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Olympics: Ministers seek to boost 'patchy' sports provision
- Published
School sports provision is "patchy" and ministers want to boost participation on the back of Team GB's Olympic success, the culture secretary says.
Jeremy Hunt said ministers wanted to ensure the "best examples are spread throughout the country" and have backed an Olympic-style event for schools.
His comments come after the British Olympic Association (BOA) called for a "step change" in sports policy.
Meanwhile, GB's showjumpers have won gold after a jump-off with the Dutch.
The four-man team - Nick Skelton, Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles - secured Great Britain's first showjumping gold since the 1952 Helsinki Games by posting the best three scores out of four.
Team GB gymnast Beth Tweddle earlier won a bronze medal in the uneven bars final.
The 27-year old has held four world titles and is the most decorated British gymnast but this final is likely to be her last appearance at international level.
Elsewhere, a 34-year old man has pleaded not guilty to a public order offence, after a bottle was thrown onto the track at the start of the men's Olympic 100m final on Sunday.
Ashley Gill-Webb, from South Milford near Leeds, was granted conditional bail at Stratford Magistrates' Court and told he would face trial at Thames Magistrates' Court on 3 September.
Olympic legacy
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Hunt, said "primary schools is where it all starts and catching people young is incredibly important" but he accepted pupils faced "an element of luck", for example in terms of having an inspirational teacher.
"At the moment school sport provision is patchy in some places and we need to do what we can to make sure that the very best examples are spread throughout the whole country and this is absolutely going to be a focus over the next few months and one of the things we really want to take away from these Games," he said.
The Department for Education allocates funding for school sports provision in England, while the devolved administrations take on the responsibility in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Downing Street said the government was committed to ensuring the Games had a lasting legacy and was spending £1bn on a five-year youth sports strategy.
Asked whether the funding for grassroots sports would remain the same, a spokesman said it did not intend to "conduct a spending review now".
Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport, the body responsible for allocating public funding to elite athletes, told the BBC the success of any high performance system "depends on the right level of investment".
"We can provide those inspirational moments through the success of the athletes in order to inspire the youngsters, but we do have to invest in schools, in teachers, in coaches, in talent to achieve that success," she added.
Labour says coalition cuts have "destroyed" its efforts.
In other developments:
- Team GB won their first Olympic showjumping gold in 60 years, emerging victorious from a jump-off against the Netherlands
- Gymnast Beth Tweddle has won an Olympic bronze medal in the individual uneven bars competition at the North Greenwich Arena. Fellow Briton Kristian Thomas missed out on a medal in the men's vault, finishing in eighth place, but takes home an earlier bronze from the men's team gymnastics event
- Jason Kenny is through to the final of the men's cycling sprint after winning his best of three semi-final 2-0
- The BOA said a parade for all British athletes who participated in the Olympic and Paralympic Games is set to take place on 10 September in central London
- Team GB's Phillips Idowu has arrived in the athletes' village ahead of his triple jump qualification on Tuesday
- Andy Murray says he is turning his sights towards winning his first Grand Slam tennis tournament at the US Open in September following his gold medal in the singles at the Games
- Other Team GB medal hopes include Dai Greene, who is seeking to add 400m hurdles gold to his world title, and windsurfer Nick Dempsey - in the running for an Olympic silver medal with one race left
- Lord Coe told the BBC how a chance meeting with an Olympics volunteer proved to be a "seismic moment".
- Demand for Olympic tickets remains high with more than two million people going on the London 2012 website on Sunday, Games organisers said
- More than 2.9m people helped to ring in the start of the Games, by taking part in the All the Bells event. Everyone across the UK was asked to ring a bell as loud as possible for three minutes at 08:12 BST on 27 July.
The weekend saw Team GB pick up eight gold medals after wins for the likes of Andy Murray in tennis and Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon.
Lord Moynihan said inspiration needed to be "translated into participation".
Mr Hunt told the BBC Team GB was third in the Olympics medals table and this showed the model of funding sport through the National Lottery set up by the Tories in the 1990s had been a "great success".
He said "other countries are now looking at our sport funding model and seeing what they can learn".
He said the School Games, which saw primaries and secondaries from across the UK compete against each other at the Olympic Park in May, attracted about half of all schools.
Former sports minister Richard Caborn said Lord Moynihan had overlooked Labour's investment in sport.
Lord Coe, London 2012 chairman, told a news conference that "solid and strong legacy foundations" were in now place and the government needed to "recognise that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to capitalise on the increase in sporting interest.
The double Olympic gold medal winner said he was initially inspired to take up running by a geography teacher who "spotted in me clearly a talent that wasn't being fully expressed on the football pitch or the rugby pitch".


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Ever since Obama came into office, we've been hearing so many cries of discrimination, as he plays the race card, but what exactly is discrimination? Discrimination deals with if one is treated equally, areas such as mortgages, voter identification and immigration enforcement, as examples. Both presidential candidates differ over how to use laws that guarantee equality and how far the Justice Department's civil rights division, which exerts strong influence on issues of race and ethnicity, should go to ensure all Americans are treated fairly.
The election also will shape the Justice Department's actions in continuing court cases that challenge voter ID laws in some Republican-led states. Opponents contend such laws unfairly discourage minority voting.
With Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, civil rights division has aggressively prosecuted cases where statistics show that blacks and Hispanics are hit harder than whites. These cases include accusations that banks used discriminatory lending practices and that states passed voter identification laws that would keep a disproportionate percentage of minorities from voting.
But Obama's challenger, Mitt Romney agrees with very little that Holder has done. He supports voter ID laws, saying they prevent fraud and don't discriminate. Under recent Republican presidents, the Justice Department has limited its enforcement to cases with evidence of intentional discrimination — not where statistics show that minorities were broadly disadvantaged by a particular practice.
The thoughts of current civil rights division is that race and ethnicity still have a major impact on American opportunity and that statistics can prove discrimination. Romney has not made his beliefs clear, but conservatives generally believe that race matters far less than individual responsibility and that discrimination is proved by actions — not numbers.
Now under Holder, the DOJ has used lawsuits based on statistics to hold banks' feet to the fire on how they lend money to Hispanics and black people. It obtained a $335 million settlement in a lawsuit that accused Countrywide Financial Corp. of charging more than 200,000 qualified Hispanic and black borrowers higher rates than white borrowers with similar credit profiles.
Then he got a settlement of $125 million for borrowers against Wells Fargo, who were allegedly steered into subprime mortgages or who allegedly paid higher fees and rates than white borrowers.
Yet on the other hand, the DOJ has been accused by two former civil rights division lawyers of going too far in the other direction by refusing to prosecute minorities when they discriminate against others. The race card pulled again.
They point to the decision by the Justice Department shortly after Obama's election to seek a narrower civil injunction than the Bush administration had against the tiny New Black Panther Party, which was accused of intimidating white voters at one Philadelphia precinct in 2008.
But a Romney Administration would see measures such as Arizona's tough immigration law more sympathetically. The Supreme Court struck down major parts of the law but upheld the provision requiring police, while enforcing other laws, to question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally.
Critics say that will lead to racial profiling of Hispanics, a point that resonates with Obama. "No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like," he said. Romney saw the ruling differently: "Given the failure of the immigration policy of this country, I would have preferred to see the Supreme Court give more latitude to the states."

subset: commoncrawl


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HONG KONG (Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m. ET) — Growth and new investment at Hong Kong injection molder and moldmaker Ace Corp. Holdings Ltd. highlights a split in China's plastics sector, with the stronger companies seemingly getting stronger while some weaker firms look at hard times.
Ace, which said it's seeing more than 25 percent growth this year on top of a record 2011, claims that investments in technology like automation and plating of plastics, along with a push into new locations like a molding factory in Anhui Province, are giving it new opportunities.
Ace CEO Jack Yeung also is chairman of the Hong Kong Mold and Die Council, and he said from that position, he sees a split in South China's plastic molding and moldmaking industry.
"We've seen a lot of the smaller shops who are less competitive or don't have their niche technology, they are suffering now [and] are running at about 60 percent to 70 percent capacity," Yeung said. "However, for the stronger companies, the bigger companies that have their core knowledge and customer base, they are all full. They are working day and night on projects."
That trend is playing out in reports from other companies. China's largest plastics equipment makers have all reported much tougher conditions lately, with rising wages and a slowing economy in China, along weak exports because of the euro zone crisis, taking a toll.
Hong Kong toy maker Kader Holdings Co. Ltd. said its contract manufacturing toy business saw sales down 25 percent in the first half of the year, to HK$156.7 million (US$20.2 million), with the situation leading some competitors to shut down.
"The global economy is still affected by the uncertainties related to the European sovereign debt crisis," the company said in an Aug. 30 financial report. "Together with rising operating costs, these factors pose potential challenges to the entire toy industry. Amid the difficult operating environment, a growing number of small-scale toy manufacturers were forced to leave the market."
Others, however, reported rising sales.
Ningbo, Zhejiang province-based auto parts maker Minth Group Ltd. said sales rose 17 percent in the first half, to HK$2.12 billion (US$273.4 million), as opportunities increased in overseas markets and investments in factories in Thailand and Mexico began to pay off.
Minth said profit rose 12 percent, with China's domestic market showing modest growth, its Japanese customers seeing a recovery and the company landing new business with BMW.
Ace, which employs more than 2,000, said new technology has played a strong role in growth.
The company is adding its third production line for plating of plastics at its facility in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It started that factory in 2008 and has seen demand increase quickly, Yeung said.
As well, the company acquired the assets of a Hong Kong automation firm recently, and started a unit to bring lean manufacturing into its factories and boost efficiency.
Ace is also launching production of robotic insert molding in Shanghai to automate production, and moving its injection molding of engineering plastics to inland China at a new facility in Hefei, Anhui Province, Yeung said.
He spoke in an interview at a late August news conference for the Asiamold trade show, to be held Sept. 19-21 in Guangzhou. The Hong Kong Mold and Die Council is an official supporter of the show.
He said tough financial conditions are causing customers to consolidate their supply base.
"A lot of the customers are asking for financial information before they place the order to insure [suppliers] are in a sound financial situation," he said. "For the companies who can provide a very good report… these are the companies which the customer will be relying on. Although the economy is slow, the amount of business that is still out there is a lot."
He said Ace's sales are on pace this year to hit US$120 million, up more than 25 percent, and the privately held company is seeing its profit up as well: "We will have a very strong second half of the year" and it appears it will continue into 2013.
While consumer electronics markets in general are slower, companies like Samsung and Apple are strong, and the company is seeing opportunities in the car industry in the United States, Yeung said.
"We can see the Apple business is very good and the Samsung business is very good,' he said. "Automotive in China is a little slow but automotive in the U.S. is still fairly strong. We can see there is a huge demand for molds in the American market for automotive. It depends on which sector you are in and how diverse you are."


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The Lodge
At Three Bear Lodge, there is no such thing as a "standard" room. With unique furniture handcrafted from reclaimed wood (from the massive headboards to the towel holders), each oversized room in our Lodge has a unique feel and layout that offers a quality unsurpassed in the area. Your vacation experience will be enhanced with the comfort of your stay. Every room features all of the amenities you should expect from a AAA rated property including a refrigerator and microwave, flat screen LCD TV and FREE WiFi. We also have a selection of rooms with private balconies.
For families and larger parties, we have a selection of two-room suites. To enhance your Yellowstone vacation even further, we have developed a limited number of family friendly "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" themed rooms to create memories that will last a lifetime for you, your children, and grand children.
EcoStar AWARD WINNING WEST YELLOWSTONE HOTEL
As a result of a fire in February 2008, a large section of the original 1932 Three Bear Lodge was carefully dismantled, allowing many of the salvaged materials to be used in the rebuilding, making the new Lodge the most unique lodging property in West Yellowstone. You will be awed by the reclaimed wood, which has been recycled and made into the intriguing public area decor and unique hand made guest room furniture.
We continue to use sustainability practices, and these, along with the use of recycled materials in the building of the new lodge, led to us being awarded the prestigious EcoStar.


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|Winnebago County Sheriff's OfficeNews Media Release
|News Release Number 2010-031
|Information: Re-Opening of the Kishwaukee River in Winnebago County
|Date: 07/30/10
|Time: 1200 Hrs.
|Page 1 of 1
Narrative: Sheriff Richard A. Meyers has recommended to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the re-opening of the Kishwaukee River in Winnebago County. Late yesterday an assessment of the Kishwaukee River was conducted and the hazards that caused the closing of the river have been reduced. The Conservation Police have reviewed the information and conditions, and have concurred with this recommendation. The Illinois DNR has lifted the ARESTRICTED BOATING AREA@ for the entire Kishwaukee River within Winnebago County, which means that river is now open for all recreational activity. River users are reminded, however, that presence of debris in the river creates hazardous conditions, which are difficult to detect, and the increased water flow creates a much faster current than what has been experienced over the past few months with the lower water levels. These conditions increase the likelihood of problems for users of the river, so extreme caution is urged. The Rock River in Winnebago County remains closed to all activity. The Winnebago County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency can field calls from people with concerns or questions about the flooding. Their number is (815) 319-6215. For current river conditions, and any further updates, contact the Sheriff=s Office at (815) 319-6300, or the Rock River information telephone line at (815) 316-8888.


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Hello all,
I am very new to this hobby, i have crashed a few cheep park fliers from large chain stores but looking at getting deeper in to it.
(also hello sid)
I was curious about a nice radio to start out on.
I have read some things about the Turnigy and was wondering if the mods are necessary fro a beginner? I have talked to a few at my local club and they seemed to poo on the Turnigy noting software and communication issues. Have those items been fixed with the new version?
I don't see the need to start out with a $400 transmitter if a $60 will fit my needs of crashing and learning the art of repair


text: What is proper convention for creating a field that will hold an array of foreign keys? In this particular case, I'm creating a field called "owners" that will hold an array of user IDs. I want to make sure I choose the right type to maximize speed and follow convention.


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Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed on what could be the final contract for the big German.
A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday that Nowitzki would get a three-year contract worth roughly $30 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.
New contracts can't be signed until next Thursday.
The 36-year-old Nowitzki is taking a big pay cut with a contract similar in value and structure to the one Tim Duncan signed with San Antonio two years ago.
Duncan, who also took a much lower salary, is exercising a player option to return for the final season of his deal after helping the Spurs win their fifth title since 1999.
Nowitzki just completed a four-year deal worth $80 million, and he left money on the table in that deal hoping the Mavericks could get some pieces around him.
The pursuit of other stars is even more urgent with Nowitzki getting close to the end of what figures to be a Hall-of-Fame career. The 2011 NBA Finals MVP put off finalizing the deal until after the Mavericks met with free agent Carmelo Anthony, which happened Wednesday night.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently acknowledged that he couldn't offer Anthony a max contract, so Dallas figures to be stressing the 2011 title led by coach Rick Carlisle, Nowitzki and center Tyson Chandler, who recently rejoined the team in a trade with the New York Knicks.
If the Mavericks miss out on Anthony, there are a number of other small forwards on their wish list, topped by Houston's Chandler Parsons. He is a restricted free agent, and the Rockets can match any offer.
Dallas also wants to re-sign point guard Devin Harris, and will target several others at that position if Harris goes elsewhere.
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed on what could be the final contract for the big German.


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A signed playing card, bank note, business card or billet is discovered within the inner chamber of a petrol lighter that has been in full view throughout!
'The Light' by Chris Congreave
"Probably the best and most organic signed card or bill to impossible location IN THE WORLD!" Gary Jones
Full 52 Productions is proud to present 'The Light' by Chris Congreave. At any time during your set you can cause a signed playing card, bill, business card or billet to appear inside the inner fuel chamber of this specially gimmicked petrol lighter. 'The Light' is a close-up magicians dream! The prop itself is completely above suspicion - it is the epitome of an 'everyday item'. It is small and convenient to use and it instantly re-sets. And, you are not limited to using just cards.
The Light works equally well with money or business cards meaning the breadth of what's possible with this professional prop is limited only by your imagination! Lay audiences go wild for 'The Light'. It just seems so impossible that you could have caused their signed card/bill to end up inside the lighter! They may even have been holding onto the lighter the entire time - yet their signed object still appears inside! This is a FOOLER! You will love how it functions, providing an absolutely killer illusion that leaves the prop far from the minds of the audience when they go searching for an answer to how you could possibly have achieved the teleportation of their card or bill into the hermetically sealed inner chamber of the lighter which has been in full view throughout!
'The Light' also includes a full length DVD featuring no less than SEVEN complete routines! There is something for everyone, from beginner to amateur, included on this DVD and no stone is left unturned when it comes to the in's and out's of the specially machined prop itself.
Everything you need to know is fully explained in minute detail so you can confidently go out and start frying peoples minds with your new weapon of mass destruction! The DVD also includes 'in the trenches' performances where you'll see Chris absolutely destroy random strangers time and again with 'The Light'. These real life performances are testament to the power of the magic that is possible and will leave you in no doubt that 'The Light' is a solid gold worker that you won't want to leave home without!
NOTE: You may receive a slightly different style of lighter from the one illustrated or featured in the video.
CLICK HERE to download the photographs used in the 'The Photo Routine' from The Light DVD. This download also includes is a FREE additional effect by CAMERON FRANCIS!


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|International orders may be delayed up to 15 days or more due to carrier labor challenges.
I have a 30 yr old 16" "Aries" set which I love and have used for years :-) I wanted a LARGER high-quality backgammon set all my life, so as part of my "bucket list", I purchased this set from GammonVillage. I got it at a great price (plus their discount) , and am very pleased with it . . . it is incredibly beautiful :-) The quality is very obvious, and it looks super on my coffee table! Now, if only I could stop myself from taking bad doubles! < lol> :-)
A legend returns. This is a limited edition, genuine Aries backgammon set. Built exclusively for GammonVillage, we are proud to make these legendary boards available once again.
The smoking 70's were a decade of excess in more ways than one. Platform shoes, bell bottoms, and big hairdos remain as enduring symbols of this fabulous era. The 70's, however, were also the heyday of backgammon and Backgammon Fever was spreading like wildfire amongst the Hollywood jet-set and business elite.
Celebrities, such as Lucille Ball, Omar Shariff, and John Huston were frequently photographed while playing backgammon. Clubs from coast to coast were bursting to capacity offering unlimited and memorable backgammon action.
It was during this time of explosive backgammon growth, that a prominent businessman by the name of Domingo Perez Aristi launched the original House of Aries, putting Mexico squarely on the international fashion map.
Upon hearing that Aristotle Onassis and his wife Jackie (Kennedy) Onassis held a party at which they surprised their guests with leather backgammon sets as gifts, Senor Aristi immediately began manufacturing leather backgammon boards for several European fashion houses. Aristi believed that Jackie and Aristotle had started a fashion trend for backgammon among their famous and wealthy friends.
By 1976, Aries House was producing large quantities of leather backgammon sets for companies like Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, and Hermes. All the great backgammon players sported an Aries set when they travelled to tournaments around the globe. The House of Aries had become an international powerhouse.
After a terrific run lasting more than 25 years, the chaotic peso devaluation and economic crisis of the late 1990's marked the end for Senor Aristi's House of Aries. The brand was eventually sold.
However, the backgammon sets created by Aries remained highly sought after commodities. Purchasing a new set was impossible. Occasionally, a well worn and used set was sold on eBay, sometimes at staggering prices. They had become true collector's items.
In a partnership with the new Aries manufacturer, GammonVillage achieves a long sought after goal: to bring these beautiful backgammon sets back to life, and to make new genuine Aries backgammon sets available once again.
This limited edition, genuine Aries backgammon set comes complete with stones, precision dice, doubling cube, and dice cups.
Welcome back Legend!
|Backgammon Set Dimensions:
|Closed Length:
|Open Length:
|1 1/2"
|Backgammon Set Materials:
|Case Material:
|Case Color:
|Field Material:
|Woven Cloth with Inlaid Leather Points
|Field Color:
|Points 1 Color:
|Points 2 Color:
|Clasp Style:
|Nickel Plated Latch
|Backgammon Stone Dimensions:
|1 3/4" (45 mm)
|3/8" (10 mm)
|18 grams
|Acrylic - Opaque
|Stones 1 Color:
|Stones 2 Color:
|Backgammon Dice/Cube Dimensions:
|Dice Size:
|Dice Set 1 Color:
|Precision - Opaque Black
|Dice Set 2 Color:
|Precision - Opaque White
|Cube Color:
|Backgammon Cup Dimensions:
|Cup Height:
|3 3/4"
|Cup Exterior:
|Cup Interior:
|Woven Cloth
|Cup 1 Outer:
|Cup 1 Inner:
|Cup 2 Outer:
|Cup 2 Inner:
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International orders can take up to 5 business days to ship. Once your order ships, you will receive a tracking number by email. Customers are responsible for any import charges (tax, duty, etc.)
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If you have any questions, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com, or call us toll free in USA & Canada at 1- 866-260-2058.
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2 We offer Express Shipping options on all items except Hillsdale game tables. All Hillsdale game tables ship ground freight.


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A new Flexicon® Bulk Bag Filling System for ultra-heavy-duty applications fills bulk bags with aggregates, abrasive minerals, powdered metals, dry chemical additives, filter press cake, and other bulk materials. The heavy-duty, skid-mounted system features a patented Twin-Centerpost™ frame that maximizes strength and improves accessibility to bag hooks while simplifying construction and reducing cost. A flexible screw conveyor with steel outer tube and high-capacity hopper feeds the filler consistently with a broad range of free- and non-free-flow bulk materials. The filler is mounted on load cells that transmit weight-gain signals to a controller that runs the conveyor at full feed rate and then at dribble feed rate immediately prior to stopping the conveyor once the target bag weight has been gained. It comes standard with forklift fill head height adjustment to accommodate all popular bag sizes and a feed chute outlet port for dust-free air displacement during filling. Automated functions include an inflatable collar to seal the bag inlet spout, an inflator to remove creases from the bag prior to filling, an automated vibratory densification/deaeration system to stabilize the bag and pneumatically retractable bag hooks that disconnect the bag from the filler, ready for removal by forklift.
Flexicon Corporation


text:
For Information: 800-782-1967 or
Notify me when this becomes available:
Set a dramatic tone with this handsome Tropical Leaves Gold Metallic patterned lamp shade. The shade is printed giclee style and is custom made-to-order. The correct size harp and matching finial are included free with this shade. Chrome finish spider fitter. The opaque drum lamp shade is crafted from textured metallic paper with a shimmering, reflective quality. Shade printing process U.S. Patent # 7,347,593.


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When a story of this magnitude touches down, there are inevitably new visitors to the site. Some of them are nice and stay a while. Others just pop by to yell. Here are some emails from those lovely people.
31 Pieces Of Silver Split Between Us, Actually
Hey AJ. It's funny that this happened over 2 years ago and the story is coming out now??????? What motive could there be, other than to discredit the guy, and bring turmoil to his wife, and 2 daughters.
Jen Sterger is a slut. While she tries to come across as someone with "big boobs who has morals," ANYONE who poses nude, has other woman grabbing her breast from behind, is nothing more than a whore, and YOU are a little weak, pathetic weasel, who probably doesn't have 1 fragment of athletic ability in him.
You and your degenerate website are disgraceful and you will answer to God one day for the turmoil you and the tramp Jen Sterger have created for his family. And please, tell the trollop to stop with the "I was afraid of losing my job" routine. I'm sure we would have kept it by some other means.
If you have any balls and want to write back, I'd be more than happy to respond...[J]ust think, you earn a living by ruining other people's lives. Your famliy must be very proud of you.
How much were you and the slut paid? 30 pieces of silver? There is a place for you, and it's called Hell. Why don't you just hang yourself?.........You are such a coward.
Sue Was So Mad, She Emailed Twice
SUBJECT: WOW..Can't Believe You Guys: Putting these pictures of a penis on your web page disgusts me. Who cares if it is him...big deal. You are low life and always will be. The whole article is bull. Cant you find something else more appropriate to put on your web? — Sue J.
SUBJECT: (No subject): Putting these pictures of a penis on your web page disgusts me. Who cares if it is him...big deal. You are low life and always will be. The whole article is bull. Cant you find something else more appropriate to put on your web? — Sue J.
This Man Seems Downright Concerned For My Well-Being
I wanted to send you an e-mail full of hate and 4 letter words. I then figured you got that all the time. I just want to share the fact that I dont agree with what you do. I think you were the person in highschool trying to dig up dirt about everyone else that you were either jealous of, or just didnt like. At the end of the day, you spend your life trying to find and expose the faults of others, and broadcast them to the world. Thats sad. I hope you can find a more positive calling to your talents (im sure you have them). Every single one of us has our shortcomings, its just a shame you make a living shining a light on those, when im sure you have many of your own.
Best of luck...I hope something about this will make sense to you
Here Come The Asshats
WTF is with you ???
Way to wreck a guys Reputation.
I hope for your sake that that's him. If it's not SHAME ON YOU
My New Byline Will Be "El Turdo"
I heard about your Favre story on deadspin the other day, so I thought I would come and see.
This brewing scandal is just another example of something I've grown tired of: People who think they can take shots at anyone and get away with it under the guise of "journalism or freedom of the press". Whatever label or term fits. Am I for those ideas? Yes. Am I for people like you? Not really.
Remember Evil Knievel and Shelley Saltman? Got to love that. How about Hulk Hogan and Richard Belzer? Even better.
I guess the thing that gives me the shiver is the sheer gutlessness on your part. Why don't you investigate the child pornography scandal at the Pentagon? what about all the dead people in the wake of Bill and Hillary. And.....ah, fill in your own example. The answer is you will be found dead "having committed suicide", so you just don't want to take part.
You are the weakling who throws the stones, and then runs for cover behind their Mama and Papa legal team. The Turd. El Turdo.
If sports figures had a brain, they would start their own media outlet and have you and yours under investigation. 24 hour surveillance. Hey?...what exactly were you doing the other day? Remember when you saw that one chick? Remember that? Riggggggght???
So,...that's it forever. If you are thinking about writing a "fuck you email" back, don't bother because I already said it.
UP THE TEA PARTY! Matt.
This Matt Has Quit Deadspin, Here's Why
You are just another example of why I hate the world we live in today. You're possibly destroying someone's family for personal and financial gain. You're basically a sleazy private investigator who puts their dirt on a website. Congrats, gumshoe, you're a scumbag. I bet when your parents knew you were going into journalism they didn't know you'd be paying people for dick picks. Saying this is news worthy is a complete joke, it's no better than assholes who sell a sextape with their famous ex. Think about his kids? Don't you care that his children have to live with this for the rest of their lives? If it even is him, does his behavior warrant this level of humiliation? Because he plays football it's OK for you to rip his family's heart out? Are the 15 minutes of fame worth it? Obviously you think so, which is sad. I couldn't live with myself, but I actually have a soul. I used to like your website and would visit it often. It's a shame because now I feel disgusted to enable such behavior. — Matt G.
Kyle Would Like To Help Destroy Deadspin, So He's Looking For Help
I completely commend and applaud the letter you wrote to deadspin. I do know and always have felt that these media outlets are a complete waste of resources, manpower and brainpower. Just as tabloid photo's are a complete waste of film. I am in fact a football fan myself, and really only paid attention to this story to see if the league will make sanctions. Other than that it is none of my business what Mr. Favre does with his cock and who he chooses to share the image of it with. It he was in violation of law, then prosecute him. If his wife is devestated by this news, my condolences Mrs. Favre, however million of marriages end on a regular basis, it is a part of life, and we all must move on. That being said, anything I can do to help you in your efforts to make deadspins life just a little less comfortable, especially because of the profits they will reap from this( being grossly underpaid myself at the moment), please let me know. While I do not expect that you and I will have some huge effect on the media conglomerates or that we will make a huge stride in reforming the types of stories reported, it would make my heart smile to know that one more bullshit slimey company has one more smiling, concerned citizen as a thorn in its side. — Kyle
And Now A Vaguely Threatening Email From Someone Who Probably Works At Bleacher Report
I have some information for you regarding BF and your most recent string of investigations into misbehavior on his part.
Be assured, I am going to fucking ruin you in exactly the same way you are actively pursuing the demolition of a man's life and career. You can investigate me and the information I'm about to give you very carefully.
I would just like to propose to you that your personal health and ability to feed and bathe yourself may be more valuable than your most recent "career" endeavors. If you do not stop this thing dead in its tracks over the weekend, you find yourself living a debilitated existence.
Feel free to investigate me, trace my e-mail and look into this situation as deeply as you wish.
Consider the options friend. — Michael Priebe


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• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
A Pakistani soldier was shot dead along the disputed Kashmir border with India late Tuesday night, further raising tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries that already had each seen two soldiers killed there over the past 10 days.
In the latest incident Pakistan accused India of killing the soldier, saying the shooting – which took place along the so-called Line of Control (LoC) dividing the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir – was unprovoked.
Over the past 10 days the two governments have traded accusations including beheading, warmongering, and raids along the LoC, reports Bloomberg News. But two Indian and two Pakistani soldiers were killed along the internationally recognized dividing line – last night's death constitutes the fifth casualty – in a little more than a week. The Associated Press referred to this period as the "worst bout of fighting in the region in nearly 10 years."
Today, an Indian Army spokesman said that "Our troops didn't fire at all."
Indian Army Gen. Bikram Singh commented, "If any Pakistani soldier has been killed, it may have been in retaliatory firing. Our soldiers do not cross the LoC," reports Reuters. Earlier in the week Singh said "I expect all my commanders at the Line of Control to be both aggressive and offensive in the face of provocation and fire," according to a separate Reuters report.
Pakistan's Army director of military operations reportedly called his counterpart in India today to complain, reports the Pakistani newspaper Dawn. Pakistan is dealing with heightened internal challenges after corruption charges were lodged against its prime minister yesterday.
A cease-fire has been in effect along the 460-mile border since 2003. Kashmir was divided between the two nations after British rule ended in the late 1940s, however, both claim the region in its entirety. Two out of three wars fought between India and Pakistan have been over Kashmir, reports Bloomberg.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that the recent flare-ups along the LoC have some worried that it could jeopardize Pakistan and India's move toward peace.
"This has been the historical trend: that whenever India and Pakistan move toward peace, one small incident reverses all progress made by the dialogue process," says Raza Rumi of the Pakistani think tank The Jinnah Institute. "The blame game by the two countries has been aggravated by the sensationalism of the Indian media, and the Pakistani media could now follow suit," he says.
The Delhi-based Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation told the Monitor that those living in the border region are most concerned about sustaining peace.
"My team has visited the LoC areas and found that the people there are very scared of the escalating situation. The peace that has held there since 2003 is dear to them," says Sushobha Bharve from the Centre.
Despite the charged rhetoric coming from all sides, both governments say the recent deaths won't knock communication and improved relations off track, reports Dawn.
Recent events have not only affected diplomatic exchanges. The public outcry coming from both countries appears to have affected more every-day matters including a cross-border visa program and the Indian hockey league. Nine Pakistani hockey players playing for India returned home due to protests there following the recent border-clashes, according to NDTV. And a new visa program for senior citizens "hailed as a sign of thawing ties" prior to the recent uptick in killings along the LoC may now be in jeopardy.
"Pakistani senior citizens were turned away at a border post the first day the scheme was to come into effect," reports the AP.
An editorial in the Indian newspaper The Hindu urges both sides to stand down and diffuse the tension that has resulted from recent events.
"After this dastardly act," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday, "there can't be business as usual with Pakistan." Dr. Singh's tired words — and his government's dreadful decision to postpone the start of visa-free travel to India by senior citizens from Pakistan — suggest the relentless political attacks on his Pakistan policy are taking a toll.
This is not good news. It is entirely true that the beheading of Indian soldiers on the Line of Control was a despicable act that must be condemned. It must also be candidly admitted, though, that Pakistan has not had a monopoly of wrong-doing in this case.
It is pointless to ask who cast the first stone. The need now is to strengthen the restraint regime on the LoC. Few spectacles have been as unedifying as the contemptible baying of warmongers these past days — most of it, it bears mention, emanating from TV studios located at a safe distance from the nearest bullet. It is hard not to contrast Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj's ugly calls for 10 Pakistani soldiers to be beheaded in retaliation with the studied restraint of General Singh. No one who has seen war casually calls for the blood of soldiers to be shed — or believes they can predict, with any certainty, what the consequences of war will be.


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The North West of England is the perfect combination of beautiful rural landscape and inner city bustle, which makes it a brilliant place for a caravan holiday as there is something to interest and entertain everyone from grandparents to grandchildren in the regions of Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.
For those caravanners interested in the countryside this area is home to three National parks, all of the Lake District, small parts of the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales as well as three areas of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (all of Arnside, Silverdale, the Solway Coast, and almost all of the Forest of Bowland). In the Lake District, famous not only for its lakes, forests, and mountains, you can see how poet William Wordsworth found his inspiration of many of his poems. This area is a solid favourite for campers, caravanners and motorhome owners and as such houses a variety of caravan and camping sites for all requirements.
Yet the area is also packed full of history and culture. Caravanners can visit the 2012 City Of Culture and home to the world famous Beatles (The Beatles Story experience) in Liverpool City Centre, as well as the football capital Manchester City Centre (visit Manchester United's home ground Old Trafford and Manchester City's home ground the Etihad Stadium). Caravanners and campers can also visit the Bridgewater Canal, the first recognised canal of the modern era, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway which was the world's first passenger inter-city railway in 1830. The University of Manchester built the world's first programmable computer, the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, in 1948 and Calder Hall was the world's first nuclear power station in 1956 which are also in this region


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GM set to announce major Fairfax plant expansion
New painting facility expected to bring job security, no new jobs
The General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan., is expected to announce a major expansion next week.
KMBC 9's Micheal Mahoney reported that GM plans to add a high-tech car painting operation to the Fairfax plant. Kansas City, Kan., will issue industrial revenue bonds to help build the facility for GM.
According to city records, the Kansas City Kansas Commission started to move ahead with the plan last September. The commission was told about a plan to issue $120 million in industrial revenue bonds, a move that will not require a city tax increase.
Mahoney reported that GM will get about a 50-percent tax break on the project, which will save the company $3.3 million over the next 10 years. Mahoney said the city's tax rolls are expected to grow about the same amount over that same time period.
Under the plan, GM will get a tax break from Kansas on the equipment it buys and installs in the plant.
The Fairfax plant, which has about 3,700 workers, is the city's biggest employer. It operates three shifts to make the Chevrolet Malibu and the Buick Lacrosse.
The new paint operation is unlikely to add jobs, but it could lead to more suppliers working with the Fairfax operation.
Employees said the expansion sends a strong signal about the plant's future.
"Any time they add money to a plant, it saves our jobs. If they're going to invest in a plant that you're at, you know your job is going to be there for a while," said worker Cheryl Garcia.
GM spent $1 billion in the late 1980s to build the new plant at Fairfax. Over the past 10 years, the company has spent almost $2 billion more to add to the site.
The formal announcement is expected on Monday.


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Drunken Shrimp
Drunken shrimp just got a makeover. Not sure if you can call this drunken since I cut down the wine a great deal, but they aren't 100% sober either. Serve this with some crusty bread on the side to soak up the juice!
This recipe was adapted from my friend Kat of Food For Every Season.
As always, the rule when cooking with wine is to use the wine you are drinking. I always have Pinot Grigio on hand. Don't use cooking wine when a recipe calls for wine, it's not the same. If you are not a wine drinker, buy a small bottle just for cooking, and keep it in your refrigerator.
Drunken Shrimp
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 1.25 lb large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deviened (1 lb after peeled)
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- fresh pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
- 1/4 cup of white wine
- 1 cup clam juice
- juice from one lemon
- generous handful of chopped parsley
- Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet.
- Add garlic, pepper flakes, and sauté 2-3 minutes.
- Add wine, clam juice, lemon juice, anchovy paste, parsley, salt and pepper, and stir.
- Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Do not overcook the shrimp or it will become tough and chewy.
- Serve shrimp with liquid in a bowl and some crusty bread on the side to soak up the juice.


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A Framingham man led a large-scale cocaine trafficking mob that included his mother who runs Narcotics Anonymous meetings and a man who talks to kids about the dangers of drugs, authorities said.
In all, six men and two women were busted Thursday in an investigation by Framingham, Natick and state police that included extensive phone taps.
Arrested were Robert Hairston, 33, of Framingham; his mother, Norma Hairston, 50, of Framingham; Carl Jones of Boston; Cheniel Garcia, 26, of Worcester; Stephanie Reesor, 32, of Framingham; Calvin Hodge, 31, of Framingham; Nasean Johnson, 30, of Boston; and Mark Perkins, 35, of Boston.
Prosecutor David Solet said Robert Hairston was the "leader of a large-scale cocaine distribution organization," while the others served as lieutenants, aides or cocaine suppliers.
Norma Hairston, who works as a counselor at the South Middlesex Opportunity Council and had worked as a counselor at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, and speaks at Narcotics Anonymous meetings, worked as the organization's banker. She packaged cocaine, dividing large amounts into smaller, street-sale size packages, Solet said.
MetroWest Medical Center spokeswoman Beth Donnelly said Hairston left the hospital at least eight months ago.
"It's even worse that she works for SMOC, which runs several group homes dealing with addiction," said Solet. "While she was collecting a paycheck, she was facilitating the distribution of large-scale amounts of cocaine."
Solet said police have recordings of hundreds of hours of phone calls in which Robert Hairston arranged and ordered the sale of drugs or arranged the purchase of large amounts of cocaine.
In April at the Natick Mall, Robert Hairston and Reesor met Johnson and Perkins, whom Solet described as suppliers, to buy 125 grams of cocaine. In a recorded phone call later to Johnson, Hairston was angry that the amount was short six grams.
After the deal, police pulled over a vehicle in which Johnson and Perkins were riding and found $5,200 in a glove compartment, authorities said. The men claimed the money was to buy a car, but it matched the amount of money that Hairston was supposed to have paid for the drugs, according to phone recordings detailed in court records.
According to the report, Hairston, Garcia, Reesor and a fourth person, who has not been charged, would rotate answering customers' orders for cocaine. Police saw Garcia, a local hip-hop artist and a spokesman for a local youth anti-drug program, sell cocaine near the Woodrow Wilson School on Leland Street in April, the report said.
Reesor, who owns a local tanning salon, also supplied the organization with cars and telephones and was known as the group's best drug packager, Solet said.
Perkins, Solet said, is a large-scale drug supplier for the Hairston organization and has been convicted in federal court of drug charges.
"He has been identified by the federal government as a major trafficker in cocaine," Solet said.
Another supplier was Jones, who on April 18, sold Hairston and Hodge 250 grams of cocaine. Hairston gave those drugs to Christine Williams, 23, of Framingham, to bring to Framingham. State police pulled over her car that day and found half the cocaine hidden in her pants and the rest under her infant in a car seat, Solet said.
Williams posted $10,000 bail after her April 21 arraignment and was released. However, she was taken back into custody on Thursday after the district attorney's office presented evidence to a Middlesex Superior Court judge that showed that the bail money was proceeds from the Hairston organization's drug sales.
Police served arrest warrants Thursday morning beginning at 6:49 a.m. When police arrested Reesor at her 739 Waverly St. apartment, she had 20 grams of cocaine split in into individual packets that were hidden in her bra. When police arrested Perkins at his 1399 Commonwealth Ave., Allston, apartment, he had a kilogram of cocaine, a bullet and an unspecified electrical weapon. He cannot be charged with any crimes associated with those items due to it happening in a different county.
Police arrested Robert Hairston at 1585 Concord St., Framingham, where they seized 20 grams of cocaine, $5,000 and five cellphones.
Garcia had two handguns, a .45 caliber and a .38 caliber, ammunition for both and 50 grams of cocaine when they arrested him at his 38 Fox St., Worcester, apartment. There are no current charges associated with those items.
When police arrested Hodge at his 2 Murray Hill Road, Framingham, home, he had a .40 caliber handgun, a .22 caliber handgun, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and 125 grams of cocaine.
Robert Hairston was charged with trafficking in cocaine of more than 200 grams, trafficking in cocaine of more than 100 grams, trafficking in cocaine of more than 18 grams, being a habitual offender, distribution of cocaine (subsequent offense), conspiracy to traffick cocaine and money laundering.
Solet asked Judge Robert Greco to hold Hairston on $150,000 bail, but Greco set Hairston's bail at $10,000.
Norma Hairston was charged with distribution of cocaine (subsequent offense), conspiracy to traffick cocaine and money laundering. Solet asked Greco to hold her on $10,000 bail, but instead Greco released her without bail.
Reesor was charged with trafficking in cocaine of more than 100 grams, trafficking in cocaine of more than 20 grams, distribution of cocaine (subsequent offense) and conspiracy to traffick cocaine. Solet asked for $25,000 bail, but Greco set $2,500 bail
Garcia is charged with distribution of cocaine, having drugs near a school and conspiracy to traffick cocaine. Solet asked for $25,000 bail, and Greco set bail at $20,000.
Jones is charged with conspiracy to traffick cocaine. Greco agreed to Solet's request to set bail at $50,000.
Hodge is charged with trafficking in cocaine of more than 100 grams, conspiracy to traffick cocaine, possession of a gun during the commission of a felony, possession of a gun by an armed career criminal and possession of ammunition. Solet asked for $100,000 bail and Greco set bail at $10,000.
Johnson was charged with trafficking in cocaine of more than 100 grams, conspiracy to traffick cocaine and distribution of cocaine (subsequent offense). Solet asked for $50,000 bail and Greco set bail at $20,000.
Perkins was charged with trafficking in cocaine of more than 100 grams, conspiracy to traffick cocaine and distribution of cocaine (subsequent offense). Solet asked for $150,000 bail and Greco set bail at $50,000 bail.
All eight are due back in court on various dates later this month for probable cause hearings.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or firstname.lastname@example.com. For up-to-date crime news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW.


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Manny Ramirez today hit his third home run of the season for the EDA Rhinos, tying him for the league lead in the CPBL. But that's beside the point. You've got to see and hear this latest Manny blast to fully appreciate it.
From the "We Are Family"-era Pirates color scheme of the team in the field to the delirious crowd to the text vertically going up the left side of the screen to the announcer's exuberant call to Manny slooooooooowly rounding the bases, we're officially eager to watch footage of every home run he hits this year.
Update: Also, as numerous commenters are pointing out, it looks like Manny (1:25 mark) may not have touched home plate.
[Manny Does Taiwan, via Hardball Talk]


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VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC are pleased to announce that the club will once again be participating in Vancouver Island's Coast Salish second annual "Hope and Health" Soccer Extravaganza. This year's event will take place August 13 and 14 in Ladysmith, BC.
This second year builds on the lessons learned and expands the reach to children in care target populations through a partnership with Kw'umut Lelum Child and Family Services and Lalum'utul' Smun'eem Child and Family Services, representing 10 nations.
"We're very excited to be partnering again with the Coast Salish community to take part in this amazing event," said Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie. "Last year's event was fantastic. When you give back to the community and you see how much it means to people, you want to do it again, so I'm really excited and pleased that we will be returning this year."
This year's event will kick off with an opening ceremony "Evening of Champions" on Tuesday, August 13, which will be MC'd by Whitecaps FC legend Carl Valentine. The evening will feature inspirational keynote speeches from Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie, defenders Jay DeMerit and Andy O'Brien, and Olympic ski cross gold medalist Ashleigh McIvor.
On Wednesday, August 14, the 'Caps will hold a day filled with soccer skills, drills, and games, as well as coaching and goalkeeper clinics. The morning will see appearances by Whitecaps FC midfielders Gershon Koffie and Russell Teibert, as well as mascot Spike, while the afternoon brings 'Caps goalkeeper Brad Knighton, defender Jordan Harvey, midfielders Matt Watson and Nigel Reo-Coker, as well as strikers Darren Mattocks and Camilo Sanvezzo.
"Hope and Health is about creating opportunities for the children and youth, but also for the families of Coast Salish communities that this event represents," said William Yoachim, executive director of Kw'umut Lelum Child and Family Services. "We're very honoured to have this relationship with Whitecaps FC."
The 2012 inaugural event was hugely successful, engaging close to 300 children and youth and inspiring multi nations and everyone involved. For video footage of last year's event, check out: http://youtu.be/xM_5H6diMe4.
To register for Martin Rennie's Coaching Clinic or Brad Knighton's Keeper Clinic, or for more details on the event, please call Chantel at 250.591.0933.


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[Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Wednesday's episode of American Horror Story: Asylum. Read at your own risk!]
Bloody Face has finally been unmasked!
On Wednesday's episode of American Horror Story: Asylum, Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) made her escape from Briarcliff Manor with the help of Dr. Thredson (Zachary Quinto). What a gentleman, right? Wrong! It turns out, he is actually Bloody Face, the serial killer with a penchant for skinning and beheading his victims. Poor Lana ended up in his murder room faster than she could realize her partner Wendy (Clea Duvall) had been killed by Thredson. Is Lana doomed to the same fate? TVGuide.com turned to Paulson to get the scoop on what's in store for Lana in this new house of horrors.
Get Committed: Who is really crazy on American Horror Story: Asylum?
Did you know from the beginning that Dr. Thredson was Bloody Face?
Sarah Paulson: I did know from the beginning when we first got the four scripts even though it was not clear then, I did know. [Executive producer] Ryan Murphy had told me that this year's Rubber Man was going to be Zach, but I don't know if they knew at that point, although they probably did, that Lana was going to be the victim of Bloody Face.
Lana is about the only character we actually want to see survive this season. Is there a possibility that she could?
Paulson: Well, I'm still shooting. I can tell you that. We're starting Episode 11 so I'm still here, but I can't say in what capacity or how.
That's good news! Dr. Thredson did say he wanted her to tell his story. What are we going to see for their relationship in the coming episodes?
Paulson: I think what is going to be revealed in the coming episodes is why Lana was chosen, that maybe there wasn't a random quality to the choice.
Will Lana still be holding on to hope that someday she might get to expose Briarcliff?
Paulson: I think the one thing that keeps her going is the idea that she will. I think Lana never loses hope. I do think that's true. I think her motivation shifts. Right now, it's going to be about how to survive. It was always about survival, but before it was about how to get out. Now, it's about how do I stay alive? And then later on it, she's not just for herself. So I can say that.
Will anyone come looking for her?
Paulson: So far, nobody has.
Not even Sister Jude (Jessica Lange)?
Paulson: There's so much more [going on]. I think that's an interesting idea, but when you see what actually does happen and how it all uncoils, I think you will be pleased. It's very complicated and it will be very exciting.
How hard was it for you to do the conversion therapy scene?
Paulson: Yeah. That was one of the more difficult things I've ever shot, although I will say what comes up in [Episodes] 6 and 7 and also in 8, also in 9 —I do really feel like there have been some harrowing things that my character has gone through and thus, I have gone through them in trying to portray them truthfully and authentically. I've had to go to some dark places in the recesses of my mind or my heart to convey these things. So on one hand, the actress in me is exhilarated by the opportunity of getting to flex this kind of muscle, but the human being part, the separate part of me, it was definitely not easy. The greatest thing about it is that Zachary Quinto is one of my close friends. What we have to do together this year on the show is very dark. So our friendship and our mutual trust of one another has made this actually an exciting thing to do as opposed to just traumatic and scary. And you ain't seen nothing yet!
American Horror Story's Chloe Sevigny: It only gets worse for Shelley
He did say they're not done with therapy, so what can you tease of the new horrors she'll be facing?
Paulson: It makes Briarcliff look like the Four Seasons. It makes Briarcliff look like a spa you go to in the Swiss Alps or something to be medicated and tended to is what it makes it look like compared to what happens to her. Yeah.
When Rubber Man was unmasked in Season 1, and as we learned more about the ghosts, they became less scary and more humanized. Do you think that will happen now that we know who Bloody Face is?
Paulson: I don't know about a human side. Part of what's so beautiful about having an actor as emotionally available as Zach is you will at least understand the why behind Bloody Face's actions. I don't know if that will make you feel less terrified of him or more terrified of him.
And will we get answers as to why we're seeing Bloody Face and the copycats in the future?
Paulson: Oh, yes you will. That won't be revealed until probably closer to Episode 9. I don't know that everything will be explained in [Episode] 9, but you will start to understand that part of the story more clearly by around Episode 9.
I had this sick theory that maybe the future Bloody Face is actually Lana and Thredson's forced love child.
Paulson: That would be very sick. You're sick.
I'm sorry! I'm thinking in Ryan Murphy's head!
Paulson: I understand that. Trying to think in Ryan Murphy's head is hard to do.
Do you think you could do a third season coming back as another character? Or are you just too physically and emotionally exhausted?
Paulson: I am. There is that creepy part of me as an actress that when I did the electroshock therapy scene, I couldn't walk for two days afterwards because you're contorting your body. They weren't moving the bed at all. It was all something I did physically. So I remember having a conversation with my mother and she was like well, "How was your workday?" And I said, "It was good. I'm really tired today. I did electroshock therapy yesterday." And she was like, "Well, that must be so devastating and hard." And the sick part is the actress in me, it was like a great day at work for me, because I got to really roll up my sleeves and do something. And not to take away from any procedural shows or jobs that I've ever had, but there have been times when I've walked into a room as a file holder or briefcase [holder], and that gets old pretty quickly. So what I've gotten to do here is just so multilayered, and when you think about where Lana started and where she is by the end of Episode 5 and where I know she's going, it's a pretty amazing thing to be given.
So yes, I'm tired. By the time Episode 7 came around, something happened in Episode 7 that I had to ask them to let me leave the room for a minute because I was so upset. So it's definitely been harrowing, but to me it's all worth it because I feel very protective and responsible for Lana Winters. And I want to tell her story and this experience to the best of my ability. So I try to get out of my own way and my exhaustion or my thoughts about it and just try to portray her as honestly as possible, given the insane circumstances that she's in.
Losties? Trekkies? Which TV show has the best fans? Vote now!
Overall, how do you think this season compares to the first?
Paulson: I think this year is much darker and, to me, much more terrifying. I think Jessica [Lange]'s character last year provided an awful lot of black humor. And this year, I still find Sister Jude funny. Certain things she does are still very funny. But I think there's something terrifying about people that are locked away against their will and have no recourse. There's nothing they can do to help themselves. There's no power. It's really a story between the powerful and the powerless. That, I think, is the ultimate terror. So I find this season to be much scarier than last year.
Were you surprised by the Bloody Face reveal? Do you want Lana to survive? Hit the comments!
American Horror Story: Asylum airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.


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Michael C Corballis. American Scientist. Volume 87, Issue 2. Mar/Apr 1999.
In 1934 the behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner found himself seated at the dinner table with the eminent philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, and proceeded to explain to Whitehead what behaviorism was all about. Obliged to offer a challenge, Whitehead uttered the sentence "No black scorpion is falling upon this table" and then asked Skinner to explain why he might have said that. Skinner attempted a reply more than 20 years later in an appendix to his 1957 book Verbal Behavior. He proposed that Whitehead was unconsciously expressing a fear of behaviorism, likening it to a black scorpion that he would not allow to intrude into his philosophy. The skeptical reader may be forgiven for concluding that the reply owed more to psychoanalysis than to behavioral principles.
Be that as it may, Whitehead had articulated one of the properties of language that seems to distinguish it from all other forms of communication, its generativity. Whereas other forms of communication among animals seem to be limited to a relatively small number of signals, and restricted to limited contexts, there is essentially no limit to the number of ideas or propositions that we can convey using sentences. We can immediately understand sentences made up of words that we have never heard in combination before, as Whitehead's sentence illustrates. Language also allows us to escape from the immediate present and to refer to events in other places and at other times. We can use language to fantasize, to describe events that have never existed and never will. This remarkable flexibility is achieved at least in part through the human invention of grammar, a recursive set of rules that allows us to generate sentences of any desired complexity The eminent linguist Noam Chomsky has attributed this to a unique human endowment that he calls universal grammar. All human languages, he suggests, are variants on this fundamental endowment.
There has nevertheless been considerable progress in teaching something resembling language to captive apes. For example, a young pygmy chimpanzee called Kanzi, studied by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh of Georgia State University, has shown an impressive ability to use symbols on a computerized keyboard in a language-like way and even to understand moderately complex commands spoken in English. Nevertheless, the "utterances" that Kanzi produces typically consist of no more than two or three symbols strung together, sometimes in novel combinations, demonstrating a grammatical capacity that approximates that of a twoyear-old human. Children go on to acquire a sophisticated, recursive grammar that is far beyond anything Kanzi, or any other ape, has mastered. There is little doubt that Kanzi and other great apes (and perhaps other species such as dolphins) can use symbols to represent actions and objects in the real world, but they lack nearly all of the other ingredients of true language. As Steven Pinker, a psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, remarks in his 1994 book The Language Instinct, the apes just don't "get it."
Since the common ancestor of human beings and chimpanzees lived some 5 million years ago, it is a reasonable inference that grammatical language must have evolved in the hominid line at some point following the split from the line that led to the modern chimpanzee. There has been much disagreement as to when this might have happened. Some linguists, such as Derek Bickerton of the University of Hawaii, have supposed that it is impossible to conceive of grammar as having been formed incrementally; it must therefore have evolved as a single catastrophic event, probably late in hominid evolution. Indeed, Bickerton and others have suggested that it may have coincided with the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa a mere 150,000 or so years ago. It might explain why H. sapiens came to dominate and ultimately replace all other hominid species, such as the Neanderthals in Europe or Homo erectus in Southeast Asia. Philip Lieberman of Brown University has also argued, on the basis of fossil evidence, that the vocal apparatus necessary to support articulate speech did not emerge until late in hominid evolution, and that even the Neanderthals, who survived until about 30,000 years ago, would have been severely challenged vocally In his 1998 book Eve Spoke: Human Language and Human Evolution, he too argues that it was language that distinguished our own species from all other hominids. Attempts to trace present-day languages back to the original mother tongue (also known as ProtoWorld) also suggest a recent origin rather than one that antedates H. sapiens.
The position that language is a recent invention begs the question of whether the vocalizations of living primates-the alarm calls of monkeys and the hooting of apes, for example-are in some form related to human spoken language. Presumably our ancestors were also capable of such vocalizations, so why couldn't these calls have evolved into what we recognize as language? The strongest argument against this scenario is that human language and primate vocalizations are fundamentally very different phenomena. As Chomsky observed in his 1966 book Cartesian Linguistics, human speech is unbounded in its capacity to express thought and in its freedom from stimulus control, whereas animal communication systems either consist of a fixed number of signals or a fixed number of "linguistic dimensions," each associated with a nonlinguistic dimension. Peter MacNeilage of the University of Texas at Austin has also noted that primate vocalizations are "holistic," containing a message in themselves, whereas human vocalizations can be combined in novel ways to create a message. In my view, it seems more likely that the call-like vocalizations of our ancestors have persisted in the emotional cries of modern human beings-such as crying, laughing and screaming rather than in speech.
Yet it is difficult to accept that an accomplishment as complex as human language could have evolved as an allor-none event-a "big bang," as it were-late in the evolution of our species. Steven Pinker and his colleague Paul Bloom, now at the University of Arizona, argue that it must have evolved gradually, shaped by natural selection. Some primatologists, such as Richard W Byrne of the University of St. Andrews, argue that the cognitive prerequisites of language (such as the ability to adopt the mental perspective of another individual) are present in the great apes, and they therefore antedated the split of our hominid ancestors from the chimpanzee line, probably by several million years.
How are we to reconcile these alternative perspectives? At least a partial answer is that language emerged not from vocalization, but from manual gestures, and switched to a vocal mode relatively recently in hominid evolution, perhaps with the emergence of H. sapiens. This idea was suggested by the 17th-century French philosopher Etienne Condillac and revived in the 1970s by the American anthropologist Gordon W. Hewes. It has not found general favor among linguists or anthropologists, perhaps because it lacks parsimony and because there is no direct evidence that any of our hominid ancestors gestured rather than spoke. Even so, argument in its favor has continued to grow.
Primate Preadaptations?
Consider first some facts about primate evolution. Primates are largely visual animals, perhaps as a result of a common adaptation to visual predation. In people as in monkeys, vision is much more highly developed than any other sense modality, including hearing. Further, with the exception of humans, primates have much better cortical control over movements of the hands than over vocalization, which is largely restricted to emotionally based sounds controlled by subcortical structures. This means that the early hominids would have been much better preadapted for expressive, voluntary communication using the hands, and it perhaps explains why attempts to teach chimpanzees a version of sign language have been much more successful than attempts to teach them anything resembling human vocal language. In one early study, for instance, a chimpanzee raised in a human family could learn to speak only three or four words, whereas gorillas (such as Koko at the Gorilla Foundation) and chimpanzees (such as Washoe and Tatu, now at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute) have been successfully taught several hundred manual signs to represent different objects or actions.
Reciprocity of gesture, as a precursor to language, may go back even further, to our common origins with apes and monkeys perhaps 25 or 30 million years ago. Giacomo Rizzolatti and his colleagues at the University of Parma in Italy have recorded from single neurons (in the premotor cortex of monkeys) that are active when the monkeys make particular gestures of reaching. Some of these neurons, which Rizzolatti and his colleagues have dubbed mirror neurons, are also active when the monkeys watch a person (or, presumably, another monkey) making the same gesture. These cells are in an area of the monkey cortex that appears to be homologous to Broca's area in the human brain, which is critically involved in the programming of human speech. Mirror neurons presumably have more to do with giving and receiving items of food than with language, but Rizzolatti and Michael A. Arbib, a computer scientist at the University of Southern California, have proposed that they are preadaptations for the subsequent elaboration of language. They may also be precursors of the ability to take the mental perspective of others, which Byrne and others have regarded as necessary prerequisites for language.
Freedom of Hand
Nonhuman primates are nevertheless restricted in the use of the hands for communication, since the hands and arms are also critically involved in postural support and locomotion. Most primates are adapted to life in the trees, using their arms for holding onto branches and for swinging from branch to branch. The larger-bodied apes are more terrestrial but move in four-legged fashion over open terrain. Chimpanzees and gorillas, our closest relatives among the primates, adopt a form of locomotion known as knuckle walking, in which the upper body is supported by the knuckles. In contrast, a primary characteristic of the hominid line (going back at least 4 million years) is bipedalism, involving an upright stance in which the hands and arms are largely freed from any involvement in posture or locomotion. This would surely have given a significant boost to their use for a variety of other activities, including expressive communication. Just why bipedalism evolved has been a matter of much speculation. Among the suggested advantages that may have led to its selection are the freeing of the hands for tool use or for carrying things, but expressive communication may have also played a pivotal role.
The split between the hominids and the great apes may have been forged by the formation of the Great Rift Valley in Africa. The apes that were to become hominids were largely confined to the east of this valley. The recent discovery of a 3.5-million-year-old australopithecine fossil in Chad, which is well to the west of the valley, has raised some doubts about the so-called "EastSide Story." Nevertheless, all other hominid fossils dated from just over 4 million to just under 2 million years ago have been found to the east, where forested areas gave way to open savanna-like territory. In this environment the early hominids would have been especially vulnerable to attack from much more specialized and effective hunters and killers, the precursors of modern tigers, lions and hyenas. This may have led to selection for enhanced social cooperation and cohesiveness, in which efficient communication would have been especially important.
In such an environment, gestural communication would be much more effective than vocal communication. First, it is silent, so there is little risk of alerting predators or prey to one's presence. Gesture allows stealth. Second, it is fundamentally spatial, and much of the information to be communicated would be spatial, such as the whereabouts of dangerous predators, easy prey or carcasses to be scavenged. It may be that pointing was among the earliest communicative gestures on the savanna. Indeed, young children learn to point very early on in development, whereas other primates never point. Merlin Donald of Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, has suggested that early communication was based on mime, involving the whole body rather than just the hands and arms, and lives on in modern dance and "body language." Donald's view is that this form of communication is distinct from language, whereas my own view is that it was a precursor. Whatever the case, there is little question that gestural language is more iconic than vocal language. That is, gestural language more directly captures the actual shapes of things and their dispositions in space. Given the preadaptation to voluntary control of the upper limbs and to the mapping of manual action onto the perception of action, it would have been natural for our early ancestors to develop gesture rather than vocalization for the purposes of intentional communication.
If the earliest language were indeed gestural, this would help to explain one of the mysteries of the evolution of speech: how words came to represent objects and events in arbitrary fashion. Words are abstract rather than iconic. With very few exceptions, such as onomatopoeic words like "buzz" or "shriek" or Tennyson's "murmuring of innumerable bees," there is nothing in the actual sound of a word that gives a clue as to its meaning. It has been argued that the earliest words did in fact mimic their referents, a notion pejoratively dubbed the "bow-wow theory" by the 19th-century Oxford philologist Max Miller. But this is regarded as rather implausible, not least because spoken language is unidimensional, structured in time and not space, whereas critical events in our world are four-dimensional, structured in time and space. This restriction does not apply to manual gestures, which might well have emerged from early attempts to physically mimic the physical world. But what may have begun as an iconic system could plausibly have evolved more abstract properties over time, and at some point arbitrary patterns of sound may have been linked to gestures that may themselves have become abstract symbols rather than icons.
Gestural Language Today
Gestures are not simply figments from some imaginary past. David McNeill of the University of Chicago has shown that manual gestures are intricately interwoven into our present-day speech patterns. Speech carries the burden of grammar and most of the load of symbolic representation so that we can listen to taped lectures or listen to the radio with little loss of information. Nevertheless, gesture supplies a visual, iconic component that can provide extra information or circumvent prolonged explanation. Ask someone to tell you what a spiral is or to tell you the size of the fish they claim to have caught. Moreover, people naturally resort to manual gestures when trying to communicate with people who speak a different language. Susan Goldin-Meadow and colleagues at the University of Chicago have shown that gesture quickly takes on a grammatical role if people are prevented from speaking.
Gestural languages have been observed in religious communities pledged to vows of silence as well as in other situations where speech is difficult or forbidden. Among the most intricate of living manual languages are those invented by Aboriginal Australians. These do not provide direct evidence that gestural language preceded vocal language since they are in fact based on vocal language, but they can function autonomously and are fully grammatical. They appear to have originated in the North Central Desert of Australia and spread from there. They are used in part to overcome speech taboos, which are observed by women in the North Central Desert following the death of a close relative, and are also imposed on male novices in initiation. Sign languages have also been widely used by the Plains Indians of North America, where they seem to have served mainly to allow tribes who spoke different languages to communicate with one another.
The most abundant and extensively studied manual languages are the sign languages invented by the deaf. Sign languages were not recognized as legitimate languages until the late 18th century, beginning in France. In 1864 the U.S. Congress passed legislation recognizing a national deaf mute college that was later named Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University) after its first principal. In the late 19th century, however, there was a strong reaction against the use of sign language, and often fruitless efforts were made to teach the deaf to speak. At the International Congress of Educators of the Deaf, held in Milan in 1880, there was a vote in favor of "oralism" (teaching the deaf to lipread or make use of whatever residual hearing they may have), and sign language was declared officially prohibited. This attitude persisted until recently, with the consequence that deaf children typically left school with drastically reduced literary and pedagogical skills.
The tide began to turn again in the late 1950s, largely through the efforts of William C. Stokoe, a professor (now retired) at Gallaudet University. Even though sign language was not properly recognized even there, Stokoe saw that the students nevertheless used it abundantly and that it had the characteristics of a true language. Stokoe and others have amply confirmed this in research, and American Sign Language (ASL) is now the recognized language at Gallaudet University. Students are taught all the usual subjects-mathematics, chemistry, philosophy and even poetry-without a word being spoken. There are countless different sign languages invented by deaf people all over the world, and there is little doubt that they are genuine languages with fully developed grammars. The spontaneous emergence of sign languages among deaf communities everywhere confirms that gestural communication is as "natural" to the human condition as is spoken language. Indeed, children exposed from an early age only to sign language go through the same basic stages of acquisition as children learning to speak, including a stage when they "babble" silently in sign!
If there is truth to Chomsky's notion of "universal grammar," it seems to apply as much to sign language as to spoken language. In a study recently conducted by Susan Goldin-Meadow and Carolyn Mylander of the University of Chicago, eight deaf children born to hearing parents were found to have created sign languages that were much more sophisticated than the primitive gestures used by their parents to teach them. Four of the children were raised in the United States and four in China, yet there was much more in common between the children's sign languages across the two cultures than between the signing of the children and their parents. The children of both countries spontaneously produced complex sentences (expressing more than one proposition), and they ordered their gestures in a similar fashion. The children also spontaneously adopted an ergative structure to their signing, in which intransitive actors are distinguished from transitive ones. For example, the word "mouse" is an intransitive actor in the sentence "The mouse goes to the hole," whereas it is a transitive actor in the sentence "The mouse eats the cheese." In an ergative language, the sign for mouse would be different in the two contexts. The Chinese and English languages make no such distinctions. Such studies give quite strong support to the idea that there is an inborn component to children's development of language, whether spoken or signed.
The innate capacity of human beings to communicate by gesture is also evident in a study of the congenitally blind-people who could not possibly have acquired the habit by observing others. Goldin-Meadow, this time with her colleague Jana Iverson at Indiana University, observed that 12 blind speakers gestured as they spoke at the same rate as a group of sighted people, conveying the same information and using the same range of gesture forms! (For example, a tilted C-shaped hand in the air was used to indicate that a liquid had been poured from a container.) Remarkably, the blind people would gesture while they spoke regardless of whether the listener was sighted or not, suggesting that gestures are tightly coupled to the act of speaking. Such coupling has its origins in the brain.
Gesture on the Brain
Like spoken language, sign language among deaf people appears to depend critically on the left side of the brain. Indeed, left-sided brain damage can produce deficits in signing that parallel the deficits in spoken language. For example, anterior lesions in the vicinity of Broca's area produce deficits in expressive signing, whereas more posterior lesions result in deficits in the comprehension of signing. In a study of brain activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging, Helen J. Neville and her colleagues of the University of Oregon have confirmed that both Broca's and Wernicke's areas, the two main language-mediating areas in the left side of the brain, are activated in deaf signers while they watch sentences in ASL. This activity was similar to that observed in hearing people when they listened to spoken sentences. Unexpectedly, the deaf showed much more activity in the right side of the brain than did the hearing people, perhaps reflecting the more prominent spatial component (which is known to be predominantly a right-hemisphere function).
A gestural origin for language may well explain the close association between handedness and the cerebral asymmetry for language. Nearly all right-handers are dominant in the left cerebral hemisphere for speech. Among left-handers the relation is less clear, with perhaps 60 percent being left dominant for speech and the remainder about equally divided between those who are right dominant and those with bilateral representation in the brain. Doreen Kimura, now at Simon Frasier University, has also noted that right-handers tend to gesture with their right hands when they speak, whereas left-handers tend to gesture with both hands. A possible explanation for this pattern of association, suggested by genetic models of handedness proposed independently by Marian Annett of the University of Leicester and Christopher McManus of University College London, is that there may be an allele (a variant of a gene) predisposing left-brain dominance for both speech and hand control. In those lacking this allele, handedness becomes a matter of chance, and handedness and cerebral dominance for speech are decoupled. Selection of the left-brain dominance gene may well have occurred during a period in hominid evolution when vocalization began to emerge as an accompaniment to gesture, eventually to replace it as the dominant mode.
Of course, there are other interpretations of the anatomical relation between hand gestures and the language areas in the brain. Elizabeth Bates of the University of California at San Diego suggests that language is a parasitic system that is overlaid on areas of the brain that originally evolved to do more basic kinds of sensorimotor work. Indeed, the areas that serve language continue to do the same non-linguistic work today: "They have not given up their day job," according to Bates. This would include the motor areas of the frontal cortex, together with sensory regions that mediate both the perception of sound and the multiple experiences that go into what we call "meaning." From this sensorimotor point of view, language and gesture are planned and executed together all the time because they are running off of the same neural systems, and the planning of language inevitably "leaks" over into gesture, which is a by-product.
In this view, hand gestures are something of a "fifth wheel" in the evolution of language-only along for the ride. I would argue, however, that the richness of human sign languages and hand gestures belies such a superfluous evolutionary origin for these phenomena. Gestures are not haphazardly associated with speech; they can convey information in a systematic way. Indeed, in sign languages, gestures carry information completely free of the spoken word. Rather than being a "fifth wheel," perhaps gestures are the remains of the "unicycle" on which language first evolved.
From Hand to Mouth
If language originated in manual gestures, why do modern-day human beings speak? Although the early hominids would have been much better preadapted to manual communication, and silent signs may have been preferred on the savanna, there were surely eventual advantages to switching to vocalization. For one thing, speech can be carried on in the dark, or when obstacles prevent communicating parties from viewing one another, or over relatively long distances. Goldin-Meadow and her colleagues have made the further point that if hands and voice are to share the burden of communication, it is more efficient for syntax to carry the grammatical component, leaving the iconic component to the hands, than to have the hands carry syntax as well as meaning. More importantly, perhaps, speech would have freed the hands yet again, allowing our ancestors to verbally instruct others in manual arts, such as the use and manufacture of tools, while at the same time demonstrating them.
It is unlikely that the switch from gestural to spoken language was sudden. Vocalized grunts and squeals would surely have punctuated early gestural language, just as gestures embellish modern vocal language-especially, one is tempted to observe, among the Italians. But vocal communication would have required extensive alterations to the vocal tract, as well as a shift from predominantly subcortical to cortical control over vocalization. As Philip Lieberman has argued, these alterations were probably not complete until relatively late in hominid evolution, perhaps only with the emergence of H. sapiens some 100,000 to 150,000 years ago. Moreover, spoken language requires more precise programming of motor sequences, since the message depends exclusively on temporal sequencing. In sign language, by contrast, grammatical information is often conveyed in parallel with other aspects of the message. For example, a sentence may be converted from a statement to a question by raising the eyebrows while the sentence is signed or into a negative by shaking the head. The pressure for accurate timing in the speech signal may well have sharpened selection for unilateral control, since any relaying of neural information between the two sides of the brain would result in some loss of temporal precision.
According to this scenario it was not language that uniquely characterized H. sapiens, but rather the shift to a form of expression in which vocalization could carry the primary communicative burden, including the all-important grammatical component. It may indeed have been "Eve" who spoke, but her predecessors probably communicated effectively with a combination of gestures and vocalizations.
Language may well have begun to evolve as a generative, grammatical system from the emergence of the genus Homo over 2 million years ago. In early Homo we see the first clear signs of an increase in brain size and the first evidence for manufactured stone tools. But although stone tools became somewhat more sophisticated in succeeding species of Homo, technology appears to have been remarkably static for almost two million years-held back, perhaps, by the involvement of the hands in communication. By the reckoning of some, it was not until the Aurignacian period in Europe, beginning some 40,000 years ago, that tools began to display a greater variety and sophistication. However, the emergence of sophisticated technology in Europe appears to have coincided with the arrival in Europe of H. sapiens, which eventually replaced the incumbent Neanderthals. Recent discoveries, including 90,000-year-old artifacts made of bone in Zaire, suggest that the technological revolution began much earlier and may have been initiated by H. sapiens in Africa.
It is now considered likely that H. sapiens emerged in Africa and radiated from there sometime between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago, replacing other hominid species who had migrated earlier, including the Neanderthals in Europe and Homo erectus, who may have persisted in Java until as recently as 27,000 years ago. What was it that enabled our species to prevail over these other large-brained hominids, whose forebears had migrated much earlier? Perhaps the most plausible answer is that they prevailed because of superior technology. But that technology might have resulted, not from an increase in brain size or intelligence, but from a switch from manual to vocal language that allowed them to use their hands for the manufacture of tools and weapons and their voices for instruction.