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I first read Emma while on holiday in Sweden when I was fifteen, and found it a hard slog. At the time, I had trouble explaining my resistance to the novel, and ultimately settled, somewhat reluctantly, on the title character, whom Austen herself famously described as "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." Arrogant and self-important, Emma is a sort of feminine Mr. Darcy. Like him, she has been "given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit" (although, unlike Mr. Darcy, Emma's attempts at ordering the world according to her own notions of what is right and proper are rarely successful, and in fact often have the opposite result of the one she intended). Emma is supposed to be the narrative of its heroine's moral and emotional growth, but I found her--and therefore the novel--unsatisfying. Ten years later, I expected to have more sympathy for Emma Woodhouse, and a greater appreciation of the novel which bears her name, but instead I found myself nearly overwhelmed by Austen's treatment of a secondary theme which I had, almost inexplicably, managed to overlook in my first reading--the theme of class.
Class is central to Emma in a way that far outstrips its importance in Austen's other novels. The most obvious example is the sub-plot involving Harriet Smith, a young woman of no family and very little education whom Emma takes under her wing, and Robert Martin, a farmer who is in love with her. In spite of his many qualities--he is described as intelligent, serious-minded, and conscientious, and Mr. Knightley, Emma's mentor and the novel's moral center, holds him in very high esteem--Emma is brutally dismissive of Robert Martin because of his class.
"The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do. A degree or two lower, and a creditable appearance might interest me; I might hope to be useful to their families in some way or other. But a farmer can need none of my help, and is therefore in one sense as much above my notice as in every other he is below it."Emma's animosity towards Martin is motivated in part by her belief that Harriet can do better. Partly out of blind affection, and partly out of a desire to gratify her sense of her own importance, Emma schemes to attach Harriet first to the local vicar, Mr. Elton (who has set his sights on Emma instead), and later to her neighbor's son, Frank Churchill (who is secretly engaged to another young lady, Jane Fairfax), in spite of Mr. Knightley's assertions that Harriet has nothing more than good looks and a pleasant nature to recommend her.
Emma's coming to accept Harriet and Robert's marriage at the end of the novel is motivated not by her learning to look past his class and to value him for his character and abilities, but by a clear-headed evaluation of Harriet, and the realization that she possesses very little of either. This reevaluation comes about when Harriet, encouraged by Emma's bolstering of her self-esteem, sets her sights on Mr. Knightley. An oblivious Emma has, of course, been in love with Mr. Knightley all the time, but beyond this personal reason to object to a match between the two, we are also told that "It was horrible to Emma to think how it must sink him in the general opinion, to foresee the smiles, the sneers, the merriment, it would prompt at his expense". At the end of the novel Emma, now happily married to Mr. Knightley, is drifting away from Harriet, and the novel treats this cooling of their friendship as something inevitable and desirable.
Emma's inability to accurately gauge Harriet's value, both in terms of her class and of her abilities, is part of a larger theme of social and personal blindness within the novel. Emma, obviously, suffers most egregiously from this failing--she doesn't realize that Mr. Elton is interested in her, and unwittingly encourages him while believing him to be in love with Harriet; she falls for Frank Churchill's pretense of infatuation, which in reality is a blind meant to conceal his attachment to Jane Fairfax; she is fooled by Jane and Mr. Knightley's reserve, and fails to realize where either of their affections truly lie. But Emma is far from being the only blind person in the novel--the entire cast blunders about, groping helplessly before them and constantly coming to the wrong conclusions about their friends and neighbors. Mr. Elton believes that Emma reciprocates his affections. Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax are certain that the entire neighborhood is on the verge of discovering their secret, and that Emma has already worked it out and given them her tacit approval to use her as a beard. Harriet thinks that Emma is encouraging her to pursue Mr. Knightley, whereas Emma is actually talking about Frank Churchill. Even Mr. Knightley initially fails to recognize even those modest qualities Harriet possesses, and he also shares in the common misconception that Emma is so in love with Frank Churchill that the revelation of his engagement to Jane Fairfax must break her heart. As the narrative tells us just at the moment in which Emma and Mr. Knightley realize that the object of their affection returns it, "Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken".
Were Harriet and Robert Martin's sub-plot the only reference to class in the novel, it might be easier to conclude that it is introduced in service of this greater theme of blindness, but there are other references to class in Emma that are not so easily disposed of:
- Emma is scandalized by Mr. Elton's presumption in proposing to her--"Perhaps it was not fair to expect him to feel how very much he was her inferior in talent and all the elegancies of mind. ... but he must surely know that in fortune and consequence she was greatly his superior. He must know that the Woodhouses had been settled for several generations at Hartfield, the younger branch of a very ancient family, and that the Eltons were nobody."
- When Frank Churchill proposes holding a ball in the local inn, Emma tries to persuade him that there aren't enough families of sufficient rank in the neighborhood to make up a sizable crowd--"The want of proper families in the place and the conviction that none beyond the place and its immediate environs could be tempted to attend were mentioned; but he was not satisfied. ... Of pride, indeed, there was, perhaps, scarcely enough; his indifference to a confusion of rank bordered too much on inelegance of mind. He could be no judge, however, of the evil he was holding cheap. It was but an effusion of lively spirits."
- "The Coles had been settled some years in Highbury and were very good sort of people, friendly, liberal, and unpretending; but, on the other hand, they were of low origin, in trade, and only moderately genteel. ... The Coles were very respectable in their way, but they ought to be taught that it was not for them to arrange the terms on which the superior families would visit them."
- When Mr. Elton does marry, the woman he chooses is wealthy but unrefined, and the narrative lambasts her for her belief that her nouveau-riche relatives are the equals, and perhaps the superiors, of the old, landed families in Highbury. Mrs. Elton figures quite prominently in the latter half of the novel, and in most of her appearances she is consumed with elevating herself to a position which, we are told, neither her rank as a vicar's wife nor her family connections entitle her to.
- In the only instance in any of Austen's novels of a physical assault against a character, Harriet is accosted by gypsies violently demanding charity, and has to be rescued by Frank Churchill.
Obviously, it should come as no surprise that Jane Austen, an author who hewed so closely to a conservative worldview in other respects, was nothing like a radical when it came to class. Her main characters are all gentlemen and ladies, and although they don't always marry within their exact level their chosen mates are usually gentlemen and ladies as well. Nevertheless, in her other novels there is at least a sense that, although she frowns on social climbing in general, Austen has a grudging respect, even an admiration, for those who practice it. In Persuasion, Anne Eliot is warned that her sister's friend Mrs. Cole, the daughter of Sir Walter's lawyer, is trying to win Sir Walter's affections and make herself the new Lady Eliot. The narrative rewards Mrs. Cole for her troubles, however. Sir Walter's heir, recognizing a formidable opponent, essentially makes her his ally by marrying her--she can no longer threaten his claim to Sir Walter's estate by producing a nearer heir, and he will one day make her a baronet's wife. Sense and Sensibility's Lucy Steele is one of Austen's most fascinating creations--an intelligent, calculating young woman, more chaotic neutral than villain, whom Elinor Dashwood herself calls "better than half her sex."
Mrs. Elton is very much in the vein of these characters. In spite of her coarseness and presumption, she is clearly intelligent and accomplished, and yet, with the exception of Mansfield Park's ghoulish Mrs. Norris, she is Austen's most objectionable creation, whose attempts to place herself in a position of authority within Highbury society--taking on, unasked, the roles of hostess and patroness in communal functions--are viewed with disdain by the narrative and the novel's right-thinking characters. One of the positive results of Emma's marriage to Mr. Knightley at the end of the novel is that it gives Emma the crucial advantages--she is now a married woman, and mistress of the largest estate in Highbury--which allow her to regain the position from which Mrs. Elton ousted her, as Highbury's social leader.
Emma's emphasis on class distinction is also unusual because unequal marriages are so common in her other novels. In Austen's world, husbands and wives can be unequal in their character, class, or wealth, and in her other novels an equality in the first sense, and not the latter two, is held as crucial to the success of a marriage. Anne Eliot, the daughter of a baronet, can marry Fredrick Wentworth, a sea-captain and the son of no one at all, because he is her intellectual and moral equal. Elizabeth Bennet makes a much better wife for Mr. Darcy than Caroline Bingley, in spite of the fact that Caroline has tons of money and Elizabeth is poor and not very well connected, because she is Caroline's superior and Darcy's equal in terms of character.
In Emma, the situation is reversed. The three marriages agreed upon at the end of the story are equal in terms of class and wealth--the gentleman farmer marries the illegitimate daughter of a merchant; the poor young people raised by wealthy relatives marry one another; the landed gentry marry each other--but unequal when it comes to character--Mr. Knightley, Jane Fairfax, and Robert Martin are superior to their chosen mates. In another Austen novel, we'd expect Knightley to marry Jane, Emma to marry Frank Churchill, and Harriet to... well, not to exist. Though Austen is a deft hand at writing persuasive romantic relationships, it's hard for a reader versed in her novels to forget all those instances in which a person marries their moral or intellectual inferior hoping to teach and better them, and ends up being dragged down to their level. Are we really supposed to believe that the same won't happen to Mr. Knightley and Jane Fairfax?
The difference, presumably, is that at the end of this novel, Emma and Frank Churchill know what they've got and how little they deserve it. Emma resolves to adhere more closely to Mr. Knightley's guidance and advice, and has even begun to do so at the novel's close. As I wrote in my essay about Mansfield Park, however, Austen doesn't usually go in for redemption by proxy. Guided by those good principles I mentioned at the beginning of this essay, Emma tries to reform several times over the course of the novel and fails. At its end, she is just at the beginning of a more comprehensive attempt, but I find it difficult to believe that her success, if it even happens, will be complete or long-lasting unless she sublimates herself completely to Knightley's guidance. I can't help but believe that Emma will always be driven, at least in part, by pride and conceit (and that Frank Churchill's impulsive nature will always drive him). More importantly, I don't get the sense that for Austen, the question of whether or not Emma has truly reformed is as important as the question of whether or not she marries Mr. Knightley.
Jane Austen's fans are always moaning about her works being mistaken for romantic fiction when, in reality, the romance is nothing but a delivery system for her moral ideas--the old-fashioned and objectionable ones as well as the universal ones. Rereading Emma, I can't help but feel that the main character's romantic triumph is given precedence over her moral growth. As opposed to Mr. Darcy, who has to prove that he's a better person through actions, at the end of the novel Emma gets Knightley without having done anything to earn him beyond realizing that she is in love with him. She's wiser, but not yet wise, and yet the narrative leaves her with what is, for Austen, the ultimate reward--marriage to a good man. I had hoped to come away from this reevaluation of Emma with a greater appreciation for it, but instead I like it less--it may be my least-favorite of Austen's novels, for the simple reason that I think it may actually deserve that ignominious moniker, the romance novel.


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Delfi announces Indonesia JV with South Korea's Orion Corp.
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June Issue Explores Challenges in Addressing Unmet Need for Contraception, Featuring Research and Case Studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America
NEW YORK (16 June 2014) — Studies in Family Planning, a leading journal published by the Population Council, released "Unmet Need for Family Planning"—a special issue featuring ten articles, including a comprehensive introduction to the topic of unmet need. Distinguished researchers explore trends related to unmet need for contraception, and many articles point to practical strategies for increasing contraceptive knowledge and uptake, and for overcoming barriers that prevent women from practicing contraception.
"Unmet need has been an important indicator for measuring the progress of family planning programs for more than 25 years," said John Bongaarts, vice president and Distinguished Scholar at the Population Council. "This issue features work from some of the leading minds in family planning. It explores trends, identifies issues, and proposes solutions to ensure that sexual and reproductive health programs and policies are structured to meet the changing needs of women and men over the course of their reproductive lives."
The FP2020 goal of expanding family planning services to an additional 120 million women invites interest in exploring the reasons for nonuse of contraceptives among women with a desire to postpone or end childbearing (unmet need). The articles in "Unmet Need for Family Planning" advance understanding of these reasons by discovering cross-national as well as locally specific explanations that can aid efforts to improve family planning programs and reduce unintended pregnancy. The studies call attention to the importance of concerns regarding perceived side effects, use of less-effective methods of contraception, insufficient integration of family planning with other services, social pressure to bear children, and other important factors that may lead to suboptimal family planning practices.
The articles in the special issue represent updated versions of a selection of papers presented at an international seminar organized by the IUSSP (International Union for the Scientific Study of Population) in collaboration with the Population Council-led STEP-UP (Strengthening Evidence for Programming on Unintended Pregnancy) consortium, and AFIDEP (African Institute for Development Policy) in Nanyuki, Kenya in 2013. The Population Council extends its gratitude toward those participants who provided their insights and expertise during the seminar, as well as to the seminar organizers and guest editors of the special issue: John Cleland, Sarah Harbison, and Iqbal H. Shah. Financial support for the seminar was generously provided by USAID, DFID, the Wellcome Trust, and WHO.
The full table of contents and a synopsis of each article are included below. All of the articles in "Unmet Need for Family Planning" are available online, free of charge, here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sifp.2014.45.issue-2/issuetoc
Introduction and Overview
1. Unmet Need for Contraception: Issues and Challenges (John Cleland, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Sarah Harbison, USAID; and Iqbal H. Shah, Harvard School of Public Health)
- This article provides a broad context for the contributions that follow in this special issue. Validity and measurement of unmet need are discussed. Regional trends among married women since 1970 are also presented. Major reductions in unmet need have been achieved, with the clear exception of sub-Saharan Africa. Less success can be claimed in addressing the needs of sexually active unmarried women, who contribute nearly 20 percent to overall unmet need in developing countries. Prominent reasons for unmet need in settings where contraceptive uptake is low include social resistance and insufficient information concerning methods. As contraceptive use increases, the importance of these reasons wanes, but concerns regarding side effects and health impact remain a barrier, and discontinued users now constitute a large proportion of those with unmet need. Drawing on these reasons, the authors outline measures to reduce unmet need.
2. Understanding Unmet Need: History, Theory, and Measurement (Sarah E.K. Bradley, ICF International; and John B. Casterline, Ohio State University)
- This article recounts the evolution of the concept of unmet need, describes how demographic survey data have been used to generate estimates of its prevalence, and tests the sensitivity of these estimates to various assumptions in the unmet need algorithm. The sensitivity tests suggest that alternative criteria for identifying four out of five subgroups of women would increase the estimated prevalence of unmet need. The exception is identification of married women who are sexually active; more accurate measurement of this subgroup would reduce the estimated prevalence of unmet need in most settings.
Unmet Need, Contraceptive Use, and Fertility
3. Reasons for Contraceptive Nonuse among Women Having Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries (Gilda Sedgh and Rubina Hussain, Guttmacher Institute)
- This study draws upon data from 51 surveys conducted between 2006 and 2013 in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean to provide an updated review of the reasons why many married women with unmet need are not practicing contraception. The authors examine the reasons for contraceptive nonuse and how these reasons vary across countries and according to national levels of unmet need and contraceptive use. Findings suggest that access to a range of methods, and information and counseling, can be critical in helping women overcome obstacles to contraceptive use.
4. Do Natural Methods Count? Underreporting of Natural Contraception in Urban Burkina Faso (Clémentine Rossier, University of Geneva and Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, Paris; Leigh Senderowicz and Abdramane Soura, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population, University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso)
- Natural methods of contraception were widely used in developed countries until the late 1960s to space and limit childbirth. The Demographic and Health Surveys do not currently include questions specific to natural methods. The authors analyzed data from a 2010 health survey conducted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, among 758 women aged 15–49 in which the standard DHS question regarding current contraceptive use was expanded to elicit fuller responses regarding use of natural methods. The expanded survey instrument enabled the researchers to find a notable increase in the proportion of women in union who reported practicing contraception. Many women classified as having unmet need for family planning in Ouagadougou by the DHS are in fact users of natural methods. The authors conclude that additional questions measuring use of natural methods more completely should be tested in different settings.
5. Demand for Contraception to Delay First Pregnancy among Young Married Women in India (Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, and A.J. Francis Zavier, Population Council)
- In India, evidence is sparse regarding the demand for contraception to delay first pregnancy among married young people. Using data drawn from a study conducted in six Indian states among 9,572 women aged 15–24 who were married for five or fewer years, the authors explore the scope of this demand, the extent to which it has been satisfied, and, using logistic regression analyses, the factors associated with contraceptive use to delay first pregnancy. Findings confirm considerable demand for contraception to postpone first pregnancy (51 percent). Of those with demand, only 10 percent had practiced contraception. Contraception was more likely to have been practiced by educated women, those aware of family planning methods before they were married, those exposed to quality sexuality education, and those who participated in marriage-related decision making. Women who reported feeling pressure to prove their fertility were less likely to have practiced contraception.
6. Unmet Need for Family Planning in Ghana: The Shifting Contributions of Lack of Access and Attitudinal Resistance (Kazuyo Machiyama and John Cleland, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
- In Ghana, despite a 38 percent decline in the total fertility rate from 1988 to 2008, unmet need for family planning among married women declined only modestly during this period. Examining data from the five DHS surveys in Ghana during these years, researchers found that the relative contribution to unmet need of lack of access to contraceptive methods has diminished, whereas attitudinal resistance has grown. An enduring resistance to hormonal methods, much of it based on prior experience of side effects, may lead many Ghanaian women, particularly the educated in urban areas, to use periodic abstinence or reduced coital frequency as an alternative to modern contraception.
7. Unmet Need and Fertility Decline: A Comparative Perspective on Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa (John B. Casterline, Ohio State University; and Laila O. El-Zeini, American University in Cairo, Egypt)
- This study assesses how changes in unmet need for family planning have contributed to contemporary fertility declines, and the implications of this historical record for further fertility decline, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers examined joint trends at the national level in fertility, unintended fertility, and unmet need. The association over time between unmet need and fertility is investigated using survey data from 45 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean from the mid-1970s to the present. The empirical analysis reveals that reduction in unmet need, especially need for limiting pregnancies, is strongly associated with fertility decline in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Asia and North Africa. Fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa, by contrast, is weakly associated with trends in unmet need (and satisfaction of demand). The authors propose that the marked regional difference is due to measurement problems and to the different character of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa.
Reducing Unmet Need
8. The Impact of Family Planning Programs on Unmet Need and Demand for Contraception (John Bongaarts, Population Council)
- Much of the existing literature on the demographic impact of family planning programs focuses on their role in increasing contraceptive use, which, in turn, accelerates fertility decline. What is not clear, however, is whether this effect operates solely through a reduction in unmet need brought about by eliminating obstacles to use or whether and to what extent the programs also affect demand for contraception through messages concerning the benefits of family planning. This article attempts to shed light on this issue by analyzing data drawn from recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 63 developing countries. The first section reviews general levels and trends in unmet need, demand, and use over the course of the fertility transition. The second section presents different types of evidence of program effects, including results from a controlled experiment and from country case studies. The evidence indicates a program impact on both unmet need and demand.
9. Using Measurements of Unmet Need to Inform Program Investments for Health Service Integration (Shawn Malarcher and Chelsea B. Polis, USAID)
- Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data could potentially inform optimal strategies to reach women having unmet need with contraceptive services through integrated service delivery. The authors examined DHS data from Nepal, Senegal, and Uganda and identified substantial missed opportunities to reach married or cohabitating women of reproductive age (MWRA) having unmet need. Between 4 percent and 57 percent of MWRA having unmet need in these countries could be reached through integration of FP into any single-service delivery platform that the authors explored. This analysis has the potential to provide program managers with an evidence-based road map indicating which service-delivery platforms offer the greatest potential to reach the largest number of women.
10. Reducing Unmet Need and Unwanted Childbearing: Evidence from a Panel Survey in Pakistan (Anrudh K. Jain, Zeba A. Sathar, and Irfan Masood, Population Council; Arshad Mahmood, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation of the FALAH Project at the time the study was conducted)
- Pakistan's high unmet need for contraception and low contraceptive prevalence remain a challenge, especially in light of the country's expected contribution to the FP2020 goal of expanding family planning services to an additional 120 million women. The author's analysis of panel data from 14 Pakistani districts suggests that efforts to reduce unmet need should also focus on empowering women to achieve their family planning goals through continuation of any method of their choice. Providing women with better quality of care and encouraging method switching would bridge the gap that exists when women are between methods and thus would reduce unwanted births. This finding is generalizable to other countries that, like Pakistan, are highly dependent on short-acting modern and traditional methods. The approach of preventing attrition among current users would be as effective as encouraging nonusers to adopt a method for the first time.
About Studies in Family Planning
Studies in Family Planning is a peer-reviewed, international journal publishing public health, social science, and biomedical research on sexual and reproductive health, fertility, and family planning, with a primary focus on developing countries. Each issue contains original research articles, reports, a commentary, book reviews, and a data section with findings for individual countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys. The journal is published quarterly and can be accessed here: http://www.popcouncil.org/research/studies-in-family-planning.
About the Population Council
The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.
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Home > News & Events > Wayland Press Release Archives > 2007 News Releases > August 2007 > Ash named Dean of Wayland's Anchorage campus
Ash named Dean of Wayland's Anchorage campus
Dr. Eric Ash of North Dakota State University has been named the new dean of the Anchorage, Alaska, campus of Wayland Baptist University. He will begin his duties Aug. 16 at the campus, which is one of 13 in the Wayland system.
Ash replaces Dr. Jeff Anderson, who stepped down from the position this summer to teach full-time in religion and philosophy. Anderson had served in the position for several years.
Ash comes to Wayland from North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota, where he served as department chair for the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at both institutions and was an instructor in various fields. Prior to his time there, Ash was president of the Community College of the Air Force in Montgomery, Ala., where he led the college system of 165,000 students, and was editor of the Air University Professional Journals. He also was a full-time faculty member for several years at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
"Wayland Baptist University is delighted to welcome Dr. Eric Ash as the dean of the Anchorage campus. Dr. Ash brings a wealth of experience in higher education – he has been a faculty member, department chair, and college president, serving as President of the Community College of the Air Force," said Dr. Elane Seebo, associate vice president of external campuses. "As a retired Air Force Colonel, he will be a tremendous asset in working with our military populations in Alaska. Most importantly, he's as excited about coming to Wayland as we are to welcome him."
A graduate of the Air Force Academy in international relations, Ash holds a master's degree in human relations management from Gonzaga University, a master's degree in history and international relations from California State University and a master's degree in strategic studies from Air University. His doctoral degree is in history from the University of Calgary.
He is a member of the American Historical Association, the Society for Military History, the Air Force Association, Officers' Christian Fellowship and the Reserve Officers Association. Ash has written for several publications in the area of military issues and leadership and has presented as well.
Opened in 1985, Wayland's Anchorage campus serves a primarily adult and military student population, offering bachelor's and master's degree in the evenings and online. The university has a presence on Elmendorf Air Force Base, Fort Richardson and in the Mat-Su Valley as well. For more information, contact the campus at (907) 333-2277.


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We love these halter top tutu tops. They are made with 2 of our 8″ crochet tops, some coordinating polka dot grosgrain ribbon and a hair flower. The hair flower that you see at the top is interchangeable. It is attached to a single prong alligator clip, so you can move it around, put it in your hair, or wherever it suits you best. We chose to use 2 8″ crochet headbands so that the halter top was more modest. Having two colors makes it not so see through.
These are really fun paired up with one of our tutus or pettiskirts for playing dress-up. We have seen some of these used to help complete a Halloween costume. For instance, you could use the red and black with a black pettiskirt or tutu to help create a cheap, inexpensive Lady Bug Halloween costume. Just make some ears out of one of our satin lined plasic headband and you are good to go!
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Packers perfect season ends in pain in Kansas City
Packers lose two offensive tackles in ugly all-around loss
~KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike McCarthy never put a whole lot of stock in a perfect season, except as a means of gaining home-field advantage and setting the Green Bay Packers up for another Super Bowl run.
Well, they still have a chance to earn home-field advantage.
The perfect season? That's history.
Kyle Orton threw for 299 yards to outduel Aaron Rodgers , and the Kansas City Chiefs rallied behind interim coach Romeo Crennel for a shocking 19-14 victory on Sunday that ended the Packers' 19-game winning streak. It was their first loss since Dec. 19, 2010, at New England.
"I personally always viewed the undefeated season as, really, just gravy," McCarthy said. "The goal was to get home-field advantage and win the Super Bowl. That's what we discussed.
"We were fortunate enough to be in the position to possibly achieve the undefeated season," he added, "but we still have the primary goal in front of us, and that's to get home-field advantage."
Green Bay, playing without leading receiver Greg Jennings and top rusher James Starks because of injuries, can wrap up the No. 1 seed in their final two games against Chicago and Detroit. But the Packers no longer have the pressure of becoming the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with a perfect record, or extending the second-longest winning streak in league history.
"I think our goal ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl. The next step is getting that number one seed in the playoffs," Rodgers said. "We've got a home playoff game – we've got a bye secured."
Rodgers was 17 of 35 for 235 yards and a touchdown, and he also scampered 8 yards for another touchdown with 2:12 left in the game. But the Packers (13-1) were unable to recover the onside kick, and Kansas City picked up a couple of first downs to secure the victory.
"They had a good game plan," Rodgers said. "You have to give them credit."
Ryan Succop kicked four field goals for Kansas City (6-8), which had lost five of its last six games and fired coach Todd Haley last Monday. Jackie Battle added a short touchdown plunge with 4:53 left in the game, points that came in handy when Rodgers led one last scoring drive.
"Everybody had marked it off as a win for the Packers, but those guys in the locker room, they're football players," Crennel said. "They decided they were not going to lay down, they were not going to give up, so they went out and played a tremendous game."
Neither team looked all that tremendous in the first half.
Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson was hit twice with offensive pass interference, Rodgers was harassed by the Chiefs' weak pass rush, and Green Bay wound up making five first downs.
One of them came when Kansas City's Jeremy Horne ran into Packers punter Tim Masthay , giving them 15 free yards. The Chiefs tried to give Green Bay another gift later on the drive when Mason Crosby missed a 59-yard field goal attempt but Kansas City had 12 men on the field.
With another chance from 54 yards, the normally reliable Crosby still pushed the kick right.
Rodgers finished the half 6 of 17 for 59 yards, with a handful of drops between wide receiver Donald Driver and tight end Jermichael Finley. In fact, things were going so badly for Green Bay that at one point it ran out of the wildcat despite having one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
The Chiefs were still clinging to a 6-0 lead when Rodgers finally hit down field, finding Finley over top the coverage for a 41-yard gain. Three plays later, the Packers' star quarterback hit Driver in the corner of the end zone for a 7-6 lead with 8:04 left in the third quarter.
Kansas City answered when Orton hit his own tight end, Leonard Pope , for a career-long 38-yard catch. Jon Baldwin added a 17-yard grab to set up Succop's 46-yard, go-ahead field goal.
The Packers moved into field-goal range on their ensuing drive, but rather than have Crosby attempt a 56-yard kick in the same direction he had already missed, McCarthy elected to go for it on fourth-and-9. Rodgers' pass fell incomplete and the Chiefs took over.
They needed seven plays to cover 59 yards, but had to settle for another field goal and a 12-7 lead. It was the third time the Chiefs drove inside the 5 and had six total points to show for it.
They got seven on their next trip, though.
With first-and-goal at the 5, Thomas Jones managed to gain a yard and Le'Ron McClain bulled ahead for three more, setting up third down from just outside the goal line. Battle took the carry over the right side and powered into the end zone, giving the woeful Kansas City offense its highest-scoring game since the Chiefs beat San Diego in overtime in late October.
The Packers marched down field in the closing minutes, and Rodgers showed his moxie by scampering around the end for a touchdown that made it 19-14, but that was as close as they got.
Green Bay came into the game averaging nearly 36 points, but was held to its lowest total since beating the Chicago Bears 10-3 in Week 17 last year. The Packers needed to win that game to make the playoffs, and wound up riding the momentum to a Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers .
All that momentum finally came to an end against the most unlikely of scenarios.
"We set the tone on both sides of the ball," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "This is the great thing about football. You can't always look at the records, because you've got grown men out there who are all getting paid. You don't have to be better on paper.
"If you're better on that given Sunday, you'll get the win."
Original story here


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In 2007, Top Cow unleashed First Born, hailed by critics as "a quality mini-series," "required reading" and "an epic adventure." That storyline changed the Top Cow Universe forever. But that was just the beginning.
Broken Trinity brings together the Witchblade, The Darkness and The Angelus once more, but this time the stakes are even higher as a new artifact is discovered, forever upsetting the balance of power. By the conclusion of the crossover, a major new player will be introduced into the Top Cow Universe, while at least one established character will be gone forever. The team of Marz and Sejic that dazzled you with First Born and their ongoing adventures on Witchblade is back to change the face of the Top Cow Universe one more time.
Also featuring part one of a stunning triptych variant cover by Dale Keown (Pitt).
Broken Trinity #1 kicks off a three-issue limited series, augmented by three, stand-alone, tie-in issues for Witchblade, The Darkness and The Angelus.
Cover A �" Stjepan Sejic
Cover B �" Dale Keown
Cover C �" Stjepan Sejic (San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive)


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A meticulous master trainer ...more
In partnership with his son Graeme for more than a decade, Bill Sanders was the second trainer (after Rex Cochrane) to train a thousand winners – which numbered 1001 at his retirement in 1985.
Turning professional in 1960, took his son into partnership a decade later and the combination dominated the 1970s, winning five successive premierships.
Bill and his son produced a grand stream of racehorses over the years. Sanders Senior's philosophy was simple – feed 'em hard, work 'em hard, race 'em hard – and this was vindicated with results.
Sponsor: Dunstan Feeds
All the Racing Hats - a master all rounder. ...more
Brian Anderton was a successful jockey on the flat and over fences, starting at age 13 and riding 398 winners – but is even more successful as a trainer, his winning tally now close to 1300.
Brian is a one-time riding master for the Otago Apprentice School, and a past president of the Otago Racing Club and Otago branch of New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
In 1956 founded national icon stud White Robe Lodge, where he stood champion sires Mellay and Noble Bijou.
In recent years, White Robe Lodge helped to under pin South Island breeders with Stallions, and has continues through sponsorship and racing to supporting racing in the South.
Sponsor: White Robe Lodge Clients
Chris Waller is acknowledged as the undisputed King of Australian racing
Chris began his racing career as a strapper for Paddy Busuttin's Foxton stable and took over the stable as trainer in 1997, training 5 winners in his first season, and 66 winners in total in NZ before relocating to Warwick Farm in Sydney to continue his training career.
Since 2011 Chris has won seven consecutive Sydney Training Premierships, and seven Bart Cummings Medals with winners of over A$175.6 million in stake winnings and still counting.
Chris Has trained numerous Group One winners including World Champion race mare and three times Cox Plate winner Winx.
Renowned champion who won 5 derbys over 50 years ...more
The trainer known as much to his friends as the racing public as "Jillo" handed in his trainers licence in 2004. He had held that licence for an amazing 54 years.
Regarded as a master trainer of stayers, he trained 1327 winners in total, 703 of those in partnership with fellow trainer Richard Yuill.
Often referred to as "racing's gentleman trainer" and respected and admired by his peers, Jillings was renowned for his ability to set a horse for a race after mapping out the target a long way out.
Saddling his first winner, Lawful, while still aged in his 20s, to win the Great Northern Derby in 1958, Jillings was to go on and win a Derby in each subsequent decade up to his retirement.
As well as training five New Zealand Derby winners, he trained three New Zealand Oaks winners, and won four Auckland Cups, a Wellington Cup and two New Zealand Cups.
His versatility as a trainer were also demonstrated in jumps racing where he won three Great Northern Steeples and two Great Northern Hurdles.
Associated with many memorable horses, some of his best performers included Uncle Remus, McGinty and The Phantom Chance, who won the WS Cox Plate from the Jillings/Yuill stable as well as the New Zealand Derby.
Champion trainer of 11 premierships - producing a racing dynasty ...more
The only apprentice to salute the judge before a young Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Ellerslie meeting of 1953 – not a bad win, either: the Railway Handicap on Te Awa – O'Sullivan rode for less than a decade (125 winners) before weight problems forced him out. Setting up as a trainer at Matamata, he first became known as a successful mentor of apprentices. Roger Lang, Peter Johnson, Shane Dye and eventually his son Lance were just some of the top riders who came from the stable. Equine winners also came off the property in a steadily expanding stream until (ultimately in partnership with his son Paul) O'Sullivan found a regular place at the top of trainers' list. Dave O'Sullivan retired in 1998 with a lifetime tally of 1877 wins (at present the New Zealand record), 1613 in partnership with Paul. Dave won the premiership on his own in 1978-79, another 10 titles in partnership with Paul. Oopik, Golden Rhapsody, Sharivari, Waverley Star, Paul De Brett, La Souvronne, Blue Denim, Mapperley Heights and champion mare Horlicks were among the many Group One performers to wear the O'Sullivan polish.
Dave O'Sullivan is proudly sponsored by TRAC racing consortium which consists of the racing clubs in the Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Te Aroha and Matamata regions.
Outstanding trainer of the first 1/2 century of NZ racing ...more
Richard Mason was regarded as the outstanding trainer of New Zealand racing's first epoch. His record in what would now be described as New Zealand's black-type races remains unmatched to this day and he made regular trips across the Tasman over a period of 20-plus years to beat the Australians on their home ground. Mason trained for 22 years for George Stead when Stead was the dominant owner in the country – indeed, no owner since has equalled the dominance achieved by the yellow and black Stead colours around the turn of the 20th Century. On Stead's death, Mason went training for a new patron, George Dean Greenwood, and for him won a further 11 Derbies, 10 Jackson Plates, nine CJC Challenge Stakes… well, a further 58 races on either side of the Tasman which would these days carry black type. He was credited at his death with having trained 30 Derby winners, on either side of the Tasman, and he won 57 races with the great Gloaming alone. Dick Mason died in 1932, in his 80th year, just a week after Gloaming died, aged 17, on George Greenwood's Teviotdale Station.
Dick Mason was sponsored by Hamilton based accountancy firm - Beattie Rickman which has recently merged with PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand. Please call 07-838-3838 or go to www.clevercompanies.co.nz for further information.
Worldwide Ambassador for the NZ thoroughbred ...more
Graeme Rogerson has had stables in many parts of the racing world – including New Zealand, Australia, and even Dubai – as he set upon a campaign to take NZ racing to the world.
Fierce determination and hard work enabled "Rogie" to overcome early stoushes with officialdom to then reach the pinnacle of his profession.
By the time he trained his 2000th New Zealand winner, in 2010, he had won 12 NZ premierships, and one in Sydney, where he had operated a separate stable for years.
His major wins in Australia include the big three:
the Golden Slipper,
the Cox Plate, and
the Melbourne Cup.
Rogie was and is a tireless and enthusiastic ambassador internationally for the New Zealand thoroughbred.
Sponsor: Max Whitby
Honorary New Zealander –Melbourne Cup's King ...more
Bart Cummings is the New Zealand Hall of Fame's first honorary inductee.
James Bartholomew "Bart" Cummings has never raced a horse in New Zealand, but no overseas trainer has done more to promote the New Zealand stayer through the success he has achieved with the New Zealand thoroughbred.
Bart saddled an astonishing 12 Melbourne Cup winners, with eight of these being New Zealand-bred.
An astute judge, Bart has been a major buyer at New Zealand yearling sales since the early 1960s.
A legend of the Australian turf in Australia, Bart was awarded the Order of Australia and was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Hall of Fame.
Sponsor: Cambridge Stud
Bart Cummings is the New Zealand Hall of Fame's first honorary inductee.
James Bartholomew "Bart" Cummings has never raced a horse in New Zealand, but no overseas trainer has done more to promote the New Zealand stayer through the success he has achieved with the New Zealand thoroughbred.
Bart saddled an astonishing 12 Melbourne Cup winners, with eight of these being New Zealand-bred.
An astute judge, Bart has been a major buyer at New Zealand yearling sales since the early 1960s.
A legend of the Australian turf in Australia, Bart was awarded the Order of Australia and was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Hall of Fame.
Sponsor: Cambridge Stud
"Gentleman Jim" - The Trainers' Trainer ...more
As a jockey, trainer, owner, breeder, mentor, and astute judge of a horse 'gentleman Jim' has done it all at group one level.
Jim Gibb's career started at a very early age in the saddle – winning many prestigious jumping races.
Jim began training while still riding. Preparing 145 stakes winners, Jim reached the apogee of his career as a trainer in the 1980s when, with a team of modest size and sometimes modest pedigrees, lining up as many as five runners in major northern group events.
Jim was the first Kiwi to train the winners of $1 million in New Zealand, in 1986-87, and the first to saddle the winners of $2 million in a season - two years later.
Tidal Light was the star three-year-old of the 1986-87 racing season, racking up 10 wins, including the group one New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie.
Gibbs won the 1989 Auckland Cup with Spyglass and enjoyed Melbourne Cup success as an owner through a retained share in Doriemus who won the 1995 Melbourne and Caulfield Cups when trained in Melbourne by Lee Freedman.
Revered as a mentor for trainers and young apprentice jockeys, Jim will be remembered for producing 36 apprentice jockeys, a future generation of trainers, and as an respected gentleman – a trait backed up by a 'racing personality of the year' award.
Jim signed off his training career with a winner, as he did with his last ride on Pretty Peen some 43 years earlier, after 47 years as a trainer and was recognised for his contribution to thoroughbred racing when awarded the Member of NZ Order Of Merit.
Sponsor: NZ Thoroughbred Magazine
International trainer of great gallopers and jumpers ...more
During his hay day, John Wheeler was more successful in Australia than any other New Zealand trainer of modern times.
In Australia John trained three near-champions – Poetic Prince, Rough Habit, and Veandercross and won many major Australian races (including a dozen Group Ones) with all three horses.
John has dominated the Australia's jumping scene for many years (winning seven Great Eastern Steeplechases at Oakbank) and won what is arguable the greatest jumping race in the world – the Nakayama Grand Jump in Tokyo with outstanding jumper St Steven.
A leading trainer at home John continues to be a great ambassador for his country.
International trainer of great gallopers and jumpers ...more
During his hay day, John Wheeler was more successful in Australia than any other New Zealand trainer of modern times.
In Australia John trained three near-champions – Poetic Prince, Rough Habit, and Veandercross and won many major Australian races (including a dozen Group Ones) with all three horses.
John has dominated the Australia's jumping scene for many years (winning seven Great Eastern Steeplechases at Oakbank) and won what is arguable the greatest jumping race in the world – the Nakayama Grand Jump in Tokyo with outstanding jumper St Steven.
A leading trainer at home John continues to be a great ambassador for his country.
The Jumping Maestro - jockey, trainer, owner, breeder, and polo player ...more
In 1977 Ken Browne became the first man to own, train and ride the winner of the Great Northern Steeplechase when he rode the tough gelding Ascona to victory.
Two years later the combination repeated the feat.
Browne would go on to train, in later years in partnership with his wife Ann, a further seven Great Northern Steeplechase winners as well as three Great Northern Hurdle winners.
Ken, an enthusiastic amateur from the time he left school in the 1950's, recorded numerous wins as a jumps jockey. He was New Zealand's leading jumps jockey in the calendar years 1981 and 1984 and in the 1986-87 racing seasons.
That enthusiasm was to span a remarkable fifty years during which Ken as an owner trainer prepared more than 500 winners over jumps. Together, he and wife Ann won most of New Zealand's major jumping races, many of them several times.
From the 1980s he, and later with Ann, had jumping teams in work of a size never approached by another owner or trainer, except perhaps by Bill Hazlett in his heyday.
The consequence was that Browne runners frequently made up more than half a field and it is seriously doubtful whether northern jumps racing would have survived without the Browne's contribution.
Browne's success in the saddle remarkably increased as he grew older, with his peak coming during the 1978-1993 period when he was aged between 44 and 59.
One of Ken Browne's stars was the great Sydney Jones, who had 56 starts over the steeples for 11 wins, earning $273,450 in stakes. Included in those wins were two McGregor Grant Steeplechases, two Pakuranga Hunt Cups and a win in the Great Northern Steeplechase.
In 2001 Ken Browne suffered a serious riding accident at his home which left him a tetraplegic confined to a wheelchair.
Not one to sit back, Browne was still training from his wheelchair and was a regular at the races to watch his and Ann's horses. Two weeks prior to his passing in 2006, at the age of 72, Ken was at Ellerslie when he had two winners including a victory in the inaugural running of the race named after him, the K S Browne Hurdles.
Master trainer in two countries ...more
Born 1946, became successful trainer in New Zealand from where his highlights were the 1988 Melbourne Cup with Empire Rose and the 1993 Hong Kong International Cup with Romanee Conti.
Moved in 2000 to Singapore, where he was nine times champion trainer up to 2014. In 2004 became first to train 100 winners in a Singapore season and beat that with 104 in 2008. In 2013 became the first to train 1000 winners in Singapore.
Up to Australia's Best ...more
A champion jockey in the 1920s and 1930s, Maurice McCarten won two NZ jockey premierships, aged 20 and 21, and moved to Sydney, where he rode three winners at his first appearance on an Australian course. He won many major races in Australia and turned to training in 1942, winning four Sydney trainers premierships and then finishing second 10 times to T.J. Smith. Delta, Todman and Wenona Girl were among the champion horses he trained.
Trainer Murray Baker is a horseman who loves the racing game with a passion
Murray was born in Hawkes Bay and worked as 12-year-old before school in stables of Greenmeadows trainer Harry Greene in Napier where he rode track work.
Murray played 1st class cricket for Central Districts, winning two Plunket Shields and professional cricket and England. He commenced training 1978-79 and saddled his first stakes winner in 1979 at Awapuni. Baker trained at Woodville from the mid-1980s before relocating to Cambridge in 2000.
He is now nearing 1,400 training successes both solo and in partnership – initially with son Bjorn and latterly with Andrew Foresman. Murray has trained the winners of 21 Group One races in Australia from his NZ base – more than any other New Zealand trainer in history. Champions he has trained include The Phantom, Dundeel, Turn Me Loose, Mongolian Khan and Bonneval. He has trained four winners of the AJC Derby including Jon Snow, Nom Du Jeu, Mongolian Khan and Dundeel.
Quiet achiever of 1000 winners over four decades ...more
Ray Verner took up training reluctantly to help his aging father at the time. Over time he became a master trainer, renowned for his conditioning of horses and was named NZ Racing Personality of the Year in 1978.
Ray trained top stayers like Good Lord (two Wellington Cups, Sydney Cup), sprinters like Blue Blood and Gold Hope, and weight-for-age horses like Prince Majestic and The Gentry.
Ray continued as an integral part of a family training dynasty spanning more than 70 years.
Southland's Quiet Achiever ...more
From his Southland country base at Gore, Cochrane became the first man to train a thousand winners in New Zealand. Versatile Cogitation, in the 1957 Grand National Steeplechase, was his first winner on his own account and Palimony, in July 1980, was his 1000th. Retired with a tally of 1520 wins, Game Call and Enceeoh (and Cogitation) his best jumpers; Court Belle, Castle Flight and Yipp's Secret among his best on the flat.
New Zealand's Aussie Raider ...more
Winner of two NZ training premierships in the 1960s, Syd Brown became our most successful Aussie raider of the era, making lucrative trips with the likes of Redcraze and Summersette, Sailing Away and Dark Smudge, Daryl's Joy (Cox Plate, VRC Derby) and Wood Court Inn; and Classic Mission (AJC and VRC Derbys). Brown then moved to Australia and trained successfully at Warwick Farm, Triton his best performer. A great friend and host to visiting Kiwis.


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Wallis and Futuna, in full Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands, French Territoire des Îles Wallis et Futuna, self-governing overseas collectivity of France consisting of two island groups in the west-central Pacific Ocean. The collectivity is geographically part of western Polynesia. It includes the Wallis Islands (Uvea and surrounding islets) and the Horne Islands (Futuna and Alofi). The capital is Matâ'utu, on Uvea.
The island of Uvea takes its European name, Wallis, from its 18th-century British discoverer, Capt. Samuel Wallis, but the indigenous name is of much greater antiquity. Uvea and Futuna are sometimes confused with islands of the same or similar names elsewhere. Uvea is sometimes confused with Ouvéa in the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia. Futuna has a namesake among the islands of Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides), and folklore suggests that both the Futuna in Vanuatu and the Stewart Islands (Sikaiana) in the Solomon Islands were settled from Futuna in the pre-European era. Total land area 54 square miles (140 square km). Pop. (2008) 13,445.
Uvea is a volcanic island, but it is relatively low, rising to a maximum elevation of only 476 feet (145 metres) at Mount Lulu Fakahega. Its total land area is 29 square miles (76 square km). Uvea is surrounded by a barrier reef with some 20 uninhabited islets, which have a maximum elevation of 200 feet (60 metres). The reef is broken by passes that give boats access to the main island, and the area between the reef and the island is a sheltered fishing ground.
Futuna lies a little over 125 miles (200 km) to the southwest, and it has a smaller neighbour, Alofi. Both are volcanic islands. Futuna has an area of 18 square miles (46 square km), and its volcanic peaks rise to 2,493 feet (760 metres). Alofi's land area is 7 square miles (18 square km), and its highest elevation is about 1,198 feet (365 metres). Futuna and Alofi are separated by a channel of about 2 miles (3.2 km) in width, and both islands are partially sheltered by fringing reefs.
All three islands receive adequate precipitation. Uvea has no permanent streams, but there are numerous streams and wells on Futuna. Alofi is without fresh water and has no permanent settlements.
The soils of Uvea and Futuna islands are of limited fertility, and a number of factors restrict agricultural production. Only about one-fourth of the available land is suitable for cultivation. The system of land tenure, which is based on customary ownership by kin groups, has resulted in a fragmentation of land parcels. Traditional agricultural practices alternate two or three years of cropping with long fallow periods, and there has been a cumulative deterioration of the soil.
The territory's climate is tropical with high humidity. Two seasons are fairly well delineated. The hot, rainy period, during which tropical storms may occur, lasts from November to March and has average temperatures in the high 80s F (about 31 °C). A dry, cooler season with trade winds from the southeast lasts from April to October, with average temperatures in the low 80s F (about 27 °C).
Basic subsistence crops have been introduced: coconuts, breadfruit, bananas, taro, cassava, yams, mangoes, and pineapples. The coconut groves on Uvea were destroyed by rhinoceros beetles in the 1930s, but the pest did not reach Futuna and Alofi. Substantial stands of undisturbed natural forest remain only on Alofi and a small section of Uvea. Otherwise, forests have virtually disappeared, and erosion is a problem on Futuna.
All of the territory's land mammals have been introduced. Pigs are of ceremonial importance and very highly valued. Some cattle are also raised. Chickens constitute a minor part of the diet. Fish and other marine fauna provide the bulk of dietary protein.
The indigenous people are Polynesians, but there are significant differences between the languages and peoples of Uvea and Futuna islands. It appears that Uvea was settled by at least 800 bce, and the people were subsequently conquered by Tongans. As a consequence, cultural, historical, and linguistic ties link Uvea and Tonga. In contrast, local folklore suggests that Futunans had their origins in Samoa; their language is related to that of Samoa, and the Futunans share many cultural traits with Samoa. Both Wallisian (Uvean) and Futunan are Polynesian languages and, along with French, are official languages. While the people of the islands have long been governed by a French administration and the vast majority profess the Roman Catholic faith, they do not share a common identity. Futuna is reluctantly tied to Uvea, and its people have expressed a desire to have separate territorial status.
Villages are dispersed on the islands, mainly on the coast. There are no real urban areas. About two-thirds of the population lives on Uvea. The Uvean and Futunan population in New Caledonia is larger than that of the home islands. The majority of the expatriates in New Caledonia are Uveans. The exodus resulted from the pull of greater opportunities for employment abroad and the push of limited prospects and growing population pressures at home. Because of the remittances they contribute to the economy, the expatriates are an asset as long as they remain abroad, but they would place an intolerable burden on local resources if they were to return home.
The number of French expatriates in Wallis and Futuna has always been small. Of the total resident population in the islands, only a small number are of European descent.
About four-fifths of the population of Wallis and Futuna engages in subsistence farming, growing yams, taros, bananas, and other food crops. Some livestock is raised (mostly pigs). The notion of selling produce from the land is contrary to traditional custom, wherein items are bartered and not sold. Similarly, fish are caught mostly to satisfy the immediate needs of family, near kin, and neighbours. Most fish are taken in sheltered areas within the fringing reef, and little fishing is done in the open sea.
Wallis and Futuna is truly resource-poor, and very little revenue is earned from exports. Revenues come from French government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japanese and South Korean companies, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Exports include small amounts of breadfruit, yams, and taros, along with trochus shells. Vietnam, New Caledonia, Italy, and Japan are the major recipients. Imports, which come mainly from France and Australia, include food products, electrical machinery, road vehicles, and building and public works supplies.
Uvea is more developed than Futuna. The French administration is located on Uvea, and that island has the better infrastructure. Its roads and public services are superior, and most households have running water and electricity. The government is the island's largest single employer. In contrast, Futuna is somewhat isolated; there is only a partially surfaced road circling the island; and administrative positions are scarce. Wallis and Futuna attracts a limited amount of tourism.
There is an international airport at Hihifo, northern Uvea, that is linked to French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Flights operate between Uvea and Futuna islands. A cargo vessel travels between the islands and Nouméa, New Caledonia, about a dozen times a year.
Government and society
Wallis and Futuna is an overseas collectivity of France divided into three districts that correspond to three traditional political divisions, or kingdoms (more accurately, paramount chieftaincies). One kingdom (Wallis) includes all of Uvea, and the other two divide the island of Futuna (in the northwest, Sigave, and in the southeast, Alo, which also includes the island of Alofi). A French-appointed chief administrator (administrateur supérieur) is the chief executive officer of the territory and serves as the president of the Territorial Council. The council includes the three kings and three others appointed by the president with the approval of the legislature, the Territorial Assembly. The council decides on matters of general policy.
The Territorial Assembly consists of 20 members (13 from Uvea and seven from Futuna) elected for five-year terms by universal suffrage. The chief administrator has fairly broad veto powers over actions of the Assembly. As an integral part of France, Wallis and Futuna elects local representatives to the French Senate and National Assembly.
Primary schools in Wallis and Futuna are operated by a Roman Catholic mission and by the state; the state has sole responsibility for secondary education. Both primary and lower-secondary schools are tuition-free. Higher-level education must be pursued in New Caledonia and metropolitan France. Free health services are available at hospitals on both Uvea and Futuna islands.
The earliest inhabitants in Wallis and Futuna were people of the Lapita culture, who had reached the islands by at least 800 bce. Archaeological evidence indicates that the people engaged in agriculture and fishing. Later waves of other Polynesian sailors reached the islands about 1400 ce: Samoans settled on Futuna, and Tongans on Uvea.
The three kingdoms of Uvea, Alo, and Sigave were in place when the islands of Wallis and Futuna were first encountered by Europeans in the 17th century. The Dutch explorers Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schouten sighted Futuna in 1616 during the early voyages of exploration in the Pacific. A lapse of 151 years occurred before Capt. Samuel Wallis encountered Uvea in 1767. There was another lapse of more than 50 years before the whaling industry reached the area in the 1820s, and Europeans began to make regular calls at both islands.
French Marist priests arrived as missionaries in the 1830s. They achieved considerable success within a decade and have remained an important force in the politics of the island group. Protestants never mounted a serious challenge, and the inhabitants of the islands were spared the religious conflicts that were common elsewhere in the Pacific.
As early as the 1840s, the islanders petitioned for French protection, but France was slow to respond; the Wallis Islands became a French protectorate in 1887, and Futuna did so in the following year. Over the next five decades, the French administration became well-entrenched and ruled the colony with a relatively firm hand.
In 1942, during World War II, the Allies based 6,000 troops on Uvea, and within a short time they built a system of roads, two landing strips, and anchoring facilities in the lagoon. These developments still form the basis of the island's infrastructure.
In 1959 the islanders elected to become an overseas territory of France. Historically, the people of Wallis and Futuna have demonstrated conservatism, opposing proposals for a change in their dependent status.
In 1998 a typhoon (tropical cyclone) destroyed most of the cultivated crops on Uvea, including the island's banana plantations; recovery was aided by a grant from France. The 1998 Nouméa Accord, which increased New Caledonia's autonomy from France, led to discussions regarding the future status of Wallis and Futuna's large community of expatriates in New Caledonia; the accord had given New Caledonia the power to control immigration from Wallis and Futuna in exchange for providing economic aid. In 2003 the two governments concluded a bilateral agreement that redefined their relations under the Nouméa Accord, including provisions for regular discussions regarding issues affecting the expatriates.
There was instability in the three kingdoms in the early 21st century. The king of Sigave was deposed by members of his clan in 2003 and was not succeeded until five months later. Several years later the other two kingdoms were, for a time, simultaneously leaderless: the king of Wallis, Tomasi Kulimoetoke, died in 2007 after a 48-year reign, and the throne remained empty until July 2008; and in February 2008 the king of Alo, after having reigned only five years, was deposed by the kingdom's chiefly clans amid criticism of his leadership style.Robert C. Kiste Sophie Foster
Conflicts over the islands' leadership continued. The king of Wallis was removed in 2014, and the throne remained vacant for two years. In April 2016 conflict arose among the royal families regarding the choice of a new king, Tominiko Halagahu, who had been selected by chiefs of Wallis. Rival members, who believed the choice should have been theirs, installed Patalione Kanimoa two days after the first king's coronation, and two monarchs ruled in opposition while a solution to the situation was sought.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
France, country of northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean…
Pacific Ocean
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Horne Islands, pair of volcanic islands (Futuna and Alofi) forming the southwestern part of the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Futuna (not to be confused with its namesake in Vanuatu, which is…
Tomasi Kulimoetoke IITomasi Kulimoetoke II, Wallisian monarch (born July 26, 1918 , Mata-Utu, Wallis [Uvea] Island—died May 7, 2007 , Mata-Utu), as the 50th lavelua (paramount chief, or king, of Wallis) was the longest-serving traditional leader in the French South Pacific island dependency Wallis and Futuna. He was a…
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Time for the Media to walk out on Tortorella
Here is the transcript of today's epic exchange.
Q. The guys you brought up, how do you use them, not in the series, but what is the thought behind having them up here?
COACH TORTORELLA: Just have players ready to play in case we run into injuries.
Q. What has been the key do you think of your strong recent third periods?
COACH TORTORELLA: Staying with it.
Q. Being aggressive?
COACH TORTORELLA: Staying with it.
Q. John, if you've got a guy who is not going offensively that you know can. What has historically been your tactic? Do you talk to him? Do you just ride it out?
COACH TORTORELLA: Depends on the player. Depends on the player, depends on the situation. It's a question that I can't answer because it all depends on the situation.
Q. So if I asked you about Ryan Callahan?
COACH TORTORELLA: I won't answer.
John Tortorella is behaving in a completely childish and unprofessional manor. It is just that simple. I know and admire John as a coach but this is an embarrassment to both him personally, the Rangers and the NHL.
Like it or not, the media is the conduit to the fans. If you treat the media this way you are snubbing and disrespecting the fans of the game. That is unacceptable.
Tortorella is clearly still angry over the fines he was forced to pay this season for his public opinions and the words he used to express himself, many of them of the four letter variety. He always tells his players to let things go and be professional. To have restraint and skate away from situations which could hurt the team. The coach needs to listen to his own advice.
Every question from the media is not going to be an award winner. There will be some dumb ones. Show some professionalism and answer as politely as you can and move on to the next questions. Refusing to answer any questions about players, their health, systems, situations and general tactics is out of line. Those questions are legitimate and are top of mind with the fans. That's who you are really answering to. The fans.
John's boss Glen Sather needs to step in and help his coach here. If Glen can't impart his experiences and more help is needed then dip into the massive Ranger budget and get him some anger management help.
Below is a link to a USA today story about how the Yankees handle their media training with the players and coaches. It is enlightened and realistic. The Yankees face far more scrutiny every day than the Ranger coach faces in an entire season. If they can find a way to professionally deal with the media I'm sure John Tortorella can too.
Or he can continue the angry child routine which has been soooo worth while for everyone involved.
It might be time for the media to get up and walk out when he takes the podium. He is under the impression they are wasting his time while the fact is he is wasting all of ours and thumbing his nose at the fans in the process.
See you at the rink.
29 comments:
I have to disagree, to me, the media is being lame with their whining about Tortorella. He doesn't bullspit you with lies, misdirection or lazy cliches.
Yeah he could play the game more, but his primary responsibilities, coaching histeam to win playoffgames, are at their critical stages right now.
These days, so much of what happens in front of cameras is fluff, politically correct, or self-serving. I appreciate his approach.
- May 16, 2012 at 10:59 AM
100 percent on Mr. Brown. Just Dont bother showing up. He clearly doesn't have anything to say so don't ask and don't write anything. He's a petulant arrogant child. Sensfan4ever.
- May 16, 2012 at 11:15 AM
- william Peace said...
I see nothing wrong with what Tortorella is doing r.e. the press. His job is to coach the players and do everything in his power to help the team win. He is simply not playing the game others coaches do with the press. As a fan, I have no interest in what the coach or players have to say. Most of what is said is little more than meaningless cliches. I have one interest--the game.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:01 PM
It's important to remember that Tortorella did speak his mind before for interviews..but he got fined a huge amount for a coach.
You are saying this is an embarrassment to the NHL, that's exactly what Tortorella is trying to do. All this is a message being sent over and over to the NHL about the fine.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:03 PM
"Conduit to the fans" thats hilarious! Most of the media is a conduit for page-clicks and false controversies.
Torts is more interesting now than when he was telling the world how player X gave 110%.
The 'conduit' might be just fine with having shit flow through it, but the 'fan' at the business end of that conduit prefers CONTENT over nonsense.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:04 PM
I have waiting and wishing for a day where John come in, looks around and sees an empty press room, where all the pressmen get together and say 'let send an example, nobody show up.' imagine the backlash it would create when all the fans of the Rangers wait to get something and realize the media themselves aren't going to waste their time with Torts anymore. He is an embarrassment to the sport, and he like it that's the problem. The more we let him feed his little child mentality the more he gets to rule the sandbox. Ignore him and he will go away, and if they win the cup, don't even bother with a post game interview. Let him know how the fans can be just as complacent as he is.
Well said Deaner.
(ps next playoffs please don't let Bob Cole take your spot on play by play lol)
- May 16, 2012 at 12:05 PM
- Kurtman said...
Notice how the only people who seem to be bothered by his behavior towards the media, is the media? As a fan I don't really care about the answers to the majority of the lame questions reporters ask, and I think he is perfectly within his rights not to answer them. He is paid to COACH HOCKEY, not answer questions from reporters.
As many other people have mentioned, it seems every time he does "play the game" with the media, he tells his opinion and gets hit with a fine from the NHL. Give the guy a break. I'd much rather have a coach who gets his team to win games, than one who spends a half hour on a press conference after each game.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:24 PM
So he's criticized if he speaks his mind and then he's criticized when he doesn't, sounds like a bunch of hypocrites to me, do him a favor and don't show up, he is trying to keep the media off his team's back, sorry but he's respected by his boys and that's all that matters, not the writers not the opposing fans(haters)
- May 16, 2012 at 12:26 PM
I 100% agree. Torts has a responsibility to sell the game. He's the head coach of the team in the biggest media market in the league in the Conference Finals. Also, for as much as he hates the media, the hypocrite will jump at a job on the TSN panel when he is eventually fired by the Rangers and he WILL eventually be fired.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:32 PM
Whose your boss? I want to write him an email ask him to have you stop whining. Geez. I'll bring the cheese next time if you'd let me know.
Torts does his job well, damn well I should say. You could learn a lesson about that.
As a paying customer, I don't blame him. Heck, I'd be crazy NOT to do the same thing If I were in his shoes.
Getcha shinebox son, don't wanna hear no mo'.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Dean Brown, umadbro? Still upset that your Sens lost to the Rangers?
Regarding today's press conference --- how exactly would you have liked him to answer the questions? The first question, like so many others that have been asked this postseason, is stupid. Every playoff team adds players to its taxi squad once the minor league team's season is done. The second and third questions were answered succinctly yet truthfully. This team does not change its style at all, unless it's behind with time running out.
The fourth question is idiotic insofar as of course the answer depends on the player. And regarding the follow-up question, what business is it of anyone's what the coach says to one of his players?
So go ahead, you hack, and encourage your media pals who think you're soooooooooo important to the fans' knowledge and understanding of sports to just walk out. Or not show up at all. Won't affect the outcome of the games one tiny bit.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Dude...let it go. I am a Rangers fan and I've tried to watch as many Torts post game press conferences as I can and for the most part he's been fine. He lauds his players who play well and protects his players who don't. And given the season that the team has had it seems to work just fine.
If you don't like his style then that's perfectly acceptable but continuing to harp on it or call for a boycott makes you look like the idiot and not him.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:51 PM
When Torts did speak his mind he was slapped with a ridiculous fine. If you want him to speak freely then he needs to know he wont get punished for it. This isnt him lashing back at the fans or the media but simply at the NHL. There is a poll at a very popular rangersblog site that the fans voted on whether or not his actions bother them and only 1.87% said they are bothered by his actions with the media. This sounds like its simply the media angry at him for making it harder for you to do your job. No one else but you, the media seems to mind.
- May 16, 2012 at 12:57 PM
Sorry but you are dead wrong. I could care less if he sticks around and helps the media do their jobs for them. He'd be thrilled to walk in, see an empty room and be able to go back to doing what he's paid to do, which is coach the team. As a Rangers fan, I want him focused on the next game, not answering why he called a timeout at a particular time in the game. You guys in the media are the biggest bunch of whiners and lazy too.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:06 PM
Do you really think that Torts or Rangers fans would care if the media didn't show up for his press conference? He would be overjoyed.
This behavior is entirely intentional and the intent is twofold. As a few have pointed out, he was fined for speaking his mind and these interviews are a big middle finger aimed squarely at Bettman and the league office. If you are going to fine me for speaking my mind, then I am not going to speak. I respect that Torts isn't just another Yes Man.
The other goal of these interviews has been pointed out by some people who have worked with Torts in Tampa, as well as observant onlookers today. Torts is distracting the media. He is taking focus off of whatever player isn't doing well, or whatever part of the Rangers game that is faltering, and putting it on him. No distractions for his team. The Rangers go 0 for 8 on the powerplay, and your story is about Torts giving a 20 second presser. Mission accomplished.
Finally, don't pretend that you speak for the fans. We do not feel snubbed or disrespected. If anything, we have MORE respect for Torts. A poll this week on a popular Rangers blog asked whether fans were bothered by Torts interactions with the media. 1,445 fans voted. Only 1.87% said they were bothers. Wow.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:06 PM
- Dean Brown said...
to the anonymous writer who wanted to know why the Ottawa media does'nt come up with more "dirt" on players and rummors about their actions and lifestyles off the ice. You cited a few players individually so I could not post your comments. The answer to your question is easy. Mainstream media can not chase those stories because of laws regarding libel, slander and defamation. You legally can not write of broadcast things of that nature unless you have absolute facts which would stand up in court because you would absolutely be sued.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:19 PM
The media is not a conduit to the fans. Your job (especially in sports) is becoming obsolete and pretty darn useless. I can watch the interview after the game and I don't need your questions either. There can be 1 independent moderator to select and ask questions from twitter. All the media does is jump on something and make a huge fuss over the smallest thing. I can form my own opinion...it's just hockey. You people need to get over yourselves. Your less and less important with each passing day. Consider finding a new career, you're pretty bad at this one anyway
- May 16, 2012 at 1:23 PM
- Dean Brown said...
I would like to note that I think this is outstanding feedback. I have had to reject through moderation only 2 comments. One for legal issues and the other for language and personal attacks. Overall it appears many don't agree with me (which is fine), but the comments have been mostly civil and just some good opinions both ways. I like it. Thanks.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:27 PM
You write "He always tells his players to let things go and be professional. To have restraint and skate away from situations which could hurt the team. The coach needs to listen to his own advice."
However, that's exactly what he's doing. By not saying anything he's not creating a story, a story that could distract the team. Esp the question about getting Callahan's offense going- how does it benefit the team to say anything to that, effectively saying that as a coach you are disappointed with your Captain's offensive play.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:36 PM
As a Rangers fan, I have zero problem whatsoever with Torts' dealings with the media. You want to blame someone for this, blame the clown running the NHL who fined him for calling a spade a spade in regards to the league's preferred franchise-you know, the guys who utterly humiliated themselves against Philly. I don't blame Torts one bit for ignoring and blowing off the media.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:38 PM
So blocking Sean Avery's posts is a "legal issue" now?! Great. Just Byfuglien great!!
Carry on.
- May 16, 2012 at 1:49 PM
The amount of whining the media has been doing regarding Torts is beyond laughable.
You act as if he's the only person to develop your story around. The players input and bytes are much more intriguing and important to the game than Tortorella's.
It's not like Callahan, Lundqvist, Richards etc., are snubbing the questions, they are the ones who actually play the game; they're the focal points.
- May 16, 2012 at 2:00 PM
Every blogger makes the EXACT same observation: "John is disrespecting the fans by disrespecting the media."
The flaw to this logic is that, according to a recent poll, only 2% of Rangers fans have a problem with the way he is acting. 98% isn't bad.
John's responsibility is to the NY Rangers and their fans first, not bitter bloggers in Canada with no team of their own to cover.
- May 16, 2012 at 2:03 PM
Somehow I think you'd be just fine with it if he were coaching the Senators in the EC finals right now, but since his team beat yours, you're bitter. You have no more Sens-related hockey stuff to write about, so you're just throwing your sour grapes around. Grow up. He's paid to coach his team to win games, and he's done that. He's also said that if the media are all over him, they're leaving his players alone. If you don't like him, fine, but all of this "he doesn't play well in the sandbox - get rid of him" crap is pathetic.
- May 16, 2012 at 2:07 PM
Boring. Next topic. Talk to the players. Get over yourself. Boring. Blah blah blah
- May 16, 2012 at 2:44 PM
I completely disagree with your comments Mr. Brown. As an avid hockey fan, I don't care how a coach or a player treats the media. I see the media treat players and coaches unfair all the time. In fact, it's almost refreshing to see the media on the receiving end for a change. And when you really think about this, Tortorella is not doing anything that bad. He is only being short with the media... big deal.... When I hear media people complaining about the Rangers' coach, it proves that the media feels entitled and doesn't appreciate the fan or the sport.
The biggest joke of your post is the idea that the media is the conduit to the fans. This proves, above all else, the pedestal that media puts themselves on. As a fan, i have my own connection to my teams that doesn't require the inclusion of media. I watch, I cheer, I cry and I celebrate my team. I don't need the media.
- May 16, 2012 at 2:52 PM
This post reads like a little child crying because he's not getting everything handed to him. No answers given in the way "Dean Brown" wants them... almost as poor as your broadcasts.
- May 16, 2012 at 3:30 PM
- Dean Brown said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- May 17, 2012 at 8:57 AM
- Dean Brown said...
Just a few points of clarification based on some of the responses. The "I don't need the media to follow my team". This points out that some of these people don't actually know where they information they get comes from. They say they watch their team. Watching the games on TV is media. Fans can't be at practices or at all the games so the information they get on twitter, blogs and social media in fact comes from the media. You are getting your info from the media whether you realize it or not. The media is the only conduit to the fans like it or not since the average fan is not permitted to ask questions of coaches or players other than twitter. The idea of not having media ask the coach questions but rather just have a moderator ask John questions tweeted by fans is laughable. If you think Tortorella is going agree to take twitter questions it only shows how little you know about John. Also the premise that I wrote this blog because it has impacted me doing my job is incorrect. I have no connection to this in any way. I do not write for a newspaper, I am not broadcasting this series and I do not have a talk show. It has no impact on me personally. These are just my observations and opinions. Lastly, while Ranger fans understandably have no problem with what their coach is doing, the macro view is damaging to the NHL as a whole. During the playoffs there is more non-traditional media coverage and non-traditional hockey viewers, listeners and readers. The impression they get of our league is that it is bush league when they see behavior like this. It's not what our league needs. All of us, who earn a living from the NHL, have a responsibility in some degree to help sell the game. It might be OK in NY with the Rangers, but when Torts loses this job and is trying to get another one, his ability to deal with the media is a part of the hiring criteria for virtually every other team in the NHL. Every coach gets fired at some point and John will someday be in that spot again. It would also be the ultimate in hypocrisy if John were to re-join TSN as a studio panelist when he is next unemployed.
- May 17, 2012 at 8:59 AM