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Serial is the most listened to podcast in the world right now. A spin off of This American Life, it follows Sarah Koenig's investigation into the murder of Hae Min Lee in Baltimore in 1999. The case focused on Hae's ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed who was ultimately convicted based on the testimony of his supposed best friend, Jay, who was also an accessory to the crime.
The show is a runaway hit.
It's fascinating.
It's horrifying.
Often not for the right reasons.
Let's take a look at the fascinating first. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the investigation as Koenig and her team delve further into the complexities of the case. There's plenty to find too, from the questionable tactical decisions made by Adnan's attorney to the mercurial nature of Jay's testimony to the layout of Baltimore itself. A format like this allows them to explode the case and examine each section in turn and it's sometimes the sort of in depth reporting that only podcasting can allow. One voice, one story, pulling it apart one step at a time. It's utterly compelling, chilling listening and it's a format that will only grow more adaptable and focused with each successive season.
But it's also a show, and built like a show. And that's where the problems start.
Firstly because the entire thing is configured to hit every single media consumption response Pavlov wishes he could have taught his dogs. Every episode opens with a 'previously' (Which, being audio, is little more than barely meaningful clips), each episode closes with a sign off that trails what's coming next and each episode is punctuated by the most paradoxically whimsical theme music a true crime journalism show could ever have hoped for.
Now, let's talk about media bingeing. This is a practice that started with DVD sets and has been riveted into the global consciousness by Netflix. You can sit down, press play, and 12 episodes later have all of a season of Breaking Bad, House of Cards or The Wire dropped into your frontal lobe. All you have to do is remember to get up and go to the loo every now and again.
Here's what the Serial website has to say about binge-listening:
We've been getting lots of questions about why we're only releasing one episode per week instead of the entire season all at once for those of you inclined to binge-listen. The reason is: We're still making them. As I write this, in fact, Sarah is re-writing Episode 5.
I guess you could say we didn't get all our work done ahead of time. We're reporting this story as we write it. We're still pinning down information, doing interviews, following leads. So when you listen each week, the truth is that you're actually not all that far behind us.
This troubles me three different ways. Firstly, the simple fact that people want to binge listen to an in depth exploration of a tragic, violent, real murder makes me very uncomfortable. This isn't True Detective it's just true and turning the same frantic fan speculation on an actual case in which a real person was murdered feels tawdry. Secondly, this is hitching factual journalism to both the narrative model and audience expectation of fiction. That's at best risky and at worst deeply irresponsible.
Thirdly, the folksy 'I guess you could say we didn't get all our work done ahead of time' is exactly the tone a lot of the story is presented in. The very first episode offhandedly describes someone as being 'loosey goosey' with the truth for example. On the one hand it's exactly the sort of informal, narrative language that makes the show so engrossing. On the other, a high school student is dead.
That issue really comes to the fore with episode 8 and a moment of such bewildering bad judgment it's difficult to believe what you're hearing. Jay, the chief witness, accessory to the murder and truth sculptor, is the focus of the episode and, finally, Koenig and her producer decide to go out to interview him,
They don't tell him first.
That's, in some ways, understandable and while doorstepping your subject is about as belligerent as you can get, it's also frequently done. That's not an excuse but it is context.
So, they go to his house, find he's not there, wait a few hours, try again, interview him and…
He declines to be recorded.
So the middle chunk of the episode is the drive out to the house, bridging narration and audio from the drive back.
And that's it.
This is bad journalism, bad radio and bad narrative. It's tantamount to cutting a crucial lead out of All The President's Men or the famous profanity deduction scene from The Wire. The whole point of the episode is reduced to a figure glimpsed in the distance, as mercurial as the statements he constantly changed. It's hard for the more cynical side of me to not think that may be the point but what's far more likely is that it's symptomatic of my biggest problem with the show. This line from the website:
We'll follow the plot and characters wherever they take us and we won't know what happens at the end of the story until we get there, not long before you get there with us
By clothing a real life tragedy in the wardrobe of fiction, Serial fixates on the journey and the illusion of closure. The 'story' will end, the listeners will wait for the next season and the next cast of characters but Hae Min Lee will still be dead and no amount of chatty editorializing, bizarrely inappropriate music or narrative playfulness will change that.
And yet, for all that, I'm off to listen to the next episode
And Risotto. Obviously. Otherwise why would it be called Risotto City? And by extending that logic you'd have to conclude that not everyone in Giggleswick laughs all the time and Blubberhouses is not a time lost and landlocked 19th Century whaling village.
Anyway! This week it's time for Risotto. We are, as last time, singing from the hymnbook of St Jamie of Comfort Food.
We lug in his name.
And this week it's his Saffron risotto. Victor! Round up the usual suspects!
So what do we have there? Well we have:
-A red onion
-Some paprika
-An exciting looking plastic tub! Mystery ingredient! Which is actually chicken breasts marinated overnight in paprika and roasted garlic olive oil!
-The Gelatinous Excrescence of Marco Pierre White.
-Arborio rice. I like to think Arborio was Mario and Luigi's older brother who just did not want any of their crap. 'It's a me, Arborio! Whaddaya doing with the pipes and the jumping and the little dinosaur guy?!C'mon!'
-And a bottle of 2 buck chuck/Cooking Booze/AlcoDelish/Delete as applicable
Now, full disclosure kids, you may notice a remarkable lack of Saffron in there. That's because I didn't have any and didn't really fancy dropping twenty quid on some admittedly swish seasoning that would, fundamentally, make my food taste of yellow. I chose not to do this also because I wanted to prove that any given receipe is adaptable. Or, to put it another way;
No cookbook survives contact with the enemy. Or, in this case, the cook.
So what do we first? Easy, take that onion and chop it. I have two techniques here. The first was the knife frenzy I mentioned last week. The second is;
-Top and tail it.
-Make an incision running North to South instead of the equator.
-Possibly yell something about 'Puny Onionoids! Galactus requires ingredients!'
-Chop in half.
-Chop east to west.
-Chop north to south.
-Yell 'IT WON'T HOLD! SHE'S BREAKING UP!' as you get to the end.
-Berserker chop panic
Basically make it as small as possible and then put it in the pan with what St Jamie describes as a knob of butter but I prefer to think of as a scoop. Put it on low heat and take a blurred photo.
See? Then stir it every minute or so on a low heat.
Next, weigh the rice.
Now. There's an important thing to remember here. Jamie Oliver cooks for 18,000 people at a time. Seriously, the guy's recipes are all listed for 4-6 or 10-15 but they may as well say 'Peel' , 'Most of Beeston' or 'A good chunk of the suburb of Milton Keynes I now live in'. It's RIDICULOUS. I cut the ingredients for this thing (Aside from the food-o-plonk) by TWO THIRDS and there were still four freaking servings.
So, with that in mind, next up weight the amount of It's a me! Arborio! You want. I went with 150 g, but the recipe (For 8-the last 10 generations of a family), recommended 450 g.
Next up, put Marco Pierre White's latest squamous excrescence in 400ml of boiling water and try not to hear it squeal as it melts.
Next, mushrooms. That weren't in the class photo. Because mushrooms are assholes. Not as big a bunch of assholes as brown rice but they are, nonetheless, assholes.
Also I left them in the fridge.
Remove your mushrooms, chop them in half if they're little (Or quarters if they're big) and drop them in the pan. Remember that? Yeah, by now those onions should be nice and squishy so you dump your mushrooms in there and cook them down. Then, add the 200ml or so of Collapso Food Plonk Vin Blanc and then, after about 5 minutes, drop the rice into the pan.
Now, this freaked me out a little bit because technically you're frying the rice and whilst that's awesome, it's a weird disconnect for me. Fried rice without delicious fried chicken boulders? What brave new world is this that has such food in't?
Yep. Shakespeare AND Gelatinous cube jokes. I spoil you people. But you're WORTH it.
Anyway, bung the rice in the pan and add about a quarter of the stock. Stir it round, which gets really exciting with a small pan and turn the heat up a bit.
Now, wait. Stirring occasionally.
In fact, now is an EXCELLENT time to make a tea or coffee. Stir occasionally, boil the kettle, maybe go for a biscuit? I favour Hovis digestives right now but you're people of taste and breeding, you've got this.
So, drink your beverage, consume your biscwits (One day the Fox's Mafia Panda will team up with that Willem Dafoe voiced frozen food polar bear and we will be DOOMED) and stir and after a while you'll notice the Squash still isn't done.
Where was I?
Oh yes! Add some more stock, stir and wait for it be absorbed, keep doing this until you're out of stock. Don't let the pan run entirely dry because then you will have created a pancake made of rice, charcoal and failure but do let the liquid be absorbed before putting more in. If nothing else because it's really boring waiting for a huge chunk of liquid to get shlooped up by the rice. And it will ALL go, believe me.
Whilst the second gloop of stock is being shlooped into position (Technical language! I can spell BOTH those words!), remove the chicken and chop it into strips. Then, being careful to wash your board and any surface the raw chicken came into contact with straight away, drop the chicken in the risotto. Keep adding the stock, keep stirring and the chicken will cook in place.
(An aside: My fiancé, who is as much of a culinary badass as she is everything else, recommends cooking the chicken separately and adding it on top. I back that, as that way it gets a little crunch)
Once you're down to the last bit of stock, take the pan off the heat and add it. Then, immediately put a lid on the pan and leave it for a few minutes, shaving a little parmesan on and stirring it in. Also, salt and pepper the HELL out of that thing. Seasoning is a game of chicken
No really it is. Be bloody bold and resolute. Add some damn salt.
This will give the last bit of stock time to absorb and the cooling pan will mean that the risotto gets a nice thick texture to it.
See? The deliciousness. IT BURNS.
Finally, shave a little parmesan on top and take a photo next to the dish it sort of still is!
What I learned
-Saffron is surprisingly expensive
-Risotto is surprisingly fun to make.
-Marco Pierre White excretes a lot of chicken…goo.
-I don't season Risotto enough.
Next time! More food! See you then!
Welcome to this week's Criminal Thoughts, with my learned colleague Vic Linde and myself. This week's episode, 'The Itch', was written Breen Frazier and Larry Teng. Here are some thoughts about it.
Better now.
Alasdair: Vic, what did you think of this episode's addressing of conspiracy culture and the ongoing discussion the show has with the popular perception of the FBI?
Vic: I admire the way in which the writers are able to show the negatives of the characters' jobs without making us dislike them. JJ and Kate pushing to get information was uncomfortable (and yes, rather stagey) but in character and didn't cross the line. Lisa Randall was the most interesting to me in the episode. Her subtlety was much more effective than the loud and blunt approach taken with some of the other characters.
Reid seemed to me to be the centre of the team this week, his careful delineation between diseases and his attitude towards all of the players in the game pulled everyone together. Also, I don't remember Reid ever making the call to give the profile before – I liked it!
Alasdair: Worked really didn't it? And yes, Alicia Coppola as Lisa Randall was brilliant. She's one of those actresses who's turned up everywhere for years, never quite had a breakout role but has always been the best thing in any given episode of whatever she was in. Really nice to see her doing typically good work here.
And I agree, there was a lot of really good Profiler Jedi stuff this week. I loved the not quite confrontation between Hotch and Lisa and how effortlessly, and kindly, he stepped around every single one of her defences. None of them are bad people, but all of them sometimes have to do bad things to get the job done and the show's got very good at showing us that.
Vic: Yup – it's great when you see a guest star and you know it's going to be good. She's someone who always really shows up to work. One of the things I have always enjoyed with Criminal Minds is that when you see a well-known guest you're still not sure if they are going to be a victim, suspect, un-sub or witness. Keeps us all on our toes!
The downside to showing the bad things that the profilers need to do, is that we still have to stick with them week by week so the people that they are up against can seem very cliched and I felt that a bit with this week's episode. The un-sub was a little flat, although the saving part of it was Leo's relationship with Jane, the scene in the diner and her apartment made it much neater.
Alasdair: Absolutely! There's a thing this season in particular seems to be doing where it continually takes a story to a resolution point and then…keeps going. I loved the relationship between Leo and Jane and the paranoid little world they built for themselves. It worked as a neat contrast with Lisa and also showed the weirdly attractive side of what they were doing. I also loved the snap back to reality when we saw what Lisa banging on the door sounded like to Leo. There was a hint of some Badlands-style spree killing there and whilst I'm glad they didn't go down that route, I loved that the episode poised on the brink of the situation getting much much worse.
Vic: They are doing a lot of leading this season, letting the viewers see where a story could go if the team wasn't there, which is really great to watch.
Vic: This episode felt a lot more linear, with few mis-directs and only one un-sub for the show to focus on. Did you think the simplicity worked for the story?
Alasdair: Absolutely. It's always interesting seeing a show head out into the rarified territory past the magical 7th season. Some are content to just endlessly recycle old plots, others fire spores out into the TV system to ensure they live for ever. As an aside; NCIS is 12 years old, is itself a spin off, has two active spin offs and one failed one. And CSI is about to launch another spin off having outlived it's previous two!.
But Criminal Minds does something a lot more fun and simpler. It's got a formula and some of the most well rounded and best loved characters in this sort of TV. So it's having a little fun. Stories are getting stripped back, ideas are being played with and it's really working. It's almost like the mechanisms of the show are mirroring the training of the BAU. They're professional. They've got this under control.
Vic: The only downside that I can see is that it feels a little like we've drifted from our original gang of crimefighters. I normally really dislike the 'let's focus on one character to make them seem real' episodes but right now I'd like an episode that really looked at JJ, Hotch, Rossi or Morgan. It seems like we've not touched base with them lately.
Alasdair: I agree, but I also think we're starting to see that addressed a little. I wonder if this season was designed to have a few done-in-ones at the start so Callahan can settle in. Of course, Callahan hasn't needed a lot of settling in (Again, JLH was tremendously good fun this episode) but it makes sense to structure the season that way. Plus they've sort of toyed with personal episodes with the Garcia vs the Death Penalty plot.
But yeah, I agree. It'll be nice to get back to some people focused episodes. Also, the line for the Kevin solo episode starts here.
Vic: And they are putting Kate with each of the members of the team to make sure the chemistry and balance between them is shown. Kate and Morgan in the next episode hopefully! Always more Kevin. The amount of affection for each and every one of the characters is a real testament to how well the show is crafted. Ten seasons in and none of them are dry, and they have managed it without continuously patching the backstory. Although I watched a fair bit of this episode with my hands in front of my eyes (oh god, the roaches!) it was well-paced, if a little weaker than last week's awesome episode.
Alasdair: Likewise and DEFINITELY likewise on the roaches (AAAAAAAAGETITOFFME). And good spot on the Kate and X show! And yeah, let's hope it's Morgan next week. Either way, thanks as ever to SSA Vic Linde for her peerless insight and you for reading. We'll see you next week on Criminal Thoughts
Liam Neeson has become visual shorthand. You cast Neeson in a movie and you're hanging out a very specific shingle. This is a film about a good, troubled man who has problems with technology and who will calmly and methodically beat to death anyone who stands between him and his family.
Or his prey.
Or often both.
Either way, there's going to be punching. Large, angry, Irish punching.
It's a compelling image and its given rise to some of the most entertaining action movies since the turn of the century.
It's also not strictly true. A Walk Among The Tombstones proves why.
Adapted from the Lawrence Bloch novel, it casts Neeson as Matthew Scudder, a former NYPD officer turned unlicensed private eye. Superficially, and certainly as presented in the trailers, Scudder is every inch the standard Neesonian archetype. He's got blood on his hands and has entered the same near monastic level of engagement with the world as Bryan Mills or John Ottway.
But the similarities are only skin deep. Firstly, Scudder's a man at peace with his demons. Mills, like the new version of The Equalizer, has shut himself off from his unique set of skills. Ottway has fled to Alaska to either embrace his grief or escape it. Scudder, by contrast, lives in the same city and does the same work. He has blood on his hands but he knows the only thing that will wash it off is time.
That's an important distinction, both from Mills and Ottway and from the action heroes that came before them. A lot, most of it very good, has been written about the vast spectrum of aging action movies that we're currently in the middle of. To my mind Neeson, and Denzel Washington, are doing some of the most interesting work in the field and that emotional distinction between Scudder and Neeson's past roles proves why. His take on Scudder is equal parts relaxed and resigned, a man comfortable with his life and himself. It's a world away from the cops on the edge and motormouth smartasses of the '80s and '90s and just as far away from Neeson's previous roles in the field. Matt Scudder isn't a man seeking redemption, he's a man doing penance.
The method of that penance is the other major difference. He's a recovering alcoholic and the emphasis is on the first word rather than the second. We see him tell the same story, and the same joke, about the day he stopped drinking several times. The first time it feels natural and sincere. The second time we can tell it's rehearsed. The final time, he tells the truth; that he quit the NYPD, and alcohol, after a young girl was killed in the crossfire of his 'heroic' moment. Even then it's implied, heavily, that there's more to his decision. The movie opens not only with a flashback to this incident but the loaded conversation Scudder has with his partner just before it happens. Later there are several jokes about him being a corrupt police officer and he denies none of them. The man in the flashback is completely different to the Scudder we see in the present day. He's cocky and belligerent, a flamboyant drunk. A cop on the edge. The entire movie, and Scudder's entire personality, is built on what happens when he's thrown over that edge.
That brings us to the final major shift. Scudder spends the entire movie getting as far away from physical combat as possible. He's capable of, and good at, it but he's an intellectual; a looking glass where Mills or Ottway are a blade. He's also, and again this is never said out loud, clearly repulsed by guns following the incident that opens the movie.
In a lesser movie, that repulsion and the inevitable return to arms, would play as trite. Here, because Neeson's Scudder is such a reticent, quiet lead it's done with a surprising amount of emotional weight. The climactic fights are horrific, confusing, untidy affairs that Scudder is one of the very few survivors of. The trajectory of each is the same as the trajectory of the shot that changed his life; completely unpredictable. As the movie closes we understand not only why he's so reluctant to use violence but also just how lucky he is.
The final reel is also where the film plays its most interesting, card. There's a running dialogue through the film between Scudder and Kenny Kristo, wife of one of the murder victims and high end drug dealer. Played with tight, controlled grief by Dan Stevenson, Kenny's a clenched ball of rage, grief and guilt. At the end of the movie, he's given a choice between vengeance and the law. He chooses vengeance, and you sit forward, expecting that to be the moment where Scudder finds a mean street to walk off down. Instead, he leaves, stops, and then goes back to reason with Kenny.
We're told why by the monologue, reciting the 12 steps of AA recovery, that punctuates and comments on the final act. Sometimes it's a stark contrast to what's happening but more often it's a window into Scudder's head. He's a man whose recovery has been built on care and diligence. He can't leave someone else in a worse position than he was in when he started recovery. It's trained compassion but its still compassion and, as important, shows just how different he is from Neeson's other roles. Mills, Ottway and Sky Marshal Bill Marks in particular are all men looking for their defining moment. Scudder's found his and the peace that comes on the other side of it. His struggle isn't to get there, but to stay there. He's walking the mean streets not because he must, but because he's at peace.
A Walk Among The Tombstones is in my local cinema at least right now and I keep thinking about seeing it again. You should too. And buy the book, also available now.
WWE DVD releases are always interesting to review. Their production crew is one of the best on the planet and each one of these discs manages to present an intimate, often entertaining snapshot of a career. The fact those snapshots are often carefully constructed versions of history makes them interesting for very different reasons. Stalinist history-making is alive and well and churning out 12-15 discs a year from deep in the wilds of Connecticut.
Every now and then though, you get a disc that plays differently. The CM Punk set, 'Best in the World' from a couple of years ago is a great example. It was, at the very least marketed, as being a documentary that was more under the control of the performer than the production office. It's certainly one of the most brutally honest, and often very funny, discs the WWE has put out. It's possible some of it may not be authentic but it's all presented as though it was. The magician stands on stage and pulls a rabbit out of a transparent hat. It's ambiguously honest and honestly ambiguous. That's exactly where Paul Heyman has spent his entire career.
The first disc in the set is a full length documentary that follows Heyman from his years as a professional wrestling photographer through to the present day. Like 'Best in the World' a sizable chunk of it is the subject talking to camera and, like that set, it's a smart choice. Heyman's passionate full-speed intellect is on display throughout and the disc's strongest point is how it tracks the way he's changed. The wide-eyed boy photographer transitions to the screaming Hell Yuppie of the Paul E. Dangerously years and from there to the mad scientist who built Extreme Championship Wrestling. That's the thing Heyman is known for and also the first point where the disc feels produced. The hand of Connecticut Stalin doesn't close but it does twitch and what we get feels like the edited highlights. That's understandable, given the storied history of ECW and the genuinely brilliant documentaries produced about it, but it also strikes a bum note. The Mass Transit and Crucifixion incidents are defining moments in Heyman's career and to have them glossed over here feels disingenuous.
Interestingly, Heyman's fractious first run with the WWE is dealt with far more openly. He, Stephanie McMahon and others all talk about how Heyman's dedication to making Smackdown the A show was what ultimately led to him being fired. He was, even after the near total burnout at the end of ECW, still so driven that he didn't know when to quit. It's an interesting, honest admission that marks a very clear change in Heyman now as opposed to Heyman then. He knows that he does this, and can now watch for it and work around it. The mad scientist has learnt to be a politician. Paul E.Dangerously has finally taken a call instead of making them.
But again, Connecticut Stalinism rears its head. The catastrophic mismanagement of the 'new' ECW is touched on but never explored whilst Heyman's partnership with CM Punk is relegated to a footnote. Instead, we get an in depth exploration of his work with Brock Lesnar and a wrap up which almost takes the bad taste of the revisionism away. Heyman, it seems, is at his happiest working with new talent because even now he's still a student of the game as much as a teacher. It's that openness, that honesty and willingness to learn that has driven him at least as much as his much vaunted 'hustle'. Paul Heyman loves what he does, and that love is one of the most honest, belligerent, entertaining things in modern professional wrestling. It shines through in every frame here, honestly ambiguous and ambiguously honest. Paul Heyman, the mad scientist of the grey area, taking a well deserved bow.
Normally the extra discs in sets like this are collections of matches. Here that's not practical so, instead, we get a wide array of Heyman's promos. He's one of the four greatest talkers in professional wrestling history so it's an immensely fun watch. Once again, it's also a deliciously ambiguous one. Heyman's honest emotion at being allowed to bring ECW back at One Night Stand is tempered by a promo that's one part venomous one part stand-up comedy routine.
It's a stark contrast to the opening promo of the 'new' ECW where Heyman's disgust at what's been done to his baby is louder than anything he says.
However, it's the CM Punk 'obituary' that will stay with you though; Heyman sent out to a Chicago crowd to explain why their favourite son, and his friend, isn't in the building. Sitting cross legged in the middle of the ring, Heyman lays out everything that's happened, blames the fans for Punk's departure, puts Punk over, puts himself over and eviscerates the company at the same time as boosting it. It's an astonishing performance, angry, honest, fabricated and sad all at once. The mad scientist may have taken a bow, but he's only going to be done when he decides to be.
Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray for around £30
Welcome back to Criminal Thoughts. Every week I and my friend Vic Linde will ask each other a single question about that week's episode of Criminal Minds. Sometimes it'll be arc plot, sometimes character-based and sometimes it will be 'Just how magnificent is Penelope Garcia?'
The answer to that one is always, without exception, 'Completely.'
With that in mind, here's our thoughts for episode 3 of Season 10, 'A Thousand Suns', written by Sharon Lee Watson and directed by Rob Bailey.
Vic: So, in this episode we finally have a return to green screen for the crime scenes and a return to form for the show. What did you think about the detachment of this particular case? We saw little of the background of the un-sub and with so many victims we learnt almost nothing about them either.
Alasdair: Excellent question. Regarding the greenscreen, I actually applauded a bit:) I've always loved the way CM takes the time to walk us, literally, through the deductive process of the characters. It's where the show is quietly at it's most punky and subversive, simultaneously showing us thought process and then upending that process when necessary. Plus I liked that on a case this technically large it was used to explain a lot of the technical side of things. Also, Spencer Reid, techno nerd WILL NOT BE DENIED. You have to respect that.
Also, the image of Reid walking down the aisle of the plane surrounded by ghosts was chilling and maybe could have done with more screen time.
Regarding the victims, I think that's where the episode fell down. I was grinding my teeth in that opening sequence as we plodded through the array of usual airline passengers. Kid minus diaper? Check. Increasingly irritable businessman? Check. Imminent bridal couple? Check.
Regarding the unsub, I rather liked the fakeout on Disco Hair Flak vest, the survivalist and I could see where they were going with the Kozinski-alike. But, like you I could maybe have done with learning some more about him.
Vic: I also, really liked the fakeout, it's one of the things they always seem to do brilliantly. They play on the audience's perception of stereotypes and then twist them. We are so conditioned to see things in one way and I always enjoyed being messed with by a show!
I found the lack of insight into the victims interesting, rather than a negative point. One person dies: we know all about them. One hundred people die: statistics and little else. I think it says a lot about how we view death and how the media portrays death. But yeah, the list of "people that are always on a plane" was more than a bit eye-rolling.
The way that they are handling the introduction of Kate is as good as it has been in the last couple of episodes. Careful and slow, making her stronger as she reveals her personality rather than weaker.
Alasdair: I like your point about it being a mirror of the statistical response. Good call:)
Yes, SSA Callahan is endearing herself to me more and more every single time she speaks. When we had the 'my sister died in 911' so close to the death of so many Central Casting tropes I was pretty worried. But the line about 'I don't want to be that weepy agent with the tragic past.' was just glorious:) The only way it could have worked better would have been if Jennifer Love Hewitt had turned to camera, given it the finger guns and gone 'See? SEE?! I GOT this, assholes. STEP OFF.'
Also the fact that she, JJ and Garcia instantly get on brilliantly is great. I demand an entire episode of karaoke.
Vic: A good time to also say how much I love Reid's Reidness. The fact that they pause to let him do his genius-thing and also the lovely little piece where Garcia flags up that while Reid's statistics might show that the team is safer flying, she is governed by emotions and wishes they were in a car.
The way that JJ, Kate and Garcia get along is part of a wider theme. Since Morgan settled into his place with Hotch's return there has been no rivalry. It's the BAU against the bad guys, not in-fighting. I'm very relieved they have stopped some of the FBI politics, fighting the boss and trying to keep the team together this season.
Alasdair: Yes!The little grace note with Garcia was especially lovely and highlighted one of the things I love about her. She's brilliant, logical, rational and completely instinctive and intuitive at the same time. Just a fantastic character and performance.
And agreed, the total lack of bullshit is incredibly refreshing. It never threatened to choke the show, and the boss-fighting did lead to my favorite ever Hotch speech, but it's so nice to see it gone. The interesting thing is what will replace it. I could quite happily watch a full season or four of 'Incredibly competent, compassionate FBI agents fight crime.' Here's hoping we get that.
Alasdair: The other thing that really jumped out at me this episode was the scale of the case. Not just the death toll but the fact they were working with other organizations. How did you think that altered the tone of the show? And do you think the Homeland Security officer in particular worked as a character?
Vic: Commander Reardon instantly won points for saying 'whackadoodle'. Otherwise it seemed a little flat. It was good to see both Homeland Security and the FAA guy, Hosswell, bringing new things to the table but because there were two other officials it felt like we didn't see enough of either of them.
One of the ongoing great things about the set-up of Criminal Minds is that they have to be invited into cases so not only are the un-subs and victims changing but also their allies. It makes for a very interesting dynamic. If we find ourselves in the eyes of others, this mechanism allows us to see each of the main characters of the show in a clearer light.
Alasdair: Agreed, Reardon and Hosswell were both nicely handled. I especially liked the fact that neither had an agenda beyond stopping another attack. HS in particular have been as bad as the Russian mafia were for lazy, dialled in antagonists and it was nice to see that change. Like you I could have done with more of both of them but did think Reardon had one of the best moments of the episode with this exchange:
'Is it my race or my gender?'
'Probably both.'
The self awareness shown there is something uniformed characters on shows like this rarely get to have but she was great. Also loved that she moved the planes off when told to and was far more concerned with saving lives than scoring points. And that actually ties back into your point about seeing the other characters in a clearer light; given the team's uniformity of purpose it's interesting that three episodes in they've been met with total cooperation from everyone they work with.
Vic: They have changed the obstacles without moving the goalposts, something hard to do in a show that's been running this long. We haven't yet seen the overall arc of the season clearly, although it feels as though it is likely to be a thematic arc rather than connected to an un-sub, unless the Episode One kidnappings come back into play. The scale of the investigation, the subtle character advancement and the extras worked really well in this episode. My favourite for a long time, hopefully we'll see more of the same throughout the season.
Agreed. Thanks for the magnificent insight as ever, Vic. We'll both be back here next week for more Criminal Thoughts. See you then
I'm hungry.
Welcome BACK to Al Dente and Oh Good LORD it's been too long since I wrote that. One and a half houses, a couple of jobs and a new county later here we are! In Milton Keynes! Which is a little like living in a 1980s Doctor Who episode or a really, really nice bit of Mega City 1! Also, Buckinghamshire weather does not mess about as the torrential rain, wind and slight hint of Inspector Morse on the air is telling me today.
Anyway, let's Al Dente this thing. We are, of course, singing from the songbook of St Jamie:
(We lug in his name)
Specificially, his new book, JAMIE'S COMFORT FOOD. Now, this has appeal to me for two reasons; firstly because a new cookbook is like a new territory, ready to be mapped into deliciousness and secondly because I love comfort food. In fact, had I produced this book it would probably have been called ALASDAIR'S YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S JUST SAY BOLLOCKS TO THIS AND MAKE SOME CHIPS AND NORTHERN FRIED CHICKEN. AGAIN. With the sequel of course being ALASDAIR'S OH, CAKE, REALLY? YES PLEASE THAT WOULD BE LOVELY.
But it's the Jamietron so Comfort Food is what we get. And what's the first one out of the gate?
Toad in the Hole!
Could have been worse, could have been Spotted Dick.
You can get cream for-
What've we got up there, Victor?
From the left:
-Jamie's new book. Looking very dapper.
-Plain flour
-Eggs galore (I used 4 but took 6 out of the fridge, always play with their minds)
-Chicken stock. Yes, fear us puny mortals because the chicken-y gelatinous excrescence of Marco Pierre White has returned! RETURNEDDDDDDDD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
-HP Sauce
-Some Lincolnshire sausages
-Some milk
-Some pepper
-Some Roasted Garlic Olive Oil
So, what's first? The gravy! And, mild psychological trauma!
First off, chop the onions. I went for two. There are any number of ways to do this but I favour the 'Chop them in half, then finely slice them length ways until the entire onion collapses and you just randomly hack at it until the bits are small enough.'
Yelling 'RETURN TO THE HELL YOU CAME FROM, DARK ROOT LORD!' is optional but I find provides added spice.
And speaking of spice, and trauma, as we were, here's the other thing you need to chop.
Oh yes.
'But Alasdair!' I imagine you crying, 'Why is sausage meat going in the gravy for a meal whose meat component is sausages?'
Because Britain, gentle readers. Because Britain. We should count ourselves lucky there aren't digestive biscuits, a Morris Minor and a picture of Dan Dare in there too.
So here's what you do; you chop the end off the sausage and you squeeze from the other end so all the meat comes out into a frying pan. Add the onions and cook both until the onions are translucent and you've been cooking them for so long you have a beard and your arm has fused to the pan.
Now, this is the bit where Jamie (We lug in his name)'s portion control goes a little Mr Creosote. All the Comfort Food recipes are for 8-15,000 people and because there's just the two of us I cut it in half. In most cases this was fine and led to left overs. In one, it led to wackiness.
This is the wackiness.
He wants you to put some oil in the bottom of a dish and start heating it. That's all well and good. Then he wants you to put the sausages in another dish and heat them for 20 minutes. Again, fair enough because you're going to be cooking the onions till Christmas anyway.
Now, I didn't quite realize that he was making Toad in the Hole AND Yorkshire Pudding because, well, that's like making cheese on toast with a side order of extra toast.
Which actually sounds pretty good.
I'm not making my case very well.
Anyway, the point is this; the recipe actually calls for both Toad in the Hole and Yorkshire Pudding. This surprised me somewhat and there was this whole screwball comedy thing with the sausages being moved through three separate dishes but it's fine now. It's FINE.
Also I may want cheese on toast.
So, with the oil and sausages heating, it's time to put a salt in some batter-y! HA! HA! Oh God. Look I've not done one of these in a year and that's easily the worst joke I'll write so let me have this one.
Here's how you make the batter;
-Put 700 grams of flour in a bowl.
- If you're Jamie and you're following your own recipe, also add a 450 ml bottle of Hoegarden beer or something similar.
-Add Rosemary sprigs.
-If you're me, discover that no supermarket near you stocks any beer that looks even a little like that and become horrified by the concept of Lager flavored Toad Batter. Also the phrase Toad Batter. Buy some nice Cheerios instead and leave.
-Return home
-Put ingredients in bowl. Whisk crap out of them, add salt and 500 ml of milk.
The secret here is seasoned batter because Toad Batter is like British pancake batter, it's a delivery system you eat. If it tastes of flour, eggs and milk then it's not going to taste of much at all. If it tastes of Rosemary, salt, pepper and a little paprika say, then you're on a winner.
With the Toad batter (Gag) now complete, split it into two jugs and add one to the oil you've been heating. The other gets poured over those sausages you've been baking.
I SWEAR it looks better than this when it's done.
Then, back in the oven for both at 200 degrees again for 30 minutes.
And no, the gravy still isn't bloody done.
But! In about 20 of those Earth minutes, it will be. When it is, take the following:
-2 tablespoons of HP Sauce
-The gelatinous chicken excrescence
-Two tablespoons of flour
-750ml of water
And add them all to the onions and sausage meat. The water will need to be gradual, and by gradual I mean across a whole 5-11 seconds whilst the rest can just go straight in. Stir it all in, crank the heat up and cook it down until it's the consistency you want.
Also? You will have lumps in there. You don't have to. This isn't one of those recipes where you have to be precious or anything. If you need to? Get the stick blender or mixer out and whisk that gravy to life.
Then, take it all out of the oven and you get…this!
More food than ANY two humans can safely eat! Hurray!
What I learned
-Jamie Oliver really likes Yorkshire Pudding
-The heating the oil beforehand technique is actually a bit brilliant. Look at Pudzilla on the left there! Thing looks like a loaf!
-The recipe either recommends too much oil or I put too much in there
-Gravy with meat in it is in fact as delicious as cheese on toast with extra toast.
-I really like doing these.
So there you go! I'll do these weekly from now on so join me next Wednesday for more deliciousness! Thanks, folks!
Tim Minchin is a stand up comedian, a musician, a writer, a poet and a skeptic. His work on the musical version of Matilda is genuinely brilliant and the fact he's currently writing a Groundhog Day musical has me positively giddy. He's an immensely talented, versatile figure.
But he's also one that I've never felt entirely comfortable with. This new graphic novel version of 'Storm' both shows why, and shows it's time for me to move past that.
Adapted by DC Turner and Tracy King from their superb animated version linked above, 'Storm' is the story of a disastrous dinner party debate between Minchin and Storm. Storm is a believer in every sense of the word; a tattooed new age tornado of aromatherapy, auras and the afterlife. Minchin is the increasingly drunk, increasingly annoyed embodiment of scepticism. The battle line runs neatly down the middle of the table.
Superficially, it's everything that drove me away from a lot of Minchin's work and the skeptic movement in one beautifully illustrated package; an all out Kaiju war between two equally entrenched and self-righteous viewpoints. Intellectually, I sit a lot closer to Minchin than Storm but it's a pretty uncomfortable side of the table at times. I'm a resting liberal Catholic and have a healthily skeptical interest in elements of the paranormal. Both of those were cited by an author on Minchin's side of the table (But not Minchin to be clear) as being symptoms of mental illness a few years ago.
Like I say, uncomfortable.
The reason is that for both sides ,it's a debate that assumes a binary state. You're either 100% skeptic or you believe everything without question. Both sides are wrong and both sides push people away as a result.
That's the bad news.
The good news you get a pretty great view from the middle of the table.
Minchin mines a rich seam of self-deprecation throughout and the first half of the piece is more about him trying to control himself for the sake of the other guests than Storm's credulity tsunami. This is both endearing and remarkably well observed. This sort of situation, where civility is balanced on a knife edge, is one a lot of people have encountered and it's explored really well. Turner and King have a great eye for physical comedy and you get the same increasingly desperate (And funny) eyeline conversations we've all had that end about as well as you could expect. Even the final line, which is about as epic a 'Fuck You' as anyone could manage in these circumstances works in this context. On the one hand it's intensely arrogant. On the other it's an upfront acknowledgement of how little the conversation has achieved. It's a closing joke, but one with barbs that fire across both sides of the table.
But the highlight of both poem and book is the section that opens at around 7:40 on the video above with the line 'Isn't this enough?'. On the page that absolutely sings, opening with a double page starfield that draws your eye across its full scale before letting you move on. That entire section is full of the one thing some sceptic writers can't seem to get to; emotion. There's pure unalloyed joy in everything Minchin says there and it's communicated on the page through wonderful, friendly, expressive artwork.
This is vital. Turner and King have an elegant, accessible approach and style that emphasizes just how inclusive Minchin's world view is. It isn't Storm's views that offend him it's the fact they're blinding her to the incredible world around her. The second you realize this, the argument becomes more of a debate than an intellectual shoving match. It's not that Storm isn't thinking big, it's that she isn't thinking big ENOUGH.
Storm embodies everything that works about comics. Turner and King's easy going, accessible style takes in the epic scope of the conversation but keeps it grounded and, crucially, more even handed than the original monologue. In doing so it not only ensures that the point is made but it shows both sides in a very different, light. It may not be the most relaxed dinner party but, thanks to Minchin, Turner, King and Storm it's a far more welcoming one than it first appeared to be.
Storm will be available from the 16th of October priced £12.99
There's a critical trajectory that every first season of superhero-based TV shows seems to follow. Good premises and interesting casts that are forced to run in place for a half season until the show figures out what it wants to be or, in the case of Agents of SHIELD, the movie the show's entire arc plot is dedicated to is finally released.
It's a tough gig. James Gordon and Harvey Bullock should be used to those but, based on last night, Gotham is going to be a tough case to crack.
Let's get the good stuff up front because it's there and because it's me. Ben Mackenzie is flat out brilliant as the young Detective James Gordon. There's no 'tache, no trench coat but there's the world weary compassion of Jim Gordon's later years in abundance. His quiet refusal to fire his weapon, his wounded idealism and the shit-eating smug look he gets when he's outmaneuvered Bullock are all vintage Gordon. If the shows lasts the full 7-10, this is going to be the role that makes Mackenzie's career in a way not even The OC managed. He's tightly wound, slightly manic and extremely buttoned down. At one point he's described as having a little danger in his eyes and that's exactly what it is. Jim Gordon looks like he could start to enjoy himself in Gotham and has no idea whether or not that's a bad thing.
Donal Logue, standing next to him, could have fallen back on the broad strokes of Harvey Bullock. There are plenty of them after all; smart mouth, bad attitude, high functioning alcoholic, health problems and a nodding acquaintance with protocol. Throw all of that under a prosthetic gut and a pork pie hat and you've got a character who'll steal every scene he's in.
But that isn't what Logue does. His Bullock is grumpy, corrupt and clearly a drunk but none of it's signposted. At one point he and Gordon go for breakfast at a diner and Bullock pulls out a bottle of Pepto Bismol and a hip flask, doctors his coffee and has at it. Later he and Gordon talk about his drinking in a conversation that lasts exactly two sentences. It's all subtext and, right now, that's all it needs to be. Logue's world weary, crumpled Detective is far quieter and more aware than he lets on and he gets two of the best lines of the episode. His tired, but proud 'Attaboy' when Gordon apparently kills the Penguin is particularly great.
Elsewhere, Sean Pertwee is hugely impressive with around 15 lines of dialogue. His Alfred Pennyworth is dapper, pocket-watched and utterly cockney and the contrast is fascinating. This looks to be Alfred as former soldier/thug, something the Batman mythos has dabbled with before but never for such an extended period of time. Like Mackenzie and Logue, he underplays to great effect. His best line is when he and Gordon meet for the first time. Gordon swears to find the Wayne's killers and Alfred's response, 'Good luck, mate', is shot through with scepticism, regret and pity. It's a brilliantly handled, desperately poignant moment made more so by the half-heard instructions he gives Bruce as he leads the boy away; 'Stand up straight. Don't let them see you cry.'
Those three men look set to be a rock solid foundation the rest of the show can build on. Based on the pilot, it's going to need all of them.
Over the space of one episode, Gotham has introduced us to the future Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin and Poison Ivy. More are apparently to come. With the exception of the Penguin, absolutely none of them have the screen time they need to register. Catwoman witnesses the Wayne murder, the Riddler is a GCPD CSI and Ivy is the daughter of the initial suspect in the killings. Each one gets some screen time, the RIddler gets some dialogue and none of them bring anything to the table. I have no doubt they'll all pay off down the line but by the time Bullock's belittling Edward Nygma for everything being a RIDDLE you feel beaten round the head by the obvious stick. If the show wants to establish an identity, it can't push the fan service button so hard the casing cracks every single week.
That sense of narrative architecture winning out over character is especially apparent with Detective Renee Montoya. Like Bullock she's one of the most longstanding, and interesting, members of the Batman supporting cast. Unlike Bullock, she comes off poorer in the transition to TV. Repositioning her as a secret lover of Gordon's fiancé feels like cackhanded soap opera that damages both characters very badly. Worse, in trying to address Montoya's sexuality up front the show has, so far, sensationalized it. It's early days, and Victoria Cartagena is great in the role but if the show needs a course correction it's with the entire b plot involving Montoya and Barbara. Dealing with the former relationship honestly would be fascinating, dealing with it with this level of secrecy and faux intensity feels like Dynasty and damages everything involved, especially Montoya.
The hard charging nature of Gotham proves it has all the bustle and energy it needs but right now it's all misdirected. Somehow the pilot manages to be both frantic and dull, the various plot elements stand next to each other rather than mesh and the whole thing feels disjointed. If it can get past the pathological need to cram Batman mythos down its viewers throats every quarter hour and focus on the characters it has huge potential. If it can't, then it, like James Gordon, will need all the luck it can get.
Gotham airs at 9pm on Channel 5 in the UK.
There are some of the usual suspects on display, from the first Martian sunset photographed by the Viking lander to some breathtaking Apollo shots. It's exactly the sort of stuff I love, all functional 1960s tech that's largely made of tinfoil, endeavor and stark, beautiful landscapes. I'm a mark for manned spaceflight, that'll never change and these photos are a big reason why.
But, in amongst the usual shots are a few less well known ones. Less well focused too. These are shots taken by astronauts in mid-flight and they're, I think, more affecting than the perfect ones. Take a look at this:
That's Ed White, who would die a few years later in the horrific Apollo 1 fire. He's being filmed by James McDivitt during a spacewalk on their Gemini 4 mission in 1965. He's in space, tethered to what amounts to the world's first and to date only convertible spaceship, pointed nose down at New Mexico traveling at genuinely astonishing speeds around the planet he was born on. It's an extraordinary view, from an extraordinary craft of an extraordinary moment and the thing that makes it for me?
It's a bit of a crap shot.
White's off to one side, there's a hint of motion blur and the whole thing's out of focus and that makes it truly beautiful. This isn't just a photograph of an amazing moment, it's a photograph of an emotional state. This is the fizzing joy of discovery and adventure and pushing the envelope encoded into one man's excited, gauntleted hand and caught in amber. This is the spirit of adventure, jittery and excited and desperate for more even as it stops to take in the amazing world around it. This is why I love spaceflight and this is, of course, this week's Sunday Moment of Zen.


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Mission Beach House Rental Photos and Description
3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, 1 half bathroom, sleeps 7
Prime location in South Mission Beach, a spacious two-story penthouse, 1650 sq feet with top-of-the-line finishes and appliances, a view BBQ deck and steps to the sand 1/2 block to Mission Bay, and 1 block to Mission Beach. 3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, contemporary duplex top unit with separate garage entry, private outdoor shower, hardwood floors, cozy carpet in two bedrooms, walnut floors in huge master bedroom with walk-in closet and French Doors to BBQ deck. Beautiful Pella windows in every room on 2 or 3 sides provide incredible ventilation, light and vistas through the charming neighborhood from the marina and bay on the east, to the ocean on the west., with custom shutters and window coverings. Sleeps up to 7, with 3 Queen bedrooms, and a queen airbed for extra guests. Fully equipped with all amenities, linens, towels, beach gear, cookware and dishes. Laundry room with HE appliances. Wifi, cable and utilities included.
Surrounded by flowering plants and palms, 50' Plasma TV in the living room. In summer the deck and patio doors are open just about all of the time to take advantage of the cool pacific breeze. Balconies with views surround the top floor. Master bedroom is extra spacious with walnut floors, study area, French Doors opening to view deck, a master bath with huge skylight, counter with double sinks, custom walk-in tile shower with a rain shower head, and large double-sided walk-in closet. Windows on three sides and French Doors open to the upper deck with bay views. Second bath in upstairs hall. There is an additional 1/2 bathroom on the main floor and a private outdoor shower to wash off after the beach. There will never be a wait with 3 bathrooms and 3 showers!
There is a full size washer and dryer inside the unit's laundry room.
There are 3 off street parking spaces, including double garage, with direct access into the unit, plus room for bicycles.
Storage room next to garage for is perfect for stashing wetsuits, strollers, extra luggage, golf clubs, etc. inside at ground level. Recreation abounds less than 100 yards away. Walk to the beach in
under a minute and stroll or skate along gorgeous Mission Beach, or
you can choose to go along Mission Bay where it is quieter and
uncrowded. Catch the sunset over the blue Pacific! Located 5 houses
from Mission Bay and 10 houses from the Pacific Ocean, you will be
only minutes from Sea World, La Jolla, Balboa Park and The San Diego
Zoo, Seaport Village, and downtown, with its great new ballpark and
historic gas lamp quarter.
Activities and attractions : San Diego is famous as an outdoor lover's paradise. Swimming,
boating, surfing, cycling, skating, running, scuba diving and deep
sea fishing are some of the activities that abound in its beautiful
climate. There is also world class shopping in the lovely upscale
village of La Jolla, as well as numerous shopping malls throughout
the area. Mexico is only a half hour drive or trolley ride to
the south!
Sea World is 2 miles away and an easy bike ride. The World Famous
San Diego Zoo is 10 miles and the Wild Animal Park and Lego Land are
under 45 minutes. The Del Mar Race Track is under 1/2 hour drive
strait up the coast.
- Suitability:
- Long-term Renters Welcome
- children welcome
- non smoking only

subset: commoncrawl


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Cresta Coaches and mini bus hire, providing a reliable and professional service to Bridgend and the surrounding area.
Every business on thebestof is recommended by local people just like you...
from Cove Digital
from Rent-A-Tech Vehicle Services
from Shades Hair And Beauty
Christopher E
said about:
A 5 star service. As a technophob I haven't a clue of which button does what like the one that says "uninstall".... Added November 2014
I am a total technophob and am okay when the programmes and forms are already on the laptop (it's only a small netbook as I have a disability and the netbook is the right size for my needs). Last week I pressed to many buttons and tried to then remove them!... Added November 2014
Andrew D
said about:
Vale Caterers, catering, Bridgend
Just a note to thank you for yesterday, the food was delicious and your staff were wonderful as always. Many people commented on the superb buffet so thank you.
Added November 2014
Bridgend Youth Theatre has nurtured the careers of many budding actors stage technicians and is still going strong. New members welcome.
Meditation Classes in Bridgend. These classes are suitable for all.
Please note there is no fixed charge, classes are donation based to cover costs or room hire, expenses etc.
When all the other car boots are closing for winter, we'll still be here, we're open all year round to help the Community recycle and provide bargains.
Bridgend Buisness Networking Hosted every 2 weeks on Tuesday from the 17th April at Pantruthyn Farm
The Ugly Ducking performed by Sherman Cymru will be showing at Grand Pavilion Porthcawl this November
Christmas Craft Fayre
Pyle Garden Centre
Get your hair done at Shades Hair & Beauty in Bridgend and receive a free delicious cupcake to enjoy.
Charity Christmas Fayre - All proceeds are donated to Cancer Research Wales
Come along to the Aberkenfig Welsh Language reading group on the first Tuesday of every month


text:
Originally written on Fox Sports Southwest | Last updated 11/9/14
DALLAS (AP) -- SMU and Larry Brown have an agreement in place for the Hall of Fame coach to return to college for the first time in nearly a quarter century. Brown has agreed to take the job after several days of negotiations, according to a person who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because no official announcement had been made. The agreement was first reported by the Dallas Morning News, citing an unidentified source. SMU, which is moving from Conference USA to the much tougher Big East in 2013, fired Matt Doherty last month after six seasons. The Mustangs haven't won an NCAA tournament game since 1988, the year Brown led Kansas to the national championship in his last season as a college coach. The 71-year-old Brown, the only coach to win an NBA championship and NCAA title, hasn't coached since leaving the Charlotte Bobcats in December 2010 after the team's 9-19 start. His contract there was to run through the end of the current se...
Original Story: http://www.foxsportssouthwest.com/04/...
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Reviews, reviews, reviews...
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out of 10 based on 369 scores.
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The Top 10 In Action Sports
015 Action Sports You Should Try On Your Gap Year
02This Crazy Dude Climbed Up A 900ft Chimney – With No Ropes!
03Did Dan Atherton And Red Bull Just Create The Toughest Downhill Track Ever?
04Parkour Porn: This Naked London Photo Shoot Will Leave You Stunned
05£214 Million Is About To Be Pumped Into British Cycling...
06GoPro Are Launching Their Own Drone... And It Will Be Cheaper Than You Think
07Bored Of Commuting? Next Year You Could Be Able To Get To Work By Trampoline
0810 Mountain Bike Inventions That Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
09Want To Be A Better Skater? These Scientific Secrets Will Help You On Your Way
10It Has Killed Five People, But This Monster Wave Looks Pretty Different Beneath The Surface…
Terminal 1 Presents - Rob Welch - MTB`s can shred Park
A Mountain Biking video by T1 Park - 20,042 views
Lets be honest and face it - amongst the BMX community Mtb`s in a skatepark are about as popular as getting an STI, Jedward or a broken leg! However Rob Welch can ride it tech and big with the best of them. This short edit is hopefully going to show you once and for all that MTB`s can if ridden well - be accepted into the park. Rob is a quality guy - genuine, passionate and I have really enjoyed spending time on and off the bike with him recently - Here is to 2012 pal and all the comps, road trips, pictures and videos we are yet to make
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Dr. Weller is Professor of Preventive Medicine and Community Health. She has published a series of meta-analyses on the effectiveness of condoms in reducing the sexual transmission of HIV. In 1999, a meta-analysis published in Family Planning Perspectives found that condoms reduced the risk of contracting HIV by approximately 80%. In 2000, the study was redone (funded by the Horizons Project of the Population Council) for the Cochrane Libraries of meta-analyses. Dr. Weller's other research interests concern the measurement of beliefs about AIDS and other diseases.
|A Paige Adams, DVM, PhD (adjunct faculty)
|Gregg N Milligan, PhD
|Christine Arcari, PhD, MPH
|Vladimir L Motin, PhD
|Beth Auslander, PhD
|Martin G Myers, MD
|Samuel Baron, MD
|Joan E Nichols, PhD
|Alan DT Barrett, PhD
|David W Niesel, PhD
|David WC Beasley, PhD
|Juan P. Olano, MD
|Dennis A. Bente, DVM, PhD
|Slobodan Paessler, DVM, PhD
|Abbey B Berenson, MD, MMS, PhD
|Janak A Patel, MD
|Nigel Bourne, PhD
|Johnny Peterson, PhD
|Donald Bouyer, PhD
|Anson Pierce, PhD
|Werner A Braun, PhD
|Richard B Pyles, PhD
|Alexander Bukreyev, PhD
|Mahbubar Rahman, MBBS, PhD, MPH
|Antonella Casola, MD
|Vincente Resto, MD, PhD
|Tasnee Chonmaitree, MD
|Victor E Reyes, PhD
|Ashok K Chopra, PhD, CSc
|Barry Rockx, PhD
|Yingzi Cong, PhD
|Jai Rudra, PhD
|Kathryn A Cunningham, PhD
|Richard Rupp, MD
|Tonya Eaves-Pyles, PhD
|Kwabena O Sarpong, MD, MPH
|Janice Endsley, PhD
|Michael B Sherman, PhD
|Marxa L. Figueiredo, PhD
|Lynn Soong, MD, PhD
|Naomi Forrester, PhD
|Robin Stephens, PhD
|Alexander Freiberg, PhD
|Jiaren Sun, MD, PhD
|Nisha Garg, PhD
|Robert B Tesh, MD
|Roberto Garofalo, MD
|Nagaraja Thirumalapura, PhD
|Randall M Goldblum, MD
|Alfredo G Torres, PhD
|Stephen Higgs, PhD (adjunct faculty)
|Bruno Travi, DVM, PhD
|Michael R Holbrook, PhD (adjunct faculty)
|Dennis Trent, PhD
|Clifford Houston, PhD
|Chien-Te (Kent) Tseng, PhD
|Tetsuro Ikegami, DVM, PhD
|Michael P Underbrink, MD, MBA
|Rakez Kayed, PhD
|Gustavo Valbuena, MD, PhD
|Rolf Konig, PhD
|David H Walker, MD
|Thomas G. Ksiazek, DVM, PhD
|Tian Wang, PhD
|James LeDuc, PhD
|Stan Watowich, PhD
|James C Lee, PhD
|Scott C Weaver, PhD
|Bruce A Luxon, PhD
|Susan C Weller, PhD
|Shinji Makino, DVM, PhD
|MinKyung Yi, PhD
|Peter Mason, PhD (adjunct faculty)
|Xue-Jie Yu, MD, PhD
|Jere W McBride, PhD
|Peter Melby, MD
|Terumi Midoro-Horiuti, MD, PhD
Last updated: March 2014


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Melding materia muchly - gamer escape's final fantasy xiv, Mutamix is willing to train you his secret materia melding techniques. however, the goblin requires proof that you are sufficiently experienced.. Complete materia guide - ffxiv:arr (melding materia, I have tons of guides and entertainment on my channel so make sure to check it out! i only so a monthly gaming gear giveaway for subscribers! subscriber. Materia guide for ffxiv: a realm reborn | final fantasy, Ffxiv info's latest materia guide for ffxiv: a realm reborn, intended for new players and reference..
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Black Women Blast SNL Auditions As Publicity Stunt
Via TMZ reports:
Saturday Night Live's secret audition to find an African-American female was total BS — at least according to one actress who tried out, but thinks it was only thrown together to quiet SNL's critics … not to find a new cast member.
Comedian Tiffany Haddish tells TMZ the Dec. 2 talent search at The Groundlings Theatre in L.A. felt like it was a dog and pony show, partially because executive producer Lorne Michaels wasn't there — and he's known to attend most auditions.
Other sources at the try-out tell us it seemed too conveniently timed — coming on the heels of current cast members Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson publicly blasting 'SNL' producers for not hiring a Black female.
Jay even named names — claiming 'SNL' producers blew off actress Darmirra Brunson after agreeing to give her a shot. Interestingly, Darmirra was at the L.A. audition.
If 'SNL' found the right chick … they're not saying yet — but Tiffany thinks "they already know who they want … they're just wasting all these black women's time and gas money."
Lorne Michaels doesn't care about black people.
More On Bossip!
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Welcome to Q-Kayaks
Welcome to the web site of Q-Kayaks, a New Zealand-based company that specializes in the design and manufacture of Australasia's most popular & innovative range of sea kayaks. Combined with a full range of kayaks for recreation, white water, fishing, canoe polo & kayak accessories, we have the kayak to suit you.
Wade will be delivering kayaks in the North Island late November. Freight prices slashed in half. Contact Wade on 06 3268667 or 021 498 558 to get a place on the delivery truck.
Our Sales team will be delivering kayaks in the South Island this week. Freight prices slashed in half. Contact Wade on 06 3268667 or 021 498 558 to get a place on the delivery truck.
XMAS Specials on Now
Big Discounts on Seakayak, Sit on Top kayaks and Accessories, contact us for discounts click here for more info
Buy a Q-Kayak Seakayak and receive a free copy of Fiordland and Beyond written by Max Grant - A Circumnavigation of the South Island of New Zealand by kayak.
Give us a call on Ph:06 3268667, Cell: 021 498 558 for a great deal
Best on the market, we export our NZ made kayaks to Australia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Bahrain, Scotland, Greenland & Beyond.
Who's using our Kayaks
Tara Mulvany's Sea Kayak Adventures -
Tara's book "A Winter's Tale A Kayak Paddle Around The South Island Of New Zealand" has been released. If you would like a signed copy you can buy from Tara herself here otherwise they will be in shops around NZ soon.
Check out her here adventures on her blog including her completed Vancouver Island Circumnavigation in May / July 2014 - http://www.tarasjourneys.com/apps/blog/
2013 December / April 2014 North Island Circumnavigation
4 months with 61 kayaking days in a Q-Kayak Skua, check out Tara's video - http://www.tarasjourneys.com/apps/videos/
2013 November / December Stewart Island Curcumnavigation
Tara's Q-Kayak Skua, handles her Stewart Island Circumnavigation, before she perpares for her North Island trip.
2012 South Island Circumnavigation http://www.winterkayakers.blogspot.co.nz/ In the NZ KASK Newsletter Tara says " I want to say a special thank you to Max Grant from Q-Kayaks who helped me out with my Skua, which turned out to be really awesome! The boat made it & I didn't have a single problem with it the entire journey. It's fast, stable & an awesome surfer - plus the seat is comfy.
Max & Melanie Grants South Island Circumnavigation
Max owner & designer of Q-Kayaks along with daughter Melanie the first NZ woman to Circumnavigate the South Island raising funds for Child Cancer, check out their blog & charity expedition here -
Other companies using our kayaks -
Auckland Sea Kayaks watch our Seakayaks in action here - http://youtu.be/G077MKGbm8I
Southern Discoveries, Milford Sound check our Kiwi's out - http://youtu.be/CmsNlCXyC5Q
Frogz Whitewater Sledging check out the video here - http://youtu.be/DWRAJ-W6kCg


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Amy Mulford posted a new journal entry.
I've been wanting to update since Brooke's scans last week but this was the first chance I've had. Brooke wasn't due for scans for another 2 cycles but since a new tumor (C7)
Honor Brooke with a Tribute donation to CaringBridge and you'll help even more people surround each other with love and support when it's needed most.
Well, I see I never updated from her scans in November! If you haven't already heard somewhere – her tumor remains stable. As always I am slightly disappointed that there is


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aflcc funding guidelines
Monies are intended to revolve out of the AFLCC in the form of short-term loans to LCOs and other agencies acquiring land and back in to the fund through fundraising efforts of the acquiring organization. All loans from the AFLCC must be repaid in full with interest in order to preserve the value of the revolving fund. A successful program can revolve the fund for multiple years, turning 2.5 million into 3, 4, and 5 million dollars of protected land over time.
Loan Evaluation criteria
For full details on due diligence criteria and loan terms, see the full AFLCC Funding Guidelines.
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For full details on long-term ownership considerations, see the full AFLCC Funding Guidelines.
To apply for AFLCC loan, download and complete the following application and submit to Joe Sambataro, Access Director, at firstname.lastname@example.com. Previous contact regarding the potential project is strongly advised.


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the opposite of rianing down; rain water shoots up from the ground into the sky.
its really raining up out there
by Baker Bell April 08, 2008
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Editing of Bulbapedia is currently restricted. Please see this message for more details.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have arrived!
Check BNN and Bulbanews for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in our IRC channel.
Talk:Wild Charge (move)
From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
Is this a variation of Take Down? --☯ *Ɣℯ№ӎօṫհ* ☯ 15:43, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
- No, Take Down has higher PP and is less accurate. Plus the damage taken from the user is slightly different. Zarthga 05:58, 27 July 2011 (UTC)
I don't mean to come across as rude, but can someone please move this already?
I mean, Wild Charge was revealed at the same time as Blitzle. The latter article has been moved to reflect this, and yet, this is still at its Japanese name. So is Tail Slap, for that matter. - unsigned comment from Missingno. Master (talk • contribs) 22:11, 27 December 2010 (UTC)


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When most of us think about television, what immediately comes to mind is the latest show we're addicted to or perhaps how destructive too much of it can be on the developing brains of our youth. But TV has long played a role at the center of democratic, free speech and social movements across the globe, depending on the level of government control over the medium. Continue reading
If you're currently building complex workflows in Manager+Agents, your job just got easier with our latest release. M+A 11.2. has a new workflow looping feature that allows for automated iterations and greater visibility. Here's how it works. Continue reading
With the annual Amazon re:Invent conference upon us, I've noticed how much this physical experience, or any major museum experience for that matter, is similar to a digital tiered storage strategy. Tiered storage strategies help you govern and provide access to digital content or data sets quickly for Big Data analytics or perhaps nearline data for trending analysis with S3 and deeper archives like Glacier. Continue reading
When you are in the midst of the tedious editorial process of a big project, the security of your files as they pass among the various players on your team isn't something you want to think about. Signiant designed Media Shuttle as a file sharing solution that is especially conducive to the flow of media production and post-production with a technical backend as rigorous as your IT team. Continue reading
Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of preference, younger generations are quick to utilize technologies they are more familiar with and they feel work better; the large majority of which are cloud applications. A recent Netscope Cloud Report found that there is an average of 461 cloud applications running in most enterprise companies — that's almost ten times more than IT had estimated. Continue reading


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Rachael Koscica
There is only so much planning you can do before taking pictures. The photograph evolves over time and I believe the vision and inspiration grows within me during my creative process. Photographs capture memories and can alternate your perception of reality, I capture and create visions from the heart.
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friend who smokes bud; fellow buddha lover. weed man.
man, tyeson is such a spoetzl
by Benzo Ferreal August 16, 2004
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The Nested Caramel Leather buckets make a den or library warm and rustic. This set of two handcrafted leather buckets with braided handles stylishly stores magazines or linens.


text: You have to be quite determined to find your way into the nature reserve at Canale Monterano but in the end if you follow the signs - you will and it's worth it. There are sulphurous springs, butterflies of all colours and signs of an Etruscan past wherever you look. Don't miss Antica Monterano - the abandoned town with an... More


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Minimum wage target too lowApril 19,2014There appears to be a good chance the Legislature will increase the minimum wage this session, but so far it has set its sights too low. The Legislature needs to look beyond the $10.10 an hour that President Obama and Gov. Peter Shumlin have proposed and think in terms of what a Vermont family needs to live on.
Full-time work ought to support a decent standard of living. People who work 40 hours a week, year round, ought to have at least enough income to support their families and meet their basic needs.
The Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Vermont Legislatures Joint Fiscal Office calculate that a basic family budget for a single parent with one child is close to $50,000 a year. For a family of two working parents with two children, its $70,000 to $75,000.
Vermont cant raise the minimum wage to $25 or $30 or $35 an hour, and it probably cant even guarantee a livable income for a full-time working mother with just a single child. But by raising the minimum wage to $11.50 or $12 an hour and expanding the states tax credit for low-income, working families, Vermont could begin to close the huge gap between the cost of a decent standard of living and what most low-wage workers have to live on.
Combining an increase in the minimum wage with an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-wage workers was the subject of a paper by Jeannette Wicks-Lim, an economist at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts and an expert on the minimum wage. She discussed her research with a Vermont Senate committee last week. She also refuted a commonly heard claim that raising the minimum wage hurts the economy and costs jobs. Wicks-Lim told the committee that research had found little or no negative effect from raising the floor on wages.
Her testimony was reinforced by Phil Merrick, owner of August First Bakery and Café in Burlington. As a business owner, he said he supported a higher minimum wage because it was the right thing to do and would help the economy by putting more money in the pockets of people who would spend it immediatelyand in Vermont. The cost of the minimum wage proposed by the governor would be inconsequential to his customers, Merrick said. And he thinks the wage increase should be higher than the governor recommended.
Vermont, like the rest of the country, has seen a growing gap between rich and poor. Raising the minimum wage alone isnt going to close that income gap. There are many other steps that need to be taken. But raising the minimum wage can help, especially if its coupled with an increase in the EITC that gets full-time workers closer to a livable income. And those changes need to be part of a broader commitment among policy makers to reduce income inequality in Vermont.
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- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1927, striking Colo. miners attacked with machine guns by state police; 1877, Thomas Edison announces invention of the phonograph, 1959, Alan Freed fired by WABC 770 AM for accepting payola to promote records.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivers short speech in Gettysburg, Pa.; in 1984, a Pemex LNG facility destroyed by series of gas explosions, 600 people are killed; in 1998, Senate builds fire under Bill Clinton.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1831 – Independent South American super-state, Gran Colombia, dissolved; 1856 - Fort Buchanan built to control Apache warriors; 1970 - William Calley Jr. goes on trial after 1968 massacre at My Lai, Vietnam.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy takes advantage of Cold War jitters and builds a tidy little fiefdom for himself on Capitol Hill. It's all good, but pride goes before you know darn well what. The junior senator is damaged going down.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1927, Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, leaving Joseph Stalin in control of the Soviet Union; in 1970, Oregon DOT tries to dynamite a dead whale off a beach with a rather shocking result.


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We want to take this opportunity to raise our glasses to celebrate you, our readers.
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It's you our readers, influencers and social media followers who push and challenge us to create our best work.
During 2014, we plan to continue on our journey making progress one step at a time.
We wish you, your family, friends and social media connections the best for 2014.
It's our hope that 2014 brings you and yours good health, love, success and peace.
Happy New Year 2014!
Happy Marketing,
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Found some old post on the Stewart Co., Mailing list Archives , do not know if this Lucy could be the Dau of David & Emily Thomson Grimes of Stewart Co., Ga. He was the s/o Wm Grimes that died 1837 in Stewart Co., Ga.
Does anyone have any info on this line
Thank you
Thomas HOUSE was born in N.C. in 1786 and died in Stewart Co June 14, 1851. Wife, Elizabeth ENNES, died in Stewart Co. Dec 5, 1863. They were of English decent and settled in Wesley Chapel community. Sons were: William H (b.June 3, 1810 in N.C.; d. June 29, 1896 in Stewart Co; m. Mary Jane CRANBERRY d. June 30, 1887), Joseph and James L.{b. Nov 15, 1829; d. June 10, 1848; m. Susan LEE, Sept 1, 1847). Daughters were: Mary C. (b. 1807; d. Sept 4, 1853; m. Zacheriah WILLIAMSON) and Susan (m. James ALBERT). Joseph was killed in an Indian uprising / burning of Roanoke. William H. HOUSE raised 11 children. The 9th was George D. HOUSE (b.Feb 14, 1855; d.July 17, 1921; m. Lucy GRIMES and had 4 sons. Roy and Clifford live in Stewart Co. Roy married Mamie PATTISHALL and had five children: Louise, R.E.Jr., Wayne Dewitt, Kenneth and Ernest. Wayne Dewitt is my wife's father.
I would also like to trace the geneology of the PATTISHALL family, who it is told are related to either Henry Clay or Paul Revere. What kind of information can you help me with?
Submitted by Chester O. David
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The jobless rate in metropolitan Dalton rose last month to its highest level since January as more job seekers entered the local labor market.
The Georgia Department of Labor said today that 9.3 percent of the workers in the Dalton, Ga., area were out of work in June — a five-month high. Employment continued to grow slightly in June but not as fast as the labor force which grew as students got out of school for the summer and many previously discouraged job seekers returned to the labor market to try to find a job.
The Dalton-based carpet industry is adding jobs as the housing and construction market improves the demand for new floorcoverings, but new or revamped carpet mills are not requiring as many workers to produce the same amount of carpet as they once did.
There were 64,000 jobs in Dalton in June, down by 200, or 0.3 percent, from 64,200 in May. Most of the loss came in state and local education.
However, there was an over-the-year gain of 400 jobs, or 0.6 percent, from 63,600 in June 2013. The primary growth was in local government, retail trade and textile manufacturing.
Also, there were 772 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in June, an increase of 129, or 20.1 percent, from 643 in May. Most of the increase in claims came in administrative and support services, along with transportation and warehousing. There were 983 claims filed in June 2013.
The labor force grew by 309 to 58,072 from 57,763 in May.
Dalton's non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was nearly 2 percentage points above Georgia's statewide rate and was nearly 3 percentage points above the U.S. jobless rate in June.
Across Georgia, metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.3 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region in south central Georgia had the highest at 10.4 percent.
Dave Flessner is the business editor for the Times Free Press. A journalist for 35 years, Dave has been business editor and projects editor for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, city editor for The Chattanooga Times, business and county reporter for the Chattanooga Times, correspondent for the Lansing State Journal and Ingham County News in Michigan, staff writer for the Hastings Daily Tribune in Nebraska, and news director for WCBN-FM in Michigan. Dave, a native ...


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£160,000 3 Bedrooms Regan Drive, Oldbury, B69
A Three bedroom detached house
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If you have been so favored as having not experienced losses , tragedies , and profound heartaches, then you will reject this book .
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This is an intense, beautifully-written, if somewhat depressing story—a real hidden gem. I won't rehash the plot highlights, as enough other reviewers have done that. Read morePublished 1 month ago by Sheryl Sorrentino
I would recommend this book to someone who likes to get inside the heads of the characters to see what makes them tick when they all face the same tragic event. Read morePublished 6 months ago by carolann howe
Having young children myself, I felt as though it was not wise to read this sad story. However, I couldn't put it down and I'm glad for that. Read morePublished 7 months ago by Blackwidow
This was a pretty good story if you like books about families in crisis.The plot was very dramatic and true to life. I could picture this very event occurring in real life. Read morePublished 8 months ago by jjkaiser
This book started out strong. I was intrigued by the characters and their plights. The initial tragedy is gripping and the aftermath takes you on an emotional journey with the... Read morePublished 9 months ago by Joanna Collins
Reading Lee Woodruff's novel Those We Love Most was very apt timing. I've just started a writing class through UCLA Extension that is focused on writing through grief and trauma. Read morePublished 10 months ago by Karen Lea Hansen
I started reading this novel about six months ago then it ended up tucked away. I recently pulled it out, finishing the story quickly. Read morePublished 10 months ago by Brelliott
I found this book very average and boring. I struggled through it thinking it would get better. Story line is nothing new.Published 11 months ago by Marianne B