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It's little wonder that tablets have become so popular in the past couple of years. Not only are they much easier to carry than full-sized laptops, they're also hugely versatile and easy to use, offering streamlined access to email, the internet and an ever-expanding universe of apps that allow you to do anything from read a book to play a game, or even watch a film.
Looking at it strictly from a photographers' point of view though, the best thing about owning a tablet is that it allows you to keep all of your favourite images to hand in one easy-to-carry device. And of course, a tablet is also a great way to showcase your portfolio to friends and/or prospective clients.
While many tablets sport front-facing cameras the simple fact is that, as an enthusiast, you'll almost certainly have a far superior camera – or even cameraphone – in your possession already. For that reason, we'd advise not getting overly hung up on the specs of the cameras found in most tablets. Far better to concentrate on what's really important – the pros and cons of the various operating systems, screen size and resolution, connectivity options and, of course the range and quality of apps that are available.
Over the page we'll guide you through all of these main considerations to help ensure you choose the best tablet for your needs. We've also hand picked six full-sized and three fun-sized tablets for your consideration.
What to look for…
Operating system
The three biggest players in the world of mobile operating systems are Apple (iOS), Google (Android) and Microsoft (Windows RT/Windows 8 Pro). While iOS is the most stable and offers the most apps, it's also the most tightly controlled and requires you to use iTunes in order to manage content via a home computer. Android, with its drag-and-drop approach to content management, is much more flexible to use – and thankfully, with the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) and Jelly Bean (4.1) its stability issues have largely been resolved. Microsoft is a relative newcomer to the tablet market so the number of apps for Windows RT mobile devices lags far behind its iOS and Android rivals.
Screen Size and Resolution
The overall screen size is calculated by measuring the diagonal length between opposing corners. The iPad 4 offers a 9.7in screen, while most Android tablets offer 10.1in screens. Microsoft has opted to give its new Surface tablet a 10.6in screen.
Aspect is also worth considering, as it affects the shape and feel of the tablet. Apple's iPads employ a 4:3 aspect that works well with the 4:3 images produced by most compact cameras. It's a good shape for reading e-books and websites, though HD movies suffer from large black tramlines across the top and bottom of the screen. In contrast most Android tablets offer a 16:10 aspect – excellent for HD movies but can feel clunky when reading e-books or websites in portrait mode.
Resolution is another important factor. Until recently the new iPad's Retina screen ruled the roost with the highest pixel density of any mobile device. But Google has fought back and the flagship Nexus 10 surpasses the iPad 4 in terms of its overall ppi count. Other Android tablets such as the Nexus 7 and Asus Transformer Infinity also offer High Definition pixel counts.
If you envisage regularly changing the images on your tablet, it pays to think about how you're going to get them on and off. A few Android and Windows RT tablets offer full-size SD card slots that allow you to insert a memory card and transfer images to the tablet. Many Android tablets also offer Micro SD card slots; however these aren't regularly used by cameras any more. Apple's iPad range – and many Android tablets – offer no card slots, so you'll either have to use your home computer to transfer image files manage content, or invest in a specialist adaptor.
All apps in Apple's App Store require approval from Apple before being allowed onto it. Unless you root your iPad (and void your warranty) you can't get apps onto the tablet any other way. Android is much less regulated, which means apps can also be side-loaded onto tablets from websites or memory cards, as well as purchased though the Google Play Store. Tablets running Microsoft's Windows RT can only install apps bought through the Windows Store.
Small is beautiful
Smaller tablets pack plenty of power and added portability. First up is the 7in Google Nexus 7 (£159, 16GB). Manufactured by Asus it has a 1280 x 800 HD display (216 ppi) powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM. The Apple iPad Mini (£269, 16GB) with its 7.9in, 1024 x 768 pixel screen (163ppi) is another strong contender. Finally, Amazon's Kindle Fire HD (£159, 16GB), uses a customised version of Android to offer direct access to the Amazon's vast library.
Over the following pages we'll have a closer look at tablets that are available…
Essential Guide to Tablets – Apple iPad 4
Apple iPad 4,£479, (32GB)
Now in its fourth generation, the iPad is by far the most popular tablet on the market. The iPad 4's core strengths are its pin-sharp "Retina" screen – so-called because the pixel count is so dense the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels – and Apple's App store, which offers the largest selection of apps of all the mobile platforms. While there are no additional connectivity options beyond the proprietary 8-pin port, an optional Pad Camera Connection Kit (£30) plugs directly into this. Only image files stored in the DCIM folder can be moved though – for anything else (music, films) you'll have to use iTunes.
OS: iOS 6.1
Screen Size/Aspect: 9.7in, 4:3
Resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixels (264ppi)
Pros: Retina screen, Lots of apps, Stability
Cons: Poor connectivity, UI is looking a bit dated
Essential Guide to Tablets – Microsoft Surface RT
Microsoft Surface RT, £399, (32GB)
Microsoft may be late to the party, but at least it's turned up with something a bit different. Constructed from "VaporMg" magnesium alloy the Surface is a solid looking tablet that comes with a retractable kickstand and optional protective covers (£65-£99) that double up as keyboards. Running Windows RT – the mobile-specific version of Windows 8 – the Surface is unable to run regular Windows desktop software, though you do get the Microsoft Office suite pre-installed. Connectivity extends to Micro USB and Micro HDMI inputs, although sadly there's no direct SD card input. Screen resolution is a rather low 148ppi too.
OS: Windows RT
Screen Size/Aspect: 10.6in, 16:9
Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels (148ppi)
Pros: Good for productivity
Cons: Screen resolution is not the highest
Essential Guide to Tablets – Google Nexus 10
Google Nexus 10, £319, (16GB)
Long aware that third-party manufacturers were dragging Android's reputation down with poor quality hardware, Google has teamed up with several leading manufacturers to produce a series of flagship Nexus tablets. The Samsung-made Nexus 10 is the largest of the range and comes with the latest Jelly Bean 4.2 firmware, a dual-core ARM processor and 2GB of RAM. More importantly for photographers, its 10.1in screen currently offers the highest resolution of any tablet, with a 2560 x 1600 pixel (300ppi) display. Connectivity options include a Micro USB input and a Micro HDMI output, however there's no SD card slot.
OS: Android 4.2
Screen Size/Aspect: 10.1in, 16:10
Resolution: 2560 x 1600 pixels (300ppi)
Pros: Has a class-leading resolution
Cons: Its connectivity options could be better
Essential Guide to Tablets – Asus Transformer Pad Infinity
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, £599, (64GB, with dock)
Thanks to its click-in keyboard dock the Transformer Pad Infinity is part tablet and part netbook. In addition to typing duties the dock doubles as an additional battery, extending overall battery life to around 15 hours. With the dock attached the TF700T also offers class-leading connectivity with the full complement of SD, Micro SD, USB and HDMI inputs. And, at 1920 x 1200 pixels, screen resolution equates to Full HD. If the slightly eye-watering price of the TF700T puts you off, then Asus also makes a cheaper TF300T Infinity Pad. This comes with a 1280 x 800 pixel (149ppi) display and costs around £350, dock included.
OS: Android 4.1
Screen Size/Aspect: 10.1in, 16:10
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixels (224ppi)
Pros: Class-leading connectivity, Full HD display
Cons: Expensive
Essential Guide to Tablets – Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, £320, (16GB)
The big selling point of the Galaxy 10.1 is that it comes with an "S Pen" stylus that uses Wacom technology and can sense a claimed 1,024 pressure levels. The S Pen can be used with photo editing apps such as Adobe's Photoshop Touch and slots neatly into the back of the tablet when not required. Elsewhere the Note 10.1 sports a 1280 x 800 display, that while not quite class-leading, is still pretty good for viewing images and text on. Connectivity does suffer a bit though, with the only external connection offered being the proprietary docking port at the bottom. Thankfully you can buy USB, HDMI and SD card adaptors though.
OS: Android 4.0
Screen Size/Aspect: 10.1in, 16:10
Resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels (149ppi)
Pros: The S Pen stylus functionality
Cons: Screen resolution is not the highest
Essential Guide to Tablets – Asus Padfone 2
Asus Padfone 2, £650, (32GB)
For those looking for something different, the Padfone 2 comes in two distinct parts: a 4.7in Android smartphone (complete with a 13MP Sony-made camera), and a 10.1in display that the phone slots directly into the back of, effectively turning the two separate elements into a single tablet. While the phone itself gets a 720p HD display, the resolution of the tablet screen is pegged at 1280 x 800. Connectivity is also limited to the dock's proprietary 13-pin connector, and while it's possible to attach a standard Micro-USB cable to this in order to charge the tablet and manage data, the connection is reportedly a bit loose.
OS: Android 4.0
Screen Size/Aspect: 10.1in, 16:10
Resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels (149ppi)
Pros: Innovative, Good quality cameraphone
Cons: Connectivity isn't great, tablet display


text: Day 13 of 30 straight days of hot yoga at Moksha Los Angeles and as I entered the yoga studio today I was informed Lululemon Athletic Yoga gear has invited me to share my blog on their social media sites. So thank you for that! Today our teacher Joe reminded us of our body temples [Read More…]

subset: commoncrawl


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"This show is a huge part of my conversion. I've learned more from it in six months than I had in my twelve years of Judaism and 30-plus years of atheism. Your answers always have a solid foundation and the show is inspirational."
"Meg, I have borne a long time with thy husband; I have reasoned and argued with him in these points of religion, and still given to him my poor fatherly counsel, but I perceive none of all this able to call him home; and therefore, Meg, I will no longer dispute with him, but will clean give him over and get me to God and pray for him."


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Have you been diagnosed with impacted wisdom teeth? According to the Mayo Clinic, these are your third molars in the back of your mouth that don't have room to grow normally.
Your wisdom teeth are your last teeth to come in. Most people have four -- two on the top and two on the bottom row of teeth.
If your wisdom teeth are impacted you might suffer from pain, dental problems or damage to other teeth. Impacted wisdom teeth that cause problems are usually removed.
Some people might not have any problems right away with impacted wisdom teeth, but over time they may be more vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease because they are difficult to clean, the Mayo Clinic states. For these reasons, your dentist might also recommend removing wisdom teeth that don't cause initial problems.


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Pair charged in scrapyard scamDecember 27,2013Two men charged
in scrapyard scam
An employee at a Rutland Town salvage yard and a customer are facing felony charges for allegedly tipping the scales on scrap metal brought to Rosen & Berger Auto Parts, according to Vermont State Police.
Andrew Grandchamp, 52, of Brandon, was arrested Tuesday and charged with embezzlement and conspiracy for allegedly taking payment a pack of cigarettes for falsifying the weight of scrap metal delivered to the yard by Robert Withington of Rutland.
Withington, 42, was also arrested and charged with a felony count of conspiracy and misdemeanor offenses of larceny and driving with a suspended license.
Police said another man, Glenn Carvey, 44, of Rutland was charged with driving without a license. Police did not specify what role, if any, Carvey had in the alleged weight conspiracy.
All three men are scheduled to appear in Rutland criminal court in February.MORE IN This Just InBARRE TOWN Firefighters faced a collection of adverse conditions as a house on Granitville Road... Full StoryWILLISTON Police are asking for help identifying the man who tried to steal roughly $800 worth ... Full StoryNEWBURY Police said somebody stole booze and change from a Welch Road residence. Full Story
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More than 1,000 turtles made a slow-speed escape from their turtle farm in northwest Georgia, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.
Vandals might be to blame for tearing down fences around turtle ponds in Summerville, turtle farmer David Driver told sheriff's officials.
Driver told the Times Free Press that about 1,600 of the 2,200 turtles escaped. He says his business involves selling some turtles to pet-growing operations and others to China.
The damage allowed the turtles — including snappers, Eastern paints and yellow-bellied sliders — to bolt from the farm and make a beeline to nearby ponds and creeks, authorities said.
Sheriff's officials are continuing to search for the turtles.
Summerville is about 90 miles northwest of Atlanta.


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Cochran reported that 42 rabies vaccinations were given at the Refugio City Hall. She said an increased interest in pet care and pet health products was prevalent at the event.
She said because of the success and in cooperation with Mayor Joey Heard, she plans another rabies drive at the Refugio City Hall on Friday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Out in the county, the rabies drive has been a big success with increases in shots given.
A total of 213 dogs and cats were vaccinated in Austwell, Tivoli, Bayside, Woodsboro and Refugio, up from the total of 162 done in 2013.
Austwell/Tivoli had 68 participate in January. Woodsboro had 67 and Bayside had 41 in February.
Also, residents of Austwell, Woodsboro, Bayside, and Refugio are required to purchase city licenses each year. Please contact your respective city hall for more information.
"The rabies drive would not be successful without coordinated efforts of the city staffs of Austwell, Woodsboro, Bayside, and Refugio, and the county efforts in Tivoli," she said.
Cochran said she thanks all the city and county employees (and spouses) who so graciously coordinated dates, advertised, opened their facilities and gave up a Saturday to help make this year a success.
In addition to rabies shots, rattlesnake vaccine and heartworm treatments were available.
For more information on the June 6 rabies drive or for follow-up pet care, please contact Cochran at 361-275-4302 or Refugio City Hall.


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Indeed, inspiration is everywhere.
For me personally, it doesn't only come through streetstyle blogs, magazines, and movies, but also via seemingly simple and ordinary, everyday things.
Getting up and preparing for work in the morning, or dressing up for a night out or even for a restful afternoon of coffee and sandwiches, I keep my eyes open and ears pricked.
You see a sky so blue that you want to get out and begin your day early – wearing an electric hue that echoes the brightness outdoors!
Don't control your feelings when you feel like waxing lyrical. A sunny day with birds singing can inspire you to wear bright colors, florals, or paisley, just to match your cheerful surroundings – even if only through a scarf, a pocket square, or handkerchief.
Of course, there is no problem if you keep things subtle when you go out in the gloom of a rainy morning, with all
the shades of gray or the full range neutrals.
A rasta song that suddenly pops out from your shuffle mix can remind you that you haven't worn red, green, or yellow for months. The smell of coffee may nudge you to consider dark brown in your outfit.
Or if you're the type who wakes up staring at the ceiling, refusing to budge from your dreams, just let your memories flow.
You may suddenly remember that stylish gentleman you bumped into at the bus, and tell yourself that you too can pull off a bow tie. Or you may recall a doting aunt who years ago visited you at your house wearing a bolero that you stared at as a seven-year-old.
Why not?
Nothing should be forced, though a little planning would help. For me, it's all about wearing what you feel like, and that depends a lot on what you're thinking and experiencing around you. Keep your heart open for style accidents.
Always come as yourself.


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Robert A. "Bobby" Layman, a longtime central Ohio auto dealer, has died.
Layman, 82, was owner of Bobby Layman Chevrolet on the West Side and Bobby Layman Cadillac GMC in Carroll.
He died on March 24 in Naples, Fla., after years of treatment for heart issues.
Layman was known for zany television ads in which he smashed windshields, as well as a series of ads in which he interacted with an actress playing his mother.
"He was a true car guy," said Linda Layman, his daughter. "A different breed."
He opened a used-car store in Toledo when he was 19. He later moved to Columbus, where he owned several new-car franchises, including the two that he owned until his death.
Other car dealers remember Layman as one of the last of a generation and for his eye-catching ads.
"He was a great promoter and sold a whole lot of cars," said Chris Haydocy, whose Buick GMC dealership has been across the street from Layman's store for decades.
A memorial service will be held Saturday at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, 3500 Mill Run Dr. in Hilliard. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the service will be at 1 p.m.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia, four sons and two daughters.


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It's beginning to look a lot like nap time
"No rest for the wicked," echoed in mine, but I grabbed 40 winks before baking some (IMHO) scary looking cookies to exchange at yet another festive affair—this time in Liberty, NY. Once again, the folks at Green Door Magazine were throwing a party, and my presence (I mean the dog's) was requested, so we made an appearance to celebrate the magazine's (www.greendoormag.com) debut of their winter issue, hot off the presses. Never content to rest on their laurels, Akira and Ellie Ohiso opened their doors and hearts to the community at large and presented a show for the kids (puppeteer Ramona Jan), live music (accordion whiz Doug Rogers), a baking demonstration (the multi-talented Cooper Boone) and the aforementioned cookies, which jolted me momentarily when I realized that in my haste, I had left mine cooling on the counter at home. With a firm grasp on my limitations, I acknowledged that was most likely a good thing for the mob of guests who were sampling Boone's delicious confections, while eying my watch, plotting the nap. "February is looking good for a little shut-eye," I thought, while snapping more pics and reveling in the kids' faces shining with delight as Dharma danced with Jan's puppy marionette and remembering what the true spirit of the season has to offer. Twenty more days till Christmas? I hope the days pass slowly, so I can savor every moment before the Upper Delaware River region settles down for a long winter's nap.
[Editor's note: To view all of the photos from the James Dworetsky Holiday Parade visit www.facebook.com/riverreporter.]
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The arrest of former University of Hawaii football player Colt Brennan for suspicion of drunken driving and drug possession has sent shock waves throughout the Aloha State.
"Well, I think for most people your first reaction is … it's sadness," said Bobby Curran, who hosts a morning talk show on ESPN 1420 every Monday through Friday.
Brennan, who led UH at quarterback from 2005 to 2007, was arrested Wednesday in Kailua just before midnight at the intersection of Kailua Road and Uluoa Street.
Michael Green, Brennan's attorney, said his client was pulled over after he was observed driving 45 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone.
Brennan, 28, was released from the main police cellblock at 12:15 Thursday afternoon without being charged. Green would not reveal what type of illegal drug was found by police, but Brennan's arrest for promotion of a dangerous drug in the third degree rules out the possibility of marijuana.
According to state law, a dangerous drug is one that has no medical use, like methamphetamine and cocaine, or a prescription drug that can be abused.
"It was not pills," said Green. "It's not a lot of stuff; it's a very small amount."
Green described Brennan as being extremely disheartened during a visit with the former quarterback in Jail.
"He feels awful about the perception of him with the children and the community," said Green. "He is so sad."
Green believes Brennan may still be feeling the physical and psychological effects of a head-on collision on the Big Island in November of 2010. The crash nearly killed local doctor Theresa Wang, and left Brennan with a head injury, as well as broken ribs and a collarbone that sidetracked his dream of playing professional football.
"He was hurt, and he suffered a lot of emotional and physical problems because of that," said Green. "There are tremendous mood swings that come from those things."
Brennan's former girlfriend, Shakti Stream, was driving the car at the time of the collision on Queen Kaahumanu Highway. Stream is being sued by Wang for driving in a "careless and negligent manner."
Brennan is an iconic figure in UH football lore, leading the team to its only undefeated regular season in 2007, and a Sugar Bowl appearance against the Georgia Bulldogs in January 2008. That same season he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, coming in third in the voting.
"They were selling his high school helmets in Honolulu for him to sign," said Curran. "It was unprecedented; he almost needed protection when he went places."
However, Brennan experienced difficulty in his transition from the college game to the pros. In 2008, he was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Washington Redskins before being released.
Brennan was picked up by the Oakland Raiders in 2010, but again failed to make the team. More recently, he served a short stint in the UFL with the Hartford Colonials, before the team folded. Just last month, the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League released Brennan, who was considered one of the team's high-profile offseason signings.
At least one Pop Warner football team on Oahu, the Kailua Mustangs, plans on speaking with its young players about Brennan's arrest.
Team president Wayne Cazimero said the topic of alcohol and drug use would be broached with parents and coaches during "Positive Coaching and Positive Parenting" seminars in August. Coaches will then sit down with their individual teams.
"We'll just tell the kids about what things not to do, and what they can do," said Cazimero. "How one thing like this happens to you, it can turn your career in the opposite direction."
In 2004, Brennan was convicted of burglary in the second degree and first-degree criminal trespassing after a night of drinking while attending the University of Colorado. He was sentenced to a week in jail and 60 hours of community service. The arrest eventually led him to UH, where former head coach June Jones gave Brennan another shot at becoming a starting quarterback.
Brennan's father, Terry Brennan, told KITV4 from his home in Irvine, Calif., that his son had recently moved back to Oahu.
Because Brennan was released from jail without being charged, a court date has not been scheduled.


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At approximately 12:09 p.m., Terral Lee Givens lost control of the vehicle on FM 884, approximately four miles from Charco.
Also transported to DeTar Navarro Hospital in Victoria were two children ages 12 months and 3 months. Texas Department of Public Trooper Ruben San Miguel said the two children didn't appear to have sustained major injuries.
Givens was flown to University Hospital in San Antonio.


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Event Number
Event Date
Event Contact
Rebecca Danahy at firstname.lastname@example.com or (703) 247-2561
The Mastering Business Development® Workshop is an educational and professional development program which focuses on the thinking, process and discipline required for professional Business Development. This 2-day workshop fosters participants' understanding of the core competencies required for success in the Business Development role.
Business Development is primarily a relationship development and intelligence gathering process. Participants will learn how to leverage the principles of behavioral psychology to identify valid prospects and pipeline opportunities, effectively qualify them and develop win-win business relationships for their organizations, their clients and themselves.This interactive, participant-centered workshop introduces the MBDi Business Development Process®, with its early shaping Opportunity Identification & Qualification component and the MBDi HUMINT® Client Engagement Process. This Client Engagement Process guides participants through a series of planning phases and client engagement steps designed to change how participants think, behave and engage prospects and clients within their Business Development role.
Through the instructor's use of Socratic teaching techniques, participants will acquire the knowledge, thinking, skills and discipline required to proactively engage clients from a Strategic Hunting, Organic Farming or Program Management perspective. Participants have described this workshop as a career-transforming experience.
Utilizing an intensive, interactive, instructor-led, team-learning approach, participants learn:
James Roberts, Westinghouse Electric Company"The information presented is invaluable and will without a doubt further my ability to assist my customers' successful business operations."
Katie Dicks, Schuler Incorporated"The NDIA/MBDi Business Development workshop is the best training I have received since starting my new sales position and should be a requirement for any BD or Sales position."
Dr. Lynn Snyder, Rolls Royce North America"This course changed the total way I approach new prospects."
Manager, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp."The MBDi training workshop I attended brought together everything it took me one painful decade to learn and laid it all out clearly and efficiently in two days. This workshop is the vulcan mind meld of BD fundamentals and I highly recommend it for everyone from tenderfeet to well-seasoned professionals."
Dennis M. Corrigan, President, L-3/DP Associates Inc."I have repeatedly found that the approach you teach changes lives (mine especially), makes for a much better relationship with my customers, and leads to more positive results in business development. Last year alone, taking this approach led directly to nearly $200M in sales for my organization."
For more information about the content covered in each module, please click on this link.
Day 17:00-8:00 Continental Breakfast8:00-12:00 Classroom Instruction: Modules 1-512:00-1:00 Lunch1:00- 5:30 Classroom Instruction: Modules 6-85:30pm End of day 1
Day 27:00-8:00 Continental Breakfast8:00-12:00 Classroom Instruction: Module 9-1112:00-1:00 Lunch1:00- 5:00 Classroom Instruction: Module 12-165:00pm End of Day 2/Workshop Adjourned
Classroom Instruction Module Overview
Modules 1-51- Introduction2- Challenges Exercise3- The 12 Core Competencies of Professional Business Development4- The BE Components of The 12 Core Competencies5- The KNOW Components of The 12 Core Competencies
Modules 6-86- How and Why People Buy7- The DO Components of The 12 Core Competencies (Systems)8- Introduction to the (OI&Q)i Phase, Opportunity and Intel Funnels
Module 9-119- Introduction to the MBDi HUMINT® Client Engagement Process10- Phase 1 of the Client Engagement Process: Homework before the call11- Phase 2 of the Client Engagement Process: Preparing for a call
Module 12-1612- Phase 3 of the Client Engagement Process: Executing the Call- Establishing Trust – Respect and Establishing Guidelines for the Relationship13- The DO Components of The 12 Core Competencies- Listening and Questioning skills14- Phase 3 of the Client Engagement Process: Executing the call- Bonding/Positioning and how to conduct a Diagnostic Interview.15- Phase 3 of the Client Engagement Process: Executing the call- Establishing funding and decision making criteria.16- Phase 4 of the Client Engagement Process: Documenting the call with appropriate follow up and agreed next steps.
Rosen Shingle Creek9939 Universal BlvdOrlando, FL 32819Tel: (407) 996-9939Fax: (407) 996-9935
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Roseb Shingle Creek Hotel. To make your reservation, please call the hotel directly. In order to ensure the discounted NDIA rate, you must make your reservations early and ask for the "NDIA MBDi Workshop" room block.
Rosen Shingle Creek9939 Universal Blvd.Orlando, Florida 32819(407) 996-9939 Local1(866) 996-6338 Toll Freewww.RosenShingleCreek.com
Industry Room Rate: $189Government Room Rate (very limited): $123
Rooms will not be held after 5:00PM EST on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 and may sell out before then. Rates are also subject to increase after this date.
Online Registration is now CLOSED!Download/Print/View the registration form for INDUSTRY ATTENDEES ONLY, and fax the completed form (including a form of payment) to (703) 522-1885.
If you are a government employee, email Rebecca Danahy at email@example.com to find out how to receive a government scholarship.
A discount will now be offered to organizations that send more than one employee to the workshop. The new pricing is as follows:Registration Fee:
When registering more than 1 employee, an individual registration form must be filled out for each attendee.
The registration fee covers the 2-day course, all course materials (some mailed to you prior to the workshop), breakfast, lunch, morning and afternoon snack breaks, and all day beverage service for 2 days.
Cancellation, Substitution and Transfer Policy: A $75 cancellation fee will apply to all cancellations received before April 11, 2014. Refunds will not be given for cancellations received after April 11, 2014. Substitutions are welcome in lieu of cancellations. All cancellations and substitutions must be made in writing to firstname.lastname@example.com.
There is an additional $75 transfer fee each time that you transfer to a new course. Please choose the course that you transfer to carefully as there are only three transfers allowed. After this, your money will be forfeited and you will have to register and pay the entire fee again. All transfers must be made in writing to email@example.com.
NDIA POC: Rebecca Danahy, firstname.lastname@example.com or (703) 247-2561.


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The snowshoe cat is generally a fawn to chocolate in colour and has darker coloured markings on its ears, tail and back with white markings on the face, chest and feet.
The snowshoe cat is seen to be a sturdy cat, with pointed features with lean and muscular features. The elegance of the snowshoe cat has meant that today the snowshoe cat is an increasingly popular breed of domestic cat, despite the fact that the snowshoe can often be relatively small in size.
The snowshoe cat has soft, thick fur and is well known for its calm and affectionate nature. Although the snowshoe cat has its placid moments, it is also a very active breed of cat, a trait which the snowshoe cat inherits from the curious Siamese cat.
Snowshoe cats are loving and loyal animals and are not greatly happy when they are left on their own. Snowshoe cats are known to be very vocal animals and enjoy to make themselves heard in the household.


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Fortification from flats.
Whether you're riding through rubble-littered roads on the way to work or rolling over spiny goat heads on your daily training ride, the Continental Gator Hardshell Tire delivers extra reinforcement from pesky flats and tire blowouts. Hardshell protection wraps the tire with three layers of 60 TPI rubber compound for extra durability and long-lasting use.
Its reinforced DuraSkin polyamide mesh prevents rips and tears along the sidewall. Going one step further, PolyX Breaker protection places overlapping polyester fibers along the entire tread strip for extra durability without increased rolling resistance. The tread pattern itself scatters road debris, such as glass and metal shards, instead of collecting it where it could lead to a puncture. The result is a tire that's about as puncture-resistant as possible, ensuring thousands of miles of wear and daily dependability without worrying about flats.
- Hardshell protection (3-ply, each 60 TPI)
- Reinforced with DuraSkin (polyamide mesh sidewalls)
- PolyX Breaker protection
- All-season compound
Tech Specs
View more Road Clincher Tires
Reviews & Community
Hard, but reliable.
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Hard ride (as the name might imply), but I love these tires. For how hard they are, the tires are extremely compliant during turns at speed. My last pair lasted over 2,000 miles.
Tough tire
I've only put about 200 miles on these tires, but so far they have held up and shown very little wear. Definitely hoping to get a couple thousand out of these. I use them for road biking, a bit heavy for my use, but durability is my priority and these shouldn't disappoint!
The Best
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I have been using the Gator Hardshell and the Gatorskin (http://www.backcountry.com/continental-ultra-gatorskin-road-tire#wall-solicitations) on my bike for roughly 2 years now and it is the best combination for a single speed commuter set up. Easy to put on and they last. I have this on my fixed gear trek and so I skid regularly on it. They last for so long even under the abuse of skidding. Great gear allows you the confidence to not have to think about it while using it. I never worry that these are going to fail on me and that makes for great rides.
why no 28cc?
It might have been out of stock. There is a 28cc option in the drop down now. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any other questions.
Great even after puncture
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I commute through DC. I had about 1500 miles on this tire before flatting, even after hitting glass, rocks, you name it. One morning, I hit a roofing staple, it went through the tire, and the tube instantly blew, obviously. However, I threw in a spare tube and the tire continued to hold (going on about 250 miles).
Only option for urban fixed gear riding
These tires are about as bombproof as they come. I use them on my fixed gear for urban riding/commuting, and they last much longer than anything else. I do ride brakeless, and am fairly liberal with my skid-stops. These are the only tires that will last more than a few weeks without being eaten up by the pavement.
If you want a tire that will last for a very long time, and remain almost perfectly puncture resistant, this is it. Only real drawback is that they are pretty squirrelly in weather.
Puncture Proof --So Far-- After 300 Miles
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
I've put around 300 miles on these tires so far and have yet to suffer a single flat. I ride in the desert southwest, too, where spiky plants and "goat head thorns" (google it) are as common on roadways as cigarette butts in the parking lot at the Kentucky Derby. My previous tires regularly suffered the wrath of spiky street gangs, and I usually had a flat every 50 miles or so.
Now equipped with Gators, I've romped more times than I would like to admit through loose gravel stretches laden with pointy glass shards, spiny goat heads, and chunks of broken rock--a gauntlet that my gators have guided gallantly with no flats to date.
Also, I think these tires ride just as fast as my previous, lighter tires, as my average speed hasn't dipped. So far, I love them.
Excellent review, Ryan! Great analogy, too.
Thanks, Maniachael, I appreciate it!
Never had a flat on a gatorskin....Ever!
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
They have terrible rolling resistance but you will never have a flat either unless you are really unlucky. They are great for the trainer as well, very good tread wear. I have a 25mm rear tire that has over 4000 outdoor miles and around 1000 indoor miles that i put on this spring...still going strong and i expect to get another thousand or so miles outside and 500 or more inside. Overall i would estimate their life to be around 5000-7000 miles, but i have some friends who have reportedly ridden them well over 10k (they were riding the 28mm, i ride 25mm).
Hard riding training tire!
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
This tire is simply a Continental Gator skin with more rubber and weight, in my opinion they ride too rough. I would rather be on the classic Gatorskin or better yet my favorite the Grand Prix 4 Season Tire!
Best I've Found
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Moved to AZ 5 years ago and was plagued by flats -- mostly from thorns, which are a known problem in the desert. Went through a number of different tires before trying these. I can't say I never got a flat again, but the frequency went way down. The sidewalls can get a little chewed up, but it seems to be superficial. They ride nice given all the belting for flat protection.
First Flat At End of Second Season
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Original Post August 13, 2013: I ride pretty much year round and these have worn well. Cinders, gravel, potholes...they have been worth the money. Today I had my first flat with them, but it was most likely because of a cut in the sidewall during a very rainy ride. I had to ride on a rough shoulder to let a car pass on an uphill climb and I could hear the hissing as the tire lost air - oh crap. Nevertheless, I put a new tube in and did another 40 miles until I got home. I have to replace the rear tire, hence my visit here. The front is still in great shape. No reason I won't get another season out of that one.
Update April 18, 2015: The front tire is still going strong. One note of caution: when brand new, these are real buggers to get on the rim. After a bunch of miles it is easier to change.
I live / ride in Vermont where many of the...
I live / ride in Vermont where many of the roads turn to hardpack dirt without warning.
Are these good tires for that?
Yeah, these things are tough and last what seems like forever accoding to my brother. Depending on how often your rides result in dir and gravel you may want to run the wider 25 mm version.
Does the gator hardshell come in schrader?...
Does the gator hardshell come in schrader? If not what is going to be my best tire for rough conditions?
Schrader is a valve type and is an attribute of the tube, not the tire. That being said, I've never seen a tube that came in the sizes of these tires (700x23,25) that had a schrader valve. This is chiefly because schrader valves are larger and require a larger hole in the rim. On road bike/racing wheels, this would weaken the rim because they're already so narrow so they're not used much.
Yes they do make Schrader valve tubes for these tires, but you are simply mixing Era's. Schrader valves do not seem to hold high pressure as well as Presta valves! Also Presta valves weigh less than Schrader valves another main attribute of their dominance in high end rim technology!
Tough Tires
Definitely an upgrade from the rubber that came with the bike. Even though they're a heavier thick tire, the tread gives it very low rolling resistance, and when it's dry out they're sticky as can be. Can't see myself getting a tire other than this from here on out.
... and then it exploded
This tire made it about 100 miles. Couldn't return as 30 days had passed. I brought it to a local bike shop that dealt in continental and was mystified and tried to deal with continental rep to get replacement (ultimately failed with no reason given). Side wall blew out. No brake wear near tire. No rim damage. No over pressurization (was on its original air from replacement). $60 mistake. Now 400 miles on my second set of Armadillos (first wore through the first layer of rubber without any flats)
I did not buy my Gatorskins here, but do want to put in a positive recommendation. Ride on some tough surfaces from road debris to rough road conditions. They have not let me down. Will only be using these from now on. Husband used them on cross country trip from San Diego, back to Florida. Did not have a flat with this tire!
This is a well made tire. A little pricey but worth every penny.
No flats
Not a single flat since I put these on! They ride a little rougher than the Vittoria Rubino Pros I had on, but I was tired of winter tire destruction. I'll go back to the Rubino with its good ride and cool colors in the summer.


text:
Ryan Howard asked for $18 million in arbitration today. It's the third-highest figure asked by a player since arbitration began, and by far, the largest asking price of the season (Prince Fielder is second at $8M).
The Phillies are offering Howard $14 million.
This might be negotiable. But then again …
78 Comments
Has anyone seen the numbers for Jayson Werth or Joe Blanton? Wonder if they are working on longer deals for those guys than just the 1yr..
i just saw Blanton, one year, $5.475 million
That seems like a whole lot of money to me…
$18 mil! No way he's worth that much. What will he ask for in his final year of arbitration, $30? Time to think about saying good bye.
From the other post:
Apparently Howard is not in the same sync as his teammates… Maybe he just thinks that he's too special?? $14M is more than enough. Enough with this $18M BS. His demands are simply ridiculous.
Dennis: Giving him respect does not mean throw money at him. I'll give him respect once he shows humbleness and learns something from Cole and Co.
If he cut down the strikeouts and wasn't a detriment defensively at first base he might be worth 15 mil. 18 mil is just rediculous
Werth is asking $4 million, Phillies want to give him $3 million. Durbin wants $1.95 mil, but the Phillies want $1.35 mil.
the time to move Howard passed when the Yankees signed Tex and Sox signed Youk. Whoever trades for him would have to be able to sign him long term. Is that even possible with Howard?
"the time to move Howard passed when the Yankees signed Tex "
Ryan Howard is a DH. He can't play 1st!
Is it me or was it recently Philly Phans LOVED and REVERED Ryan Howard.Now most of you want to basically run him out of town on a rail.Ryan Howard no matter what he is on the field is a dangerous presence at the dish and helped the Phils when it mattered the most.As an Amazins fan,I'm scared of him whenever he faces us because he's that damn good and has my respect as a player.Just remember that you don't know what you got til its gone.
Are you forgetting we already lost Pat the Bat, who had 33 HRs and 86rbi , who we replaced with Ibanez, who had 100 more at bats than Pat and 10 less HR's? Now you want to get rid of Howard and lose his close to 50 HR's and 150 rbi? That's alot of power gone from the lineup. I think we take for granted that with those two guys there's always the chance they might win a game for you with one mighty swing, tough to replace that, especially for cheap.
Miner, "you don't know what you got til it's gone" -words of wisdom, great tune too!
If Mr. Howard could learn to field and show a little more patience at the plate, MAYBE he would be worth $14m. However, that's even a stretch. No one is worth that amount of cash. Would it be difficult to replace his bat, yes. But not impossible. It would take some time. I think it's time to start planning for his replacement.
I have to say that I see this as the beginning of the end for Howard. There is something seriously wrong with the world when a 4 mil/yr raise is not enough. He is worth 14 mil, sure, but 18 mil… NO WAY!!! His fielding skills are deplorable and he should get traded to the AL.
might be negotiable, but after last arbitration it was obvious that this was going to be the routine for the rest of howard's time here in philly. if they go again, the phils might actually win this time. no big whoop either way.
Well, we sure will miss him when he's gone. But let's just enjoy the big man while we have him. I will say that he will definately NOT get what he is seeking. It is just way too much. If he hit .313 like his MVP year, than maybe. But the fact that he took the first 5 months off and salvaged the season in Sept. no way. His HR's and RBI's, especially in our ballpark, are misleading statistics. Put him out in PETCO park with that lineup and he wouldn't have those numbers. He'd still be feared and be in the upper tier of players, but not the 50 HR, 140 rbi guy we know and love.
Forget the Yanks and Red Sox, exploit the stupid teams like: the Orioles, Giants, Rangers, Mariners, etc. Some team will be on the cusp at the deadline maybe not in 2009, but in 2010, that will give up the world for him, unless of course this is his last year as a Phillie. I don't see why we can't have either Dominic Brown or Michael Taylor learn to play 1st in a few years. Who knows? That's why Ruben gets paid the big bucks.
He will not get $18M. That's almost double his salary, and this year was definately a step backwards. No way!! Sorry Ryan.
Well theyve got Blanton and Vic taken care of for a year. Now the question is does Werth get a one year deal or an extension?
once they take care of that, its all down to Howard and will they decide to make the move and get rid of him. I say yes…trade him. Get some good prospects, replace him with Dunn.
Here's something for fun…. Phillies trade Howard for big chips and sign Manny. Ibanez moves to first. Imagine that. Could Ibanez be any worse at first than Howard? I doubt it. So what it comes down to is Manny instead of Howard. I'd take that over the next 2-3 years any day. What would we get for Howard? I'll take a Rollins-Werth-Utley-Manny-Ibanez-Victorino lineup. That's balance. No holes there whatsoever.
I think Ibanez HR per plate appearence will be similar to Pat's in CBP(not per AB, but per appearence). 18 million for 200 KO's, no range and a poor glove is too much, but 14 mil was low balling again. I would've went 15.5 and I think the would've won. Now it's a crap shoot. Definately his last year in Philly.
Andrew – I don't know if we'd put up with "Manny being Manny". It'd be a show at first, but after a few "missed" plays, he wouldn't be able to take the heat. We wouldn't put up with his antics.
Andrew R…I 100% agree with you.
I don't know about you, Howard but if Manny drops a simple fly ball then walks up to the dish and knocks in a game winning home run then all will be forgiven.
$18 million would put him in the top 5. From his perspective, he is a top 5 talent. He is the best power hitter in baseball. However, he loses points due to his low batting average and terrible fielding. Puljos made less than $14 million last year. I think the Phils win this round.
Whatever you do, don't trade Howard now. Let's ride this boy to another championship or two while we have him.
Agreed, since we have him until 2011.
I would settle for something in between on Howard. we know that when he's on, he's on, and can strike fear in opposing pitchers. he is part of the championship team, and to subtract his presence might alter the chemistry… 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it…?'
its not time to let him out of here, at least yet. let him take any selfish-based anger out on the ball, if thats possible, and let's the world series rings drop down as they may.
Everyone wants to talk about his low batting average, like its the worst issue, and place him in Dunn territory as a result. those of you might be forgetting that BA with runners in scoring position is key for someone in the middle of a lineup, and Howard's average in such situations was well over .300 if I recall correctly, close to the top; whereas, Dunn continues to blow. Thats what matters: he's freakin' clutch. There is no doubt about that. and his September numbers, a 'salvage'? Gimme a break. thats doubles his clutch value.
Anyway, whatever happens, he'll be in Philly this next season. Amaro wouldn't dare move him. Too much risk to his legacy. If they don't win the world series again and Howard is gone this season, Amaro will be blamed as the cause of failure. I doubt he'll take that risk.
I'd rather have Dunn and Lowe for $20 million a year next year than Howard for $18 million a year. That's just me though.
I agree except Lowe was too old to give that money to. Its Dunn and Sheets. Thats what theyve gotta do, thats the smart move. Ryan Howard is gone and Im going to be happy. We won a world title with him, now its time for him to go get his money elsewhere and the phillies will go win another world championship without him. Oh yes. its time. Ruben is just getting warmed up.
I know it may not be likely but I want him gone, hes WAY out of line and hes being disrespectful and hes gotta go.
Howard, yes Manny being Manny is part of the BS that comes with it. As long as Manny is happy, he is fine. This is a team where he doesnt have to be the big guy. I think he will understand his role and not really need to draw attention to himself. He was great in LA. He hit the ball, mentored the young kids a little bit and was a leader on the field. All he has to do here is come out and play. We have leaders, we have stars, all we need is a stick.
His 'missed plays' cannot be any worse than Burrell's crappy play. Even though he made few errors last year, any decent high school OF would have played a better LF. I would take Ibanez and Manny over Pat and Howard. Assuming defense is about the same for the 2 (with Ibanez at 1st), I'll take the two that have .290 and .320 career averages over the two .250 averages. Oh and the combined strikeout totals would be about 150 less. Imagine that.
Again, it was just a fun thought. No way to Dunn. crap.
Just last year, the Phillies front office and some fans here thought $10M was too much for Howard. Of course, the panel of arbitrators took one look at his achievements (for 2007) and thought otherwise. Now the front office upped their offer this year to $14M. Guess what, The arbitrators will decide in Howard's favor again ($18M). Nothing the Phils can do with that when he is asking for breaking records every year (2nd year in a row in leading majors in RBIs and HRs and finishing a close second for MVP)).
If only, the Phillies had the foresight to sign him to a multi-year contract LAST year. All that money that could have been saved from his arbitration years and now must pay the price.
this is what you get when you pay a guy 999,000.00. that was a slap in the face and now he's making the phils pay. karma is a …….
All I have to say is keep Manny outta Philly. I think Manny is fine right where he's at. I couldn't tell you who would be a perfect replacement for Howard but feel another strong starting pitcher would not have been a bad idea. I can't see Howard being around for more than 2 seasons though. I guess they could always charge $15 for a beer, $12 for a hot dog and hats could easily go up to $40. (sarcasm)
I wish I had the balls to turn down a 40% raise and say you know what I need an 80% raise this year……..
Especially in light of the fact that one of the simplest parts of my job I suck at (throws to 2nd).
If I'm the GM I use him up this year and see what we can do next off season.
i say we trade howard now for a right handed power 3b and sign adam dunn to play first whom we can give about 10 mil less than howard. if you think about it dunn is about the same player he may not hit as many hr as howard but the threat of him going deep every pitch is there plus the both strike out all the time wont be anything new to us.. i just cant see paying a guy that much money who cant hit an off speed pitch to save his life
For what its worth… Howard is no A-rod, or Pujols, or whatever… but Adam Dunn sure ain't Ryan Howard either
Daily News has the projected payroll between $132 M and $136 M depending on Howard's arbitration number.
We still owe $3 M to Thome…. EATON is $8.5 M, and JENKINS is $6.75 M
My point last year was that if you totaled the numbers you got from Werth and Jenkins, you had one hell of a RF, but now that the total salary for those two climsb to $10 M, it looks worse
I don't know that Werth would/should sign an extension for what the Phillies want to pay him.. he's a 5-tool player, and lots of teams would want him, Mets included… he could get AT LEAST $5-6 M a season for a 3 or 4 year deal, if the Phillies are only looking at $3 M per season, even $4… They'd offer a 3 year/$12 M contract… chances are he'd laugh at that
it needs to be at least 3yr/$15 M in my mind
Okay guys, I know Ryan Howards don't grow on trees and we will never replace his bat in the lineup and all that, but money doesn't grow on trees either and we do not have the money to pay him if we are going to contiuously add key pieces to the puzzle every year like we have. Ruben has the next two years to find a viable replacement and get the most for him. Bye Ryan, it is a shame you can't be satisfied with like 16 mil for 4 years, but no your bill at McDonald's wont be covered with that. Although I love seeing you swing through horrible pitches and kick balls around theinfield every night, you do erupt the stadium like no other. There is no denying that. I know. Happy Trails Ryno!
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check cots baseball contracts..i think their debt to thome is paid now. bringing in dunn around 8mm, and sheets 6-8m base with incentives up to 14 basically covers the howard money..shedding his salary could go a long way. If youre worried about cutting payroll Howards the guy that goes, brett myers is after him (but if you could afford to keep myers id hang onto him another year and offer him a hometown discount to resign next year if he finally is the consistent starter hes supposed to be – if he struggles again – seya pal)
Do you know how bad are team becomes if the center of your lineup has Adam Dunn instead of Ryan Howard…
Sheets isn't coming here, lets stop that talk now… I'll quit posting on here for a month if we sign Ben Sheets.
No wonder athletes in Philadelphia hate it here… imagine if any of them ever read this page, and what "the real fans" think…
Jeez, I brought up Dunn months ago as a replacement for Pat, and everyone acted like I was retarded or something, and bringing in Manny, are you kidding? Are you forgetting that he intentionally dogged it in Boston just because he was sick of being there? I want NO parts of someone like that on this team, we have too many young guys he could have a negative influence on, we are not that desperate.
Hamels doesn't mind Howard asking for $18 M…. "He can change the game with one swing of the bat."
No matter what network you watch, NFL, MLB, Fox, ESPN, someone always brings up the fans in Philly, how tough they are, how much they boo. It usually ticks me off, but when I see people on here say they would boo ANYONE on a championship team, I just feel it brings shame to the fans and the city. McNabb is another example, I know he whines alot, but for those who want him out of here, who the hell do you get to replace him, it ain't that easy! If the Eagles FO would listen to him and get a WR, FB, RB, anything to help him out, the haters might feel differently. I'm digressing, but let's try to keep the hating and booing to a minimum, we are talking about the WS champs, right?
…bad OUR* team becomes…
Ryan Howard is a negative influence…arrogant greedy player who thinks hes greater than the game…and if we dont need players like that on our team (manny ramirez) then we dont need ryan howard because he IS one of those turd guys.
Adam Dunns numbers were not that much worse than howards. i mean, theyre close enough to NOT pay howard the 14m let alone 18m and go for the cheaper option.
dunn: 40HR 100 RBI .236 AVG
howard: 48HR 146 RBI .251 AVG
howards are clealry better but theyre not 10 million dollars better than dunns…so i dont wanna hear it. if howard leaves chase utley raul ibanez jimmy rollins and shane victorino would be the focal points of the offense as it would be a contact hitting team. dunn would be there for extra power.
Then you bring in sheets because he is worth the risk. they risked it with adam eaton so not risking it with sheets is foolish. The rotation is good enough that you can AFFORD to take the risk and not be SCREWED if it doesnt work out…which is precisely why you take the risk. i dont even consider jamie moyer a known quantity in this rotation whatsoever at all in any way. you cant honeslty say you have ANY idea what youre going to get from him. two season ago he was FLAT OUT horrible, last season he was great…so what this time?
actually you know what? forget adam dunn…still, im not enthusiastic at all about keeping ryan howard here with his attitude. i dont even want to look at him anymore because of that level of greed and arrogance. its all about money and greed when youre haggling over a few million and you ALREADY have millions in the bank. thats insulting and putrid….
Make no mistake about it, this Phillies team will be cheered unmercifully this entire year. Win, lose, or draw (I say this with my foot already in mouth, haha). No, seriously, Utley, Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Ruiz, Werth, Vic, will all get the praise they rightfully deserve as the first champs of most of our lifetime, but I don't care what you do in Philly, if you do something to rub our faces in the snow like what Howard is doing, he is gonna get booed if he slips up. You want 18 mil, now your smackin your blue collar fans in the face and sayin I am higher than this team, screw you! So, with that comes the territory, but everyone else will be worshiped. Ryan, you made your bed now lie in it!
Geoff…"Ryan Howard is a negative influence"
says who, you? His teammates sure seem to love him… but if you don't like him because he wants to get paid a lot of money, the Phillies should listen to you .. you had lots of great ideas about which players to trade last year, Rollins, Howard, Madson (or did you want Madson released outright, I forget)..
give it a rest dude… he's ASKING for $18 M…. he never said he's going to sit out if he doesn't get paid that much, he's just asking for that much because he looks at the list of players who make more than that and realizes he's better than most of them. The fact that there are also players better than Howard that make less then he does gives the Phillies leverage too… none of that means that you should trade Howard because of what he asked in arbitration.
sometimes, my blood pressure goes through the roof reading posts on this site
This list if from David Murphy (philly.com High Cheese)
Ten players currently have contracts whose average annual value is $18 million or greater:
Alex Rodriguez, NYY 2008-17 $27,500,000
CC Sabathia, NYY 2009-15 $23,000,000
Johan Santana, NYM 2008-13 $22,916,667
Miguel Cabrera, Det 2008-15 $19,037,500
Derek Jeter, NYY 2001-10 $18,900,000
Carlos Zambrano, Cubs 2008-12 $18,300,000
Andruw Jones, LAD 2008-09 $18,100,000
Vernon Wells, Tor 2008-14 $18,000,000
Barry Zito, SF 2007-13 $18,000,000
Ichiro Suzuki, Sea 2008-12 $18,000,000
Torri Hunter, LAA 2008012 $18,000,000
that list don…how many good contracts are on that list? ZERO…bruce was talking about giving him 18 20 and 22 m in an escalating 3 year deal…thats horrible! nobodys worth that much money…tori hunter worth 18m? HAHAHA NO WAY…if you want to pay howard that type of money then go ahead…and yes, im putting words in your mouth and im just going to go ahead and SAY that you want to give him that deal too even though you probably dont…
BUT…its time to give the phillies preemptive credit for signing Jayson Werth to a multiyear deal. NICE! Im interested to see what numbers he gets…
hopefully he get's the money,,i'm tired of him coming in my bar and stiffing me,,cheep prick,,he drank free beer all night and does not leave a tip…even the scumbags leave a dollar,
Geoff, all i'm asking is that you say what you mean, and mean what you say..
I was going to post this after the list, but wanted people to have their say.. here was my initial take on that list:
A-Rod is better, Cabrera is probably better… Sabathia and Santana aren't really comparable, but I think pitchers get paid WAY TOO MUCH for only playing in 35 games of 162. Ichiro is a hell of player, but in my opinion NO PLAYER should make that much money.. A-Rod makes $55,000 PER AT-BAT….. more than I make in a year..
But when you say things like Howard is a negative influence, Its just stupid.
Geoff, if the Phillies FO had listened to you last season, they would have traded away over half the team and then we could have gone to the playoffs…. oh yeah, wait, we won the WS with those guys.
Don, you don't think that what Howard is doing with these arbitration talks and everything brings a negative vibe to such a positive situation we have right now?
Hey, the FO started all this by low-balling him the first time before they went to arb, and who won that round? I seriously doubt any of the players feel Ryan is a "negative influence" on the team, get real!
Howard is the most fun player to watch I've ever seen on this team. I love the other guys, but when Howard comes to bat, and you have a feeling he could go all the way… and he does… to me, that's the best part of the game to watch, and he delivers in spades.
Cole Hamels…. ACE… said he supports Ryan going after that money and getting paid.
They all realize its a business, and they are all for each other getting paid..
Everyone involved last year said that the only thing Howard brought to the field during the entire arbitration process was a huge smile when he won.. he never talked about it, never let it bother him…. why it bothers all of us so bad I don't understand.
I honestly don't think he'll get awarded the $18 M… but you never know.. I was shocked he asked for that much at first, but all he did was ASK.. it never hurts to ask
maybe not on his teammates, but it will be on teh fanbase and I seriously doubt he will be recived warmly at all when he strikes out all those times…liek last year…he basically was booed most of the season until he got his act together in september.
I hear ya, if that is the case than so be it, but I just see everyone else fall in line signing left and right making sure we keep this core in place and seeing what they offer him being double what they give Utley, and he says no I want more. I don't have time for it and I'm telling you that this city is going to react the same way. Yes, he is just asking, but look at the publicity it is getting it is a lead story on sportscenter just that he turned down the Phils offer. If you wanna be a rockstar and be held to a higher standard and paid like that, don't go on shows crying like a big baby that we don't like you. No, Ryan we loved you, but hate greedy selfish players.
All things considered, it Utley was in the same spot… im sure he would WANT more too.. but he's not.. Howard is in the position he's in because the Phillies held him back.. now he realizes he's not going to be able to get the long-term deal he would want.. so he's trying to get that money through arbitration.
People are going to boo Howard regardless.. and he's bound to start slowly, because he always does… anyone that boo's anything except a lack of hustle, sucks at life
Geoff, I've also been unhappy about such a huge salary, but I don't think he's a negative influence on the team. Not like Scott Rolen was. Certainly not in the way T.O. was for the Eagles. I see why you're angry at it – I think salaries are ridiculous. I am also unhappy that he has the gall to ask for an 80 percent raise when his BA dropped and OBP plummeted. If it weren't for that, I'd say pay him market value. He deserves a raise for his September and getting us to the World Series, albeit not as big a raise as he seeks. But as long as he doesn't fight the Phils through the media, okay. As long as he doesn't complain in the media "why isn't J-Roll supporting me when Hamels did," okay. Richie, yeah it sucks to have to talk about this when pretty much every other deal has gotten done. But it could be a T.O. situation.
And besides, this is Philly sports. Something always has to be wrong enough to overshadow what is going well.
What do you think players on visiting teams say when they hear the Philly fans booing the likes of Ryan Howard? Probably makes them think twice about coming here, I mean, really, if they boo him, they'd crucify any one else. Sure, pro athletes are supposed to have tough skin, they have to take it, but would you want to play someplace where you AND your family are subjected to rude, foul-mouthed fans all the time?
Mike Schmidt is a prime example, was he a likeable, fan -friendly type? No, but does that mean his wife has to put up with people at games calling her nasty names and such, that is just classless and ignorant, but nevertheless it happened, and to me it's inexcusable.
Im sure some wont come here because of the boo-birds but our positives outweigh the negatives.For instance …just winning the world series,would be a major major factor.
But as far as Ryan Howard goes,I dont want to get rid of him.But 18 mil ?..and 2 more arbitrations left…dont forget we are not the Yankees.
Like Don M always said ,hopefully we can keep signing him in arbitration till 2011,and then he goes on to get a 3 yr DH contract in the AL.
I REALLY REALLY hope that he loses the arbitration. He needs to calm down and remain grounded. He is an excellent player, but if you're gonna ask for THAT much money, then we (Phillies fans) expect him to perform accordingly… that means less striking out, better defense, less slumps… 14 MILLION DOLLARS seems more than fair.
How about $12 mil, a $500 Walmart gift card, $500 Turkey Hill card (can be used for either gas or treats), some new cds and a box of krispy kremes?
Jsmith- If Howard's dad you counter with $13m, the $500 wallmart card re-named the Ryan Howard and rap contract and a homework lines from Jim Thome appologising for sabotaging Ryan's earning to just a putrid amount…
Ryan wins we loose and he's gone, Ryan looses and we loose because he's gone.
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5 years 110 million. I think that gets it done and I dont think…..in todays market…..that is overpaying. I'd like to see that get done.
On a purely personal note, I had the pleasure of having a baseball idol as I grew up in Scmidt. I would like for my 4 year old son to have someone like that. Kids choose who they like and although I pump up Utley and Hamels…..my 4 year old mainly loves Ryan Howard. Am I alone in thinking that its still kinda important to have someone stick around long enough to be an idol? Granted he better keep putting up those numbers or it doesnt matter…..
that contract would cripple this team and in all likelihood they would SUCK in three years with that contract. the phillies would offload other key talent to makeup for howards fat salary and they would end up sucking and missing the playoffs because they WILL NOT become the red sox or yankees with payroll. That would be a horrible signing…get rid of this guy while you can still get value for him. as in RIGHT NOW.
Unfortunately, if they start signing guys to contracts over $20 M per year… most families won't be able to take their kids to the ballpark cause decent seats will cost you $50 each..
Geoff, are you still trying to get rid of Howard because he doesn't leave tips at bars (which was incorrect)… or now you're trying to move him before you need to, and before teams are falling over one another to add his bat to their lineup at the trade deadline next year??
I get so confused sometimes
I think he is at his peak value right now because any team that gets him has TWO years to sign him to a long term contract. I dont care about the bar story obviously, Im just tired of this same old Eric Lindros primadonna act. His reps are plainly and clearly stating that they dont want to be here by asking for 18mm given how well they know the phillies by nwo. This posturing basically tells me that they want the Phillies to trade him to a team that will sign him to a long-term big money contract because they know the Phillies absolutely will not. All this talk of a bgi multiyear deal to keep Howard with the Phillies is EVEN MORE ridiculous than what Im suggesting..
Do you, Geoff, actually want the Phillies to trade Ryan Howard right now…. or are you just stirring the pot for things to talk about?
Don't you think he has more value with an in-season trade, when teams have fewer options as to what pieces they can add to their team… and the player that leads the league in HRs and RBIs is sure to be the main draw for anyteam looking for a bat..?
Its been a slow day….so, this gives us something to talk about…
Obviously, he wont be traded before the season starts unless a shocker comes along. This year before the trade deadline gives his new team a year and a half or so to sign him to an extension – plenty of time, which gives him peak value in my opinion. That allows the Yankees offseason acquisitions time to implode on them, the Red Sox time to figure out what to do with David Ortiz down the line, the Angels time to get VERY desperate, and a few sleeper teams to pop up.
Now if the Phillies are in teh race or leading it theyd demand someone off a major league roster in return for howard as opposed to prospects, because itd take more to give him up in that cas.e
Phillie doesn't seem to be able to appreciate the talent that they have. Throughout his career, Mike Schmidt was booed and treated shamelessly by the fans. The result – he may be the best third basemen of all time. Now we want to trade Ryan Howard or not pay him what he would get if he was a free agent. What team wouldn't pay him $18 million a year? The man was Rookie of the Year, MVP, and runner-up MVP. He brought the division championship to Philly with his performance in September. Pay the man!!!
Isn't $10 M last year, and $14 M or $18 M this season "paying the man"?
Also Mike Schmidt was a d-bag who refused to sign autographs or take pictures on a regular basis… including for children and stadium employees at the Vet.
He thought he was God's gift to baseball, and shows this again by saying he wanted to be a Manager, then calling it quits after he was placed in Clearwater A-ball… unlike say, Ryne Sandberg who is working his way up the ranks with the Cubs system.
I will agree that MOST fans, and especially in Philadelphia… you often don't know what ya got until its gone. People calling for Howard trades, McNabb trades, etc… these guys are the best we've ever seen in this city, and people want them gone..
Joni Mitchell never lies…
We still don't like Schmidt and we know that he's the best third baseman of all time. You can't be an ass and expect the city to love you, no matter how many home runs you hit. We appreciate and admire the numbers that he put up but he's not likeable. Howard is likeable but we have seen the inconsistency in his swing and that makes us nervous. As the big man approaches 30, history is not on his side and we know that. The older he gets, the more difficult it will be for him to reach those balls low and away (and he has not proven that he can lay off of anything). The older he gets, the less likely he'll be able to keep up with the physical demands of being an everyday 1B. I will be the first to admit that he has been worth every penny so far and, if he can continue to produce, I have no problem paying him whatever it takes to keep him but that's a big IF and it should not be overlooked.
I can't tell why bing sent me to this site but I might as well say I have been overall entertained by the posts you have patched together. How long did it take to end up with so many users arriving to your internet page? I am pretty new to this WWW thing.


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Directed by David MacDonald
Patricia Laffan – Nyah
Hugh McDermott – Michael Carter
Peter Reynolds – Albert Simpson
Adrienne Corri – Doris
Joseph Tomelty – Prof. Arnold Hennessey
Sophie Stewart – Mrs. Jameson
John Laurie – Mr. Jamison
Central to sci-fi films from the 1950's was the concept of isolation. Whether the theme was alien invasion or atomic mutation, first contact must occur in a remote location so that our characters are easily cut off from outside aid or communication. In American film, this is often accomplished by setting the stage in the southwestern desert. Tarantula (1955), It Came From Outer Space (1953), The Brain From Planet Arous (1957) and many other classics were all set in small, remote desert communities, which, during attack or invasion, quickly become desolate, finite pockets of paranoia and terror. With Devil Girl From Mars, an English production, this isolation is accomplished by setting the story on the Scottish Moors, wherein we have a very Scottish inn, The Bonnie Charlie, run by Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson (John Laurie and Sophie Stewart).
And both desert and moor are lands of supernatural myths and legends; the moors have their ages-old myths of predatory creatures, whereas the American deserts have more modern myths, no less potent. The desert was, after all, the land that birthed atomic power, from whose fiery forge has come countless monsters both.
The inhabitants of the Bonnie Charlie seem quite content as our story gets under way: We are introduced to the local principals in quick, stagey fashion, and all are about as expected: we have Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson, innkeepers. Mrs. Jamieson, in apron and heavy, sensible shoes, absolutely running the show, forever tsking and fetching tea; while Mr. Jamieson, husband and ornamental handyman, looking for every excuse to celebrate absolutely any event with a drink (Mrs. Jamieson won't let him of course). Behind the counter, at your service, is Doris the barmaid (Adrienne Corri), whose constant cleaning of the establishment's glassware would be diagnosed in our enlightened times as Obsessive Compulsive Behavior. Doris is, naturally, young, plain-but-pretty, and love starved with a latent sense of romance and adventure. There is also young Tommy, a boy of about twelve and Mrs. Jamieson's young nephew, visiting while his parents are in London (from the get-go it is clear that the boy is bored to the point of murder and will need some corporal punishment before film's end).
A radio is playing behind the bar, telling of a huge meteor that has landed in Scotland, and the sighting of an unidentified aircraft. This warrants a "posh and bother" response from stern Mrs. Jamieson, and a host of relentless question from freckled Tommy (all asked in that 12 year old voice of breathless, merciless enthusiasm. Don't let the little bastards fool you for a second, God bless them. Children know full well that such interrogation drives adults to eye-bulging madness. Now, where did I leave that paddle?). Mrs. Jamieson orders the radio off and everyone to bed. Tommy scampers off but Doris, in the tradition of hired help everywhere, ignores orders as soon as possible and snaps the radio back on the moment Mrs. Jamieson leaves the room. Doris listens, cleaning the glass right off yet another glass, as the BBC broadcaster tells of the well-know astrophysicist, Prof. Arnold Hennessey (Joseph Tomelty) traveling to the area to investigate the meteorite and the unusual sightings.
The next scene introduces us to the good professor, who is traveling North by car, and smart aleck reporter, Michael Carter (Hugh McDermott), who has been assigned the story. They are good and lost as neither man can read a roadmap worth a damn. Our reporter establishes his fast-talking ass hole credentials right up front, jibing the professor for their lost condition despite being such a big-brain, while the professor grumbles that the entire trip to the godforsaken Scottish Highlands is a complete waste of his time at any rate. Meteor, he snorts. Probably just a "piece of engine cowling from an airplane" (although how a stray piece of plane engine has come flaming out of the sky, sans any reports of an accompanying crash, our pouty egghead doesn't explain). While these two piss and moan, the car radio tells of an escaped murder, Robert Justin (real name Albert Simpson), and gives a description.
Cut to the man himself, Albert Simpson (Peter Reynolds), trudging along the bleak moor, looking for safe haven. He finds it, naturally enough, at the Jamieson's Bonnie Charlie, where he has a past relationship with barmaid Doris (it will be reveled that she as taken the job at the Bonnie Charlie as to be close to the prison where Albert is being held. Albert, it is also revealed, is basically a good bloke. We are not given much to go on in this regard, other that the murder is explained as an "accident." Well, OK, Doris, if that works for you it works for me). Doris - good, simple Doris - lies for Albert and convinces Mrs. Jamieson to give him a room at the inn, working off his room and board. No sooner do we meet Albert than we meet the remainder of our characters, who are: Ellen Prestwick (Hazel Court), a London fashion model who has retreated to the remote Bonnie Charlie to heal the wound caused by a failed love affair (to a married man, no less); and David (James Edmund) a limping, hunched cretin working as the inn's "hired man."
This may be a good time to jump in and admit that this film has a tremendous amount of character back story, something nearly always omitted from stateside atomic age sci-fi films. This has led to some crumbling from viewers and critics alike, who crab about the slow pace, the sloppy direction, blah, blah.
I can't agree with these critics. This movie is competently directed at the very least and, while the pace is not adrenaline charged by any stretch, much does happen. Any viewer that bitches about the lousy direction in this film hasn't watched enough B-film (hell, I have watched atomic age budget squeezers where you had to wonder if the film-makers even had a basic working knowledge of the equipment. Beast of Yucca Flats comes to mind, where one would be hard pressed to describe how any of the actors or scenes were "directed" at all). Devil Girl remains on a clear and linear track, the dialogue is sometimes very good, and the acting is solid ( and what Ms. Laffan offers as the Martian dominatrix is oh, so much more than "acting" but I will get to that later). This has become one of those movies that inspire brilliant comments, sometimes even in complete sentences, from folks that wouldn't know a viewfinder from dirty bong water.
So, our reporter and professor stumble into the Bonnie Charlie for a room (although Professor Hennessey makes it bluntly clear that he considers this inn in the Scottish backwater well beneath his station). Once ensconced inside and having warmed palms to the large fire, Reporter Michael decides to charm the natives. He sidles up to the bar and unleashes his best clever barfly patter on fashion model Ellen (he tires the even-then dusty strategy of guessing Ellen's profession. "I've got it, you're an airline stewardess!" he brays, moving on quickly to order himself a drink: "I should like a very large scotch and a very small soda!" So, you get the idea: Card carrying dick head).
In the world of B-films, though, these two will of course fall in love (and who would have it any other way, really?). As the movie rolls along, it will be revealed that Michael is a chronic alcoholic; a burned out ghost of a good reporter who has seen too much human tragedy – via the Spanish War and D-Day -- and is now relegated to fluff pieces like tagging along with a tweedy professor on a meteor hunt. As fellow injured wrecks, both have a bead on the other instantly, and draw blood equally, as they fall in love. They have only one or two scenes together, but things really liven whenever the two trade body shots. "Don't be too clever, Michael. It's like drinking. It doesn't do any good," she tells him after yet another lame quip, and for his part, he guesses with offhand ease her adulterous past, shaking the liquid around the bottom of his flask, making her life instantly average and sad.
Once the characters are all assembled at the dinner table, eating Mrs. Jamieson's Scotch broth, the reporter recognizes the escaped murder, Albert, who is helping Mrs. Jameson serve at table. He is just about to reveal his true identity – "don't you folks read the papers? Don't you have a radio?" – when a blinding light and screaming sound fill the room. Everyone (save Albert, who will spend most of the remainder of the picture hiding in various spare rooms and garden sheds) rushes outside to watch a spacecraft, glowing white hot, extend its landing gear and set down amid roaring flames in a field near the inn. The spaceship is a great effect, its middle portion spinning as flames jet out of the bottom, and the scene, as the glare-flooded faces of the cast watch in open-mouthed wonder, feels very real. Our reporter dashes inside to make a call, sounding completely hysterical, only to find that somehow the lines are dead. The professor and reporter try to make a break for it, ostensibly to get to a phone (I don't really like being left here alone, says Ellen. "You'll be all right," says our reporter, blowing passed her, desperate for a phone and the biggest story of his career). It's no good, though, as the car mysteriously won't work, either.
The stage is set, and for the entrance of the Devil Girl from Mars, Nyah, played with imperiously flashing eyes and high-cheek boned contempt by Patricia Laffan. Nyah is clothed in glistening, black leather literally from head to toe, exposing about six feet of leg and leather miniskirt between the front of a full length cape. We first see her descending down the ramp of her craft like some hellish Cleopatra stepping off a barge in the Nile; and witness quickly what makes her clock tick as she smiles upon seeing David (the limping, cretin hired man, who never even gets to speak a line), who has come stumbling near the craft. Her faintly smiling lips curl as she catalogues his physical infirmities. With eyes dilating like a cat, she raises a laser gun and reduces him to a pile of ash. She is obviously a sadist, a dominatrix with a black skull cap, clad in boots of shiny, shiny leather. She is terminal, maybe even evil incarnate, and hotter than hell.
She comes striding into the inn and introduces herself, and we learn, via a long, scorn-filled speech (in which she sums up our professor quite accurately as "a very poor physical specimen") that Nyah has come to earth with one simple mission: to enslave the most excellent male specimens in the city of London, who will assist the women of Mars to repopulate her home planet. She explains, with eyes glittering with pleasant memories, how most Martian males have been exterminated years before in a battle royal of the sexes in which the women of Mars declared their emancipation. Since this profound ass-kicking, it seems that the remaining males have grown weak and impotent (imagine that). After taking her pick of the London males, the rest of humanity will be terminated. It is no use trying to escape, she tells them, as she has encircled the inn with an electric force field that is impenetrable and has rendered all mechanical devises, like phones and cars, useless.
She has landed in the Scottish moors only due to a mechanical problem where a piece of her craft was lost (the meteor). Once "Johnny" (her mechanical man) gets her saucer fixed, it's off to turn London into a giant stud farm. The men of London will never submit! declares the reporter valiantly. Really? I admire the reporter's balls, but who is he kidding? Submit? Oh, hell yes. Let's think about this for just a moment. On the one hand, the men of London are offered a life of endless and complete sexual license with Nyah and countless, similar, exotic Martian "devil girls" presumably all with the same glorious sense of fashion; and on the other side of the ledger we have the standard life most men lead: a decent enough life of quiet adequacy, putting in thirty odd years at a ratty desk or cubicle in some meaningless office, getting a Plexiglas plaque or watch upon retirement. Hmmmm. Talk about your no-brainer. Where does the line start? A fair portion of London men, or men from any drone-filled urban center, will be climbing over each other to get on Nyah's love saucer.
Things become complicated when Nyah kidnaps young Tommy and takes him aboard her ship (Tommy has, naturally, been poking around where he shouldn't). Why she abducts the smallest, youngest male available whispers to the imagination in some very unpleasant ways, and let's just pray that she-of-the-flashing-eyes-and-squeaking-leather thinks of our freckled 12 year old as a future draft choice and not, as it were, a member of the, ahem, starting lineup. "Come," she tells the boy, who barely comes up to her waist, "I will show you wonders you have never dreamed of!" She takes him by the hand and walks him away to her ship. Oh, God, Tommy, run!
The men of the inn, a nice enough lot but not the cream of the male species by anyone's definition, begin vying for the right to sacrifice themselves, hoping to take Tommy's place aboard the craft. Yet, why Nyah would even begin to consider this arrangement is incomprehensible. She has previously demonstrated the power to hypnotize men into a state of paralysis (she has reduced the escaped killer, Albert, to a near vegetative state when he attempts to defend the child. Albert, now a semi-zombie, sits in a spare room, staring at nothing and spouting devotion to Nyah), so if she desired, she could simply take them all right now, at any time, Tommy included. Be that as it may, this theme of sacrifice becomes central for the remainder of the film; particularly after Nyah gives the professor a tour of her ship. Nyah is a bit of a show-off, it must be said, and seems to give our professor this tour only so she can ridicule his limited understanding. "you speak like a primitive savage!" she tells him, lip curling in enjoyment at his failure to believe in the technology that powers her ship - some sort of "negative" atomic power, continually collapsing in on itself, creating perpetual motion.
Indeed, throughout the picture, Nyah has truly enjoyed not only killing humans, but seeing them quiver in fright. "Behold, Earthmen, the power of another world!" she declares earlier in the film, legs set wide, as she waves her robot controller at Johnny, setting the mechanical man off obliterating sheds, trees, what have you with his laser beam. When the residents of this small inn in remote Scotland react with understandable horror, a distinctly satisfied smirk crosses Nyah's face and her eyes light up.
There is a slender filament of hope: During the professor's visit into the ship's interior, he has seen a Martian fatal flaw. The ship's main power source, Nyah's muckity muck perpetual atomic motion thing, can be destroyed, thereby obliterating Nyah and her ship, by a man willing to atomize himself in the effort. A good sharp blow, crisply delivered, should do it (yet why the professor assumes this piece of supremely advanced Martian technology would be susceptible to a "sharp blow" is not easy to fathom).
So, who wants to volunteer? Who wants to blow themselves up and save the world? Drunk reporter? Aging inn keeper? Come now, step right up. Actually, all say they are willing, but as the reporter points out, talk is cheap. What's to keep a noble volunteer, taking credit for a great sacrifice, to cop out at crunch time and opt for a life of sex, sex, and then some more sex with Nyah instead of, well, obliterating yourself in some bizarre negative atomic explosion?
Eventually our reporter offers himself and, after some dickering, Nyah goes for a one-on-one swap, Reporter Carter for Tommy. Carter returns to the inn to tell all about the deal and say goodbye to Ellen (the two have fallen in a desperate kind of love, it being the end of the world and all). Just has he is about to reveal the deal, Doris comes running in a demands Carter's help. It's her boyfriend, Killer Albert; he's upstairs and acting strangely. Oh, all right, dammit! Our hero reporter, dashes upstairs where the Nyah-paralyzed Albert attacks him. The two have a terrific fight (very well staged) in which the two tumble down a flight of stairs. Eventually, Carter knocks Albert cold. Albert is tied up to a chair, still unconscious, just as Nyah bursts through the terrace doors (throughout the film she has loved dramatic entrances). She has come to close the deal. "It is time, Earthman!" she declares. Jeez, just like that, eh? Well, I'll certainly do my best – Oh, sorry, you wanted me to come back to the space ship, then?
Nyah strides purposefully back to her ship, Carter close behind. Once they reach the ramp of the ship, Nyah produces the three-pronged wand which summons the mechanical man, intent on presumably teaching pitiful Earthlings one last lesson in Martian power. Carter snatches the device from her grip, but is simply paralyzed by a glance of Nyah's startlingly beautiful eyes. She simply takes the tool away from him, glaring at him. "That was the last trick, Earthman," she tells him, and marches him back to the inn, very pissed. Deal's off, she announces. Carter has screwed the pooch for everyone, so Nyah has a new deal. She will simply take off in her ship and kill everyone in the house. How's that sound? Does that work for everyone?
The doctor pleads for her to take him, claiming he would be a useful tour guide around unknown London for the initiated visiting Martian devil. London is such a big city, don't you know, so many tall buildings. Nyah actually likes the idea, calling it sensible, but it is hard to understand why. How would London, or any city for that matter, be troublesome once all citizens are paralyzed? None the less, she will consider the idea. The doctor asks for one condition; that all the others be spared. Nyah has a better idea. She likes the idea of taking someone to help her manage London, but the "sparing people" thing sounds like no fun at all. Tell you what, I'll pick my favorite male among you then blow the house to bits, slaughtering every man, woman and child inside. Shall we shake on it? You pitiful earthlings talk amongst yourselves while I go check on the ship. Back in a tic.
Nyah goes on back to check that the ship is all powered up, while the three men pick cards to decides who goes with Nyah (they apparently weren't listening. I didn't notice her giving them a choice in the matter). Carter draws the high card, the king of spades, so it is decided he will, hopefully, be the one to sacrifice himself. Michael and Ellen have a farewell moment, sentimental for sure but also surprisingly honest, in which both declare their love for one another and, in the same breath, admit their love is born of the frightful intensity of the situation; that under normal conditions, she would have thought him a boorish loudmouth, smelling of liquor; and he would have considered her a spoiled rich girl, lording it over the rural locals with her fancy ways (somehow, their feelings are deepened by this exchange).
Once it is decided that Carter is going to Mars, the professor describes quickly where the ship's atomic device is located and how to destroy it and save the human race. Carter listens intently, but listening also is Albert the killer, still tied up but now conscious. He seems resigned somehow, out of the grip of Nyah's mind control but lacking any fight. Once Carter has his instructions (and it seems now he is really committed to the kamikaze mission) the professor decides that the best bet for all the others is to hide in the inn's cellar, where they might escape Nyah's wrath. Carter begins to guide everyone downstairs. Hey, what about Albert, wonders Doris, Aw, we'll get him later, says Carter (later? What later?) Come, says Ellen, you must come, Doris. You go ahead, says Doris, I'll be along in a bit.
So Doris and Albert are left alone for an emotional goodbye. Doris cuts him loose, and he stands and rubs his wrists, as if preoccupied with thought. "Are we going to die, Albert?" asks Doris. "Perhaps, Doris," he says simply, clearly further along the acceptance path than are any of the other characters. "Perhaps we are."
It is finally revealed that the person Albert has murdered is a woman, a girlfriend or wife, it isn't clear. All that is clear is that Albert, so near death, regrets the murder and realizes, finally, the act is unforgivable. "No one has the right to kill," he says, speaking of himself and his unredeemable life. The two kiss and it is understood that Albert won't be joining her in the cellar with the others. He is, now, beyond safety or their comfort.
"C'mon now," he tells her, "you must go or they'll miss you."
She is rubbing his hands in hers, the gesture communicating tremendous human warmth and need. She collects herself and tries to smile. "You'll hide yourself somewhere," she says, but it is just something to say. She looks up at him. "Be seeing you," she says. Albert's breath catches as he tries to speak, but can't. They share a last look, and Doris turns and runs toward the cellar, tears in her eyes. Albert stands looking at the floor for a moment. "Goodbye, Doris," he says finally, the room empty.
Suddenly, Albert turns and Nyah has been watching them form the patio doorway. One senses that she has been watching them for a bit, but her face reveals nothing but predatory ice. It would be pleasant to imagine she has been moved by this scene of earthly love, but her face tells the tale; she feels nothing for the earthlings. Nothing. She scans the room, looking for any movement, then approaches Albert like a large black cat moving smoothly so as not to startle even so helpless a prey. It is all so much sweeter without the struggle, when surrender is given in supplication.
"So you are coming?" she says, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Yes," he answers.
"Where are the others?"
"They're hiding. They're afraid."
Her eyes blaze at his. Her eyebrows could scratch glass. "Do you go with me -- of your own free will?" She has mentioned this before, telling Ellen earlier in ruthless fashion that Carter was going with her of his own free will. It seems to heighten the pleasure of her victory.
"Of my own free will," says Albert.
She escorts him to her ship, and the others come rushing out of the cellar. They see Albert and Nyah walking back to the ship. Carter, assuming the jailbird has cut a deal with Nyah to save his skin and doom the rest, begins to rush the ship. Doris throws herself in his path and pleads "Give him a chance, Mr. Carter. Give him a chance!" She understands perfectly why the repentant murder wants to be the one to go with Nyah, and she has complete faith in him. Hearing her voice, Albert casts one last look backward before entering the ship, but his expression is impossible to read. We watch him turn and walk up the ramp, following Nyah into the ship, and it is impossible not to notice the grubbiness of his clothes, the badly worn look of the man.
We remember Andrew's rapt attention at the professor's description of the ship's nuclear device and how a committed man might destroy it. Somehow, like Doris, we have come to believe this unredeemable sinner will find the strength of sacrifice.
And he does. As the ship lifts off the earth, we watch it becoming smaller and smaller in the sky until it begins to glow, brighter and brighter, hotter and hotter, until finally the small point of white light erupts in a billowing, beautiful explosion. This shot is very long and very well done (overall the special effects in the film are outstanding, particularly the Martian space ship, both exterior and interior, and leagues behind many similar B efforts from the period).
Tears in her eyes, watching the explosion as a final marker to her love, she says quietly, "Albert. Albert did it." This is the only expression of acknowledgement that Albert will ever get from anyone for saving the human race. The film ends with Doris sobbing in Mrs. Jamieson's arms, Carter and Ellen kissing (I'll take long odds on how long this romance will last once foxy Ellen realizes she's latched onto a blabby drunk), and Mr. Jamieson buying drinks for the house.
So let's wrap it up: This is an excellent film with fine performances throughout - my near-favorite being the redeemed killer, played by Peter Reynolds. The effects are very good, as I said before,(though "Johnny" is a bit of a lumbering thing). But let's face it; Nyah (Patricia Laffan) is the real show. She's a black stiletto switchblade with long legs and bright lipstick; her eyes brought to life by suffering. Laffan's gaunt, beautifully boned face, her imperious blade of a nose, have the brutal effect of fine weaponry. Throughout the film, her voice communicates nothing but cruelty, pain, simmering hatred -- and pure sex. Indeed, I have seen the power of another world! Good God, get this film and watch it! - Radiation Cinema


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2013 Hyundai Santa Fe gets bigger
Published On: Dec 10 2012 11:26:25 AM PST
With an all-new larger SUV, Hyundai will soon sell its popular Santa Fe to fit five, six, or seven passengers.
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