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Who Is George Soros? Judge For Yourself
"George Soros is the most dangerous man in the world because, just like the crazy megalomaniacs in old fifties movies, he is deceiving everybody into believing that he is altruistic, when in fact, he is using his Open Society/Shadow Party to undermine the very fabric of American society." - Human Events, "George Soros: Demagoat"
Key Points
- His ultimate goal is to end the concept of national sovereignty in favor of a global economic system characterized by open borders and central regulation.
- He has spent billions of dollars promoting this agenda through various proxy organizations in the United States.
- He has brought about the downfall of foreign governments through various means including currency manipulation and propaganda.
- Soros contributed substantially to get President Obama elected and to Hillary Clinton's campaign.
- He prefers to work invisibly.
60 Minutes Interview (1998)Here are some key points from an interview #GeorgeSoros did with 60 Minutes' Jim Croft in 1998.
- "I am basically there to make money. I cannot and do not look at the social consequences of what I do." "As a competitor I've got to compete to win."
- Despite his amoral attitude toward making money, has a "tremendous sense of responsibility." He said: "As a human being I am concerned about the society in which I live."
- Admits he helped "confiscate property from the Jews." Does he feel guilty? Was it difficult? "Not at all....no problem at all." "Of course I could be on the other side, I could be the one from whom the thing is being taken away. But there was no sense that I shouldn't be there, because that was - it's just like in markets, if I weren't there, of course I wasn't doing it, somebody else would be taking it away anyhow...no sense of guilt."
- Are you religious? "No." Do you believe in God? "No."
- Wants to save the world through regulation of the global economy, but admits he keeps his hedge fund accounts offshore so that they are not subject to regulation.
CNN Interview (2014)
The below is from the transcript of Soros' interview with Fareed Zakaria in 2014:
ZAKARIA: George Soros has made one of world's great fortunes betting on global trends, and he is deeply troubled by events and political trends in Ukraine, specifically, but Europe more broadly. He's just back from the region and he joins me to talk about what he saw, what he thinks and where he's putting his money.
George Soros, pleasure to have you on.
GEORGE SOROS, AUTHOR, "THE TRAGEDY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION": Same here.
ZAKARIA: First on Ukraine, one of the things that many people recognized about you was that you during the revolutions of 1989 funded a lot of dissident activities, civil society groups in eastern Europe and Poland, the Czech Republic. Are you doing similar things in Ukraine?
SOROS: Well, I set up a foundation in Ukraine before Ukraine became independent of Russia. And the foundation has been functioning ever since and played an important part in events now.
Other Quotes
- "It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out." - interview with UK's The Independent, 1993
- "To stabilize and regulate a truly global economy, we need some global system of political decision making. In short, we need a global society to support our global economy." - George Soros, The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered, 1998
- "Given the decisive role that international financial capital plays in the fortunes of individual countries, it is not inappropriate to speak of a global capitalist system." - George Soros, Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism Reconsidered (by George Soros, eBook version)
- "Insofar as there are collective interests that transcend state boundaries, the sovereignty of states must be subordinated to international law and international institutions." The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered" (by George Soros)
- "Rulers are reluctant to relinquish their power — they usually need to be pushed" - George Soros, Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism Reconsidered (by George Soros, eBook version)
Further Reading
- 2016 - "Soros bands with donors to resist Trump, 'take back power'" (Politico)
- 2016 - "Here's Proof That Soros Money Is Funding The Anti-Trump Leftist Protest Riots" (Gateway Pundit)
- 2016 - "Leaked Documents Reveal Expansive Soros Funding To Manipulate Federal Elections" (PJ Media)
- 2016 - "George Soros Declares War On Trump As Ex-Soros Employee Prepares To (Maybe) Join His Cabinet" (Vanity Fair)
- 2016 - "Clintons and Soros Launch America's Purple Revolution" (ZeroHedge)
- 2016 - "Black Lives Matter Activists, George Soros Sued Over Slain Dallas Cop" (RT.com)
- 2016 - "Make Soros Happy: Inside Clinton Team's Mission To Please Billionaire VIP" (Fox News)
- 2016 - "It Looks Like George Soros Is Funding The Trump Protests Just Like He Funded The Ferguson Riots" (Activist Post)
- 2016 - "Leaked Memo Exposes George Soros' Plan To Overthrow Putin & Destabilize Russia" (ZeroHedge)
- 2016 - "George Soros and Voting Machine Company Deny Alt-Right Conspiracy" (BuzzFeed)
- 2014 "George Soros and the Shadow Party Behind Crises to Take Down America" (InfoWars.com)
- 2014 - CNN's Fareed Zakaria Interviews George Soros (transcript)
- 2011 - "Are George Soros' Billions Compromising U.S. Foreign Policy?" (Forbes)
- 2011 - "George Soros: Demagoat"
- 2011 - "Top 10 Reasons George Soros Is Dangerous" (Human Events)
- 2007 - "Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism Reconsidered" (by George Soros)
- 2005 - "George Soros on Globalization" (by George Soros)
- 2004 - "George Soros: The 'God" Who Carries Around Some Dangerous Demons" (LA Times)
- 1998 - "The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered" (by George Soros)
- 1993 - "The Billionaire Who Built On Chaos" (UK's The Independent)
All opinions my own.


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We began the 3 Lake Trail at the end off of Conservation Rd which is about 1.25 miles from the parking area. The trail is listed at 0.8 miles in length and is an easy stroll through a mostly white pine section of the forest. The largest of the lakes, Lake Julia, is the first of the 3 lakes that the trail passes, but the view of the lake is through the trees, so I didn't take any shots. Better views of the lake can be had from other trails. The next lake is the smallest of the 3 and is Lake Alford. This one is a very scenic little lake (more pond size) with a small pier and covered sitting area. There's also a picnic table. We were both saying how nice this would look covered in snow and plan to come back if it ever does snow.
|Lake Alford
The last lake is Lake Dense and I'm guessing it gets a lot of visitors in the summer months. It's quite a bit bigger than Lake Alford and there are 2 piers where you can fish from or I'm assuming dive from. There's aren't any 'no swimming' signs.
|Lake Dense with Joanna Mountain in the background
Soon after Lake Dense, the 3 Lakes Trail ends on Joanna Rd. We headed right on Joanna Rd and on to a trail that is no longer maintained and isn't on the new maps, the Joanna Mountain Trail. The road began to climb and maybe gained 200' in elevation in about 1/2 mile. At this point, Chestnut Oak Rd turns to the left. We stayed on Joanna Rd, but would take this road on the way back. In just under a mile up Joanna Rd, the road splits. There were no signs, but we knew the right fork would take us towards Joanna Mountain. The left fork stays on Joanna Rd. We passed a pretty big clear cut area on the left, then the road ended and the 'trail' continued up the mountain. After a short distance, it just ended. We were hoping there would be a view of the lakes, but getting to the top and over to the view side was going to require a slippery scramble up a rock face with delicate vegetation, so we passed on that and just headed back.
We had another destination marked in the GPS for investigation on down Joanna Rd, but decided that would be best saved for another day. Instead of going back the exact same way, we opted to take Chestnut Oak Rd to Buck Forest Rd near Grassy Creek Falls, then take Buck Forest Rd pack to the parking area which gave us a hike of about 5.5 miles.

subset: commoncrawl


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SANTO CRISTO DE PAKIL. The ancient image of the Crucified Christ in the church of Pakil, as it appeared in the 1950s.
In the Franciscan-founded town of Pakil, Laguna, one can find an ancient, life-size crucifix venerated at the altar near the church's entrance. The present church itself, dedicated to San Pedro de Alcantara, dates to 1732, a masterpiece in stone marked with florid ornamentation.
The Santo Cristo de Pakil is an object of deep veneration among residents, but is also popular among the devotees of the Virgen de Turumba. The legs and feet of the Santo Cristo have all but darkened with age, and the habit of kissing the feet and the anointing of the santo's extremities with perfume has persisted.
The origins of the crucified Christ in Pakil is shrouded in mystery. It was said that an old man sought refuge in the town, begging the cura to find sanctuary in the church. The kind priest allowed him in, and the old man requested that he be given some carpentry tools so he could do some work for the church, in return for the hospitality.
When the old man did not emerge from the room after some time, the door was forced open—and the priest found him gone. But inside the room was a splendidly carved image of Christ crucified, wonderfully wrought in wood and capturing the agony of the Lord in his passion.
The image – known as Santo Cristo de Pakil—was enshrined in a retablo menor and is used every Holy Week for the Good Friday rites. As the arms are articulated, the figure of the Christ can be brought down from His Cross to be transformed into a Santo Entierro.
In this form, the image is processioned on the streets of Pakil, followed by a band of violinists, musicians, singers and hundreds of devotees.
Friday, February 20, 2015
215, Santo Stories: STO. CRISTO OF PAKIL
Posted by Alex D.R. Castro at 12:43 AM
Labels: Kuaresma, Laguna, Pakil, religious festival, santo, Santo Cristo, Santo Entierro, Semana Santa
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There will be a few changes to the Obamacare insurance marketplace in 2018, thanks to new rules and regulations passed about the Affordable Care Act and the nationwide health insurance marketplace. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, have issued their own regulations to hopefully help stabilize the market in the coming years.
CMS has issued their final rule, called the Market Stabilization Rule. The CMS, a federally funded and run body, hopes that this action will help keep premiums from spiking, stabilize individual and small group markets, and increase the number of health insurance policies that are available through the marketplace.
Stabilizing the marketplace
The Affordable Care Act destabilized the health insurance industry in the United States. By creating the marketplace, thousands of insurance agencies around the country now offer insurance policies that millions of previously uninsured individuals could afford. This increased the amount of money coming into the insurance industry and spread the overall risk around to multiple competing insurance entities.
The Affordable Care Act has continued to offer millions of previously uninsured people health insurance options, but many insurance providers backed out of the insurance marketplace. Unable to meet the demand or come up with new policies, the marketplace has remained unstable and prices on premiums are likely to continue increasing.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services are doing their best to continue offering affordable health care options for people who qualify. Small steps like the Market Stabilization Rule will hopefully help the marketplace regain stability in the short-term, although greater problems in the American health care industry still very much exist.
Other changes
In addition to lowering premiums, the CMS has made the open enrollment period for health insurance in 2018 shorter. The annual open enrollment period will last between November 1, 2017, and December 15, 2017.
If people are unable to enroll during this period, there will be stricter rules regarding supporting documentation and people who qualify to enroll in the marketplace outside of the open enrollment period. The rule also encourages individuals with past due premiums to pay back that money before they enroll in a new health insurance plan with the same agency they had before.
The CMS also hopes to widen the range of health insurance policy plans that are available in the insurance marketplace. They hope to give more power to states that are able to regulate their own health insurance markets to decrease duplications in plan offerings.
Short-term solutions
Although these aspects of the CMS ruling are admirable and may help stabilize the market in the next few years, over time these regulations aren't enough to fix the marketplace and the issues that exist in the Affordable Care Act. Most policy makers and insurance agents realize that there is a lot more that needs to be done in relation to the health care industry to fix the problems that are inherent in the system that has been created.
In the meantime, the regulations imposed by the government and the CMS will hopefully fix the market temporarily.


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Our Sponsors
Thank you to everyone who has participated in our "100 for $100" campaign so far!
Campaign Donors
- Scott & Heather Alfieri
- Quinto & Mary Ann Ambrosetti
- Ronald & Carole Delporto
- Marti Herrick & family
- Mike & Sandi Hess (State Farm, Mike Hess Agency)
- McHenry and Company
- Tina Quirk & family
- Deborah & Joe Salamon
- Lisa Turk & family
- & Anonymous donors!
Your tax deductible $100 donation gets:
–Listing in Nutcracker program
–Listing on website
–Two tickets to a cocktail reception prior to The Nutcracker Saturday, December 17th
–A chance to win 2 VIP tickets to The Nutcracker!
Thank you to all of our sponsors from the 2016 Annual Golf Outing at Lake Shore Country Club!
Major Sponsors
Associated Finish Systems
Citizens Bank
Discount Dancewear Center
Domino Insurance
Liberty Mortgage
Marsh Spaeder
Northwest Insurance Services
Northwest Savings Bank
Terella Drywall
Vendetti Brothers
Hole Sponsors
Allstate–Matt Barczyk
Cooper Business Machines
Glowacki Management Company or Assessment
Erie Bayhawks
Lakeview Resale
Maleno Builders
Marquette Savings Bank
Mirror Mirror Salon
Nuova Aurora
Perry's Landing Marina
Tucker Dental Excellence


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The new visitor center is implanted in one of the greatest green space of Montreal; the Maisonneuve Park. The park spreads 63 hectares and allows citizens to practice varied sports all year round, including golf in the summer. The new building houses all the necessary services to operate the park's driving range and golf course. It thus serves as the golf's and one of the park's entry points.
The new building's footprint has been defined in response to the program and was developed to simplify the site's numerous circulation paths. Two separate volumes welcome the building's different functions. The first one houses the paying boots, a shop, administrative offices and public spaces (lobby, multipurpose room) while the second one contains the storage spaces.
The two volumes were designed to organize the traffic on the site. The angled segment marks the direction of the golf courses. The steel "carriage" doors give access to the interior spaces (shop and classroom), the bathrooms, and at the practice field. As the generous roof unites the two volumes, the directed gateway takes a stand. Inspired by the golf course, the green roof becomes its own new topography, and generates an interesting dialogue with the site.
About Cardin Ramirez Julien Inc.
The firm Cardin Ramirez Julien Inc.. was founded in 1992 by Pierre Cardin and Oscar Ramirez. Jean-François Julien joined them as an architect partner in 2003. Since its beginnings, the firm has continued to expand, and now counts more than ten employees.
Cardin Ramirez Julien specializes in architectural projects of all sizes while focusing on a variety of design branches; interior design, renovation and/or restauration of heritage buildings, construction of contemporary architecture, and more. Over the years, the firm has developed a great concern for the environment and the impact architecture can have on human lives. It is why the team is committed to develop, day after day, ecological proposals for each project to be carried out following a sustainable development perspective. The firm's core team is made of accredited LEED professionals, recognized as experts in practices and principles of sustainable construction by the Green Building Council of Canada.
In recent years, Cardin Ramirez Julien Inc. has distinguished itself several times for its exceptionally innovative work. In fact, this can be illustrated by the firm's win of the Montreal Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium's international design competition, a new LEED Platinum certified building, the highest level of LEED accreditation.


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Israel will shut anti-drug department
Israel is a world leader when it comes to cannabis. In a further sign of the country's intentions, it will now shut down the government anti-drug department. Gilad Erdan, the Minister for public security said that closing the anti-drug department will do two things; save tax payers money and finally end the war on cannabis. The anti-drugs department has been in the news recently when its general director, Yair Geller was arrested for corruption. Closing down the department means Israel's government can focus on a scientific based approach to pot. This is another leap forward for cannabis. We can only hope that other countries can take up this example.


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'What a day,' Walker said. 'The whole fleet with the exception of Groupama were caught out when the tropical depression Alberta changed course and moved south east over the top of us. We were trying to ride the windshift and extra wind just to the south of it but a violent windshift headed us straight into the eye of the storm.
'There then followed a chaotic 12-hour period as we ended up on the wrong side of it beating upwind in 35 knots. All of a sudden instead of a fast ride east to the south of the storm we were right in it and in survival mode with three reefs and a heavy weather jib.
'We came off some terrible waves but most worrying of all was the lightning. The lightning was crashing all around right down to the water and it didn't seem possible our carbon mast could avoid a direct strike.
'Nevertheless, we escaped as we managed to sail back on ourselves to the favoured side and eventually again get on our way. Groupama outsmarted everyone by gybing earlier and staying away from Alberta and cashed in a 70-mile lead.
'Thankfully things have settled down now and after an entire day of seemingly non stop sail changes we are now enjoying smoother water and steadier winds. Everyone is tired as it has needed pretty much all hands on deck all day long.
'To make things worse we have a couple of bad backs on board that are suffering and one of us took a fairly hard blow to the head when he got washed back off the foredeck.
'Right now the priority is to get some food and drink into everyone, get people rested and continue the gains we have made in the last few hours. What was billed as a nice easy Atlantic crossing on initial forecasts has so far turned out to be anything but!'
Abu Dhabi had moved up to fourth place by the 0400 position, and by 0700 were 44 miles off the leaders.


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The last produce box that we purchased from Marvin's Produce had a large bunch of parsley in it. After several days it started to look a bit wilted and I remembered a recipe that I had found for Parsley Pesto and decided to try it. The reasons that I had been interested in the recipe initially are because we often have lots of parsley in the garden and because I must confess that I do not really care for either basil or cilantro. If a recipe calls for cilantro I usually substitute parsley and if it calls for basil I substitute dried Italian Seasoning.
Now don't get me wrong, if you invite me over and serve something with either cilantro or basil I will certainly eat it gratefully, but if I'm doing the cooking I will make the changes mentioned above. 🙂
This pesto calls for the green part of green onions which we also have pretty much year round in the garden and almonds which I try to keep in the freezer. Both Rob and I really liked this dish and I plan to try to make a supply of the pesto when parsley is abundant so we can enjoy this frequently.
Parsley Pesto Pasta
Approximately 1 pound of pasta
1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds
4 cups parsley leaves
3/4 cup chopped chives or the green part of green onions
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Process almonds in food processor until finely ground. Add parsley, green onions, oil and cheese and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook pasta until done and then drain, reserving a small amount of the cooking water to thin sauce if needed. (I did need some.)
Toss pasta with pesto adding cooking water as desired. Sprinkle with additional cheese.
You can refrigerate the pesto for up to 5 days after preparing it or it can be frozen.
Go ahead and be adventurous and give this recipe a try!
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Knitting For Kids
Knitting for Kids
Knitting occupies idle hands and can broaden a child's attention span. Knitting provides a creative outlet or kids, helping them to relax. Kids can knit in the car on long trips or while watching TV. They can experience the joy of creating something beautiful and unique with their own hands. Each project completed is something to be treasured!
What is Knitting?
Knitting is the process of connecting little loops of yarn to create a fabric. We don't now exactly how long people have been knitting, but small pieces of knitted socks have been discovered in Egypt, dating back to 1200 and 1400 AD.
In the late 1500's the knitting machine was created and enabled people to create fabric rapidly, but people continued to knit by hand because it is fun, satisfying, relaxing and easy.
You can learn to knit rather quickly and in no time you will be making scarves, beanbags, bookmarks or even a little change purse. It will take a little patience to get started and master the first stitches, so take your time!
Finger Knitting for Kids
If you don't feel quite ready to pick up a pair of needles, try finger knitting. It's a fun and easy way to begin working with your hands and getting a feel for working with different types of yarn. Children as young as 5 can master this simple craft, which requires a little bit of yarn (leftovers from another project is fine if you have a knitter in the family).
The following video will walk you though the process of finger knitting step by step. Watch closely and you will be a master of finger knitting in no time!
Using thetechniqus o finger kntting, you can create a bookmark, a belt or a hair tie in just a few minutes.
How To Finger Knit: Easy Knitting for Kids
How To Knit: The Basics
Knitting for Kids: What You Will Need To Get Started
Yarn: Choose a yarn that you love. Pick a color that you will enjoy looking at and a texture that feels good to hold in your hands. A bulky or thicker yarn is a good choice for beginners. Skinny, thin or slippery yarn (such as silk or certain acrylics yarns) will be a little more difficult to work with. You can choose a natural fiber, like sheep's wool or alpaca yarn, or a synthetic fiber like acrylic. Acrylic is easy to work with and machine washable.
Needles: Wood or bamboo needles are great for beginner. Plastic and metal needles are slippery and can be frustrating to work with when you are still mastering the basics. Knitting needles come in various sizes. The skinniest are given the lowest number (1,2,3) and thicker needles have higher numbers (11, 15 and even 35). Skinny needles are used to make very small stitches with very thin yarn, like in a sock. Larger sized needles can be used for scarves, sweater and blankets. If you have chosen a bulky yarn, you will need medium to large sized needles. Choose 10-inch needles in any size between 7-10.
Yarn Needle: A yarn needle is used to sew your knitted pieces together to create something, like a beanbag or eventually a sweater! It is also called a tapestry or darning needle and it looks like a giant plastic sewing needle.
You will also need a tape measure and scissors for your projects.
When you are ready, view the How To Knit video above and to the right to learn how to cast on stitches and begin to knit! Try out the easy project below.
Links For Easy Kids Knitting Projects
Easy Kids Knitting Projects : How To Make A Knitted Beanbag
This basic beanbag is a great kids knitting project because it will give you a chance to practice your basic stitches and still create something.
Using the basic knit stitch, you will knit two squares, and sew them together on three sides, then fill an old sock or stocking with beans and place in your knitted squares. Sew up the last side and you are done! You can make the beanbag all one color, or use a different color for each side.
What you need for this kids knitting project:
- 1 skein of bulky yarn (or a ball of scrap yarn)
- Knitting needles, any size from 7 to 10
- A thin sock, old tights or pantyhose
- 1 cup of dried beans
- Yarn needle
- Cast on 20 stitches. Knit every row until you make a square. Bind off. Your first square is complete! Now repeat the process for your second square.
- Now get your yarn needle and sew together your 2 squares on three sides. Remember to leave one side open to insert the beans!
- Take your sock or stocking and fill the foot with beans. Put it in the beanbag to see how it fits and if you need to add or remove some of the beans. When you are happy with the puffiness of the beanbag, tie a knot in the fabric of the stocking to keep the bean from falling out.
- Using your yarn needle, sew closed the last side of your beanbag.
You are done with your first kids knitting project! If you make three you can juggle them or make up a game to play with them!
There are so many great things you can make when you learn how to knit, and there are lots of different stitches to learn and master to create different looks.
Enjoy your new hobby!
now knitting like a pro
how do you start a scarf
thank you for spending your time to help others have creative hands by posting this, this was truly done by your heart Amy Jane and you spend your time doing this. it awesome how you spread your horizon!! i'm sure the others in the world think the same!!!!!!!:D!! thnz!! this helped me very much!!
That is a helpful website!
Finger knitting is such good fun for kids and very easy to learn and do.
love this site
love knitting
i have always wanted to knit
Can anybody post a picture with the beanbag done? I want to get a sense of how big it will be
knitting is a good way to put down the time !!!!!!!!!!!!! i love it thnks for the idease AMY
that was just great
UGH! I cant get this! Please recommend more links :)
nice links
I always wanted to knit
this thing really helped me to learn how to knit easily i am very proud of myself!
you did a great job on this hub. I want to learn how to knit. I guess the only thing I have to do is find someone who can teach me or teach myself. i am doing the second one. wish me luck!!
Before I went to this website I know to knit but, it helped me learn more 'things' about knitting.Most of the time I like to knit, that is if I am in a good mood!I knit in school, other people saw me knitting and got interested.So I tot them.
O and also I am a kid.?! 11 years old
This is amazing. Im excited to show my 9 year old when she comes back from school!
I am looking for information to share with an elementary school teacher who is teaching math, Patterns, and problem solving with knitting. She needs all the help she can get. She started in Grade 2 I think and is now teaching grade 3 and will be introducing it to more grades as it catches on and grows. Please contact me at rhyanb AT gmail DOT com
loved it but you could of put more detale
I am a Mother of three , and introduced knitting to all of my children a few years ago. I was surprised and excited to see how interested my 6 year old son was. He was very enthusiastic and couldn't wait to get to his knitting each day . We learned with short fat needles and a heavy variegated wool ; I found it made it easy for them to see the parts of each stitch. The initial project was a scarf.
The thing that amazed me most was when he packed up his manly Hulk knitting bag and trucked it off to grade one for "show and tell". I was worried at first that he might be teased and come home with his tail between his legs and not quite as thrilled about his new found love, instead he came home boasting that his buddies wanted to learn too! What a pleasant surprise.
Thanks for this very interesting hub Amy Jane.
I will have to follow your tips with my girls at the week-end.
this is kinda confusing for me and my little ones!can u plz put a easy link so me and other ppl get it,thx Amy Jones
from Amy Frost:)
nice hun.i like knitting but i absolutly cannot do a rib stitch...it gets me everytime!
What a wonderful article and such a great project! This is a fun idea for kids. Thank you.
I want to learn how to knit but can never find a great site this has helped me a lot thank you
does anyone no how to knit a little bean bag
Great hub! My step-daughter will love this.
My daughters know a stitch or two, but I think they will appreciate this hub to expand their horizons.
This is so cool! It's been so long since I knitted, but now I think I'll get back to it with my daughter. I'm going to have her read this tomorrow.
Fantastic hub page and great links!
Awesome! I have always wanted to learn myself. So, perhaps I will finally start here.
Good HUB.
KNITTING also make more healthy brain-cell connections to occur in the brain to increase intelligence, logic, cause-and-efffect understandking, and problem-solving skills. So everyone get smart and KNIT!
This is awesome, Amy, thank you! I'm anxious to show my little ones later :o)


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Mensa Japan surges forward
Submitted by Therese.Moodie-Bloom.AU on 24 August 2018
Mensa Japan surges forward
22 August 2018
Mr. Takano is now Chairman-elect of Mensa Japan, following the resignation of Satoki Takeichi.
During Mr Takeichi's chairmanship, Mensa Japan held an international celebration for Mensa International's 70th birthday, and hosted an Asian Mensa Annual Gathering. During that time, membership in Japan increased from 1500 to 3460.
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A rising number of Romanian women are working as prostitutes in London's "thriving" sex trade, according to a new report covering the capital's 33 boroughs.
They are part of a "rapid rise" in the number of non-British women selling sex on the streets over the past five years.
A significant proportion said that they were from Romania and were sending money home to their children and families, according to a report by the Eaves for Women charity.
They were said to be soliciting men at the entrance to hotels in areas popular with tourists, such as Park Lane.
"This group of women tend to sell sex on the street in groups and are highly mobile. Some are transported by taxi and privately owned vans to on-street sites known as hotspots for street prostitution," said the study, with prostitutes spotted leaving cash at makeshift drop sites.
Some prostitutes appeared to be as young as 14.
There were also accounts of "male minders" watching over the women. In one area of London there was a "Godfather-like" figure who controlled many of the Romanian women.
The report, Capital Exploits: A Study of Prostitution and Trafficking in London, commissioned by the London Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime said: "There appears to have been a recent and quite rapid increase in the number of non-British women selling sex on the street in a significant number of London boroughs, many of whom are from Romania."
It is suspected some of the prostitutes could be human trafficking victims.
A total of 2,077 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in 2011, the report said, with the most common countries of origin being Romania, Slovakia, Nigeria, Poland and the Czech Republic.
"A major concern is the failings that our research identified among many services and authorities in London when it comes to effectively identifying women involved in prostitution, including those who have been trafficked," said Laura Brown, one of the study's authors.
"Punitive efforts tend to be focused on women involved in prostitution and not enough effort is put into tackling perpetrators."
Eaves chief executive Denise Marshall said: "No matter where you stand on prostitution, the levels of violence and abuse that women suffer both entering and during prostitution are too severe for us to ignore."


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Firmware 3.61 is now out for the PS Vita. As expected, this latest firmware update is a "stability" update that patches the "HENkaku" hack which was released 10 days ago for firmware 3.60. Those who want to enjoy the benefits of the hack should not update to firmware 3.61.
Again, to make it clear: if you want to use HENkaku, do not update to 3.61. The hack is patched in this firmware, and there is no downgrade possible, no "trick" to make it come back for you.
At the time of this writing, Sony's official site still says 3.60 is the latest version, but it's clear the fix is now going out to all PS Vitas that try to connect to the PSN.
If your PS Vita is showing you a message saying you need to update to 3.61, typically rebooting the console might do the trick for the message to go away.
People who stay on firmware 3.60 won't be able to directly access the PSN. There are, however, ways to still do lots of stuff involving the PSN with your PS Vita 3.60, including activating it, downloading content (through a PS3), and more. You'll want to start and use QCMA for content transfer.


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Acorn Style
Making a house your home. It means designing interiors that reflect your personality and express your individual style. At Acorn, it's how a home becomes truly your own.
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Making a house your own involves not only putting your personal stamp on interior finishes but also the design layout. With Acorn you have the opportunity to personalize floor plans if desired – for example, to move a wall and add more room to an area or add entirely new rooms, such as a pantry, mudroom, walk-in closet, an extra ensuite or a fully-finished basement – and create living spaces that suit your lifestyle and needs.
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The Design Studio is where you can personalize the layout and the look of your new home, with expert advice from our design consultants. A 3,000 sq. ft. showroom, the Design Studio is an inspiration gallery of fixtures, finishes, samples, upgrade options and an endless selection of possibilities. Whether you're inspired by the refined elegance of more traditional interiors or the sleek lines of contemporary design, envision the charm of an old-world country kitchen or the simplicity of a thoroughly modern space, or imagine a master bath with an expansive shower stall or a stand-alone tub, this is where dreams become reality.


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Aunt Dora in Italy, 1970
Last year on April 1st, my Aunt Dora passed after living for almost 103 years. The date is also the anniversary of when my husband and I first met in New York City, the first day of National Poetry Month, and, of course, April Fool's Day. It seems somehow appropriate that the day signifies many things.
Today I'd like to share a poem I wrote to Aunt Dora to read to her on this day. It is a letter to her composed of words she said to me over the years and I recorded.
Of course there are more things she said, but they didn't fit in the poem. Here's one my favorites that she said on a Monday: "Spaghetti? You can't have spaghetti for dinner. It isn't Sunday. I guess you're just goin' to do what you want to do, kid."
Dear Aunt Dora
A Found Epistolary Poem
I'm still going to talk to you because you're my love.
I just called to tell you that I'm still in love with you.
I didn't forget that I love you. And I forgot a lot.
Did you catch my love over there?
I will love you always. No matter what. You can call me names, say whatever you want, and I'll love you. Don't laugh at that.
You know why I ask you when I'm going to see you again? Because it is very important that I see you again. And that I know when that's going to be.
I love you everyday, baby.
I wish you could come and give me some company. I could use your company.
I'll be lovin' you like I always was,


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The Finding Aids Award Committee is a special committee. It was established by a vote of the membership at the Spring 1982 meeting. It presents several finding aid awards at each spring meeting and presents the C. Herbert Finch Award at each fall meeting. Based on a Bylaws change voted by members at the Spring 2013 Business Meeting, members on the committee will become elected, rather than appointed by the MARAC Chair, starting in Spring 2014 elections.
The committee has developed a comprehensive Finding Aids Award Committee Handbook (PDF) to help guide its work.
The purpose of the Finding Aids Award Committee is to recognize outstanding achievement in the preparation of finding aids by institutions within the MARAC region or by MARAC members and to promote improvements in this area of archival work by drawing attention to characteristics of successful finding aids. The committee is also responsible for awarding an annual prize (Finch Award) honoring online publications, including virtual exhibitions, web sites and web pages devoted to the promotion and use of archival materials, created by individuals or institutions in the MARAC region. It is the responsibility of the committee to publicize the awards and to solicit entries from the membership. Awards are presented by the Committee Chair at both the MARAC Spring and Fall meetings.
The Finding Aids Award Committee currently consists of five (5) members appointed by the MARAC Chair. Committee members shall serve two-year staggered terms and may be reappointed. The MARAC Chair shall appoint the chair of the Finding Aids Award Committee who serves for one year.
However starting in spring 2014 based on a MARAC Bylaws change approved at the Spring 2013 Business Meeting, the Committee will consist of six (6) members who each serve for a term of three years. Two will be elected each year by the MARAC membership. The elected member receiving the most votes will become the Junior Co-chair of the Finding Aids Committee in their second year of service. The Junior Co-chair shall become the Senior Co-chair in their third year of service. The MARAC Chair shall fill any vacancies on the Committee.
Meetings to discuss award selections may be closed upon unanimous vote of the committee.
The committee reviews submissions once a year and makes the awards. Decisions are by majority vote. A committee member may not vote on a finding aid or other publication submitted by his/her institution. If the committee receives no more than three nominees in any given year, the committee has the discretion to cancel the second and/or third place awards for that year and award only first place. If the committee finds that none of the nominations for that year are worthy of an award, it has the right not to make any awards for that year.
Nominations must be made by a MARAC member and the finding aid must be issued by an institution in the MARAC region. Nominated finding aids must be available to the public in the calendar year preceding the spring MARAC meeting at which the awards are announced.
At the spring 1998 meeting in Saratoga Springs, New York, the Steering Committee approved the Finding Aids Award Committee's recommendation to name the first place prize the Fredric M. Miller Finding Aid Award to honor the memory of Fred Miller, archivist and author, who died in 1998.
If necessary, the committee may request a budget for expenses from the MARAC Treasurer. This should be submitted by April 1 of each year.


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Cars We Sold
2017 Shelby GT350R Serial Number 20945
We are pleased to offer 2017 Shelby GT350R s/n 20945, a special order, limited production and yes, a hand built incarnation of the famed 1965 Shelby 350 GT. Far more than just another overpowered Mustang, the Shelby GT350R is a true modern Supercar loaded with the latest in aerodynamic tricks, mechanical exotica and state-of-the-art electronics. Cosmetically, from the A-pillar forward the panels were reshaped into a more aerodynamic and aggressive shape, including a completely new front section, an aerodynamically proven front splitter and vented inner fenders to draw out rough air, showing that form beautifully follows function. Underneath a full ducted belly pan ends with a rear diffuser to help downforce. A well-integrated carbon fiber rear spoiler adds even more downforce and an aluminum front bumper, front fenders and an aluminum hood save weight. From new in Oxford white with the "Over the Top" racing stripe.
Not impressed? The GT350R's all aluminum V-8 is without a doubt the highlight of the car when stretched to its mind-boggling 8,250 rpm redline, putting out 526 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque across a huge range of the power band. The unique flat-crank Ford is responsible for the high engine speeds and quickness of revs; and yes, it's the same design used on the Ferrari 488 and California. The flat crank gave Ford engineers the ability to open up the breathing of the cylinder heads, intake and camshaft to unleash more power, and it's the crankshaft configuration that gives the GT350R such a unique exhaust sound. Ah yes, the exhaust! A valve-operated exhaust system has much-appreciated mild to wild modes, allowing you to deafen passengers while barreling through a tunnel and later sneak back into your garage late at night undetected. The GT350R's quad exhaust in full-bore mode might be the loudest exhaust system on a factory car and it's all done with the press of a button. To quote from the Car and Driver Road Test, "We continue to be amazed that, in this heavily regulated era, major automakers can keep cranking out these sorts of bonkers machines."
Want more goodies? How about the 19 x 11 inches front and 19 x 11.5 rear carbon fiber wheels from Carbon Revolution that weigh in at a mere 18 lbs each, a first for any major automaker and a rarity even among exotic supercars. They're wrapped in hyper-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 305/30 front and 315/30 rear tires. Lightweight and glossy red Brembo monoblock six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers are matched with exotic, radially pinned composite iron-aluminum rotors from German supplier SHW. Add in a $7,500 track package that includes MagneRide shocks (again, the same as Ferrari) that use iron-impregnated fluid and magnetic current to monitor and adjusts the shocks and ride thousands of times per second for maximum performance yet doesn't make any compromises for day-to-day life on the road. The MagneRide shocks integrate driver controls features Normal, Sport, Weather, Track and Drag driving modes that tailor the MagneRide suspension's responsiveness and firmness, exhaust modes, engine responsiveness, steering firmness, electronic stability and traction settings for specific driving styles. The GT350R turns in an impressive 1.10 g and the skidpad and launches from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 119 mph. Top speed is good for 174mph. Power is put to the ground through a double disc clutch and a bullet-proof Tremec 3160 six-speed manual and a 3.73:1 Torsen limited-slip differential fitted to an independent rear suspension. Other goodies include both an aluminum front shock-tower brace, firmer springs and suspension mounting plus oil coolers for the engine, transmission and rear differential.
As a limited production, hand built car, each GT350R comes with a signed Dedication build plate, with our GT350R s/n 20945 signed off by Frank Parma and Michelle Bollart. Options on the GT350R are limited but GT350R s/n 20945 includes both the $7,500 track pack with the MagneRide shocks and its long list of related features plus a $3,000 electronics package. The package includes a driver's Heads-Up display on the windshield that is controlled via the information center in the gauge cluster, because if you're driving a car like this, there's no way you want to take your eyes off the road! The driver can set shift points, light intensity, and select from Launch Control; Exhaust Mode; Line Lock; Shift Indicator; Lap Timer and more, all at the touch of a button. Also included are dual-zone A/C, touch-screen navigation, SiriusXM radio and a seven-speaker audio system. The Recaro seats have red contrast stitching, are form fitting and amazingly comfortable and the Alcantara steering wheel (just like Ferrari's) has a red centering stripe. The Tremec 3160 six-speed shifter fall exactly to hand and shifts perfectly. Just as important as what the Shelby GT350R has, it's what it doesn't have, to save as much weight as possible. So there's no rear seat, no rear view camera, there's not even a floor mat. This is a serious yet user-friendly performance car. For those tired of expensive Ferrari services and $8k cam-belt services, the Shelby GT350R comes with a three year or 36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty!
If you're not impressed, Road & Track magazine was impressed! In their annual Best Performance Car test, R&T tested the 2016 and 2017 Bentley Continental GT3-R, the Cadillac ATS-V, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the Dodge Viper ACR, the Mercedes-AMG GT S, the Porsche Cayman GT4 and yes, the Ferrari 488 GTB. As per Road & Track "the Mustang that all Mustangs have been waiting to become. What an engine! What a noise!" As contributing Editor Colin Comer wrote "It seems to violate the laws of physics" Road & track testers summarized with "Our winner by a runaway vote, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R is, quite deservedly, the Road & Track 2016 Performance Car of the Year."
2017 Shelby GT350R s/n 20945 is a brand new 2017 model with only 335.5 miles on the odo, having been sold to an OEM manufacture for emission systems and catalyst testing, but never used. It comes with the window sticker, the sales brochure; the owner's manual and its case, still wrapped in cellophane and both sets of keys. There is only one tiny scratch on the lower left front spoiler from shipping. The power steering gives great feedback, the clutch is surprisingly light, the power is wonderfully linear; the Recaro seats are ultra-comfortable; the seven-speaker sound system sounds like a concert hall; the heads up display is entertaining and switching the exhaust sound from mild to wild modes at the touch of a button is even more entertaining! As a limited production, special order and hard to get example, 2017 Shelby GT350R s/n 20945 is offered at $89,500 or best offer!


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End the deliberate carnage of our Victorian waterbirds- called a "sport"
810 birds, including 68 endangered freckled ducks, were shot and left to die on Victorian wetlands on the opening weekend of the duck shooting season. These dead birds were left outside Premier Daniel Andrew's office.
Australia's rarest waterfowl, the Freckled Duck breeds in swamps in inland Australia. The Freckled Duck may be easily confused with the Pacific Black Duck, Anas superciliosa, and the Hardhead, Aythya australis.
Just what is the purpose of giving the label "endangered" when they can be confused, or deliberately eliminated, for this blood sport?
Duck shooters themselves often don't even realise that the birds they are shooting are native. On top of this, a recent ecological survey found waterbird numbers are the lowest they have been in 34 years. The same State government department, DELWP, is responsible for administering our Wildlife Act, by default to protect our native bird/animals, so it's an gross conflict of interest that they also remove their protected status to declare a DUCK SHOOTING SEASON.
Duck shooters don't discriminate on what birds they kill, and every single season swans, avocets and rare freckled ducks become victims, too. Time and time again, duck shooters have proven that they can't be trusted.
Victoria's wetlands are rich in 50,000 years of indigenous heritage. A thriving, nature-based wetlands tourism industry is the way of the future. It will not only revitalise country towns, but will protect the financial future of regional Victorians. Many duck-shooters call themselves "conservationists" yet they leave behind rubbish and pollution, and their carnage!
Duck numbers are still recovering after low water levels in recent years and protected species and other waterbirds often fall victim to duck hunters. In addition to this our native water birds will be under attack from thousands of shooters, who are often inexperienced and reckless. Many birds will be shot but not killed outright and will be left to die slow torturous deaths or will drown, unable to swim or fly any further due to painful injuries.
Duck shooting has been banned in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales and that according to a Morgan Poll, 2007; an overwhelming 87% of Victorians support a ban on duck shooting, including many who live locally to wetlands where duck shooting takes place; it seems undeniable that the Victorian Government's policies on this issue are lagging behind the current values and beliefs of our society.
Our native water birds have the right to live unharmed and in peace in their natural home. Please help to end this barbarism, tell our Premier the killing must end now!
This petition will be delivered to:
Premier of Victoria
Premier Daniel Andrews
Duck shooting is hideously cruel. But that's not the only reason why we should ban the 'sport'.
PETITION: Ban Duck Shooting
(featured image: Freckled duck- Wikipedia org)


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June 15, 2011
Mike Davis Jeff Hall Jim Hyler Thomas O'Toole, Jr.BETHESDA, MARYLAND
BETH MURRISON: Good morning. My name is Beth Murrison, I'm Manager of Communications for the United States Golf Association. It's my pleasure to welcome you to Congressional Country Club for the 2011 US Open Championship. We're very happy to have you here this week. As many of you know, the USGA and the R&A are partners in the international governance of the game of golf. The USGA annually conducts the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open, the U.S. Senior Open, ten national amateur championships for individuals. It also conducts two state team championships and helps conduct the Walker Cup match, the Curtis Cup match and the World Amateur and Women's World Amateur team championships.
The organization also oversees course rating and handicap systems, writes and administers the rules of golf in conjunction with the R&A, conducts equipment testing, provides course maintenance conditions and since 1920 has been a global leader in the development and support of sustainable golf course management practices.
The USGA also serves as a primary steward for the game's history and funds and ongoing For the Good of the Game grants program.
Complete information about the USGA and all of its programs can be found on the USGA website at USGA.org. Please also feel free to speak to me or any member of the communications staff any time.
At this time it's my pleasure to introduce the USGA President, Jim Hyler.
JIM HYLER: Thank you, Beth, and good morning, everyone. It's good to see you all here, and thank you for coming and attending our annual U.S. Open press conference.
Let me first recognize the two gentlemen to my left who really need no introduction, but to my immediate left is Mike Davis. Mike is of course now our Executive Director and to Mike's left is Tom O'Toole. And as we traditionally do at this news conference, when I finish with my remarks Tom will come up and talk about the golf course, some specifics about the golf course, then we'll go to Q and A.
It's really a pleasure for all of us, the USGA executive committee and staff, to be back here in the nation's capital at Congressional Country Club as we embark on our annual championship season. This will be the third U.S. Open and sixth overall USGA Championship at Congressional.
Our 1964 U.S. Open champion, Ken Venturi, is here this week and visiting. It is great to see Ken around and being a part of the championship.
Of course our 1997 Open Champion, Ernie Els, is in the championship field, and I'm sure he will be gunning for a repeat.
Congressional has hosted many special championship moments, and we look forward to the creation of many more starting with the 2011 U.S. Open.
Before we move into specifics of this week's championship, I have two news items to share. First, I'd like to be sure that all of you are aware of a new national initiative that was launched late last month by the PGA of America with support of the USGA. It's called Tee It Forward, and it's an effort to encourage amateur golfers to play from tees that more appropriately match to their abilities. Sitting in the front row is Barney Adams. Barney, of course, is the founder of Adams Golf, and he is the Tee It Forward visionary and the person who came up with the analysis and the thoughts to really advance this concept.
The idea is that golfers can potentially speed up play and have more fun by using tees that provide the greatest playability and enjoyment. Tee It Forward is not necessarily about creating a new set of tees, and in fact most facilities today have ample sets of tees to use this concept. It's about changing the mindset of golfers in a positive way by encouraging people to consider setting aside that desire to play from 6,500 to 6,700 yards and move up and play a course around 6,000 to 6,200 yards.
The personal testimonial, I've been "Teeing it Forward" now for several months, and I've found I really like it. I play faster, and I'm definitely having more fun.
You might ask, why is the USGA supporting this initiative, and the answer is really pretty simple. We believe Tee It Forward speaks directly to the health of the game, and we are vitally interested in the health of the game.
We've heard from many of our members and others who think that a round of golf is taking far too long, and Tee It Forward can address that and add a new layer of fun that we believe can be healthy for the future of the game. So watch for Tee It Forward as it rolls out at golf facilities Nationwide starting on July 5th and running for two weeks after that.
I hope that you will let your readers know that they can get more information about Tee It Forward by going to USGA.org, and there you will find appropriate links to Play Golf America.
Next it is a particular pleasure for me to announce today that Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in South Hampton, New York, has been selected as the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. This is indeed exciting news for us as Shinnecock is truly one of the game's special places. Through the years Shinnecock has been the site of many compelling USGA championship moments. The club has hosted eight USGA championships, including four U.S. Opens and is the only club to have hosted the U.S. Open in three different centuries, and it has produced notable and noteworthy champions going all the way back to 1896 James Foulis; Ray Floyd in 1996 and one of the great back nine battles in the history of the U.S. Open; 1995 Corey Pavin was the long-remembered, forever remembered for his memorable 4-wood shot on the 72nd hole. And then most recently in 2004 Retief Goosen with an incredible display of putting during the final round.
In addition to its deep and rich history, Shinnecock Hills is especially special to the USGA because it was one of the five founding member clubs of our organization back in 1894. The current course was designed by William Flynn in 1931 and its design and agronomy exemplify our idea of firm, fast conditions.
Because of the landscape and wind conditions that are particular to eastern Long Island, Shinnecock is a challenging course to set up, and we certainly experienced that in 2004 when we let the course get away from us the last round. This has been well-chronicled and discussed over the years. I will tell you that we have used this as a wholesome learning experience, and this experience led us to the development of our current setup philosophy that we use today. And I think you would all admit that the last six U.S. Opens that we have had have been very, very successful, and that's thanks to our great staff and to the superintendents of our U.S. Open venues.
Two members of the Shinnecock board, Brett Pickett and Jim Ferrer, and head golf professional Jack Druga are here with us today, sitting to my left in the third row, and I'd really like to thank them and Club President, Bob Murphy, for all the work that they've done to offer us a great championship course for our 2018 U.S. Open. We look forward to working with members of the staff and the club in the years to come to ensure that the 2018 Open is a memorable one, and we know it certainly will be.
Before concluding, I'd like to recognize the many USGA volunteers who donate their time in helping us conduct our national championships. They serve on USGA committees, they conduct state and local competitions, and they help develop the next generation of golfers. Here at Congressional we have 5,000-plus volunteers helping us, and to each of them I offer my sincere appreciation and thanks for all that they do to help us have this week.
Finally, I'd like to take a moment to express our gratitude to our partners and good friends at Congressional Country Club. In the months and years leading up to this championship we have benefitted greatly from their knowledge, their expertise and their dedication. Thanks to all the officers and the staff and especially the golf course staff for their role in preparing for what we expect to be a memorable 111th U.S. Open.
Tom O'Toole will be more specific in recognition in his remarks. Now let me turn the program over to Tom O'Toole, a member of the executive committee of the USGA and Chairman of the Championship Committee. Tom?
TOM O'TOOLE: Mr. President, thank you. Certainly to our friends at Shinnecock on behalf of the Championship Committee, we could not be any more excited that we will return in 2018 to that historic United States Open venue. Job well done.
Our 2011 championship season is imminent, and of course this is our 117th year of conducting national championships. That mission that was formed in December of 1894 in New York City we continue throughout this year, 2011. Of course we kick off that championship season right here at Congressional Country Club in just one more day.
Some of the highlights of the 2011 championship season besides Congressional, which we'll get to more in depth, are the Women's Amateur Public Links and the Amateur Public Links will be conducted at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. The first time the Women's Amateur Public Links and the Men's Amateur Public Links will be conducted simultaneously at the same venue on the same courses, in this instance, Bandon Trails and Old MacDonald. Thanks to the influence of Mike Davis now Bandon Dunes enjoys the pleasure of conducting national championships on all four of its courses.
The U.S. Open returns to the famed Broadmoor Resort the site of Jack Nicklaus's amateur crown, one of them, and the site of Annika Sorenstam's one of her three U.S. Women's Open championships.
The U.S. Junior Championship returns to the Pacific Northwest at Gold Mountain Club in Bremerton, Washington. The Pacific Northwest is an area that we've cultivated lately and of course will continue to cultivate as we host the U.S. Open Championship there at Chambers Bay Golf Course in 2015.
The U.S. Senior Open returns to the historic Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, site of four U.S. Opens and most recently site of the 2003 United States Senior Open won by Bruce Lietzke.
And finally the U.S. Amateur Championship will be conducted at a reasonably new public golf course in Erin, Wisconsin, Erin Hills Golf Course, which of course is the site of the 2017 United States Open.
We think it's always important to review with this group the philosophy to which President Hyler referred, and that is the U.S. Open course setup philosophy. In the fall of 2004, Walter Driver, the then-chairman of the Championship Committee, implemented a written U.S. Open philosophy which sets forth many number of factors and criteria that can be found for your benefit at usopen.com.
That philosophy is simply this: The U.S. Open should be the most rigorous, the most difficult yet fair test in championship golf, an examination which tests both the players' physical capabilities, including all shot making, also tests the players' mental capabilities and tenacity.
In conclusion, we want well-executed shots rewarded and poorly executed shots penalized. An example of some of those criteria which we will review in our course comments are of course risk-reward, the graduated rough concept, which Mike Davis and Jim Hyler introduced in 2006 at Winged Foot, and of course the use of different and a variety of teeing grounds.
As history dictates at this press conference, we give some highlights as to that course setup. As has been the case since 2006, Mike Davis has the responsibility of implementing the U.S. Open course setup. While you're all aware Mike Davis has expanded responsibilities within the USGA as our new Executive Director, Mike still in 2011 and beyond will continue to handle the U.S. Open course setup. In fact, Mike is here on the dais today and will answer any questions after this portion of the press conference regarding any questions you have regarding that course setup.
Some of those highlights, you've been around the club and here for the past couple of days or if you were at prior championships here, Congressional Country Club is a big golf course. Big is the word, that's the operative reference. 2011 is no exception. 7,574 yards from the post, some 300 yards more than when we last conducted the United States Open here in 1997. It won't play that long any one day but will probably play the golf course somewhere between 7,200 and 7,400 yards in each of the four stipulated championship rounds.
In 1964 and 1997, par was 70 for those championships, as has been a variety of other sites and championships that the Congressional Country Club has hosted.
2011 the increase of par is to 71. Let me repeat myself. The United States Golf Association has increased par from 70 to 71, most specifically in reference to Hole 6, which has historically played as a 4, and while we built a new tee there, the club built a new tee at 555 yards, we think that golf hole plays particularly more attractive to our setup philosophies as a par-5 than as a par-4.
A feature of the big golf course we make reference at Congressional is the generous and wider driving areas. Of course a complement to those wider fairways is what you see as the closely mown areas as the fairways feed into many of the fairway bunkers. Of course that feeding promotes the errant tee shot to be collected by those bunkers.
Green speeds, always a hallmark of a United States Golf Association setup, firm and fast on the putting greens, not one specific Stimpmeter reading. Here we targeted about 14 to 14 and a half was Mike's pleasure, but by way of comparison at Pebble Beach last year, we were in the 11 to 11 and a half foot range on the Stimpmeter, and by comparison at Oakmont Golf Course in 2007 the green speeds were between 14 and a half and 15.
The architectural features of those putting greens is what dictates those Stimpmeter readings. Because of the oppressive heat we experienced here last week in Washington, D.C., and Bethesda specifically, the heat index at or over 100 degrees for five days caused us to cut back on number of mowings, the number of rollings and of course cut back on the mowing heights. Of course because of that oppressive heat we did not achieve the objective that we preferred to have as the players arrived on Monday for practice to have the golf course prepared as it will be on Thursday through Sunday when they begin their practice.
We have endeavored to achieve that target as we've moved into facing tomorrow, and that green speed, which again we targeted at 14 to 14 and a half, we're almost there. The reason we are slightly behind in this prep is because we did not want to compromise the health of the putting greens. We would not do that, and I can tell you in my 20 years of officiating at the U.S. Open, the putting greens, their firmness, their smoothness and the green speeds are as good as we've had in that time. We are delighted where this golf course is right now, and we think it's well prepared to test the greatest players in the world.
We're also delighted with things like the rough heights. Speaking a moment about the graduated rough concept, but we got into that preparation a little late, again, because of the heat we experienced last week. But where we sit today on Wednesday morning, I think Mike and I are very happy and the Championship Committee as to where that is.
The same applies to the fairway firmness. We're in Washington, D.C., in the summer, ladies and gentlemen. This isn't Pebble Beach in June, it's Washington, D.C., and this is a golf course built on heavy soils, but I will tell you we couldn't be happier where this firmness is in light of Congressional Country Club, Washington, D.C., in this climate.
Another concept is that of risk-reward, one of the most significant concepts in that U.S. Open course setup philosophy. However, the one many of you have enjoyed since Mike overtook the setup in 2006 was the concept of the drivable par-4. There will be no drivable par-4s here at Congressional in 2011. Why, you might ask? Because the golf course and short holes here do not lend themselves architecturally to this concept. We do have risk-reward in the par-5 holes, and as we mentioned, the sixth hole, while again at 555 yards, I have a hunch you might see the tee moved up sometime during the championship to further entice the players to go for that green. The danger, of course, is the pond that hugs the right in the front of that putting green. A well-executed shot will make it to that putting green. A poorly executed shot will not -- the primary example of risk-reward. Risk: Bogey or double bogey by flirting with the water hazard. The reward: A two-putt birdie or a putt at eagle for 3.
The 16th hole, also a par-5 at 579 yards, is slightly longer than No. 6, but if shortened an abiding shot could lie for the players, particularly where that hole is in the round on Saturday and Sunday to make a birdie. The green sits up, and those of you that have been out and witnessed it, the closely mown areas behind and to the left and the right of the putting greens will present particular challenge to the players. It makes it very penal for the shot that's not played successfully to that putting green in two to get that ball up-and-down or experience a par.
And even the ninth hole, the long par-5 at 636 yards could see some action from a more forward teeing ground. The further risk-reward is all the par-3s, holes 2, 7, 10 and 13 all could see action from a forward or different teeing grounds; example a forward more shorting tee to a more tucked or tight hole location.
Graduated rough, of course the Mike Davis trademark and as I mentioned implemented in 2006. The shorter rough adjacent to the fairways on the longer holes. Examples, holes 4 and 5, the longer rough adjacent to the fairways on the shorter holes, examples holes five and eight.
But finally the finish. There's a number of great U.S. Open finishing holes like the 18th hole at Pebble Beach we experienced last year, or the 18th hole at Merion where Ben Hogan hit the famed 1-iron or the 18th hole at Shinnecock which we will again experience. And Jim Hyler made reference to Corey Pavin's shot in 2004. But none are better than the 18th hole at Congressional Country Club.
While we did not finish here in 1997, arguably the championship was won or lost right there. Colin Montgomerie and Tom Lehman's fate, Ernie Els' victory. So let me set the stage. 72nd hole, a 523 yard par-4, water on three sides, I'm envisioning a left hole location, and what hangs in the balance? The United States Open Championship. Pretty good theater.
And finally, we'd be remiss, as President Hyler said, if we didn't execute some thank yous. You don't produce the production of the United States Open Championship without a wonderful partner. You need a committed and dedicated partner. We had that from Congressional Country Club, and things could not have been more perfect in that relationship as we move through tomorrow's beginning of the championship, from president, Doug Schleifer, and their board, Ben Brundred and Paul Klein ease, the co-general chairman that sold and promoted this championship throughout Washington and all of the east coast; general manager, Mike Leemhuis, the best in the business, accommodated, again, virtually our every need; director of golf, John Lyberger and finally the golf course superintendent, Mike Giuffre. Mike, would you please stand. Who's done everything that the USGA and Mike Davis has asked to prepare this golf course for the playing of the 111th U.S. Open. To our partners at Congressional we say thank you.
To the USGA staff, they're the best in the business. This is the biggest production in championship golf. Reg Jones, our managing director of the U.S. Open, Hank Thompson, our championship manager, who's been here for two years and unfortunately left us to be with his ill mother, our thoughts and prayers are certainly with Hank; Danny Sink and Robbie Zalzneck, Frank Bussey, Eric Lee, Charlie Howe, our ops group and Matti Dubberstein, Brittany Prater, the volunteer and player services.
The bottom line is we just simply could not do it without their expertise and commitment.
In closing we're excited to be back in the nation's capital to conduct the U.S. Open Championship. It has a good feel, doesn't it? We believe the challenge and the rigor of Congressional Country Club and this golf course will test the greatest players in the world. As was the drama with Ken Venturi's victory in 1964 fighting off heat exhaustion and Ernie Els' exciting victory over Lehman and Montgomerie in 1997. It's our bet the 2011 version of the United States Open at Congressional Country Club will be just as memorable.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Beth?
BETH MURRISON: Thanks very much, Tom. We would now like to turn this portion of the program over to question and answer.
Q. You talked about the course setup. I'd like to ask you about the area that is hosting the tournament. Since '97 this area has grown quite a bit. Traffic is significantly worse. Some of the staging areas are much farther out than they were in the past for the fan shuttles. I'm wondering as you went through the process of getting everything together, how has that played out? And looking forward, do you have concerns about this ability of the area to maybe host this sort of an event in the future if things keep get being worse around here?
JIM HYLER: Well, I'll take that one. I mean, clearly the Washington, D.C., area is a congested area in terms of traffic, and we certainly have worked really hard on our traffic program and plan. Just a couple things: We have secured some 15,000 satellite parking places around the area for our patrons to use. And this year, in fact, we're using 475 buses. Last year at Pebble we used 275. So we've almost doubled the number of buses that we have in use. Reg and his team have worked long and hard on a traffic plan, and I think it's as good as it can possibly be.
But for the future, who knows about the future? We're just trying to get through this week and have a successful U.S. Open this week.
Q. Mike, I want to ask you about holes 16 and 18. Is the idea of 16 to tempt the guys to reach in two and have it be really severe if they miss to the right? And if you could talk a little bit more about the 18th hole and how you envision that coming down the stretch.
MIKE DAVIS: Sure. I think what's really neat about Congressional Country Club is there's a wonderful ebb and flow to this golf course, and obviously that's the way it is at the end of it, too, with holes 14 through 18.
Specifically on 16, when we made the decision, I guess it was maybe a year and a half ago, to say what can we do to make that par-5 not necessarily more interesting but to give the players more options to accentuate the risk-reward concept, that's when we decided to strip the rough grass off the sides. And what we want to do, and we'll be watching the next few days to see how it plays, is we want to make sure we play that hole short enough to where a player, if they really hit a good drive, at least has the choice to go for it.
But I think that the concept that Tom O'Toole alluded to a little bit, to remove the rough on the sides of that hill, and Tom was right, it's the only hole at Congressional that sits up in the air, so in some ways it plays like a Pinehurst No. 2 green except the sides are more severe, but the whole idea was if you're going to go for the green in two, the green is big enough and it will accept the second shot but you really have to hit a good shot. And if you don't you probably are going to -- you would have been better laying up, wedging it on because the way they are with wedges the worst they're going to make is a 5 and probably going to make a lot of 4s but they can make their eagle by going for it.
So the idea is particularly on Sunday we want to see some scores or some swings in scoring.
Then when we get to the 18th hole as Tom mentioned, in my opinion it's one of the great finishing holes of all U.S. Opens, and the concept there, particularly with the concept of the new back tee, is to make it one of the most difficult holes here at Congressional. It has a history of that, too, and I think that we felt that over the years -- and I guess several years ago when the AT&T event was here and I saw several players hitting wedge into that, I said, there's no way we want to see wedges into that hole for the U.S. Open. So the idea with that one is you've got to hit a really good drive. That fairway cants right to left, and then if you hit a good drive then you still have a decision to make because you've got a downhill side hill lie. And the way that green sits at an angle jutting out into the lake it makes you make a decision, which is exactly what we want. So if you execute properly you're rewarded and if you're overly aggressive you might hit it in the water. And if you lay up short, it probably, depending on the hole location, is going to be a tough up and in. To finish on a really difficult hole is neat.
Last year we finished at Pebble Beach on a relatively easy par-5, but you could still make a big number on it but you could also make eagle on it. I think that was our decision making.
Q. Mike, a couple things. One was referred to earlier, the whole concept of the fairways feeding into the fairway bunkers, that's a change from the '97 Open here. I was wondering what the rationale was there or why maybe that philosophical change came about. And the other thing is the sand in the bunkers is different and may impact on play, too, and I wonder if you could address that?
MIKE DAVIS: Sure. Well, to answer the first question, we did some fairway modifications a couple years ago. The idea was to really accentuate the architectural features. Here at Congressional one of the big features are the drive zone bunkers. So in 1997 I think it's fair to say as long and thick as the rough was back then, the only way you're going to get in a drive zone bunker was to fly it in there, you weren't going to bounce it in there. We think the architects put those features there for the players to have to think about and work their way around, so it was just a way to get those more in play.
And then with respect to the sand in the bunkers, I mean, one of the things you'll notice, on roughly half the holes, the greenside bunkers, you'll notice that there's some pretty steep banks where we've shaved those banks, so in a way what we're doing is allowing gravity to take the ball back into the bunkers. It's a little the way at the British Open some of these links courses the bunkers play much bigger than they are because of the way the ground is sloped and gravity works.
We really want bunkers to be hazards, and so these bunkers are softer than what these elite players see on a week-to-week basis. We're trying to do that. That's not something that's gotten away.
Now, having said that, I will tell you that today those bunkers are definitely softer than they were Monday and Tuesday, and it's just because they've dried out. We didn't water around the greens last night. You know, how we prepare them for Thursday through Sunday, we're going to have to take a look. But the idea is that we want the bunkers to be a little softer, and when they're a little softer, they can't compress the ball against the sand and really spin it as much so it comes out more knuckly. We're not looking for a bunch of fried eggs out there. We don't want that, and we purposely tried to keep the faces of the bunkers a bit more firm. If a player gets a fried egg, we would say that, you know what, that's part of golf, but we don't want an excessive amount of it, so we'll be watching it very closely.
The idea is when a player hits it in a bunker, which by definition is a hazard, we want it to be a tough recovery.
Q. What's your level of concern about the greens, and does it make any difference that they're less than two years old? And then secondly, the rough, with a lack of rain over the last couple of weeks, have you been able to get it as high in the second and third cuts as you'd like?
MIKE DAVIS: Question about the putting greens themselves, you're right, they're less than two years old. They were built to USGA specifications. The greens are outstanding. Let me just make it very clear. Congressional Country Club decided to rebuild its greens because summer after summer after summer it had trouble getting through it without having turf loss. So this was an idea to be able to, with some of the modern practices and some of the modern grasses, allow them to be able to get through the summer.
Ideally I think it's fair to say that we would have been three years before, but I will tell you that the greens, even though some of them look a little thin and you can see some brownness to them, the root structure is very, very good. Mike Giuffre has been -- in fact, every day that we've been meeting we talk about the health of the greens. That's first and foremost because we are not going to do something this week that subjects Congressional greens to long-term health problems. But as Tom alluded to, last week was brutal. We had not only humidity, but the temperatures were way up. We had to come into this Open not exactly where we want to be because in a perfect world we would have the greens presented in terms of speed and firmness Monday through Wednesday, Thursday through Sunday, and we simply couldn't do that. We told the players that, that they were going to see it -- so I think what the players are seeing today is really going to be what they see Thursday through Sunday.
Now, if it rains tomorrow, maybe they're a little bit softer, but as Tom said, we're delighted with the greens right now. According to Mike Giuffre and Stan Zontek, who's our USGA agronomist, there's no concern with the health of the greens long-term.
With regard to the rough, same thing. I mean, typically it would have been graduated before the players played their first practice day. But when we had that kind of heat, it literally just stunted the rough. But I can assure you that the rough is penal enough right now. And actually, in some ways I would say that this rough is a bit more penal than you've seen the last few years, and the reason for that is we actually feel it needs to be. These fairways are wider than most U.S. Opens, and as Tom alluded to, they're bentgrass fairways, heavy soils, and we've got a lot of humidity in this area. So you don't see Congressional's fairways really roll out like some U.S. Opens. You're not seeing 30, 40, 50 yards of run. That's just Congressional. That's the history of it.
I think for that we felt like if you miss a fairway here, it's going to be slightly more penal than say last year at Pebble Beach when it was rock hard, it was windy, so we really kind of fit the rough to what we think the conditions are going to be for the week of.
Q. Could you talk about how the reconciliation with Shinnecock Hills occurred? Any assurances that have been made to prevent a repeat of 2004? And will any architectural changes say to the 7th hole need to be made before 2018?
JIM HYLER: We've wanted certainly to go back to Shinnecock Hills. It's one of the truly great courses in the world. We've had great championships there, so we've been talking about the board there for several years and pleased to be able to announce we'll be back in '18.
As I said a few minutes ago, we used the experience in 2004 to really put in place a very robust setup philosophy. You can't control everything that's going to happen, but we certainly I think are on our game, and we've got a good record the last six years.
MIKE DAVIS: To answer part two of that question, really the only thing that's going to be done at Shinnecock Hills are some new teeing grounds, and the whole reason for that is to try in our opinion to bring some of the wonderful William Flynn designs maybe back into play. The example being their 16th hole, the par-5. I think it's fair to say if you look back to the '86 Open, the '95 Open and the '04 Open, the distances the players were hitting the ball even in 1986 with Persimmons took some of that wonderful William Flynn bunkering out. So we're going to build a teeing ground back up I believe it's 60 yards, which is perfect, because it makes the players make a choice on the drive, make a choice on the second shot. So that's really all that's going to be done, maybe a few fairway contour changes.
But it regard to the 7th green, any of the greens, no, we're not modifying anything to do with that, just really trying to put some of the, as I say, architectural features back into play.
Q. Mike, I would like to get your thoughts on what that Sunday was like for you at Shinnecock in '04 as an official and how it influenced the way you looked at the U.S. Open setup.
MIKE DAVIS: If you have about an hour we can talk about that.
You know, as Jim said, and I actually believe this, it was a great learning experience. It's fair to say that whether we're setting up the U.S. Girls Junior or the U.S. Open, there's a trademark to our championships, and a long-standing trademark. They're going to be difficult, but we hope they're fair.
When it comes to a U.S. Open, you've got the world's best players, and if you're trying to set it up the hardest event of the year, it's easier to go from that point as Tom O'Toole alluded to of having a setup where well-executed shots are penalized. And that's exactly what was happening on some of the holes at Shinnecock in 2004 in that final round.
So I look back on that, and it was a terribly unpleasant day. It wasn't quite as bad as the day that we had in 1991 at Hazeltine with the lightning that struck spectators. That was truly the worst day I remember at a championship. But that final round at Shinnecock was no good. And as Jim said, we learned a lot from it.
Personally for me, if I'm on the edge of saying should we do something or shouldn't we do it, I think because of that I would tend to lean towards being conservative. But who knows; this is not a perfect science, setting up a golf course, I can assure you. We'll still make plenty of mistakes.
Q. Mike, how fine is the line in the bunkers between a fried egg and just a soft lie?
MIKE DAVIS: On the bunker question, that's a good one, because I would say it's a pretty fine line, and a ball that let's say might not end up in a fried egg in the morning could end up in a fried egg later in the day as things dry out. It's a little bit like firmness of greens that you're trying to think what it's going to be like the whole day.
I suspect we're going to get some fried eggs this week, I really do. But having said that, we don't want a plethora of them, and that's one of the things we'll be looking at very carefully. We get in these bunkers and we test them. There's even firmness measurements that we can take. But I suspect this evening they will get some water so we'll tamp them down a little bit. Again, it's not a perfect science, and some of the bunkers if we do the same thing to every bunker, some of them that are south facing that get more sun, they dry out and get puffier a little faster than some of the other ones.
That's the nature of golf. In my opinion it's like hitting it down the middle of the fairway, you hope you're going to get a good lie, you'll probably get a good lie, but it may end up in a divot. It's the same with a bunker. If you hit a high powering shot in the bunker and it's coming down almost vertically, good chance this week you're going to get a fried egg, or at least it's going to be a little cuppy.
Q. You've gone over some of the more prominent holes. Do you have any holes that are sleeper holes that might be entertaining, as well?
MIKE DAVIS: I would say the answer is yes to that on certain days. Sometimes as Tom said, we'll use a certain hole location. Example, on the 2nd hole, the par-3 that's slightly uphill, there's an extreme left hole location. When we use that, and we will use it, we'll use a forward tee. And literally the players are going to have to stand on that saying I can get to that hole location if I hit a good shot. But if I miss it short, long or left, I'm going to make 4. So they almost have to ask themselves. And it'll be a short enough club that they can do it. But if they just play out right, will they make 2? Probably not, but they can make their 3. So there's a lot of those type of shots at Congressional this week where on a certain day maybe we'll be dangling the carrot a little bit and asking them to make a decision.
Q. Back to Shinnecock, the way players fumed over that final round really dominated our perception of what we remember about Shinnecock. What do you want players and fans to remember after the next playing there?
MIKE DAVIS: That's a great question, because we have talked about it, certainly the board has and senior staff, that I think when we think of Shinnecock, we think of one of the great, great golf courses in the world. I mean, there's a reason it's ranked in everybody's top 10 in the so-called best golf courses in the world. We think it is, and we think it's a great championship course as well as a great architectural golf course.
It's one of our five founding clubs, so it's near and dear to the USGA. So I think for a lot of us, we wanted to get back to Shinnecock in the worst way and kind of get back on the horse, if you will, and prove what a great, great venue it is.
What happened in '04 was simply an error in judgment in terms of water management on how we set the golf course up. This one is going to be very special for that reason as well as just how great Shinnecock is as a golf course. Any time we can play a U.S. Open on a sand-based, sandy loamed soil is a great thing, and then you add the wind to it, I think it'll be fabulous.
Q. Question on trees on the golf course. There's some stress on the greens and there's some shaded areas even in the middle of the day. Left side of 9 is totally. How much concern is there and who dictates when tree management when greens are rebuilt at a private club like Congressional?
MIKE DAVIS: Very good question. I think I'm going to have Mike Giuffre answer that maybe afterwards. I do know, only because there were a few trees that we, either for operational reasons or perhaps strategic reasons on the golf course, asked to have removed. We happen to be in Montgomery County here, and every tree you remove if you can remove it you've got to replace with I believe it's two somewhere else. So what you can do with trees is a huge issue.
You get to the par-3, 13th, that sits down in a very shaded area, I can tell you Mike Giuffre and the grounds staff would love to remove some trees for agronomic reasons, but I think to some extent it's not as easy as getting the chain saw out and doing what Oakmont did.
Q. On fairway bunkers, you mentioned that there's been an effort for the ball to bounce into the bunkers, but still, on this and most of the championship courses of the USGA, there's two protective layers of rough between fairway. Why not go to a tighter cut so that the ball might actually roll in and have more integration of bunker -- you're still isolating that for a lot.
MIKE DAVIS: Good question there because essentially what we did was take rough grass and mow it down to an intermediate height. It's about an inch long, so your question is why not have half an inch fairway going into it. I think it's simply a day-to-day maintenance thing because if they do that from a mowing standpoint the way some of the contours are, I don't think they could use some of their larger fairway mowers to do that. I think that's ultimately the reason why. If you really studied some of that architecture you'll see that to not have water drain into some of these bunkers they kind of go up and then it's into the bunker and it's just the way Rees Jones built these bunkers years ago.
Q. You claim that you're setting the ultimate golfing challenge. What makes you believe you're right in what you're doing?
MIKE DAVIS: Well, I guess I would question the premise about the ultimate golfing challenge. I think what we've stated over the years is that we want it to be a very difficult challenge, but I'm not sure we've ever used the ultimate challenge. Maybe somebody else has, but I don't believe the USGA has.
And I think that the answer to that is it's a subjective thing. You know, it's kind of do you like vanilla ice cream or do you like chocolate or like strawberry? I think if we asked around the room which major is the best or which do you like the set up I think we might get four different answers to that. We have a long-standing tradition about how we set it up, and we do evolve over the years. Certainly in the last several years we've tried to give the players more options. We've tried to introduce a bit more risk-reward, but we hope we're doing a good job and ultimately will let you decide and let the players decide how we do, I suppose.
Q. What's your time par this week, and is there any way you can get close to it?
MIKE DAVIS: I wish I had that pace of play policy in front of me, and I backed away from some of that stuff a little bit, but I believe we're four -- Jeff Hall, can you help me out on that?
JEFF HALL: Starting on the first tee Thursday and Friday it's 4:45, 10th tee, 4:51. We have the transition from 18 green to the 1st tee, a long walk there. And I did not make a note of the Saturday and Sunday, but I believe it's just over 4:00, 4:01 or 4:02.
MIKE DAVIS: Let me comment because this is something that confusing a lot of people. When you have a time par like that, that is for the lead groups getting out. If you do your math, even at 11-minute intervals, which we are this week, they cannot play these holes in 11 minutes. It just can't happen unless we start giving gimmes and stuff like that in the U.S. Open. (Laughter.)
So when you're putting that many players on the golf course, you're going to see kind of a bell curve, and in the middle of the day you've got more people on the golf course than it works. It's like a resort trying to put groups of four out every nine minutes. It doesn't work mathematically. You can't play every group in the same time, unless we wanted to reduce the field of the U.S. Open down to 120 players or something like that, if we were that concerned with pace of play, which we are concerned about it. But we would say that it's more important to have more players in the field, so I think we have definitely factored in the walks because there are some walks from greens to tees here at Congressional that certainly will make the round take longer, and every time you introduce some risk-reward into it say on a reachable par-5, guess what that does; it makes the round longer. We love it because it's risk-reward, but it makes the rounds longer, which is one of the reasons why you look at the Masters, they've got four -- depending on the days and the winds, they've got four holes that are reachable. It just takes longer when it's that way.
Q. A technology question. Two things: Cell phone policy, the PGA TOUR now allows spectators to bring their phones on property, and I'm wondering if that will be something the USGA considers. And also the PGA TOUR has a wonderful system for tracking shots, ShotLink. Any progress on that ever appearing as part of the U.S. Open?
MIKE DAVIS: On the cell phones, we have certainly been monitoring that. We've been talking to PGA TOUR officials. This is an area where I do think the USGA decided, and I agree with this, that we ought to be followers, not innovators or not leaders in this because we -- not as if their events aren't important, but we put competition first and foremost. We're going to make sure that we do -- we present a course -- we're focused on fans, we're focused, but if we were totally focused on fans you'd have the rope lines closer to play. We're more focused on the competition itself. And until we as an organization are convinced that we can conduct a U.S. Open, a Women's Open, U.S. Amateur, Girls' Junior, with spectators using cell phones, we're going to continue to prohibit them.
Again, maybe there's going to come a day where it's commonplace, but we as an organization aren't there.
And then the second one about ShotLink, we have looked at it over the years. ShotLink is incredibly valuable, particularly for our equipment standards department. Thankfully the PGA TOUR gives us that data, so we have never felt a need to know exactly how far somebody's putt is to the hole, and we do -- over the years we've measured enough drive distances, and we do study those. If we want to know how a hole is playing or where the drive zone is, we will go out and check it, sometimes have an official sit on that hole, talk to the marshals. So we just never felt a need to have the ShotLink at one of our championships.
Q. I was wondering if you could classify in a general sense the personality of this golf course, is it a Devereux golf course anymore or is it a Trent Jones course or is it a Rees Jones course or is it a golf course of a vintage year?
MIKE DAVIS: I would say the answer to that is it's a little bit of all of them. I think the Devereux Emmet, certainly that routing for the most part is still there; Trent Jones, certainly some of his bunkering and some of his green work are there; and obviously Rees redid the bunkers and then did the re-routing of the new 10th hole, which he kind of flipped it 270 degrees, if you will. So I think it's a little bit of all three of those architects, which if you look at it, there aren't many golf courses, at least old golf courses, that were designed in the so-called golden era of golf course architecture back in the 1910s, '20s and '30s that hasn't had somebody come in and do something.
Q. For Mike and Tom, how difficult is the balance of introducing places like Bethpage, Torrey Pines, Chambers Bay, into the Open mix, knowing that it's going to cost spots for places like Baltusrol, Cherry Hills, country clubs that have hosted tons of Opens? Do you worry about that going forward?
JIM HYLER: Well, that's an often-debated question and I can tell you that a lot of thought goes into it with the Championship Committee, the executive committee and our staff. But we continue to have charged to, as we've said all morning here, to test the greatest players in the world and go to venues that we can achieve that objective. That said, there's geographics that play into the discussion, and we've lately, since the introduction of the public golf course in 2001, besides going to a resort, they have a complexion of public golf courses in the U.S. Open rote. It makes us a lot more relevant to golfers if we can go to public venues and then come up with a great venue like Erin Hills that Mike and others found to test these great players.
We think it's a balancing act, and while we have great affection for many old courses that maybe we might not return to, that doesn't mean we have a dislike for them, it just means that we think it doesn't quite fit into this balance in which we search.
BETH MURRISON: Thanks so much for joining us today.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports


text:
Ryan Adams skewered for Atlanta performance
I consider myself a very casual fan of Ryan Adams, and certainly not a rabid one. As such, I chose to see Magnetic Fields last Friday rather than attend the Adams show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. It seems a good thing I did, as Adams reportedly walked off stage after 45 minutes after complaining of illness, only to be serenaded with boos. Some reports from the scene have not been kind.
From AMG's Atlanta Music Blog:
The Cardinals gig featuring Ryan Adams didn't last quite as long as most people would have expected on Friday night! The band were playing at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Duluth. The band took the stage around 8:45pm, but left less than an hour later after Adams lost his voice. It had apparently been getting steadily worse throughout the night, but in typical Adam's fashion, the gig ended abruptly leaving the crowd bewildered and looking for refunds.
From Creative Loafing's Crib Notes:
So either he's an asshole or an artist. The girl sitting next to me called him a "bitch." As in, "we paid, I'm enjoying the show, now don't stop entertaining us because of your so-called problems you whiney little bitch." I tend to be an Adams apologist and say he can't help himself. The price of enjoying his art is that we're going to get nights like last Friday.
I tend to think he should have had the band jam and spare his voice, or have offered at least an apologetic explanation, but I wasn't at the show. Were any of you there? Any thoughts on the matter?
Update: Ryan has posted an apology.