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July 24th, 2012Pubs & bars
It's dark inside but an ellipsis of light pores over our vantage point in the roof. Under an arch of reclaimed brick brimming pints of Silver King glow in the mild afternoon sun of the wettest June on record.
The Hop sits snugly under platforms 16 and 17 of Leeds Station, in the arches that veer towards Holbeck West Junction and the promise of Manchester and London. The bar peers towards the boats and jetties sitting in the Leeds-Liverpool canal. And it's quite literally home when our train eventually pulls in on a cloudy Saturday morning to a quiet platform above the pub.
By day time the bar is dark, the only light filters in through the room sized panes of glass facing south. The northern windows back into what are known locally as the 'Dark Arches', a subterranean belly that exposes the innards of the Queen's Hotel and the station concourse above. Trailing below the musty damp atmosphere of the arches runs the heady confluence of the River Aire and Leeds-Liverpool canal. For years the water has hungrily tore at the gargantuan stone foundations which nonchantly keep half of Leeds above water.
If the setting is archetypal city centre, tinged with the wonder of Victoria construction and the romanticism of the industrial revolution, the decor is ostentatiously apocryphal. Giant urns, album cover posters, mock graffiti (mockrafiti?) are bundled incongruously throughout the space, like a collection of artefacts procured from a grand tour of the nineteen seventies.
The room is deceptively huge. Perhaps because The Hop is often packed, often dark and plastered with paraphernalia, the ceiling seems to lean in over the bar which is equally heavy with beer machines and thirsty customers. There's no doubt this is a place for drinking and jumping to live music.
Both the Ossett pale ales are in demand; smooth and soft beers differentiated with a dash of spice or citrus hop, wholly suppable. The beers are perfectly in line with the concept – functional, flavoursome topped with a 'we don't take ourselves too seriously' flair.
As a crepuscular calm sweeps across the Leeds sky and light fades outside, the music jumps into action behind us. On a platform above the main bar a band strum their guitars into tune at a deafening level. The decibels will only get louder and though the philosophy of The Hop is about to see fruition, it's just a little too loud for us to take
We retire to the platforms above for a train home, and stand above the canal, the river, the bridge, the pub, the arches and all the fun and history below. We're rewarded with a twilight portrait of the city and the comfort of knowing we're home.Tags: leeds, Pubs & bars, train stations, wakefield
Hideaway0July 16th, 2012Pubs & bars
On days when work is a bit too intense, or the week gradually catches me up and prepares to spit me out somewhere uncomfortable, there is a pub within walking distance of my office where I can take a book, sip on a half pint of cask conditioned British beer, and nestle against the wood panelling, enjoying the quiet and the peace. Admiring the old pictures, watching the flicker of flames in the fireplace, I can tune out the world, retreat into my shell and take time to reflect.
It's my hideaway.
It's not a secret or hidden place, just somewhere I don't tell people I go to.
It's not even a place where my phone is turned off or my troubles are left behind, in fact it's somewhere to embrace these things in my own company, on my own terms. I guess it's less of a hideaway than a retreat.
It's for those times when I just need to get away for a short while. Somewhere that isn't work, that isn't home and isn't shared with anyone else. I can tweet, I can check emails, I can take a step backwards, formulate a holistic approach to my troubles and then, glass drained, hop up from the pew and walk back to work with a little more verve in my step.
My hideaway is a great British pub, and there's not a binge drinker in sight.
Tags: drinking, Pubs & bars
Written some time ago, but inspired to publish by Tandleman's treatise on drinking alone
November 13th, 2011Pubs & bars
Once in a while you stumble across a real hidden gem, and the Bridge Bier Huis is a polished diamond in the former mining and cotton mill town of Burnley, Lancashire.
The pub is off the beaten track on the fringe of a shopping centre crowded with a retinue of high street shops, Wetherspoons and many cask-unfriendly establishments. Even when you find it the unassuming sandstone exterior gives little away apart from some original etched windows heralding its heritage as the Bridge Inn.
But step over the mosaic threshold and you enter a congenial, contemporary bar blessed with an array of hand-pumps and draught dispensers. A fountain of foreign glassware framing the bar hints at what you can expect to find on closer inspection.
Hydes' Original Bitter can always be procured on good form and is flanked by up to four other regularly rotating guest beers from all over the country. An ever-present cask cider has been added to this impressive tally in recent times too. A host of European-style lager taps adorn both ends of the long bar-front serving up a cacophony of Belgian beers, German or Czech pilsners, golden ales, dunkels, and the occasional American craft brew.
As if this selection wasn't enticing enough already, it's supplemented by an even wider array of bottled beers from all over the globe! A gander at a large blackboard in the far corner reveals just how extensive the collection is with over 40 different tipples available at any time.
Many Belgian classics such as Chimay, Orval, Kwak, Leffe and Duvel can be sampled, but there are plenty of other exceptional offerings. Just a few of the less common breeds lurking in the fridges have included Dragon Stout (Jamaica), Rauchbier (German smoked black lager), Goose Island 312 Wheat (USA) and Bush Trolls. There's something to tickle any beer-lover's taste buds.
And if you fancy a nibble with your beer of choice, bar snacks and main meals are served from lunch through to early evening. The ample menu offers a handsome collection of quality homemade fare at very reasonable prices. The only downside to this happy ensemble is that the pub is usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Although the Bridge is not the largest pub in the world, it's open-plan layout and lofty ceilings grant an air of roominess. There's an elevated section opposite the bar – used as a stage for the many excellent bands that regularly help pack in the crowds – and a quieter side-room for those who prefer a chinwag. Everywhere is very modern and tastefully decorated with open-brickwork and a low-key smattering Burnley F.C. memorabilia in evidence.
I was fortunate enough to bump into Pete "Man Walks Into A Pub" Brown at the Bier Huis during the summer (okay, I knew he was going to be there so I gatecrashed like a sycophantic groupie waiting for an autograph). We had chat and he seemed a very jovial fellow – no doubt assisted by the tiresome beer sampling he'd been forced to endure throughout the day. Catch his report of the visit at the British Beer Video Blog.
So if you find yourself at a loose end in Burnley head straight for the Bridge. It's worth a trip in itself!Tags: Belgian Beer, Burnley, lancashire, Pubs & bars
November 2nd, 2011Beer and travel, Pubs & bars
It seems like a wild goose chase, this drive through tiny lanes, sloshy piles of orange and yellow leaves, under a canopy of browning greenery. Both wing mirrors brush through the amber walls of the wild hedges are pinning us to the road like tramlines of a vanishing point.
The last weekend of October is an immeasurably beautiful one in the Lake District, and after two full days of trundling around Coniston, Ullswater, Bowness and Kirkstone Pass enveloped in thick, damp fog we are heading home, via a good pub lunch recommended by the Good Pub Guide.
And hence the wing mirrors scrape the thinning branches and we hit puddles that might be meres and meres that might be lakes. We see pheasants – strangely unflinching like the clueless ignorant animals of North America before the prehistoric human diaspora from Asia – ambling along the lane ready to be picked off by us newcomers to the area, coconuts in an alley.
Can we be that far from civilisation a mile or two from the A5074?!
Up fell and down dale we eventually arrive back on the main road having made an arcing detour and almost immediately find the well placed sign pointing along another narrow stretch of undulating tarmac. Sophisticated serif type announces: "Hare & Hounds. 1 mile".
And a mile later we turn into the car park and cross the threshold into not only civilisation but rustic glamour – large windows framed in floral curtain; floors sometimes stone, sometimes wood, broken up by intricately stitched rugs; a variety of bright open rooms top and tailed with exposed stonework, large hearths and dining snugs to the rear. Relics of the countryside, of brewing and of nature hang from the rendered walls. It's heaven unless you have muddy boots.
The welcome from our buxom host is smiley and honest, the barmen (or are they waiters?) genuine and doting. We grab the only available table (all the others are reserved for Sunday's finest beef, matured in a field around the back of the pub) and we perch near the wood burning stove, under traditional pictures of huntsmen and clasping our chic menus. A half of Hare of the Dog, brewed exclusively for the pub, and a diet Coke please.
From our chairs – all of which are different, deliberately but charmingly so – the view across valley is obscured, but high on the hills opposite sits another inn, probably another 17th century coaching inn. The richness of this area for good pubs is astonishing. The richness of this area for mesmerising beauty is equally marvellous.
An empty pub fills quickly. I've ordered soup of the day paired with the homemade chicken liver pâté served with homemade date and orange chutney (the smoothest pâté I've ever tasted), my new fiancée opts for a sandwich, but she gets something eminently more exciting than the word sandwich implies – stripped loin of beef with pan fried buttered red onion in the crustiest softest fluffiest bread known to man. The food is sublime, and we're just in time too.
The Sunday crowd are gregarious, they all know the staff (and the staff all know them) and they all opt for the dark beer (Devil's Bridge I think, "Not as thick as a stout like Guinness" advises a member of staff), or the Shiraz. One's had a punch up (the other chap got nicked), there's chatter about local ne'er-do-wells and farmers and the Westmorland Gazette and the football and family events and the last time they came and the pub up the road and hushed tips about the beef from the field around the back.
Sunday comes to life and the pub fulfils its purpose. The food is amazing and it's at the heart of the Hare & Hounds. And when the setting is this cosy, the welcome this warm, and the 17th century coaching inn this well used, this is a fine place to whittle away an early afternoon lunch before the rest of your life starts.Tags: hare & hounds, Pubs & bars
September 6th, 2011Beer and travel, Pubs & bars
Just like Mike Parker, the author of Map Addict, for years I've been mesmerised by the enigmatic Spurn Point, that strangely shaped strip of almost-land that stretches from the tip of the East Riding of Yorkshire and awkwardly attempts to reach back downstream towards the sands of the Humber estuary.
Spurn Point (or Spurn Head for many) is a sand bar that has been precariously edging it's way westwards over the last millennium of geological time as the sea plays out its role of destroyer and replenisher in equal measure (Spurn currently aims its point towards the revellers of Cleethorpes and the fishing boats of Grimsby, but has had 5 different versions of itself in the last 1000 years as the tides have breached it and rebuilt it time after time).
Brooding skies and dull tinted flora reflect the eeriness of this surreal spur set perpetually to a state of precarious balance, a place demanding reflection, that screams silently, in the same way as Munch's famous frozen moment of fear, of solitude. It's not a place you'd expect to find myriad good pubs, but then this windy forgotten corner of Yorkshire is exactly the type of place where a haven from the North Sea weather is required. Read the rest of this entry »Tags: Pubs & bars, Spurn Point, yorkshire
June 22nd, 2011Beer and travel, Pubs & bars
So the hotel didn't have a drying room, and in a half hearted tantrum of half hearted petulance we walked up the stairs and threw the muddy boots and soggy packs vaguely towards the radiator under a completely inadequate layer of quality drying paper. Or the hotel welcome brochure as it may or may not have been.
It was one of those provincial hotels, smart and classy from the outside, but inside brimming with big-fish-in-a-small-pond syndrome. Antiquated decor, about as aesthetically pleasing as a pair of shabby walkers stepping in from the rain, couldn't paper over the hollow product offering and hi-falutin' charm, nor stop the building creaking under its own despairing inability to embrace the modern world.
Well at least we could look forward to a beer and the Champions League final, eh?
If they had have had a drying room I'd have swapped it for a reasonably sized telly in an instant. I'd have probably traded in the rain cover plus my new and flashy laminated OS map if they could guarantee Sky coverage…
Low and behold, no footy, not even ITV, plus an uninspiring beer selection. Great. We headed out to find food.
The chippy seems crawling with snarling boys and girls in woolly training pants and hip-hop zip-ups, the males greasy and the fairer sex not much different (or fairer), oozing slightly more perfume and modelling marginally longer hair.
The local bar/bistro was empty; the local pub described to us as a veritable den of iniquity. We saw the snarling youths head off in that direction jettisoning chips and curry sauce in their wake and ruled the pub out.
Unprepared to give up on football, but increasingly concerned that the night would be spent sitting in our shabby hotel room, we slip into an unassuming cafe advertising evening meals, hoping to fill our bellies and devise a plan for beating the odds of missing the biggest match of the season.
A beaming smile greets us; our host, the owner, proudly shows off her continental beer selection. There's a feisty glint in her eye and a warming grin when we order lagers and ask for menus
Cold beers arrive slopping on the table; specials on the board are recited with a smile. "My husband might be bringing the telly down for the match in a bit" she announces.
We ask for a tab.
Two hours later, robust, fatty meals devoured, port and cheese and bread and butter pudding accepted eagerly, and the cafe is bursting at the seams; in one corner a romantic meal for two couples (the women had arrived early and ensured the blokes would have their backs to the screen, every other customer in on the joke and waiting for the look on their faces when they arrived); at the bar two friends who'd tried half of every beer at a local beer festival (which just so happened to be located at the village we planned to stay at the next evening, what luck!); an assortment of friends and couples vying for the 'fancy Japanese lager' and the attentions of various members of the opposite sex; and even at various points dog walkers rounded up with shouts out the door and convinced to nip in for a coffee, a hot chocolate or a perfectly chilled pint.
And us, perched at the back thoroughly engrossed in the magnetic whirlwind of Lionel Messi. Joined by the owner's father, a Nottingham-lad born and bred, we spend the evening coining increasingly dramatic cooings at each graceful twist and pivot of Barcelona's talismanic midfielder, and 'Ooo' at every completed pass from his comrades in attack.
The cafe is alive, welcoming and entertaining. We're part of the fabric of the evening; we're embraced, entertained, well fed and gratefully watered, and presented with a remarkably inexpensive bill as we rise early to sleep off the evenings excesses.
Behind us a homely din emanates from the cafe, a hub of life and love and laughter. It's exactly what the local pub should be, and for one evening we glimpse the real soul of someone's community.
Strange how the best pub evening on The Way was found in a cafe in Teesdale.Tags: cafe, pennine way, Pubs & bars
April 29th, 2011Beer Events, Beer news
Time flies in the beer houses of Kingston-upon-Hull, where Yorkshiremen plotted against King Charles; studs fly in the grand hotels of Huddersfield where the North plotted against the Rugby Union.
In Halifax they have long memories, just ask The Running Man. In York they never forget, Guy Fawkes will tell you that.
In Sheffield they have an island for their beer, in Swaledale they make you climb a thousand feet for a pint (you might even have to do the washing up if you're lucky!)
From the gastro pubs of Ilkley to the cove-view nooks of Robin Hood's Bay; from the alleyway drinking dens of Leeds, to the walkers respites littering Garsdale, Wensleydale, Dentdale, Ribblesdale, Malhamdale, Nidderdale…
Yorkshire is blessed with pubs, nearly 10% of all the public houses in Britain. Some good, some bad, each and everyone someone's favourite. All 5,115 of them.
What better way to spend the Bank Holiday than oiling your discourse down the local, or heeding Milton Crawford and taking a moment to reflect on life. And when your done, you can vote for your favourite Yorkshire pub at Yorkshire.com/pub
Tags: british pubs, Pubs & bars, ribblesdale, West Yorkshire, yorkshire
There are 54,000 pubs in Britain and 5,115 pubs in Yorkshire. Ish. Thanks to the border hungry constituency of Brigg & Goole which straddles both the East Riding of Yorkshire and the northern climes of Lincolnshire we've had to apply some educated guesswork to the final tally. Thanks to the CAMRA press team and the British Beer & Pub Association for help locating the raw data. And thanks to Dan Cohen, John FotoHouse and Rick Harrison for the pics!
April 21st, 2011Pubs & bars
I had the pleasure of being invited to the re-opening of a pub this week. Someone has paid a visit to what used to be the Three Horseshoes in Otley and replaced its worn out steel trotters to get the place back on its feet.
The newly named Horse and Farrier on Bridge Street in Otley is the fifteenth addition to Market Town Taverns' portfolio, which stretches across North and West Yorkshire including Arcadia in Leeds, Brigantes in York and Bar t'at in Ilkley).
Now, I'll lay my cards on the table, I've long been a fan of Market Town Taverns, I like the cut of their jib and I like that there's always a selection of 8 real ales available, as well as a handy selection of bottled beers. The Old Bell Tavern, another Market Town Taverns pub, is my local in Harrogate it's very traditionally styled, has real character and I even had my wedding reception in the restaurant there.Tags: british pubs, Horse & Farrier, Market Town Taverns, Otley, Pubs & bars, Three Horseshoes, West Yorkshire
March 17th, 2011Comment, Pubs & bars
A man walks into a bar. Asks for a beer. Nothing fancy. The bar person serves him. In a very nice branded glass. But it's the wrong branded glass.
Now if that man happened to be me, my heart would sink. In my humble opinion, there's something fundamentally wrong with serving a beer (or any drink for that matter) in the wrong branded glass.
I've been called a 'saddo', fair enough, I've no reasonable argument to oppose that.
I've been called a pedant, perhaps I am.
I've even been called a branded glass fundamentalist, but it has nothing to do with my foibles. It actually boils down to poor service, poor presentation and a general disrespect for both the product and the customer.
The last time that I was particularly unimpressed Read the rest of this entry »Tags: glassware, marketing, Pubs & bars, service
January 23rd, 2011Pubs & bars
Built in 1741 as a house for the timber merchant Edmund Maude, The Palace was first recorded as an inn in 1841 and is believed to have been named after one of the breweries whose ale it sold. In 1830 the Beerhouse Act was passed which allowed any householder who paid rates to apply for a two guinea excise licence to sell beer and brew it on their premises. This led to 46,000 new pubs being created within eight years.
In the ten years following the Beerhouse Act the number of pubs in Leeds rose from 270 to 545 and it is thought that The Palace may be one of those along with the Eagle Tavern on North Street. The licensing laws were changed in 1869 and this had the effect of tightening the rules to apply for a licence. Originally outwith the Leeds boundary, being located just outside the East Bar, (the marking stone for which can be found just slightly higher up Kirkgate towards the city centre set into the boundary wall of Leeds Parish Church) as Leeds expanded it became a city centre pub.Tags: british pubs, leeds, palace, Pubs & bars, yorkshire


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This was among the results. It's not Kate. It's a gal named Happy Rhodes doing a song called "When The Rain Came Down."
If you like Kate, Tori Amos, Annie Lennox, Sia, Adele, Janis Ian, Toni Childs or any number of other amazing female voices, you're going to love this.
And, yes, it's one person. Both voices ;-) There are several people who think it's a duet between Annie & Kate. But nope.
Recorded version:
Live version (started at about :42)
You can check her out on Amazon here.
I love discovering new music.
I just found this video of Adele on the Brit awards last night. Live, amazing, gorgeous.
She's 22 years old, people. And this is live.
Here's her Amazon store ;-)

subset: commoncrawl


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As a teenager I befriended a boy whose family had moved from Mumbai (India) to Canada. He told me an extraordinary story that has until now marked my sense of resources and the Gulf. His father, he said, once hired a series of ships that tugged an iceberg from the North Atlantic to West Asia to provide drinking water for the Emirates.
Whether the story is true or not, and given the exaggerations of youth it is probably false, it made the deserts of the Arabian peninsula come alive to me. If you look at a map, the large area to the south of the peninsula is called Rab al-Khali, the Empty Quarter. It has no people, but it is filled with sand.
Where does a desert get its water?
Well from the rivers of Iraq, of course!
>From 16 to 23 March the junior eminences from across the planet will gather in Japan at the Third World Water Forum. They will worry about the problems of population growth, increased irrigation demands for food production and ecological destruction of drinking water.
Many will take a Malthusian approach, bemoan the population growth rates in the darker corners and wash their hands of the crisis. Others will call for further privatization of water delivery, to make us all beholden to one or other of the big water firms (Vivendi, Suez, Coca Cola, Pepsi).
A few will rail against large dam projects that displace those who see no benefit from this kind of modernity. Just as at the two previous Water Forums, scholars and politicians will raise the problem of water for at least three west Asian states, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.
Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Territories receive the annual rainfall of Phoenix, Arizona, and house a combined population of almost fifteen million, while the entire state of Arizona only numbers just about more than five million. Israel relies upon aquifers, or underground rock formations that store water, that lie beneath the Occupied Territories of Gaza and West Bank for almost half its water needs.
About a quarter comes from the Sea of Galilee, still a disputed site with Syria. Israel, which tries to make the Levant into a piece of Europe, uses four times the amount of water than the Occupied Territories, even as its population of six million is less than double that of the Palestinians (about three and a half million). In the summer of 1999, Israel suffered a severe water crisis when the region came under a drought.
Yedidya Atlas, a senior correspondent for Israel National Radio, put the case squarely, "Withdrawing from Judea and Samaria, i. e. the Mountain Aquifer – or from the Golan Heights would create a situation in which the fate of Israel's water supply would be determined by Mr. Arafat's Palestinian Authority and the Syrians respectively. Either Israel has sole control of her national water sources or her very survival is threatened."
At the 2nd World Water Forum Yousef Habbab, the Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, turned to Mikhail Gorbachev, reminded him of their public conversation about water during the Madrid Palestinian-Israeli talks, and said, "You have touched t he untouchable in this conference," the "untouchable" being the problem of water for a permanent settlement in the region.
Such pronouncements are also frequent in the Saudi press. In July 1997, King Faud said that water preservation "is a religious as well as a national and development duty." In November 2002, Riyadh Daily reported that Water Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi had told the press that the kingdom needed a "national plan for water" because of an increase in population and the deterioration of desalination plants.
Behind the US, the United Arab Emirates and Canada, Saudi Arabia boasts the fourth highest use of water per citizen. Such averages mean nothing because only ten percent of water goes for personal and commercial use, while the remainder is used in agriculture.
In the 1970s, when Saudi Arabia felt that its oil embargo might be met with a grain embargo, it tried to increase grain production. Oil profits went toward agricultural subsidies as the harvest increased to a high of five million tons in 1994. You have to imagine the alfalfa fields in Saudi Arabia, grown to prevent dependence on imported food for livestock.
I'm not a believer in the theory of comparative advantage, but what about some ecological sense about what the region can bear? The kingdom has since 1994 cut subsidies and reduced the harvest to just over a million tons of grain. Saudi Arabia now imports grain on a landmass of depleted water. The alfalfa fields continue to be tended.
How do the Saudi kingdom and the Israeli state expect to cover the water shortfall? In 1987, the Turkish government announced that it would build a "Peace Pipeline" that would pump about sixteen million square meters of water to these two countries, as well as Syria. Water from the Seyhan and Ceyhan river systems in south-eastern Turkey would be diverted to this pipeline and thereby draw water from the Euphrates that delivers water to the fertile plains of Iraq.
In 1957, the Turks started to build the Dam at Kiban, where the Euphrates meets the Murad with a catchment area of 30.5 billion square meters of water. That project began a long-standing dispute with Iraq. When Turkey started the Al Ghab dam project to irrigate the Harat plains as well as generate electricity, it intensified the problems in the region. These are flashpoints of the ongoing conflict.
If there were a pliable government in Baghdad, and eventually one in Amman, the power of both Riyadh and Tel Aviv would grow in the region, especially over such scarce commodities as fresh water. This is perhaps the hope of the Water Ministries in the oil rich and weapon rich countries in the region. Even as the war is about US hegemony, about oil, about the Bush family, don't forget the water. As Fortune put it so plainly in May 2000, "Water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century: the precious commodity that determines the wealth of nations."
By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and wept.
By the Waters of Babylon
As a teenager I befriended a boy whose family had moved from Mumbai (India) to Canada. He told me an extraordinary story that has until now marked my sense of resources and the Gulf. His father, he said, once hired a series of ships that tugged an iceberg from the North Atlantic to West Asia to provide drinking water for the Emirates.


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¡MAYDAY! - Death March (Remix)
Artist: ¡MAYDAY!
Featuring: Pharoahe Monch , Stat Quo
Producer: Plex Luthor
Album: Smash & Grab
Avg Rating: 4.4 ( 14 total votes )
Originally featured back in late January, ¡Mayday!'sDeath March won high reader praise for its creativity and unconventional themes. Today the Florida live-band crew return with the first of two official remixes of the record. This time around, NYC underground mainstay Pharoahe Monch and ATL stalwart Stat Quo join Wrek, Bernbiz and co. to deliver hard-hitting bars over Plex Luthor's moody boardwork. Fans can find the album version of Death March and much more on ¡Mayday!'s Strange Music debut, Take Me to Your Leader, scheduled for release March 27.
Listen to More: ¡MAYDAY! , Pharoahe Monch , Stat Quo , Downloads
Written by richard on 03/1/12
[Album] ¡MAYDAY! - Smash & Grab
Miami live-band hip-hop crew ¡MAYDAY! have come together with The DJBooth, Strange Music and Monster Energy to bring listeners their latest mixtape, Smash & Grab. Clocking in at 78 minutes in total, the DJ Green...
Strange Music
First DJ Booth Appearance:
"Nothin (Remix)" (2010)
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What Should Determine Who Gets Into The Boxing Hall of Fame?
What Should Determine Who Gets Into The Boxing Hall of Fame?
Oct 22 2007, 11:56 AM
Post #1
The Consultant
Group: Root Admin
Posts: 9,731
Joined: 2-December 02
Member No.: 14
This is another topic that has been widly debated. What attributes or historical impact should determine who gets into the Boxing Hall of Fame and Why? If someone could post just as a review how fighters, are selected, as well as non-ring participants, it may help us dive deeper into this question. But regardless, here are some thoughts to consider:
1.) What is more important for Hall of Fame selection? Historical impact to the sport or how excitable a fighter is to the fans?
2.) Has the Hall of Fame served more as a popularity contest to certain fighters as opposed to fistic merits in the ring? For example, I heard that Gatti was admitted or soon will be based on the Mickey Ward fights. The first fight I thought was classic, but the second and third fights I think were over-rated by the media. Specifically, Jim Lampley's voice inflection when either fighter did anything more than clinch. What about Ward? Does he get in off of the Gatti fights as well. This seems to be overkill
3.) Should a dominating fighter, but with a non-brawling and often boring style be considered for HOF material? (i.e Floyd Mayweather.)
4.) What other qualifications should the HOF consider for boxers?
5.) What about non-ring participants such as referees, promoters, and managers? Don King and WBC President Jose Sulaiman were both admitted, yet both have very controversal pasts. Who would you like to see in the HOF that is currently not included?
Oct 22 2007, 03:16 PM
Post #2
Choppin Headz Boi!
Group: Team BU
Posts: 22,696
Joined: 16-October 02
Member No.: 19
Historical impact without a doubt.
Honestly, Gatti's best wins are Tracy Harris Patterson, Leonard Dorin, an old Jesse James Leija, and Micky Ward...not the stuff of HOFers.
The truth is, Gatti is no better then Antonio Margarito. Do you think Margarito would get in the hall right now?
And just because Floyd doesn't get into exciting fights like Gatti doesn't mean he wouldn't be considered to be in the HOF....boxing is about hitting and not getting hit. Floyd is the master of that.
Oct 22 2007, 05:33 PM
Post #3
Chief Haterizer
Group: Team BU
Posts: 10,592
Joined: 30-May 04
From: Sydney
Member No.: 91
The HOF needs to have multiple considerations when contemplating who deserves entry.
What about a fighter that was a above average champion & drew huge crowds & excitment whenever he fought yet never showed the ability to overcome difficulties in or out of the ring? Does he deserve entry?
What about a multi time champion who is extremely boring & universally derided by the press & public alike yet has managed many strong wins over quality competition & has always carried himself well in public? Does he deserve entry?
I will leave it up to you to decide who I am talking about.
|Lo-Fi Version
|Time is now: 27th August 2014 - 10:54 AM


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Coupons.com is offering a variety of coupons for Hasbro games and toys, Easy Bake Ovens, Scrabble, Monopoly and more.
Sam's Club is having a fee free holiday open house the weekend of Dec. 6-8.
Finally, some of Target's Black Friday coupons will still be usable until Saturday, Dec. 7.
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With a nightmare unfolding around them, Sam and Nina decipher the stunning truth. Now they're at the mercy of a brilliant madman who plays for keeps.
©2002 Mira; (P)2009 Audible, Inc.
"Not what I have come to expect from Tess Gerritsen"
Until now, Tess Gerritsen was, for me, equivalent to "edge of your seat" thrillers and characters full of personality. The Harvest, Gravity, wonderful medical thrillers. Her Jane Rizzoli in The Surgeon... superb. And now, this book that had me repeating "oh please" as I hit the forward button to bypass the unbelievable nonsensical musings of the two main characters. I actually had to go back and make sure that this was a book by the same Tess Gerritsen that I had come to enjoy so much reading; in short, if you are a Tess Gerritsen fan, don't bother with this book, you will be very disappointed.
I listen to a book a day just about. I am 49, I love mystery, thriller, true crime. G.Guidall best reader for me.
"Not like her later novels, this is simple"
Love the later novels, this is more romance than I like. Too simple for me, not a thriller or intriguing as her other or later novels, that I give high marks.
"Not what I expected"
This book is more of a romance novel than a mystery. Don't expect a Rizzoli and Isles style mystery. The essential elements of a good mystery are here but the book really revolves around relationship developing between the two main characters.
The performance is fine and not an issue.
"Worst Tess Gerritsen EVER written....DID she write"
Totally predictable, no backbone to any of the characters and if I had not listened to so many books by Tess Gerritsen and this were my first one.....it would DEFINITELY be my last. I can't believe that she actually wrote this. Characters have no substance...plot is any that a sixth grader could write.....(and that's not being complimentary to sixth graders)
AWFUL! Would LOVE to have my money back on this one!
Flat, no emotion....might as well have been reading a cookbook.
The question should be which character would I KEEP
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY! I'M a huge fan of Gerritsen...but what a disappointment.
"Don't bother"
A better story!
Yes, but not this one! Love her medical mysteries, but this was beyond bad!
Get rid of the sappy romance sections... keep the mystery and beef up the characters.
I knew i was in trouble when i discovered this was a Harlequin book. definitely did not realize that when i made the purchase. Love Tess Gerritsen and her characters but the name Harlequin implies long sappy mind numbing excruciatingly detailed description of sex and i was not disappointed ... and that is not a good thing.
I'd hoped for a solid thriller on par with Gerritsen's prior books ... NOT THE CASE! Nearly 40% of the book is taken up by either the two main characters fighting their attraction to each other or mating as a result of it. Personally, i would think that someone under the threat of a killer would have other things to focus on... but that is just me.
Opened my audible account to double check if other Gerritsen books are Harlequn. so far so good. will definitely check before ever purchasing futures books though.Cannot bear having to endure another like this one!!!
don't believe i have, however, she handled the delivery of this book well. bet with decent material she would really rock!
NO NO NO and by the way NO ... unless of course you are really into the Harlequin style of literature... I AM NOT!
"Good, but not the best by Tess Gerritsen."
The story.
I felt like the book was not finished. There was a story line left hanging.
"A bit disappointed"
The storyline had some promise, but it seemed to be mingled with a sappy love story that overwhelmed the story line at times. There was also some fairly unbelievable behavior, like how people in the story react to death, betrayal, etc., and this detracted from the story and caused confusion about the characters.
No, but I will watch for reviews about this kind of suspense/romance style of storyline in the future (I think I saw one before I downloaded this book on my phone).
More realistic interactions between the two main characters. Too much of the romantic aspect was highly predictable and unnecessary. This part of the storyline was not believeable and made me tune out on several sections. For instance, would a veteran cop who (in the beginning) barely knows this woman really insult her mother and comment on how badly she raised her daughter?
"My least favorite Tess Gerritsen"
Compared to other TG books, this plot was thin and hard to believe. Overall - disappointing.
My favorite authors: Tess Gerritsen, Anne Perry, Deborah Crombie, & Lisa Scottoline. Also, MC Beaton/Marion Chesney writes hilarious fluff.
"Glad I read other Gerritsen books first!"
I've read a bunch of books by Tess Gerritsen, and I really enjoy her medical thrillers. However, this seems to be more of a "Harlequin Intrigue" book. The focus is on the relationship between the couple, rather than the mystery/crime, which is not very engaging. And by "which" (in the previous sentence) I mean BOTH are dull - the relationship between the H/h and the mystery itself. I didn't like or dislike the hero and heroine...they didn't have much of an impression on me at all. I felt that the story dragged near the end, and could have been wrapped up more quickly. In fact, I felt that it probably could have been condensed to half the length that it was. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't terrible, but after reading Gerritsen's later works, I kept thinking about how much better her other books are (as I was listening to this one). I also was not a fan of the person reading the book; I've heard a lot of audiobooks and I think they could have chosen someone better. I was not impressed by her "accents."
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09-13-2008, 11:59 PM #1Jersey Retired
- Join Date
- Dec 1969
- Posts
- 7,005
Wear your horns -- just don't poke anybody
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/28352764.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:a ULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU
[size=12pt]The NFL's new fan conduct rules get their first test at the Metrodome today when the Vikings take on Indianapolis.[/size]
Nothing delights Kevin Warren more than a Metrodome bursting with painted faces, purple and gold Mardi Gras beads and Helga helmets with the long blonde braids. To the Vikings executive, the sweetest sound in creation is the ringing in his ears that lasts long after the Sunday afternoon din has subsided.
On the flip side, Warren has little tolerance for some other sights and sounds at Vikings games, including obscene chants and cups of beer turned into projectiles...Kentucky Vikes Fan
When you require nothing, you get nothing; when you expect nothing, you will find nothing; when you embrace nothing, all you will have is nothing.
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October 18
Calgary Public Library, John Dutton Theatre
Tickets: $40 / signed book included
Special Event
Bestselling novelist and author of the cult hit, Fight Club, haunts the Wordfest stage following the October launch of Doomed, the sequel in the Damned trilogy. Admission includes signed book.
Madison Spencer, the liveliest, snarkiest dead girl in the universe, continues the adventures in the afterlife begun in Damned. Having somewhat reluctantly escaped from Hell, she now wanders the Purgatory that is Earth as a ghostly spirit, ultimately making a rendezvous with destiny on the new, totally plastic continent in the Pacific called, not accidentally, Madlantis.
Chuck Palahniuk is the author of twelve internationally bestselling novels including Damned, Tell-All, Pygmy, Snuff, Rant, Haunted, Diary, Lullaby, Choke, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, and Fight Club. He is also the author of Fugitives and Refugees, published as part of the Crown Journey Series, and the nonfiction collection Stranger Than Fiction. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.
"Have your adventures, make your mistakes, and choose your friends poorly — all these make for great stories."


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Search Results
Keywords: Downeast
Historical Items Showing 3 of 22 View All
Item 7714
Title: Downeast Maine weir
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society
Date: circa 1930
Location: Eastport
Media: Photoprint
Item 80280
Title: Letter to Sarah Tarbox Greenleaf from brother Valentine, Lubec, 1852
Contributed by: Westport Island History Committee
Date: 1852-02-15
Location: Westport Island; Lubec; Brooksville
Media: ink on paper
Item 37253
Title: American Can plant demolition, Lubec, 1995
Contributed by: Lubec Historical Society
Date: 1995
Location: Lubec
Media: Photograph
Sites Showing 2 of 2 View All
The Downeast community's history as presented by a broad-based team of representatives from Surry Elementary School and Surry Historical Society. Topics covered include the Surry Opera House and Surry Playhouse, the Surry Village School and education over time in the community, sawmills, and early property owner Phebe Fowler. Students scanned and transcribed a large number of the items digitized for the project.
The history of a small, but vibrant, Downeast village as told by an array of local institutions and organizations. Site contributors include Blue Hill Historical Society, Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill Consolidated School, George Stevens Academy, the Bay School, and the Jonathan Fisher House. Some of the topics covered include the arts, Jonathan Fisher, the Blue Hill Fair, Rusticators, the Civil War, education, and shipbuilding.


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The Boise State Broncos came away from San Diego with a win, and return home to host the Wyoming Cowboys. The Cowboys boast a 7-3 record and look to upset the Broncos. Join me after the jump as I discuss the keys to the game.
Wyoming features a dual threat, true freshman quarterback in Brett Smith that can hurt us if we aren't careful. Hurt, I would go as far to say he could beat us by making some deep throws and keeping us off balance with his legs. Smith has thrown for 2200+yards and rushed for another 500+ yards. Smith had 15 touchdowns to five interceptions. Wyoming doesn't air the ball out a ton, but if Wyoming has film of the last three games I see no reason why they won't pass the ball 50 times, well above their season average of 33. I know historically Wyoming has been a D-1 doormat but this game is tricky for the Broncos if they don't figure things out in the secondary and get more consistent opening holes for our ground game.
Boise State Offensive Keys:
Control the clock. BSU must finish the game having time of possession around 36 minutes. That means that we are making drives, running the ball, completing passes and finishing drives. Finishing drives has been an issue for us this year. Also, we need to get our defense off the field so that Wyoming can't work their game plan by running their quarterback and throwing the ball behind our cornerbacks.
175 Rush yards. This goes with number one. We shouldn't be giving the ball to Martin another 36 times this game, I would like to see more Wild Potter this game and a little bit of Raphiel Lambert this time around, if DJ Haprer is not healthy.
Score on our first two possessions. We came out against SDSU and scored on the first drive and I think that gave us a good boost. Unless we start on defense we tend to be a bit sluggish. Not scoring on our first drive will give Wyoming good momentum and put our secondary in the spotlight.
Boise State Defensive Keys:
Someone at the corner back position needs to step up. Remember two years ago when we lost Richie Brockel to a season ending foot injury? Someone needed to step up, and that person was Dan Paul. Paul played like he was desperate to keep his new found role and proved to not miss a beat since his taking up the starting role. We need our corners to have that mentality. Gavins came out of the gate this year very hungry, same with Harper. Our secondary is wide open. Any one from Qualon Ewing-Burton, Ebo Makinde (maybe done with injury) Lee Hightower, and Bryan Douglas have a great opportunity in front of them. Rarely have I seen so many injuries decimate a position before. They are getting a chance to be in competition for spot going into next year and all of them are failing........
Intercept two passes. The last two games we have only forced one interception per game. We need to do better with that. SDSU and TCU let the ball fly and we really should have picked more passes than we have. And interceptin passes starts with pass rush, then coverage down field. Guys need to be smart and realize teams will go at us with double moves...... Gotta be smart.
Limit Brett Smith's rushing to 20 yards or less. He averages about 50 yards a game, and we need to cut that in half to keep him from running away with the game (no pun intended).
Wyoming Offensive keys:
Air raid, pass happy, run and shoot, spread, shot gun what ever you wanna call it. Pass the ball. Go right at our defensive backs. The double move has killed us the last two games. Make the Boise State secondary prove they can stop it, even if it results in an early pick......
Roll out Brett Smith. Roll outs and bootlegs take the defensive line out of the picture, and allow a good runner to keep the ball if down field option aren't available (but they probably will be).
Keep it within 10 points at halftime. We were down to TCU by six points at half and that proved more than the difference in the game. If Wyoming wants to upset us they can never be down by more than 14 points in this game. We had two chances to go up by two TD's against TCU and failed to.....
Wyoming defensive Keys:
Mix up the looks, somehow come up with a new look they haven't had all year. UNLV came out in a few blitzes that our guys hadn't seen on film all year.
Force three turnovers. Yes, as Kevan would say "win the turnover battle/ obligatory mention," and he ain't just a whistling Dixie either.....When a team wins the turnover battle they stand a much better chance to win the game.... just ask Virginia Tech fans how Frank Beamer has made a living in Blacksburg......
Hold Boise State to 27 points at home. If they do that, they have a big change of winning this game.
I think Boise will score on their first two possessions. I think that Wyoming poses some problems for us if we are not careful. My prediction, 49-20 Blue


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Now that I've gathered myself, meditated, lit some insense, and listened to 96 hours of Buddhist chants on loop, I think I'm finally ready to move forward with this current Knicks team. Since there isn't much that can be done to improve the roster, basketball-wise, I'd at least improve their likability. This is the most talented Knicks roster in quite some time, but a summer of gay-bashing, drunk-driving and Lin-ditching has left many fans with a feeling of disgust rivaling the glory days of the Anucha Browne-Sanders trial. How can the Knicks turn themselves around, at least from a PR perspective.
Obviously, the best thing the Knicks can do is win. Winning washes away a lot of sins. New York fans loved Latrell Sprewell, and that guy was a maniac. But the regular season is still months away, and there must be something these guys can say and/or do to improve their image for the time being.
As for poor Ray Felton, the pudgy-but-undeserved scapegoat of the Lin debacle, I think he's making the right moves so far. He's made it clear he never wanted to leave New York in the first place, he's admitted he was out of shape last shape last year and sounds ready to prove doubters wrong. He's in an impossible situation, replacing Lin, so he might as well double-down and say to the world that he'll be just as valuable next season as Lin. Obviously he'll have to go out and prove it, but there's nothing he can say at this point that will make the Garden crowd boo him any more than they already plan to. New York fans love hubris...provided you can back it up.
Amare is another Knick who could use an image boost following the infamous fire extinguisher punch and Twitter gay slur. As for the gay thing, I would suggest he not get caught on camera eating a Chik-fil-a sandwich for the time being. As for his image as an actual basektball player, I think Amare should take a proactive stand and volunteer to come off the bench next season. "Amare the sixth man" was a hotly-debated subject at the end of last season, and we don't know where the Knicks' coaching staff stands, but that is besides the point. Amare needs only to volunteer to come off the bench to improve his image as a team player. Would it be an empty gesture? Perhaps, but when you're making $100 mil with no defense and uninsurable knees, every little bit helps.
And as for Melo, the self-appointed expert on "ridiculous" contracts, I would simply give him Derek Jeter's phone number. I've loved Melo since his time at Syracuse. The guy's a top 10 player in the league, a certified 4th quarter assassin, and he's a NY-born kid who idolized Bernard King and begged to be on the Knicks. We should have nothing but love for this guy, but his time in New York has been snakebit since the day Dolan inexplicably traded Gallo, Chandler, Mozgov and roughly 15 draft picks to get him. This guy needs a crash course in the Derek Jeter School of Image management. And lesson one is: shut the hell up. Love Jeter or hate him, everyone knows he would never get himself caught up in a teammate's contract dispute. Melo wants this team to be his team, he wants to be the Captain. Well it's time to start acting like a Captain - keep your mouth shut off the court and let your play do the talking.


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Computerworld blogger Barbara Krasnoff writes that after Microsoft's latest forced IE8 update, some users reported they could no longer access YouTube or other Flash-based sites. Of course, the solution was upgrading to a new version of Flash, as any moderately experienced user would know. But why, she asks, should Joe and Jane Consumer have to know this stuff? She adds:
...think about how most of us live with our automobiles. We're capable of filling the gas tank, and checking the air pressure and oil. But when you hear a mysterious noise, most drivers have no way of knowing whether they simply need new brake pads or whether the transmission is about to give up the ghost. Unless you're a home (or professional) mechanic, spending five hours trying to figure it out isn't really a useful option.
Microsoft, apparently, feels that it is. After convincing thousands of users that the company knows what's best for them, and that they should therefore accept the weekly updates that come their way, it pushed through an update that effectively interrupted the usefulness of their systems.
Couldn't have put it better myself. OK, I might have been a tad more sarcastic. But otherwise, she's spot on.
For months now, Windows Update has been nagging me to install a "high priority update," without which my computer may be in serious peril of being pwned by Eastern European cybergoons. (Of course, to even find that out I must run IE.) At the top of the update list: IE8 for XP. As if.
Admittedly, I did install IE8 on my Vista test machine, but only because I was willing to take one for the team. So far, no problems. Then again, I hardly ever use it. Because although IE8 is probably more secure than any other version of IE ever produced, it's even more secure to not use IE at all.
These days, when there's a plethora of browser choices available and seemingly a new one every other week, why should anyone use Internet Explorer when they don't have to? It's like what I told Tiny the other day: That's my forearm and I'll do what I want with it, thank you very much.
Did you switch to IE8? Had any problems? Post your tales of woe below or e-mail me: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Its time to admit it people. Tyrus Thomas is a bust. Yes, I know he's turning 23. He MAYBE hasn't touched his ceiling yada yada yada. Give me a break. The guy has been in the league for 3 years. Name me one star big man in this league who wasn't making a huge impact by his 3rd year. I don't get where all this Tyrus support comes from. I'm convinced that Bulls fans are being brainwashed due to their loyalty to Mr. Paxson's draft picks. Fans are falling more in love with players and are more loyal to players than to the team.
My point is...how can someone who watches this team consistently somehow believe that Tyrus Thomas is capable of being something like a number 2 option or resemble any remnance of a top power forward in this league. Name me one basketball skill this guy actually has. What...he can make a 17 foot jumper 3 out of 10 times if he's open? Do you know how many wide open jumpers I've seen this guy take and brick? As a power forward, shouldn't he have at least one move with his back to the basket? Is it not clear that he has just about 0 offensive skills? But isn't that exactly the opposite of what we need?
So someone please tell me why anyone is even advocating for the organization to keep this bum around. To catch a lob once a game? To get 7 rebounds a game half the season and then 11 rebounds a game the other half? A couple of highlight blocks here or there? Wouldn't it be more efficient and significant to have a 4 who is ACTUALLY a second option and scores 20 points a game and actually rebounds well the ENTIRE season. I would GLADLY sacrifice the highlight lobs from Derrick Rose for a true 4 who knows how to play the game of basketball and is capable of putting the ball on the floor with his back to the basket. Speaking of which, I haven't even mentioned the fact that Tyrus Thomas turns the ball over just about (no exaggeration) every time he puts the ball on the floor. Who on this site actually believes or can possibly believe that Tyrus Thomas will somehow gain 40 lbs., develop a post game, learn how to dribble, improve his basketball IQ, and no longer turn the ball over every other time he touches it? ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN PEOPLE. As a power forward in the NBA, you either have it or you don't. A'Mare has it. Bosh has it. Boozer has it. Malone had it. Webber had it. Garnett has it. Stromile Swift never had it. Joe Smith never really had it. Marcus Fizer never had it. Drew Gooden never had it. Donyell Marshall never had it. (haha 4 former Bulls...all huge lottery busts, surprise surprise). I can keep naming busts for days and you can keep holding your breath for years. The bottom line is Tyrus Thomas NEVER WILL HAVE IT. Anyone who contradicts this fact is either in denial or just plain inexplicably far too loyal to a player who is truly a below average NBA power forward.
The Bulls need to do something about this situation and I mean quick. Somehow they've duped so many so-called knowledgable Bulls fans, especially on this site, into believing the Tyrus pick was a good pick because he's so young and has so much upside, etc. You can spin it any way you want, the pick was a massive bust and LeMarcus is undoubtedly the better player. Which is why THEY MUST trade him now while his value is not completely diminished and turn the pick into something of value to compensate for setting the organization back tremendously the past 3 seasons when we could have had a 7 foot 18 point scorer in Aldridge helping us out in the playoffs instead of Tyrus riding the bench. Enough with the denial...just embrace the fact that Thomas is essentially useless to this team in the long run and HE MUST GO NOW.


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|Associate Head Coach
|5th Year at Upstate
|Concord, N.C.
|Previous College:
|Appalachian State '05
Carson Blackwelder enters his fifth
year with the USC Upstate cross country and track & field
programs, working primarily with the distance athletes. He is in
his third year as Associate Head Coach after serving as assistant
coach his first year at Upstate.
Blackwelder maintained his status as the league's top distance running coach in 2012-13, leading the Spartans to their second straight A-Sun championship in men's cross country. He also coached six different Spartans who won individual A-Sun titles in cross country and track & field distance races. He was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year in cross country after leading Upstate to the team championship in 2012.
In the 2012 cross country season, Blackwelder's men's cross country team captured its second straight A-Sun Team Championship. Gilbert Kemboi won the individual championship for the third straight year with three other teammates, Davey Dennison, Cameron Thomas, Ross Oden, earning second team All-ASun honors. Blackwelder was named A-Sun Coach of the Year for the second straight year. The men went on to record their highest finish at the Southeast Regional meet with a 15th place finish. Kemboi was All-Southeast Region with a sixth place finish and advanced to the NCAA National meet where he finished 42nd as an individual.
In Blackwelder's third year at Upstate both the men and women's cross country teams recorded their highest finish at the 2011 A-Sun Conference meet with the men capturing the A-Sun Championship and the women placing fourth. On the men's side, Gilbert Kemboi was the individual champion along with Davey Dennison and Christian Ritacco being All-Conference selections. Blackwelder was named the 2011 A-Sun Men's Coach of the Year. The women also claimed an individual champion with Jemeli Sang, while Joan Tangwar took second-place and Carolyne Chelulei came in third.
During the 2011 season the teams recorded the highest NCAA Southeast Region finish in school history. The women finished 17th out of 32 schools with Tangwar and Sang taking home All-Southeast Region honors. The men finished 22nd out of 34 schools and Kemboi earned All-Region accolades with an 11th place finish.
The 2010 men's team finished third on its home course with Kemboi winning the individual championship and Dennison earning second team All-A-Sun honors. Andrew Kipchumba earned a spot on the league's All-Freshman team. The women's team placed fourth with three women claiming spots on the All-Conference teams. Tangwar was fifth, Chelulei ninth and Sang 14th.
During the 2009 season, both the men's and women's school records were broken by Kemboi and Chelulei, respectively. Additionally, five of the top-nine all-time performances were recorded on the women's side of things. When all was said and done for the cross country season, Blackwelder was recognized by the Atlantic Sun Conference for coaching a pair of All-Conference women and a male A-Sun Freshman of the Year athlete.
Blackwelder arrived at Upstate after spending the 2008-09 season at Morehead State, members of the Division-I Ohio Valley Conference. At MSU, he was responsible for all facets of the program, which included recruiting, workout regiments, budget and travel and was the director of fundraising for the program.
|Blackwelder's program had two individuals named to the cross country All-Conference team as well as having his women's track and field and cross country teams honored as All-Academic teams. He also coached the school's 8K school record holder.
Prior to MSU, he spent three years as an assistant coach at Appalachian State, Division-I members of the Southern Conference. His primary duties at ASU were recruiting coordinator for the cross country program, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the team's distance runners.
During his tenure at ASU, the cross country and track and field programs won five men's conference titles, three women's conference titles, as well as four SoCon individual track and field championships. Also during Blackwelder's time in Boone, N.C., the Mountaineers had 12 individuals named All-Conference in track and field and 11 were named All-Conference performers in cross country. Two individuals were named All-Region in cross country and four were regional qualifiers in track and field.
A native of Concord, N.C., Blackwelder was a standout at App State as a member of the cross country and track programs. He was a two-time All-Conference selection and team MVP in cross country. He also received All-Conference accolades in indoor track. In outdoor track and field, Blackwelder helped the Mountaineers win four-straight conference championships. Blackwelder resides in Boiling Springs SC with his wife Ashley and daughter, Carter.
A-Sun Championship Finishes
- 2 Men's A-Sun Cross Country Team Champions, 2011 & 2012
- 2 A-Sun Men's Cross Country Coach of The Year, 2011 & 2012
- NCAA National Cross Country Individual Qualifier- Gilbert Kemboi 2012
- 4 All-Southeast Region Athletes- Cross Country
- 3 Men's A-Sun Cross Country Individual Champion- Gilbert Kemboi, 2010, 2011 & 2012
- Women's A-Sun Cross Country Individual Champion- Jemeli Sang, 2011
- 19 All-A-Sun Athletes- Cross Country
- 16 Track A-Sun Individual Champions
- 25 All-A-Sun Athletes- Track
- 4 NCAA Track East Prelims Qualifiers
- Men's Cross Country 8K School Record Holder
- Women's Cross Country 5K & 6k School Record Holder
- 40 School Records
- 5 A-Sun Indoor Records
- 2013 A-Sun Conference Athlete of the Year- Gilbert Kemboi


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Pontiacĺs historic Creative Arts Center has wrapped up a Hispanic heritage exhibition and is accepting entries for its third annual photography show.
The nonprofit art center, located just west of downtown in a more than century-old building, is a cultural jewel in the city, its director said.
ôBy focusing on the different cultures that are here in Pontiac, we can learn from each other,ö said Angela Petroff, the centerĺs executive director. ôIn viewing through the arts, through the humanities, we can see what we have in common, rather than focusing on the differences.ö
A month-long exhibit celebrating Hispanic culture, including food, art and tradition, was featured at the arts center this fall.
ôOver the past 30 years, weĺve worked with the Puerto Rican Cultural and Educational Center to put together a Hispanic heritage exhibit,ö Petroff said.
Exhibit coordinator Sabrina Jefferson said the exhibit was ôawesome,ö and featured four different types of dance, food and art.
Next yearĺs exhibit is to focus on Argentine culture, Jefferson said.
The centerĺs third annual photography exhibition, judged by award-winning Oakland Press Photo Editor Tim Thompson, opens Nov. 15. Thompson will select a Best of Show entry, a second prize, third prize and honorable mentions. Cash prizes are awarded and the Best of Show photograph will be published in The Oakland Press. The deadline for entries is 2 p.m. Saturday.
Freelance photographer Bill Dwyer, of Oxford Township, is the president of the Creative Arts Center Board of Directors.
ôIt is a great opportunity to both display your work and to meet other photographers on different levels,ö Dwyer said of the upcoming exhibition, which runs through January.
The longtime lensman said he enjoys seeing artistsĺ talent grow over time.
ôTheyĺre working their craft,ĺ he said.
The photography exhibition has few guidelines for entries, other than they must be framed and ready to hang.
Petroff said entries have covered a variety of subjects in the past, including portraits, landscapes and cityscapes.
The exhibition is a place ôfor people to show their artwork in a nonthreatening way and in a very democratic way,ö she said, ôwhere you have novice photographers and established photographers showing together.ö
Exhibit coordinator Jefferson said she sees ôextraordinary works that come in,ö and has witnessed photographers who debuted at the centerĺs shows begin to sell their work and grow as artists.
The Creative Arts Center was formed in 1964, and moved to its Williams Street building Ś once home to the Pontiac Public Library Ś in 1968.
ôItĺs a jewel in Pontiac,ö Petroff said. ôItĺs our gem. We need to support it better. The arts are just so important to the community and its families.ö
The Creative Arts Center hosts educational programming throughout the year.
ôItĺs a warm place,ö Petroff said. ôWe have a lot of heart.ö
FYI: The deadline to enter the Creative Arts Centerĺs third annual photography exhibition is 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. For more information and instructions for entering the exhibition, call 248-333-7849, visit www.pontiac.mi.us./about/creative_arts/ or find the Pontiac Creative Arts Center on Facebook.
The photography exhibitionĺs opening reception is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15. The Creative Arts Center is located at 47 Williams Street in Pontiac.
The Pontiac Creative Arts Centerĺs regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.


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04-06-2012 12:42
Please help me I am tearing my hair out trying to fix this!
I have a Nokia N8 (sim lock to Vodafone)
I have NEVER used a security code or set one on it.
I upgraded to Belle and ever since then it asks me for "Security Code"
I can enter ANY code including 1234 0000 12345 and anything else it always tells me CODE ERROR but then it lets me use the phone like normal.
I can NOT do a factory reset from the menu as it asks me for code
I CAN flash/downgrade it to scandinavian 11.5 firmware but that doesn't make the code request go away
I downgraded it - still code request!
I upgraded it back to Belle again using Nokia Suite - still code request!
I can put it into TEST MODE but then can not get it to do full factory reset, which I am told might fix the issue.
Please can someone tell me STEP BY STEP what I need to do to get rid of this annoying code request when I power the phone on
I DID try hard reset power + camera + volume down + menu button this made other problems with apps and licence but did NOT fix the problem - luckily I managed to reflash to Belle and got my apps/licences back but still code problem
Help please!
04-06-2012 13:22 - edited 04-06-2012 13:30
Whilst such discussion is beyond remit of this manufacturer's sponsored forum, I do wonder with the right software application it would elicit "Code not readable or maybe no code" upon your N8!
Have you ever opened any security application pre-installed in device firmware at any time?
Happy to have helped forum with a Support Ratio = 42.5
04-06-2012 13:31 - edited 04-06-2012 13:33
Hi xbluedragonxx,
Thanks for your post and welcome to the forum.
The behaviour you are seeing is known and has been reported a number of times in different threads. Please use the forum search function to find any previous reference to your question before posting.
A fix will be made available in a future update. As you wrote entering any number will get you into the phone in the meantime.
Hope this helps,
Press the 'Accept As Solution' icon if I have solved your problem, click on the Star Icon below if my advice has helped you!
04-06-2012 13:34 - edited 04-06-2012 13:38
Hi any ideas when this fix will be available? It is a phone I was given from my work place - they upgraded the firmware originally and started getting this code error (then gave it to me to keep after they couldn't fix it)
They confirmed only code should be 12345 or 0000 neither of which "work"
I'm trying to get it basically restored to a default status using Belle (or any firmware version which might work) so it's back to normal Vodafone Nokia N8.
F Secure app is in there but has never been activated.
06-06-2012 22:13 - edited 06-06-2012 22:16
Hi Kosh,
I disagree with your comments becasue my issue is the same as OP's and I cannot find any references to it at all in the forum depsite your admonishment that this issue has been raised before.
I have no trouble with entering the security code, my Nokia N8 with Belle accepts my security code perfectly. There are no error messages or bewlidering prompts that come up. My problem is that I don't want a security code on my phone, I want to disable the security code feature and I cannot find an option in 'Settings' to do this.
I have found numerous discussions on entering the wrong security code, how to change the security code, Belle upgrade now asks for security code, security code errors, but have not been able to find one comment on how to go into Settings and disable the security code. I go into Settings -Phone-Phone Management-Security Settings-Phone and SIM Card. There is an option for changing the securitycCode but not for turning it off and on.
Am I looking under the wrong menu or this this another bug that will require a patch?
07-06-2012 10:37 - edited 07-06-2012 10:38
Hi Squid33,
Security setting in Nokia Belle can be found in 'Settings>Phone>Phone management>Security settings'
The thread topic refers to a known, identified and fixed issue in Nokia Belle where a device may ask for a code at startup and continue even if noe is set and/or the wrong code is entered. You will find several mentions of this in a number of threads on these boards.
Press the 'Accept As Solution' icon if I have solved your problem, click on the Star Icon below if my advice has helped you!
08-06-2012 5:44
23-11-2012 16:36
check here.
Disable by: Settings - Phone -Phone Management-Security Settings-Phone and SIM Card: click NONE from the choices of (Phone Autolock period). This will disable the LOCK from setting itself. Keep the code you originally created handy as you will need it should you ever decide to reactivate the lock system.
I found this information by searching for an hour, after reading numerous posts about Resetting, etc. Useless information since what we both wanted to do was turn the damn lock system off.
Hope you can use this info. BTW... does your main camera work? Mine does not, and the phone also fails in cold weather by shutting itself off. ugh


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The year 1885 was one of those years such as 1939, 1968 or, indeed, 2011, when events in the UK and beyond shaped history for decades to come. In 1885 the British Empire found itself under threat from its colonial competitors, and in what governing men vaingloriously called the 'Mother of all Parliaments', MPs were debating the Criminal Law Amendment Act (CLAA).
Its explanatory title was 'An Act to make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls, the suppression of brothels, and other purposes'. This made it sound worthy enough, but the 'other purposes' were more regressive; an amendment made 'gross indecency' (taken to mean homosexual behavior short of actual sodomy, which remained a separate crime) between two men illegal. The punishment was to be a prison sentence of less than a year, with or without hard labour.
This now relatively obscure Act of Parliament had far-reaching consequences. Not only did it effectively recriminalise homosexuality in the UK, but it ultimately took effect across the British Empire too. And although it was repealed in the UK between 1956-81 (and in the Republic of Ireland only 15 years ago), in 41 of the 54 members of what is now called the British Commonwealth, the CLAA remains the law.
'The shadow of the British Empire still hangs over many parts of the world in relation to homosexuality, it's part of the colonial legacy,' says Bob Cant, a Brighton-based writer who's researched the issue. 'This makes it particularly difficult for people in these Commonwealth countries to complain about homophobic violence. Earlier this year Kaleidoscope, an international lobbying group, was set up to explore ways of tackling such violence, especially in the Middle East and Africa.'
Some Commonwealth countries have repealed the CLAA at their own pace, but often very slowly. Only in 2009 did India – once the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire – remove it from its statute books, following a campaign that emphasised the problems the law generated for HIV prevention initiatives. There are also cultural ironies. 'Covert male homosexual activity and cross-dressing have been widely tolerated in some of the 41 countries,' explains Cant, 'but neither is ever regarded as being equally valid to heterosexual relations or marriage.'
Other former British colonies are notable for their progress in terms of LGBT rights. In Canada, for example, same-sex marriage was legislated for ?? years ago, while in South Africa – only two decades ruled by an 'Apartheid' government – politicians long ago grasped the political implications of LGBT inequality. Sexual equality was even written into its constitution, while it too has embraced same-sex marriage. The eloquent Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been particularly vocal, declaring that 'homophobia is every bit as unjust as Apartheid'.
Words: David Torrance
To read the full article, pick up the latest copy of GT out in all good retailers, online and downloadable on your iPhone or iPad.


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college football
Heisman Watch: Alabama's AJ McCarron Has Little More To Prove
If there is one quarterback in the country you might want leading your offense down field with the game on the line, it may be Alabama's AJ McCarron.
College Football Spotlight: Which BCS Buster Has Inside Track To The Bowl Championship Series?
Northern Illinois looks to become the second back-to-back BCS Buster in the history of the BCS, joining TCU. Fresno State, currently the top team in the BCS-busting Mountain West Conference, is looking to reach their first BCS bowl game. So, who has the best shot?
Heisman Watch: Get To Know That Other Quarterback In Oregon, Sean Mannion
The Pac 12 has a few quarterbacks being talked about when discussing the Heisman Trophy this season. While Oregon's Marcus Mariota may be considered the Heisman favorite at this point in the season, Oregon State's Sean Mannion has been doing more than enough to stay in the running, and may be the ultimate sleeper pick this season.
College Football Spotlight: Will Alabama, Florida State Reach The BCS Finish Line?
Will Alabama be the next and most significant victim of the SEC's internal battle royal? Can Florida State avoid a letdown and represent the ACC in the biggest game of the year? This is what makes college football so interesting.
Heisman Watch: FSU's Jameis Winston Not A Victim Of Freshman Mistakes
It takes a truly special year by a freshman to deserve the kind of Heisman respect that leads to an invite to New York. Fortunately for Florida State, freshman quarterback Jameis Winston is having just that kind of season so far.
College Football Spotlight: Clemson, FSU Ready To Showcase The ACC's Best
This weekend, college football will shift its attention to the ACC. Playing in the shadows of the SEC the last few years, the ACC will offer this week's game of the week when Clemson hosts Florida State.
Heisman Watch: Georgia's Aaron Murray Coming Through In The Clutch
One of the all-time best quarterbacks in the SEC is still busy rewriting the record books while keeping the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC and BCS title hunt.
Heisman Watch: Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater Looks For Big Day At Temple
Teddy Bridgewater may be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, but his best bet to become Louisville's first Heisman Trophy winner in school history will come from putting up huge numbers and seeing other candidates take a stumble.
Heisman Watch: Oregon's Marcus Mariota Flying To Head Of The Flock
Marcus Mariota has become one of the emerging top contenders for the Heisman Trophy. The hype is warranted, as NFL fans hoping for a new franchise quarterback are also checking out Mariota as a potential draft pick.
Heisman Watch: Clemson's Tajh Boyd Takes Center Stage Vs NC State
Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd passed for 270 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two more in a season-opening victory over Georgia, confirming Boyd as one of the top Heisman contenders this season.


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India Reverses Gear, Puts Arjun Tank Back in Production
India's indigenous Arjun tank project began in 1974, and originally aimed to replace the Russian T-54 and T-72 tanks which made up the bulk of that country's armored firepower. As has often been the case in India, its DRDO government weapons development agency sought an entirely made in India solution, even though this would require major advances on a number of fronts for Indian industry. As has often been the case in India, the result was a long and checkered history filled with development delays, performance issues, mid-project specifications changes by India's military, and the eventual purchase of both foreign substitutions within the project (now 58% of the tank's cost) and foreign competitors from outside it (the T-90S).
The 58.5 tonne Arjun tank wasn't fielded with the Indian Army until May 2009. In contrast, Pakistan's much more time-limited, scope-limited, and budget conscious approach in developing and successfully fielding its T-80UD "Al-Khalid" tank is often cited by Arjun's detractors.
The Russian T-90S will form the mainstay of India's future force, despite that tank's performance issues in hot weather. That won't change, but after beating the T-90 in a number of trials, the Arjun now has a clear future in India…
Arjun Cap, and T-90S Trade
The Arjun is an indigenous project, but not wholly so. Imported items such as the engine/ power pack, gunner's main sight, and other components account for 58% of each tank's cost. This is not uncommon around the world. Israel's Merkava tank family also relies on a foreign-built engine, for instance, as does France's Leclerc.
It is uncommon among Indian policy-makers, but the reality is that a series of project failures gave them little choice. The Arjun has been plagued with a mix of problems over its 36-year development history, including its fire control system, suspension issues, and poor mobility due to excessive weight. It has also grown from a 40-tonne tank with a 105mm gun, to a 62-67 tonne tank with a 120mm gun. Predictably, project costs spiraled up from Rs 15.5 crore in 1974 to Rs 306 crore (INR 3.06 trillion). The army was not pleased. In an unusual stance, they accepted the tank only after a third-party audit by an international tank manufacturer, and orders were strictly limited.
The Indian army didn't even stand up its 1st Arjun armored regiment until May 2009, 35 years after the program began. To underscore the point, even that milestone followed a development that seemed to end the platform's future. In July 2008, India had announced that production of the Arjun would be capped at the already-committed total of 124 vehicles. Instead, development would begin on a new next-generation tank, designed to survive and serve until 2040 or so.
That appeared to close the book on a failed project, but opinion in India was sharply split. Many observers cited this as the final failure. Other were noting the problems with the T-90s, and the Army's refusal to conduct side-by-side tests, alongside recent test successes that began earning the Arun some military fans. In May 2010 desert trials alongside the T-90S, the Arjun did surprisingly well.
In response, the government and the Army changed course somewhat. Arjun production would double to 248. That's an improvement, but DRDO insists that a 500 vehicle order is needed to give them the volume needed to iron out all production difficulties, and provide a platform for future development.
The Army's plan still calls for 1,657 T-90S "Bhishma" tanks at about 12 crore (INR 120 million, about $2.78 million) each if prices remain stable. About 1,000 of those are slated to be built in India by Avadi Heavy Industries, the same firm that builds the Arjuns. They will be joined by just 248 Arjuns at about 16.8 crore (INR 168 million, about $3.92 million) each, as well as 692 older T-72 tanks upgraded to the T-72M1 "Ajeya" standard. This overall plan changes the force structure proposed in 2006, from 3,780 tanks (1,302 T-90s and 2,480 T-72s) to 2,597 higher-end tanks.
Contracts & Key Events
2012 – 2013
Aug 10/12: What's in Mk2? An article for FORCE Magazine clarifies some of the Arkun Mk.2′s differences from the first version, with cooperation from India's Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE).
Improvements include the ability to fire the Israeli LAHAT missile from its 120mm rifled gun barrel, Explosive Reactive Armor for added defense, a mine plough attachment, and a shock-absorbing suspended driver's seat. Mechanical changes include a suspension upgraded to 70 tonne capacity, increased horn length (19 mm) on the German-built tracks to counter track-shedding, and slightly bigger wheels. Despite an overall weight increase from 62 tonnes to 67 tonnes, the original engine is being kept, but the gear reduction ratio has increased from 4.4 to 5.3. That will lower top speed, but reportedly keeps acceleration as good or better. Fuel efficiency is reportedly the same as the Mk.1.
The Indian Army also wants a wider range of ammunition types, which have been an issue with the Arjun. Unfortunately, DRDO's history here isn't reassuring. The article also mentions that the Mk.2 contract will involve just 116 tanks, bringing the entire ordered Arjun fleet to 240. The first Arjun Mk-2 tank is scheduled to enter operational service in 2016. With HVF Avadi looking at a production rate of 30 tanks a year, all 116 tanks will be delivered by 2020. Livefist.
2009 – 2010
Cap removed, Arjun Mk.2 production approved; Work on Future MBT begins.
Aug 10/10: Beyond Arjun. DRDO describes its Future Main Battle Tank program to India's Business Standard, who says:
"While costs are still being evaluated, the projections are mind-boggling. The development cost alone could be Rs 5,000 crore. Then, the replacement cost of the Indian Army's 4,000 tanks – at a conservative Rs 25 crore per FMBT – adds to Rs 1,00,000 [sic] crore."
That's about $1.085 billion for development, with a potential total of $21.7 billion for the program, assuming no major cost inflation or overruns. DRDO's chief and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, V K Saraswat says that unlike the FICV armored infantry carrier, DRDO will develop the FMBT just as it did Arjun. He projects about 7-8 years from the time the project is formally sanctioned, though DRDO has been very wrong before.
The Preliminary Specifications Qualitative Requirement (PSQR) calls for a light 50-tonne tank, Explosive Reactive Armor plates, full networking and situational awareness even with hatches closed, and the ability to protect crews from radiation on a nuclear-contaminated battlefield. Note that France's AMX-56 LeClerc tank, which already meets many of these requirements, is around 55 tonnes. DRDO is likely to find that weight is a serious risk and cost issue, as it did with Arjun.
Aug 9/10: Mk2. In a written Parliamentary reply to Shri BP Tarai and Shri Prabodh Panda, Defence Minister Shri AK Antony confirms that the Indian Army is placing an order for "124 Arjun Tanks Mark – II in addition to the equal number of Mark – I ordered earlier." The difference between the 2 versions is not yet clear, and neither is the price. Indian MoD.
May 17/10: Arjun Mk2 OKed. India decides that it will remove the production cap, and double production of the Arjun Mk I tank. So far, 75 of the 124 ordered Arjuns have been delivered, and the remaining 49 were to be delivered by mid-2010. Now, the production line will be extended:
"The Army has decided to place fresh order for an additional home-built 124 Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun… [after] the success of the indigenous MBT Arjun in the recent gruelling desert trials. The project for the design and development of the MBT Arjun was approved by the Government in 1974… After many years of trial and tribulation it has now proved its worth by its superb performance under various circumstances, such as driving cross-country over rugged sand dunes, detecting, observing and quickly engaging targets, accurately hitting targets – both stationary and moving, with pin pointed accuracy."
Even so, the mainstay of India's future tank fleet with remain the Russian T-90S. The government's DRDO agency still wants a minimum of 500 Arjuns ordered, to stabilize production lines until it can develop a Mark-II version. Indian government PIB release | India's Business Standard | Deccan Chronicle | domain-b | Hindustan Times | Times of India.
Arjun Mk.2 approved, production cap removed
May 13/10: Arjun-II. The Indian government gives its approval to restructure the DRDO. Among the continued programs, however, is development of an MBT Arjun Mk-II tank. Indian government release | Defense News.
March 25/10: Arjun aces trials. The Hindu Business Standard: "Arjun tank outruns, outguns Russian T-90." Excerpts:
"The importance of this comparative trial can be gauged from a list of those who attended… "The senior officers who attended the trials were taken aback by the Arjun's strong performance", an army officer who was present through the trials frankly stated… The army's Directorate General of Mechanised Forces (DGMF), which has bitterly opposed buying more Arjuns, will now find it difficult to sustain that opposition… The current order of 124 Arjuns is equipping the army's 140 Armoured Brigade in Jaisalmer. With that order almost completed, the Arjun production line at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) in Avadi, near Chennai, needs more orders urgently. The Rs 50 crore facility can churn out 50 Arjuns annually… The Arjun's sterling performance in the desert raises another far-reaching question: should the Arjun — with its proven mobility, firepower and armour protection — be restricted to a defensive role or should it equip the army's strike corps… Each strike corps has 8-9 tank regiments. If the army recommends the Arjun for a strike role, that would mean an additional order of about 500 Arjuns."
Note also the comparative chart, showing the Arjun compared to many international tanks.
Jan 16/10: Competitive trials. IANS reports that the Arjun main battle tank will get its long-requested trials beside the Russian built T-90S tanks, in desert trials at the at Mahajan Range in Rajasthan on March 1st.
"Our aim is not to determine a winner in these trials, but to test the core strength of the tanks," a senior official of the Indian Army said, wishing anonymity."
Despite that assurance, it's generally acknowledged that poor performance in these tests would have consequences for the Arjun platform.
2008 – 2009
Arjun production capped at 124; Arjun indicted.
June 4/09: Exports? An article in The Hindu Business Line by a former member of the state-run Factory Ordnance Board, states that the Arjun may be attracting some export interest:
"Miffed at the continued reluctance of the Army and armed with the credentials certified by independent audit, the DRDO is challenging the former to conduct comparative trials of T-90 and Arjun. The Army stalled such an exercise by first wanting at least 45 tanks in the regiment and then postponing the trials to October. The Army is also inserting tactical elements in the test directives… However, happily for HVF and the DRDO, it appears that a serious RFP (Request For Proposal) has been received from a Latin American country."
May 25/09: Induction. The Indian Army inducts its first Arjun Main Battle Tank armored regiment, adding 16 delivered tanks to bring the 43rd Armored Regiment up to its strength of 45. Lieutenant General D Bhardwaj, Director General Mechanized Forces (DGMF), accepts the new tanks during the induction ceremony. StratPost.
Arjun Mk.1 inducted
July 22/08: Industrial. ANI reports from India's Technology Seminar on 'Future Infantry Combat Vehicle and Future Main Battle Tank,' and the winds all appear to be blowing toward greater private sector involvement.
Current Defence Minister A K Antony noted that the new defense purchase policy envisages a greater role for the private sector in supplying much needed equipment to the country's armed forces, and added that the focus of the new rules and procedures in the defense procurement procedures 2008 (DPP 2008) is on ensuring speedier procurements. Also:
"…Chief of the Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, pointed out that while technology was critical for any nation's defence system, "what was also needed was the need to check any time and procedural delays." He said that while it was important to stress on indigenisation and collaborative approach, "we should not compromise on our operational capabilities."
…Lt. Gen. Dalip Bhardwaj, Director-General Mechanised Forces, said that the time was right for greater private sector involvement in supplying defence equipment. "However, the industry must keep in mind the defence sector's end needs and not just the technology." According to him what the industry needs to do is to develop products that have a longer shelf life."
July 21/08: Beyond Arjun. India and Russia may be gearing up to develop the T-90′s successor as a joint project. Rediff quotes Nikolai Malykh, director general of Russia's biggest tank producer Uralvagonzavod:
"We put forward this idea (of developing the tank) at the turn of the 21st century. The Indian side has now come up with a similar proposal… We will take the first step when our experts go to India to attend a conference on the future tank and prospects for the tank-building industry."
Moscow Defence Brief magazine claims that the new tank may have a new main gun of up to 152 mm caliber, higher speed, a smoother ride, improved networking, and an armor-protected crew compartment sealed from an unmanned turret equipped with an automatic loader. A new hunter-killer fire control system would include target acquisition in optical, thermal, infrared and radar spectrum that will be accessible both to the gunner and tank commander.
This is interesting on 2 levels. One item worth noting is their use of the BrahMos program as a model. If adopted, the successor program to the Arun tank is likely to have far less DRDO involvement and control. The second item is the feature set itself, which reflects Russian thinking. It's worth reminding oneself, however, no deal has been signed as of yet. Initial wish lists for features are just that, until a working model is fielded. Rediff report.
July 7/08: Capped. India decides to cap production of the Arjun tank at 124. Jane's | Times of India | Indian Business Standard (pro) | Hindustan Times | domain-B | Thaindian News | Thaindian News (re: sabotage) | Business Standard (April, pro) | Rediff (April, pro).
Production capped
Additional Readings
- Livefist (Aug 10/12) – India's Arjun Mk.2 Tank Revealed. Reproduces an article from FORCE magazine. The comments section takes some strong pokes at the article's logic, and the Indian Army's stated rationales.
- India's Business Standard (Aug 10/10) – DRDO to develop army's next-generation tank. Having finally ironed the bugs out of Arjun, DRDO wants to develop a whole new tank for Future MBT, rather than making incremental improvements on its product, and some of its wants run counter to global trends. Anyone else see another expensive disaster of under-delivery in the making?


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As I explained earlier this week, questions related to any impact of human-driven global warming on tornadoes, while important, have almost no bearing on the challenge of reducing human vulnerability to these killer storms. The focus on the ground in Oklahoma, of course, will for years to come be on recovery and rebuilding — hopefully with more attention across the region to developing policies and practices that cut losses the next time. (With this in mind, please read John Schwartz's great feature, "Why No Safe Room to Run To? Cost and Plains Culture.")
The vulnerability is almost entirely the result of fast-paced, cost-cutting development patterns in tornado hot zones, and even if there were a greenhouse-tornado connection, actions that constrain greenhouse-gas emissions, while wise in the long run, would not have a substantial influence on climate patterns for decades because of inertia in the climate system.
Some climate scientists see compelling arguments for accumulating heat and added water vapor fueling the kinds of turbulent storms that spawn tornadoes. But a half century of observations in the United States show no change in tornado frequency and a declining frequency of strong tornadoes. [Update | The meteorological conditions that shaped events in recent days are nicely explored by Henry Fountain of The Times.]
Does any of this mean global warming is not a serious problem? No.
It just means assertions that all weird bad weather is, in essence, our fault are not grounded in science and, as a result, end up empowering those whose prime interest appears to to be sustaining the fossil fuel era as long as possible. I was glad to see the green blog Grist acknowledge as much.
On Tuesday, I sent the following query to a range of climate scientists and other researchers focused on extreme weather and climate change:
The climate community did a great service to the country in 2006 in putting out a joint statement [from some leading researchers] on the enormous human vulnerability in coastal zones to hurricanes — setting aside questions about the role of greenhouse-driven warming in changing hurricane patterns….
In this 2011 post I proposed that climate/weather/tornado experts do a similar statement for Tornado Alley.
I'd love to see a similar statement now from meteorologists, climatologists and other specialists studying trends in tornado zones. Any takers?
Before you dive in to the resulting discussion, it's worth reading Andrew Freedman's helpful Climate Central piece, "Making Sense of the Moore Tornado in a Climate Context," and a Daily Beast post by Josh Dzieza. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has posted a helpful new fact sheet, "Tornadoes, Climate Variability, and Climate Change." [Update| Robert Kunzig of National Geographic has written an excellent overview of tornadoes and greenhouse warming. The blogging meteorologist Jeff Masters has posted a thorough exploration of climate change and tornadoes.]
Read on for the conversation on tornadoes and global warming, with some e-mail shorthand fixed. Read more…