifiers) and other additives that could burn or make the meat taste funny after they are heated so it is better to make something from scratch (see the recipe below). Here's my recommendation Take my spice mix recipes and mix them with water to make a paste. Let it sit for a few hours so the water will extract flavors. While it is sitting, dry brine the meat with salt if the rub recipe does not already have salt in it. If it does, skip the dry brining. Then apply the paste to the meat and cook. Start indirect to bake in the spices, and finish direct to create a crust. Some rules of thumb if you must marinate Always marinate in the refrigerator and cover the meat so it doesn't drip on other food. Never reuse marinades. Smaller and thinner pieces marinate better since the small amount of penetration is a larger percent of the thickness, so consider cutting some meats into thin slices. Turn the meat every few hours. Marinate fish for 30 to 60 minutes at most, depending on the thickness. Zipper or resealable bags are good for marinating and they need less liquid than bowls or Tupperware. When you are done, you can throw them away. No cleanup. If you use pots, use stainless steel, glass, or ceramic. Never marinate in aluminum, cast iron, or copper. They react with the acids and salts. |
Streptococcus pyogenes is a species of Gram-positive bacterium in the genus Streptococcus. These bacteria are aerotolerant and an extracellular bacterium, made up of non-motile and non-sporing cocci. It is clinically important for humans. It is an infrequent, but usually pathogenic, part of the skin microbiota. It is the predominant species harboring the Lancefield group A antigen, and is often called group A streptococcus (GAS). However, both Streptococcus dysgalactiae and the Streptococcus anginosus group can possess group A antigen. Group A streptococci when grown on blood agar typically produces small zones of beta-hemolysis, a complete destruction of red blood cells. (A zone size of 2–3 mm is typical.) It is thus also called group A (beta-hemolytic) streptococcus (GABHS), and can make colonies greater than 5 mm in size.[1] Like other cocci, streptococci are round bacteria. The species name is derived from Greek words meaning 'a chain' ('streptos') of berries ('coccus' [Latinized from 'kokkos']) and pus (pyo)-forming(genes), because streptococcal cells tend to link in chains of round cells (see image) and a number of infections caused by the bacterium, produce pus. The main criterion for differentiation between Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. is the catalase test. Staphylococci are catalase positive whereas streptococci are catalase-negative.[2] S. pyogenes can be cultured on fresh blood agar plates. Under ideal conditions, it has an incubation period of 1 to 3 days.[3] An estimated 700 million GAS infections occur worldwide each year. While the overall mortality rate for these infections is 0.1%, over 650,000 of the cases are severe and invasive, and have a mortality rate of 25%.[4] Early recognition and treatment are critical; diagnostic failure can result in sepsis and death.[5][6] Epidemiology [ edit ] S. pyogenes typically colonises the throat, genital mucosa, rectum, and skin. Of healthy individuals, 1% to 5% have throat, vaginal, or rectal carriage. In healthy children, such carriage rate varies from 2% to 17%. There are four methods for the transmission of this bacterium: inhalation of respiratory droplets, skin contact, contact with objects, surface, or dust that is contaminated with bacteria or, less commonly, transmission through food. Such bacteria can cause a variety of diseases such as streptococcal pharyngitis, rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, and scarlet fever. Although pharyngitis is mostly viral in origin, about 15 to 30% of all pharyngitis cases in children are caused by GAS; meanwhile, 5 to 20% of pharyngitis in adults are streptococcal. The number of pharyngitis cases is higher in children when compared with adults due to exposures in schools, nurseries, and as a consequence of lower host immunity. Such cases Streptococcal pharyngitis occurs more frequently from December to April (later winter to early spring) in seasonal countries, possibly due to changing climate, behavioural changes or predisposing viral infection. Disease cases are the lowest during autumn.[7] MT1 (metabolic type 1) clone is frequently associated with invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections among developed countries. The incidence and mortality of S. pyognes was high during the pre-penicillin era, but had already started to fall prior to the widespread availability of penicillin. Therefore, environmental factors do play a role in the S. pyogenes infection. Incidence of S. pyogenes is 2 to 4 per 100,000 population in developed countries and 12 to 83 per 100,000 population in developing countries. S. pyogenes infection is more frequently found in men than women, with highest rates in the elderly, followed by infants. In people with risk factors such as heart disease, diabetes, malignancy, blunt trauma, surgical incision, virus respiratory infection, including influenza, S. pyogenes infection happens in 17 to 25% of all cases. GAS secondary infection usually happens within one week of the diagnosis of influenza infection. In 14 to 16% of childhood S. pyogenes infections, there is a prior chickenpox infection. Such S. pyogenes infection in children usually manifests as severe soft tissue infection with onset 4 to 12 days from the chickenpox diagnosis. There is also 40 to 60 times increase in risk of S. pyogenes infection within the first two weeks of chickenpox infection in children. However, 20 to 30% of S. pyogenes infection does occur in adults with no identifiable risk factors. The incidence is higher in children (50 to 80% of S. pyogenes infection) with no known risk factors. The rates of scarlet fever in UK was usually 4 in 100,000 population, however, in 2014, the rates had risen to 49 per 100,000 population. Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) usually occurs at 2 to 3 weeks after the throat infection, which is more common among the impoverished people in developing countries. From 1967 to 1996, the global mean incidence of rheumatic fever and RHD was 19 per 100,000 with the highest incidence at 51 per 100,000.[7] Maternal S. pyogenes infection usually happens in late pregnancy; at more than 30 weeks of gestation to four weeks post partum, which accounts for 2 to 4% of all the S. pyogenes infections. This represents 20 to 100 times increase in risk for S. pyogenes infections. Clinical manifestations are: pneumonia, septic arthritis, necrotizing fasciitis, and genital tract sepsis. According to a study done by Queen Charlotte’s hospital in London during the 1930s, the vagina was not the common source of such infection. On the contrary, maternal throat infection and close contacts with carriers were the more common sites for maternal S. pyogenes infection.[7] Bacteriology [ edit ] Serotyping [ edit ] In 1928, Rebecca Lancefield published a method for serotyping S. pyogenes based on its cell-wall polysaccharide,[8] a virulence factor displayed on its surface.[9] Later, in 1946, Lancefield described the serologic classification of S. pyogenes isolates based on their surface T-antigen.[10] Four of the 20 T-antigens have been revealed to be pili, which are used by bacteria to attach to host cells.[11] As of 2016, a total of 120 M proteins are identified. These M proteins are encoded by 234 types emm gene with greater than 1,200 alleles.[7] Lysogeny [ edit ] All strains of S. pyogenes are polylysogenized, in that they carry one or more bacteriophage on their genomes.[12] Some of the 'phages may be defective, but in some cases active 'phage may compensate for defects in others.[13] In general, the genome of S. pyogenes strains isolated during disease are >90% identical, they differ by the 'phage they carry.[14] Virulence factors [ edit ] S. pyogenes has several virulence factors that enable it to attach to host tissues, evade the immune response, and spread by penetrating host tissue layers.[15] A carbohydrate-based bacterial capsule composed of hyaluronic acid surrounds the bacterium, protecting it from phagocytosis by neutrophils.[2] In addition, the capsule and several factors embedded in the cell wall, including M protein, lipoteichoic acid, and protein F (SfbI) facilitate attachment to various host cells.[16] M protein also inhibits opsonization by the alternative complement pathway by binding to host complement regulators. The M protein found on some serotypes is also able to prevent opsonization by binding to fibrinogen.[2] However, the M protein is also the weakest point in this pathogen's defense, as antibodies produced by the immune system against M protein target the bacteria for engulfment by phagocytes. M proteins are unique to each strain, and identification can be used clinically to confirm the strain causing an infection.[17] Name Description Streptolysin O An exotoxin, one of the bases of the organism's beta-hemolytic property, streptolysin O causes an immune response and detection of antibodies to it; antistreptolysin O (ASO) can be clinically used to confirm a recent infection. It is damaged by oxygen. Streptolysin S A cardiotoxic exotoxin, another beta-hemolytic component, not immunogenic and O 2 stable: A potent cell poison affecting many types of cell including neutrophils, platelets, and subcellular organelles. Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SpeA) Superantigens secreted by many strains of S. pyogenes: This pyrogenic exotoxin is responsible for the rash of scarlet fever and many of the symptoms of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, also known as toxic shock like syndrome(TSLS). Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin C (SpeC) Streptokinase Enzymatically activates plasminogen, a proteolytic enzyme, into plasmin, which in turn digests fibrin and other proteins Hyaluronidase Hyaluronidase is widely assumed to facilitate the spread of the bacteria through tissues by breaking down hyaluronic acid, an important component of connective tissue. However, very few isolates of S. pyogenes are capable of secreting active hyaluronidase due to mutations in the gene that encode the enzyme. Moreover, the few isolates capable of secreting hyaluronidase do not appear to need it to spread through tissues or to cause skin lesions.[18] Thus, the true role of hyaluronidase in pathogenesis, if any, remains unknown. Streptodornase Most strains of S. pyogenes secrete up to four different DNases, which are sometimes called streptodornase. The DNases protect the bacteria from being trapped in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) by digesting the NETs' web of DNA, to which are bound neutrophil serine proteases that can kill the bacteria.[19] C5a peptidase C5a peptidase cleaves a potent neutrophil chemotaxin called C5a, which is produced by the complement system.[20] C5a peptidase is necessary to minimize the influx of neutrophils early in infection as the bacteria are attempting to colonize the host's tissue.[21] C5a peptidase, although required to degrade the neutrophil chemotaxin C5a in the early stages of infection, is not required for S. pyogenes to prevent the influx of neutrophils as the bacteria spread through the fascia.[22] Streptococcal chemokine protease The affected tissue of patients with severe cases of necrotizing fasciitis are devoid of neutrophils.[23] The serine protease ScpC, which is released by S. pyogenes, is responsible for preventing the migration of neutrophils to the spreading infection. ScpC degrades the chemokine IL-8, which would otherwise attract neutrophils to the site of infection.[21][22] Genome [ edit ] The genome of different strains were sequenced (genome size is 1.8–1.9 Mbp)[24] encoding about 1700-1900 proteins (1700 in strain NZ131,[25][26] 1865 in strain MGAS5005[27][28]). Disease [ edit ] S. pyogenes is the cause of many important human diseases, ranging from mild superficial skin infections to life-threatening systemic diseases.[2] Infections typically begin in the throat or skin. The most striking sign is a strawberry-like rash. Examples of mild S. pyogenes infections include pharyngitis (strep throat) and localized skin infection (impetigo). Erysipelas and cellulitis are characterized by multiplication and lateral spread of S. pyogenes in deep layers of the skin. S. pyogenes invasion and multiplication in the fascia can lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a life-threatening condition requiring surgery.[citation needed] [29] The bacterium is found in neonatal infections.[30] Infections due to certain strains of S. pyogenes can be associated with the release of bacterial toxins. Throat infections associated with release of certain toxins lead to scarlet fever. Other toxigenic S. pyogenes infections may lead to streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which can be life-threatening.[2] S. pyogenes can also cause disease in the form of post-infectious "non-pyogenic" (not associated with local bacterial multiplication and pus formation) syndromes. These autoimmune-mediated complications follow a small percentage of infections and include rheumatic fever and acute post-infectious glomerulonephritis. Both conditions appear several weeks following the initial streptococcal infection. Rheumatic fever is characterized by inflammation of the joints and/or heart following an episode of streptococcal pharyngitis. Acute glomerulonephritis, inflammation of the renal glomerulus, can follow streptococcal pharyngitis or skin infection. This bacterium remains acutely sensitive to penicillin. Failure of treatment with penicillin is generally attributed to other local commensal organisms producing β-lactamase, or failure to achieve adequate tissue levels in the pharynx. Certain strains have developed resistance to macrolides, tetracyclines, and clindamycin. Applications [ edit ] Bionanotechnology [ edit ] Many S. pyogenes proteins have unique properties, which have been harnessed in recent years to produce a highly specific "superglue"[31][32] and a route to enhance the effectiveness of antibody therapy.[33] Genome editing [ edit ] The CRISPR system from this organism that is used to recognize and destroy DNA from invading viruses, stopping the infection, was appropriated in 2012 for use as a genome-editing tool that could potentially alter any piece of DNA and later RNA.[34] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] |
ONDON — Jeremy Corbyn never budged. Not even Barack Obama could have convinced the Labour leader to help David Cameron make the case against Brexit. Less than a month before the historic EU referendum, the team assembled by Cameron to keep Britain in the European Union was worried about wavering Labour voters and frustrated by the opposition leader’s lukewarm support. Remain campaign operatives floated a plan to convince Corbyn to make a public gesture of cross-party unity by appearing in public with the prime minister. Polling showed this would be the “number one” play to reach Labour voters. Senior staff from the campaign “begged” Corbyn to do a rally with the prime minister, according to a senior source who was close to the Remain campaign. Corbyn wanted nothing to do with the Tory leader, no matter what was at stake. Gordon Brown, the Labour prime minister whom Cameron vanquished in 2010, was sent to plead with Corbyn to change his mind. Corbyn wouldn’t. Senior figures in the Remain camp, who included Cameron’s trusted communications chief Craig Oliver and Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign guru, were furious. Even at more basic levels of campaigning, Labour were refusing to cooperate. The party would not share its voter registration lists with Stronger In, fearing the Tories would steal the information for the next general election. “Our data is our data,” one senior Labour source said when asked about the allegation. In desperation, the Remain strategists discussed reaching out to the White House to intervene directly. Obama had met Corbyn during a trip to London in April, when the American president argued forcefully for Remain. They wondered: Maybe Obama could call the Labour leader and convince him to campaign with Cameron? Don’t bother, Labour aides told them. Nobody was going to coax their boss into sharing a public platform with Cameron. The idea was dropped before it reached the White House. “We can’t stand there every week and wail away at you for prime minister’s questions and then get on stage with you,” a senior Corbyn aide said at one tense meeting three weeks before the vote, according to a Remain source. By that point in the campaign, Cameron’s team was starting to panic. Their once-comfortable polling lead, at one time around 10 percentage points, was falling. The tide seemed to turn. Remain had built its case around a sober message centered on the economic risks of a so-called Brexit from the EU. Suddenly in the final month of the race, the message was drowned out by a rancorous argument over migration. The failed courtship of Corbyn was one of a number of problems Cameron’s seasoned political team faced, culminating in Thursday’s stunning referendum defeat and the prime minister’s early retirement from public life. More than two dozen interviews conducted over a span of months with the leaders of the Stronger In and Vote Leave campaigns, senior Downing Street officials and sources in the Conservative and Labour parties paint a picture of a Remain effort that misread the public mood and couldn't overcome numerous campaign setbacks. Hardened by close-run contests in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and last year’s general election, the strategists running Stronger In decided to follow the playbook that worked in those campaigns, particularly the 2015 Conservative sweep, and focus mainly on economic security. It failed spectacularly. The depth of public anger over the influx of workers from other EU countries, and more broadly the rejection of political and business elites, was more significant than they had anticipated. The In campaign’s warnings about the economic damage of an Out didn’t stick. A series of elaborate set pieces, of which Obama’s visit was the most extravagant, didn’t resonate with the British electorate. Prominent defections from the Cameron inner circle to the Leave side — chiefly Boris Johnson and Michael Gove — turned Vote Leave from a ragtag group into a motivated and effective opposition. The press, as expected, was hostile and Euroskeptic. By the end Cameron appeared isolated, as Tory MPs bickered among themselves — and Corbyn kept his distance. BRUSSELS DEAL ‘FLOPPED’ ltimately, Cameron only has himself to blame. Back in January 2013, the prime minister committed to an In-Out referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU. He chose to make this pledge to try to unite his Conservatives, see off a challenge from the rising populist party UKIP and put Labour, unwilling to countenance a vote on the EU, on the back foot. When Cameron triumphed in last year’s parliamentary election, becoming the first Conservative leader in 23 years to win a majority in the House of Commons, he was boxed in on Europe. He had promised voters to strike a new deal with Brussels on the British terms of membership and hold a vote before the end of 2017. Cameron found a chilly reception across the Channel to his demands. EU leaders such as Germany’s Angela Merkel wanted to help him make the case to stay in the EU. But they were also distracted by the unprecedentedly large waves of migrants flooding into the Continent and the aftershocks of the Greek debt crisis. The other 27 EU countries were reluctant to create different rules for the U.K. In particular Merkel shot down Cameron’s efforts to carve out a British exception to the EU’s freedom of citizens to work and live anywhere in the bloc. The prime minister decided to compromise. His advisers were eager to get a deal with Brussels and hold a referendum sooner than later. Delay would in their view carry higher risks. Another year of negative stories about the Continent “would absolutely destroy” his chances of winning a vote, he was told by senior figures in the Remain effort. As Brussels held its ground, Cameron dropped his manifesto commitment for new EU workers to wait four years before accessing benefits, as long as something was done to cut immigration. In February Britain and the EU struck a deal. Britain would get an “emergency brake,” allowing the U.K. to withhold access to benefits for new migrants for a one-off period of seven years. “I don’t think we ever thought this was going to be the golden chalice,” a Cameron adviser said, referring to the Obama visit in April. Cameron thought it was a good deal under the circumstances, one of his advisers said. But the British pressed panned it roundly (“Call that a deal, Dave?” the Daily Mail raged on its front page) and the Out campaigners accused him of a sellout. “It flopped, but it was sort of impossible to meet expectations,” the adviser close to Number 10 said. “[Cameron] thought he got a good deal, but for people who cared about the deal there was no deal that was ever going to be good enough.” Downing Street had no choice but to sell it anyway. Hours after Cameron returned from Brussels, the Remain campaign unleashed a media blitz that would set the tone of the next four months. ‘PROJECT FEAR’ he Stronger In campaign was led by Oliver, the former BBC editor who ran Cameron’s communications team, and Will Straw, a highly-regarded Labour policy expert and son of Jack Straw, a former Labour foreign minister. They set up in an open-plan office space in London’s financial district, with room for about 50 people. Joining Oliver and Straw were Ryan Coetzee and James McGrory, a couple of battle-hardened former aides for the Liberal Democrats, and a host of junior Labour special advisers. It was an all-star lineup of Westminster insiders. They worked long hours: Senior staff started each day with a 6:15 a.m. conference call and ended it with another at 10:20 p.m. to agree the talking points for the morning news programs. Oliver had worked closely with Lynton Crosby, the blunt-talking Australian campaign guru, on the Conservatives 2015 general election. On the mantelpiece of his spacious wood-panelled office in Downing Street sits a framed picture of the front page of the Sun the day after that unexpectedly strong victory, showing a smiling, waving Cameron next to the headline, “BLUEDINI.” (Blue being the Tory color.) With Crosby deciding not to get involved in this campaign, Cameron turned to his driven, cool-headed communications adviser to sell the case for staying. In the final weeks of the campaign, Oliver spent four-fifths of his time at Stronger In. At one point, according to a person familiar with his thinking, he planned to resign and move over entirely to the campaign, and be reemployed by the government later. He stayed with Number 10 for part of his time so he could attend meetings there. “He was believable, he was passionate, he gave everyone who was watching it a very clear message," said a Leave official, referring to Boris Johnson. Crosby may have been on the sidelines but the campaign followed his recipe: focus relentlessly on a few no-nonsense messages that resonate with people’s everyday experiences. In last year's general election, the Conservatives mercilessly played on doubts about then-Labour leader Ed Miliband’s suitability as prime minister, concerns about Labour’s record on the economy, and nervousness about the Scottish National Party potentially taking power in a coalition with Miliband. This time, Remain would focus on the economy, underline the risks of leaving, and try to win the argument early. They wanted to pin the Leave side to fighting on immigration, where they thought it would come off as negative, xenophobic, and divisive. “What we wanted to do early on was own the economy, own business, and own the fact that you’ll be better off [by voting to stay],” a senior campaign source said. “We wanted to own that very early. And I think that was successful, because that sort of pegged them back to another kind of campaign, which is essentially the [UKIP leader Nigel] Farage campaign. Which is very, very focused on immigration, very, very focused on isolating Britain from the world. Now, that is a powerful argument and has its impact, but it’s not what I think the people who were originally running Vote Leave wanted.” By the time Cameron fired the starting gun, the Remainers had honed their pitch to a couple of simple messages: Britain would be “stronger, safer and better off” in the EU, and leaving would be a “leap in the dark.” Both tested well with focus groups. Following Crosby’s instructions that “you can never fatten a pig on market day,” the campaign moved to make their case from the get-go, bombarding the TV and radio airwaves, newspapers and social media. Cameron was front and center. Often accused of complacency, or “chillaxing,” the prime minister wasn’t going to lose this fight because he wasn’t trying; Cameron “worked his arse off” to make the case, one prominent Labour figure who worked closely with the Remain campaign said. Cameron even drafted in Obama to help. The U.S. president’s warnings not to leave failed to move the polls. His intervention in April encouraged more young people to register to vote, but Obama’s blunt remark that Britain would be “at the back of a queue” for a trade deal with America if it left the union irritated many U.K. voters. “I don’t think we ever thought this was going to be the golden chalice,” one senior source close to the Downing Street operation said, but admitted the campaign operatives were disappointed that Obama didn’t give them a bump. ET TU, BORIS? hen on February 21 came Boris Johnson’s “betrayal,” as Cameron’s closest aides described it, of his old schoolmate from Oxford and Eton days. The decision by the former mayor of London, now the leading contender for Cameron’s job, to put his weight behind the Leave campaign was among the most significant moments in the campaign, one senior source close to Number 10 said. The most popular politician in the U.K., a genuine celebrity, Johnson traveled tirelessly around the country in a red bus, where his enthusiasm and personality “single-handedly transformed what was an oddball group of pretty unattractive people” into a mainstream force, a former senior Conservative adviser said. He was “indispensable” to the Leave campaign, a Leave campaign source said. Johnson’s closing speech in a BBC TV debate, two nights before Thursday's vote, in which he declared June 23 Britain’s “Independence Day,” was one of Leave’s strongest moments in the campaign, the source said. “I truly believe that that may have been one of the most significant reasons why we went over the top last night,” the Leave source said on Friday. “He was believable, he was passionate, he gave everyone who was watching it a very clear message: Here’s why you should vote for us,” the Leave insider said. “Then there was inspiration at the end. Those are all the critical components to motivating a voter to go to the polls to vote for you.” In contrast, he said, the politicians on the Remain side were “dark, they made it personal, they didn’t make it about the people of Britain and I think that hurt them tremendously.” For Cameron, Johnson’s entry into the race was a personal betrayal that cut deeply. “There is huge frustration and a feeling of betrayal with Boris that feels very personal for Cameron,” a source close to the prime minister said. Until the day of the result, the pair, who used to text each other regularly, had not spoken in months. Cameron may have seen it coming: “Boris will do whatever gets Boris the most attention,” he told Downing Street aides before his rival’s declaration. Cameron was “gleeful” when a newspaper article Johnson wrote about President Obama, labeling him “part Kenyan,” stirred controversy, according to the person close to the campaign. Cameron lost another political ally and close personal friend to the other side: Michael Gove, the justice secretary. Gove was godfather to Cameron’s late son Ivan; their wives were friends and their children play buddies. “[Cameron] had been led to believe Michael was onside,” one former Downing Street aide said. Instead, Gove had joined the charge for Brexit two days before Johnson, after months of agonizing between his loyalty to the prime minister and his fiercely Euroskeptic convictions. He and Johnson made a strong combination. MESSAGE FAILURE n a rancorous battle of assertions and slogans, Cameron’s pitch of “stronger, safer, and better off” proved to be less memorable than Vote Leave’s “Take back control.” Number 10 had underestimated the depths of public anger about Cameron’s broken promises on controlling the flow of people from the Continent. They didn’t have a convincing argument to counter it. They were “surprised and impressed” by how well Vote Leave exploited the public’s dissatisfaction with the large number of EU citizens who had come to live and work in Britain, one senior source said. “I can’t believe people are really going to vote themselves poorer because they don’t like the Poles living next door.” The beginning of “purdah,” the four-week period when civil servants and government departments were barred from political campaigning, meant Remain lost the home-field advantage of having government departments issuing reports and communications supporting its case. A run of live television events gave Vote Leave’s figureheads equal airtime in front of millions of viewers. Leave’s main talking points, including assertions that Turkey was on the brink of joining in the EU and that Britain “sends” £350 million a week to Brussels, were hotly disputed, but gained traction with voters. At the same time, only one in five of those surveyed in April believed Remain’s assertion that British households would be on average £4,300 worse off after leaving the union. Leave began aggressively pushing on migration. They got a huge boost in late May when the Office for National Statistics revealed that net migration in 2015 had hit 333,000, the second highest figure on record. Cameron’s 2010 promise to reduce the figure to the “tens of thousands” had come back to haunt him, at the worst possible moment. Migration was now central to the debate, but it was winning Leave support, not isolating them. It wasn’t just the focus on migration that led to the surge in support, a Leave campaign source said. They sought to turn voters’ concerns about it into a positive pitch: If you take back control from Brussels, you can end free movement across borders and relieve the pressure on hospitals and schools. The aim was to reassure voters it was OK to back Brexit. Their politicians were well-drilled, and stuck to the script. In one hour-long TV appearance Gove used the phrase “take back control” 23 times. Remain failed to “make the case that life for people in Britain was going to be better remaining in the EU,” said a Leave campaign insider. “They just made the case that leaving would be bad. There’s a big difference between those two things.” The Cameron-led campaign spent too much time on the defensive, the Leave insider said Friday. Its attempts to rebut the Brexiteers £350 million a week complaint underlined in many voters’ minds that Britain’s contribution to Brussels was sizeable. “The problem with that is that if I’m a voter sitting at home watching that debate, I’m still saying, ‘You know what, I don’t care if it’s £350 million or £170 million, there’s still a heck of a lot of money going to the EU to pay for things that I don’t want to pay for.’” Stronger In watched in frustration as Leave rose in the polls. “They said they wouldn’t, but their whole fucking campaign has been based on immigration,” one staffer said. They didn’t think the bounce for Vote Leave would last. “I can’t believe people are really going to vote themselves poorer because they don’t like the Poles living next door,” one former Cameron adviser said at the height of the Brexit surge. Yet in the second week of June, Leave was ahead in most published polls. Number 10 were beginning to sweat. One weekend at the height of the Brexit surge in June, Downing Street staff gathered at a wedding. The mood was bleak. “People who you wouldn’t expect to be thinking like that were worried,” one former aide said. “There was a freak out when the Leave campaign surged,” one source close to the campaign added. LABOUR BASE GOES FOR LEAVE athered in Stronger In’s campaign war room, some senior staff argued that they needed to “switch the conversation” away from warnings over the economy. Downing Street put its foot down: They’d been here before. Ignore the polls and the pundits, they reassured their colleagues. Our strategy is the right one. Momentum will swing back to the status quo. Hold your nerve. But they needed Labour to step up. Internal polling found just weeks before June 23 one in five Labour voters did not know the party’s position in the referendum. As party aides canvassed voters around the country, they discovered a deep well of concern about immigration. The base that returned the prime minister to office just a year ago was never going to be enough on its own. To avoid an exit, and save David Cameron’s job and political legacy, Remain needed to reach beyond these voters and sway older, white English voters, many of whom in the past voted Labour. The campaign found that many of them were unwilling to rally behind a prime minister they didn’t like, didn’t vote for, and whose policies had left them worse off. Other prominent Labour politicians, including former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, were willing to campaign with the Tories, but Corbyn refused to help his rival. It was widely believed that, although he agreed to publicly endorse a Remain vote that his heart wasn’t in it. An old school socialist, the Labour leader had in the past attacked the EU as an undemocratic, corporatist conspiracy that threatened workers’ rights. He never looked the part to save Cameron in a referendum the Conservative leader brought on himself. Corbyn believed that Labour’s willingness to help Cameron save the union during the Scottish independence campaign in 2014 had contributed to the party’s electoral wipeout north of the border a year later at the general election, according to a person familiar with their discussions. The Labour leader defiantly campaigned on his own — half-heartedly and ineffectively, senior figures in the Remain campaign said. (On Thursday, Labour's traditional heartlands in northern England and Wales turned strongly against the EU.) A SHOCKING KILLING he only moment in the campaign when Corbyn agreed to stand near the Prime Minister was at a tribute to the Labour MP Jo Cox, the day after her assassination on June 16. It was only then that Number 10 “accidentally” got the picture they needed of Cameron and Corbyn together, a senior campaign source said. Straw, the director of Stronger In and a close friend of Cox, had been deeply affected by the killing. On the day of the attack, he announced her murder to the staff at the campaign’s headquarters in London’s financial district. Those who were there said it was “a very emotional moment for everyone.” The killing stopped the campaign in its tracks, when Brexit appeared to be gaining momentum in the polls. Some believed Cox’s killing would change the course of the entire referendum. Yet while shocking, the shooting appears to have had little impact on the final result. After a 48-hour break in hostilities, campaigning resumed on Sunday. With only days to go, polls suggested Remain was back in front, if only just. The race seemed to be so close that campaign sources were prepared for everything from a narrow loss to a surprisingly comfortable win. Privately, insiders at Number 10 admitted they could lose. At Remain’s base, they were quietly confident. Labour voters would “come home” and back the EU as the party’s leadership wanted, they said. On the last morning of the campaign, Tony Blair visited the campaign headquarters to give the staff a last-minute pep-talk. As the polls opened, they said they believed they were heading for a victory that would keep Britain in the union. Within 24 hours, Cameron would announce his resignation. |
The education secretary said the two world wars were a reminder of how the nations of the UK 'stood together'. SWNS Education Secretary Michael Gove has told his Scottish Tory colleagues that next year's independence referendum will be a "great battle of Britain". Mr Gove, who was born in Edinburgh and raised in Aberdeen, invoked the spirit of the two world wars as an example of a time when the nations of the UK "stood together". And despite the joint campaign with Labour and the Liberal Democrats against independence, Mr Gove said a No vote would represent a Tory victory. He told the Scottish Conservative conference in Stirling that First Minister Alex Salmond was hoping to capitalise on the celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn. "Alex Salmond thinks that next year will be a date pregnant with significance because it will be the anniversary of Bannockburn," Mr Gove said. "He thinks somehow that that 700-year-old anniversary will stir Scottish hearts. But next year is the anniversary of so much more. "Next year is also the anniversary of the First World War when English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh soldiers stood together. "And next year, of course, will also be the 70th anniversary of D-Day. When this country liberated Europe from totalitarianism it was the skirl of the pipes that was heard as the first troops went ashore in Normandy; Scottish. British, Irish, united under the United Kingdom flag, determined to hold off tyranny, determined to stand up for liberty. "That is woven into who I am. Alex Salmond wants to rip that out. Let's not let him." He went on: "I believe, united, together, we will win that great battle of Britain. "We're going to win the referendum next year on Scotland's place in the United Kingdom. We're going to win it because it is Scottish Conservatives who put forward the most coherent, the most compelling, the most convincing case for our United Kingdom over the years." "When it comes to that momentous day next year when people vote, as I am convinced they will, to keep this kingdom united because we are better together, it will be our victory because it has been our party that has argued the Unionist case undimmed for years, and it is our party that is arguing the Unionist case with greater passion than ever before now." The "native good sense" of Scots means Scotland could survive as an independent nation but insisted it was better as part of the larger UK. "There's no question that Scotland could survive if it were independent," Mr Gove said. "Don't let anyone talk Scotland or the Scottish people down. We never have, we never will. But the truth is that while Scotland could survive as an independent nation, Scotland is stronger and, in particular, Britain is better when we stand together." |
President Donald Trump is rallying voters in Georgia's 6th Congressional District to "get out and vote" Republican in a special election.Tuesday's primary lumps all 18 candidates onto one ballot. Democrat Jon Ossoff needs to clear a 50 percent vote to avoid a June runoff.Polls put Ossoff in the lead, followed by four Republican candidates fighting for the number two spot.In a tweet early Tuesday, Trump urged voters not to vote for Ossoff for the House seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.Trump tweeted, "Democrat Jon Ossoff would be a disaster in Congress. VERY weak on crime and illegal immigration, bad for jobs and wants higher taxes. Say NO." In a second tweet, he wrote, "Republicans must get out today and VOTE in Georgia 6. Force runoff and easy win! Dem Ossoff will raise your taxes-very bad on crime & 2nd A." Democrats opposed to Trump have rallied behind Ossoff, who has raised more than $8.3 million.Polls opened at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and stay open until 7:00 p.m. President Donald Trump is rallying voters in Georgia's 6th Congressional District to "get out and vote" Republican in a special election. Tuesday's primary lumps all 18 candidates onto one ballot. Democrat Jon Ossoff needs to clear a 50 percent vote to avoid a June runoff. Polls put Ossoff in the lead, followed by four Republican candidates fighting for the number two spot. In a tweet early Tuesday, Trump urged voters not to vote for Ossoff for the House seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Advertisement Trump tweeted, "Democrat Jon Ossoff would be a disaster in Congress. VERY weak on crime and illegal immigration, bad for jobs and wants higher taxes. Say NO." In a second tweet, he wrote, "Republicans must get out today and VOTE in Georgia 6. Force runoff and easy win! Dem Ossoff will raise your taxes-very bad on crime & 2nd A." Democrats opposed to Trump have rallied behind Ossoff, who has raised more than $8.3 million. Polls opened at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and stay open until 7:00 p.m. AlertMe |
Not long ago, I made a comment here at T Nation that "guys just want to look fucking awesome." While it was an off-the-cuff remark, it was also sincere. It's also supported by over 10 years of reading and contributing to T Nation and personally coaching hundreds of male clients. Despite T Nation being a bodybuilding site, the vast majority of readers aren't interested in looking like bodybuilders; at least, not the pro bodybuilders of today. Instead, they want to look good. Sure, they want to be jacked, but they also want to look and feel athletic. They also want to be attractive to women. Achieving a body like this shouldn't be that difficult, and yet not many trainees attain it. I believe it's because they don't have a way to really measure or quantify their goal. This article will change that. The Problem (And The Solution) Guys who just want to look awesome run into a few problems. The first is simply the lack of information specific to that goal. Articles about how to get big arms or build a huge chest dominate magazines, books, and websites. Those are great resources, to be sure, but they leave the trainee in the unenviable position of having to develop his body piecemeal without a big picture perspective. This article will give you the specifics of how to assess your body for both symmetry and size. You'll now have a resource to help you understand if you should be focusing on arms, legs, chest, etc. No matter what program you do in the future, this article can serve as a guideline to measure against. The second – and hopefully easiest – problem to overcome is the resistance. The dearth of information from traditional sources leads the trainee to look elsewhere. The most obvious place is message boards – which should be helpful – if they weren't populated by certifiable assholes. You've seen it. Someone asks a simple question about wanting to build a body that's more like a fitness model than a bodybuilder, and he's hopelessly lambasted and ridiculed off the bandwidth. Well, that stops here. As a former fitness model and a former competitive bodybuilder, I can tell you that for most, the fitness model side is more fun. As of today, you no longer have to resort to message boards for info, so you don't have to put up with bullshit. What Looking Awesome Means The briefest definition is the best one. Looking awesome means an aesthetic physique that has a level of muscularity above most people – broad shoulders, narrow waist, big arms, and low body fat. Now, that's not really that descriptive. It gives you an overview – I'll give specifics later – but it doesn't tell you why. And in many cases the "why" is as important as the "what" and the "how." The why is this – you want to turn heads...of all types. What this means is that, ultimately, guys want to build a body that's impressive to the greatest number of their peers, and attractive to the greatest number of prospective mates. That'swhat looking awesome means. The Science of Looking Awesome Looking awesome isn't just some arbitrary set of rules that I pulled out of my ass after talking to a bunch of bubblegum-snapping girls. It's an arbitrary set of rules based on science that I happened to confirm by talking to a bunch of bubblegum-snapping girls. Big difference. I've looked at two different but not completely disparate interpretations of "the ideal" – ancient models based on a certain "golden rule" and, perhaps less esoterically, traditional "rules" of symmetry that apply specifically to bodybuilding. By combining these two, I've come up with guidelines for developing a body that will be attractive as determined by science, and impressive for it's symmetry and level of development by bodybuilding standards. In short, a full-on formula for looking awesome. The Golden Ratio The truth is, there's a science to what looks appealing, and to what looks impressive, and both of those are based on the intrinsic need to search for and appreciate symmetry. Human brains are programmed to look for symmetry and balance everywhere; programmed to be attracted to it and to try to create it. What we consider a good body is partly based on what we view as a body that projects certain characteristics of bodily symmetry. This is the result of falling in line with something of which you've undoubtedly heard: the Golden Ratio, a mathematical constant that presents itself all over nature, from flowers to pineapples, to the shells on sea creatures. In purely mathematical terms, the Golden Ratio is a comparison of any two aspects that are ideally proportioned. Algebraically, if you have two numbers, A and B, it has to be such that (A + B) divided by A = A divided by B. You remember algebra, right? Perhaps a picture would help. Numerically, this will be expressed as a comparison, which results in a ratio of 1:1.618. This appears naturally all over your body. For example, if the length of the hand has the value of 1, then the combined length of hand + forearm has the approximate value of 1.618. Similarly the proportion of upper arm to hand + forearm is in the same ratio of 1:618. Looking elsewhere on the body, the human face abounds with examples of the Golden Ratio. The head forms a golden rectangle with the eyes at its midpoint. The mouth and nose are each placed at Golden sections of the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the chin. It appears all over the human body, from the length of the arms and legs compared to the torso, and it seems to define what proportions look best, that is, most attractive. The Golden Ratio has been used to construct visions of "the ideal" since ancient times. Artists used it to create sculptures and artwork of the ideal human figure. Today, plastic surgeons and cosmetic dentists use it to restructure the human face. Regarding looking awesome, this is interpreted to apply to comparisons of certain body parts against others. This is especially true for the part about being attractive to women. When it comes to being sexually desirable to the opposite sex, it's crucial to understand that certain body dimensions are visually important from an evolutionary perspective. More than any other body parts, having shoulders that are broad relative to your waist will accomplish this. It's not only physically impressive; it's also a genetic marker of strength and virility. As you must have surmised by now, the ideal comparison between these is the Golden Ratio, or 1:1.618. Therefore, the first step in achieving a body that looks awesome is to achieve a physique where your shoulders measure 1.618 times your waist. We'll look at this in greater depth later on, but this is just step one. Bodybuilders (Used to) Know About Symmetry It's not enough to have broad shoulders and a narrow waist. It's a good start, and for creating an attractive body, it, along with low body fat, may be enough. But you want more than that. For you – for us – it's not enough to have a body that ladies like, or we'd stop once we hit Jake Gyllenhaal status. To build a body that guys respect and the ladies lust after, you'll have to take it a step further. That means building a good amount of muscle, while paying attention to symmetry and proportion. And when it comes to developing a symmetrically muscular body, there's no better source than the late Steve Reeves. One of the greatest bodybuilders of his time, Reeves is woefully tiny by any standard of modern bodybuilding. However, while the sport has passed him by in terms of sheer mass, Reeves is still known today for his symmetry and the aesthetic appeal of his physique. Now, it must be noted that there are a lot of different formulas and methods that bodybuilders have used over the years to determine ideal measurements. But since Reeves is always the "go-to" reference for the ideal, I prefer his formulas, which, although a bit too specific, are based on muscle-to-bone ratios. Reeves' Ratios Arm size = 252% of wrist size Calf size = 192% of ankle size Neck Size = 79% of head size Chest Size = 148% of pelvis size Waist size = 86% of pelvis size Thigh size = 175% of knee size For anyone outside of competitive bodybuilding, this level of detail is unnecessary, particularly regarding measuring calves, waist, and neck. Measuring waist size is necessary, but I don't like the way it's set up in Reeves' view, because your waist size probably isn't changing (more on that later). As for calves and neck, for the sake of simplicity, it's effective to simply try to have them match the upper arms to the greatest degree possible. Putting together the best of the Golden Ratio and Reeves' theories, we'd have a custom formula. Roman's Ratios for Looking Awesome Arm size = 252% of wrist size Calf size = Equal to arm size Neck Size = Equal to arm size Waist size = Lean condition w\waist (LCW) Shoulder Size = 1.618 x LCW (Golden Ratio) Thigh size = 175% of knee size The Specifics of Measurement Knowing the formula(s) is one thing, employing them is another. Thankfully, it's not hard to do. Here's a quick guide for how to get started. Everything Begins with a Constant The first thing you'll notice about the formula for looking awesome is that many of the measurements are based on the results of other measurements; meaning that to get everything right, you'll have to first measure those that don't change. These are called "constants" because they're always the same. Your wrist, for example, is going to measure the same for your entire adult life. The same for your knee. To begin, take both of these measurements, starting with the knee. Once you have that, follow the formula and determine the goal girth for your quad. Next, measure the wrist of your non-dominant hand. Using the formula, you'll be able to determine the goal measurement for your upper arm, which also gives you the goal girth for your neck and calves. This is pretty self-explanatory. It becomes more difficult when we're talking about your waist. As mentioned earlier, you want to measure something constant, something unchanging, and yet as anyone who's gone on a diet can attest, your waist circumference can vary heavily. However, notwithstanding a bit of muscular hypertrophy from years of heavy squats and deadlifts, the actual waist circumference of a natural lifter isn't going to change very much for any reason other than fat gain. That's the way I want you to measure your lean condition waist, or LCW. Your LCW is the measurement of your waist when you're dieted down to the leanest condition you could comfortably maintain. This means that if you feel confident that, with the goal of looking awesome, you could conceivably get to and maintain about 10% body fat, measure your waist when you're in THAT condition. From here, you take the measurement of your LCW and multiply it by 1.618. This number is the goal measurement for the circumference of your shoulders (measured around your body, by another person). Keep in mind, that to create a physique that's most aesthetically pleasing, you want to achieve proportions that fit as closely to the Golden Ratio as possible. So, do not, for example, measure your waist when you're the leanest you've ever been, unless you plan on staying there. Doing so will skew the measurement for your shoulder circumference goal. The physique you build should be sustainable. An Awesome Example Colin is one of my online clients. He's been training with me for about three months and has dropped over 40 pounds. Now that we've gotten him past the "basic" part of his programming for fat loss, it's time to start gearing things towards the end goal of looking awesome. Here are Colin's current stats: Weight: 213 pounds BF: 14% Waist: 36.5" Shoulders: 50.5" Wrist: 7.5" Upper arm: 17" Calf: 17" Neck: 18" Knee: 15" Thigh: 23" The first thing we do is note the knee measurement, which is 15 inches. Next up is the thigh. According to the formula, Colin should aim for a thigh circumference of 26 inches. With 3 inches to go, Colin's got some work to do. Moving to Colin's wrists, his measures 7.5 inches, meaning the goal for his upper arm would be 19 inches. Based on that, he'd also want to aim for 19 inches for his calves and neck. Next is his waist. His current waist is 36.5 inches, but he's also 14% body fat. He's got about 30 pounds of fat on his body, and since his limb measurements aren't overly large, we can surmise that he's holding most of his fat in his midsection. We'll make a conservative estimate that at 10% body fat (his goal) Colin's waist will be about 32 inches. Using the Golden Ratio, that would place his ideal shoulder circumference (measured around the shoulders, with arms at sides) at around 51.75 inches. All told, here's a comparison of where Colin is versus his ideal stats: Body Part Measured Current Goal Difference Needed Waist 36.5 32 (Assumed Constant) -4.5 Shoulders 50.5 51.75 +1.25 Wrist 7.5 (Constant) 7.5 (Constant) N/A Upper Arm 17 19 +2 Calf 17 19 +2 Neck 18 19 +1 Knee 15 (Constant) 15 (Constant) N/A Thigh 23 26 +3 The plan of attack for Colin and I is pretty obvious. First, we diet him down to 10%, taking steps not to lose any mass. We establish his actual LCW (which I suspect will be 32"). From there, we start general bulking cycle, during which he should fill out his shoulders to the ideal measurement, as well as add some size to his neck. After reassessment, we engage in a number of specialization programs, hitting each body part piecemeal. If he dedicated himself to it from the time he gets to 10%, Colin should hit all the goals above, or at least come as close as he feels necessary within one to two years, less in some cases, more in others (assuming set-backs, etc.). While it's certainly not a "quick fix" Colin will have a plan of attack and know exactly what to focus on to bring his physique to the next level. He'll have an exact blueprint for looking awesome. An Addendum for Arms: Allowing for Differences in Height and Joint Size One of the (very few) benefits of being a short guy is that you tend to be more successful in muscle-building endeavors. Not only are you blessed with a shorter ROM (allowing bigger weights to be used) and put muscle on faster, muscle also looks bigger on you. Put another way, less muscle is necessary to make a shorter frame look muscular. On the other hand, a taller guy will need to gain a significant amount more muscle, and usually achieve a greater level of development, to appear equally muscular. For example, a 16" upper arm on a guy who's 5'7" will look huge. It won't be nearly as impressive on someone 6'2". It's important to mention this because the above formulas are based on the constants I mentioned before. However, some tall guys have small joints, which means that even if a taller guy achieves the level of development that formulas say is appropriate for his wrist size, his upper arms might still appear relatively small. To that, I've come up with a little cheat sheet for arm size based on height. It's not exact, of course, but it gives you a guideline. While I still recommend starting with the previous formulas, when it comes to arm size, the following chart will give you a general recommendation for size based on your height. Even if your joints suggest something else, if you stick to this chart, your arms will be large and developed enough to be considered "big" or "impressive" for your height. Now, your arms won't look hyooooge; however they'll be impressive enough to catch some looks, get touched by the ladies at bars, and you'll still be able to fit into a suit jacket. Height Arm Size Height Arm Size 5'5" or below 15 5'10" –5'11.5" 16.75" – 17" 5'5" – 5'7" 15" – 15.5" 6' – 6'1" 17.25" – 17.5" 5'7'' – 5'8" 15.5" – 16" 6'1.5" – 6'2.5" 17.5" – 18" 5'8.5" – 5'9.5" 16" – 16.5" 6'3" – 6'4" 18.5" – 19" Here's a brief example to illustrate. One of my readers is a young guy named Ted, whose height measures at 5'4.5" – not a tall guy by any stretch (pun intended), but he has the advantage of a shorter ROM, so chances are he can out-bench you. Plus, he has another advantage – within the lifespan of his training, he's going to achieve arms that are "big"a lot faster than someone whose 6'3"! We won't get into his entire breakdown, but his wrist measures 6.5 inches, and so according to my (and Reeves') formula, his ideal arm measurement would be 16 inches. Now that's a decent sized arm by most standards, but for a guy Ted's height, it'll look massive. By way of comparison, famed bodybuilder Franco Columbu was listed at 5'5" and his arm measurement of 18" is widely considered to have been an exaggeration – chances are he was closer to 17". Either way, they looked colossal. This means that for Ted, whose current arm measurement is just under 14 inches, 'big' arms could measure 15 inches or above, meaning he's not far off. Again, what's ideal is relative to other measurements, and so height counts for a lot and often affects the goal more than joint size. Final Thoughts on Looking Awesome Okay Champ, you're all set. You've got your step-by-step system to keep you on the right path to looking awesome. Once you've taken your measurements, you'll know exactly what your goals should be for your arms, legs, shoulders; your overall physique. Remember, any good program can make you muscular and lean, but by following the above advice, you'll be well developed and symmetrical, and aesthetically impressive in every sense of the word. You'll have a physique that ladies love, and even the biggest internet hater will respect. In short, you will look awesome. |
It’s official. I love quinoa. I once was lost but now I’m found, and my want and willingness to use this grain has done a 180. This just comes to show you that if at first you might not like something, all it takes is a couple of tries and a new way to look at it and you’re hooked (just make sure this is something healthy first)! Instead of just having quinoa for dinner or lunch, I now try to think of new and fun ways to incorporate it into different types of meals, like breakfast. I first tried having quinoa for breakfast when I made my Cinnamon French Toast Breakfast Quinoa, and after my first bite I was hooked. Since then I have had this meal almost 2-3 times a week, making a large batch of it one night or morning, and then storing it in the fridge to have it at my convenience. After enjoying this recipe so much, I knew I had to try out a different variation. I bought some pure cocoa powder for Valentine’s Day and thought that quinoa and cocoa might go pretty well together. Turns out…. it does. I soon realized I had some lite coconut milk leftover from the dinner the night before, and thought this could go great with the cocoa powder and maybe some almonds. This then resulted in a breakfast I now call…Almond Joy Breakfast Quinoa (the name totally fits if I say so myself). I am so loving this recipe right now, and I really can’t get enough of it. I make a big batch that will last at least 3 days (I triple or quadruple the recipe) so I don’t even have to think about breakfast in the morning or most of the nights before. Doing this allows me (and you) to have a simple, quick and healthy meal for breakfast that provides our bodies with optimal nutrition. Complete Protein (check). Fiber (check). Healthy Fuel/Complex Carbs (check). B vitamins (check). Vitamin E (check). Freakin Delicious (check). Do I need to say more?? Like always, this recipe is very simple to make and nourishing for our bodies and minds. It just involves a few simple steps of measuring, stirring, simmering and then eating. Like how easy is that?? It also stores very well in the fridge for about a week and a half and I promise if you bring this to work (or near other people), erryybody will my J-E-A jealous! So time to put on your quinoa crown and get cookin because this Almond Joy Breakfast Quinoa is totally calling your name! |
1) Introduction: Sam Shields got the big contract to start off the season and this was time for him to show he was worth it. Would Sam Shields be 6th best cornerback in the league, like his 2014 salary indicated? 2) Profile: Samuel George Shields III Age: 27 Born: December 8, 1987 in Sarasota, FL Height: 5’11” 5’11” Weight: 184 184 College: Miami Miami Rookie Year: 2010 2010 NFL Experience: 5 Career Stats and more 3) Expectations coming into the season: Live up to the contract. The Packers made a pretty interesting call by resigning Shields to a 4-year $39 million contract at the start of free agency, which has been mentioned on this blog as high but flexible in terms of guaranteed money. Therefore, it becomes imperative that Shields justify his contract every year in order to stay on the team since Shields signed for the lowest amount of guaranteed money of the 2013 free agent cornerbacks. Overall, that didn’t work out for Shields as he recorded one of his worst seasons. While Micah Hyde went from really good to really bad (which gives him an F), Sam Shields went from average in 2013 to bad in 2014, which while still not as bad of a fall from grace as Hyde still deserves a flunking score. Shields needed to play much better to show he was worth the money and he didn’t deliver. 4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Shields’ highlight was his interception against the Bears (again everyone seems to have their highlight against the Bears this year) where he returned a interception 62 yards. As for lowlights, it definitely appeared as if Shields wasn’t healthy coming back from his concussion as Julio Jones continually roasted him in week 14 against the Falcons. Personally, I would put more of the blame on the Packers training staff and coaches for putting a player who was definitely out of it on the field, but nevertheless, it was probably one of the worst games Shields has ever played. 5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Below average. It’s a little interesting to note that while the Packers and Packers fans seem to think that Shields is one of the better cornerbacks in the league (and he’s being paid like one), in reality Shields has only had one really good season (2012, though he missed the middle of the season due to injury) and the rest he’s been incredibly up and down. In 2014 he did have some good performances, but overall he had many more poor ones which ultimately resulted in his poor grading. 6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Shields was largely average in the playoffs, not really making much of a name for himself in either regard. 7) Intangibles: Shields is getting to that point where speed starts to decline and it will be interesting to see if he has more tricks in his bag other than his blazing recovery. More and more teams are abandoning the “deep threat” (such as Mike Wallace/Torrey Smith) receiver in favor of mismatch receivers (such as Jimmy Graham/Alshon Jefferies) so it will become imperative that Shields refine his technique and rely less on his speed. Season Report Card (Player Grades): (F) Level of expectations met during the season (D+) Contributions to team’s overall success. (C+) Contributions to team during the playoffs Overall Grade: D —————— Thomas Hobbes is a staff writer for Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com. —————— |
Trump will keep Russia sanctions 'for period of time' Trump will keep Russia sanctions 'for period of time' Donald Trump has said he will keep sanctions against Russia in place "at least for a period of time". However, the President-elect told the Wall Street Journal that he might do away with the sanctions if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and achieving other goals. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Mr Trump also told the newspaper he is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin some time after he is sworn in on 20 January. "I understand that they would like to meet, and that's absolutely fine with me," he said. The sanctions were imposed by the Obama administration in late December in response to Moscow's alleged cyberattacks during the election campaign. They targeted the GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies that the US said were involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other groups. The US also kicked out 35 Russian diplomats who it said were actually intelligence operatives. :: When does Donald Trump become President? The remarks by Mr Trump come at a time when alleged ties between his campaign and Russia - and his own friendly posture toward Moscow - have come under intense scrutiny. On Friday it emerged that Mr Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and Russia's ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, have been in frequent contact in recent weeks, including on the day the Obama administration imposed the sanctions. While it is not unusual for incoming administrations to have discussions with foreign governments before taking office, the timings of the contacts would raise questions about whether Mr Trump's team discussed Russia's response to the measures. Mr Trump has promised a friendlier relationship with Moscow. "If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability, because we have a horrible relationship with Russia," he said on Wednesday during his first news conference since the election. He repeatedly dismissed US intelligence agencies' assertions about Russia's role in the hacking of Democratic groups, though he acknowledged for the first time during the news conference that he accepts that Moscow was behind the hacking. Trump likens dossier leak to Nazi Germany tactics Mr Trump has rejected as "fake news" a report that includes unsubstantiated claims that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial information about him. He blamed the report on "sleazebag political operatives". The report was put together by a former British spy, Christopher Steele, who is now thought to have fled his Surrey home fearing for his and his family's safety. Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans - FAKE NEWS! Russia says nothing exists. Probably... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2017 It now turns out that the phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2017 In the interview with the WSJ, Mr Trump also said he would not commit to the "One China" policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices. "Everything is under negotiation including One China," he said. The US acknowledgement of the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China had underpinned relations between Washington and Beijing for decades. Mr Trump already angered the Chinese by taking a congratulatory phone call after his election win from Taiwan's leader and questioning the "one China" policy. Watch live coverage of the inauguration on Sky News from 3pm and Sky Atlantic from 4pm on 20 January. Adam Boulton will be in the US to present a special Sky News programme - Trump: America's President - every day next week from midnight. Read more: :: A guide to Donald Trump's inauguration :: Trump looking increasingly isolated on Russia :: Sky Views: Trump dossier seems plausible, if unproven |
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” This is just one of the many often-quoted statements from the Dalai Lama that continue to land him on top of global lists of influential and inspiring world religious leaders. For several years now, Watkins Magazine has placed the Dalai Lama at the top of their list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. He was #1 in 2015, 2014, 2013 (when Thich Nhat Hanh was #2!), and 2012. In their 2016 list, published earlier this month, the Tibetan spiritual leader is once again #1. From their website’s 2015 list: Born in Taktser, Tibet/ 6 July 1935 (Cancer/Pig) / Spiritual Leader Born Lhamo Dondrub, Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. Tibetan Buddhists believe him to be a reincarnation of his predecessors and the Buddha of compassion. He is a vocal activist for Tibetan independence and has made an incredible contribution to global spirituality. During his first trip to the University of Minnesota in 2011, he was given their highest award, an Honorary Doctor of Letters. On his return trip to Minnesota in March 2014, he spoke at Macalester College which awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. In September 2014, the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published an interview with the Dalai Lama where he stated “the institution of the Dalai Lama has served its purpose”, adding that “We had a Dalai Lama for almost five centuries. The 14th Dalai Lama now is very popular. Let us then finish with a popular Dalai Lama.” The Chinese government responded by saying they would select their own Dalai Lama regardless of his decision. 2014 also saw the release of the documentary film Monk with a Camera and the film Dalai Lama Awakening.His latest book Buddhism: One Teacher,Many Traditions, written with Thubten Chodron, was published in hardback in December. (www.dalailama.com). Other notable Buddhists/Buddhist-inspired individuals include: Did I miss any? Several others could be included in the “influence by” category, as that allows for plenty of grey area. If you think any of the others listed at Watkin’s Spiritual 100 List of 2016 should be included here, drop a note in the comments below. Watkins Magazine is produced by the Watkins Bookshop, London’s oldest bookshop specializing in esotericism, mysticism, occultism, Asian religions and contemporary spirituality. According to their website, the criteria – along with being alive as of Jan 1st – are: The person has to have made a unique and spiritual contribution on a global scale The person is frequently googled, appears in Nielsen Data, has a Wikipedia page, and is actively talked about throughout the Internet. By taking into account the amount of times that a person is googled or how many times their Wikipedia profile is viewed, the list gains a highly democratic and transparent parameter. Additionally, we were highly selective in creating this list and did our best to remove candidates who spread messages that were hateful or intolerant. Ultimately, this list is meant to celebrate the positive influence of today’s spiritual teachers. Stay in touch with American Buddhist Perspectives on Facebook: |
PushBullet has made a name for itself by making it painless to move files from your computer onto your phone. Now the app is taking a bold step towards making it just as easy to move data in the opposite direction. The latest update to version 11.3 introduces push-to-Chrome, a promised feature that should make it possible to get links, notes, pictures, and other content onto any computer running Chrome. The update also introduces the ability to push lists for the first time, and when you create a new push using the app, you can now select what you want to push directly. To get up and running, you will need to install the latest version of the PushBullet Chrome extension, version 1.4.20. Anything you push to Chrome will show up as a notification, just as it does on Android. Content will open up in the appropriate locations, with links going to tabs, addresses launching Google Maps, and pictures pop up immediately. And after you've accessed any of these notifications, you can still pull them up on the PushBullet website. What's new: You can now push to Chrome on your computer with our updated Chrome extension! We've made pushing pictures and files easier It's now possible to push lists from in the app Other little bug fixes :) All of this is free to use, so head over to the Play Store and give it a try. As for what's coming next, check out our in-depth chat with the folks behind PushBullet. |
(c) Alex Furman The Practice of Photography Why Everyone Should do It. Yes, Everyone. Alex Furman Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 18, 2013 Nowadays, everyone is a photographer. It all started with auto-focus, auto-exposure, and 35mm film. Or, maybe, it all started with medium format roll film and hand-held light meters. After all, before medium format came about, just operating a camera, as in consistently being able to produce an in-focus and properly exposed (whatever that means) image took significant up-front training. Then it all went downhill with the introduction of the comparatively user-friendly Rolleiflexes and Hasselblads, not to mention the Leicas, and the Nikons, and the Canons that soon followed. The Craft was now accessible to the unwashed masses. It would never be the same. This is the best thing that happened to photography. Some will place the blame squarely at the feet of cheap and ubiquitous digital cameras that flooded the markets some 10 (or so) years ago and lowered the barrier to entry even further. Now, suddenly, a click of the shutter had no variable cost associated with it. You still have to pay for equipment, sure, but once you own it, you can click away until the cows come home, producing masterpiece after masterpiece and flooding the Internets (which, we all know, are a series of tubes) with countless kittens, flowers, and sunsets. Now we have legitimately capable cameras in our cell-phones, complete with filters and functions that make pictures look “artsy” with a click of a button. Another click of a button, and they’re on the web for all to see and appreciate. Everyone starts with kittens, even if they don’t know it. Some particularly mindful beginners try to pass go and collect two hundred bucks by graduating immediately to colorful and weathered faces of local homeless people, scenes of urban decay, or blurry nudes. These people look down upon the shooters of flowers and sunsets from their position of great enlightenment. They’re Artists, you see, and don’t want to be associated with the housewives and the Japanese tourists. The thing is that, in essence, they’re still shooting kittens, or whatever equivalent of kittens that happens to float their boat. They’re going after the low-hanging fruit, the subjects that don’t require skill to capture effectively. More importantly, these subjects don’t require any special skill to identify. It’s worth mentioning that not everyone is like that. Some are talented enough, or skilled enough visually (a background in any other visual artform does wonders here) that they really do produce truly compelling work almost as soon as they pick up a camera. They’re few and far between. They often wind up becoming truly great if they stick with it. I’m definitely not one of those people. I’ve spent years on kittens, both literal and metaphorical. One thing that’s important to understand is that the technique of photography is relatively simple and easy to learn. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand how the amount and quality of light, be it natural or artificial, and things like shutter speed, sensitivity, and aperture size play together to create the final image. Here, once again, there are exceptions; high-speed photography, for example, can get pretty tricky. All in all, though, this is stuff anyone can learn fairly quickly and then, like most complex skills, spend the rest of their lives mastering. This is easiest with digital, but even learning how to operate fully-manual cameras, bellows and sheet-film holders and all, is fairly simple. I’ve done it. So can you. Photography, mostly, is not about technique. It requires technique, but technique is also the easy part and it; alone, won’t get you anywhere. This brings me back to the beginning. There’s one thing that practicing photography does to you that is immensely valuable and often overlooked. It forces you to see the world around you in a completely different way. It teaches you to find beauty and impact and symbolism in places that most people wouldn’t grace with a second look. Photography teaches you to pay attention and to appreciate. It’s about seeing much more than it is about capturing what you see. If you’re into taking pictures that are pretty, it makes the world around you prettier. This doesn’t have to be all about beauty, however. It’s about intensity. Practicing photography in a mindful way makes the world around you more visually stimulating and your experiences richer. You may never produce the next Moon over Hernandez, your work may not grace the walls of major museums (though it may - you never know) but you will, if you do this right, get more out of life. Picking up the camera was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Yes, it took me years and years of kittens and sunsets, but, in the end, it transformed me in a very profound way. It really did make me better at living. |
David Branch is headed back to the UFC. The former World Series of Fighting light heavyweight and middleweight champion has signed a new multi-fight contract with the promotion, MMA Fighting has learned. While Branch’s return fight in the UFC has yet to be finalized, sources say they are currently targeting May. He is expected to compete in the middleweight division. Branch (20-3) returns to the UFC a winner of his last 10 fights in a row. He recently left WSOF after an an undisclosed issue with the promotion before and after his New Year’s Eve win over Louis Taylor. “Here’s the thing, it was just a lot of things that went on that night, and like right now ... it’s just really complicated,” he said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. “If I’m coming into a show, okay, and I’m coming in to fight my opponent, that should be the only opponent I have to worry about fighting. I shouldn’t have to worry about politics, I shouldn’t have to worry about all these other things. I’m not going to go into details, but these are somethings the things fighters have to face. “My reasons for leaving are a bit similar. I’m not going to go into detail, but that’s just one of those things that happens. This is the fight game. It gets crazy sometimes. Sometimes promoters have problems with fighters, and sometimes fighters have problems with promoters.” Branch left the UFC in 2011 after going 2-2 inside the Octagon. Since then, he’s won 12 of 13 fights, with his lone loss coming against Anthony Johnson in 2012. |
Web activists are starting to count down to new net neutrality rules. One month before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to vote on new rules to treat the Internet like a utility, activists participating in the Battle for the Net campaign have launched an online countdown clock that they are making available for sites across the Web. ADVERTISEMENT “We are closer than ever to winning real net neutrality protections that will keep the Web open for generations to come, and the Internet is literally counting down the seconds,” said Evan Greer, campaign director for Fight for the Future, said in a statement. “We call on Internet users, cat video posters, music bloggers, YouTube karaoke stars, and major websites to unite for one more epic push to make sure that the FCC does the right thing and that corrupt members Congress can’t derail the process.” The liberal political site Daily Kos was the first to post the countdown, the campaign said. Liberal Internet activists have been incredibly influential in the run up to the FCC’s vote on new rules. Activists supporting reclassification of Internet service under Title II of the Communications Act helped drive nearly a record-setting number of comments to the FCC’s site over the past year. Thousands of websites also participated in a symbolic slowdown of the Web last year, designed to raise alarms about possible concerns of weak net neutrality regulations. Those actions helped prompt many Democratic lawmakers and President Obama to push the FCC to embrace utility-style rules. Many expect the commission to take that step in its vote on Feb. 26, despite opposition from Republicans in Congress. |
See the rest of TIME’s Top 10 of Everything 2013 lists here 10. Doge Following in the footsteps of their interspecies friends Lolcats, Shiba Inu dogs have become the latest animals to be associated with poor spelling skills. Called “Doge,” an obvious misspelling of the species stemming from the dimwitted look on the face of its original Shiba model, the meme knows no bounds – it goes anywhere a Shiba can. The focus is the hilarious, misspelled inner monologue of the Shiba (also misspelled as Shibe) that surrounds the image, using grammatically-flawed phrases like “such wow” or “so scare.” Adding to its street cred, the Doge meme found its way into an ad released by food-delivery website Seamless in September, a non-sequitur to say the least, but still a winning combination. 9. “I Quit” Dance Video We all wish we could quit in such grandiose style. That’s why Marina Shifrin’s daring move was embedded into our public consciousness this year. Shifrin, who worked as an animator with Taiwanese company Next Media Animation posted a video of her resigning from her job on YouTube. The construction was simple – Shifrin danced goofily to the aptly-chosen “Gone” by Kanye West while subtitles explained her reasons for quitting. Her video came full circle when her former coworkers posted a retort – a video filmed in the same style, with the same underlying track, announcing that they’re hiring. It wasn’t all for naught, though – Shifrin quickly received job offers from around the world. 8. Obama Goes Skeet Shooting The White House Really, the White House was damned if they did, and damned if they didn’t. In response to skeptics who didn’t believe that Obama goes skeet shooting “all the time,” the administration released a photo of the president shooting clay targets at Camp David. The Flickr photo came with a disclaimer three times longer than the photo caption itself warning people not to manipulate the photo, but it struck many as a challenge instead of a demand. Within days, Obama could be seen online firing a toy gun with a “BANG” flag, holding the rifle backwards or aiming it at the Constitution. But even a photo of Obama holding a gun wasn’t enough to appease the NRA, who fired back, saying one picture wasn’t enough to erase his “lifetime” of supporting gun bans. 7. Marco Rubio’s Water Break One small sip for the Florida senator, and one giant outburst of laughter for armchair pundits. Rarely does such a monotonous action gain so much viral traction, but then again, rarely does someone lunge so awkwardly for a sip of water. When a parched Marco Rubio paused his State of the Union rebuttal to grab a drink from a tiny Poland Spring water bottle, it was quickly labeled the new “Watergate” (har har). Cue the parody Twitter accounts: @SenRubiosWater and @MarcosH2OBottle found their moment in the fleeting Twitter spotlight with one-liners like “Stay thirsty, my friends” and jokes about his “drinking problem.” But by night’s end, it seemed like there was only one response we hadn’t heard: Poland Spring’s. Not to worry, a day later, an image appeared on Facebook as they basked in the glory of free publicity. 6. Unflattering Beyonce Chris Graythen / Getty Images When Beyonce took center stage at the Super Bowl in February, it was hot, sweaty, chaotic and fast-paced, and photographers were capturing her every move. But when BuzzFeed published a selection of the “fiercest” Beyonce moments, the website received a stern phone call from Queen Bey’s publicist, who demanded they remove photos she deemed “unflattering.” This only fueled the fire. The more illicit the images seemed, the more we wanted to see them. Beyonce with her mouth agape or with a scowl on her face or mid-squat. Photoshoppers were in full force, depicting the superstar as a hulking weightlifter and as ET. That’s probably why she made her World Tour this year closed to press photographers. 5. Derp Brendan McDermid / Reuters “Derp,” a colloquial reply to an ignorant or asinine statement, has finally found its moment in the spotlight. Though the term has been around since at least 1998, you know it’s hit its peak when it appears in the New York Times used by a Nobel Prize-winning economist. Indeed, 2013 may have felt like the year of one giant derp in Washington, as partisanship reached new peaks and a government shutdown became reality. It’s a word with real-world application despite its grade-school sound. Derp found its way into the pages of the Oxford Dictionaries Online, vouching for its widespread use and perhaps seeking a way to make the world a little less derpy. 4. Manti Teo‘s Fake, Dead Girlfriend Mike Blake / Reuters At first we weren’t sure if we should laugh or feel sorry for Manti Te’o. The Notre Dame football player rocketed to fame when his girlfriend and grandmother supposedly passed away on the same day in September 2012, but he didn’t skip a beat to mourn. When the story broke in January that Te’o’s girlfriend Lennay Kekua likely didn’t exist after all, our heads spun as we tried to make sense of the news. Were we being played by Te’o, or was he being played, too? It turned out to be a classic case of Catfishing, but this time it was with a public personality. Next came the jokes: The act of Te’oing (think Tebowing) was spawned where people took photos of themselves posing with an arm around an invisible girlfriend. In May, men’s magazine Maxim bested us all by including Te’o’s girlfriend on its annual “Hot 100” list — offering a photo of a black bikini suspended in thin air. If only Kekua had been so revealing in the first place. TIME reporter Jack Dickey, who was part of the Deadspin team that broke the Manti Te’o scandal, looks back at the year’s most perplexing sports story. 3. Sharknado SyFy Sharks. Tornadoes. Tara Reid. Rare is the film that combines three can’t-look-away elements in one awesomely campy package. The funny thing was: it sort of crept up on us. There wasn’t much advertising or social-media buzz in the days leading up to the Syfy airing in July, but it caused a veritable tweet-nado (sorry) when it aired. Celebrities like Mia Farrow and Olivia Wilde shared their glee while watching the C-list movie, and millions of fans got in on the discussion by suggesting puntastic names for a sequel. The –nado suffix then found its way into arenas much drier than the entertainment world — everything from Obamacare to the gridlock in Washington adopted the swirling, spinning, harrowing term. While the show ended up not doing well in the TV ratings, it still spawned an eye-rolling sequel, Sharknado 2: The Second One, which is bound to spark more shark-centric conversation when it storms into movie theaters in July 2014. 2. Harlem Shake It’s no surprise that the simplest videos are the easiest ones to recreate. Take an obscure electronic song from a no-name artist, add some wacky costumes and an over-the-top dance style, and do it in front of a camera. The “Harlem Shake” craze (no, not the 1980s’ shoulder-shaking shimmy dance of the same name) begins with a group of bored-looking people going about their daily business until they’re interrupted by a wild masked dancer jamming to the song’s bass-heavy beat. But when the song’s only complete sentence is uttered – “do the Harlem Shake” – everyone breaks out in a wild dance. And groove we did. Offices, frat parties, late-night talk shows and soldiers all got in on the action. We shook underwater, on live news sets, in fire trucks and even while skydiving. The Harlem Shake consumed every possible locale and was stuck in our heads for the first few months of this year. And then, just as quickly, we grooved ourselves out of it. 1. Twerking Lloyd Bishop / NBC / Getty Images Twerking has been namechecked by artists from the Ying Yang Twins to Beyonce for more than a decade, but Miley Cyrus made it a household name this year — in fact, months before her now infamous August VMA performance. In March, she shamelessly released a video of her butt-bouncing moves in a unicorn onesie, and by May, 33 high school students copied her and got suspended for it. In September, 300 “dancers” in New York City set a world record for the largest twerking crowd. Even Rapper Juicy J got into it and reportedly offered a $50,000 college scholarship to the best twerker. If that wasn’t mainstream enough for you, the wordsmiths at Oxford Dictionaries thought it should be preserved for posterity, adding the word to its online pages. That way we’ll never forget — but in reality, how could we? Think we missed something? Tell us using hashtag #TIME2013 Follow @TIME Next Top 10 Viral Videos |
Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Hillary Clinton has a sneaky plan to become the next president — get a conservative third-party candidate in the race to draw votes away from the Republican nominee. Clinton campaign strategists have concluded Hillary will easily be nominated in 2016, but cannot win the general election in a head-to-head matchup, Richard Turley reports on orbmagazine.com. “They are reaching out to Wall Street allies to do ‘black-ops’ funding for a run by Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum or Herman Cain,” a source told Orb. Hillary’s approval rating is stuck at 43 percent, not enough to win a two-person race for president. But, oddly enough, Bill Clinton got elected in 1992 with 43 percent, when independent candidate Ross Perot grabbed nearly 19 percent of the popular vote — most of it from those who would’ve voted for incumbent President George H.W. Bush. |
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias Tuberosa) is a native plant that creates a wonder area of your garden for monarch butterflies. The Growers Exchange wants to encourage our gardening friends to set aside a sunny space in their gardens to help these majestic butterflies thrive and slow the decline of their population. The bad news: there can be no question that natural habitats, areas where monarch butterflies live, are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Habitat destruction, defined as changing an area in which a plant, animal or other organism lives to the point where that species can no longer survive. The destruction is generally described as either actual destruction, degradation or fragmentation. In the case of the Monarch butterfly, the major threat to their survival is the loss of milkweed habitat, which is an essential plant in their life cycle. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the counts of Monarch butterflies are trending down sharply, and their migration is now under threat. The good news: restoration of habitat can be achieved with very little effort on the part of concerned gardeners. You can easily offset this loss of a critical host plant in your own yard by planting milkweed, the vital host plant for Monarch butterflies. We are offering our customers a chance to help by encouraging the sale and planting of these vital plants: What is a Monarch Butterfly Host Plant? Monarch larvae feed exclusively on Milkweed plants, and we grow a native Milkweed species: Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias Tuberosa) that has been recommended by Monarch Watch, Wild Ones and the North American Butterfly Association. The Monarch Life Cycle: Arrival: In February and March, the Monarch butterflies that have been hibernating in Mexico and California begin to ‘wake up’ in order to find a mate, and begin their northward journey. Once they arrive, the female will lay her eggs on the Milkweed host plant. Once laid, in 3 to 4 days the eggs move into the caterpillar/larva stage and this is where the ‘eating begins’. This stage can last from 10 to 14 days, and the caterpillar is devouring Milkweed leaves in preparation for the next stage The chrysalis stage is where the transformation takes place, and although from the outside, the caterpillar is going through an amazing conversion known as Metamorphosis and in 10 days, it will emerge as a beautiful butterfly. When it emerges, it will need nectar from flowering plants to thrive. This cycle repeats itself for 4 generations throughout the summer months. There is one important exception The 4th generation of butterflies, born in the fall, will have a much longer lifespan and will undertake a long and perilous journey. This group will migrate south, to Mexico and California, and will spend 6 + months hibernating, in order to return the following February. The nectar provided for this generation is the ‘fuel’ for its journey. Create a Monarch Butterfly Garden: Chose a sunny spot in your garden, and remember to pick an area that is protected from wind. Plant plenty of larval host plants. Monarchs need milkweed. Please remember that you are planting food for caterpillars so chewed up leaves are a good thing! of larval host plants. Monarchs need milkweed. Please remember that you are for caterpillars so chewed up leaves are a good thing! In addition to your host plants, remember to plant an array of plants that flower at different times to attract and feed butterflies throughout the season. Avoid any herbicides and pesticides. We are encouraging all of our customers and friends to join this initiative. This is an easy way to create meaningful change for the Monarch population, and to aid in stemming the tide of decline. Please remember to share your success stories with us, and send photos! Original images from Wikimedia & Pixabay. |
With Apple's highly anticipated iPhone 5 set for release tomorrow at 8 a.m., we stopped by the 59th Street store to see where people could wait in line. "Officially we do not recognize any lines," a clerk told us. "But if you go outside you can see some people sitting on the sidewalk." Indeed, on 5th Ave. around 20 people sat in camping chairs emblazoned with the corporate logos of the companies who were giving them free iPhones to promote their businesses. But wrapping around to 58th Street one could find some 15 Occupy Wall Street protesters, protesting Apple's labor practices and the notion that camping on a public sidewalk for capitalism is legal in New York City, but sleeping in dissent on Wall Street is illegal. This isn't to say the protesters, who along with the compensated line-waiters have been waiting since last night, have been completely unmolested. Several drivers rolled down their windows to tell protesters they "stink," or to "get a job," and before dawn this morning the security guards in charge of managing the line began demanding that the protesters wake up and hand over any cardboard. One guard threatened to "kick" a protester's teeth in, as seen in this video: "We had a problem with the cardboard this morningthe building supervisor and the head of security," one guard told us. "As far as I know they're not allowed to have cardboard." Why? He shrugged. "The building manager doesn't like it. But I've just been told to keep them quiet, make sure they don't make any noise. I haven't gotten any instructions about cardboard." This video tells a different story: It's difficult to see the distinction between protesters sleeping across from Wall Street being arrested, while those who sleep in the line for a smartphone that could boost the GDP by 0.05% are shrugged off as devoted, if geeky Apple fans. "We're afraid to go downtown and do this because we'll be arbitrarily arrested or beaten," protester Milo Gonzalez said. "But if we lay here, we're just being good consumers." As the hour wore on, more people joined the line, and more barricades were erected to separate it from the sidewalk. "Best case scenario is that we sell our spots in line to make a few hundred bucks," Gonzalez said. Shiloh Coral, who was wearing a tweed blazer and leggings, said she hoped to buy some clothes with the money. "I have to look good and cleanI have a job interview tomorrow!" |
Grand Strategy games offers some of the most immersive and complex titles in PC gaming One of the many benefits of PC gaming is that the genre of games we can play is greatly expanded due to both the lower barriers to entry and the added dexterity of having a mouse and keyboard instead of just a controller. I think a prime example of this is the strategy and more specifically Grand Strategy genre. The focus on high level decision making and taking the time to think out every choice requires a format that consoles just don’t have. It would be like trying to play football on a chessboard. That being said I think we should be thankful that such games exist and add to a rich variety of genres. Now before we present our top 12 Grand Strategy games I think it behooves us to define what a Grand Strategy game is. In short, a Grand Strategy game puts players in control over every major aspect of the faction they play as. And usually this sets the main interface as a map of the world instead of the battlefield to distinguish it from real-time strategy. So without further delay, here are our top 12 Grand Strategy games for PC. 12. Knights of Honor The oldest title on our list, Knights of Honor nonetheless still manages to impress with its blend of high level strategy on a map spanning all of Europe and the Mediterranean and low level real time strategy. With numerous mechanics to keep you busy from economics to religion, your quest to become Emperor of Europe will be a unique and exciting challenge. Knights of Honor combines the isometric layout of a real time strategy game with the large scale decision making of a Grand Strategy game 11. Stellaris Moving away from their traditional realm of historical-based Grand Strategy, Paradox’s Stellaris sets grand strategy in space as players take control of a customizable species, colonize space, ultimately and play for interplanetary dominance using many of the traditional methods Grand Strategy games are known for (economic, diplomacy, military, etc.) Stellaris also implements various events and crises to prevent a late game problem of frustrating domination by one faction. Stellaris brings Grand Strategy into space 10. Total War: Warhammer A bold move for the Total War series to move away from a historical setting into fantasy, and even bolder is setting it in the famous Warhammer universe. In Total War: Warhammer , the player choses a faction, conducts diplomacy, trade, and economic development on a large, world map, and then conducts battles in real time on a separate battlefield phase. Total War: Warhammer blends the classic rpg with the turn-based strategy game 9. Galactic Civilizations III Set in the far future, Galactic Civilizations III sees the player start out with only one planet to control and then expand through diplomacy, colonization and war. In a massive galaxy with enormous factions vying for power using both peaceful and military means, Galactic Civilizations III will put you in them idle of an interstellar war of total domination. Galactic Civilizations III allows players to customize ships in their space fleets 8. Crusader Kings 2 Crusader Kings 2, the medieval installment in Paradox’s line of Historical Grand Strategy games, takes a different and more realistic approach to the genre when it comes to the period it is set in. Rather than taking control of a state and all of its resources, you play as an individual noble, be they a minor vassal or a king. You control the dynasty, not the state and attempts to forge a massive, sprawling empire is nearly impossible (as it was historically) as you will need to approval of your vassals at every turn. What may seem like a frustration is also what makes CK 2 unique, the focus is all on family and dynastic politics, wars are between families and your task is to lead your family to greatness. Crusader Kings II gives players a game emphasizing dynastic, familial politics |
ACTU boss Sally McManus has no problem with workers breaking 'unjust laws' Updated New Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Sally McManus says she does not see a problem with workers breaking laws when the laws are unjust. Asked whether the ACTU should distance itself from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), which has faced 118 separate legal proceedings in various courts around Australia, Ms McManus said "there's no way we'll be doing that". "The CFMEU, when they've been fined, they've been fined for taking industrial action," she told 7.30. "It might be illegal industrial action according to our current laws, and our current laws are wrong. "I believe in the rule of law when the law is fair and the law is right. "But when it's unjust I don't think there's a problem with breaking it. "It shouldn't be so hard for workers in our country to be able to take industrial action when they need to. "Quite often these workers have stopped when a worker has been killed on a building site." Penalty rate changes a 'straight-out pay cut' Ms McManus said she feared recent changes to penalty rates for the retail, hospitality and pharmacy industries would spread to other sectors. "The decision also says they want to change the whole definition for weekend work," she said. "They want to call it 'additional hours' rather than 'penalty rates'. "We believe, and we went and got legal advice on it, that this opens the door for other employers to come along and say, 'the courts made this decision, we want to apply it to community workers or airline workers'." She said the penalty rate changes were "a straight-out pay cut for people with nothing in exchange". "This is taking money straight out of the pockets of some our lowest paid workers," Ms McManus said. Australian workers not joining unions The reason four out of five Australian workers do not belong to a union was because "secure work's been destroyed", she said. "Jobs have been outsourced, they've been offshored, they've been replaced," Ms Manus said. "So many people are forced to be on ABNs, so many people are casualised. "When you're in that situation as a worker you don't have as much power, so it's much harder to make a decision to be in a union when you're in a small workplace, when you're by yourself, when you're an individual contractor." Topics: unions, work, business-economics-and-finance, melbourne-3000 First posted |
Sometimes you’ll get home, turn on the television, and start watching a film halfway through. But even if you don’t know the title, director, or any of the actors involved, there are several very easy ways to tell at a glance whether the movie in question is from the 80s or not. So with this in mind, here’s our handy list of ten tell-tale signs... Plasma effects If you wanted to make your audience believe that your movie’s protagonist was travelling back in time, encountering something supernatural or being reduced in size by a miniaturisation ray, there was one special effect to cover any eventuality. Perhaps mimicking those strange plasma globe things that became a popular novelty in the 80s, the animated lightning effect was among the most ubiquitous of the decade, appearing in almost every sci-fi, fantasy and horror movie you could care to name. Achieved by compositing hand-drawn cels over live-action, variations on this lightning or plasma effect can be traced back to Forbidden Planet’s remarkable Id Monster (animated by Disney’s Joshua Meador), but brought firmly back into vogue by ILM’s lightsaber effects work on the Star Wars movies. Thereafter, the composite lightning effect appeared everywhere, from electricity bolts hitting the DeLorean in Back To The Future, energy-sucking space vampires in Lifeforce, the sparks on an injured extraterrestrial bounty hunter in Predator, flying missiles on a computer screen in Wargames, and Christopher Lambert receiving the Prize in Highlander (which, now I think about it, wasn’t much of a prize at all). Although similar effects have been used in the movies since, never have they been quite so prominent as they were in the 80s - and to be fair, they still look really cool. Montage with upbeat music An 80s movie just wouldn’t be the same without a montage. Whether it’s Danny LaRusso awaiting his big fight in The Karate Kid (cut to Joe Esposito’s You’re The Best Around), the teenagers of Ferris Bueller exploring a Chicago art museum (to The Smiths), or Balboa training in the Rocky movies (Rocky IV was almost exclusively made up from musical montages), these sequences are quintessentially 80s. Musical montage sequences weren’t merely the preserve of teen comedies and lowest-common-denominator action flicks, either - even the classic Scarface had one, which saw ruthless anti-hero Tony Montana’s rapid rise to the top of the pharmaceutical distribution profession condensed into three minutes of Giorgio Moroder’s hideous Push It To The Limit. You don’t see stuff like this in gangster movies these days: Arcades It’ll probably seem inconceivable to youngsters in another few years that, back in the 80s, people used to play games on computers housed in gigantic slabs of chipboard. And although amusement arcades were still occasionally seen in 90s movies, their golden era had already passed. No, if you’re watching a movie that sees a youngster wrestling with an arcade machine - whether it’s Galaga in Wargames, or a kid getting beaten by Bad Dudes Vs Dragonninja as Steve Martin looks on in Parenthood, it’s more than likely that it’s from the 80s. One of Den of Geek’s favourites, The Last Starfighter, saw an arcade cabinet used as an interstellar pilot training tool by a race of aliens, which is about as 80s a fantasy film concept as you can get. A remake would presumably see the hero download an alien combat training app to his iPhone. Teenagers have interesting adventures If the 80s has taught us nothing else, it’s that teenagers got into all kind of entertaining and strange scrapes. If you thought Katniss Everdeen was unlucky for having to spend two hours up a tree to avoid a bunch of violent teen gladiators in The Hunger Games, the teenagers of Red Dawn managed to help fend off a full-scale communist invasion – and not a conveniently situated wasps’ nest in sight. Other youths enjoyed fun days out in a stolen Ferrari (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), got lost with a bunch of little kids in Chicago (Adventures In Babysitting, actually shot in Toronto), got lost in time (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), and even rescued their army parents from a Korean prison (The Rescue). There’s an easy way to tell if the movie you’re watching is from the 80s, therefore: if it involves teens going on adventures, getting into fights or generally causing trouble, it’s probably from the shoulderpad decade. If the teenagers spend their spare time mooning over effete, pale young boys covered in glitter, it’s probably one of those new-fangled Twilight movies, or a recent episode of Home & Away. Evil, conniving rich people The arrival of the 2008 financial crisis has seen the subject of this entry make a return appearance in movies, but the evil rich are still a particularly prominent figure in 80s cinema. From Belloq, the ‘champagne villain’ of Raiders Of The Lost Ark near the start of the decade, via the smug Duke and Duke of Trading Places, to the conniving Burke of Aliens, white collar villains were the big-screen, cartoonishly villainous analogues of the 80s yuppie phenomenon. John Carpenter’s They Live revealed yuppies to not just be different from ordinary working mortals in terms of wealth, but actually from a whole other planet - a satirical characterisation that is easily as satisfying and memorable as Michael Douglas’ Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, who summed up the entire decade of excess with the immortal line, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” Although about the 80s rather than written in the 80s, Brett Easton Ellis created another evil yuppie in 1991’s American Psycho - Patrick Bateman, a sociopath whose love for Whitney Houston and Phil Collins was matched only by his appetite for murder and dismemberment. It's worth mentioning, though, that this brutal, satirical prodding at the ruthless nature of moneymaking and big business was, of course, anticipated by the mighty RoboCop, which saw suit-wearing corporate types murdering each other to stay ahead of the deal-making pack. And finally, we come to the ultimate 80s yuppie slimeball - Die Hard’s Harry Ellis. Clad in yards of expensive suit material, prepacked in a perfectly clipped beard, addicted to coke of the illegal variety and afflicted with one of the most infuriating laughs in movie history, it's a mild relief that his smarmy utterance, “Hans. Bubbie. I’m your white knight” quickly becomes his epitaph. Gratuitous sex scenes Now here’s one movie trapping we don’t see very often these days. Apparently killed off in the quest for a PG-13 certificate in modern films, the gratuitous sex scene reached its zenith in the 80s. A good example of this can be found in the 80s thriller No Mercy, in which Richard Gere’s tough Chicago cop went on the run from a crime lord with Kim Basinger in tow. Even though the spectre of death hangs over them, they still find time to stop off at a motel somewhere to engage in a raunchy, low-lit sex scene. If a thriller didn’t have a sequence like the one described above (and if it was an erotic thriller, like Sea Of Love, it might have a couple), then it would at least have the following: during either a pursuit or a fight, someone would kick a door down, and there’d be either a couple having sex, or at least a topless woman waiting to be discovered. For examples, see Commando, Red Heat, Die Hard (it’s brief, but it’s there), and too many others to count. And then there are all those 80s slasher movies and bawdy teen comedies, which were forced to include gratuitous scenes of sex and nudity by law... A steel mill/factory/warehouse sequence Sooner or later, characters in 80s movies always found themselves in some sort of industrial building. The Terminator concluded with a tense chase through a factory. RoboCop appeared to take place almost entirely in disused steel mills and warehouses. Schwarzenegger was stuck in a futuristic prison that looked more like an old factory than Wormwood Scrubs in 1987’s The Running Man. The conclusion of Sly Stallone’s Cobra took place in some sort of hellish smelting facility. Even the decade’s best dancers worked in steel mills - just look at Flashdance. The reason for the number of these scenes is two-fold, perhaps. The production of steel, cars and other heavy industries, once a big part of the US economy, were in decline in the 70s and 80s, and this was reflected - whether consciously or not - by the era’s filmmakers. Certainly, the period’s decline in manufacturing provided directors with plenty of cheap, run-down places in which to shoot their movies, resulting in an entire decade of sequences set in industrial locations. Dodgy nightclub sequences Running close behind those steel mill sequences came the ones set in nightclubs. It became something of a legal requirement, it seemed, for 80s movies to have at least one scene set in the deafeningly noisy, blue-hued environs of a nightclub, with dozens of extras swaying awkwardly in huge shoulderpadded suits while desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the roving camera. Examples? The fabulously 80s teen horror flick Fright Night featured a great nightclub sequence featuring a predatory Chris Sarandon. Sly Stallone stalked Rutger Hauer through a noisy nightspot in Night Hawks, while Arnie killed an entire discotheque full of revellers in The Terminator. If the movie you’re watching doesn’t feature a night club, it’s likely that it’ll contain its seedier counterpart, the strip joint - these are often the dens of bad guys or a stopping-off point for cops on the hunt for clues. See Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop and its sequel, Clint Eastwood thriller Tightrope, sci-fi flick The Hidden, and many, many more. 1986 horror movie Vamp was set exclusively in a strip club, if memory serves. It seems that, in the 80s, every adult male on their planet spent an inordinate amount of time frequenting bars where women took their clothes off - presumably to kill time until someone invented broadband. Look - even Beetlejuice was in on the craze: Helpless female bystanders A somewhat strange trapping of 80s movies and TV, this phenomenon is best exemplified in Sly Stallone’s cop movie effort, Cobra. During the climactic fight sequence, in which Marion ‘Cobra’ Cobretti engages in hand-to-hand combat with a villain called Night Slasher (the hulking Brian Thompson), love interest Ingrid (Brigitte Nielsen) simply stands around in the distance and watches the brawl unfold. Admittedly, this sort of thing went on in entertainment long before the decade that taste forgot (Olive Oyl used to stand around shouting encouragement while Popeye and Bluto punched each other in the face, for example), but by the 80s, portraying women as hopeless sufferers of the bystander effect was beginning to look rather absurd. In the example cited above, the fact that Brigitte Nielsen is notably taller and broader than Sly Stallone, and kicked all kinds of backside in Red Sonja, makes the sequence look even more ridiculous. Presumably, the bit where Sly walks away when the fight’s over and says to Brigitte, “You were bloody useless, by the way. Useless. Where were you? Reading a book or something? Look at the size of your hands. You could have crushed his head like a quail's egg” didn’t make the final edit. There was a similar scene in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gun fantasy, Commando, in which love interest Rae Dawn Chong watches Arnie punch Bill Duke in a hotel room. Hiding behind a wall, she emits the occasional squeal when a bullet flies in her direction, and is heard to remark, “I don't believe this macho bullshit,” and the horrifying “These guys eat too much red meat.” Sigh. It ends on a freezeframe If you’re watching a movie and it suddenly stops approximately 100 minutes in, don’t worry - your Blu-ray player hasn’t crashed. It probably just means the movie you’ve been watching was made in the 80s. Used to singularly dramatic effect at the conclusion of the 1969 classic, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, the freezeframe ending became mysteriously popular among filmmakers a little over a decade later. Stallone loved the technique, and presumably nicked it from John G Alvidsen, who later ended his Rocky remake, The Karate Kid, with a shot of Mr Miyagi looking sage and, if we’re being honest, a little bit smug. At any rate, almost every Rocky movie ended on a freezeframe of Rocky Balboa’s face looking battered yet relieved, and usually draped in the stars and stripes. 1984‘s Against All Odds ended with an extended freezeframe of Rachel Ward’s face, streaked with tears - tears provoked, no doubt, by the Phil Collins music playing in the background. Similarly, The Breakfast Club concluded with a still shot of a young Judd Nelson punching the air in jubilation, probably at the thought of the glittering Hollywood acting career which lay ahead. Like many of the other 80s trappings on this list, freezeframes have still appeared occasionally since (quite memorably in The Full Monty), but never as frequently as they did in that decade. And lest we forget, 80s comedy series Police Squad did freezeframes better than any other show on Earth... Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here. |
The Generation adidas Cup approaches. And as far as an all-in-one stop for scouting the next big thing in MLS goes, it doesn’t get any better. The 2017 GA Cup runs from April 7-15 in Frisco, Texas and serves as a showcase tournament for the league’s top Under-17 teams. To honor the occasion, I’m running through the players I consider today to be the top academy stars for every MLS club, whether or not they'll be at GA Cup. And yes, the future is bright. As a brief caveat, I’m excluding players who’ve signed pro deals but who might still be getting academy minutes in the interim. FC Dallas’ Jesus Ferreira, for instance, ripped it up during FCD’s preseason but has gotten some Under-18 games since signing his MLS Homegrown deal last year. Atlanta United: Lagos Kunga When Atlanta United called up seven academy kids to train with the first team this preseason, you needn’t have even looked to know Lagos Kunga was one of the names. He’s a live-wire winger with pace and technical ability for days, and his 10 goals for the U18s this season is no surprise. Kunga is committed to Furman this fall - the former home of one Clint Dempsey - but will he make it there before contract-happy Atlanta United extends Kunga a contract? We’ll see. Chicago Fire: Nick Slonina Last week, US Soccer announced its last Under-17 residency semester would be this current spring crop, which means Nick Slonina’s part of a history-making group. As part of the current residency group, Slonina’s developed as a versatile defender/holding midfielder hybrid with quality feet and a good sense for the flow of the match. The Fire have been cranking out Homegrown central midfielders for a while now, and whether the Fire see Slonina as a defender or a midfielder, the youth national team prospect has a future. Colorado Rapids: Rhys De Sota The Rapids’ slow-and-steady academy approach hasn’t yielded a ton in terms of volume, but there’s been some notable Homegrown quality in guys like Shane O’Neill and Dillon Serna. Rhys De Sota should be in that mix as a serious Homegrown candidate given time. De Sota’s been the focal point of the Rapids’ up-and-coming crop of U18 talent, which might be the best they’ve ever had. The 2017 Stanford commit has been a force in the final third as an attacking midfielder with 10 goals from 19 games, and a Homegrown deal doesn’t feel that far off. Columbus Crew SC: Daniel Wright Columbus Crew SC's affiliation with Crew Academy Wolves in Michigan has been a massive boon to the club’s ability to scout, identify and fold talent into their pro ranks outside their immediate footprint. At least right now, that’s the case with Daniel Wright, who’s currently one of the Development Academy’s most lethal finishers at the U18 age. Wright’s rate of return of 16 goals from 15 games is unmatched, and the Duke commit should have little trouble developing in Durham, the former home of the Portland Timbers' Jeremy Ebobisse. D.C. United: Chandler Vaughn D.C. United’s academy has produced some resplendent talent over the years, including recent signees Ian Harkes and Chris Durkin. If Chandler Vaughn is next up, don’t be surprised. The U17 residency fullback has been an important part of the cycle the last year or so, and his call-up to residency for the spring semester was a national admission of his quality. He’s a 2018, so he still has more refining to do, but hard to find many better fullbacks anywhere in the DA. FC Dallas: Brayan Padilla Picking the top academy star at FC Dallas at any given time feels something like picking off the menu of your favorite restaurant. Can’t you just order everything? But as of right now, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better all-around pro prospect in Frisco than whirling attacking dervish Brayan Padilla. No one in the entire academy at the U16 age has scored more than Padilla’s 21 goals this season, and he’s accomplished the feat with no small measure of panache. Give it to FCD; they always seem to have The Next Big Thing moving up through the ranks. Houston Dynamo: Marcelo Palomino You knew Marcelo Palomino was earmarked for bigger things when he made his debut with the Houston Dynamo U18 team as a 13-year-old. Palomino is a prototypical attacking midfielder capable of pulling the strings in the final third, and the Dynamo can lay legitimate claim to his development; he’s been in the Dynamo system since he was eight. He was one of the only U16-aged players called into U17 residency this semester, and the Dynamo don’t have a better pro prospect. LA Galaxy: Efrain Alvarez Like FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake or the New York Red Bulls, you can be assured the LA Galaxy’s top prospect fought past a wildly competitive environment to reach the top. So it goes with Efrain Alvarez, who at 14 already might be the single most exciting attacking force in the entire Development Academy. Alvarez has appeared for both US and Mexican youth teams, and you can be assured a player this good will end up in the pros. It’s just a matter of when, not if, Alvarez makes a first team debut. Here are some highlights of Alvarez in action: a stunning free kick, a hat trick and a goal worthy of an award. Minnesota United: N/A The Loons don’t yet have an academy system set up, but they announced in February they’d officially join the Development Academy for the first time this September at the U13 and U14 ages. Montreal Impact: Jean-Arnaud Tano To their credit, the Impact have taken a lot of swings at Homegrown players over the past couple years, but they’ve yet to really connect on one. So Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla’s first-team ascension was a big deal, and Jean-Arnaud Tano might not be too far behind. Tano’s been firmly on the Canadian U17 radar this past cycle, and as far as forwards go there aren’t many better in Canada at this age right now. Tano’s mighty impressive return of 11 goals in 11 games with the Impact U16s in 2016-17 won’t go unnoticed in the first team front office. New England Revolution: Justin Rennicks There’s no telling how high Justin Rennicks’ ceiling goes, but suffice it to say nobody’s found where it is yet. If Rennicks decides to begin his pro career with the Revolution, then he would become an obvious Homegrown candidate. Rennicks is a game-changing forward who’s scored in buckets for the Revs at every level as well as for a variety of US youth international teams. The 2017 Indiana commit should have little trouble handling the next level - both collegiate and pro. NYCFC: Giovanni Reyna Yes, I do acknowledge that James Sands is probably closer to a Homegrown deal at the moment, but in the long run? Giovanni Reyna is one of the safest bets to emerge from the Development Academy and into the pros at a high level. Anywhere. Reyna, of course, is the son of former US legend Claudio Reyna, and he already has his dad’s on-field smarts. Reyna’s played with NYCFC’s fledgling academy since the beginning, and the metronomic midfielder is practically earmarked for a Homegrown deal down the line. New York Red Bulls: Chris Gloster A game-shaping left back? Please and yes. Over the course of this past US U17 cycle, Chris Gloster’s emerged as the No. 1 option for coach John Hackworth as a barnstorming left back, and it was in that capacity that he wowed as the team’s best defender at the 2016 Nike Friendlies against top international competition. Gloster, a Red Bulls academy star, should feature at the coming U17 CONCACAF Championships and, should the US qualify, at the U17 World Cup later this year. Orlando City: Isaque Couto The Lions have made no bones about their ability to fold in top talent at the academy level, and it certainly appears that Isaque Couto has “next level” stamped all over him. Couto has occasionally trained up with the Orlando City first team in the last year, and the Brazilian attacker has eight goals to his name this season with the Orlando City U18s. Even if the first team isn’t right around the corner, there’s a more than great chance Orlando City B in the USL certainly is. Philadelphia Union: Rayshaun McGann Rayshaun McGann has spent the majority of his recent time with the U17 MNT gearing up for the looming World Cup qualification cycle, but the Union don’t currently have a better outside back/winger hybrid in the system. Go back and watch his golazo against Portugal in 2016 and you’ll see why he’s garnering such rave reviews of late. His speed, vision and finishing ability are all top notch after the Union’s recent spate of academy signings. Portland Timbers: Lucas Cini The Timbers’ academy has been slow to crank into high gear, but its recent uptick is notable, and Lucas Cini is leading the charge. Cini started his career with Boca United in Miami before moving to Portland for the 2016-17 season, and the returns have been stirring for the skilled center forward technician. Cini has a mighty impressive 13 goals from 24 games playing up a year for the Timbers U18s, and he’s quickly emerged as Portland’s top pro prospect at the academy level. Real Salt Lake: Taylor Booth Being named the top up-and-coming star in RSL’s academy is a real honor these days, and I have no hesitation about anointing Taylor Booth with that moniker at the moment. Booth was named to the U16 MNT as a 14-year-old and U17 residency at 15, and his confident, mature play as a tone-setting midfielder validated the choice. RSL is fond of developing technically able midfielders capable of picking apart a defensive line. Booth might be their best ever. San Jose Earthquakes: JJ Foe Nuphaus March was a big month for the Earthquakes academy. Defender JJ Foe Nuphaus, a San Jose native and the most promising piece of their academy, left to join Hoffenheim’s U17 team last year. Just this month, San Jose announced the prodigal son had returned to their U18 team, which is a big deal. Foe Nuphaus has had numerous USYNT call-ups and should immediately slot in as perhaps the Earthquakes’ most coveted academy player at the moment. Seattle Sounders: Jake Morris No, Jake Morris isn’t related to another famed Sounders Morris, but he’s certainly beginning to generate some hype of his own. Morris was one of a few Sounders academy kids called up to play with the first team during preseason, and he had some overtly promising stints as a rampaging left back with good defensive sensibilities. The Sounders U18 is still a 2018, so he has another year at the academy level left, but make no mistake about the impression he left this MLS preseason. Sporting Kansas City: Jaylin Lindsey In 2016, Jaylin Lindsey made a bit of history by becoming the first American born in the 21st century to get minutes in a pro game (on an amateur contract in the USL for Swope Park Rangers). It was a true sign of how highly SKC values Lindsey, who seems to be next in a developing line of academy defenders with serious pro prospects (hello Erik Palmer-Brown). Lindsey is versatile too, and while he’s a natural center back he can splay out wide at fullback as well. Toronto FC: Ayo Akinola Thumb through the current US U17 team and one of the first names to jump off the page should be Ayo Akinola’s. He’s arguably the most exciting wide attacking player on a team that also features Atlanta United’s Andrew Carleton, if that tells you anything. Akinola’s played up with the USL team at times and has spent a fair bit of time recently with U17 residency, but he’s still the most promising player in TFC’s pipeline to not yet sign a contract. For TFC’s sake, hopefully that changes soon. Vancouver Whitecaps: Thomas Hasal It’s not often you’ll see a goalkeeper on a list of players this young, considering the position ages more like wine than grape juice. But when Thomas Hasal was called up to the Canadian U20 team for U20 World Cup qualifying, and then started, it was an admission the Saskatchewan native wasn’t just a triumph of Vancouver’s extensive scouting network in Canada. It also proved it’s got a heck of a 'keeper prospect on its hands in Hasal, who’s currently starring for the Whitecaps U18s. |
ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account A retired semi-professional footballer who claims his faith ruined his chances of playing for Manchester United is suing the Baptist Church for £10 million. In a case reminiscent of the 2001 Billy Connolly film The Man Who Sued God, Arquimedes Nganga accused religious leaders of deceiving him "into following false beliefs". Mr Nganga, 46, from Forest Hill, said he could have earned £20,000 a week, despite never making more than £200 a month in his home country Portugal's Third Division. He quit the sport aged 25 when he converted to the Baptist faith. He said: "I could definitely have had a long career in the Premiership. I see many players playing today who I am not inferior to - and perhaps even better than. Most midfielders are either defensive or attacking but I was both. I had something new." After converting in 1989, Mr Nganga spent 19 years as a "fervent evangelist", devoting his life to the Bible and abstaining from sex. Now he is suing the leaders of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, who, he says, "conspired to defraud me of my finances, time and my life". In papers filed in the High Court, he accuses the church of destroying his social life, causing him "psychological harm" and defrauding him of money through compulsory donations. The writ blames church leaders for physical assaults Mr Nganga suffered at the hands of people he was trying to convert. It states: "They got upset and reacted violently after being told that they were sinners. I was slapped and punched, and kicked in my left knee, breaking its cartilage." The church said today that it would vigorously contest the claim. As well as suing the British arm, Mr Nganga has begun a legal battle with the US-based Baptist World Alliance and has written a book, The Millenary Fraud. |
Microsoft has told VG247 that security for Xbox Live is of “utmost importance,” following a story in The Sun today that phishing schemes have cost 360 gamers “millions of pounds”. The Sun reported this morning that “online crooks have hacked into thousands of Xbox Live accounts to steal millions of pounds. The average loss to gamers in the UK is around £100 — but many have had more than £200 stolen.” Microsoft has responded, saying its taking measures against criminality on 360’s online service, and warned Live users to be vigilant. “Xbox LIVE has not been hacked. Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox LIVE service. The security of Xbox Live members is of the utmost importance, which is why we consistently take measures to protect Xbox Live against ever-changing threats,” the firm told VG247 in a statement. “In this case, a number of Xbox Live members appear to have recently been victim of malicious ‘phishing’ scams (i.e. online attempts to acquire personal information such as passwords, user names and credit card details by purporting to be a legitimate company or person). “As a result, we are currently: Working closely with affected members who have been in touch with us to investigate and/or resolve any unauthorized changes to their accounts resulting from phishing scams; Warning people against opening unsolicited e-mails which may contain spyware and other malware that can access personal information contained on their computer without their knowledge or permission; Reminding all customers that they should be very careful to keep all personal information secure whenever online and never supply e-mail addresses, passwords or credit card information to strangers. “Microsoft remains vigilant at all times regarding the security of Xbox Live customers. As always, Xbox Live customers who have any queries or concerns should contact Xbox Live customer service on 0800 587 1102 or visit www.xbox.com/security.” Microsoft had denied back in October a full compromise of the service, but admitted there was “unauthorised” access to certain accounts following a report which suggested that hackers gained access to their Gamertags, noticeable by buying MS points and playing FIFA 12 on their Gamercard. |
ECHO PARK — The owner of Origami Vinyl, one of the first Eastside shops to open amid a revival of vinyl records, has closed the business, turning the space over to a Chicago-based record store and voiding all outstanding gift certificates. After opening seven years ago, Neil Schield announced the closure of the narrow Sunset Boulevard storefront over the weekend. He said that Permanent Records, a vinyl record shop with outlets in Chicago and Highland Park, will take over the Origami space on the same block as The Echo nightclub. Schield, a resident of Echo Park, did not say exactly what prompted the closure. His email message said: “While this may come as a surprise to many of you, it has been something I’ve been thinking about for the past year. It is time for me to move on to new challenges and adventures and I will cherish every moment, relationship, and experience the shop has given me. Origami Vinyl started as a childhood dream for me and I feel so fortunate to have lived out that dream.” A going away event will be held on March 26 at the store. Schield also had more bad news for Origami customers: all outstanding Origami Vinyl gift certificates “will not be accepted and are void.” Deals & Discounts for Eastsider Readers |
Two weeks out from Election Day and it looks like the race for the White House is all but over. However, if it looks like pollsters are increasingly on the wrong side of history (Colombia’s referendum, Brexit, the 2015 British election and the Scottish referendum) it could be because they need to triple and quadruple check their assumptions before making blithe pronouncements. This is that type of thought exercise. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during their third and final debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Regardless of who won the nomination, Campaign 2016 was always going to be close. After eight years of a Democratic administration, any successor candidate to Barack Obama – in this case Hillary Clinton – would have been at a disadvantage with a public ready for change. However, Obama’s more than 50 percent approval rating gives Republicans only a narrow, but not insurmountable, advantage. Models like this, which look to fundamentals, have a very good predictive value – about 80 percent – when it comes to election outcomes. But they’re not infallible. Perhaps most importantly in this case, they don’t take into account the individual candidates. Republican nominee Donald Trump has run a unique campaign and has apparently altered many of the models. Over the past few months, Hillary Clinton has maintained a relatively steady 4-6 point lead in the polling, reversing what our “fundamentals model” would lead us to expect (a Republican victory). But will this remain the case – especially if voters are influenced by Friday’s announcement that the FBI is investigating additional emails relating to Clinton’s use of a private email server. In short, what the fundamentals point to and what the polling currently suggests are materially at odds. One will be wrong, and our job is to validate and verify all our data-driven predictions. Are polls accurately depicting the electorate, or are we systematically missing some bloc of voters that may sway the election? There are two main areas for investigation. First, are our surveys systematically under-representing Trump voters in our samples, leading us to have more Clinton voters than we should? This “shy Trumpers” thesis assumes Trump supporters are just not responding to our surveys. Second, we could have a good sample, but some Trump voters could be reluctant to volunteer their true support when asked. We’ll call this the “social desirability” thesis. Pollsters overseas have pointed to non-response (meaning that certain groups – like Brexit voters – are less likely to respond to surveys) as a contributing factor to poll inaccuracy. The "shy Trumper" thesis asks if we are seeing that in the 2016 White House race. This potential problem is compounded by relatively low turnout in American elections. We need not only to get a correct representation of the U.S. population, but we also need to accurately anticipate which half of the population will be voters. A number of approaches have tried to answer this question, but we undertake a relatively simple one. For this “shy Trumper” thesis to be true, the electorate in our 2016 polls should be different from what we saw in previous election in a way that suggests Donald Trump supporters are being left out. That’s not the case. Our Reuters/Ipsos polling in the 2012 presidential election was very accurate in predicting the final election results and therefore serves as a useful benchmark of the likely voter population. Using this polling, we compare the composition of our electorate (i.e. likely voters) in October 2012 to what we see in October 2016 across several demographic categories that have strong correlations to voter support. This data indicates that the poll electorate is largely unchanged from 2012. The composition by race/ethnicity is stable; education level is mostly consistent; and age correlates well across the two election polls. Taken together, this suggests that our current polling is substantially capturing the same population we saw in our accurate 2012 polls. If anything, the population favors Trump slightly with older voters this year. Non-response does not appear to be playing a major factor in Trump’s current poll deficit. Is Trump the victim of political correctness? Trump and his supporters, in addition to several election observers, say that political correctness or “social desirability bias” play a part in Trump’s poll deficit. This is the notion that some people are unwilling to admit their true support for Trump because they are embarrassed or otherwise unwilling to disclose it in polls. Several studies have looked at this with mixed results from “yes, online polls show Trump stronger because there are no live interviewers” to “no, when asked in different ways, people still exhibit the same level of support for Trump.” Our sense is that social desirability is a minor factor, if one at all, particularly as Reuters/Ipsos polling is conducted online and therefore does not suffer from interviewer effects. It seems more likely that there is a base of voters who ordinarily would vote Republican but cannot bring themselves to support Trump. After all, Trump’s favorability rating is the lowest in modern presidential polling and hostility towards him is not confined solely to Democrats. If we take the “If the 2016 presidential election were held today, would you vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?” question at face value as our starting point, Clinton has a 6 percentage point lead among likely voters in the October Reuters/Ipsos poll. However, our presidential vote question has almost 20 percent of likely voters saying they are undecided, would vote third party or would not vote. This is a substantial block of probable voters who will most likely show up on Election Day but are not making known their presidential preference (if they have one.) We use a few different tools to understand the potential voting behavior of this group. First, we can ask them our push question, “if you had to choose, which way would you go?” This prompts about a fifth of these undecided voters to pick a side, and these people seem to break evenly between Clinton and Trump. That still leaves us with over 15 percent of likely voters’ voting decision-making opaque to us. From here, we have to start deriving their behavior. We know from other research that two main factors drive vote preference: the party identification of the respondent (Democrat, Republican, or independent) and how the respondent feels about the current office holder. Since we also ask about party ID and Obama approval in our Reuters/Ipsos polling, we have this information to hand. Combining this with our “push” question leaves less than one percent of likely voters still unknown. Our data shows that when we this combine the results of both our basic vote question and the “push” question, Clinton’s lead of about six points holds solid. A second data point shows the vote totals from the combined questions and the derived support of the remaining undecided voters. Here Clinton’s lead drops to three percentage points. Clearly, the undecideds can make a significant impact on this election. Clinton’s lead is large enough that she’ll win the popular vote even if – a big if –this bloc all shows up to vote and breaks toward Trump by almost 2 to 1. However, this potential vote could make a larger difference in several swing states – like Florida, Iowa or Ohio – where Trump and Clinton are polling much closer. Far from a blowout, this election is closer than it seems. Chris Jackson is a vice president at Ipsos and runs the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Julia Clark is a non-partisan public opinion expert and senior vice president at Ipsos. |
The 7 train won't run from Manhattan to the 74th Street station, which could impact Queens Pride. View Full Caption Twitter/@LynnIceBerg JACKSON HEIGHTS — The Queens Pride Parade and Festival hits the neighborhood this Sunday, but revelers will have to find an alternate route to get there with the 7 train shut down this weekend. Service on the 7 will be suspended between Times Square-42nd Street and 74th Street from 2 a.m. Saturday until 4:30 a.m. Monday, officials said. The MTA said residents would have many alternatives to reach the 22nd annual parade, which kicks off at noon at 84th Street and 37th Avenue. "There are still plenty of ways to get to Jackson Heights," said Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the MTA — including the E, F, and R trains that run to 74th Street, near the end of the parade route. The MTA will also run additional E trains, he said. There will also be free shuttle buses will run over part of the 7 train's route instead, with one making stops between Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza and another running between Queensboro Plaza and 74th Street-Broadway. The limited service is the result of track work, including replacing old track panels, according to officials. Planned 7 train work was canceled for May 17-18 to accomodate the LIC Arts Open Festival and LIC Springs! block party. Local officials and residents had hoped the same would occur for the pride parade because "when the 7 isn't up and running, it hurts the community," said Councilman Danny Dromm, who helped organized the first Queens Pride parade. "It's a discouragement for people to have to figure out a roundaabout way to get here," he said. "That discouragement usually means fewer people come." More than 40,000 people came to last year's parade and festival, Dromm said, and hoped the MTA would schedule work on a weekend that isn't of "major importance" to the community. "I think it will have a detrimental effect on Queens Pride, and that means a detrimental effect on the community." Sue Yacka, 38, who runs the Tastoriaqueens blog, said she may just walk from her Astoria apartment to get to the parade, noting that the lack of subway service inconveniences people from across the city who are trying to get to Pride. "It's going to be a beautiful day on Sunday, so it's a shame that some folks wont be able to as easily get to the parade — or they might give up if they see the 7 train isn't running," she said. Limited access may also hurt "small businesses that also get a large influx of business on that day," she said. This year's theme is "A World of Pride," and grand marshals include the LGBT Caucus of the City Council and Melissa Sklarz, the president of the Stonewall Democratic Club. Marchers first organized the parade in 1993 to protest the murder of Julio Rivera and protest discrimination in local schools. Parade organizers did not respond to requests for comment. |
CLOSE Capone has been entered by his family into the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Wochit Inara Fullmer, 6, plays with her family dog Capone, 2½, as her brother Alexander, 10, holds him Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Capone alerted the family to a house fire in March giving them time to escape. (Photo11: Zach Boyden-Holmes, The Des Moines Register) DES MOINES — Angela Fullmer already had enough to handle. She'd recently completed her bachelor's degree in health care administration and she had given birth to her ninth baby just three months before. She also had two dogs to care for while her trucker husband was out of town. So at 1:30 a.m. March 15, when one of the dogs was barking like crazy in their Des Moines home, she lit up. "Capone," she yelled, "Shut up! You're going to wake the baby." He wouldn’t shut up. She called for Capone to come to her. He wouldn’t come. More: Last known surviving 9/11 search dog dies at 16 The dog always comes, she said, ever since she and husband, Isaac, rescued the wandering stray from a busy highway 18 months ago. Capone, a mix of miniature pinscher, Chihuahua and whippet, just looked at her and ran back to the kitchen, an instinctive maneuver that has placed him among national dog heroes. Fullmer, 32 — who has a sense about dogs — thought something wasn't right. Tired as she was, she went to check out what was going on in the kitchen. The plug for the microwave was on fire. She had used it shortly before going to bed to heat up a snack, she said. The fire seemed small at first, but she knew better than to throw water on an electric fire. She needed to get the kids out fast. She scooped up baby Atreyu, then grabbed her 20-month-old toddler Mondecai, because he was sleeping nearest the kitchen. She yelled for her oldest, Landon, 12, to help gather the other children. By the time most of the children were heading out, flames shot up to the kitchen ceiling and the smoke alarm finally went off. She called 911 and did a roll call. “We always do a roll call every time we get in the van," she said. "They're used to it.” Landon, 12, Alexander, 10, Jadzia, 9, Ronan, 7, Inara, 6, Mezoti, 5, Khaleesi, 3, Mondecai, 20 months, and Atreyu, now five months, were all present and accounted for outside the house. More: Hero dog saves 7-year-old girl from rattlesnake Capone? He walked out on his own. “He saved himself,” she said. The family lost everything but their lives. The home they were renting from parents was uninhabitable. Water and smoke damage left them with nothing. They received donations of clothing and other items. The family holed up in a hotel room until they found two apartments that could house them all. CLOSE Capone alerted the Fullmers to a house fire in March giving them time to escape. Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register Capone, who is 2 ½, had to stay at a friends’ home. He was so upset he didn’t eat for three days. When Capone returned, he wouldn’t leave the baby’s side during her “tummy time” on a blanket. Capone slept at the feet of 10-year-old Alexander every night. The two have a special bond. Soon, the family will be in a new home with a large fenced-in yard. The Fullmers have since purchased a five-bedroom home and Capone will be happy to know he will soon enjoy a new large fenced-in yard. The Fullmers have since purchased a five-bedroom home and will move in May 24. Nothing is too grand for the dog now. He had barked and barked for two minutes before the fire alarm even went off and the house already going up in flames, Fullmer figures. He had saved their lives. More: Hero dog reunited with blind woman he saved “He’s pretty special,” Fullmer said. When friends heard about the fire, they expressed condolences for the loss of her dog. They thought he had died. Capone has never been more alive, barking protectively, running about and taking his rightful place as family hero. “He loves his family,” Fullmer said. Fullmer entered Capone into the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Semifinal winners of the online contest www.herodogawards.org will be announced May 17, and a second round of online and celebrity voting will produce eight winners to take part in a two-hour Hallmark Channel special and vie for a $5,000 prize to go to charity. This rescue dog who became rescuer already has gathered his prize at home — nine playmates who are safe because of him. “I’m glad we found him on the highway,” Fullmer said. “I believe it was supposed to happen.” Follow Mike Kilen on Twitter: @mikekilen Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/05/08/dog-saves-family-fire/312617001/ |
MI6 could have as many as 3,500 staff by 2020 MI6 is to recruit up to 1,000 extra staff to fight the modern threats facing the UK. The Secret Intelligence Service has been given more money to expand its operations. There is no detail on what positions are being advertised, but it's thought the new personnel will be experts in cyber, data collection, languages and foreign analysis. It will take the size of MI6 from about 2,500 staff to as many as 3,500 by 2020. The news was first made public in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Image: The chief of the SIS has warned of an 'information revolution' It announced the planned recruitment of 1,900 extra staff to the intelligence agencies - with MI6 to get the bulk of that increase. Although an exact number has never been confirmed, it is understood to be accurate. Alex Younger, the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, spoke alongside his counterparts from the US, Australia and Canada at an event in Washington DC on Wednesday. Although he didn't speak about the increased recruitment, he expanded on the challenges facing Western intelligence agencies. Mr Younger said there is a "deepening sectarian divide in the Middle East", adding: "There are some deep social, economic and demographic drivers to the phenomenon we know as terrorism. "Allied with the emergence state failure, I think that regrettably this is an enduring issue." But he said friendly intelligence agencies are working better, together, to deal with the threat of terrorism. The digital age has broken down physical and geographical barriers and ideologies can spread easily through the internet, with the cyber world acting as both a great enabler and a great disrupter of the intelligence mission. "I think the information revolution fundamentally changes our operating environment," Mr Younger told the event. "In five years' time, there will be two sorts of intelligence agencies: those who understand this fact and have prospered and those who don't and haven't. "And I'm determined that MI6 will be in the former category." "C", as he his nicknamed, also said intelligence agencies could serve as a valuable link to traditionally hostile countries. He explained: "We need to find a way of messaging these countries and communicating with them. "So often the vector between the security services, intelligence services, is one of the most important and I certainly stand ready with my government to communicate and perhaps send the hard messages." "I think these conversations are a good way to do it, because they're not attended by publicity." |
More than one million people were left homeless by the quake The United Nations has increased its humanitarian appeal for Haiti to $1.44bn (£929m) - an all-time high. Special envoy Bill Clinton launched the latest appeal, saying there remained an urgent need for tents, food and water with the rainy season looming. Earlier UN humanitarian chief John Holmes was critical of the organisation of international aid since the quake on 12 January that devastated Haiti. The last UN record appeal - $1.41bn - was made after the 2004 Asian tsunami. The UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said other priority areas for Haiti included agriculture, health, logistics, nutrition, protection, sanitation and hygiene. To meet the needs of the people of Haiti will require more of the generous global support that we have seen so far John Holmes UN humanitarian chief Announcing the new total, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "As the rainy season is coming to Haiti, it will be extremely important to provide on a priority basis shelters, sanitation and other necessary humanitarian assistance." Former US President Bill Clinton, the UN's special envoy for Haiti, urged people to donate immediately. "Pledge less and give it. And do it sooner than later," he said at an event to launch the increased appeal. He said Haitians needed to get out of the cycle of existing day-to-day and become less reliant on handouts. "They have to be able to go month-to-month. Then we'll try to help them do the rest." More than 1.2 million people are estimated still to be homeless in Haiti, with some 230,000 killed by the quake. Donation tracking Mr Clinton also said his UN special envoy website would allow donors to track where donations where being used. "It is the beginning of a transparency process that worked so well in the tsunami area that enabled us to build back better. You have a right to hold me accountable for this and to hold our system accountable." UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said help for Haiti required long-term effort for reconstruction. "To meet the needs of the people of Haiti will require more of the generous global support that we have seen so far." Mr Holmes took part in the appeal launch after details on an e-mail he had written criticising the performance of aid agencies in Haiti was leaked to the press. Bill Clinton said he would be accountable for donations In the e-mail, Mr Holmes wrote that while a lot had been achieved, much of their efforts had been poorly co-ordinated and resourced, weakening confidence in the agencies' ability to deliver help. He said major humanitarian needs had not been met, particularly in relation to shelter and sanitation. He said on Thursday that the e-mail was making a "rather technical point" to UN agencies. "What I was trying to say is there's still a huge amount to do. We need to have the proper cluster co-ordination resources to do that which will go well beyond what are needed in any ordinary disaster." Coming rains With the rainy season beginning, the UN's top official in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, speaking in Spain, urged countries to rush tents to Haiti. "We need latrines, we need field tents, we need plastic sheets so that people can cover themselves," he said. "The rains are coming. I don't think we are going to be able to shelter all these people in time," he warned. He was speaking after Haiti aid talks with EU and US officials in Spain. Heavy rain fell on Thursday in Haiti, forcing many people to scramble for shelter. Homeless quake victims are still sheltering in makeshift camps scattered across the ruined capital. Sanitation is a major problem, with aid workers warning of the threat of disease spreading. Spain, the current holder of the EU presidency, says the homeless Haitians must be relocated as soon as possible. The talks in La Granja, near the Spanish town of Segovia, were aimed at better co-ordinating the aid effort by the EU, UN and US. The UN said its earlier its appeal for $576m (£366m; 420m euros) in emergency funding for Haiti had now been 95% met. The EU's aid for Haiti, including planned pledges, totals nearly 309m euros, of which 120m euros is European Commission money. On a visit to Haiti on Wednesday the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, pledged 270m euros in reconstruction aid for the former French colony. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
The summer course program of Turkey’s Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has been announced. According to the program, children will be told keeping pets was illicit, watching TV was a sin, and holding hands with opposite sex is makruh (undesirable) The summer program of Turkey’s Diyanet allowing the participation of 4-year-old children to Quran courses by removing the age limit has been announced. While the program serves for the reactionary line represented by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, there are no restrictions on participation in these courses except the condition of getting permission from parents for children under 18. ‘IN ORDER THAT CHILDREN CAN PERFORM PRAYER WITH COMMUNITY AFTER THE HOLIDAY…’ The Directorate of Religious Affairs stated that ‘‘it is aimed to raise self-confident children and provide awareness about national and moral values in the younger generations’’ with this summer training program, according to the report in Birgün daily. In addition to this, Diyanet’s program points out that ‘‘the courses are significant in terms of their incentive role for the participant children to perform prayer with the community in the mosques after the holiday’’. ‘KEEPING CAT AND DOG IS ILLICIT, WATCHING TV IS A SIN’ Besides, it drew attention that the Shafi’ism (one of the sects in Islam) is given particular importance in the Program of Boarding Quran Courses held by the Diyanet. In the courses, children will be told different practices of Shafi’ism sect declaring that keeping cats and dogs is illicit, watching TV is a sin, and holding the hand of an opposite sex is ‘makruh’ (undesirable). It is also remarkable that the program, which describes only the practices intrinsic to Shafi’ism, do not include any information regarding other sects. The President of Turkey’s Diyanet Mehmet Görmez had previously stated that "we have two red lines. First one is the depiction of Alawism as an un-Islamic way. The second one is the presentation of cemevis (houses of worship for the Alevis) as the sanctuary of a different religious belief." Despite Görmez’s statements, it is obviously seen that there is a religious and sectarian discrimination in the courses opened with the so-called purpose of teaching the children the Koran and Islam. Claiming that terrorist incidents arise out of "religious and moral deficiencies", the President of Religious Affairs had previously advocated that the presence of a mosque in every university campus has a crucial role for the future of Turkey to raise a generation devoted to national and moral values, saying that “Presence of a mosque in every campus, which suits with the architecture of the campus, and the presence of a religious place that is open to the hearts and souls of every student is very important for the future of our country”. The Directorate of Religious Affairs’ trade union Diyanet-Sen had distributed booklets in kindergartens in the southern city of Mersin in April 2017, which clearly make political propaganda calling the kindergarten children for jihad. Diyanet-Sen had advocated its propaganda by stating that "Jihad means peace". |
Kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurobiological disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, tend to have a harder time in school because of the disorder. “Research suggests that children with ADHD exhibit deficits in cognitive and achievement testing, lower grades, and an increased use of special education services in comparison with the general population,” said Jacqueline Iseman, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Potomac, Maryland. Kids with ADHD also are more likely to need tutoring, repeat a grade or have learning difficulties, she added. So how can you help them do well in school? They’re more easily distracted by outside noise and their own thoughts, said Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and coach who specializes in ADHD. They’re typically disorganized. For instance, they forget to bring assignments home or take completed homework to school, leading to lower grades, she said. They also tend to manage their time poorly and procrastinate, which usually results in submitting work that’s well below their capabilities, Matlen said. But this doesn’t mean that children with ADHD are doomed to bad grades or poor school performance. And, as a parent or caregiver, you can do a lot to help your child manage their symptoms and do well in school. Below, you’ll find strategies for success. 1. Make sure your child is receiving effective treatment. “[This] means checking in regularly with the healthcare provider who is following the child for medication and counseling, if that is part of the protocol,” Matlen said. The Multimodal Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Study (MTA study), conducted by the National Institutes of Mental Health, found that a combination of interventions, including school support, behavior therapy and medication, was typically the most effective strategy for treating ADHD, Iseman said. 2. Be compassionate, not critical. Remember that your child isn’t intentionally trying to forget their homework or fail a test. Their ADHD makes it harder to concentrate, pay attention, accomplish assignments and stay engaged in tasks that don’t interest them. Explain your child’s difficulties to them in the framework of having ADHD, Matlen said. Avoid using negative consequences to force your child to study or focus, she said. Don’t remove recess or give extra homework. Don’t take away breaks during the day. Again, because of ADHD’s symptoms, “trying ‘harder’ simply doesn’t work.” 3.Follow up with school staff. “Parents should be in close contact with the teachers to make sure communication is open and that issues are addressed immediately,” said Matlen, also author of the book Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD. For instance, when your child is first diagnosed, share that information with school staff. This might include “his or her cognitive and academic profile, the child’s diagnosis, as well as recommendations provided by the clinician, particularly those related to the school setting,” said Iseman, also co-author of the books School Success for Kids With ADHD and 101 School Success Tools for Students With ADHD. Speak to your child’s guidance counselor about how to best support your child. This might include tutoring, counseling or a mentor, she said. If your child isn’t doing well and has been diagnosed with ADHD, find out if they qualify for an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan, Matlen said. “These are specialized services and accommodations to help a child even the playing field so that he or she can work at his maximum potential via special education support.” 4. Create structure. Kids with ADHD tend to do best when they have a schedule from morning to night, Iseman said. Create a schedule that includes “school, homework, playtime, chores, after-school activities and family meals.” Leave a space next to “chores” to check off when your child completes each task. Post the schedule in a visible spot. If changes need to be made, let your child know “as far in advance as possible,” and put it on the schedule. 5. Help your child get organized. Matlen suggested setting up a space for your child with little to no distraction. Also, help them break assignments down into bite-sized chunks, she said. And “Help with color coding notebooks and setting up a homework assignment folder.” This piece offers excellent specific tips for helping with homework, along with a sample homework plan. 6. Set rules. It’s important for kids with ADHD to have clear rules, expectations and consequences, Iseman said. When your child follows a rule, reward them, she said. “These rewards do not have to be materialistic, but instead can include an extra book at nighttime, a choice of where to eat dinner, or having a sleepover with a friend.” Talk to your child about the rewards they’d like, she said. 7. Offer praise. “Children with ADHD frequently receive criticism from others. Therefore, they are accustomed to and will expect negative feedback,” Iseman said. She stressed the importance of looking for good behavior and praising kids. “Praise that is specific and immediate will go a long way toward increasing the frequency of the desired behaviors.” 8. Suggest using a fidget. Sometimes using items like stress balls, which your child can squeeze throughout the day, helps with concentrating, Matlen said. They can keep these items at their desk. Remember that kids with ADHD don’t need to try harder. Rather, they “need special accommodations and understanding so that they can soar, and they will — when given the proper supports,” Matlen said. 8 Ways to Help Kids with ADHD Succeed in School |
Wayne Rooney believes this is an "exciting time" at Manchester United, despite the fact they could miss out on Champions League qualification. Wayne Rooney believes this is an "exciting time" at Manchester United, despite the fact they could miss out on Champions League qualification. Louis van Gaal's men head into the final weekend of the season fifth in the Barclays Premier League, having passed up the chance to usurp fourth-placed Manchester City on Tuesday. The 3-2 midweek loss at West Ham means the Red Devils are required to beat Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday and hope neighbours City are defeated at Swansea. It is a big ask and one which leaves captain Rooney unable to accurately assess a topsy-turvy campaign for the club, especially with the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace following next weekend. "At the minute I think we're still waiting to see," the 30-year-old said. "I think it all depends on where we finish in the league before we can properly judge how good a campaign it has been, but hopefully we can get the result we need on Sunday afternoon to guarantee us a top-four finish with the FA Cup final still to come. "It could be a good season for us in terms of qualifying for the Champions League and winning a trophy or it could be worse if we don't end up doing that, so we have to focus on the final league game before we look ahead to the final." Failing to reach the Champions League cost David Moyes his job two years ago and there are widespread reports that Van Gaal could follow suit. The under-fire Dutchman's name was conspicuous by its absence as investors and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward sidestepped the subject of the manager's position following the announcement of the club's third-quarter results. Woodward was, though, full of praise for the young talent given a chance under Van Gaal - players that make Rooney excited for the future at Old Trafford. "It's always exciting working with young players," he told United Review. "People forget how young Anthony Martial is (20). "The club bought him so he hasn't come through the academy, but he's still only a really young lad. "He's still learning, improving and the same goes with the likes of Memphis Depay, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, so it's an exciting time for the club. "Hopefully they keep improving as players and it'll be a really bright future for Manchester United." The most remarkable breakthrough has come from Rashford, who has gone from unknown to one of the country's most highly rated young players in a matter of months. The 18-year-old has netted seven goals in 16 first-team appearances and numerous reports on Friday suggested the teenager could be elevated into the England senior squad for the final two warm-up matches before Euro 2016. Roy Hodgson names his provisional squad for the tournament on Monday and national-team skipper Rooney - who knows a thing or two about bursting through as a teenager - has been impressed by the academy graduate. "I think at the minute he's a young lad and he doesn't need that much advice from me," he said. "Just let him play and enjoy his football. I'm sure there'll be a time when he does need it from myself, from the manager, from (assistant manager Ryan) Giggsy and from other players. "But I think the most important thing for him and the team is to just let him go and play and enjoy it." Press Association |
I loved this book! A Clockwork Fairytale is such an amazing read filled with mystery, adventure, magic, romance and so much more. It had my attention from beginning to end. Helen Scott Taylor is a wonderful author and her writing style is not only gripping but it has an easy flow to it that makes the story simple to follow. However the storyline is not boring because of her writing style, it's actually fast paced and fascinating. The Story is of a young girl named Melba who from an early age has been disguised as a boy and has been raised to be a pick pocket and messenger for her master (Maddox). One night Melba finds herself in trouble and is rescued by a mysterious stranger. The stranger turns out to be a renowned spymaster, the legendary master Turk himself. Melba had heard stories about him but no one she knew ever saw him or knew his true identity. She ends up pledging herself to Turk so that he will teach her how to become a spy. Turk sees the young lad and feels that there is something special about him so he agrees to take Mel with him. Things get complicated when it is discovered Melba is a 17 yr. old girl. Turk knows there is more to her though and Melba's mysterious past is about to force her into an uncertain future that she never dreamed of. The characters in this book are wonderful. Both the female and male lead characters are strong with wholesome characteristics. And when I say wholesome do not interpret that for boring because they are anything but boring. The side characters are even well developed and add a lot to the story. Finding this book was like finding a hidden gem. I had never heard of it and wasn't sure what to expect but from the time I started reading to the time I finished the book, I was grateful that I had found this. I hope more people read it because it is very much worth the time. |
Barcelona native Antonio Orozco is usually suited and booted when he takes to the stage, but this week, the Spanish singer donned some scrubs for a very special concert - in an IVF clinic. In a world first, the singer - famous throughout Spain and Latin America - played a very intimate gig on Monday for the 380 embryos currently gestating in the Institut Marquès in Barcelona. Pictured in front of dozens of incubators, the popular Spanish singer strummed his guitar, in support of research the centre is currently undertaking on the positive effects of music on embryonic and fetal development. "It was a unique experience," said the singer after serenading the embryos, according to a statement. Orozco with the team at the Instituto Marquès. Photo: Instituto Marquès The research is based on the findings of a paper - "Impact of exposure to music during in Vitro culture on embryo development" - presented by the Institute two years ago at the annual meeting of the European Society for Assisted Reproduction. The paper showed that musical vibrations increase the success rate of IVF (in vitro ferilization) by 5 percent, as well as improve the development of the embryo. "That is why we have developed an innovative method to incorporate music in all our embryo incubators," the Institut Marquès said in a statement on its website. "With this system, we are moving forward in our efforts to reproduce in a laboratory the natural conditions embryos enjoy in utero in order to improve fertilization rates," said Doctor Marisa López-Teijón, head of Assisted Reproduction, in the statement. After what must be the most unique gig of his life, Orozco praised the work of the team at the hospital. "I think it is marvellous that Doctor López-Teijón and her team are applying this principle to their research and making sure music plays a part in life from the very first day," the singer said. |
Discovering the Great Harbour of Constantinople One of the most spectacular excavations in the world today is in the Great Harbour, built by Theodosius I in Constantinople (Istanbul). So far, 36 shipwrecks have been discovered – most dating to the 6th to 7th centuries AD – making it by far the biggest collection of craft known from Antiquity. How was it that such a major haul of ships was excavated? Therein lies an interesting story that Andrew Selkirk starts by looking at the transport problems of modern Istanbul. Istanbul lies at the mouth of the Bosphorus, the narrow strip of water that provides the entrance to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean. To the mariner, the Bosphorus is alarmingly narrow, but to the land-based traveller it is alarmingly wide. When the railways arrived in the 19th century, Istanbul became the terminus of the famed Orient Express, running from Paris to Istanbul. And the 19th-century engineers prepared a splendid approach, blasting a line that followed the original city walls three-quarters of the way round the peninsula on which Istanbul stands, so that the railway ended up eventually at a grand station on the opposite, northern, side of the town. It faces onto the Golden Horn, the inlet of the sea, almost as wide as the Bosphorus, that gave Istanbul its marvellous defensive position. Thus when Agatha Christie travelled out to Baghdad, she had to leave her train and then embark on a ferry to cross over the Bosphorus to another railway station on the other side, in Asia. In 1973, the Bosphorus was bridged by a splendid suspension bridge. But this was soon jammed with traffic, and in 1988 a second road bridge was built across the Bosphorus further up, carrying an outer motorway ring-road that should, at least in theory, keep through-traffic well away from the jams of the city itself. This, too, soon became dangerously overloaded. So it was that the idea was born to cross the Bosphorus by rail, this time in a tunnel 13km (8 miles) long, of which 1.8km (1.1 miles) would be under the Bosphorus. There were engineering problems – Istanbul lies in an earthquake zone, the North Anatolian Fault – so special flexible tunnels were designed, set in a trench on the base of the Bosphorus. The grand project, built with the help of Japanese engineers, is called the Marmaray project, combining the name of the Marmara Sea with the Turkish word for a railway (ray). But it is not just a mainline project. Istanbul also has a problem with its underground metro system, which consists of two halves that do not join up, and which, as a result, is somewhat ramshackle. Therefore, a parallel tunnel was designed for the metro so that instead of taking just 3.6% of all journeys in the city as it does today, it would be able to accommodate 28% of all passenger journeys – similar to London and New York. And the grand interchange between the mainline Marmaray project and the metro lines would be at Yenikapı, the maritime port on the southern side of the city. The ancient harbour From Yenikapı, the railway dives underground and then goes under most of the ancient city of Istanbul, before crossing the Bosphorus and eventually emerging on the opposite side. It was known that Yenikapı was also the site of the Great Harbour built by Theodosius I in the 4th century: it lies outside the walls built by Constantine but well inside those 19km (12 miles) long that Theodosius I built in 413 and that held enemies at bay for nearly 1,000 years. However, as the new railway was sited well inland from the modern harbour, it was assumed that only minor archaeological work would be needed. But as soon as construction work began they discovered that they had miscalculated. The Theodosian harbour was much further inland than expected – silting up had taken place to a far greater extent than they had realised – and the new work would in fact go straight through the remains of the harbour in which numerous ships had capsized over the course of the centuries. Two separate archaeological teams set to work, the first to cover the work of the mainline Marmaray project, and a second team to cover the even more extensive work of the Metro project, both under the directorship of Istanbul Archaeology Museums. The area had been gardens and allotments right up until the early 20th century. As soon as excavations began, the footings of an otherwise unknown Christian church of the 12th century were revealed. As only the foundations were discovered, with little evidence for the upper structure, it is assumed that the main building would have been of wood. But then they started discovering ships. The Marmaray excavations are now completed. But the Metro excavations are still in full swing and when I visited, a ship was still in position under a cover building on the far side. Continuous water sprays maintained a damp atmosphere to preserve the wood. It seemed to be a massive vessel, though in fact it was a medium-sized merchantman lying on its side. The decking and the cargo had already been removed but the line of the keel was clearly visible, set bizarrely to one side of the remains. Originally, the mast step was still in position, showing that it had been essentially a sailing ship, and although this too had been removed, it was possible to ascertain the method of construction. Mediterranean ships were built in an entirely different way to the Viking ships further north. Viking ships were clinker built, with the planks overlapping one another. Here, the planks were all fitted together with notches and wooden pegs to create a smooth surface, with the joints almost invisible to the naked eye. There had been a cargo of large container jars or amphorae, some of which contained the remains of fish bones. One always thinks of amphorae as containing wine, but in fact many of them contained garum, the Roman equivalent of Marmite, a stinking concoction made from fish – the Romans raved about it. Several of the previously discovered ships had been very spectacular, with a large number of amphorae still in position when they sank in the harbour. Most of them were medium-sized merchantmen, but there were also several smaller vessels. Projecting out into the harbour were numerous jetties, some of which survived, though the posts once exposed to the air will inevitably disintegrate. It is a big enough task to conserve 36 boats – it is not feasible to conserve the jetties as well. An interesting feature is a number of horse bones that were discovered alongside the jetties. Many are complete skeletons, mostly of fairly young horses. But when examined, their mouths showed traces of very hard usage. It would seem that horses were used in large numbers in the harbour, and were worked literally to death. When they died, they were simply heaved into the harbour and fresh horses were brought in to replace them. Neolithic footsteps Underlying the Byzantine harbour there was yet more archaeology in the form of an extensive Neolithic layer. There is little Bronze Age or Iron Age material known from Istanbul, but Neolithic material is widely scattered throughout the city. This is the first time however that the Neolithic levels have been properly uncovered. This article is an extract from the full article published in World Archaeology Issue 58. Click here to subscribe |
Search Terms: Highlight Matches SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? malu User ID: 800077 United States 06/04/2010 09:16 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? just don't listen to the biatch "By way of deception, thou shalt do war." Israel's Mossad "The truth shall set you free." U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Motto i can't stand her. but freedom of the press/free speech is what this country is all aboutjust don't listen to the biatch anonanon User ID: 992816 United States 06/04/2010 09:17 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? Also thought she was a Jew herself. Some people just don't know when it is time to retire. She has had an amazing career but she needs to just stay home and write some books about it. ANNONYMOUS User ID: 825313 United States 06/04/2010 09:19 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? A text book case of the onset of senility. Really sad. A text book case of the onset of senility. Really sad. Anonymous Coward User ID: 992354 Germany 06/04/2010 09:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? I don't agree with what she said, but I wouldn't classify her as a "Jew hater". To suggest that someone be thrown out into the cold merely for expressing an opinion is indicative of hatred. In this respect the OP himself is a true hater, through and through. I don't agree with what she said, but I wouldn't classify her as a "Jew hater".To suggest that someone be thrown out into the cold merely for expressing an opinion is indicative of hatred. In this respect the OP himself is a true hater, through and through. Anonymous Coward User ID: 526155 Canada 06/04/2010 09:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? Is she a self-hating Jew? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 992000 Clearly not. She clearly wants what is best for her people, and maybe she bases her opinion on her experience as a Jew. You're so hot over a Jew saying Israel is a bad idea, which is very very funny. Now you'll all crucify her over it. And good. She's a stupid old bitty and deserves all kinds of flak. Have at it. Clearly not. She clearly wants what is best for her people, and maybe she bases her opinion on her experience as a Jew.You're so hot over a Jew saying Israel is a bad idea, which is very very funny. Now you'll all crucify her over it. And good. She's a stupid old bitty and deserves all kinds of flak. Have at it. Jenkins User ID: 992286 Canada 06/04/2010 09:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o. And on that farm he had a cow, ee-i-ee-i-o. With a moo moo here and a moo moo there Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o. She's a patriot and a nationalist. Anonymous Coward User ID: 714023 United States 06/04/2010 09:22 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? I love Helen Thomas. She is now my hero! I love the end of the video "How can she report unbiased." As if to say 99% off the other reporters are not biased. Whoever made this video is a tool and needs to be kicked in the balls. Anonymous Coward User ID: 992168 Germany 06/04/2010 09:23 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? Is she a self-hating Jew? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 992000 That is a cheap attack phrase used by Zionists which are a political movement. Non Jews who don't agree with Zionists = Anti semites. Jews who don't agree with Zionists = self hating Jews. It's getting really old. It's like saying if you don't agree with Neocons you are a terrorist. Grow up child. That is a cheap attack phrase used by Zionists which are a political movement.Non Jews who don't agree with Zionists = Anti semites.Jews who don't agree with Zionists = self hating Jews.It's getting really old.It's like saying if you don't agree with Neocons you are a terrorist.Grow up child. Doc Savage OP) Senior Forum Moderator User ID: 310950 United States 06/04/2010 09:24 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? I don't agree with what she said, but I wouldn't classify her as a "Jew hater". To suggest that someone be thrown out into the cold merely for expressing an opinion is indicative of hatred. In this respect the OP himself is a true hater, through and through. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 992354 Oh please. First of all, I'm not calling for Thomas to be "thrown out into the cold" but banned for being an obvious anti-semite. Again, if a conservative or Republican reporter in the White House Press Corps had echoed Thomas's remarks about jews in public, the Press Corps would've howled until that journalist was banned. Oh please.First of all, I'm not calling for Thomas to be "thrown out into the cold" but banned for being an obvious anti-semite.Again, if a conservative or Republican reporter in the White House Press Corps had echoed Thomas's remarks about jews in public, the Press Corps would've howled until that journalist was banned. Anonymous Coward User ID: 992354 Germany 06/04/2010 09:36 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? I don't agree with what she said, but I wouldn't classify her as a "Jew hater". To suggest that someone be thrown out into the cold merely for expressing an opinion is indicative of hatred. In this respect the OP himself is a true hater, through and through. Oh please. First of all, I'm not calling for Thomas to be "thrown out into the cold" but banned for being an obvious anti-semite. Again, if a conservative or Republican reporter in the White House Press Corps had echoed Thomas's remarks about jews in public, the Press Corps would've howled until that journalist was banned. Quoting: Doc Savage Banning people for expressing an opinion, no matter how offensive it may be, fits perfectly with the fascist mindset. Let people say what they will. We all stand and fall by our own words. Banning people for expressing an opinion, no matter how offensive it may be, fits perfectly with the fascist mindset.Let people say what they will. We all stand and fall by our own words. Anonymous Coward User ID: 992292 United States 06/04/2010 09:36 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? or she is just a self-hating jew Quoting: Anonymous Coward 992296 She's of Lebanese decent, moron. Thomas was born in Winchester, Kentucky. Her parents, Mary (née Rowady) and George Thomas, were Lebanese immigrants from Tripoli, Lebanon She's of Lebanese decent, moron.Thomas was born in Winchester, Kentucky. Her parents, Mary (née Rowady) and George Thomas, were Lebanese immigrants from Tripoli, Lebanon Anonymous Coward User ID: 931863 United States 06/04/2010 09:38 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? Um, last time I checked, GLP on the whole thinks that them evil Jews are responsible for most of the ills of the world. I'm surprise more people here aren't praising her, or whatever. It comes down to the dilemma: GLP hates Jews, but also hates 'liberals' So when a 'liberal' (I wouldn't call her that myself, but as usual the term is used very loosely) makes a sorta anti-Semitic remark, it causes GLP's head to explode from the resulting paradox. Anonymous Coward User ID: 913496 United States 06/04/2010 09:40 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? In my opinion, YES. If a conservative journalist had said this, that reporter would've been banned IMMEDIATELY: Quoting: Doc Savage That means those conservative journalists don't have the stature that Ms. Thomas has. They don't dare to say what she did. Ms. Thomas is past the point of being scared of anyone. We need more like her! That means those conservative journalists don't have the stature that Ms. Thomas has. They don't dare to say what she did.Ms. Thomas is past the point of being scared of anyone. We need more like her! Anonymous Coward User ID: 991699 United States 06/04/2010 09:40 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? Helen Thomas should be put upon a pedestal. So high, that you can look up her dress.. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 992823 Anonymous Coward User ID: 992846 Canada 06/04/2010 09:48 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? link to www.foxnews.com] Helen Thomas Apologizes for Saying Jews Should 'Get the Hell Out of Palestine' Published June 04, 2010 | FOXNews.com Print Email Share Comments (0) Text Size Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas has issued an apology after saying in an interview that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine.” Thomas, a longtime White House correspondent who now writes a column for Hearst newspapers, made the comments May 27 after a White House Jewish heritage event. Asked by Rabbi David Nesenoff of RabbiLive.com if she had “any comments on Israel,” Thomas replied, “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.” Thomas went on to say that the Palestinian people “are occupied and it’s their land” and that Israelis should “go home” -- to Poland, Germany, America “and everywhere else.” In a written statement issued Friday, Thomas apologized, saying, “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians.” She said the comments “do not reflect” her “heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance.” “May that day come soon,” she added. Helen Thomas Apologizes for Saying Jews Should 'Get the Hell Out of Palestine'Published June 04, 2010| FOXNews.comPrint Email Share Comments (0) Text SizeVeteran White House reporter Helen Thomas has issued an apology after saying in an interview that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine.”Thomas, a longtime White House correspondent who now writes a column for Hearst newspapers, made the comments May 27 after a White House Jewish heritage event.Asked by Rabbi David Nesenoff of RabbiLive.com if she had “any comments on Israel,” Thomas replied, “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.”Thomas went on to say that the Palestinian people “are occupied and it’s their land” and that Israelis should “go home” -- to Poland, Germany, America “and everywhere else.”In a written statement issued Friday, Thomas apologized, saying, “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians.”She said the comments “do not reflect” her “heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance.”“May that day come soon,” she added. Anonymous Coward User ID: 988584 Australia 06/04/2010 09:50 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation Re: SHOULD JEW-HATER HELEN THOMAS BE THROWN OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS? In my opinion, YES. If a conservative journalist had said this, that reporter would've been banned IMMEDIATELY: Quoting: Doc Savage What because she doesn't like something? Are you out of your mind? What are you some kind of communist? What because she doesn't like something?Are you out of your mind?What are you some kind of communist? |
By Terence Dooley A huge amount of people will gather to celebrate Christmas with their family and friends today. Over in Belgium, though, 16 fighters will called be into action, barring withdrawals or cancellations, as they take part in the country’s annual Christmas Day fight card. Christmas Day boxing shows are an increasingly rare breed, especially in recent decades, but there used to be a plethora of small bills across the globe. Sadly, the not-so-traditional festive punch-ups have slowly ground to a halt, leaving Belgium as one of the few places where boxing fans can get a live Christmas Day boxing fix. It is a shame, as in days gone by this fixture has thrown up oddities aplenty. Anyone who has complained about the long, stressful preparation that goes into Christmas dinner should spare a thought for the well-travelled, Georgia-born Bobby Dobbs and South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s Pete Sheenan. The two met in Trenton, New Jersey on Christmas Day 1899 for a scheduled 20-round bout. Sheenan retired after the ninth-round after having the stuffing knocked out of him. It was a quick return to form for Dobbs, who was KO’d in six by Joe Walcott on the 5th of December. The Deseret News reported the Walcott result (in the December 6 1899 issue) and also signed off by pointing out “Dobbs and Walcott are negroes”. In those days adding a “bit of colour” to a fight report or dispatch had a whole different meaning. More recently, Hull’s Tony Booth and Manchester’s Pat Barrett have both fought on Christmas Day. Booth travelled to Belgium in 1992 and dropped a decision to Franco Wanyama; Barrett registered a points win over Marino Monteyne in Belgium in 1994. Further back, there was a show in Newcastle in 1925 that featured Jack Dempsey — not THE Jack Dempsey, but not THE Nonpareil Jack Dempsey, either — in a scheduled six-threes against Sunderland-based Swede Hans Tonkinson. The “British Jack Dempsey” scored a second-round TKO win. The war years were fighting years in the U.K. in more ways than one, as Christmas shows went ahead in London and Belfast in 1939, just a few months after the announcement that the country was at war with Germany. Further shows were held in 1940, in Belfast and Glasgow, and 1941, Belfast. Elsewhere, the tradition of fighting on Christmas Day continued throughout the war. Perhaps watching two men honestly going at it in the ring was a welcome distraction from the slaughter and ideology of WWII. Once the horror show was over and the dust had settled, Christmas Day shows started up again in the U.K., but appeared sporadically and then petered out completely. Talking of war, there was a famous Christmas Truce between German and British soldiers in 1914. Twenty-two boxing shows boxing took place in the U.S.A. that day, and there was also one in Mexico. The soldiers briefly left the fighting to the boxers — if only life was that simple. Christmas Day 1915 was a busy one in Brooklyn. Philadelphia’s Battling Lewinsky and Fireman Jim Flynn met in the famous borough — a 10-round newspaper win [Writer’s note: Remember that newspaper wins and draws are only to be used as an indication that a fight took place, rather than indicative of the definitive, objective result] for Lewinsky [The New York Times]. A reporter wrote that: ‘[T]he veteran Flynn was treated to a bad lacing. Time and again Levinsky landed rights flush on Flynn’s jaw,’ [The Toronto World, December 27 1915], before noting that Flynn landed approximately one shot to every 25 landed by Lewinsky, a painful day, then, for the Colorado-born boxer. There were eight shows in New York State that year, but Brooklyn was the place to be. The Clermont Avenue Rink hosted a bill that saw Newark’s Patsy Kline KO Pennsylvania’s Young Tommy O’Toole in a single stanza while Brooklyn’s Zulu Kid was given a 10-round newspaper decision over Preston-born, Brooklny-based Young Ahearn. The Hungary-born, New York-based fighting legend Soldier Bartifeld completed the line-up; he was stopped in eight by Brooklyn’s Italian Joe Gans. A third show was held at Vanderbilt AC.; Allentown Joe Gans won a 10-round newspaper decision over Boston’s Wee Wee Barton. In 1920, Harry Greb beat Jeff Smith over 10-rounds to earn a newspaper decision win. He took on Tommy Loughran on Christmas Day 1923, another 10-round victory. The Gazette Times reported that Loughran had missed the middleweight title limit by a whopping 8½lbs, robbing the fans of a title fight. According to reports, Greb earned the win, but looked jaded in the process. In mitigation, though, “The Pittsburgh Windmill” had taken Gene Tunney the full 15-round championship distance two weeks prior to fighting Loughran. Greb lost out on the American Light-heavyweight title in that one and Tunney was no slouch, so he could be forgiven for feeling the effects of the Tunney fight. Readers who enjoy the outlandish names of some of these old-timers would have enjoyed the 1925 Christmas Day show at Portland’s Exposition Building. Pancho Villa (AKA Clifford Castilloux, not THE Pancho Villa) fought to a draw with Kid Levine, and the show featured another four-round newspaper draw in Rip Van Dyke Vs. Major Lessard (not Lessard from Police Academy, mind). Over in Philadelphia, Tommy Loughran had a better Christmas Day than the one he endured in 1923 — he beat Emilio Solomon over ten. An example of Christmas Day star power and tinsel occurred in 1950 when Sugar Ray Robinson stretched out Hans Stretz in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘He [Stretz] was floored six times in the first four rounds, and in the fifth was shelled to the canvas with series of left hooks and right crosses],’ [Baltimore Afro-American, December 30 1950]. Robinson had been in action 13 days earlier, stopping former EBU welterweight titlist Robert Villemain in nine. The Frenchman had challenged Robison for the Vacant Pennsylvania State World Middleweight Title, a 15-round decision loss, earlier that year and was no match for Sugar Ray. In fact, Robinson’s form against Villemain even impressed the Communist press, who had criticised the American visitor before the bout. This contest also drew a sizeable pre-Christmas crowd, 20,000, and a lot of money, 30,000,000 francs, which amounted to an $85,000 gate [Ellensburg Daily Record, December 23 1950]. L’Humanite, the Communist paper, wrote that: ‘Robinson without trickery of irregularities confirmed what had already been suspected, to wit, that he is a great champion and that he can win without recourse to American methods.’ It was a welcome change from the criticism they levelled at Robinson before the bout, slating him for speaking out against Communist denunciations of segregation in the U.S. and accusing him of possessing an “irregular” boxing style. Robinson’s take on the matter was succinct, he said: “(They’re) nuts!” Promoter Sam Silverman was a busy man during his career; he put on a stack of shows in the New England area and was involved in 32 of Rocky Marciano’s 49 professional fights. Therefore it’s no surprise that his name has popped up. Silverman promoted a show in Portland, Maine in 1968 — Maine, along with Pennsylvania, was a veritable hotbed of Christmas Day boxing action in decades gone by — that was topped by Bangor’s Paul Kasper banging out New York’s Jimmy Cherrico in three plus had solid support in Leo DiFiore, who beat New Jersey’s Tony Cruz via a 10-round decision. Maine was in the frame again in 1969, and so was DiFiore, in action for a successive Christmas. This time, though, DiFiore lost to Canada’s Artie Jones. The Portland-based featherweight was dropped in the third and fourth rounds before losing on points over ten. No matter how stressful your Christmas Day is, it is unlikely to as painful as the one DiFiore went through. One of the undisputed kings of Christmas Day action also fought for the heavyweight world title. Can you guess who it is? Here’s a hint: the reason he fought on that particular day so many times is because he was born in and fought out of Belgium. Step forward “The Lion of Flanders” Jean-Pierre Coopman; he was stopped in five by Muhammad Ali in February 1976, his only world title shot, and fought fives times on Christmas Day: 1972, 1974, 1976, 1979 and 1980. Coopman beat Neville Meade in Izegem, Belgium on Christmas Day to round off 1976. He began the year with the fight with Ali and also suffered a low blow DQ loss to Hennie Thoonen in Rotterdam in May, which he avenged in his very next fight by stopping the Dutchman in the sixth-round. It was the very definition of a topsy-turvy year for Coopman. In 1999, Thailand’s Pongsaklek Wonjongkam stopped compatriot Ritichai Kiatprapas in three in Bangkok to close out a year that had seen him fight six times up to that point. It set him up nicely going into the new millennia, where he had six years of dominance in his first run as the WBC’s flyweight boss before running into Daisuke Naito in 2007. 2005 featured a whopping 24-fight bill in Osaka, Japan, a string of four rounders topped by two six-threes featuring Yoshio Kojima against Masaya Idomoto (W6) and Yosuke Hamada taking on Takashi Tayama (W6). It was an avalanche of action that must have taken an almighty chunk from the day and probably caused a few very quiet and polite family rows. A few familiar names were in action during the 2006 show in West-Vlaanderen, Belgium as Mike Algoet and Ismail Abdoul boxed on the same show for the second time that year. The Belgian boxers had appeared on a bill in Manchester in June, against Jamie Moore (L TKO 5) and David Haye (L12) respectively, but they fared much better this time, registering decision wins over Abdel Mehidi (SD 8) and Jean Claude Bikoi (UD 8). Algoet must love the festive period. He picked up a win on Christmas Day 2002, a six-round decision over John Ameline. Algoet had lost to another British fighter, Tony Dodson, in his previous outing. Throw in previous Christmas Day wins over Bruno Wuestenberghs (W TKO 1 in 1996), Marino Monteyne (W6 1997) and John Ameline (W6 2002), all in Belgium, and Algoet could be forgiven for wishing it could be Christmas every day. As for title fights, Santa’s not been generous when it comes to the marquee bouts, saving them for the more traditional fight dates, yet some title tilts do slip through. Pramuansak Posuwan put in a full 12-round stint in Phang Na, Thailand in 2007, decisioning Eric Barcelona for the WBO Asia Pacific Super flyweight title. Rust never sleeps, not even on Christmas Day, and nor do the Alphabet Boys, clearly. Jimmy Winkle’s worth a mention, mainly because of the Belgium’s amusing surname, but there was no gift for him in the Stedelijke Sporthalle, Belgium in 2008, he lost to France’s Cherif Benchadi, his second defeat in a row, and had to wait until January 2010 for his next win. That’s Christmas, then, and when the final bell tolls in Belgium later today another show will be lodged in the record books. There might not be as many as there used to be, and they are not quite as eventful, but it is good to know that Christmas Day punch ups are not just confined to dinner tables, pubs and the Soap Operas. Coda: Imagine what it is like to fight on Christmas Day, making sacrifices leading up the fight and then putting your life on the line on a day when most people are overeating and drinking their fair share of Christmas cheer. Pat Barrett has experienced the Christmas Day experience, and it is no fun if you’re fighting away from home. Barrett knew deep down that it was the end, even if he won, when fighting Marino Monteyne in Belgium in 1994. He knew that his boxing career was in the rear view mirror. He felt it even as the tape was applied and went through all the familiar rituals, performing familiar tasks on unfamiliar ground on a day when he would rather have been at home. No longer a champion, but still a fighter, he knew his own body and that the edge had gone. When he came back to the dressing room after registering a decision win over eight rounds, he realised that it was the end of the road rather than the start of a new beginning. “The last fight I had was on Christmas day in Belgium,” said Barrett, 37-4-1 (28), who moved into training and promoting after his retirement. “I went over on my own. I remember it as the worst day of my life. It is Christmas day and I’m in Belgium having the last fight of my life. [His trainer] Brian [Hughes MBE] didn’t want me to make a comeback, but I was told to go over to Belgium and make a load of money. It was good to be told that I was just as good as I used to be. You just want that hype of someone telling you that you still have it, but Brian was telling me the truth. “I went over there and beat the kid on points, but I realised then that those types of kids wouldn’t have lasted with the old Pat Barrett. I was kidding myself. I was disappointed but I had to tell myself that I was no longer as good as I thought I was. I had to accept the truth myself and that was one of the hardest things to cope with and deal with.” Barrett did cope, and he moved on, the former British, European light-welterweight titlist and WBO world title challenger at welterweight has teamed up with Gareth Williams, formerly of Hatton Promotions, to try to bring the next generation through. He added: “If you open a shop and it starts to do well then other people will think: ‘Hang on a second, he’s doing it so maybe I can’, and get their own thing going. Boxing needs small hall shows, like the ones Steve Wood does, because we used to have entire weekends that were full of those little bills. We need to get that back and you could entice other people to try to do a long-term investment like this. “Young fighters aren’t getting the chances they used to get. We know there’s big amateur names coming through, but where’s the new Pat Barretts? Where’s the fighters who learn their trade on small shows then fight for titles after sparking people out left, right and centre? I want to bring through those kids that take you by surprise and make you say: ‘Wow, where did he come from?’ “With the help of Gareth Williams I can bring some great days back to this area. Gareth can advise and guide these fighters to help them avoid the problems that hold kids back. Gareth has got loads of experience of dealing with the contract issues and has great connections. Together we have everything it takes to make this thing work — I love boxing too much for it not to work.”” Happy Christmas to all our readers. Please send news and views to [email protected] or Twitter @Terryboxing. |
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