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Posts Tagged Ashe Magnolia
Flower Power
Posted by piedmontgardener in Favorite Plants, piedmont gardening on May 17, 2014
Twenty years spent packing as many wonderful plants as possible into five acres is starting to pay off big time, especially during spring blooming season. I truly cannot keep up. The plant above grows in my front garden, and those pops of purple against chartreuse leaves are too eye-arresting to miss. But other plants sited in more out-of-the-way corners of our yard sometimes manage to finish blooming before I notice. My umbrella magnolia did that to me this year.
A recent heat wave required me to pay careful attention to the lovely bearded irises in my yard.
The black walnut trees are some of the last native trees to leaf out in spring. Their dangling flowers are usually still clinging to the branches as the leaves emerge.
The terrifying enthusiasm of blooming poison ivy in my yard this year leaves me itchy just thinking about it.
Already here when we moved in 25 years ago, the Rhododendron catawbiense exploded in blooms this spring. All parts of this shrub are poisonous, and it's kind of tricky to grow here, but the specimen we have is thriving.
I can't close without mentioning the deciduous magnolias. The Ashe Magnolia is blooming prolifically. I expect the Bigleaf Magnolia to follow suit in a week or so.
Of course, there's more, but I have to give you a reason to come back, right?
Posted by piedmontgardener in Favorite Plants, Native Wildlife, piedmont gardening, Uncategorized, Vegetable Gardening on August 24, 2013
Signs multiply daily. Reddening leaves:
Fruits swelling.
I first heard about it from the flock of American Robins that blew in about three weeks ago. As they stripped purple Pokeweed berries from magenta stems and gobbled elderberries, branches bent from their weight, they muttered among themselves: "Autumn's on its way."
Raucous cries of Pileated Woodpeckers echo through the forest as they argue with greedy robins and complain about magnolia cones ripening too slowly. A few mornings ago just after sunrise, three of these crow-sized woodpeckers called and flew in circles over my head for a minute or so. Two were chasing a third, making it clear that the interloper was not welcome.
And today, as Wonder Spouse and I walked beside the creek, we startled Wild Turkeys on the other side. They squawked once, then ran silently to the blackberry thicket, where they disappeared amid its prickly greenness.
We were down by the creek so that Wonder Spouse could photograph this beauty for me:
Our wonderfully wet, mild summer made our two Franklin Trees very happy. Both grew several feet higher, and the mature specimen produced more flower buds than I have ever seen before. Spent snowy blossoms littered the ground beneath it, still faintly emitting their gentle rose-like scent. I held down the branch, so that Wonder Spouse could take the shot. You can see its close kinship to camellias by the form of its breath-taking bloom. The leaves of our smaller tree are already sporting garnet hues. But the flower-producing tree remains green-leaved.
Every time I think the record numbers of swallowtail butterflies are waning, another wave of fresh-winged beauties descends on every bloom in the yard. The Chinese Abelia still plays host to dozens, even though its sweet white flower clusters are beginning to diminish, but that's OK, because the Seven-Son Flower Tree is in full, fragrant bloom, attracting every pollinator in the neighborhood, from butterflies to bumblebees, mason bees, and hawk moths. I cannot use my front walk without getting bumped into by a floating winged beauty.
The abundance of butterflies has been a bonanza for predators as well. Myriad dragonflies pick off the lazy flutterers in mid-air, scattering severed wings of gold and black along the walk.
And the most certain early sign of autumn abounds: spider webs. As fast as I knock one down walking anywhere in my yard, the industrious weavers rebuild. A particularly clever female Writing Spider has declared her domain over the water feature in our front garden. The abundant blooming spires of Cardinal Flowers are irresistible to butterflies, and this fattening weaver is taking full advantage of that fact, even bending the top of one spire to anchor her web.
Yesterday, I saw her trap and devour at least two large butterflies. Today, she seems to have doubled in size.
Perhaps in response to her rapid growth, today a male Writing Spider has built a modest web adjacent to this queen, even using a corner of her web as an anchor. Much smaller than the female he lusts for, he will wait for just the right moment to woo her. It won't be long, I predict. Usually the females deposit their egg sacs in thick, winter-proof webs well before the leaves begin to fall in earnest.
Cricket songs now rule nights and mornings, replacing the steady thrum of summer cicadas. Occasional cold fronts rush in behind lines of thunderstorms, freshening our air for a day or two before summer reasserts itself, cloaked in humidity.
Autumn will dominate soon enough, that we know for sure. For now, we can revel in the transitions, as plants and animals shift from growth to fruit to sleep.
It's a transitional time of year for many people too. Schools start, and birthdays occur in bunches, as those born under the sign of Virgo celebrate another dance around the sun. I send best birthday wishes to all my Virgo kin and friends, and most especially to my favorite nephew, AJR, who celebrates what many consider a milestone moment tomorrow. Happy Birthday, sir. May your journey lead you everywhere you want to go.
Magnolia Mania
Posted by piedmontgardener in Favorite Plants, piedmont gardening on June 6, 2013
I am a self-confessed obsessive gardener, meaning that I remain perpetually transfixed by the infinite beauty and variety of the botanical world. But beyond my general obsession, certain species of plants are special objects of my devotion. One plant family in that category: Magnolia.
Seriously, what's not to adore? The trees are statuesque in their own right, and their flowers — oh, my goodness, the flowers. Plus, if you have room in your yard, as I do on my five-acre patch of Piedmont, you can plant an array of magnolias that will bloom from late winter right through early summer. Magnolia mania indeed!
In my yard, the show starts with Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star.' The sweetly fragrant, strappy, white-petaled flowers on this specimen cover my 25-foot-tall tree in hundreds of blossoms. This one is a gamble in my climate, because of the hazard of late freezes. Most years, my Royal Star blooms are glowing in the barren late-winter landscape until a hard freeze turns them a sad brown. Sometimes, closed buds (so fuzzy I sometimes pet them as I would a feline friend) survive the chill to produce more white flowers amid the browned early victims. This year, however, was different. Somehow this year we had below-normal temperatures without sudden plunges into the deep freeze. My Royal Star Magnolia bloomed unblemished for six weeks — a record.
While Royal Star was still blooming, Magnolia acuminata 'Butterflies' opened its canary-yellow blossoms. My specimen tree is now at least 25 feet tall, maybe 30. This year, a warm spell caused the flowers almost simultaneously to open from the top of the tree to the bottom. The effect was staggeringly exquisite, not to mention almost overpoweringly fragrant, but short-lived. The flowers of Butterflies need a bit of chill in the air to keep them happy. Sudden warmth caused the petals to brown and fall a mere two days after the flowers had opened.
A week after Butterflies had come and gone, Magnolia acuminata 'Elizabeth' copied Butterflies' performance. Two days of top-to-bottom pale yellow, sweet flowers (on a 50-foot tree) were followed by brown petals carpeting the ground beneath it. But those two days of peak bloom were spectacular. My long-time arborist happened to stop by that day for a tour of the yard. He and his companion pulled five feet in the driveway and stopped cold, their mouths agape, as they absorbed Elizabeth's magnificence. They stayed there so long, I walked down to meet them, breaking their enthrallment with this captivating specimen.
You'll find photos of the above beauties at the links provided. M. stellata is not native to North America, but M. acuminata is. Horticulturalists have long recognized the potential of M. acuminata, resulting in zillions of lovely cultivars. They are the mere beginning of the procession of magnolia loveliness in my yard.
I confessed a fondness (okay, obsession is probably a better word) with the native big-leaved magnolias when I told you about the single flower on our Bigleaf Magnolia last year here. But I grow three other native big-leaved species, and one of those bloomed for the first time this year.
Magnolia fraseri (Fraser Magnolia) occurs naturally in the mountains of North Carolina, its range extending a smidge into South Carolina, and further into states adjacent to NC to the north. In the wild, it can grow to 60 feet. I sited my specimen on the north side of my yard inside the deer fence beneath the shade of towering loblolly pines about 75 years old. My goal was to keep the tree cool during our hot summers. The tree put on quite a growth spurt last year, shooting up several feet. This spring, it produced seven flowers at the ends of its upper branches over the space of about three weeks. The flowers were sweetly fragrant, but they were too high up for me to photograph well. Here's a long-range shot that at least gives you a side view:
Wonder Spouse broke out his big ladder to take some photos from above the flower, but I don't think he ever sent me the results. I can at least show you the artist at work, about 8 feet off the ground:
That's the top of a gate in our deer fencing at the bottom left. The deer fence is 8 feet tall.
About the time the Fraser Magnolia was blooming, I realized I had neglected to check on our specimen of the only big-leaved magnolia native to the eastern Piedmont: Magnolia tripetala, or Umbrella Magnolia. I rescued this tree from a friend's family farm just before they sold it. I sited it right next to our creek on a high bank, where it gets plenty of moisture and protection from summer heat by a tall canopy of mature sycamores, birches, tulip poplars, sweet gums, red maples, etc. About fifteen years ago, it was eaten by beavers, but the base re-sprouted, and now the tree is about 25 feet. We surrounded the base with chicken wire to prevent damage from future beaver incursions (if you have water, they will always find you, eventually).
Umbrella Magnolia is so-called, because the large leaves are arranged in a circular fan-like display that absolutely looks like a leafy umbrella. And those giant leaves do a fine job of keeping one dry during light showers. As I feared, I had missed much of the flower display, but a few blossoms were just fading from white to parchment yellow. As with the Fraser Magnolia, the flowers were quite high up, so my photograph is from a fair distance away:
As the Fraser and Umbrella Magnolias were finishing their blooming cycles, my Ashe Magnolia began its show. This big-leaved beauty astonishes me every year. Last year, a late freeze killed the entire top of the tree. It was just putting out its tender first growth of the season, and the cold brutalized it. I shouldn't have worried, though. This resilient smaller member of the big-leaved clan simply sprouted from its base. Magnolia ashei is known for its shrubbier form, and mine is true to that description. It's also known for its prolific bloom production, which starts when the tree is quite young. Here's a shot far enough back to give you an idea of the form of my shrubby, lop-sided Ashe Magnolia:
If you have a more typical Piedmont yard, most of the big-leaved Magnolia clan might be too large for the scale of your landscape. But if you have a moist, shady spot and you're willing to trade a floppy form for spectacular flowers and leaves, Ashe Magnolia is probably your best bet.
If you go to the link I provided for this species, you'll see better photos of the flowers, but here's one I took of this year's final flower:
The flowers of Umbrella Magnolia are supposed to smell a bit odd to many noses. Mine are so high up that I've never noticed much fragrance. However, the Ashe, Fraser, and Bigleaf Magnolias all produce potently sweet perfumes, not unlike the more familiar fragrance of the better-known Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, pictured at the top of this post. My Southern Magnolia is only just beginning her bloom period. She'll likely perfume my front garden through early July.
I can't close this lengthy post without showing you what the Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) produced for us this year — a least a dozen, maybe more, flowers! It's gotten so tall that it's hard to see what's going on up there.
Wonder Spouse was so excited that he got back on the big ladder to document the occasion:
Aerial shots really are best for showing off the flowers:
Here's a closer view:
That's his quarter in there again for scale. Here's what the flower buds look like before they open:
And because a wind gust had pulled off a leaf, Wonder Spouse used his quarter to give you a sense of the size of individual leaves of Bigleaf Magnolia:
This post grows lengthy, so I'll stop for now. But I should admit for the record that I can think of at least three more magnolia specimens in my yard that I haven't told you about yet — one more native, and two choice Asian cultivars that still haven't bloomed for me yet. More magnolia mania to look forward to!
Magnolia to the Max: Bigleaf Magnolia
Posted by piedmontgardener in Favorite Plants, piedmont gardening on May 20, 2012
I have confessed my fascination with the big-leaved native magnolias several times in this blog. The biggest of all these related species is Magnolia macrophylla, or Bigleaf Magnolia. This tree produces the largest flowers and leaves of all native North American species (except for tropical palms). Flowers are typically eight to fourteen inches across, and leaves can be up to one foot wide and three feet long. You truly have to see one of these trees to fully appreciate its spectacular qualities.
That's Wonder Spouse in the photo above. I took it this morning as he kindly took some aerial views of the one flower our Bigleaf Magnolia produced this year. I've been watching the bud for a little over a week. Today it peaked, and because these flowers don't last long, we headed out just after sunrise, so that Wonder Spouse could document the Bigleaf bloom.
This tree occurs naturally in bottomland forests and rich wooded slopes. Ours is growing on our north-facing slope under a nearly closed canopy of tall pines, a tulip poplar, water oak, and a massive sweetgum. We planted our tree about fifteen years ago, but it didn't really start shooting skyward until we removed its protective wire cage after installing deer fencing on that side of the yard.
Last year, this tree also produced one flower, but it was higher up, completely beyond the reach of even Wonder Spouse's ladder. This year's bloom on a lower branch seemed ideally suited for photographic documentation. What follows is a series of shots I took as the bud progressed. The series concludes with the photos taken by Wonder Spouse atop his ladder.
May 10: I realize my Bigleaf Magnolia is sporting a fat flower bud, and from a position slightly higher up the hill, I attempt a photo:
The bud takes longer than I expect to progress, but finally on May 16, I decide it looks larger and take another photo:
The next day, I realize blooming action is initiating:
The flower opens more fully the following day:
The weather cooled briefly, and the flower seemed to be content to remain only partially open until today. Here's a shot taken by Wonder Spouse using an angle similar to my shots — before he climbed the ladder:
Here's an aerial shot. Note the penny on the lower petal that Wonder Spouse added to provide a sense of scale:
The flowers of this Bigleaf Magnolia display much less purple staining around the base of the petals than does its close cousin, Ashe Magnolia (M. asheii). For comparison, see the photo I took last year in this entry. It's the last photo in the entry.
Here's a close-up of the center of the flower, courtesy of Wonder Spouse on his trusty ladder:
All the magnolia flowers I've observed drop their numerous stamens onto the petals in piles, as you see in the photo. As is true for the other native magnolias, the fruits on the central "cone" will turn red, and will likely be devoured by birds before ever falling to the ground.
This magnolia is best suited to larger landscapes, where the size of its leaves and flowers won't be too overpowering. Its enormous leaves can be shredded by strong winds, so it's best planted in a sheltered spot. And the richer — and moister — the soil, the happier it will be.
I think this tree is worth catering to its prima donna tendencies for the gasps of admiration it always garners from visitors, and for the sheer coolness of being able to say I grow the tree species with the largest deciduous leaves in North America.
I am, after all, a self-confessed obsessive gardener. :)
Beauty and the Beasts
Posted by piedmontgardener in Favorite Plants, Native Wildlife, piedmont gardening on May 3, 2011
A few days ago when the first Periodical Cicadas Brood XIX made their appearance in my back yard, I was intrigued. They were a novelty, something to photograph that you don't see every day. However, yesterday morning when I stepped onto my back deck, I was greeted by hundreds of freshly emerged cicadas. They covered the deck rails, the flooring, and even the walls of my house, thusly:
Yesterday afternoon when I realized that my Ashe Magnolia (Magnolia ashei) was beginning to open its numerous flower buds, I went to get a few photos, only to discover that the cicadas liked my Ashe Magnolia as much as I do. Here's the lovely tree — about 15 feet tall — from a distance yesterday afternoon:
It was littered with larval shell carcasses, like this:
Still, I wasn't too creeped out. The leaves of this tree are enormous; I figured they could handle supporting these newly emerged creatures until they were ready to fly higher and begin their eerie thrumming calls.
Quite a few newly emerged cicadas were on the back deck again this morning. But as I watched a fat Gray Squirrel devouring one with gusto, I thought, "Maybe this isn't so bad; maybe the wildlife will keep this emergence under control."
From my window, I noticed that the Ashe Magnolia flowers were more open this morning, so I ran out to take a few shots … insert horror movie soundtrack here:
They're not eating the flowers or the leaves, but they are marring the regal beauty of the flowers. For comparison, I looked at another nearby deciduous magnolia — Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) growing about 60 feet from the Ashe Magnolia. My Bigleaf Magnolia didn't bloom this year, but its leaves are even larger than those of the Ashe Magnolia.
Can it be that the sweet perfume of these flowers is attracting all these red-eyed monsters? I have no idea, but I do know it creeped me out to see my lovely tree overtaken by these invaders.
Here's a shot that gives you a sense of the size of the leaves and flowers of Ashe Magnolia:
And now that I have grossed you out, let me tell you briefly why I love this native Magnolia. Many botanists consider Ashe Magnolia to be a subspecies of Bigleaf Magnolia; instead of calling it Magnolia ashei, they call it M. macrophylla, var. ashei. I imagine only a DNA analysis of the two will settle the debate, and I don't really care.
I can tell you that Ashe Magnolia's leaves and flowers do very much resemble those of Bigleaf Magnolia. However, Bigleaf Magnolias can grow to great heights, and they tend to be unenthusiastic about blooming until they are quite tall.
Ashe Magnolia, on the other hand, blooms when it is small; mine first bloomed when it was only four feet high. Its growth habit is usually described as shrubby, and it does produce a number of side branches that make it resemble a shrub, sort of. It is supposed to top out at about 20 feet, but I have a feeling mine may grow higher than that. Now that mine is 15 feet tall, it is blooming spectacularly. Instead of single flowers, many branches sport two-bud or three-bud flower clusters. It's a Magnolia flower bonanza, and each flower is at least six inches across, usually more!
I would be remiss if I didn't attempt to describe the fragrance. It is sweet, but not as cloying as M. grandiflora. I much prefer the scent of Ashe Magnolia. Its flowers are not as many-petaled as M. grandiflora, but it is still unmistakably a classic Magnolia family flower.
Here's a final close-up of an open flower — no cicadas in sight — so that you can appreciate why I love this deciduous Magnolia so much:
Spring brings life … and death
Posted by piedmontgardener in Native Wildlife, piedmont gardening on April 18, 2011
Yesterday as Wonder Spouse and I were wandering around the yard picking up sticks, I stumbled upon the above. It was nestled in some dead Bamboo Stiltgrass next to the creek. I think it was a baby deer from last season. I know that does hide their newborns and fawns in tall grass while they forage, and I worried that some disaster had befallen this one's mother so that she never returned, leaving this little one to starve to death.
But Wonder Spouse, who has much more experience with skeletons that I do, took one look and pronounced it a stillborn, basing his conclusion on the small size of the skeleton. As I took pictures of it this morning before I buried it, I realized that I can't see any front leg bones. The skeleton is remarkably undisturbed; the back legs and even the tail bones are quite evident. Unless I'm just not seeing those front legs, perhaps Wonder Spouse is right and this was a stillborn, one with a mutation too severe to survive.
As much as deer damage to my plants makes me crazy, you'd think I'd rejoice in the knowledge that at least one didn't mature to dine on my daylilies. But there's something about young ones; death of such innocents, regardless of species, always hurts my heart.
My heart was already aching from the disaster that befell my state this past Saturday. North Carolina often gets strong spring storms that occasionally spawn tornadoes. But it is very rare for us to be subjected to multiple, long-track supercell-spawned tornadoes — hundreds of them, some miles wide, many traveling for dozens and dozens of miles.
As is usually the case with tornadoes in North Carolina, most of them tormented our Coastal Plain region. The Piedmont was mostly spared. Raleigh, which was hit hard, is right along the fall line — the line that marks the transition between Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
In my barely Piedmont home about 45 miles west of Raleigh, I knew the storms were bad as they boiled the sky above us on their way east. The birds disappeared; wildlife was utterly silent. All of us held our breaths as the barometer fell, the winds tossed trees, and blinding precipitation fell. The winds and unsettled skies persisted for several hours. The birds didn't re-emerge until the sun showed its face again.
But I barely noticed. I couldn't stop watching the television coverage of what was happening just to my east — homes and businesses erased, lives lost — leaving me to pray for those suffering, and for a tranquil transition from spring to summer for all of us from this point forward.
In light of this demonstration of spring's destructive power, I thought it best to conclude with a reminder of spring's promise of new life. Here's a growing bud from my Ashe Magnolia (Magnolia ashei). When it opens in a few days, I'll show you what a spectacular specimen of springtime it can be.


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October 2, 2007
Albany -- Copper thieves struck an Albany apartment complex again Monday night and stole five more air conditioning units.
This brings to eight the number of AC's stolen from Westview Apartments on West Gordon Avenue in the last two weeks.
Apartment managers say the thieves are stealing the copper from the units during the day, while most tenants are at work, now they are going to put more protection around the units.
"We are in the process of getting security cameras for our properties out there, and strapping down our units, and doing the best that we can out there," said Property Office Manager Tena Hernandez Alexander.
It will cost the apartment managers about six thousand dollars to replace the air conditioner units.
Apartment managers are asking their tenants to call Police when they see suspicious activity around the apartments, reminding them that they could have to go up on the rent if the losses continue.
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Wolves boss meets media
Wolverhampton Wanderers new boss Kenny Jackett has been meeting the media for the first time. He is on a 12 month rolling contract and will be the club's head coach, rather than manager.
However, he will still have the final say on which players are signed. He told ITV Central's Sports Correspondent Steve Clamp he expects to sell players when the transfer window opens. Jackett says he wants to recruit players who are "fit for purpose"


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The event, is produced in conjunction with the United States Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and Missouri Farmers Care.
It will consist of panel discussions on Animal Welfare: Beyond the Hype, which will target livestock handling and issues that have arisen in recent years and High-tech or Low-tech: Can't We All Just Get Along, which will focus on the need for conventional and organic agriculture to work together to meet consumer demands.
The panel event will be moderated by Tom Bradley, the host of Wake Up Columbia on 93.9 The Eagle. The event will live-stream at www.mofarmerscare.com.
September 19, 1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CT - Registration
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. CT - Animal Welfare: Beyond the Hype
3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. CT - High-tech or Low-tech: Can't We All Just Get Along
Animal Welfare Panel
Mark Mahnken, Grass-fed Cattle Farmer and Owner, Missouri Legacy Beef
Chris Heins, Dairy Farmer, Heins Dairy
Alan Wessler, DVM, Vice President, Feed Operations and Animal Health of MFA Incorporated
Chris Chinn, Hog Farmer and USFRA Faces of Farming and Ranching Winner
Don Spiers, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Physiology and sponsor of the University of Missouri Animal Welfare Club, University of Missouri
Travis Tucker, Owner, Bleu Restaurant
Hi-tech or Low-tech Panel
Blake Hurst, Farmer and President of Missouri Farm Bureau
Jim Thomas, Vegetable Farmer and Chairman, and Past President, Missouri Organic Association
Fanson Kidwaro, Ph.D., Department Chair of Agriculture, University of Central Missouri
Dan Shaul, State Director, Missouri Grocer's Association
Kevin Wells, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genetics, University of Missouri.
Jennifer Polniak, MS, RD, LD, CDE, Clinical Dietitian and Diabetes Educator at Boone Hospital Center


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Posted on Jewelry Box Inserts
#1 posted 949 days ago
No problem poopiekat, glad it helps!
Now if someone could share a high-quality affordable option for necklace hangers/hooks I'd be much appreciative! The Brusso necklace pegs are like $5 a pop and not a great option when your "client" wants a lot of hooks!
-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.


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A grass and flower carpet has been installed on Fountain Square.
The installation will beautify downtown Cincinnati throughout the month of April, welcoming the community daily and Reds fans before every home game.
Scotts, the official lawn care company of the Reds, installed the carpet, and is planning several activities including bagpipers, prizes and a chance to win a $25,000 backyard makeover.
A 16-member crew from Cincinnati Parks spent about nine hours installing the carpet. It's 4,200 square feet and features over 10,000 pansies in seven different colors.
A dedication ceremony was held Wednesday at noon.
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With this collection of wise, querying stories, Giller Prize winner Johanna Skibsrud introduces us to an astonishing array of characters, showing us through their eyes what even they cannot see and uncorking minor epiphanies in the middle of the most unremarkable days. This Will Be Difficult to Explain takes readers from South Dakota to Paris to Japan, into art galleries, foreign apartments, farms and beach hotels, and shows us the liberating bewilderment of characters who come face-to-face with what they didn't know they didn't know. Youth confronted with the mutterings of old age, restlessness bounded by the muddy confines of a back-yard garden, the callow hope coming up against the exigencies of everyday life — these are life-defining moments that weave through everyday lives of Skibsrud's characters.
A father yearns to bridge the few inches that divide him from his daughter sitting on the seat beside him as they travel by car; another man is so animated by the reckless desire for freedom that he wishes that he could be out on the road with his dog, running beside his truck rather than sitting passively in it. It is these often conflicting, sometimes overlapping desires — for intimacy and for radical freedom – that come to life in the lyrical, probing language that gives This Will Be Difficult to Explain its shape. Insightful and masterfully crafted, these stories bear the mark of one of Canada's most remarkable voices, and linger in the mind long after the final page has been turned.
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"Her prose is as taut as Alice Munro's, her plots as spare as Mavis Gallant's. Her characters have startlingly vivid inner lives…Skibsrud's new book is just as assured, and it has the same emotional punch."
—Toronto Life
"The collection reminded me of Mavis Gallant's Home Truths, with its stories of expats, continent-hopping themes, and also the ability of the narrative to telescope in and out of time…full of deft reveals and fitted with fantastic endings… Clearly Johanna Skibsrud is as at home in the short story form … and my expectations have been more than met. I'm more intrigued by this author than ever before, and convinced that Ali Smith was onto something after all."
Johanna Skibsrud is the author of two collections of poetry. The Sentimentalists, her first novel, was awarded the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's most prestigious literary award. Originally from Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Skibsrud currently lives in Tuscon, Arizona.


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"She bathed my ankle, and said 'My dear,' and waited on me, when she'd never set eyes on me in her life before. How did she know but that I was an—an impostor? And she let us have her dear little house to live in—"
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piedmont, in geology, landform created at the foot of a mountain (Italian: ai piede della montagne) or mountains by debris deposited by shifting streams. Such an alluvial region in a humid climate is known as a piedmont for the Piedmont district of Italy; in arid climates such a feature is called a bajada.
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**This is the second post in a new series taken from my MMA blog. Similar to my series on the UFC, I will recapping and ranking all things PRIDE beginning with their first event. Be sure to check Fight Rankings for more in this series, which includes cumulative fight and fighter rankings for the early UFC and PRIDE events.**
Five months removed from the first PRIDE event, KRS is back with the second ever event for the new MMA promotion. The very first event was a mishmash of UFC fighters, members of the Gracie family, kickboxers, and Japanese professional wrestlers in what was a very unusual and somewhat entertaining spectacle.
Unsurprisingly, PRIDE 2 will feature a mishmash of UFC fighters, members of the Gracie family, kickboxers, and Japanese professional wrestlers. Gary Goodridge, Renzo Gracie, Akira Shoji, and Branko Cikatic all return from the promotion's inaugural event, while we'll also see the debut of UFC fighters Mark Kerr and Kazushi Sakuraba. Renzo Gracie's cousin Royler, another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu great, will also make his PRIDE debut on this event.
Looking at the card, I get the feeling that PRIDE 2 isn't going to be much different from PRIDE 1, as KRS is following the same formula from their first event five months ago. The most notable difference is that I won't have to sit through a fight between Dan Severn and Kimo, but there's always a chance that some other fight could take its place as the worst in PRIDE history. I'm not saying it's likely, I'm just saying there's a chance. Let's cross our fingers that we won't see anything like that on PRIDE 2.
PRIDE 2 - March 15, 1998
Previous Editions
PRIDE 2 is taking place in the Yokohama Arena, the same arena that housed the UFC's last event. We're joined again by "Fight Professor" Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten. I feel very close to Bas and Quadros after we three sat through the torture of Severn vs. Kimo from PRIDE 1. It's almost like we're all best friends. Bas even gave me cable provider advice on Twitter recently, so we're pretty tight. You can't get closer to a person than by watching shitty fights and exchanging 140 character notes about how I can get HDNet.
We get right into the action as Royler Gracie fights Yuhi Sano in an openweight contest. At 202 pounds, Sano is more than 50 pounds heavier than his opponent in this contest. Sano is also a professional wrestler for the Kingdom promotion, which likely means he's at a serious disadvantage against a grappling great like Gracie. He'll need every bit of that 52 pound weight advantage in this fight.
Gracie opens the fight by touching gloves with his opponent. Sano stands flat-footed with his hands at his waist while Gracie stands straight in front of him shuffling his feet. Neither fighter looks at all inclined to strike and this fight has just begun. Sano looks more than one inch taller than Gracie. Sano's weight advantage is great and he appears to be the much stronger fighter, but will he be able to put that advantage to good use?
Sano and Gracie clinch and Gracie makes a very lazy attempt to pull Sano into his guard. Gracie slowly sits down on the mat and tries to drag Sano to the mat. Despite his weight advantage, Sano is unable to free himself from Gracie's grasp before the Brazilian uses a nice sweep to move into Sano's guard. Gracie easily moves into full mount with little resistance from Sano, who's now just trying to hold Gracie close to avoid any offense.
Sano tries to use his strength to buck Gracie off, but he merely forces Gracie back into side control. Sano might have a weight advantage, but he has little clue what technique he should utilize to maximize this advantage. Gracie moves back into the full mount and he holds onto his opponent reverses positions and Sano ends up on top. Gracie almost immediately locks in a triangle, but Sano picks Gracie up and lightly drops him to the mat to escape the hold. After a brief struggle, both fighters are back on their feet.
Sano and Gracie clinch again and we see Royler try to pull Sano into guard again. We've yet to see a single strike thrown in this fight, meaning that Sano is probably equally uncomfortable on his feet as Royler Gracie. Gracie tries to move into the butterfly guard and sweep Sano again, but Sano is too big and strong for Royler. Sano is oddly clinching with Royler while on his knees, showing he has little clue how to grapple.
So wait...Yuhi Sano doesn't know how to strike and he doesn't know how to grapple. He has spent the duration of this fight following Gracie around and doing the least amount possible to stay active. I'm really confused why Sano is even participating given what we've seen out of him thus far. Knowing that he's supposed to be fighting, we've seen nothing from Sano but some incompetent idleness.
Quadros wonders what Sano's gameplan might be and suspects that Sano is a grappler based on the lack of strikes. If Sano really is a grappler, then why does he look so clueless while grappling? The only reason he's still in this fight is because he ways 33% more than Royler Gracie. From the butterfly, Gracie pulls off another sweep and is in side control once again. Gracie comfortably rests in this position with little resistance before moving back to full mount.
The Fight Professor notes how quiet the crowd is, prompting Bas to sing some of Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" as only El Guapo can do. I make a note of this not only because it's funny, but because there is nothing happening in this fight. Gracie in mount, Sano being mounted, crowd sitting quietly. Bas sings a little more Simon and Garfunkel and I wish he would continue to do so all fight. This has been pretty uninteresting thus far.
It looks like Royler might be trying for an arm triangle but he doesn't get close to ending the fight. Sano's defense is just to hold Gracie down and keep the BJJ practitioner from finishing the fight, though something tells me Gracie could finish this fight easily if he were a little more motivated to do so.
Quadros uses this as an opportunity to ask Bas if this fight is boring. Bas responds with "Right now, it is. Yes, it is. Ask me something else." At the fifteen minute mark, Bas and Quadros start betting upon the outcome of the fight. Quadros offers to bet Bas one million dollars that the fight won't end in a knockout. Both announcers reveal that they, in fact, don't have one million dollars to bet.
Sano works to sweep Gracie but is unsuccessful. He at least gets Gracie to move back into side control, but he quickly gets back to mount where he's spent a significant portion of the fight. Gracie is starting to throw some very weak punches that don't do any damage and Sano answers back with weak punches of his own. Bas Rutten starts speaking in a Hispanic voice in what seems to be a Tony Montana impression. It's a really bad sign that Bas is punchy just twenty minutes into this event. I wondered previously if any fight can match Severn vs. Kimo and in the first fight of the evening, we have an early contender.
Bas jokes that fatigue is kicking in at this point in such a "high energy" fight. Quadros says that MMA needs to take some lessons from boxing and professional wrestling to become more entertaining. He says that fighters should be mindful that fans are paying to be entertained and that fighters need to oblige the fans. Bas says that he makes a point of being active in his fights and suspects that he has so many fans because of that. He neglects to mention that he's also awesome, but maybe that's just because he's humble. But can somebody nicknamed "El Guapo" be humble? Fuck, I don't know. This fight is giving me a headache.
Gracie has been in full mount doing absolutely nothing for about fifteen minutes. Out of nowhere, Sano sweeps Gracie and moves into the butterfly guard. Unsurprisingly, Sano doesn't do a thing with the position. He doesn't strike, he doesn't try to advance position, he doesn't try to submit Gracie. Not only is Sano in the butterfly guard, but he's leaning over with his head between Gracie's legs. Sano is eating some punches to the face and is doing nothing about it. Why is this man even fighting? How is Yuhi Sano even a successful pro wrestler? He has to be the most boring and useless athlete I've ever seen in my life, this is miserable!
As Sano backs away, Gracie lands some really nice upkicks. Gracie is now turning up the heat and is throwing some really big strikes. Royler has to be keenly aware that Sano is doing absolutely nothing to stay competitive and he's really doing some damage to Sano, whose nose appears to be bloodied. Gracie is in control of this fight, even while laying on his back. He's facing the most passive, timid, awful opponent in MMA history, so how is it that this fight has gone 30 minutes without a finish?
Sano's face is covered in blood and Gracie continues to throw kicks while laying on his back. Bas wonders out loud what Sano's gameplan was for this fight, while Quadros says Sano can get a job at Everlast as a heavy bag. Quadros and Bas correct that and say the 200 pounds Sano should just be a light heavyweight bag. Sano is leaning forward with his face squeezed between Gracie's knees, prompting Quadros and Bas to recall the Kids in the Hall head crushing skit. This fight has devolved into some kind of strange fever dream where Stephen Quadros is doing a Mark McKinney impression.
Gracie adjusts positions and lands some additional upkicks to Sano, who inexplicably kneels in front of Gracie which does nothing but allows Sano to be abused. Sano slowly moves into guard and Gracie quickly reverses position and takes full mount. Gracie pounds on Sano before mercifully sinking in an armbar for the submission win. Holy shit, this was a terrible fight. If this fight wasn't 35 minutes long, I would wonder if the fight was fixed. That's how bad of a fighter Sano is.
Yuhi Sano is a miserable fighter. He is a terrible person for putting me through this, though I hold KRS responsible for booking the fight. Royler is also not off the hook, since it shouldn't have taken him this long to finish such a massively inferior fighter. Still, I place the blame on Yuhi Sano. Yes, he was fighting a dangerous opponent, but don't sign for the fight if you're scared of getting hurt. Sano got busted up and looked like a fool. This is a total fail by Sano, who is now perhaps my least favorite fighter of all time.
To Gracie's credit, he really worked hard for the last 5-10 minutes of the fight. He used some heavy strikes and did some damage to his opponent, so I'll at least give him the credit for picking up the pace and finishing the fight. Royler Gracie is presented a medium sized trophy for defeating a medium sized opponent and this fight is officially in the books.
Fight number two is between Juan Mott and Akira Shoki. We'll remember Shoji from a very fun fight with Renzo Gracie at PRIDE 1, where Shoji showed great spirit and very good ring awareness against a very tough opponent. I was really impressed by Shoji in his first fight, since it would have been very easy for him to collapse against a very dangerous opponent.
Mott opens the fight with a pawing front kick that he seems to be using as a jab. He's really taking his time and measuring Shoji early on, while Shoji appears to be doing the same right now. Shoji fakes a jab and lands a nice leg kick, but Mott responds with an inside leg kick of his own. Shoji moves in with a nice jab/takedown combination and moves into full mount, a very dangerous position for Mott right now.
Mott is holding Shoji down in this position, while Shoji waits a bit before posturing up and throwing some big punches. Mott quickly gives up his back to try and defend the punches and Shoji sinks in both hooks and locks in a rear naked choke. Mott waits quite a while and Bas worries that he's going to pass out, but Mott taps out to the choke giving Shoji a submission win. A pretty unspectacular fight, but Akira Shoji looked good in scoring a quick victory. After a draw against Renzo Gracie and this win over Mott, Shoji has the potential to make a name for himself in PRIDE.
It's now time for kickboxing and a fight between William van Roosmalen and Ralph White, who we remember from PRIDE 1 for having his head turned into big lumpy mess. These are two big men with van Roosmalen at 6'4" and White at 6'3", so I expect to see another serious hematoma in this contest.
This ring announcer is awesome. It's like if Michael Buffer were Asian and wore an ascot. I can't understand a thing he says, but he announces with serious authority. Also, he has a really sweet ascot. He appears to be somewhat confused by the microphone, which leads me to believe that he doesn't typically announce at events like this. The crowd also seems amused by what the announcer says, so perhaps he's some kind of funny man. Rutten says he used to be a bouncer at the same bar as van Roosmalen, so he's automatically my pick in this fight.
White opens up the fight with some nick low kicks and a big push kick to the body. The fighters are trading low kicks and White is definitely getting the best of these exchanges. White has quickly seemed to time van Roosmalen's punches and is landing some nice counter strikes. White is definitely landing some nice kicks in this one, though van Roosmalen is landing some strikes of his own. White clinches, but van Roosmalen lands some very nice knees from the clinch.
After the clinch, van Roosmalen seems to be more comfortable landing some nice punches and a really great low kick/body kick combo. White seems a bit more tentative now and van Roosmalen is having more success, though White backs his opponent against the ropes and lands some big punches. The first round is over with both fighters having success early on. Between rounds, Koji Kitao is shown in the crowd with a really ugly blond streak in his hair.
The second round is another close one and is pretty even, though White threw more strikes in the round. His shots seemed to land more cleanly though van Roosmalen had some nice punches and more knees in the clinch. The Dutchman van Roosmalen had the nicer combos and was able to string together some nicer kick. White had more success toward the end of the round, though Quadros suspected that White was limping back to his corner after the bell.
This man is shown between innings and Bas simply calls him a samurai. For a moment, I worried that Lemmy turned Asian.
White opens the third round with some big punches, though van Roosmalen has more success in the clinch. White is eating some low kicks, but insists on clinching with an opponent who has proven to be dangerous in close. White is knocked down by van Roosmalen with a low kick/shove combination. White must be tired as he keeps draping himself on his opponent. White is still throwing some shots, but now van Roosmalen is in control with big knees to the legs and body of his opponent. Most of White's shots are being blocked at this point and he doesn't appear to be 100% as this round ends.
Quadros suspects that White won't come out for the third round, but he does indeed come out. White comes out swinging and the fighters trade some punches. When back in the clinch, van Roosmalen lands a very powerful knee to the body and White is dropped! He fails to answer the ten count and William van Roosmalen is the winner of this contest! When the bout is complete, the winner helps White to his feet and is very gracious toward his opponent in victory. The replay shows that the knee was very heavy and landed right on White's midsection, a devastating knockout!
Back to MMA action and we'll see Vernon White take on Kazushi Sakuraba, who we last saw winning the UFC Ultimate Japan heavyweight tournament. Sakuraba is the lighter fighter by 20 pounds, so he's at a bit of a weight disadvantage here. We've yet to see Vernon White in action so we'll get a good idea where he stands against a tough fighter like Sakuraba.
Sakuraba opens up with a low kick, to which Vernon White responds with indignation. White answers back with a huge left hand that appears to stun Sakuraba, who promptly responds with a takedown. A struggle ends with Sakuraba in side control as he tries to pull White's arm away from his body for a submission. Sakuraba is close to locking in the key lock but White escapes and gets back to his feet, only to sprawl on top of Sakuraba. White looks interested in some kind of submission or he possibly wants to take Sakuraba's back, but is unsuccessful.
Sakuraba is able to regain top position and is in half guard and transitions into full mount while White tries to control Sakuraba's head. White bucks Sakuraba and rolls Sakuraba onto his back and White moves back to his feet. Sakuraba attempts a single leg takedown and it looks like White has it defended, but Sakuraba is able to position himself into full guard and then side control. Bas and Quadros are surprised by Sakuraba's success, as he transitions almost seamlessly from position to position against a tough opponent.
Sakuraba positions himself for a potential armbar but White successfully escapes after threatening to slam Sakuraba from a standing position and then just yanking his arms from the hold. After a struggle, Sakuraba gives up his back and White tries for a rear naked choke. Unfortunately, he doesn't sink the hooks in and Sakuraba casually shrugs White off and takes north/south position. Sakuraba doesn't spend more than a moment there and he adjusts positions multiple times ending up in side control.
From side control, Sakuraba places a knee on White's stomach and seems interested in an armbar, but gives that up. The fighters are too close to the ropes and we have the first awkward adjustment of the night. Three officials gently shift the fighters back to the middle of the cage, where White kicks Saku off of him. Sakuraba is persistent and follows White back to the crowd, trying for yet another armbar as they approach the ropes yet again. A nice exchange sees White trying to roll through and Sakuraba briefly maintaining position before White breaks free and takes Saku's back yet again!
White doesn't spend much time there, throwing a single punch to Sakuraba's head before backing off. As Sakuraba sits up, White feints a soccer kick and Sakuraba backs off. Sakuraba is then able to pick White's ankle and score a takedown bringing White back to the mat. You can hear someone in White's corner, potentially Tra Telligman, telling White to "move his fucking ass" and to get aggressive. Quadros and Bas echo these sentiments.
Sakuraba is able to move back into side control and he works for a potential kimura. He ends up giving up on the hold and moves to full mount just as the first round ends. I should note that I have no clue how long these rounds are, but that seemed to be about ten minutes long. At this point, I don't even know what rules we're following. Gracie vs. Sano didn't have rounds, so why does this fight have rounds? Were rules chosen using a dart board? Is it possible we'll see two competitors later in the evening fight in some kind of crazy Japanese rules death match with exploding barbed wire covered boards?
Sakuraba tries some low kicks to start the second round, but White avoids both attacks. Sakuraba has no fear of White's striking as he'll keep his back turned for extended periods of time after missing his kicks. Sakuraba is successful with another takedown and is back in side control, then effortlessly transitions to full mount. White works to buck Sakuraba but his opponent nicely maintains his position. White ends up giving his back and the moment he does, Sakuraba tries to lock in another armbar. As we've seen before, the hold is unsuccessful and White has Sakuraba's back yet again.
Vernon White does a really poor job from this position, though Sakuraba is keeping a nice, compact base to keep White from sinking in his hooks. White tries maybe one punch, but insists upon working for a choke that seems unlikely to succeed. Indeed, Sakuraba reverses positions with White sitting too high and he reclaims top position. White tries to escape, but Sakuraba pounces and tries for another takedown. Sakuraba gives up his back once more and is now working for an armbar with White's hands around his waist. Sakuraba is able to roll through from this spot and claim side control yet again, all the while working for a submission.
This is probably the closest Sakuraba has come pulling off the submission, but White escapes and has Sakuraba's back again. I feel like I keep writing the same paragraph over and over, but Sakuraba is absolutely relentless. He seems like a really unpleasant opponent since he's a crafty fighter who absolutely does not stop working for a submission. White's defense has been good considering Sakuraba's constant grappling onslaught, but he's really had no offense of his own thus far.
Sakuraba tries to roll through on White with an armbar but White defends by grapevining one of Saku's legs. White now sinks in a a hook on Sakuraba and goes for the rear naked choke, but Sakuraba breaks free once more and moves to full guard. Saku moves to side control, White gives up his back, and Sakuraba tries for another armbar. White breaks free and takes Sakuraba's back once more, but I don't have any confidence that White can do anything from here. Quadros notes that Sakuraba seems absolutely fearless in giving up his back so regularly.
White is able to position himself where he can lock in a double underhook on Sakuraba. Bas suggest that White stand and level Sakuraba with some big knees, but White inexplicably gives up the hold. It doesn't look like there was a lot of resistance from Sakuraba. Sakuraba uses this opportunity to knee Sakuraba in the body before both fighters stand. After another submission attempt, the fighters break and are now standing. Unsurprisngly, Sakuraba scores a takedown and ends up in half guard and moves to mount once more.
This fight has been a remarkably technical grappling contest and very few strikes have been thrown all fight. Sakuraba has attempted maybe a dozen or more submissions and has been busy for the entire fight, keeping his opponent on defense. White is hanging in there, but he'll have to mount some more offense to stand a chance of winning. With Saku in guard, White goes out the backdoor and slips out from underneath Sakuraba and takes his back just as the second round ends. This has been a very fun fight through twenty minutes.
Sakuraba opens the third round with some kicks that land and he's really putting some muscle behind these strikes. As White goes to feint a kick, Sakuraba rushes in with a takedown. A struggle sees Sakuraba move into side control and then he transitions to mount after a brief rest. White tries to escape the position like he did at the end of the second round, but Sakuraba postures up and lands some punches to soften up White. Sakuraba is grabbing for an arm and is very interested in an armbar at this point. White breaks free, but Sakuraba again works to soften up his opponent in anticipation of a potential submission.
White goes to escape and seems to put himself into more danger, but White explodes out from the armbar and moves into side control. Sakuraba turns his back and tries to roll through on White, but White maintain position. He's no longer trying to submit Sakuraba from his back since he knows those attempts would likely be futile at this point. Quadros and Bas think this fight should be ruled a draw at this point, which is a ridiculous assertion. Sakuraba has been more aggressive and has controlled this fight and I see nothing that White has done to warrant a draw. Successful defense is great, but an aggressive fighter like Sakuraba needs to be rewarded for his frequent attempts to finish the fight.
With White on his back, Sakuraba rolls through and tries to move into side control, but White keeps working and tries to maintain what little control he has over Sakuraba. Sakuraba gains the upper hand as White adjusts and gives up his back, Sakuraba again working for the arm. White works to roll out of the hold, but White looks to roll himself into trouble! Sakuraba's position is even better than it was before and he sinks in a very deep armbar! With little hesitation, White submits to the hold and Kazushi Sakuraba has taken the victory!
After more than 25 minutes of a grappling war, Sakuraba has come out victorious in impressive fashion. Bas and Quadros marvel at Sakuraba's success and are openly stunned about how good this professional wrestler has looked in MMA thus far. White may not be the best MMA fighter with an 11-20-1 record coming into this fight, but Sakuraba has implemented a very successful grappling style in his very young MMA career.
We'll now see the second PRIDE appearance for Renzo Gracie as he takes on Sanae Kikuta. Gracie was challenged by Kikuta in his PRIDE debut so we'll see how things go against Kikuta, a judo practitioner with kickboxing experience. Kikuta is the heavier fighter by 15 pounds in this contest.
As the bell rings the fighters almost immediately clinch with Gracie backing Kikuta into the corner. Kikuta appears to pull Gracie into his guard and Renzo has been quick to throw some punches in this contest. Renzo immediately threw some punches from guard before Kikuta grabbed onto Gracie's head for defensive purposes. Kikuta escapes from the ground, but Gracie rushes his opponent when he gets to his feet and backs Kikuta into the corner again.
Gracie is throwing some punches to the body from clinch, but Kikuta is successful with a takedown near the ropes and moves into half guard. Immediately after the takedown, we get yet another comical readjustment of positions before the round is restarted. Kikuta is extremely inactive from this position, as he's likely and justifiably worried about Renzo's grappling ability. Quadros says there needs to be some kind of rule where fighters are stood up after being inactive, which we'll eventually see somewhat implemented with PRIDE's card system.
The remainder of the first round is spent with Renzo on his back and trying to box his opponent's ears while Kikuta is pretty much turtled in fear of being submitted. Kikuta seems interested in transitioning toward the end of the round, but he doesn't make a very strong effort to advance. Renzo throws some body shots that sound punishing and he's at least trying to stay busy here. The bell sounds and that's the end of the first round.
Kikuta misses each of the four punches he throws to open the second round while Renzo lands a really nice straight left. Kikuta immediately freaks out and clinches, where Renzo backs him into the corner. Kikuta works for a trip takedown, but Renzo defends the attempt and moves back into the corner. Renzo is throwing some knees from this spot while Kikuta is just trying to either break free or score takedowns.
The first five minutes of this round have basically been spent in the corner. As Kikuta tries for a takedown, Gracie lands some punches before Kikuta moves in for the clinch again. When they move back to the corner, Gracie tries for a hip throw that is reversed by Kikuta, who ends up in full guard. Kikuta is a very boring fighter from this position and a highlight comes when the officials once again move both fighters away from the ropes. Gracie kicks Kikuta off of him and back to his feet. Kikuta stands over the downed Gracie but is very hesitant to attack. He lands a couple of kicks to Gracie's legs, but somehow thinks going back into the guard is a good idea.
Kikuta rests in guard, Kikuta rests in guard, Kikuta rests in guard, Bas offers to tell a joke to entertain the masses. He actually doesn't tell the joke since the announcer says there is just one minute left in the round. I think El Guapo is relieved to hear that there is little time left in the round and nothing exciting happens up to the bell.
Kikuta scores a quick trip to start the third round and is back in Gracie's guard. Quadros wonders if Gracie tickling Kikuta might be a good strategy at this point. Hey, anything else would be more interesting that this. Kikuta keeps a very, very boring guard and this fight hasn't been very good so far. Maybe four or five minutes into the round, Renzo is finally able to free himself from Kikuta and force his opponent to his feet, but Kikuta rushes back into guard again. If he's this willing to fight on the ground with Renzo Gracie, he must not be much of a striker.
This entire round consists of Kikuta laying on top of Gracie and the third round comes to a close. Bas suspects the fight will now be ruled a draw, but wait...this fight will continue? Quadros begins to wonder out loud what both fighters' strategy will be and you can hear a confused Bas trying to figure out what on earth is happening. Quadros finally stops talking and Bas asks how many rounds this fight is, with the Fight Professor clarifying that the fight is unlimited rounds until a fighter wins the contest. Bas doesn't have the heart to respond to this and I think I'm going to throw up. This fight will last forever.
The fourth round opens with Renzo trying a quick lateral drop takedown which is defended by Kikuta. Both fighters move back into the corner where Bas says he sees no way that Kikuta can win this fight with unlimited rounds. So far, I've given Kikuta 38 red cards and he now owes me a significant portion of his fight purse. Just as I say that, Kikuta lands yet another takedown and is in Gracie's guard. Oh no, here we go again.
I just skipped ahead four minutes and nothing changed. Thankfully, I stopped at a place where Bas says the longest fight in history was a prolonged battle with his ex-wife, but that it was largely a mental battle. The referee stops the fight and calls for a restart after Kikuta lands some strikes to the back of Gracie's head, though they were very weak strikes. Now that both men are on their feet, they're throwing strikes a bit more and Kikuta is actually looking a bit more aggressive at this point. And now the fourth round is complete.
Bas says "there are no words right now" and is very hopeful that the fight ends in this fifth round. I should note that these aren't five minute rounds, but insanely long ten minute rounds. I'm 40 minutes into this fight and I'm ready to pull a Hideki Irabu here. This is miserable. I thought Gracie vs. Sano was unpleasant, but this is really something else.
Fifth round opens, fighters clinch in the corner. Kikuta drops down for a takedown, but Gracie defends the hold and actually locks in a guillotine. While he's sinking in the choke, Gracie throws some knees to Kikuta's head and Kikuta is desperately trying to defend. Gracie tries to pull guard with the guillotine, but unfortunately, Kikuta pulls out and is in guard and out of danger. Bas can only exclaim "oh my God" out of disappointment that this fight isn't over.
I swear to God, the rest of this round is spent with Kikuta hanging out in guard. This is really terrible and I'm so thankful I can skip ahead, but I feel so bad for Bas and Quadros. Bas gets all nihilistic about this fight and says that "there is no point" to this competition. This fight is really sucking the life out of El Guapo and it makes me so sad. I really hope these guys can survive.
Now it's the sixth round, which now means we're 50 minutes into the fight. The fight is briefly stopped to repair the tape on one of Kikuta's gloves. Kikuta charges after the restart and goes for a takedown, but Gracie catches him and tries for another guillotine choke. This one is definitely a lot tighter and Kikuta is forced to tap to the arm-in guillotine! Both announcers exclaim "thank God!" since this fight is now over. Quadros says nobody in the audience reacted to the victory since they were all asleep. Let us never speak of that fight again.
It's time for another kickboxing contest, this between Tasis Petridis and George Randolph. Petridis is at a serious disadvantage here being six inches shorter and 73 pounds lighter than the American Randolph. The 6'7", 287 pound Randolph is just a massive specimen. He's also very pale. The ascot wearing announcer is back and I wonder if they just bring him out for the kickboxing fights? Either way, I'm glad he's here to class the joint up.
Both fighters come out swinging heavy blows and Randolph scores early with a nice trip that knock Petridis to the mat. Petridis is very quick to clinch his bigger opponent, who lands some really big shots with Petridis backed against the ropes. Randolph lands some heavy knees and punches which look scary coming from a near 300 pound man.
Randolph definitely has a huge reach advantage here, but I don't know that Petridis has been that badly impacted by the difference. The first round is pretty even with both fighters landing big strikes before the round ends. That one was a little too close to call, though I worry about Randolph getting gassed as this fight goes on. The replays show Randolph landing some crisp punches and knees in that first round.
The action slows a bit in the second round, though Randolph already seems to be gassing. Petridis looks more active circling his opponent and landing big punches, while Randolph is flat footed and not throwing nearly as much right now. Petridis is throwing some leg kicks, but Randolph starts to get a second wind and is rushing Petridis. Randolph actually drops Petridis to the mat twice, though they both look more like knockdowns. Toward the end of the round, Petridis begins to land some really big shots and more leg kicks that appear to damage the winded Randolph. The second round ends and it was a clear Petridis round.
Randolph is aggressive coming out in the third round with some punches, but Petridis is the one pushing the pace here. He's moving in with combinations and keeping Randolph off guard. The bigger fighter is also moving in to hug Petridis with great frequency, appearing very tired even in the early parts of this round. Randolph is still landing his shots in large part because of his size, but Petridis' leg kicks and punches look much cleaner. With one minute remaining, Randolph has a noticeable limp and is just swatting at his opponent. Petridis finishes the round strong with leg kicks and a huge left hook.
The fighters touch gloves to start the fourth round. Petridis is quick to back away when Randolph throws his punches and Randolph is trying his best to pursue his smaller, quicker fighter. Petridis lands a huge right that appears to rock his opponent and he's in control now. Quadros is convinced that Randolph is rocked, but it definitely could be fatigue coming into play. Randolph is no longer throwing shots from the clinch, instead using that as an opportunity to catch his breath.
Petridis is the one pushing the action and he lands a massive head kick at the end of the round! Petridis follows up with some punches before Randolph clinches to stop the onslaught. Petridis uses a big knee to end the fourth round, another one for Petridis. Replays show some really devastating punches from Petridis during the round and big George Randolph is taking a lot of damage.
The fifth and final round begins and Petridis' weapon seems to be the low kick right now. Randolph looks really hurt and is basically limping around the cage at this point. Petridis' kicks have been dangerous all fight and we're seeing evidence of this. Randolph is still hanging in there and eating shots, but he's out of it. At one point, he falls on top of Petridis during a clinch. Petridis' corner offers this brilliant strategy: "don't let him fall on you!" Quadros totally telegraphs a spinning back kick from Petridis that lands. Petridis is finishing this fight strong with really big punches and Randolph finishes the fight with a knee to the groin. He also is working very hard to suck in enough oxygen to power his massive frame.
Petridis is declared the winner via decision, which comes to a surprise to absolutely nobody. That was not a bad fight and was pretty entertaining, but I'm not sure how it compares to other kickboxing matches. I'm not at all familiar with the sport, but I definitely enjoyed this one.
This should be a very interesting fight between UFC veterans Gary Goodridge and Marco Ruas. We haven't seen Ruas since the Ultimate Ultimate 1995, but he's stated active in Vale Tudo competitions. We last saw "Big Daddy" knocking out Oleg Taktarov at the very first PRIDE event, but Ruas will be another challenge for the Trinidad and Toboggan. Wait, is that right? What do you call somebody from Trinidad and Tobago? I'll just stick with my idea. Goodridge is the bigger fighter by 30 pounds, but we all remember Ruas taking an exciting win over giant at large Paul Varelans in the UFC.
Goodridge opens up with some big punches that catch Ruas and then lands a big knee. Ruas follows up with a roundhouse kick and a spinning backfist, both of which miss. Ruas is favoring the low kick early on and he likes to follow those up with spinning backfists. Goodridge backs Ruas in the corner and starts to land some big punches. Ruas tries to pull Goodridge down into guard, but Goodridge ends up falling into half guard. Goodridge has some very strong ground and pound and this could be trouble.
We can see that Marco Ruas is already cut around his left eye from some of the punches that Goodridge has thrown. Goodridge postures up after a brief rest and is throwing some really strong punches. Ruas appears to block some of the shots, but Goodridge lands a number of big right hands from this position. Goodridge tries to use his strength and position to leverage a neck crank on multiple occasions, but Ruas breaks the hold and never looks to be in serious trouble. Ruas adjusts and moves Goodridge into the full guard.
As we've seen before from "Big Daddy", he's really tired just five minutes into this first round. He's still landing some big punches, but the flurries are coming with less frequency and less power. Gary Goodridge briefly considers going for a leg lock, but abandons that idea and transitions into side control instead. Ruas is able to reposition himself and pulls a very tired Gary Goodridge into his guard. Goodridge is making effort to move forward and advance positions, but he can't do a whole lot based on his increasing exhaustion.
Goodridge decides to stand up from guard and Ruas follows to his feet. Ruas is circling the flat footed Goodridge, but Goodridge corners his opponent and throws some big punches. At that time, Goodridge appears to slip and possibly jams his right leg. He grabs for what appears to be his knee and now Ruas moves in with punches and knees of his own. Goodridge throws Ruas to the mat, but Ruas grabs his opponent's left leg and sinks in the heel hook. Goodridge struggles briefly, but he's forced to submit to the hold! A nice submission victory for Marco Ruas!
It should be noted that Goodridge's potential injury didn't seem to factor into Ruas' victory. He pulled off the heel hook on the left leg, while it was Goodridge's right that appeared to be injured. This was a pretty enjoyable fight between two fighters who tend to have more exciting bouts.
Now it's time for the main event pitting Branko Cikatic against Mark Kerr. This will be Branko's first MMA fight in PRIDE, as he competed against Ralph White in a kickboxing match at PRIDE 1. Kerr will be making his debut with the promotion here after a successful run in the UFC. Kerr is billed at 255 pounds and his muscles appear to be growing muscles at this point. His back appears to be covered in acne, the poor guy! He needs to get some Proactive or something to clear that up!
The fighters feel each other out a bit to start this fight and there's a prolonged period of initial inactivity. Kerr is the first to act when he shoots in for a takedown and Cikatic reacts like he's trying to fight off a wild animal. He starts throwing downward elbows to the back of Kerr's head while also hooking onto the ropes with his other arm. The referee immediately tries to stop the action and Cikatic keeps trying to throw elbows like a mad man! It takes multiple officials to stop the action and separate the fighters and the fight is restarted from a standing position.
Kerr again goes for a takedown and Cikatic does the same thing once again! He grabs onto the ropes and throws these elbows to the back of Kerr's head despite the fact that the fight was just stopped for that 30 seconds ago! Not only is Cikatic breaking the rules, but he has really pissed off Mark Kerr. Kerr gives up the takedown and starts punching wildly at Cikatic until the referees stop the fight once more. Cikatic is laying on the mat and Quadros says that Kerr kicked Cikatic while he was down. I don't know who says it, but somebody says in broken English, "Come on, bastard...fuck off you!" Fuck off you, indeed.
The bell is sounded and this fight is apparently over. Both Kerr and Cikatic seem ready to fight, but I think the two separate flagrant rule violations have led to this fight being stopped. It becomes evident that Quadros and Bas are recording their commentary after the fact when you see Bas standing in the ring while Bas is simultaneously on commentary. Bas in in Cikatic's corner, which explains his presence. Branko Cikatic is disqualified for his rule violations and the crowd is very unhappy about this. Kerr gets on the microphone and tries to thank the fans and is met with a smattering of applause. Branko gets on the microphone to...I don't know, slur? He is met with overwhelming jeers.
Well that's a nice way to end PRIDE 2 - a Croatian lunatic being disqualified from a fight for violating the same rules twice in the span of 30 seconds. I came into this event with admittedly low expectations: I just didn't want to see another fight as bad as Kimo vs. Dan Severn. Well even that was defied since I saw two fights that were just as bad, if not worse! And not only that, but those were two fights featuring Gracies! We really need to get some better competition for the Gracies - Sano and Kikuta shouldn't have been anywhere near those fighters.
PRIDE 2 was an unmitigated disaster. We saw a good fight between Sakuraba and Vernon White, but the card was pretty lackluster otherwise. It's still early for KRS, but they really need to make some changes going into PRIDE 3 to make this product more acceptable. If that means Sakuraba has to fight in every fight, then so be it. I'm keeping my expectations low going into PRIDE 3 and I can't see another card being this bad, but in a promotion with unclear rules and round structure and unqualified fighters, you never know what might happen.
Greatest Fights of PRIDE 2
- Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Vernon White
- Marco Ruas vs. Gary Goodridge
- Akira Shoji vs. Juan Mott
- Mark Kerr vs. Branko Cikatic
- Royler Gracie vs. Yuhi Sano
- Renzo Gracie vs. Sanae Kikuta
Top Ten Fights Through PRIDE 2
- Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Vernon White - PRIDE 2
- Akira Shoji vs. Renzo Gracie - PRIDE 1
- Gary Goodridge vs. Oleg Taktarov - PRIDE 1
- Marco Ruas vs. Gary Goodridge - PRIDE 2
Rickson Gracie vs. Nobuhiko Takada - PRIDE 1
- Kazunari Murakami vs. John Dixson - PRIDE 1
- Akira Shoji vs. Juan Mott - PRIDE 2
- Koji Kitao vs. Nathan Jones - PRIDE 1
- Mark Kerr vs. Branko Cikatic - PRIDE 2
- Dan Severn vs. Kimo Leopoldo - PRIDE 1
Greatest Fighters of PRIDE 2
- Kazushi Sakuraba (1-0)
- Akira Shoji (1-0)
- Marco Ruas (1-0)
- Renzo Gracie (1-0)
- Royler Gracie (1-0)
- Mark Kerr (1-0)
- Vernon White (0-1)
- Gary Goodridge (0-1)
- Juan Mott (0-1)
- Branko Cikatic (0-1)
- Sanae Kikuta (0-1)
- Yuhi Sano (0-1)
Top Ten Fighters Through PRIDE 2
- Kazushi Sakuraba (1-0)
- Rickson Gracie (1-0)
- Marco Ruas (1-0)
- Renzo Gracie (1-0-1)
- Akira Shoji (1-0-1)
- Royler Gracie (1-0)
- Kazunari Murakami (1-0)
- Gary Goodridge (1-1)
- Mark Kerr (1-0)
- Koji Kitao (1-0)


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The Bengals went all the way out to Seattle to play the Seahawks coming off of their Week 7 bye and, based on the team's history under Marvin Lewis, the odds were stacked against them. Their record in the weeks following their bye under Marvin Lewis was 2-5-1. Their record on the West Coast under Lewis was 1-5 (1-7 if you count Denver) and they hadn't won in Seattle since 1994.
This was a game many were worried about and with good reason.
However, for the fourth week in a row, the Bengals emerged victorious and continue to keep pace with the Steelers and Ravens in the AFC North. Here are the seven biggest things I noticed from the Bengals Week 8 win over the Seahawks.
|Point 1: We Can Partly Thank Pete Carroll
In my opinion, Carroll made two mistakes during game and the first mistake was who started at quarterback. Even though Tarvaris Jackson practiced fully on Friday and warmed up with the team before the game, Carroll opted to go with Charlie Whitehurst instead. After the Bengals beat up on Whitehurst and jumped out to a sizable lead, Carroll decided to put Jackson in. Jackson played much better and helped the Seahawks move the ball down the field. If he had been in the whole game, the score would have probably been much closer. If Jackson was healthy enough to come in the game at some point, why not start him?
Another reason we should have thanked him was at the end of the first half. The Seahawks had the ball in a fourth-and-two situation on the Bengals' three-yard line. Instead of getting the three guaranteed points, Carroll decided to go for it and try for the touchdown. Marshawn Lynch came close but didn't make it and time ran out. The Seahawks got nothing.
So, thanks Carroll.
|Point 2: What's the Point of Cedric Peerman Being on the Team?
If there was a game in which I figured Cedric Peerman would play, it would have been this one. With Cedric Benson's suspension, you would think that Peerman would get a few carries even if those carries were just to give Bernard Scott a break. Peerman didn't even make an appearance. Scott carried the ball 22 times, Leonard carried it twice and even Andrew Hawkins carried the ball once, but Peerman never touched it.
Why is he on the roster?
It makes me wonder if he'll be cut when the Bengals' two-game exemption for Benson is over.
|Point 3: A.J. Green Passes Calvin Johnson's Rookie Touchdown Total
Calvin Johnson, who is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, has had a freakishly awesome season so far. He has 11 touchdowns so far this season and he's already racked up 11 touchdowns and over 800 yards. A.J. Green isn't to that point yet but with his performance in the Bengals game on Sunday (four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown), Green surpassed Johnson's rookie stats.
As a rookie, Johnson only caught four touchdown passes and had 756 total receiving yards. I don't think there's any question that Green will have the better rookie season between the two wide receivers.
Maybe there was a reason scouts said that Green was the best wide receiver to come out of the draft since Johnson.
|Point 4: Having Lynch Didn't Help Much
Having Marshawn Lynch back in the lineup seemed to be a big deal to the Seahawks. When we talked to Joseph Okabe from 12ManRising.com on our podcast last week, he told us that he felt the Seahawks could win if both Jackson and Lynch played against the Bengals.
However, Seahawks fans and Marshawn Lynch got introduced the Bengals front seven, who held Lynch to 24 yards on 16 carries. That's an average of 1.5 yards per carry and hardly anything to write home about.
|Point 5: Bernard Scott Can, and Should, Do More
Against the Colts the Bengals coaches decided to give the team's top-two running backs, Benson and Bernard Scott, almost an equal amount of carries. Benson got 16 and Scott got 11.
Bernard Scott carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards against a very tough Seahawks running defense. Jay Gruden did what he could to get Scott around the edge and get him the ball in space so he could make a play or two and even though the Bengals didn't score a touchdown on the ground in Week 8, Scott looked pretty good.
From this point on, I hope that Scott and Benson split carries right down the middle. Also it would be nice to see Scott more involved in the passing game.
|Point 6: LOUD NOISES!
I knew that Seahawks fans had a reputation for being loud, but holy crap it was loud. When the TV announcers are getting somewhat drowned out by the sound of the crowd yelling, you know it's loud.
It must have been almost deafening on the field.
|Extra Point: Bengals Could Take Advantage of Flex Scheduling
Flex scheduling doesn't start until Week 11, according to the NFL's flex scheduling rules. In Week 11 the Bengals play the Ravens and then they play the Steelers in Week 13. If the Bengals win in Tennessee and then they win their first game against the Steelers, it is likely that the NFL could flex the Bengals to a Sunday night game in their second game against the Steelers or the Ravens.
Who would have thought that the Bengals would even have a chance to play in a primetime game in 2011?


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Sentencing/Post Conviction
Offenders Face Bans on Gambling, Alcohol, Live-in Boyfriends, Computers
Posted Aug 13, 2009 8:46 AM CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Courts are grappling with supervised release terms that go beyond the usual restrictions on drug use and law-breaking.
Some felons convicted in federal courts are challenging restrictions on their post-prison life that they contend are arbitrary or too broad, the Wall Street Journal reports. The restrictions include bans on gambling, alcohol, live-in boyfriends, driving, inappropriate clothing and computer use.
The federal sentencing guidelines allow judges to impose special conditions during supervised release. These restrictions must be related to the crime and can't cause "unnecessary deprivations" of liberty, the story says.
In one case, single mother Briane Woods of Odessa, Texas, convicted of distributing crack cocaine, was barred from living with anyone other than a relative or a spouse after her release from prison, the story says. U.S. District Judge Robert Junell of Midland, Texas, said he imposed the restriction to impose "stability" in Woods' home. An appeals court struck down the ban last year as a restriction on Woods' "constitutional right to liberty."
In another case, William Robert Bender was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating his supervised release terms by viewing adult pornography online at a public library. Bender's prior conviction was for traveling from Missouri to Texas to have sex with a teenager he met online on a library computer when he was 27 years old. The supervised release terms barred Bender from possessing a computer or frequenting places where minors congregate without prior approval, and from possessing pornography or visiting a library.
A federal appeals court struck down all of the supervised release conditions except for the ban on the computer.
Bender's lawyer, federal public defender Troy Stabenow of Jefferson City, Mo., told the Wall Street Journal that supervised release conditions are increasingly strict, making it difficult to comply. "Frankly they are often crazy," he said.
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Item: Winter Opening of High Alpine Pass Roads - Analysis and Case Studies from the Swiss Alps
Title: Winter Opening of High Alpine Pass Roads - Analysis and Case Studies from the Swiss Alps
Proceedings: 2002 International Snow Science Workshop, Penticton, British Columbia
- Stefan Margreth [ Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), Davos Dorf, Switzerland ]
- Lukas Stoffel [ Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), Davos Dorf, Switzerland ]
- Christian Wilhelrn [ orest Department Graubunden, Chur, Switzerland; former: SLF, Davos Dorf ]
Date: 2002
Abstract: The pass roads across the Swiss Alps are of high importance for the transportation of persons and goods. Due to the alpine topography most of the pass roads are permanently closed in winter, mainly because of avalanche danger. In this paper a methodology is provided to analyse the risks for a winter opening of a pass road and to determine necessary protection measures. At first the avalanche situation is investigated by an inventory of the existing avalanche paths. Then a risk analysis for an initial state without any safety measures is performed. lfthe risks for the public and individuals are not acceptable then protection plans taking into account preventive closures, artificial release or structural measures must be established. The acceptable risk is defmed by the estimated number of avalanches blocking an open road. The methodology was developed and adjusted with data from Fliiela Pass, where over a distance of 19.3 km 47 avalanche paths endanger the road. The application of the methodology is finally demonstrated with the case studies of the Lukmanier and Gotthard Passes. For both pass roads, which were permanently closed in the past winters and which are endangered by 94, respectively 55 avalanche paths, the SLF compiled different protection plans for a possible winter opening.
Language of Article: English
Presenters: Unknown
Keywords: avalanche protection, snow avalanche, traffic risk, risk management
Subjects: risk management avalanche protection avalanche
Digital Abstract Not Available


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Decatur - One lucky winner will get an iPad at the FAFSA Night hosted by The Education Coalition of Macon County (EdCo), Richland Community College and Millikin University.
Speakers will talk to parents and students about filling out college applications, completing FASFA, and writing essays for college entrance.
The event will be held at the Decatur Civic Center Auditorium, on the 2nd Floor, in the 1 Gary Anderson Plaza. On Monday, December 9th at 6 p.m.
Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon Thursday after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted people of other religions. More>>
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Pretty Little Liars: Books vs. TV
22nd August 2012 | Books | 0 comments
~ Some Spoilers Ahead ~
Maybe this review isn't fair, considering I am only on Book three of the Pretty Little Liars series, but I have to say that I like the TV show better. This is a very rare thing for me, I always prefer the books , but this time I just don't.
On the show, I find Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily very relatable. Yeah, they are in high school, and wealthy, with closets to die for, and are being stalked by the mysterious A, but they feel like real girls. Also, I can overlook that they live a lifestyle I know nothing about. In the books, with constant mentions of their gorgeous looks, and designer bags and purses, I find it harder to relate to them and their way of life. I realize that constantly mentioning these things are probably the writer's way of reinforcing in the reader's mind the kind of world that the PLLs live in, but I just find it alienating.
One of my favorite things on the show is the friendship between the girls. The cast has great chemistry and you believe that these girls really are friends, and have been for a long time. So far in the books, the girls have had very few scenes together, so I'm missing that aspect of the show that I love so much. I really hope this changes as the books progress.
Another thing that the show has that the books are missing is the Spencer/Toby relationship. Their relationship was so fun to watch grow and develop, but there isn't any of that in the books. In fact, Toby kills himself at the end of book two! So, now there is no Toby at all! Which is completely unacceptable!
I will give the books this though, at least in the books the Aria/Ezra relationship didn't last long. As much as I love Ian Harding, I am never going to think it is okay for a teacher to date his student. Yes, I know that currently on the show Ezra is no longer Aria's teacher, but I'm still just over the relationship. Make it go away! Please! And make Wren go away too! I know that in real life all the actors on the show are around the same age, but they are playing twenty-something guys chasing after high-school girls, and it really just creeps me out. UGH!
Pretty Little Liars the show is so much fun that it made me want to read the books. But I have to say that if I had read the books first, I never would have wanted to watch the show. And that's a shame!
So, do you watch Pretty Little Liars? Have you read the books? How do you think that the two compare?
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Dental Check-up
Sam: Hello, Doctor.
Dr. Peterson: Good morning, Sam. How are you doing today?
Sam: I'm OK. I've been having some gum pain recently.
Dr. Peterson: Well, we'll take a look. Please recline and open your mouth.... that's good.
Sam:(after being examined) How does it look?
Dr. Peterson: Well, there is some inflammation of the gums. I think we should also do a new set of S-rays.
Sam: Why do you say that? Is something wrong?
Dr. Peterson: No, no, it's just standard procedure every year. It looks like you may have a few cavities as well.
Sam: That's not good news .... hmmm
Dr. Peterson: There are just two and they look superficial.
Sam: I hope so.
Dr. Peterson: We need to take X-rays to identify tooth decay, as well as check for decay between the teeth.
Sam: I see.
Dr. Peterson: Here, put on this protective apron.
Sam: OK.
Dr. Peterson: (after taking the X-rays) Things look good. I don't see any evidence of further decay.
Sam: That's good news!
Dr. Peterson: Yes, I'll just get these two fillings drilled and taken care of and then we'll get your teeth cleaned.
Key Vocabulary
gum pain
to recline
open your mouth
set of X-rays
standard procedure
to identify
tooth decay
protective apron
evidence of further decay
to drill
to take care of
to get your teeth cleaned
Check your understanding with this multiple choice comprehension quiz.
More English for Medical Purposes Dialogues
Dental Receptionist
Dental Check-up - Doctor and Patient
Teeth Cleaning - Dental Hygienist and Patient
Troubling Symptoms - Doctor and Patient
Joint Pain - Doctor and Patient
A Physical Examination - Doctor and Patient
Pain that Comes and Goes - Doctor and Patient
A Prescription - Doctor and Patient
Feeling Queasy - Nurse and Patient
Helping a Patient - Nurse and Patient
Patient Details - Administration Staff and Patient
More Dialogue Practice - Includes level and target structures / language functions for each dialogue.


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ABOUT US Photographing over 30,000 kids in 39 days is no easy task, but it is fun! For almost 20 years parents and schools in Kingston and surrounding communities have been trusting us with their school pictures. We love what we do and it shows!
SCHOOL PICTURE DAY Whether it's fall school pictures, dance photos, graduation portraits or sports photography, Picture This gives your child the personal attention they deserve to bring out the best in their pictures.
WHY PICTURE THIS? In the school picture world dominated by the giants we are the UnderDogs and UnderDogs simply try harder. To request a school photography presentation for your school, just click the Hidden Secret icon and ask Mike for more information.


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Jubilee line will run as many trains as possible
Talks at Acas continue today over planned industrial action on Tuesday 2nd April. Yesterday a spokesman said:"Productive talks were held today at Acas between London Underground, RMT and Aslef. The parties have adjourned for the evening to consider their positions."
Should the strike on Tuesday 2nd April go ahead, reduced services will operate on the Jubilee line, with customers advised to seek alternative routes and avoid busy interchange stations if possible.
London Underground has said today they will run as many trains as possible on the Jubilee line, but there will be no service between Stanmore and Wembley Park.


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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The University of Arkansas at Little Rock says a former education commissioner will lead a non-profit group that works to improve math, science and English education in the state.
Former Education Commissioner Kenneth James will take over as president of the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science starting on Oct. 1.
James replaces Tommie Sue Anthony, who is retiring.
The Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science is a non-profit group that partners with UALR and public high schools across the state to improve Advanced Placement math, science and English education.
James served as education commissioner in Arkansas from 2004 to 2009.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Recent Comments:
Holiday crafts for families from PBS Parents
Dec 12th 2007 3:41PM I haven't made a shadow box since I was little - thank you so much for reminding me! These are all great ideas.
Lately I've been keeping my boys busy with Kabillion's Little Director. It's a kid-friendly online sketchbook you can find at http://www.kabillion.com/littledirector. My boys love to spend hours drawing on the site, and the pictures can even be taken a step further and turned into complete animations, with music, voiceovers and everything!
The site also allows you to buy your child's masterpiece on DVD. My boys' latest movie will make a great Christmas gift for my mom. She'll love it! I only know about this because I work with Kabillion, but even I think it's fun. I'm so happy to share this with my children!
Happy holidays everyone!
Moviefone's Best Christmas Movies of All Time
Nov 30th 2007 7:14PM That fact that you're even considering movies like Reindeer Games has me intrigued. I'm excited to see what makes it in.
But surely you must include the Christmas Classics! They're my favorite part of the holidays. Watching Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer still makes me feel like a kid after all these years. I dare say those movies are magical. :)
For the first time I finally have all 7 movies together in the beautifully packaged Christmas Classics DVD box-set! And the bonus music CD is wonderful if I do say so myself. You can buy this keepsake at any store where you buy DVDs, but it's also available at http://www.christmasclassics.tv. It's a wonderful gift to yourself, your children and anyone you want to share the magic of Christmas with.
Happy holidays!


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Original Title: Tréfa
Hungarian with subtitles
93 minutes min
Main Competition
For the rambunctious seventh graders at an early-20th-century boarding school, the preferred extracurricular activity is playing increasingly outrageous pranks on one brainy classmate. The lax Father Zoltan thinks boys will be boys, but when stern young Father Weigl begins to implement his own secret plan to curb the kids' "anarchic activity," he unwittingly sets the entire school on a tragic course.
Links: Website