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I think I'm goin crazy
Mileage: 14.4 and 32.6
July mileage: 103.7
Temperature upon departure: 62
This is a picture of me in 2003 - frou-frou pajama pants tucked into my socks, a ski jacket complete with dangling ski tags wrapped around my waist, struggling to keep my Trek 6500 vertical on smooth doubletrack (look - my eyes are closed and I'm about to go off the trail!). Sigh.
I still use that same stupid helmet, but in many other ways, I have made huge leaps and bounds in the sport of mountain biking in the past three years. I've never had much confidence in my technical skills, nor have I had any reason to have much confidence in my technical skills - but I really surprised myself with my maneuverability around the 24 hours of Kincaid loop. Today, before the fourth of July festivities began, I set out to test myself on the Homestead Trail singletrack. Four miles of roots, switchbacks, milkweed canyons so tall and narrow that I couldn't see the trail at all, grass that brushed my forehead, narrow planks over swamp, and enough blind curves to keep my butt cheeks nice and puckered during the entire hour I spent exploring out there. But I came out of the forest feeling full of Independence.
I also spent the better part of the morning reading up on the Great Divide Race, having just discovered that fellow blogger Cellarrat not only participated in this year's race, but also was the racer who had his bicycle tragically stolen mid-race. He's always had encouraging things to say about the silly stuff I do Up in Alaska, and connecting his name and face to the event has made it all the more real for me.
That's a bad thing.
Because, of course, I had to go and dig up a "before" picture. That might as well be a picture of me straddling a Huffy with training wheels or lugging around 100 extra pounds. Because I understand its context, it just screams to me, "look how far you've come."
And then I begin to wonder what I could do in three more years,
And then you'll be 30.
Given the time to train, research, purchase, prepare,
Why don't you get a haircut and get a real job?
Given more endurance events that will allow me to understand my limits,
And who didn't sign up for the Fireweed 200 because they thought it would be too far to drive?
And with every chainring stab and bloody knee, whittle away at my fragility
Doesn't matter; you're still a 'fraidy cat.
That maybe,
Not a chance
Just maybe,
Remember, you're the kid who never climbed the rope in gym.
I could ride the Great Divide.
Geez, you do one 24-hour race, and suddenly you think you're Trish Stevenson.
It's such a long shot.
But these dreams have a way of setting themselves in motion.
12 comments:
hi jillReplyDelete
my name is mandi. i've been reading your blog since back in january. This winter you made me get out and ride when i THOUGHT the weather was just too bad. Thank you for this blog. I am a back of the pack pro mountain bike racer from west virginia who is sponsored by vicious cycles from new paltz new york. recently really getting into the endurance stuff my self. also following the great divide race every day. my husband and i have high hopes of that race someday. i'm sure you will hear more from me in the future since i finally introduced myself. you can meet my husband and i at http://ridealotwv.blog.com/
Go for it. You only regret the things you didn't do.ReplyDelete
Ggggrrrrrllll, go get it. The GDR sounds so awesome...I read all about cellarat, too. What a great guy. A real shame that someone took his bike mid-race.ReplyDelete
Anywho...go after what you want. You only go around once!
Jill, just try it. Even if you don't make it, you'll be better off for trying. I was 17 when I got into this sport. By the time I was 18 I was racing George Hincapie. I am so happy I threw everything I had into racing. I wanted to be a national class rider, but wasn't sure of it. Turns out I was. Don't die wondering, girl. And about that turning 30, ummm, I just turned 34 and am finally regaining the form and strength I had 10 years ago. Age is nothing.ReplyDelete
Holy smokes!! Ridealotwv rides for a shop just over Minnewaska mountain from where I used to live!! I rode through New Paltz all the time until I moved a month ago. Small world...ReplyDelete
Dream Big.... Don't let the speed bumps get yah if they do find a way around them.ReplyDelete
It's cool to see how far you have gone. Who knows mabe in a few you can beat trish's record or just ride the gdr or Idtibike or whatever... Just don't put limits on yourself.
Take care
I say go for it, Jill! The unexplored life is boring! If you don't try, you will never know.ReplyDelete
Go dreams!ReplyDelete
It's too hard. You will never make it.ReplyDelete
(I just wanted to say something different!)
; ) (this is punctuation used to display emotion or sarcasm). I learned about it on the internet.
I'll bet you could never have seen yourself in Alaska, either, huh? And now, here you are. It's always so weird to look back on where you've come from ... but it's even weirder to imagine where you're going ...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 6, 2006 at 9:53 PM
GDR is a challenge obviously (clenched buttcheeks and such), but it seems to be well within your reach. You might as well do it, unless you have something better to do at that time next year.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 7, 2006 at 5:03 AM
Age is nothing.ReplyDelete
Nay -- age is wisdom + opportunity!


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Ladder Golf® is played with 2 or more players or teams. Each player has 3 golf ball bolas. A bola is 2 golf balls attached by a nylon rope. The object of the game is to wrap your bolas around the steps of the ladder. The ladder consists of 3 steps, a top, middle and a bottom step.
Some of you may have landed on this page because you searched for the rules of Ladder Golf, yet you are NOT playing on the official Ladder Golf® Brand games. That's fine, we want everyone to have fun no matter what equipment you have. Plus it's good that you are playing with the official Ladder Golf rules! We just want to take a second to let you know the benefits of our quality games.
Prior to game play a line must be set 5 paces from the ladder. This is the called the toss line. The official toss line is 15 feet away but most players measure 5 paces from the game ladder to set the toss line. This allows for a closer toss line for children's games. Ladder Golf is played in rounds, each round consists of all players tossing 3 bolas. A coin toss is used to decide which player or team will toss first. The first player must toss all 3 bolas before the next player is able to toss his or her bolas. Bolas can be tossed in anyway the player chooses, as long as they are tossed individually and can be bounced off the ground. The winner of the round earns the first toss in the next round. Games are played to an exact point total of 21. In order to win, a player must be the only one to score exactly 21 points after the completion of a round. If a player goes over the exact point total, that players points for that round do not count. For example: A player with 18 points needs 3 points to get the exact score of 21 in order to win. If that player has 5 points hanging on the ladder after all the players have tossed all strands, none of those points count and the player will enter the next round with 18 points again needing 3 points to win. In the case of a tie, the players that tie will play as many overtime rounds as needed until one player ends a complete round 2 points ahead of the other player. The 2 point rule only applies in overtime rounds. During regular play any player can win as long as that player is the only one to score an exact total of 21 points at the end of that round no matter how many points the other players have.
Basic etiquette of Ladder Golf® states that contestants should make as many remarks, sounds or movements as possible during play in order to distract the opponent's during play. Touching the player during tossing is never allowed. In the course of play no contestant is to walk to the ladder prior to completion of the current round of play.
After all teams have tossed all their bolas, scoring is determined by the bolas that are still hanging from the steps. Players can knock-off bolas during the course of the game, in fact knocking-off other players bolas is encouraged and a good way to play defensively. bolas that are knocked off during play do not count as points. Only bolas that are left hanging after all bolas are tossed are counted as points.
Points are determined by which step your bola wraps around. The top step is worth 3 points the middle step is worth 2 points and the bottom step is only worth 1 point. Players can score an optional bonus of 1 point by hanging all 3 bolas from the same step or by hanging a bola on all 3 (1-2-3) steps in one round. The highest amount of points available per player is 10. This is accomplished by hanging all 3 bolas on the top (3 point) step.
Four players can play Ladder Golf® by alternating play each round. Players simply alternate turns with teammates. Extra bolas can also be purchased so up to 4 players can play individually on the same ladder or a second ladder can be purchased for team play. With multiple ladders 2 players on opposite teams would be on one side and the other 2 opposing players would be at the other game ladder. One side would toss all bolas and the other team would toss them back. Same rules apply.
Bolas: A Bola consists of 2 golf balls attached together with a piece of nylon rope. Golf Balls are spaced 13" apart. Ladder: The ladder is the structure that consists of 3 steps each spaced 13 inches apart. Steps or Rungs: Each ladder has 3 steps. The top step is worth 3 points, the middle 2 and the bottom 1 point. Toss Line: The line that the players tosses from. Officially is set to 15 feet. For backyard games 5 paces works fine.
Your ladder needs to be assembled prior to playing. Begin by fastening the 2 uprights to the 2 bases with the supplied knobs. After both uprights are fastened to the bases insert the round steps. The top and bottom step are identical and the middle step is the one with threads on the ends. Once all the steps are inserted screw in the remaining 2 knobs into both ends of the middle step. Do not over tighten the knobs on the middle step or use any tools to tighten them. The clearances on your new Ladder Golf game are very tight at first. The holes drilled in the ladder are meant to be tight and it will become easier to assemble after the first few times you assemble and disassemble the game set.
Before playing your new Ladder Golf game, please READ ALL warnings and rules. Your game will provide a lifetime of playability if used as intended and stored correctly. Remember to play safe, have fun and go for the ten point toss!
Replacement parts can be purchased 24 hours a day at www.LadderGolf.com. Additional bolas and additional ladders can be purchased separately on our website.
Feel free to email us by clicking here, with questions, comments, tournament information or suggestions.


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Spring Break is almost here for our students and staff members across the state. We sincerely hope everyone in our Harmony community has a fun and relaxing break before together we begin the final stretch toward the end of the school year.
We understand that many of you will be traveling this spring break. With concerns about the Coronavirus in the minds of many, we want to share a few tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about staying healthy when traveling, as well as provide more info about a few Harmony policies related to returning to school after visiting certain risk-prone destinations.
Tips for Healthy Travel
In general, the same advice for fighting germs and bacteria applies when traveling as it does when staying home:
- Wash hands frequently and/or use hand sanitizer;
- Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth;
- Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands;
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
- When greeting others, consider an alternative to hugs or handshakes, such as an elbow bump.
Additionally, here are a few additional tips related specifically to those traveling:
- Be aware of your surroundings (including people who are sick) and try to distance yourself as appropriate;
- Avoid areas that you feel might make your more likely to be exposed;
- Know how to get reliable local information about any possible changes to the situation;
- Avoid public transportation, if possible. Confined spaces such as buses, trains, subways, and airplanes may put you at a higher risk of infection;
- When eating animal-based products, make sure they are thoroughly cooked before eating.
Returning to School After Visiting Risk-Prone Areas
Due to CDC travel guidelines, students and families that have traveled to locations that are marked as a Coronavirus risk by the CDC must have a letter of clearance from their medical provider before returning to campus. Failure to provide a clearance letter will result in the student being dismissed home. Students will have 48 hours to provide proof of doctor's clearance. Any additional absence will require further documentation from the parents or doctor. For a list of countries with COVID-19 travel advisories, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.
Currently these countries include:
- China
- Hong Kong
- Iran
- Italy
- Japan
- South Korea
Additionally, please be aware that families travelling to China's Hubei province or mainland China may face a mandatory quarantine and be monitored by public health officials. Any health department guidelines should be followed by any affected families and absences will be waived upon return to school with provision of proof of quarantine.
At Harmony Public Schools, we take the health and safety of our students and staff members seriously. Harmony is closely tracking all new developments regarding the Coronavirus and will continue to share timely, relevant updates, as needed.
If you have any questions or concerns, please refer to your campus health staff.
We appreciate your help in supporting healthy and happy learning environments for our Harmony community.


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Before opening contemporary art space M.I.A Gallery in Seattle last January, Mariane Lenhardt was working with a much older group of artists—ancient artists, in fact: the anonymous creators of Neolithic rock paintings in Somaliland. Lenhardt (who is of Somali descent) was struck by both the beauty of these 5,000-year-old paintings (cows, giraffes, dogs, many wearing adornments) and the fact that they might be destroyed by the political unrest and drought ravaging the area. Believing that such ancient art reveals "the emergence of the human imagination," in 2006 Lenhardt gathered archeologists and created Somaliland Heritage (somalilandheritage.org), a nongovernmental organization working to gain World Heritage Status for (and thereby preservation of) the area containing the paintings. (Somaliland is currently not recognized as a nation, which complicates matters.) But given the treacherous politics of the area, she began to feel unsafe and suspended her own direct involvement in the project.
Communicating underrepresented artistic messages remains a priority, however; it's precisely the intention of her new gallery. "It's about the artists' vision," Lenhardt says. "What they're trying to do. I want to be their voice." M.I.A's stated mission includes an emphasis on social change, which she hopes to achieve by introducing audiences to viewpoints they haven't considered before (M.I.A stands for "missing in art"). "My perspective is to create a space where we can change the other by connecting with it," she says. She hopes to break through the universally divisive feeling that everyone is a stranger to each other, and thus create connections. "If I was doing this in L.A., it might not work," she says of the social justice aspect of her gallery, "but here I've found a lot of support. People in Seattle are smart and politically involved."
Born in New Caledonia (an island off the coast of Australia), Lenhardt lived in Somalia during her early childhood; her family moved to France before the war began. She lived in France for most of her life (she attended college in London), and met her husband, Pierre, a Frenchman, when she was working in marketing in Paris. His job at Boeing brought the couple here in 2010. After landing in Seattle, she took some time to think about what she really wanted to do. Having previously worked as a freelance artist agent, she kept coming back to art and the desire to "represent artists that haven't received the right spotlight."
Lenhardt opened the gallery—a long, narrow space downtown on Second Avenue—with what many considered a coup: a collection of prints by Malian photographer Malick Sidibé. Operating a small photography studio in Bamako, Mali, since the early 1960s, Sidibé (born in 1936) gained acclaim for his portraits of Africans posing proudly with cherished possessions (radios, motorcycles, best dresses) as well as the shots he took at parties and celebrations. In sharp contrast to photos revealing the pain and suffering in Africa, "Sidibé gives us access to the joyousness there," Lenhardt says. "These images make you change your ideas about Africa." His work doesn't elicit pity (which Lenhardt believes can feel like a violation to those pitied), because the photos are taken for the benefit of the people in them, rather than serving an assessing outsider's gaze. "The subjects are in control of their own identities," Lenhardt notes. "It doesn't feel like an intrusion."
For her second show, Lenhardt swung from an established artist to an emerging one: young French-Senegalese photographer Delphine Diaw Diallo. Having recently settled in Brooklyn, Diallo, 35, is best known for her collage work exploring personal identity and media messages, but Lenhardt is featuring her portrait photography—specifically work Diallo completed while staying with the Crow Tribe in Montana. "She tried to capture something [that seems] other to her," Lenhardt says. The resulting black-and-white photos of modern-day Native Americans reveal "a group trying to both combine with and resist the dominant culture."
The newest M.I.A exhibit features work by painter Soly Cissé—a show Lenhardt calls "my phenomenon of the year." Another Senegalese artist, Cissé, 42, is known internationally for his rich, hauntingly abstracted paintings of animals, human figures and trees. (Lenhardt calls him "the African Basquiat.") The son of a medical doctor who was vehemently against his decision to be an artist, Cissé incorporates cryptic numeric codes into his paintings—the result of his artistic beginnings when he painted on X-ray films his father brought home from work. His paintings often reflect a tension between tradition and modernity, the familiar and the imagined. "He feels possessed by the spirits of the animals he has killed while hunting," Lenhardt notes. Interestingly, many of Cissé's works resemble cave paintings—symbolic riddles the viewer must approach with her own system of meaning in order to parse.
Though Lenhardt's early focus at M.I.A has been on contemporary African artists (whom she says she likes to feature because they are often taken advantage of), that group won't be her sole purview. She says she would love to showcase contemporary Iranian art, for example. "Basically, any oppressed countries, I'm interested in," she says, laughing. Then she adds, more seriously, "To me, art has democracy. If you can express yourself, there is no limit."


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As part of the Product Management team, you bridge technical and business worlds as you design technologies with creative and prolific engineers and then zoom out to lead matrix teams such as Sales, Marketing and Finance, to name a few. You have a bias for action and can break down complex problems into steps that drive product development at Google speed. As a Product Manager, you can be part of shaping Google's next game-changer.
One of the many reasons Google consistently brings innovative, world-changing products to market is because of the collaborative work we do in Product Management. With eyes focused squarely on the future, our team works closely with creative and prolific engineers to help design and develop technologies that improve access to the world's information. We're responsible for guiding products throughout the execution cycle, focusing specifically on analyzing, positioning, packaging, promoting and tailoring our solutions to all the markets where Google does business.
At Google, we put our users first. From innovative software products like Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, StreetView to mobile devices like the Android, we build products that organize the world's information and make it universally accessible to our users. Google products are the lifeblood of who we are. The Product Management team works closely with our engineers to guide products from conception to launch, and with our business partners to generate profitable revenue streams.


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Consider the exterior of your home first. The first impression from the street includes exterior condition of the structure and walkways and landscape. Is there a warm and inviting approach to the home to set the stage for excitement within? Inside, focus on room size and natural light. Remove any distractions and donate or sell items you don't want to keep before putting your house on the market.
Organize the personal items you keep so as to help enlarge the feel of interior spaces. If things need tidying inside your closets or cabinets, take charge! Try to give the overall impression that there is ample storage. Pack up and store any fixtures, appliances and window treatments which you plan to exclude from the sale of your home. Replace heirlooms with suitable fixtures so as to avoid problems later.
Inspect your rooms for defects that can easily be fixed. If the faucet drips, have it fixed. If the paint needs patching, take action and make the repairs. If the window screens are torn; replace them and have the windows washed prior to listing the property for sale. If a fresh coat of paint will be of help to lighten and brighten the space, do it! Once you've organized and de-cluttered, repaired and freshened, it is time to make sure the house is as clean as possible on a regular basis. Make sure to remove any musty or stale odors in the house.
With attention to detail beforehand, a great impression can be achieved and you should assure a substantial edge over your competitors. Selling a home is a major undertaking. But with my guidance and assistance as a Real Estate Professional, I can assure you a superior experience!
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Renault has a history of building some fairly taut sporting versions of regular production econo-hatchbacks. The Renault Sport Mégane RS is no exception to the rule, bringing 250 turbocharged horses to the table.
Hot on the heels of the Mégane F1 Team R26, the Mégane R26.R and the Mégane Trophy comes the newest hot-hatch in the Renault lineup, the 2010 Renault Sport Mégane RS. The Mégane RS comes in two flavors, 'Sport' and 'Cup' - and no, two girls don't come with the later, but stronger bracing and a limited slip differential does. Both versions come with Renault's next-gen 2.0 liter 16-valve twin-scroll turbocharged gas engine with a very capable and even 250 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 250 lb-ft of torque from 3,000 rpm with 80% available from 1,900 rpm. This represents a 20hp and 30 lb-ft increase over the Mégane R26.R which was Renault's previous crowning achievement in the hot-hatch race. The increased horsepower is driven through a tight ratio six-speed manual gearbox and based on numbers alone, it sounds like it would be an absolute blast to drive.
We'll more than likely never see the 2010 Renault Sport Mégane RS on our shores, but we can only hope that everyone else is taking a good look at what the Frenchies are doing. This, and the 2010 Ford Focus RS, is exactly the sort of package that we'd love to have here. It manages sportiness, lightness and fuel efficiency. What more could you ask for?
Renault Press Release (Or French For: We're Never Going To Give This To You, You Smelly Americans):
As the latest in a long line of Renault sporting models, Renault Mégane RS stands out through its exhilarating performance and handling. The cocktail of its 250hp engine, unmistakable sporting coupé credentials and choice of two chassis ('Sport' and 'Cup' with limited slip differential) is clear evidence that Renault Mégane RS has been honed to offer an extreme ride.
Coming after Mégane F1 Team R26 and Mégane R26.R, Renault Mégane RS profits fully from Renault Sport Technologies' extensive experience when it comes to manufacturing production sporting models.
New Mégane Renault Sport is powered by a new-generation 2-litre 16-valve turbocharged petrol engine which boasts maximum power of 250hp (184kW) at 5,500rpm and peak torque of 340Nm from 3,000rpm. The sum of the different improvements made to this engine has produced a gain of 20hp and 40Nm over Mégane R26.R which itself emerged as the yardstick in the world of performance hatches. The Renault Sport 2.0 T engine's twin-scroll turbo is exceptionally responsive and is particularly flexible at lows revs, with 80 per cent of maximum torque available from 1,900 rpm. Its broad useful rev band makes it a genuine joy to drive in everyday use, and the pleasure remains all the way up to the rev-limiter whenever it is pushed a little harder. The engine of New Mégane RS drives through a six-speed manual gearbox.
Work has also gone into the acoustics of the Renault Sport 2.0 T engine to produce a telltale sporty pitch audible inside the cabin under acceleration.
Renault Mégane RS has inherited the same suspension arrangement as the current Mégane RS. Thanks to an independent steering axis layout at the front, the suspension and steering functions have been separated to ensure a particularly high standard of handling and traction performance.
Like the sporting versions of the Renault Clio and Renault Twingo ranges, New Mégane RS is available with a choice of two chassis: the 'Sport' chassis or the 'Cup' chassis, which comes with a limited slip differential for even greater traction.
The electric power steering features specific, sportier calibration and benefits from the latest improvements seen on new Renault Mégane aimed at achieving greater precision and even more feedback from the road.
Renault Mégane RS is equipped with ESC which is fully disconnectable in order to enable owners to sample the pleasure of enjoying their car's full potential round a circuit.
New Mégane RS benefits from undeniably sporty looks. The front bumper incorporates the LED daytime running lights, as well as the splitter which recalls the low-slung nose of the R28 Formula 1 car. The sporty calling of this Renault Sport-badged model is further emphasized by its 18-inch aluminium alloy rims, central exhaust tailpipe and rear diffuser.
The interior appointments, too, exude the world of motor sport, from the extra lateral support for the seats, to the analogue rev-counter with visual and audible gearshift indicator, the aluminium pedal cover and the specific steering wheel complete with thumb rests. The Renault Sport signature is also visible inside the car: on the headrests, rev-counter background and dashboard.
Renault Mégane RS profits fully from Renault Sport Technologies' extensive experience when it comes to manufacturing production sporting models
Renault Sport Technologies has combined its experience of motor sport with its longstanding production expertise to develop a comprehensive range of sporting cars. The hallmarks of Renault Sport models are their pedigree engines and efficient chassis which together deliver an undeniably high level of sports performance, as testified by the reputation forged by Mégane F1 Team R26 and Mégane R26.R which were voted 'Sporting Car of the Year' in France in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
[via Renault]


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Getting to the Super Bowl is not easy for many
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - They are former kids who played in their backyards and dreamed of scoring the winning touchdown, making the big play on defense and somehow sharing in the spotlight of helping a team win the Super Bowl.
Not all dreamers get to the NFL, and certainly, many who get to football's highest level don't get the chance to play in the Super Bowl.
There are at least a dozen who will be participating for the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's Super Bowl who toiled for at least eight years in the NFL before getting a chance to play for the title.
Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey is the poster child. He waited 15 years. The other includes the last XFL player still in the NFL, a couple of Chargers who got close, a Canadian who lost the NFC title in overtime a couple of years ago, and a number who played on very bad teams before finding their way to ones of the cusp of greatness.
Denver defensive end Jeremy Mincey played on a lot of bad teams in Jacksonville and was heading nowhere late in the season when the Jaguars released him in December for missing a meeting. The Broncos picked him up.
"Dude, this is what we play for, man," said Mincey, who has played six seasons, missed another with a thumb injury, and had another as a practice squad player. "This is why we keep playing. A lot of us go through a lot in this league, especially guys like me and Mike Adams who have been with so many different teams, different situations. It feels good to actually have this opportunity and for things to land in sync."
Ironically, Mincey had refused to go to any previous Super Bowl unless he was playing one.
This year, he told his fiancee that he intended to buy tickets and go.
"But I ended up being here buying more tickets for people to come see me play in it," he said.
Adams, a Broncos safety in his 10th season, is so excited to be playing in the Super Bowl that he has vowed to walk the 12-mile trek home to Paterson if Denver wins.
"My friends and family will be right in the stands, (so I can) go ahead and hug them, and then maybe if I decide to walk home, they can all walk home with me," he said. "I don't know if they'll like it, but they will."
Seattle guard Paul McQuistan played with Oakland and Cleveland before coming to Seattle. As much as he wanted to play in the Super Bowl, he never worried whether he would get there. It wasn't a career breaker.
"This is a team game," he said. "Getting here is icing on the cake. Every kid dreams of getting there and playing in the big game. It's an awesome opportunity, but if I didn't get there it would take away from what I've done."
The odds of playing in the Super Bowl aren't good. The average career length is less than four years and only 106 players out of close to 1,700 make it each year.
Seattle tackle Tony McDaniel played three seasons with Jacksonville and four with Miami before joining Seattle this season.
"In the offseason, when I used to watch playoff games, the Super Bowl was always in the back of my mind," McDaniel said. "I'm here now and it's amazing."
Seahawks punter Jon Ryan was with Green Bay in the 2007 season when it lost to the Giants in the NFC title game in overtime.
"That was a heartbreaker and when I went to Seattle after that we had a couple of lean years, where we won four and five games," the Canadian said. "After eight years, I'm finally getting a chance to play in the game, It's every kid's dream. In the backyard, you'd be (John) Elway or (Joe) Montana passing to (Jerry) Rice or whoever.
"As you get older, it seems to become a pipe dream, but now I am so thankful to be here."
Broncos cornerback Quentin Jammer and defensive end Shaun Phillips got close to the big one playing a decade in San Diego.
Jammer admitted doubts crept in.
"You go 11 years and you didn't make it and you start to come toward the end of your career and you know you've only got a few more years left in you," he said.
Phillips never doubted.
"I wouldn't say it's surreal because it's something I always believed I could do," he said. "It just happened to take 10 years."
Denver linebacker Paris Lenon had the craziest trip. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service after college, played in the XFL and later for Amsterdam in NFL Europe.
"It's been a winding road," he said. "But it's been a fun one."


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If you play ZombiU's special Survival mode you only get one life for the whole game. Death is death. No respawning as another character, which is what happens in ZombiU's already-tough (and very fun) normal mode.
The creators of the game say they didn't even know if that tougher Survival mode could be cleared, not until very recently. From a recent chat between the game's top Ubisoft creators, including producer Xavier Poix, and Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata:
Xavier Poix: I should add that up to a few days before work on the game was finished, we still didn't know whether it was possible to complete Survival mode to begin with.
Iwata: What? Are you serious? (Laughs)
Poix: I think it must have been only two or three days before we finished work on the game before anyone made it all the way to the end. In the bug database for Survival mode, someone had reported the funniest bug that I'd ever seen in all my life as a developer, saying that the game is too hard and can't be finished. (Laughs)
Iwata: To all the gamers in the world reading this, Ubisoft has thrown down the gauntlet!
Well, lo and behold, someone has finally beaten Survival mode. In the game itself Ubisoft's developers are giving them credit. We screencapped this in the game. The developers have been peppering their game with messages like this since launch:
Pretty cool.
CORRECTION: Turns out that that was actually the ninth person to clear the game's brutal mode. We'd missed the message hailing the original amazing eight.


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2015 has arrived and before too much of it slips by, I wanted to share some thoughts here, after having been away from this space for so long.
2014 was not an easy year both on the personal front as well as in general, with incredibly devastating disasters and atrocities happening across the world. I have found myself on many occasions being deeply saddened, overwhelmed by despair, or sunken with a deep sense of loneliness. The struggle to find reasons, answers, solutions to things have taken its toll and many times, I have felt like giving up, tempted to forget about always choosing the right and the good, and instead give in to the strongest currents.
Thankfully, I have not been forsaken, and although no one person has been able to be alongside me this whole journey, there have been many dear ones who have given me time and have listened to my heart. To those of you, I thank you, and seek your forgiveness for not having shared more of myself, not because I did not want to, but simply because I somehow could not bring myself to do so. It has been incredibly hard to share of myself even with the closest, and needless to say almost none of this dark side has appeared on the blog. This reticence on my part has made a mark this year, and I don't quite know what to make of it.
On this note, I have decided to draw this blog as it is to a close. For several weeks now, I have mulled over shutting it down completely. However, I have now decided to keep it running, for it has been my sidekick for almost 10 years, and killing it might risk a part of me dying. For now, I will no longer be doing anymore reviews or sponsorships, and will likely not attend any more media events. I have been completely shite at responding to blog emails this past year, and it is time that I start the new year right by being clearer about what this space is going to be. I would like to thank all my blog partners and sponsors in the past years, for giving us gratifying experiences that we mostly would not have done on our own. Many of these experiences are happy memories in our hearts and minds. This blog will now just simply be a space for me to say my random piece, unfettered by timelines and what-nots, including (hopefully) my annoying perfectionist streak.
From tomorrow (2 Jan 2015), I will closing my life chapter of being a stay-home-mum, and will be back in the workforce. It was one roller-coaster ride coming to this decision and putting things in place to make it happen. For now, I am going to roll with it, and hopefully live to tell my story.
In this new year, I hope to continue to plug at my "Eliminate and Concentrate" motto, to keep the big picture while working on the small things, and to work at being healthy in mind, body and spirit to run life's marathon.
Thank you all for being a special part of my life – and here's to a better 2015 for everyone!


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Let's make History,
You and I.
Right here, right now,
In this air, these stars,
This Night is ours!
Release these Wolves
and sound the alarms
This Night
is ours.
Take off that Mask to reveal
that beneath it all
Right now is Real.
Fire the guns and
Sunder the Seas!
Be everything you can be
Explode into a Supernova
of Ecstasy,
Colours and Sounds.
Breathe in Eternity
This Night is ours!
No turning back
A headstrong Attack
Challenging Everything you know
After all,
What have I got to show?
Turn to Face
that's all it takes.
One last Chance,
the dramatic climax,
The deep breathe before the plunge
This is it boys,
One last Lunge.
The institutions of law
Will fall at our feet!
And grovel in submissive defeat
Let's make history,
you and I
This Night
So we may never die.
This is one for the Books!
They'll write it down,
And all that it took
was to Burn this Town!
A night to remember
One last time,
So gather your courage
and all you have left,
And pack every fist full
of your last dying breathe
Because Tonight
We own the World
and tonight we will change it
and Life
is the edge of a knife
which the Universe rests on;
and Life
Is what ties us down,
a tether.
But we've found
A new way to live


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The Palm Pre plus removed the navigation button, has 2x internal RAM, 16GB storage, and a built-in inductive back cover for Touchstone inductive charging.
Apple's Vision Pro Seems Powerful, But Who Is It For? | Future Tech
The Pixi Plus is still "thin and lightweight", but now has Wi-Fi, more colors for back covers (all Touchstone enabled). And both these phones are only for Verizon. A new mobile hotspot app lets users create a Wi-Fi network from Verizon 3G for sharing with up to five devices.
Verizon says they're not ready to talk pricing for these two phones yet. Are these the two phones that AT&T is going to get too? Not sure—Jon Rubenstein didn't say. If this is really a Verizon exclusive, then it's likely not the Plus phones.


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Milky Way Drive-In
Monsters, Inc.
Runtime: 96 minutes
Rated: G
Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) is one of its top scarers. Sullivan is a huge, intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots and horns. His scare assistant, best friend and roommate is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a green, opinionated, feisty little one-eyed monster. Visiting from the human world is Boo (Mary Gibbs), a tiny girl who goes where no human has ever gone before.


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…per se. But instead, a link to an article that presents an interesting theory proposing low blood pressure, rather than heat-related illness and/or dehydration, was the likely culprit behind so many runner collapses earlier this month. The follow up article at the end of the one linked to is also worth reading.
I spent a few days visiting family in Eastern Iowa, where I was registered to race in a 5K breast cancer center fund raiser. The morning of the race, however, it was pouring buckets of rain. I was out there, warming up — the only runner warming up, in fact, which gave me a lot of hope of winning some cheap hardware — when they called the race due to lightning concerns. 10,700+ people registered for the three events (5K race, 5K walk, 1 mile fun run), and the turnout was good despite the weather. So it was a disappointment. But they raised a lot of money through registrations, so all's well that ends well.
Now I'm laid up with a bad head cold. The woman behind me on the plane from Chicago to La Guardia was coughing and sneezing all the way, so I'm not surprised. I feel like warmed over dog food and my head feels as though it's been filled with Kwik-Crete and cotton balls. This probably means I won't be doing the Harry Chapin 10K race on Sunday as planned. That's four races in a row that have been screwed up due to weather or illness. At least turkey trot season is coming up. Maybe it won't be 80 degrees anymore by next month!
But there's a silver lining. The day before I got sick, I managed to do a 16 miler at 8:40 pace / 76% heart rate. This is tremendous progress and has made me a true believer in the value of building a base of long, slow, low heart rate distance running. By way of comparison, the week I started base building four months ago, I ran a 9 miler at 10:36 pace / 75% heart rate under similar conditions. So I'm nearly two minutes faster these days. Maybe a 3:30 marathon is not such a pipe dream after all.
Up until very recently, I was doing most of my runs at 68-72% heart rate. Now I'm just doing that after the long runs and doing "easy" pace (75-80%) the rest of the time. So I won't go into shock when my 18 week training program begins the first week of December. The date for the 2008 More Marathon has been chosen: April 6, the day after my 43rd birthday. So it looks like I'll have to skip the copious libations and sugary treats until after the race.
I may kick my training off by running the Hot Chocolate 15K in Central Park to further assess progress and get a better sense of what my various training paces should be. Plus, who doesn't like hot chocolate in December? (As long as it's not 80 degrees out.)
Filed under: physiology, racing, training, travel | Leave a comment »


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Macreth Surname Ancestry Results
Our indexes 1000-1999 include entries for the spelling 'macreth'. In the period you have requested, we have the following 2 records (displaying 1 to 2):
Try these...
macraw macrawan macray macraynaill macrayth macraywaynd macrazie macre macrea macready macreamoinn macreath macreavy macredie macredy macregnet macreight macrel macrell macrerik macrett macrevair macrewar macrewy macri macricardmareda macridder macridis macrie macrill macrimer macrimmon macriner macris macritchie macriuayr macro macrob macrobb macrobbie
These sample scans are from the original record. You will get scans of the full pages or articles where the surname you searched for has been found.
Your web browser may prevent the sample windows from opening; in this case please change your browser settings to allow pop-up windows from this site.
Research your ancestry, family history, genealogy and one-name study by direct access to original records and archives indexed by surname.


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Stay Tuned column: 'Lovecraft Country' is HBO's next must-watch series
A promo character gets a series, an expedition competition returns and a highly anticipated drama makes its debut.
Dispatches: Weekly TV news
Following in the footsteps of Jimmy Fallon and Conan O'Brien, more late-night hosts are returning to in-studio filming after months of broadcasting their shows from home. Stephen Colbert and James Corden will begin broadcasting outside their homes this week, with Corden going back to a redesigned "Late Late Show" stage. Colbert did not announce his new filming location but told viewers it won't be the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.
Ski legend Lindsey Vonn and her dog, Lucy, are hosting a competition show. "The Pack" (Amazon) will follow 12 teams of dogs and their people on adventures around the world. The challenges are designed by veterinarians and dog experts and the winning human/canine team will get $500,000 and a donation of $250,000 to their favorite animal charity.
"America's Got Talent" judge Simon Cowell is recovering from back surgery after an electric bike accident at his California home.
They'll still be there for you, just a little later. The "Friends" unscripted reunion special was again delayed at HBO Max due to ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus' impact on production. Filming dates are yet to be determined.
Contenders: Shows to keep on your radar
In fish out of water comedy "Ted Lasso" (Aug. 14, Apple TV+) Jason Sudeikis plays the titular Ted, a small-time Kansas college football coach hired to lead a professional English soccer team despite having no experience with the sport. If the character seems familiar, it's because he began life in a series of promos for NBC Sports.
Bounty hunting meets high schoolers in new comedy, "Teenage Bounty Hunters" (Aug. 14, Netflix). Twin sisters Sterling (Maddie Phillips) and Blair (Anjelica Bette Fellini) try to navigate teen drama at an elite Southern high school while also managing their new jobs chasing bail-jumpers.
Mountains, jungles and oceans, oh my! The Eco-Challenge is back, this time with Bear Grylls as host. In "World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji" (Aug. 14, Amazon), 66 teams from 30 countries race non-stop for 11 days across hundreds of miles of harsh terrain in the ultimate test of physical and mental perseverance. The 10-episode adventure series was filmed last fall.
Ghosts, secret societies, magic and supernatural mayhem all make an appearance in HBO's, "Lovecraft Country" (Aug. 16, 9 p.m. ET). The drama, adapted from Matt Ruff's novel of the same name, is set in 1955 and follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) a young soldier recently home from the Korean War who sets out on a road trip across Jim Crow America to investigate the disappearance of his estranged father. What he and his companions find along the way are monsters - both human and otherworldly. The series uses the horror genre to contemplate racism and the cast, particularly Jurnee Smollett, deliver strong performances. It's an entertaining and surreal pulp fiction tale that poses deeper contemporary questions worth pondering.
Report Card: Ratings winners and losers
Winners: AMC is feeling confident about its new episodic anthology series, "Soulmates," ordering a second season two months before its first season premieres.
Losers: Hulu canceled "High Fidelity" after one season and the CW pulled British game show "Taskmaster" after one episode.
Melissa Crawley is the author of "Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television's 'The West Wing.'" She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at email@example.com or follow her on Twitter at @mcstaytuned.


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The following commentary covers Chapters 9, 10, and 11.
and devoted judgment: unfaithfulness of heart
In chapter 9
we have here that touching mixture of affection and
judgment which we find again and again in this prophet.
Ephraim should not remain in the land which was
Jehovah's, for God would not abandon His rights; whatever
might be the iniquity of the people. They should go into
captivity, and come no more into the house of Jehovah.
The prophet and the spiritual man should no longer be a
link between them and Jehovah. God would confound them by
means of that which should have enlightened and guided
them. The prophet should even be a snare to their soul,
although formerly a watchman from God. The corruption of
Ephraim was as deep as in the days of Gibeah, the history
of which is related at the end of the book of Judges; and
they should be visited. God had chosen Israel from among
the nations to be His delight, and they had gone after
Baal-peor, even before they came into the land. If God is
longsuffering, He yet takes knowledge of everything.
Ephraim should now be a wanderer among the nations.
Captivity and its
place announced
At the end of chapter 9
and in chapter 10 the Spirit reproaches
Israel with their altars and their golden calves. They
should be carried into captivity. Judah should also bear
the yoke. The Assyrian should carry away these calves
in which Israel had trusted. After all (chapter
11) God still remembers His early love for
Jacob; He puts them in mind of all His lovingkindness,
His goodness, His care for them. They should not return
to their former condition in Egypt; Assyria should be the
place of their captivity. But, however great the sin of
Israel, the heart of their God cannot forsake His people:
He will not destroy them; He is God, and not man; and,
finally, He will place the people, trembling now and
submissive, once more in their dwellings.


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Born in Sao Paulo, Brazilian André Akkari previously worked for a software company, specializing in creating Flash animation for a number of corporate websites. It was while working on a new project that he discovered the game that would soon take him around the world.
Andre was asked to write an e-commerce proposal for a poker website and decided to download the software for research. Before long, he was playing at one of the free money tables. Realizing he'd found his new hobby, Andre purchased a poker book and set about learning the game properly. He began playing for real money at PokerStars and slowly but surely started to turn a profit. In the years since, Andre has become one of the best online players in the world, making more than 90 final table appearances and earning over US$500,000 in PokerStars biggest tournaments - including a runner-up finish in the US$10,300 HORSE event at the 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), and a deep run at the low-level Main Event of the 2010 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). He has also been able to make the switch to live poker, regularly cashing in events across South America and further afield. During a trip to Las Vegas in 2006, Andre made a big impact at the Bellagio Cup, winning two events and earning significant cash prizes. In January 2008, he also played at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), taking home US$16,000 for finishing in the top 100. Then in 2011 came his biggest score to date. The US$1,500 No Limit Hold'em events at the World Series are notoriously difficult to win, but Andre took down Event #43, good for his largest ever cash of US$675,117 and his first bracelet.
Away from the table, Andre enjoys relaxing at home with his wife and kids. He also loves playing soccer with friends and goes to the movies every week. In addition to this, he can be found providing expert commentary for various televised poker shows on ESPN Brazil.
A true ambassador for the Latin American poker scene, Andre is a player that seems destined for further glory. He is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and plays in the biggest tournaments online, using the screen name 'AAkkari'.
|2011 WSOP® US$1,500 No Limit Hold'em
|June 2011
|PokerStars Championship Barcelona €5,300 Main Event
|August 2017
|PokerStars SCOOP US$109 Main Event (Low)
|May 2010
|PokerStars WCOOP US$10,300 HORSE
|September 2008
|EPT Monte Carlo €500 No Limit Hold'em
|April 2008
|EPT 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
|January 2008
|Bellagio Cup II US$1,000 No Limit Hold'em
|August 2006


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Daniel McCulloch
(Australian Associated Press)
Most Australian students will complete term two online as the nation's education ministers thrash out a plan for those in their final year of school.
Medical experts insist schools are still safe, but parents are being urged to keep their kids home if they can.
"For the majority of children it will be online learning for term two," Education Minister Dan Tehan told ABC radio.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there was no international medical data suggesting a big risk to children by sending them to school.
The most pressing concern is for teachers and staff.
Mr Morrison said health advice around schools was driven by occupational health and safety.
Australia's education ministers met on Tuesday to devise a national framework for the next six months.
Later this week, they will meet again to discuss the thorny issue of what to do with year 12 students who will miss out on months of face-to-face teaching.
Mr Tehan says all options are on the table for final year students.
Year 12 exams are expected to be postponed until at least December and universities will likely be asked to delay the start of the 2021 academic year.
But Mr Tehan effectively ruled out an extra year of school for Year 12 students.
"Every state and territory education minister – and it's my strong view as well – do not want to see that," he said.
"We want to make sure that we can get as many students through this year as we possibly can."
Mr Tehan's personal preference is adjusting ATAR scores across the country to account for COVID-19 or changing the university assessment system.
Universities have already started talking to schools about how to make sure there is a clear pathway for 2020 school leavers.
Universities already use a range of techniques such as interviews, recommendations from schools, and assessing a student's academic record across the whole of year 11 and 12 to decide if they are suited to a particular course.


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Silicone rubber cases have traditionally been the most reliable first-generation options for iPods: inexpensive and generally protective, they've enabled millions of iPod owners to cover as much scratchable surface area as possible, using film or hard plastic guards to protect the menu, music, and video screens of past models. But iPhone presents some unique challenges: its large, touch-sensitive display means that silicone cases can't cover a significant portion of its body, and most companies have been afraid to add traditional hard plastic belt clip nubs to the backs of rubber iPhone cases, for fear of scuffing its back.
We've tested seven silicone cases for the iPhone to date, ranging from offerings by big-named companies to those from newer, smaller ones. As with the fifth-generation iPod, Marware's delivered the iPhone's best early combination of protection and value for the dollar, while other companies have released more colorful or unique options. The options are BoxWave's FlexiSkin ($33/$24), DLO's Jam Jacket ($25), Incase's Protective Cover ($30), Incipio's dermaSHOT ($13), Marware's SportGrip ($15), Speck's SkinTight 2-Pack ($30), and Speck's ToughSkin ($30).
Marware's SportGrip ($15) comes in four colors, neutral clear and black, and standard boy and girl blue and pink colors. Each of the cases comes with a clear film static cling screen protector that covers iPhone's entire face save for the Home button and ear speaker, and a gray cleaning cloth. There are seven grip ribs on each side; SportGrip covers the top and side buttons, leaving only the proximity sensor, headphone port, camera, side ringer switch, face and bottom speakers, mic, and Dock Connector port open. Since the film covers the whole face, you do better with Marware's combination of film and silicone than with most iPhone cases.
From a protectiveness standpoint, SportGrip is impressive. It covers the top Sleep/Wake switch and side Volume buttons while making them easy to depress, and has only one flaw: the iPhone's chrome bezel shows through the sides next to the screen. and a little bit near the proximity sensor. As its name hints, however, it has a considerable amount of rubber on its back, shaped to make the encased iPhone fit comfortably in your hand. There's no belt clip or other frill here; if you need a back clip, Marware separately sells the more expensive clip and cord managing SportGrip Backwinder as an alternative.
There were only two other really sharp options in the collection. DLO's Jam Jacket for iPhone sells for a $10 premium over SportGrip, and comes in the same four colors. It similarly has textured grip sides, plus cut outs for the proximity sensor, ear speaker, and bottom elements, but omits both screen and button protection for the top and side buttons. Its major innovation is its rear, which uses molded rubber to let you wrap and stow Apple's Stereo Headset when its not in use. We've seen the same feature on past iPod cases from Macally, but it's nice to see here, too.
We also generally liked Speck's ToughSkin for iPhone, which sells at a $15 premium over SportGrip. As with all of the company's rubber cases, it feels firmer, like medium-thickness plastic rather than soft silicone, and has classic Speck molding for a tough, rugged look. Like Jam Jacket, it does a better job of covering iPhone's chrome bezel than the SportGrip, and like SportGrip, it covers the top and side buttons rather than exposing them. Our sample had only two issues: it bulges out a little at the top of iPhone's screen, and doesn't include any screen protection.
Speck does, however, include a hard plastic rear belt clip that attaches to ToughSkin's sides and uses a passive restraint to hold iPhone's bottom, covering only the Dock Connector port. The clip ratchets in 15 degree increments over 360 degrees of rotation, and pops out to serve as a horizontal video viewing stand for iPhone. If you turn it in the most obvious direction, iPhone tips over under its own weight rather than resting in the cradle, but if you turn it on its side, the video stand feature works.
SkinTight is Speck's other rubber iPhone case option. Sold in one of two two-packs, one includes black and clear SkinTight cases, while the other has pink and clear cases. Like ToughSkin, each pack comes with a holster-styled belt clip that doubles as a video viewing stand. The SkinTight cases are visually and texturally less sophisticated than the ToughSkin design, and still lack for screen protection. But they're technically a better value for the dollar since they do everything ToughSkin does, minus the thicker reinforced corners and sides, and come two to a pack instead of one.
We weren't as impressed by the other three cases. Incase's Protective Cover is one of the least impressive rubber cases we've ever seen at a $30 price. On a positive note, it covers virtually every bit of metal on iPhone's body, leaving only thin rings around its camera, headphone port, and ringer switch. It bulges a little at the bottom under the Home button, exposing a hint of chrome down there, as well. But it also provides no other face protection, no rear belt clip, and no other frills. Its one and only redeeming feature is a molded-in topographic pattern that makes the case look a bit like a tire tread. We consider it a competent design, but not a good value for the dollar, especially on protectiveness.
When we say "one of the least impressive," that's because Boxwave's six-colored FlexiSkin supposedly sells for $33, discounted on more or less permanent web sale pricing to $24. The samples case we received for review were apparently from the company's early batch, which bulged a little at iPhone's top and also covered its proximity sensor. Newer versions don't cover the proximity sensor, but also use an odd face cut-out shape that's visually less attractive than the neutral ones here; they also now include neck lanyards. Each of our samples came without the top, front, and camera holes cut out, issues that made us wonder if Boxwave even cares about the quality of the items they ship out. We wouldn't go with these options given all the other choices that are available.
Finally, there's Incipio's dermaSHOT, which has only one redeeming value: its $13 price. The dermaSHOT cases are identical to Boxwave's newer FlexiSkins except that they're cheaper and offered in at least nine colors, including camouflage. While we didn't like how they looked, saw their fit on iPhone's front as sloppy, noticed that they cover the side ringer switch, and actively disliked their huge rear belt and lanyard holes, the pricing might make them appeal to some people. Given how much more you get from Marware for $2 more, though, we can't really say that dermaSHOT is a good investment unless you like one of the colors Incipio's offering.
All in all, there's no doubt in our minds that the best of the early iPhone rubber cases is Marware's SportGrip, with DLO's and Speck's cases coming in second thanks to higher prices and flashier but less protective designs. Incase's and Boxwave's rubber cases are just too expensive for what little you get, and though Incipio's dermaSHOT delivers better value, it's still not an objectively good rubber case design on anything but color options. If nothing here strikes your aesthetic or functional fancy, you may be better off waiting for second-wave designs from Marware, iSkin, XtremeMac and others, as these companies have consistently delivered excellent results when given enough time to hone their designs.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO)
Website: www.DLO.com
Model: Jam Jacket for iPhone
Price: $25
Compatible: iPhone


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The mobile revolution in Africa is well documented, however mobile statistics are specifically impressive in the BRIC Nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China – as well as the likes of Indonesia, Mexico and the Philippines. Many emerging markets have skipped the 'desktop generation' and are already mobile-first economies where mobile devices are more ubiquitous than either land-line telephones, PCs, or fixed Internet connections. Although research suggests that global smartphone shipments have overtaken those of feature phones recently, it is still the basic feature phone that dominates in emerging markets. Facebook has been quietly working on a project over the last 2 years to expand its user base of 1.1 billion and enable Facebook access on simple, feature phones.
The scheme is called 'Facebook for Every Phone' and has reached 100m users. The stripped-down, minimum capacity version of Facebook is accessed through over 3,000 types of feature phone, some costing less than 20 dollars. Working with mobile operators, Facebook has encouraged them to allow users free or cheap access to this basic version of their product.
Why is Facebook doing this?
Although markets such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, India, Mexico and Vietnam are not currently lucrative advertising markets for the internet giant, they are some of the fastest growing markets for internet access and social networking, and Facebook is clearly eyeing up its next generation of customers and the potential ad revenue these markets will bring.
As Facebook subscription in the likes of the US reaches saturation point, many people see the next generation of customers from the developing world as Facebook's greatest opportunity to increase its global market share. Although Facebook's success in the mobile advertising market has been well documented, it is still like many struggling with the seismic shift in internet access from the PC to mobile devices. As the economies of emerging markets grow and its consumer class demands access to the same products and services as the developing world, they represent a lucrative market for the likes of Facebook. Indeed, research suggests that users who access the product through a feature phone are the most engaged users, representing another opportunity for advertisers. As the middle class in the developing world grows, so do their purse strings and Facebook is fully aware of this.
Facebook purchased an Israeli company called Snaptu, that had begun to produce basic versions of applications to allow users to access them on feature phones. Facebook, having originally discounted mobile Facebook access as simply a way to update a status as opposed to the full service, saw a massive opportunity here. The Snaptu team began to re-engineer Facebook's software to reduce its capacity and allow it to run off minimal data requirements. Facebook for Every Phone includes all the phones most popular features, including News Feed, Messenger and Photos, and is optimized to use less data than other Java apps and mobile sites.
Despite the obvious benefits access to Facebook brings many people in the developing world, there is a danger that users see Facebook as the entire internet, instead of just a small part of it. As powerful internet giants such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google continue to see emerging markets as a priority, there should be a limit to their influence allowing home-grown developers and mobile applications to launch and thrive in the developing world. Read more


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Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
from the rikuo-rolled dept
Well, looks like we've got another clear winner this week, with Rikuo taking both Insightful spots and second place for Funny. First up is a reaction to a judge's statement about the government trying to hide information that is already public, where Rikuo saw some synergy with the world of intellectual property:
"If information is publicly available in some other way, the government does not have the right to retroactively clamp it down and remove it from the public record."
Right hands up. Who else here noticed that that describes what should be the situation concerning copyright and copyright term extensions?
Next, Rikuo took second place by pointing out that fearmongering about ever-growing terrorist threats doesn't necessarily send the message that the government wants:
Since the NSA programs have been shown to have been operational for several years, but now apparently the threat of terrorist attacks is higher than ever…wouldn't that point to the NSA programs being completely ineffective?
You don't scream and shout that you must continue your highly controversial program by saying it's actually failed in it's stated mission goal.
For editor's choice on the Insightful side, we start with Chris ODonnell, who proposed a simple and strict remedy for government misbehaviour:
Any government employee who is found to be willfully obstructing justice or willfully violating the constitutional rights of a citizen should be banned from working in the public sector ever again.
(The fact that you can already anticipate some people reacting "well, that's just ridiculous" is telling, and frightening.)
Next up is OldGeezer, who did some quick math to underline just how insane Life-Plus-70-Years is for a copyright term:
Let's do some math. I am 61 and was 12 when I first heard the Beatles. Paul McCartney is 71. Let's assume he lives to 80. (Year 2022). Ringo is only 2 years older so likely at least one of them will be alive at least until then, very possibly much longer. Plus 70 Years (2092). My son is 28. He would have to live to 107 to legally download "I Want to Hold Your Hand". He has no children but let's assume if he just had a child. My grandchild may be able to if he lives to nearly 80. Say he has a child at 25. Much of the music I listened to in my early teens will not be public domain until my great grandchild would be in his mid 50's. AND THAT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH ALREADY?!!! Life plus 70 is an appropriate sentence for a serial child rapist, not for a song copyright.
…And all that assumes that nobody succeeds in further extending copyright sometime in the next century.
Over on the funny side, first place goes to FHuminski, who seems to have tracked down the inspiration for the creepy US spy satellite logo:
Haven't I seen this logo (or one like it) before?
Oh that's right…it was in the 1966 Batman movie…
(The sad part is that the one from Batman actually looks much less menacing.)
In second place, we've got one more win for Rikuo, who heard that the MPAA was told not to say "piracy", "theft" or "stealing" during the Hotfile trial, and mused on the impact such restrictions would have:
Hands up if you expect the MPAA's filings to just be blank pieces of paper now 😉
(That's two winning comments that started with "hands up" — so Rikuo may have found an effective tactic for drawing in more votes.)
For editor's choice on the funny side, we start with crade, who decided that the government's confusion between two unrelated (and very different) Muslim groups deserved the Monty Python treatment:
Are you the Jamaah Islamiyah Malaysia?
Fuck Off!
We're the Jamaah Islah Malaysia! The only people we hate more than the bloody Romans is the Jamaah Islamiyah Malaysia!
Last but not least, we've got a comment that really made me laugh out loud, and another case of synergy between ongoing civil rights issues and ongoing copyright issues. Xenomancer heard the assertion that "the NSA's mission is of great value to the Nation" and immediately identified an all-too-common error:
There they go confusing price and value again…
That's all for this week!


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… My garden would look like this — and have a full-time gardener to tend it!
The blog of Canadian author Cynthia Reyes
… My garden would look like this — and have a full-time gardener to tend it!
It's Winter. In Canada. There's lots of snow. And it's cold.
So of course, I hanker for gardens. Like these, 2 of my favourites:
In 2014, I ran a series about Valerie Rowley, her husband Chris and their lovely home, garden and pets.
I was impressed by Valerie and Chris' relationship – their obvious love and respect for each other.
I also liked this fact about them and their home: despite being an interior designer herself, Valerie didn't renovate her home all at once. It took 20 years of patience and work. And though she created a beautiful home, it was above all, designed for comfort.
When Val's illness worsened recently, my heart hurt for her and Chris and their family.
I remembered how she and Chris generously shared their home with my blogging community, and your warm responses to the series. So, knowing that Valerie loved flowers, I asked some of you to send a photo of your favourite flower for her. Many of you replied by Facebook or directly to my blog.
Valerie was very thankful for those flowers.
Valerie died yesterday. She was surrounded by Chris, her daughter and son and grandchildren, and other loved ones. We wish and pray for comfort and strength for them at this tough time.
Some people have a special touch for creating beauty — in one's surroundings, and in one's heart. Valerie touched people in this way. In addition to being a gifted and well-known designer, she was a very positive person who had a way of lighting up a room with her sense of humour, frank talk, unpretentious ways and that beautiful smile.
"Have I ever told you how much I love your spirit?" I wrote in what would be my last email exchange with her. "You draw people to you because there is a kind unpretentiousness about you, and an interest in others. I took to your presence like a duck to water … the warm look of welcome on your face, and the delight when you laugh, are lovely."
I am thankful to have known you, dear Valerie.
Prayers for Chris, Tamsyn, Jon and all who love you.


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It's here! I've officially launched my new blog, Small Talk! I would love to see you all over there.
From the bottom of my heart, I can't thank you enough for following this little blog of mine for the last four and a half years. Perhaps I'll be back to revive it in the months to come, but for now, my focus will be on Small Talk.
Namaste, lovely followers 🙂


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Christmas Caravan
Markland Wood, Annual Christmas Caravan & Food Drive
On the second last or last Sunday December the residents of Markland Wood will continue their tradition of collecting non-perishable food items and clothing for distribution to several charities in Toronto.
Our Caravan will visit every home in Markland Wood. Usually, we shared over 17,000 pounds of food, a truckload of clothes and even money donations for many charities.
The Caravan usually consists of a Police sound vehicle, a bright red Fire Truck, a transport truck, to sort and pack the food, and dozens of cheery elves and, of course, Santa!
The parade starts at the Markland Wood Plaza at 9:00 a.m., where we greet new "Caravaners " and all the "old regulars ". We'll be visiting the north side of Bloor Street in the morning, and, after a break for lunch, we'll continue on the south side of Bloor Street. Our elves will be winding up and down every street, stopping at each home to pick up your bags of groceries and bringing them to the curbside for loading on the truck.
Please don't disappoint our little elves. The more you contribute, the happier they'll be! We'll return to the plaza, tired but excited, around 3:30 p.m. Finally, we'll unload the many boxes of already sorted food into my garage for the charities to pick up on Monday morning. This all sounds pretty exciting doesn't it ...And it is. Just ask your neighbours.
You can't imagine the joy we all feel when all is done at about 4:30 PM. High school students receive their signed volunteer slips. We then count the food boxes and discuss the day's happy event.
We do this every year, because of the great need to help. What other group do you know that contributes like this and for as long as we have? 2017 marked the 50 anniversary of the Christmas Caravan.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, South Korea and the U.S. said, a defiant challenge to a rare three-way summit of its rivals Seoul, Tokyo and Washington that focused on the North's security threat.
The launch of the Rodong missiles — for the first time since 2009 — violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and marks a big escalation from a series of shorter-range rocket launches the North has staged in recent weeks to protest ongoing annual military drills by the U.S. and South Korea that Pyongyang claims are invasion preparation.
The missiles flew about 650 kilometers (400 miles) off North Korea's east coast early Wednesday morning, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said. It wasn't immediately clear where the missiles splashed down. Kim said the missiles were likely fired from a mobile launcher.
The North's arsenal of an estimated 300 Rodong missiles could in theory be fitted with nuclear warheads — once Pyongyang masters the ability to miniaturize atomic bombs — and, with a range of up to 1,300 kilometers (800 miles), could reach Tokyo and key U.S. military bases in Japan.
The U.S. State Department later confirmed the launch of Rodong missiles and said North Korea apparently didn't issue any maritime warning.
The launch comes on the fourth anniversary of the sinking of a South Korean warship that Seoul and other nations blame on a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denies involvement in the attack, which killed 46 sailors.
It also poses a big challenge to what had been recently improving relations between Pyongyang and Seoul. A year after threatening each other with war, the bitter rivals had restored some trust and held reunions of families divided by the Korean War of the early 1950s. The Korean Peninsula remains officially at war because that war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
North Korean state media made no immediate comment on the launch.
Joel Wit, a former State Department official and editor of the 38 North website, said the launch could be a serious setback to recent efforts by North Korea to improve relations with South Korea and Japan. It also could put China, the North's only major ally, in an awkward position if and when the U.S. seeks further sanctions at the United Nations.
China has shown increasing annoyance with North Korean provocations, but Beijing also wants to avoid shaking Pyongyang and possibly jeopardizing stability along its borders.
North Korea and Japan are also to restart high-level government-to-government talks on Sunday after a 16-month hiatus. An analyst said the missile launch could be a way to test Tokyo's commitment to negotiating a deal that would provide aid to Pyongyang in return for returning any surviving Japanese abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
"If Japan goes ahead with talks despite the missile launches, that would be a strong signal to Pyongyang of Japan's commitment to the talks," said Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.
During a regular briefing Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called the launches "extremely problematic" but he said Tokyo would go ahead with the planned talks with Pyongyang as they are set to discuss humanitarian issues.
North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs, but most analysts don't believe Pyongyang has yet mastered the ability to build warheads small enough to mount on a missile that could threaten the United States. To achieve that goal, Pyongyang has staged several long-range rocket tests in recent years and, a year ago, its third nuclear test. Talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear program have been stalled since 2009.
The most recent launch came as U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye met Tuesday in the Netherlands to discuss North Korea's security threat. It was Park and Abe's first face-to-face meeting since they both took office more than a year ago.
The U.S. is now working to set up an early meeting in Washington between nuclear envoys of the three nations to discuss North Korea's escalating actions and continued reluctance to take meaningful steps on denuclearization, a senior U.S. official said on condition of anonymity because the meeting has yet to be scheduled.
Last year, North Korea responded to international condemnation of its third nuclear test and the annual springtime U.S.-South Korean military drills by threatening nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul. Analysts say the impoverished North chafes against the drills, which Washington and Seoul call routine and defensive in nature, because it has to spend precious resources responding with its own exercises.
Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.
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Pistons push past Cavaliers
CLEVELAND — Josh Smith scored 25 points, Brandon Jennings added 21 and the Detroit Pistons continued their domimant play on the road with a 115-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
The Pistons have won seven of their last eight away from home, including victories against defending NBA champion Miami and Indiana, which has the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Jennings also had 13 assists for Detroit, which went ahead for good midway through the first quarter and built a 21-point lead late in the first half. The margin reached 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Pistons rolled to their biggest win of the season.
Kyrie Irving scored 21 points for Cleveland, which last lost four of five.
Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum was scoreless in 22 minutes, missing all 11 shots from the field and getting seven rebounds.
Detroit is 6-10 on its own court and was coming off home losses to Charlotte and Houston, but took control early.
Smith hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the second quarter that stretched the lead to 56-35. The Pistons were 22 of 41 from the field in the first half and took a 58-40 lead to the locker room.
Cleveland cut the lead to 10 points in the third quarter, but three baskets by Jennings, including two 3-pointers, five points by Smith and dunks by Andre Drummond on consecutive fast breaks extended the lead back to 89-64.
Smith was 10 of 18 from the field and had eight rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Drummond had 14 points and 11 rebounds while Greg Monrore scored 11 points and had 11 rebounds for Detroit, which placed seven players in double figures.
Reserves from both teams played most of the fourth quarter.
Tristan Thompson scored 17 points for the Cavaliers. Cleveland played without guard Dion Waiters, the team's second-leading scorer, for the third straight game because of tendinitis in his right wrist.
The Cavaliers had shown signs of progress earlier this month, winning three straight and five of six. Cleveland has struggled since, dropping close games to Miami and Portland and losing by 16 points to a short-handed Chicago team on Saturday.
The Pistons have won seven in a row against the Cavaliers, including four straight in Cleveland.
Detroit coach Maurice Cheeks coached his 600th career game. He has also coached for Portland and Philadelphia.


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When landlords and developers mark a city building for extra, blander profit – and when they put the squeeze on an existing tenant – they don't only change and narrow the future, they can also asphyxiate the past. I don't mean that they somehow delete what's come before, it's more that they pinch it off and remove its potential for continuance. The meaning that's associated with a building and what goes on inside it, its history, becomes obscured to people who've not had the chance to discover it yet; or to people who might, in the future, grow up nearby never knowing what used to take place there.
For myself, I feel pretty damn ignorant for not having known about Hackney music space Total Refreshment Centre until, ooh, last year. It seems that, in various forms, it harboured and encouraged music for at least half of my lifetime, curating the historical while encouraging the current and never losing touch of the ethos that music should be inherent to and conversant with its community rather than being a little rarified enclave. The fact that sometime, quietly, last summer, the TRC was forced to shut down (presumably to make way for luxury flats or something which can generate a greater ground rent) makes me angry. Fortunately, the place is resilient enough as an idea – effectively, as a movement – not to rely entirely on bricks and mortar. Scheduled gigs have continued (still run by the existing team but moved to other venues), the programs still run; the concept of the place still has legs.
In some respects the people involved with the TRC are making a virtue of their new and more itinerant existence, using it to spread the word a little wider; extending their ongoing work in what 'Clash Music' has called "a means of pursing social engineering, a way to build communities up at a time when the political establishment seem content to break communities apart… Music can be used to re-imagine your surroundings, to transform concrete, glass, and brick into something magical." Still, it must make life a little tougher, a little more challenging, that much more of a forced hack at a time when it's already pretty exhausting.
With that in mind, it's good to see that the TRC gets its own jazz tribute – more accurately, its own self-propelled celebratory showcase – this coming weekend at one of London's more inviolable culture fortresses, the Barbican. There's an opportunity here to carp about centralization, or about how certain establishments are protected while others are not (and for distasteful reasons – race and class also have a role to play here), but let's just sound the obvious note here and move on. Better to bounce back and roll on as the TRC are doing; better to celebrate the recognition and cooperation which such a show also represents.
There are still a few tickets available for what's promising to be one of the events of the London jazz year. Blurb follows:
"Total Refreshment Centre is part and parcel of east London's recent music history. The building's musical journey started as a Caribbean social club and studio and evolved into the musical hub that it is today. On April 13th, the Barbican Centre will host Dreaming The City, celebrating a previously untold story in east London's music history. To mark nearly thirty years of influential music in the building, TRC has teamed up with Boiler Room – the revered global music broadcasting platform – who will broadcast the gig live.
"The concept of the show is a live mixtape exploring three decades of musical excellence that took place inside an Edwardian warehouse in Hackney. The building began life as a confectionary factory and by the 1990s had become Mellow Mix, a Caribbean social club and rehearsal space. In 2012 it began running as Total Refreshment Centre, an influential studio and venue that has played an integral role in the upsurge of new London jazz, which is now gathering worldwide attention. The narrative of 'Dreaming The City' is inspired by the history of this building, made special by the communities that inhabited it over the years. This story, researched by writer Emma Warren, is explored fully in her new book, 'Make Some Space: Tuning Into Total Refreshment Centre (And All Places Like It)'.
"Over thirty musicians from the thriving jazz scene (including Cassie Kinoshi and her Seed Ensemble, drummer-producer Kwake Bass, Jazz Warrior Orphy Robinson, Tom Skinner's Wildflower, folk-crossover artists Rozi Plain, Alabaster DePlume and Joshua Idehen) will team up to perform. Also on the bill – Chelsea Carmichael, Cherise Adams-Burnett, Crispin Spry Robinson, Deschanel Gordon, Donna Thompson, Dylema Amadie, Emma-Jean Thackray, Idris Rahman, James Howard, Joe Bristow, Leon Brichard, Maria Osuchowska, Miguel Gorodi, Mutale Chashi, Noriko Okaku, Oscar Jerome, Patrick Boyle, Rai Wong, Rio Kai, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Shirley Tetteh, Tyrone Isaac-Stuart, Yael Camara Onono, Yohan Kebede and more special secret guests to come. This milestone event will unfold over five chapters, blurring the lines of what jazz is and creating new, exclusive and unexpected collaborations.
"There's a strong link between club culture and live music in today's vibrant music scene – what some have called 'jazz-rave' – and Dreaming The City will offer an energetic journey through time, space and London's rich culture. The evening will start with a celebration of Caribbean sounds, recognising the community that first established the space as a musical hub. Following this, we trace the contemporary lineage of jazz music between inner-city London, West Africa, the Caribbean and continental Europe. Expect a session showcasing household names premiering new outfits, dropping old classics and brand new tunes. The music will reflect the diversity of sounds that have been danced to at TRC, from reggae and dub, to Krautrock via jazz and West African grooves."
Some glimpses…
…and here's a short film about the state of London jazz (with plenty of TRC-ing) which was released into the wild a few months ago in January…
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Back in January I did some praise singing for Steam Down, the south London jazz collective who bring regular African-inspired but London-cooked communal music events to Deptford. For the benefit of those north and east Londoners who for some reason never cross the river, they're playing Shoreditch's Village Underground towards the end of the month.
"Join Steam Down as they take over Village Underground, with members on the decks and some very special guests joining them on stage. Jumping off from the sonic springboard of Afrofuturism, grime and future soul, all fused together with the fearless spontaneity of jazz, Steam Down is an arts collective comprised of Ahnanse, Alex Rita, Brother Portrait, Sawa-Manga, Theon Cross, Nadeem Din-Gabisi, Benjamin Appiah, Dominic Canning and "Nache. The collective congregates mid-weekly for a live performance where healing vibes and compulsive dancing are just as important as the music. Previous sessions have included guest appearances from Kamasi Washington, Sampa The Great, Nubya Garcia, members of Ezra Collective, SEED Ensemble and Sons of Kemet. Every week proves to be a co-creative piece of magic where everyone's participation matters."
There's a new Village Underground interview with Steam Down here, but below is part of what I wrote about them three months ago:
"(An) African-inspired collective ethos… a diverse, voluntary hive mind, their individualities fused and encouraged by common purpose… a simmering pot of phuture soul, West African rhythms and cheerful Afrofuturism, the rapid offset breakbeat-splash and electrophonic edge of grime and broken-beat, and (in particular) spiritual jazz. That said, they're well aware that they should steer clear of romantic oversimplifications about roots. As Ahnanse remarked in an interview with 'The Vinyl Factory' last year, "the roots of what we are creating starts outside of that context, jazz is not the only source of improvised music in the world. It happens in many forms and many cultures, we all come from different spaces and cultures, and it isn't black American culture, none of us were born there, so actually we are bringing all of those other experiences into this… In a society that is so hegemonic and monotonous it's nice to surprise yourself and be surprised, by people that you know well." More than anything else, Steam Down work is inspired by the interlocking of Afro-diasporan culture with week-by-week London life – the information-rich bustle and challenges of a world city made up of people from everywhere, many of them sometimes pushing (or knocking heads) against half-invisible restrictions and oppressions as well as providing broad-mindedness and opportunity."
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Also this spring, guitarist/composer Chris Montague revs up his jazz trio Warmer Than Blood (with bass guitarist Ruth Goller and pianist Kit Downes) for a couple of month-apart gigs in London and Cardiff. As I noted when I wrote about them in February, between them they can draw on a massive range of potential influences (including Sephardic music, manouche, punk jazz, Latin folk and Maghrebian sounds, the bouncing imagined world-jazz of the F-IRE Collective, Chris' six-string avant-mapping in Future Currents) but in practise tend to go somewhere else – somewhere more uprooted and peril-flecked. Compared to the broad communality of Steam Down or the TRC community, they're coming from a different place – tenser, more abstract and (if we're being honest) whiter – but it's still a collective communal effort, just shrunk down to a smaller chamber and a slender triangular format.
As I wrote last time, "all three are longtime friends and collaborators, seeking yet another new approach. They seem to have found it with Chris' newest batch of compositions and improvisation-seeding situations, which he suggests consist of "intricate textures, dark pools of harmony, layered melodies, kinetic group improvisation and percussive prepared piano… fractious composed passages can inhabit the same sonic space as spare, ambient melodies, often described as melancholic and uplifting at the same time…" Introverted and ominous, their name-track's a quiet etiolated piano exploration over a minimal pulsing guitar-chord cycle and locked-in bass rumble. The excerpt from a longer piece, FTM, is a gradual evolver in which Chris hovers in menacing sustain/volume-swell textural clouds and momentary dust-devils over ghost-Latin clicks and bass piano thuds (Kit muting the piano at both ends) before the trio expand into what's partly a kind of haunted country music (like a Bill Frisell ensemble scoured to the bone by plains wind), and partly like a salsa band coming to terminal grief in a badlands dustbowl."
Here's a rare recent live recording and an album taster for their imminent debut…
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Boiler Room and Total Refreshment Centre present:
BR x Total Refreshment Centre: 'Dreaming The City'
Barbican Hall @ Barbican Arts Centre, Silk Street, City of London, London, EC2Y 8DS, England
Saturday 13th April 2019, 8.00pm – information here and here
Warmer Than Blood:
- The Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, Dalston, London, N16 8AZ, England – Monday 22nd April 2019, 7.45pm – information here, here and here
- The Flute & Tankard, 4 Windsor Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BX, Wales – Tuesday 21st May 2019, 9.00pm – information here
Steam Down
Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3PQ, England
Wednesday 24th April 2019, 7.30pm – information here, here and here


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Tagged: hip
Sustainability All Through The Town
In addition to classes, a significant portion of my work as a student involves conducting research, and I'm thrilled to report that I recently learned two academic papers I co-authored and submitted to highly-regarded conferences were both accepted and will thus be published. Having never submitted to anything of this caliber, I'm floored to be batting 1.000, and as hard as I work to keep my world spinning, it's a nice little payoff. I'm convinced the scales were tipped in my favor due to my inclusion of the very same bow-wearing stick figures, pop culture references, and fecal humor you've come to expect from this fine publication.
While I have been explicitly forbidden by a gaggle of ninjas to disclose the details of these two strokes of genius before they are published, I will share a new research effort I've spearheaded, which involves public transportation. You see, one of the hippest new buzz words in the academic community is "sustainability"–a term I'm convinced some prolific professor coined while drunkenly slurring his words together at a snooty dinner party and that now everyone pretends to know the meaning of. Anyway, I figure if I put "sustainability" in the title, NPR listeners will flock to it like birds who flock to things that birds like, so it's probably a good career move.