text:
Political Killings In Colombia
By Stephen Lendman
23 August, 2010
Colombia, America's closest South American ally, is a corrupted narco-state, a repressive death squad faux democracy, threatening regional neighbors, and reigning terror against trade unionists, human rights workers, campesinos, pro-democracy organizations, independent journalists, and legitimate resistance groups like the FARC-EP. Established in 1964, James Petras calls it the "longest standing, largest peasant-based guerrilla movement in the world," persisting valiantly for decades.
Thanks to Plan Colombia and other support, the state is heavily militarized, more than ever now serving as Washington's land-based aircraft carrier against regional targets, including neighboring Venezuela.
The Pentagon got expanded access, former President Alvaro Uribe agreeing to US forces on seven more military bases (three airfields, two naval installations, and two army facilities), as well as unrestricted use of the entire country as-needed for internal and external belligerency, including out-of-control violence and human rights abuses, the region's most extreme to keep two-thirds of Colombians impoverished, millions displaced, corruption endemic, wealth concentration growing, and corporate predators freed to exploit and plunder.
Also to facilitate record amounts of Colombian cocaine from government-controlled areas reaching US and world markets, new President Juan Manuel Santos embracing the "Uribe Doctrine," now his. It's extremist, hard right, corrupt, brutal, corporate-friendly, and militarized in lockstep with Washington.
As Uribe's Defense Minister, James Petras explained that Santos was an assassin, deploying military forces and paramilitary death squads "to kill and terrorize entire population centers, (murdering) over 20,000 people....falsely labeled 'guerrillas.' "
UN Special Rapporteur Report on "Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions"
Mandated by the Human Rights Council (HRC), Special Rapporteur Philip Alston issued his March 31, 2010 report, based on his June 8 - 18, 2009 Colombia mission, understating the reality by citing "important gains," yet nonetheless damning, saying "very serious problems remain." Calamitous for most Colombians more accurately describes them.
Under Uribe and Santos, they're virulent, security and paramilitary forces "carr(ying) out a significant number of premeditated civilian murders," fraudulently called "combat" deaths. Killings rage "around the country," military commanders under pressure to show results by "kill counts."
A culture of violence with impunity plagues Colombia, the military adopting a "you're either for us or against us" doctrine, stigmatizing civilians as potential enemies to be targeted and eliminated. Paramilitaries also share fault, "carr(ying) out many killings and the numbers are rising."
As a signatory to international human rights law conventions, including Geneva and its Additional Protocols, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Colombia is legally obligated, international treaties automatically state laws under its Constitution's Article 93, ones the Uribe, Santos and other past governments spurned with impunity.
Calling resistance fighters "terrorists," the phenomenon of "false positives" amounts to "unlawful killings of civilians, staged" to look legitimate, including by arresting them at home, by patrols, at roadblocks, or though other means. Sometimes, "informers" rat on them for a reward, usually monetary. Once assassinated, faked legitimacy is established by planting weapons on the scene, changing their clothes to combat fatigues, and other deceptions. If family members later know, they're intimidated to silence, on threat of disappearing or death.
Government officials are in denial, claiming "civilian victims were in fact guerrillas or criminals," calling unlawful killings a few "isolated cases."
Clear evidence, however, shows a widespread problem, government and paramilitary forces responsible, a pattern "repeated around the country. There have been too many killings of a similar nature to characterize them as isolated incidents carried out by individual rogue soldiers or units, or 'bad apples.' " The entire security apparatus is involved, eyewitnesses and soldier testimonies confirming it.
Cold-blooded murder and extrajudicial assassinations are state policy, many thousands affected, the practices continuing unchecked. In 2009, the Ministry of Defense issued bogus human rights mandates throughout the Armed Forces, for show, not serious change.
At best, it's "too early to confirm the extent or nature of a drop in allegations. Past experience in Colombia shows that many (killings) remain unreported for long periods of time due to witness fear, lack of knowledge about how to make complaints and navigate the justice system, and significant communication and geographic impediments to making complaints."
In regions visited, conditions look "significantly less positive" than reported, lack of accountability a key factor, impunity for state killers "as high as 98.5%. Soldiers (paramilitaries and police) simply (know) that they (can) get away with murder" because of no serious effort to prosecute or convict.
Yet, "important steps to reduce paramilitary killings and violence," were attempted, including demobilizing and reintegrating the AUC. However, "the full picture of the demobilization....shows an alarming level of impunity for former paramilitaries." In addition, no one has been sentenced nor a full accounting of crimes produced. As a result, truth and justice has been sacrificed, including for victims, "denied the right to restitution and reparation."
In 2009, helpful legislation didn't pass because of internal opposition, the failure and demobilization flaws causing a "rise in killings by new illegal armed groups (IAGs), composed of paramilitaries who didn't demobilize and others joining new groups. They "may have spread across Colombia and, in the aggregate may number in the thousands."
The "incontrovertible reality remains that (vulnerable people) continue to be disproportionately killed or threatened and are especially" at risk. Government efforts to curb violence are weak and ineffective, unmasking a faux democracy.
High level complicity and a culture of impunity are at fault, why Colombia remains the world's most dangerous country for trade unionists, and one of the most hazardiys for human rights workers, pro-democracy supporters, independent journalists, or anyone challenging state power, Santos as militant, corrupted, and extremist as Uribe, most Colombians the worse off for it.
A Final Note
On August 17, the Constitutional Court of Colombia, its highest judicial branch, ruled 6 - 3 against granting the Pentagon more military bases (the October 2009 agreement), calling the deal unconstitutional because legislators didn't approve it.
Chief Justice Mauricio Gonzales said the agreement is "an arrangement which requires the state to take on new obligations as well as an extension of previous ones and as such should be handled as an international treaty, that is, subject to congressional approval."
The decision doesn't affect previous US-Colombian accords, so until resolved, highly likely in America's favor, US forces can be moved temporarily to permitted bases, effectively negating the high court ruling, a Santos congressional majority expected to affirm it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.


text:
Francoise Tee
- Additional Information
Look LK251139 Fabric 95% Modal/ 5% Spandex Additional Info Crewneck. Long sleeve. About Designer Amour Vert is a contemporary women's brand that is at the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement. Amour Vert means 'Green Love' in French, but it also means American jobs, non-toxic dyes, sensuous fabrics, innovative techniques, a reduced carbon footprint and above all, enduring style.
- Sizing Guide
Model Size: Small
Standard Sizing Guide: Please use the chart below as a general guide to compare the various size scales for our designers. If you specific sizing questions or would like more information, please contact Customer Care.
Our model's measurements are:
- Height: 5'8
- Waist: 24
- Bust: 32B
- Hips: 34
Sizes Chest (in) Waist (in) Hips (in) XS 0-2 31.5-32.5 23-24 33.5-35 S 2-4 33.5-34.5 25-26 36-37 M 6-8 35.5-37.5 27-28 38-39 L 10-12 38-39.5 29.5-31 40.5-42
- Returns
We totally get that not every purchase will be exactly right. This is why we want to make it easy for you to return. ALL USA RETURNS ARE FREE.
If you are not happy simply email us at to request a return label. Once you receive the label, just print it out and put your item into the return packaging that is included in your shipment. Please review our return policy for more information.
- Reviews

subset: commoncrawl


text:
North Korea on Tuesday released an American student imprisoned there and sentenced to hard labor, the State Department announced.
The University of Virginia student, Otto Warmbier, had been sentenced to 15 years hard labor after being convicted in Pyongyang for acts against the state.
Warmbier's announced release came as former basketball star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea for the latest of his visits to the isolated country. As he traveled, he was asked whether he planned to advocate on behalf of four Americans detained in North Korea, and he said that that was not his "purpose."
In today's political climate, it's rare to find bipartisanship. But as President Trump calls on Senate Republicans to pass a bill in the coming weeks that would overhaul the Affordable Care Act, governors from both sides of the aisle are unified in opposition.
The Senate GOP healthcare bill would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion over the next decade, leaving millions of low-income people uninsured in states where Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
The governors from states that took advantage of the Medicaid expansion have worked together in crafting letters, holding teleconferences with reporters and hosting private meetings with members of Congress. Some have called for no repeal, others a more measured approach. Who are they? Here's a look:
President Trump on Sunday circulated a doctored video clip on Twitter that showed him physically attacking a crudely rendered stand-in for CNN, a post that drew rebukes from critics as an incitement to violence, but prompted renewed expressions of support from backers.
In doing so, Trump also ignored pleas to stop tweeting or at least take a more presidential tone -- from lawmakers in his own party -- after he took his war against news media to new heights last week with a coarse post on the appearance and intellect of cable television host Mika Brzezinski. On Saturday he also posted several anti-media messages as Americans began their Fourth of July celebration.
Sunday's tweet, which used an edited version of a years-old promotional video for professional wrestling, showed Trump, clad in a business suit and tie, administering a choreographed beat-down to a figure whose face was obscured by CNN's logo.
A growing number of states have rejected a request for personal information about voters from a presidential commission on vote fraud led by Kansas' controversial Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Kobach, the vice chairman of the commission, sent letters to each state and Washington, D.C., asking for voters' personal information. The request asked for names, addresses, voting history and the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers.
The commission was set up to look into voter fraud after President Trump alleged that he lost the popular vote in 2016 only because millions of people voted illegally -- a claim that numerous states' election officials from both parties and outside experts have dismissed as groundless.
Two House Democrats want Congress to look into possible conflicts of interest in the Trump administration's handling of investigations into Pasadena's OneWest Bank — a bank formerly headed by now-Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Al Green (D-Texas) said Friday that there was "room for considerable doubt as to the impartiality and the adequacy of this administration's investigations into OneWest" and a subsidiary, Financial Freedom.
Mnuchin was the bank's chairman from 2009 to 2015. President Trump has nominated Joseph Otting, the former chief executive of OneWest, to be comptroller of the currency, a key bank regulator who is part of the Treasury Department.
Dean Heller is Stephanie Diaz-Gonzalez's problem now.
She's never met Nevada's Republican senator and hadn't had much time to familiarize herself. How could she? The 25-year-old is holding down a full-time job and ra+ising a 7-year-old son, who keeps her busy with soccer games, math homework and those too-often terrifying moments when he can't breathe.
When President Trump was elected and congressional Republicans moved on their top priority to dismantle Obamacare, Diaz-Gonzalez got to know Heller a whole lot better.
The co-hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program hit back at President Trump after his Twitter attack on them.
In an op-ed in Friday's Washington Post, co-anchors Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough wrote that they had criticized Trump, but that "our concerns about his unmoored behavior go far beyond the personal."
"America's leaders and allies are asking themselves yet again whether this man is fit to be president," they wrote.
President Trump has governed five months under a cloud of questions about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, yet the two men will meet next week for the first time, on the sidelines of the G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg, Germany.
White House officials on Thursday confirmed plans for the private meeting but said no decisions had been made about the topics Trump will raise. So it's unclear whether the men will discuss Russia's election-year cyberattacks that are the focus of criminal and congressional investigations.
"Our relationship with Russia is not different from any other country in terms of us communicating with them, really, what our concerns are, where we see problems in the relationship but also opportunities," said Trump's national security advisor, H.R. McMaster.


text:
Story highlights
- Peggy Drexler: Kate Winslet on Vogue is pregnant but it's impossible to tell
- Drexler: Pregnant celebs on magazine covers look flawless, skinny with a bump
- Drexler: It says big is OK only when you're expecting and Photoshopped to perfection
- In reality, she says, women change shape and don't look perfect, and that's fine
Actress Kate Winslet appears on the cover of the November issue of Vogue, now on newsstands. She is radiant; glowing and fairly ageless in that way that, one has come to suspect, only professional photo editing can achieve, although Winslet has objected to digital manipulation of her image in the past.
Still, much ado has been made of the fact that Winslet is pregnant with her third child during the shoot -- but it's impossible to tell. On the cover, only her face is visible; inside, her body is shrouded in layers of thick fabrics. She looks gorgeous. But pregnant? Aside from the maternal wrapping of her hands around her nonexistent belly, not particularly.
The publishing industry has a history of putting pregnant celebrities on magazine covers and featuring them in fashion shoots. Naturally, these women are made to look flawlessly chic and as comfortable as ever in their skin, two characteristics not typically associated with the very physical nine months of carrying a child.
Demi Moore photographed by Annie Leibovitz was, of course, the pioneer of this particular genre of cover modeling when she posed naked -- aside from some giant jewels and an aloof expression -- for the cover of Vanity Fair back in 1991. It's an image that's inspired countless others, with magazines recreating the look since then with celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Jessica Simpson and Claudia Schiffer.
And the bodies keep getting better: At least Leibovitz, or Vanity Fair, let Moore retain a bit of realistic cellulite. But by the time we got to supermodel Miranda Kerr, naked and pregnant in W in 2010, it was official: Pregnancy is just regular life, albeit with a slightly rounded tummy.
And so it goes this month, both with Winslet and with Ivanka Trump, who is seen posing for the cover of FitPregnancy magazine in a dress with a hip-high slit looking both very pregnant and very trim. The cover elicited such raves as "Ivanka Trump is flawless!" And indeed she is, enviably, almost impossibly, so.
Putting aside the now-standard practice of electronically "perfecting" already gorgeous women for the purpose of selling magazines, there is something particularly dangerous about depicting pregnant women in such a way. One might argue that these magazines are celebrating a woman's natural shape during a beautiful time in her life. But is it a celebration? Or an exploitation?
The fact is that it's the rare instance in which a female celebrity larger than a size 4 is put on the cover of a magazine, especially a fashion magazine. When she is, it's often because the magazine is running a "special issue" -- or because she's expecting. Or both. In 2003, for example, Vogue put a pregnant Brooke Shields on the cover for its Shape issue. But pregnancy isn't a shape; not exactly. It is, however, to hear these magazines tell it -- or, rather, to see them depict it -- pretty damn glamorous.
The message: Big is OK when you're expecting and Photoshopped to glowing perfection: After all, it's only temporary. Otherwise, forget about it.
Consider Elle's current issue, which features six different cover celebrities as part of its annual "Women in Hollywood" theme. One is actress Melissa McCarthy, who looks gorgeous in an enormous Marina Rinaldi coat, as the other cover actresses are shown in form-fitting dresses or various states of undress. How come we don't get to see McCarthy's bumps the way we do Trump's?
Of course, women respond differently to pregnancy. Perhaps these female celebrities, who are indisputably genetically blessed, look no different posing pregnant than they do when they're not expecting. Perhaps, but not likely.
What's likely, though, is the message society is getting: that ease and beauty in pregnancy are the norm. By unequivocally depicting expectant women as beautiful and glowing and ready for a night out in a tight dress, these magazines set up unrealistic expectations for both pregnancy and motherhood, neither of which is easy, beautiful, or picture-perfect, at least not all the time.
Proof of shifting expectations has already emerged, and society has indeed come to expect a certain level of beauty from its pregnant stars. Though Kim Kardashian is generally admired for having a body that does not succumb to the Hollywood ideal, she received constant negative press throughout her pregnancy for her weight gain; for not being, at all times, "cover-worthy."
People, with the help of the media, seem to forget that pregnant women change shape, and that's a wonderful, natural thing that needn't be covered up or defended or cloaked in haute couture. It needn't always look perfect, because when is it, really?
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.


text:
Find Out Which Of Your Favorite CW Series Have Been Renewed For Next Season!
90210? The Vampire Diaries? Which teen dramas are on The CW's chopping block?
Hey CW junkies! Most of you can breathe a sight of relief as The CW is reportedly planning to renew many of your favorite guilty pleasures, according to insider info. from Spoiler TV. Gossip Girl, 90210, Supernatural, America's Next Top Model, The Vampire Diaries and even Smallville (yes, it'll be going into its 10th season) are all reportedly going to be back next fall. It pains us to report, however, that a few shows are still "on the bubble" so to speak, and their future at the network looks iffy.
Veteran drama One Tree Hill and newcomer Melrose Place are both on thin ice. Melrose Place hasn't been getting the ratings The CW had hoped for, and One Tree Hill may just be running out of steam after seven seasons. Spoiler TV reports that if One Tree Hill does come back for season eight, it'll face budget cuts and more characters will go the way of Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton (wherever they've disappeared to.)
Another new show The CW is still deciding on is Life Unexpected, which just recently premiered Jan. 18. It's been doing well, but they're being careful — they want to know if it can hold viewers after a few weeks. So if you're a fan of the show, make all your friends watch it too!


text:
Steve Recommends: Negotiation Training
January 13, 2011 1 Comment
Steve Woodruff is the Connection Agent, and he has lined up top-quality recommended providers for a whole range of corporate training, marketing, and communications needs.
One of our Connection Agency partners does an exceptional job with training sales professionals/account managers in Negotiation Skills. Live workshops, custom and off-the-shelf programs, follow-up e-reinforcement – this group has always come through for my clients (they also have a great "Selling Higher" program for moving up the executive chain).
This well-established partner serves not only healthcare, but other industries as well! And since they are being recommended by the Connection Agent, here's what you can expect: customer focus, quality deliverables, and proven integrity.
Download this introductory info sheet, ConnectionAgent_Negotiation, and let us know how we can be of assistance!
Steve Woodruff is the Connection Agent, a client-vendor matchmaker often called the walking eHarmony of the industry. The Connection Agency is restoring trust and efficiency to the marketplace through the growth of a top-notch network of recommended clients and providers.
Subscribe to the Connection Agent blog via Reader (RSS) | via e-mail
Twitter: @ConnectionAgent | @swoodruff


text:
MIDDLEBURY — Train enthusiasts from throughout New England will chug into Middlebury this weekend to celebrate the rich history of one of Vermont's most prominent railroad systems.
The draw is the 25th annual convention of the Rutland Railroad Historical Society (RRHS), which takes place this Saturday and Sunday at the Middlebury Inn.
The full text of this article is only available to online subscribers.
Are you an online subscriber? Click to login.
Click here to learn more about our subscription options.
If you have a print subscription, you can now add an online subscription at no additional charge! Just email us with your name and mailing address to set it up.
LINCOLN — The town of Lincoln will hold a crucial transportation meeting on Tuesday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. in Burnham Hall.
The meeting will serve two purposes: to act as a local concerns meeting for community members and officials to discuss details surrounding the upcoming "Truchon Bridge" replacement project, and to serve as a platform to discuss a pedestrian feasibility study from the school to the village center that is being coordinated by the Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC).
MIDDLEBURY — Thanks to Middlebury voters' recent approval of two, $3 million bond issues, area residents will see utility improvements, ditching and repaving on several local roads this spring and summer.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury voters on Tuesday voted 75 to 17 in favor of affirming a $3 million bond issue to finance various road improvement projects throughout town.
The second Australian ballot vote was needed to affirm a Town Meeting Day vote of 467 to 158 in favor of the bond. That initial vote was improperly warned and therefore had to be ratified.
The proposed 20-year, $3 million bond issue is to take care of 17 different road improvement projects that might otherwise linger on the drawing board.
ADDISON — New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) officials on Thursday said they remain confident that the new 2,200-foot Champlain Bridge will be completed on schedule by Oct. 9, and served notice that passersby will soon see major elements of the span put into place during the next few months.
NEW HAVEN — New Haven residents will have a chance to weigh in on the upcoming Nash Bridge replacement project, which will overhaul the present bridge on River Road that crosses the New Haven River near Halpin Road.
RUTLAND — There was a pro-rail rally in Rutland on Monday in honor of a federal official who came to see just how enthusiastic area and state business and government leaders were about the prospect of rail in the state's western corridor.
They were pretty enthusiastic.
BRISTOL — After two decades on the Vermont Agency of Transportation's to-do list, VTrans officials are making serious moves to get the Route 116 "Stoplight Bridge" replacement project in Bristol off the ground.
Dealing with a wide range of obstacles over many years, the crew at VTrans finally has a concrete plan to remedy the temporary bridge that's been in place for 11 years. VTrans engineer Martha Evans-Mongeon, who has been managing this project since 2003, told the Bristol selectboard last week that a new span could be in place by 2014.
BRISTOL — Bristol selectmen learned at a Monday meeting that plans for repair of two key bridges in town are coming together, but that residents should not expect for the spans to be in full working order any time soon.
A highway official explained the state's multi-year plans for repairing the one-lane bridge on Route 116 that crosses the New Haven River in the southern part of town, and town officials signed an agreement that will lead to repair of the closed bridge at the base of South Street just below the village.
Subscribe to Online Edition
Online PDF Print Edition
Copyright 2011 Addison Independent | 58 Maple Street, Middlebury, Vt. 05753 | All Rights Reserved
Site Development by Surf New Media


text:
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Episode 3 of the Glen Nevis Podcast series is online now on the Friends of Nevis site and iTunes. This episode covers one of the most accessible walks in the glen from lower falls up to Paddy's Bridge. I've been back and forth across Paddy's Bridge on my way to the Skeleton Boulder most of last month and can't wait to get back up there when the current rubbish weather decides to change later this week
There's Geologist Noel Williams talking about why the lovely Glen Nevis rock is all in the volcanic baking, Cubby talking about his favourite photography spots and Archaeologist Jennie Robertson on the many charcoal burners platforms you'll still find the remains of all over this part of the glen. Why were they burning so many trees? Have a listen...
Monday, 27 February 2012
Weather beaten on Hoy
The huge swell kicked up by storm force southwesterlies last Friday got the better of my date to speak about the Long Hope route back on Hoy itself. It's a bit ironic really that the most important lecture of quite a lot I've done this winter should be the one that didn't work out. I was really looking forward to talking to the locals about what all the fuss was about for me visiting the island all those times.
It was OK though, at least the great audience that turned out in Hoy Kirk watched the film and apparently had a fun night. Sorry about that, and wish it could have worked out a bit better! I only found out the weather had finally got the better of the ferry schedule when I'd driven all the way up to Thurso. Not so keen to turn around and drive the way I came, I decided to go on a tour across to the west and see what could be seen.
I spotted this fantastic and massive boulder on the beach near Tongue. Apparently called The Keystone. I'd say you'd be hard pushed to find a better looking V5 anywhere than the flakes leading right out through the overhang.
Ben Loyal looks like an interesting mountain. I'd love to do a route here sometime. No doubt I'll get back for a wander about soon.
I finished the day on a ridiculously hard boulder project near Sheigra, which after 7 hours driving and a mad dash across the moors in the failing light, 70mph winds and hail squalls didn't go great. But it raised the psyche for the big drive home.
Nice Broch near Ben Loyal
The failure of my Hoy trip meant I could go to some family events in Glasgow. I had three bottles of beer and tried to climb the next day at TCA. Oh dear, I couldn't get off the floor without shaking myself of the wall in a gibbering heap. Pathetic. Must do better.
Posted by Dave MacLeod 2 comments
Labels: lectures, Longhope route
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Glen Nevis podcast episode 2
Archaeologist Jennie Robertson surveying in Glen Nevis during her interview for the Glen Nevis podcasts.
In this episode, we hear from Cameron McNeish and Ali Austin on the ancient caledonian pine forest that once covered this glen, archaeologist Jennie Robertson talks us through the history of the fort itself and the mysterious vitrification applied to the stone walls at great temperatures and Gaelic historian Ron Cameron gives us some leads on where the unusual name 'Deardail' may originate from. This route is one of my favourite running routes in the Glen, combined with Cow Hill if time or daylight are short for going onto the bigger mountains.
Also in the pipeline from Friends of Nevis right now is an Android phone App for Glen Nevis with lots of details and maps to direct your explorations of the best spots. It's in beta right now but you can download and try it here.
Also in the pipeline from Friends of Nevis right now is an Android phone App for Glen Nevis with lots of details and maps to direct your explorations of the best spots. It's in beta right now but you can download and try it here.
Posted by Dave MacLeod 2 comments
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Meeting Adam Watson
The Fort William Mountain Festival asked us to make a short film about Dr Adam Watson to play at the festival, marking his award for excellence in mountain culture this year. I had of course read some of Adam's work before when I'd just started climbing and was aware of his huge influence in the conservation of the Cairngorms and in many research fields including ptarmigan, snow distribution, Gaelic and many other areas of mountain culture.
Like the other people to have received this award in previous years, it was obvious when I went to meet him that he was still very much full of the same energy and interest in his passions as ever, even as a man in his eighties.
I proceeded to record a fascinating interview that could have formed the base for a much longer film, on everything from Speyside Gaelic speaking poachers of the Cairngorm deer forests over the past 100 years, to living with innuit in Baffin Island, to the 1950's Scottish climbing scene, to the qualities needed to underpin a successful contribution to literature and scientific research. Oh, and a bit of Gaelic song!
Driving home after a thought provoking day speaking with Adam, his wife Jenny and friend Derek Pyper, I had a new appreciation for the shared interest in mountains and the people involved in them, and felt pretty inspired by the energy that Adam puts into his lifelong effort to document and share his knowledge in writing so many books. The little film we made with the help of Adam, friends and colleagues of his, and a little music from Croft No. 5 is above.
Posted by Dave MacLeod 1 comments
Monday, 20 February 2012
Boulder moves done!
Since I last spoke about my roof project on the Skeleton boulder, I've had another good few sessions on it. On my last blog I was getting a bit dejected, still unable to find a method for the crux move despite trying seemingly everything.
Well, I have surprised myself in managing to find a method to (sort of) do all the moves! How can you sort of do the moves?Technically speaking I have done them, I've pulled on each move and climbed the whole thing in three sections actually. But I'm aware that the sections in the crux don't completely link as my highpoint into the crux move has my body hanging a little lower in a kneebar than where I've pulled on and actually done the crux. I won't totally know it will work for me until I can link through the entire section of about 7 hand moves.
So there is much, much progress still to be made before I even have a feeling it's possible for me. But just finding a method that would clearly work for 'some' climber is superb progress.
Plus, each session I'm still making small improvements and learning new details about the sequence. Now that I'm properly starting to link moves together on it, I'm seeing how to make everything more efficient and getting the excitement of envisioning actually climbing right through the sequence.
It still feels very intimidating for me though, until I'm really warmed up the holds just feel terrible. While the Lochaber downpour rules for the next few day, I have some homework; stick to my diet, go for some soggy runs, make a new kneepad and do some much needed antagonist work for my brachioradialis which are not enjoying the repetitive compression moves.
I'm in the long bit in the middle between the excitement of finding a new project and finally seeing it through to an ever uncertain outcome. Let the battle sessions roll on...
Posted by Dave MacLeod 4 comments
Labels: Glen Nevis, Scottish bouldering
Glen Nevis podcasts
One of the nice things about living where I do and working in the outdoor field is being involved in creative projects. Over the past few years I've made films and written books but recently I was asked to do something new for me - produce a series of podcasts!
Claire and I have just finished a series of 6 podcasts about Glen Nevis on behalf of Friends of Nevis. If you haven't heard of Friends of Nevis, they are the charity that looks after Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis. We were asked to produce and present 6 episodes and interview interesting folk who are connected to the place in some way. They are structured around different low level walks you can do in the glen, but it really doesn't matter if you walk them, bike them, run them or use them to get to the cliffs!
I spend a big chunk of my life training in the glen, hence being asked to produce the podcasts, but although I know a lot about one aspect of the place (the climbing history and landscape), there are many other areas I had much to learn about; the natural and human history, geology and ecology.
So we had a great time interviewing many different experts in their different fields and putting together the episodes. The first one is uploaded now and you can stream/download it and of course subscribe to the others on the Friends of Nevis site here, or on iTunes here.
I'll be uploading the episodes weekly. The first one covers the lower part of the glen and in it I talk to Cubby Cuthbertson about almost falling down Five Finger Gully above this part of the glen, Mick Tighe about the first winter ascent of one of Scotland's longest gullies - Surgeon's Gully - and how it got it's name, archaeologist Jennie Robertson about the remains of ancient clan settlements you can find hereabouts if you know where to look and geologist and climber Noel Williams about the upside down geology of the Mamores range of mountains.
By the way if you would like to show your appreciation for this (free) production, the best way would be to make a wee donation to the charity on the Friends of Nevis site here (button at bottom of page). Every year they build the excellent paths you walk on the Ben and in the Glen, remove and carry literally tons of rubbish from these places and work to improve the facilities and the landscape generally. It's pretty good work!
Posted by Dave MacLeod 0 comments
Labels: Glen Nevis, work
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Skeleton Boulder roof
Spectacular view from the Skeleton Boulder, Glen Nevis
I just had a couple of sessions on the Skeleton boulder project without any success to speak of. The rock seems to be particularly unyielding to my attempts to be inventive with the sequence. It's a classic boulder problem - enough holds that it's obviously possible, but they are so unhelpfully arranged that it defeats every possible option. For my strength level at least. And there is the rub. I don't think I can do much more with sequence cleverness.
I've been trying to because I know that if I'm forced to stick with my current sequence, I don't just need to be a little bit stronger. It would need a substantial change to my strength/weight ratio.
People often ask me, especially at climbing lectures about fear and sense of mortality that climbing risky routes could highlight. I don't have think (or at least dwell) too much about this on risky routes because I try and do them with a good reserve of control and never really get too scared.
Actually, it's trying super hard physical climbs like in bouldering that most strongly reminds me of the constraints of life. After yesterdays rather miserable performance on the roof, I was acutely aware that I don't deal very well with the idea that some things might not be feasible for me. I've never really had to experience that yet. In that sense I'm a bit spoiled! I usually feel that it's possible and just a matter of how much effort you are willing to put in. And I've realised from personal experience that you can always put in far more effort than you estimate in advance, so long as you start sufficiently down the road and then refuse to give in when progress grinds to halt.
I'm also realistic. When I was 19 I was doing Font 7C I'm doing 8B/+ now at a push and that is reasonable progress. Is 8C possible? I'm not sure. So I guess this is where things get interesting in the climbing progress game. 33 years old and chasing a big jump in standard. Time to step up a gear then…
Freida is a great daily reminder that progress can happen.
Five Finger gully bathed in February sunshine.
Thanks to everyone who came out to our lecture in London the other day.
Posted by Dave MacLeod 3 comments
Labels: Glen Nevis, Scottish bouldering
Friday, 3 February 2012
Something Different
Getting pumped and scared at the lip of the roof on Castle in the Sky, Druim Shionnach. Photos: Andy Turner.
A few weeks ago I mentioned I'd tried a huge roof in winter. It was up on Druim Shionnach on the Skye Road, about half an hour from my house. Things didn't go very well with that. I tried it maybe three times and on my last try ripped out a tiny chockstone in the thin crack in the roof that was crucial for the crux lunge in the middle of the roof. After that it was a parallel crack and neither myself, Donald or Michael could work out how this section could go. So for now at least (I never say never), I was a bit stumped.
But at the end of the day I had a brief foray on the roof just to it's left. About 5 metres straight across the smooth horizontal roof with no crack system to follow. I tried to aid across it just to see if there could be any hooks at all. It looked like an outside chance of being possible but at a silly grade.
I had another session to aid around the lip and see if it might be possible. Just aiding was scary enough. I was forced to aid mostly on my axes on tiny hooks as there was very little gear in the roof or around the lip. In the end all the protection after the first metre in the roof was one poor downpointing blade and one pecker on the headwall. I was pretty sure a fall would strip them both and would mean a long fall and big smash into the lower wall. But at least I found some hooks and could see that it might go with 2 figure-four moves in a row across the roof. There would be nothing for it but to have an all out go for it and make sure I didn't fall off onto that gear!
Andy Turner and Ruth Taylor came up with me and Andy abseiled down to take some pictures and provide some much needed encouragement. The VII wall below the roof was the perfect warm up and I arranged the little cams at the start of the roof, changed gloves and got nervous. Eventually there was nothing for it so spanned out from the undercut hook at the back and launched out. Cutting loose onto the first hook, I swung out to see it wasn't in the hook at all and hanging off a microscopic nubbin. As I dangled wondering what to do I explained to Ruth in a heated manner that I was about to lose my only point of contact with the roof. Rather than try and get a figure four in, which would surely rip with a head first fall, I attempted the start of a one armer and got as far as pulling my shoulder in a bit!
That was enough to just reach into the next undercut hook and I was back in business. All this rather washed away the nerves and I slipped into committed mode and started the figure fours across the roof. The crap peg was still very comforting to clip before turning the lip and pushing on with total commitment turned rapidly to fear on the thinnest hook I've used on a trad route.
All of a sudden I was at the last move. A big spiky flake just out of reach, fiddling to find a hidden torque in a flange of schist. There was enough time to think "what if that torque rips?! I'm going to fall the full distance!" I held that thought in the back of my mind through a careful cross into the flake and glorious lumps of frozen turf on the ramp beyond. Woohoo! The last 30 metres was much easier at about tech 6 but with non existent gear, so I tried hard not to rush and keep it steady.
An amazing little route and definitely one that revives the psyche that there are good mixed projects out there in Scotland. I must admit after I did Anubis a couple of years ago my focus shifted a bit towards bouldering as I wasn't sure what was the right routes to keep progressing with my winter climbing. I've called it Castle in the Sky which seems quite nice and the expression reflects how these super hard winter projects seem sometimes. I don't have a grade for it except to say that it's both hard and dangerous. It might be safer if a crack near the lip wasn't choked with ice and would yield a well positioned cam. Since there aren't really any routes other than my own to compare it to, I have to compare it to them!! A grade harder at least than Don't Die maybe (which could be X,10 after Greg's excellent second ascent recently according to Climb Magazine??) It probably fits within the same ballpark grade as Anubis too, whatever that should get?
As you can see from the pictures, it doesn't look like your average Scottish winter route. That's because it's not. It's not a gully, it's not a snowy turfy corner. It's a big square cut cave, so it doesn't get rime or snow in the roof. It's good to have something different, otherwise things get boring.
Posted by Dave MacLeod 2 comments
Labels: winter climbing
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Today's Wall Street Journal contains "closing argument" statements by Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. President Obama mentions Afghanistan once in part of a sentence that talks about "ending" – not winning – "the wars." Romney says nothing about Afghanistan.
A friend writes:
Think about this for a second: America has been at war in Afghanistan for 11 years; Americans are currently fighting and dying there; and neither candidate for president says anything about winning the war, and one says
nothing about it at all.


text:
Create github like public code repository for collaborative software development and distribution
I'm planning to release a "software library" for spintronics that other groups can use, modify, and contribute back, in the same spirit as other open source software projects (say, linux or KDE).
There is no easy way of creating a public repository (say like github) to host the code. The svn repos on nanoHUB are associated with a tool developed for nanoHUB and will not fit the bill as no tool is intended to be released at the end. A "download" type resource, on the other hand, does not allow any kind of contribution back from the users.
Therefore, it will be great if nanoHUB allows a way to create public repos, similar to those hosted by www.github.com
A basic list of features: 1. VCS features – code versioning, branches, merges 2. Wiki to keep track of project goals, guidelines, revision notes etc. 3. Discussion board 4. Public access to code repo (we can require a nanoHUB login to track usage)
We can discuss other features that are suitable for a public repo if it this enhancement is doable.
Thanks, Samiran


text:
'The Great Invisible'
Investigating the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the documentary "The Great Invisible" gives voice to the previously nameless and faceless victims of the disaster.
Some worked on the oil rig that fateful day; others have suffered its environmental and economic consequences.
Filmmaker Margaret Brown checks in with Deepwater Horizon chief mechanic Doug Brown and rig worker Stephen Stone, as well as with Keith Jones, whose son was among the 11 people killed. Their home movies provide glimpses of the rig inside and out; the film shows Doug Brown and Stone accusing BP and Transocean of...


text:
sevenperforce wrote:Overload_ed wrote:I want to know how the change in size would have affected asteroids that formerly would have hit the moon? I know the moon protects us from many hits. What would happen if an asteroid were to contact the moon black hole?
It depends on the size of the asteroid. Smaller asteroids passing close to the black hole moon will be torn apart by tidal forces and form a ring, then an accretion disk. The larger the asteroid, the closer it will have to come to the event horizon to be torn apart; otherwise it will be flung off in another direction. Assuming that asteroids can approach from any direction, this neither increases or decreases the chance of it hitting the Earth.
However, since the distance at which tidal forces would rip an asteroid apart is much lower than the current radius of the moon, most trajectories which would have formerly impacted the lunar surface would instead pass by, thus having a greater chance of hitting Earth.
Nope, smaller asteroids will have to approach closer to be torn apart.
With small asteroids, almost all of the force holding them together is from the strength of the rock.
With Big asteroids, Gravity becomes the main force holding them together, and they get torn apart once they enter the roche sphere.
Also, larger size means stronger tidal forces.


text:
The success of Hope athletes at the MIAA track and field championships last week is evidenced in the coaches' all-conference teams announced today.
The success of Hope athletes at the MIAA track and field championships last week is evidenced in the coaches' all-conference teams announced today.
Three of the MIAA's four most valuable awards are being presented to Hope athletes. It's a sweep for the first time in school history in women's track and field with senior Kara Vande Guchte (Hamilton/Hamilton HS) honored as the outstanding female track performer and senior Heidi Grooters (Jenison/Jenison HS) named the outstanding female field performer. Nick Rinck
(Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS), Hope's first male four-year event
champion, was named the most valuable male track performer.
An All-American heptathlete, VandeGuchte competed in eight events at the MIAA championships winning the 100-meter high hurdles, scoring in five other individual events, and running the anchor leg on Hope's two champion relays. Grooters set the MIAA and Hope record in winning the hammer at the championships. Rinck became the first Hope male athlete to win an event at the MIAA championships for four consecutive years.
A total of 11 Hope athletes were named to the coaches' All-MIAA team. Joining Vande Guchte and Grooters on the All-MIAA women's team are junior Katrina Gobrogge (Napoleon Ohio/Archbold HS), junior Kate Nelson (Williamston/Williamston HS); junior Sarah Venlet
(Zeeland/Holland Christian HS); and freshman Catherine White (Barre, Vt./Spalding HS).
Rinck, a four-time All-MIAA honoree, was joined by senior John
Donkersloot (Zeeland/Zeeland East HS); freshman Jake Hurrell
(Cadillac/Cadillac HS); senior Cameron Lampkin (Troy/Berkley HS); and junior Andrew McKeachie (Milford/Milford HS).
Coached by Kevin Cole, the Flying Dutchmen were men's co-championship with Calvin while the Flying Dutch finished second in the women's standings.


text:
Edna Foa is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Her most recent book, Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences, was written with Elizabeth Hembree and Barbara Olaslov Rothbaum. The guide gives clinicians the information they need to treat clients who exhibit the symptoms of PTSD. Recently Foa was name by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people in 2010. Below she reacts to the honor.
My first reaction was that of disbelief when I learned that I had been selected for Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in 2010. I thought someone was pulling my leg. I called my husband and shared the news with him, he thought I was pulling his leg. My youngest daughter said: "get out of here, you must be joking". But of course, we all know that the email was genuine. First, I was stunned. After all, I am not a rock star, not a head of state, not even a famous athlete. And then I was delighted. Isn't it wonderful that someone at Time recognized the importance of the work we, clinical psychology researchers, do to help PTSD sufferers. I felt quite honored to represent our field.
As clinical scientists we know that we have a lot of powerful treatments. But we also are painfully aware of how difficult it is to make these treatments widely available. The treatments that we have for anxiety disorders are particularly efficacious and yet most clinicians do not deliver them. For many reasons it is hard to get mental health clinicians to adopt new treatments. As a result, countless individuals with anxiety and other disorders experience needless suffering that could be decreased or terminated via the application of the effective treatments we developed.
The cost of bad treatment reaches beyond individuals. Institutions and society as a whole suffer from what is a public health issue. For example, the VA, the military and insurance companies all have a stake in individuals receiving the most effective treatments for psychological disorders. And yet, there have been very few effective initiatives requiring practitioners to learn and deliver the best psychological treatments.
And so I hope that Time Magazine's recognition of my work is in essence recognition of the tremendous importance of not only developing effective, evidence-based treatment, but more importantly, disseminating them among mental health professionals. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought home the awareness of how important it is to deliver effective treatments to the many soldiers who return from these wars with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I strongly believe that PTSD is not only a mental health disorder; it is also a societal problem. It is the responsibility of our society to help PTSD sufferers as a result of being injured at work, raped in our schools, physically assaulted in our streets, or experiencing the horror of war. We know that effective treatments for PTSD such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) can help patients regain their lives in as few as 10 sessions over the course of 5 weeks. It is no longer necessary for individuals with PTSD to suffer for decades. Recognition of our progress in knowing how to treat PTSD by Time and other media can play an important role in spreading the word about what clinical science has to offer.
I hope that Time's recognition will help therapists to seek training in the effective treatments we developed and help patients to request them.


text:
The winner plays Campbell for the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Saturday at 4 p.m. The loser goes home.
The Lady Bisons, 39-13, beat Stetson, 23-31, the No. 6 seed and the conference tournament host, 6-2, Friday afternoon at Patricia Wilson Field here on the Stetson campus. Mercer, 39-18, lost 1-0 in 10 innings to top-seeded Campbell, 37-14, earlier in the afternoon.
The Lady Bisons, the No. 2, moved to the loser's bracket after losing 2-0 to Mercer Thursday night. The Lady Bisons won their tournament opener 6-0 Thursday against ETSU.
Coach Kristin Peck had stressed to her players the importance of a quick start and they apparently listened, scoring three runs in the first inning and one in the second.
"When we get that momentum early it makes such a big difference for us," said Peck. "It sets the tone right off the bat.
"Everyone is worn out. It is a matter of pushing through. We have to have that gamer tyoe of mentality. It is matter of making plays and finding ways to score."
In the first Lauren Dortwegt led off with a single to the shortstop. Courtney Billington reached base on a fielder's choice as Dortwegt was at second. Billington then stole second base. Kellie Sirus was walked intentionally. Abby Keese singled to right to load the bases. Campbell was safe at first on a fielder's choice that allowed Billington to score on a fielding error by Stetson's shortstop.
Mollie Mitchell reached base on a throwing error by the first baseman. Sirus and Keese both scored on the play. Mitchell was then thrown out at second on a steal attempt.
With two outs in the second inning Dortwegt singled to third base. Billington was safe as Stetson's pitcher was not able to get a handle on a ground ball. Dortwegt went to third and Billington moved to second on a passed ball. Sirus then lined a double through the left side that scored Dortwegt.
The Lady Bisons added two more runs in the fifth inning. With one out Mitchell and Mason drew back-to-back walks. Abby Wilson singled to right field and was able to advance to second on a fielding error. Mitchell scored on the play as Stetson's catcher was unable to control a throw to the plate.
Mackenzie Tucker was safe on a fielder's choice. Mason scored on the play.
Dortwegt, Sirus and Wilson each had two hits. Keese had the other hit in the seven-hit attack. It was the first time this season Wilson has had two hits in a game. Both hits by Sirus were doubles, the only extra base hits in the game.
"Abby Wilson had an awesome game," said Peck. "We are trying to find anybody and everybody who can get the job done and put the ball in play. She didn't hit the ball extremely hard, but she found some holes, put the ball in play and a clutch player when we needed her."
Lipscomb freshman Whitney Kiihnl, making her third start of the tournament, gave up one run in the first inning and one in the fourth. Kiihnl scattered five hits, walked five and struck out 14, tying her second highest total of the season.
Christen Campbell, 11-0, started the game with Mercer.
"Whitney is tired right now," said Peck. "We like our options with Christen."
The Lady Bisons are facing left-hander Lacey Richardson for Mercer. She was on the mound in the Lady Bisons loss Thursday.
"We are kind of excited about that," said Peck. "We have seen her two complete games. We know what she throws. It is going to be a matter of us against her."


text:
Red Wings relying on Smith, forward prospectsby Dan Rosen
Developing a solid prospect pool isn't easy when a franchise is constantly drawing low draft picks after successful seasons. The Detroit Red Wings, though, have always managed to find a way to pull gems out of the NHL Draft that no other team sees.
Pavel Datsyuk was a sixth-round pick in the 1998 NHL Draft. Detroit nabbed Henrik Zetterberg in the seventh-round a year later. Darren Helm was a fifth-round pick in 2005. Jonathan Ericsson was the final pick, No. 291, in 2002. Even Nicklas Lidstrom, the now-retired, future Hall of Fame defenseman, waited for 52 other players to be picked in 1989 before the Red Wings made him one of the best second-round picks of all time.
There may very well be a Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Helm or Ericsson in Detroit's current crop of prospects. It's impossible to say there will ever be another Lidstrom.
The point is that despite their overwhelming success in the past two decades-plus, including 21 straight playoff appearances, the Red Wings are still able to point to their prospect pool and say with confidence there are several future NHL players in it.
With the help of vice president and assistant general manager Jim Nill, here are Detroit's top 10 prospects:
1. Brendan Smith, D: Smith will be given the chance to start the season in Detroit's top six after playing 14 games and producing seven points last season. The opening is a result of the departures of Lidstrom and Brad Stuart (now playing for the San Jose Sharks). Smith, Detroit's first-round pick in 2007, has played primarily in the American Hockey League the past two seasons, piling up 66 points in 120 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
"He's ready," Nill told NHL.com. "He was pretty close to being ready last year, but we don't want kids sitting up in the press box. We think it's better for them to play in the American League. If they don't make your top four lines or top six on defense, it's better off they play in the American League. He played some games and played well, but he's definitely ready now.
"He's got a lot of different tools," Nill added. "He's a great skater. He's got good offensive instincts. He plays physical. He's got an edge to him. He's got a lot of different intangibles."
2. Gustav Nyquist, C: Despite his size (5-foot-10, 169 pounds), the Red Wings expect big things from Nyquist, who has seven points in 18 NHL games. He showed his promise with six points in seven games from March 9-26. He also played in four Stanley Cup Playoff games last season after getting called up because Darren Helm suffered a season-ending injury in Game 1 against the Nashville Predators.
Nyquist was a Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2010 and has played in 63 AHL games with Grand Rapids over the past two seasons. He finished tied with Tomas Tatar and Jamie Johnson for the team lead with 58 points last season, but he played in 56 games while Tatar and Johnson each played in 76.
"It's kind of the same situation as Smith; he was close to making our team last season but it was his first year pro," Nill said. "Coming out of college, historically a lot of those players start off well and hit a wall, but the nice thing with him is he never really hit the wall. He was one of the top rookie scorers in the American League even missing 20 games down there because of call-ups. He's got great offensive instincts and he's deceptive. He's a really good goal scorer."
30 in 30: Detroit Red Wings
New era in Motown without LidstromBy Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior Writer
The Wings have made the playoffs in each of the previous 21 seasons, but Nicklas Lidstrom has been part of the past 20 and the Wings now must move on without him. READ MORE ›
3. Calle Jarnkrok, C: Jarnkrok has been playing for Brynas in the Swedish Elite League for two seasons. He helped Brynas win the SEL championship last season by putting up 16 points in 16 playoff games after scoring 39 points in 50 regular-season games. He's only 20 years old, but he is already playing for the Swedish national team as well. He played all eight games in the 2012 World Championship and had an assist along with 10 shots on goal.
"The World Championships last season were split between Sweden and Finland, and the Swedish team was stocked, yet he was still one of their 12 forwards," Nill said. "He's got a little bit of Zetterberg in him -- tenacious, strong-willed. We have high expectations for him. We'll bring him to camp and if he's one of our top 12 forwards we'll sit down and make a decision. If not, he's going back to Sweden."
4. Tomas Tatar, LW: Tatar has spent the past three seasons piling up 147 points in 204 games with Grand Rapids. He had 58 points in 76 games last season. Now 21 years old, the No. 60 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft is expected to compete for a roster spot in Detroit. The Red Wings would like to see Tatar make the jump because he has gained the necessary experience and has done just about all he could at the AHL level.
"He's only 21 and he's already played three years in the American League," Nill said. "His first year was a feeling-out year, but he played pretty well. The last two seasons he has scored 24 goals each year. He's a very good prospect, and had a very good tournament in the World Championships for Slovakia. He won the silver medal and was one of the younger players in the tournament. He's going to be one of those guys on the bubble, one of the 11 to 13 forwards, and if he doesn't make the team out of camp he'll be the No. 1 call-up."
5. Tomas Jurco, RW/LW: Jurco, a second-round pick in 2011, signed his three-year entry-level contract in August and plans to start the season with the Griffins. He was a point-per-game player over three seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He comes to Detroit with a winning pedigree, having helped the Sea Dogs win the Memorial Cup in 2011. They were the QMJHL champs last season.
"He was a very big part of Saint John's championship runs," Nill said. "He has a very high skill level. This will be his first year pro, so he'll be making that jump from junior to the American League and go from there."
6. Riley Sheahan, C: Sheahan, 20, was Detroit's first-round pick in 2010 (No. 21). He turned pro at the end of last season and played in one game for the Red Wings and seven with the Griffins. Prior to turning pro he had 25 points in 37 games in his third and final season at the University of Notre Dame. He projects as a center for the Griffins this season and the Red Wings like him because he's 6-foot-2, 202 pounds.
"He is something we don't have a lot of: a big heavy body with good skills," Nill said. "We project him to be a second- or third-line center with ability to put up points but also use his big heavy body."
7. Petr Mrazek, G: Mrazek, 20, was a fifth-round pick two years ago. The Red Wings weren't sure what they had in him, but he gave them a glimpse of his potential at the World Junior Championship last season, when he starred for the Czech Republic. Mrazek had a 2.49 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in six appearances. He also went 30-13-4 with a 2.84 GAA and .917 save percentage for the Ottawa 67s in the Ontario Hockey League.
"His coming out party was at the World Juniors. Last year was a big breakout season," Nill said. "We're looking for him to turn pro. He'll be in Grand Rapids and hopefully adding to our depth. We have three goalies with the possibility of playing in Grand Rapids. If he's the No. 1 guy, then great, but if not we might rotate goalies. Right now he projects to be in Grand Rapids."
8. Teemu Pulkkinen, RW: Pulkkinen and Minnesota prospect Mikael Granlund were the two best forwards for Finland in the WJC last season. Pulkkinen, a fourth-round pick by the Red Wings in 2010, finished the tournament with 10 points in six games. He will likely return to Jokerit in Finland's SM-Liiga. He has been a full-time player for Jokerit since 2010-11.
"He's a big-time goal scorer who loves to shoot the puck. He's got the Brett Hull-type of shot," Nill said. "He was the rookie leading scorer in the Finnish league two years ago. Last year he got injured and had a down season, but he's looking to bounce back from that. He has also played some games on the national team. He really needs one more year in Finland."
9. Xavier Ouellet, D: Ouellet, a second-round pick in 2011, will compete for a roster spot on Canada's Under-20 team this season. He is playing for Team Canada in the Canada-Russia Challenge. He was third among QMJHL defenseman last season with 60 points on 21 goals and 39 assists.
"He's just a really solid all-around defenseman," Nill said. "He's got some offense to him, and he's very steady defensively. He plays a quiet but effective game. He has really jumped up and last year was a coming out party. He will be one of the names for the World Juniors."
10. Ryan Sproul, D: Sproul, 19, is a 6-foot-4 defenseman who was a second-round choice in 2011. He plays in the OHL for Saulte-Ste. Marie. He had 54 points in 61 games last season, a jump from the 33 points he had in 61 games two seasons ago.
"He has a real good shot, puts up good points, and he works," Nill said. "He's big, rangy and he can skate and shoot a puck."
Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl


text:
- Publish date:
- Updated on
- Year
- 1940
The USS Greer is fired upon
On this day in 1940, the American destroyer Greer becomes the first U.S. vessel fired on in the war when a German sub aims a few torpedoes at it, sparking heightened tensions between Germany and the United States.
It was a case of mistaken identity. As the Greer made its way through the North Atlantic, a British patrol bomber spotted a German sub, the U-652. The British bomber alerted the Greer, which responded by tracking the sub. As the American destroyer approached Iceland, the area in which the sub had been spotted, a British aircraft dropped a depth charge into the water, rocking the sub. The U-652, believing the Greer responsible for the charge, fired its torpedoes. They missed. The Greer made it safely to Iceland. Although the United States was still officially a neutral country, Roosevelt unofficially declared war on anyone who further attacked American vessels in the North Atlantic: "If German or Italian vessels of war enter these waters, they do so at their own peril."


text:
- Home »
- Activa Bold Font
See preview activa bold font and download this cool font for free. The font is classified as regular fonts. This font viewed 454 times and downloaded 22 times. You can also downloads other fonts: Activa Caps SSK Bold, Activa, Activa Caps SSK Regular, Activa Caps SSK, Activa Bold Ital, Activate Oddtype for Windows and Mac at FreakFonts.com. If you like this font don't forget share them with you friends!
Views: 454
Downloads: 22
Size: 0 Kb
Style: Regular Fonts
Font Family: Activa Bold
Format: True Type (TTF)
File: Activa-Bold_1902.ttf
Font has been removed by request of copyright owner.
You may also like related fonts in .ttf and .otf format.
Activa Caps SSK Bold Added: 2014-01-10 07:30:01
Activa Added: 2013-10-12 05:00:01
Activa Caps SSK Regular Added: 2014-01-17 19:40:02
Activa Caps SSK Added: 2014-01-05 18:30:01
Activa Bold Ital Added: 2013-12-30 01:50:02
Activate Oddtype Added: 2013-09-13 02:48:01
Activa Bold Added: 2013-11-26 20:00:01
Activa Extended Added: 2013-12-19 09:50:01
Activa Th Added: 2013-12-19 23:30:01
Activa Wd Added: 2013-12-31 08:10:01
Activa Italic Added: 2013-12-19 19:00:01
Home | Popular | New | Random | Advanced Search
If you are a copyright owner, and you see that you work has been uploaded with the violation of the copyright, please contact us. Such material will be blocked immediately.


text:
RENO – Behind the laptop, beside the cell phone and next to the iPad tablet, somewhere, is a legislator.
"I ask you to please stop looking at your phones," said Crystal Jackson, a UNR student. "Stop looking as if you're bored."
She made the remarks after legislators were more than two hours into listening to students and faculty testify about proposed higher-education cuts at the University of Nevada, Reno on Thursday.
Legislators often multi-task, perusing emails and e-documents while listening to testimony.
But Jackson raises important points: how much time do representatives of the public owe the public, and how acceptable is it to use technology when members of the public are testifying?
"It seems like our stories are falling on deaf ears," said Charlie Jose, president of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, who testified earlier at UNR.
Often, legislators punch away at their keyboards as their committees listen to public testimony. Sometimes, only the chairperson of the committee speaks to members of the public.
Still, nobody refutes the importance of public testimony, and some want to strengthen it.
Today, lobbyist George Flint testified about a bill from Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas. The bill would allow the public equal time to testify for and against a bill.
"The basic concept of our entire government is for everybody to be heard," Flint said.
Legislators, however, do not have time to hear from everybody. The 120-day legislative session, a complex budget and a glut of bills means legislators are counting every second.
The dissatisfied students may also be bumping into what some have called the Carson City bubble, inside of which a brigade of lobbyists exert influence at the expense of those not physically in the Legislature.
"Probably the smartest thing the UNR students could do is hire a lobbyist," said Flint, who has been a lobbyist for 49 years. "The way you get things done over here is to hire professionals who have the ear of these people [legislators]."
Flint is a lobbyist for a polarizing industry: Reno-area wedding chapels and some legal brothels. He knows as well as anyone that some lawmakers are set in their views. Three minutes or three hours of public testimony will not change their minds.
Still, it is important for the public to have a chance to have its say.
"If you're going to walk out feeling like you've lost, you should walk out knowing you had enough time to make your case," Ohrenschall said.
Nonetheless, technology has invaded committee rooms to the extent that people making their case cannot know if lawmakers are actually listening.
Assembly Minority leader Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, said that this is the "price we pay" for integrating more technology into the legislative process.
For the first time this year, nearly all legislative documents are on a computer system. So when legislators are looking at their computers, they could be referencing relevant documents.
Orhenschall said that he gets text messages from his assistant, who tells him another committee is waiting for him to testify on a bill.
Some members of the Senate and Assembly also use Twitter and consistently Tweet colorful quotes as people testify.
So for better or worse, legislators seem to be connected to their laptops, iPads and cell phones.
"You know how Darth Vader had become more machine than man?" Ohrenschall said.


text:
There is a $50.00 charge for connection or re-connection of service during normal business hours. For re-connection after hours the charge is $100.00.
To request the water to be turned on or off during business hours (8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.), please contact the Village Hall, Administrative Department at 847-546-5400.
For water turn on after hours, or in the event of an emergency water shut off, please call the Police non-emergency number at 847-270-9111 and they will contact the Round Lake Public Works Personnel.


text:
I Am BurningPSAMP HAS MOVED! CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE BRAND NEW SITE! NOW!
Check out this cool stuff.
Yesterday, my post about Hines Ward and his gift of Crown Royal premium whiskey made it all the way from the dregs of the Internet to ESPN. A producer for Jim Rome is Burning asked permission to use the image and my website's url on the show. Rome used the pic and story as his Final Burn.
I give ESPN a lot of flak, but sometimes, they do the right thing. It woulda been way easy (and it has happened) for someone with their kinda pull to just rip something straight off the Internet and claim it was theirs, but the producer and show were classy enough to give credit where credit was due. When I started this site almost 2 years ago, there wasn't nearly this kind of communication between the blogosphere and major entities like ESPN.
Much love goes out to my buddy Brian at Awful Announcing for preserving the clip and sending it to me. Also, thanks to Cotter for getting a backup file of the clip. I owe you both majorly.
So yeah, this post is a bit self-serving, but it's nice to get recognized. So back off.


text:
On October 19, the Azamara Quest will embark on a voyage through the Suez Canal, to spend the winter cruising through Asia, Australia and New Zealand. There's so much to love about travel in Asia. There are ancient temples and lush, pristine islands, towering skyscrapers and bustling metropolises. The food is excellent, the shopping is plentiful, and the opportunities for sightseeing are endless. Asia is where our commitment to Destination Immersion® experiences is taken to the next level - most of our voyages include overnight stays in cities like Bangkok, Hong Kong and Halong Bay.
In fact, if you haven't seen Asia's most famous cities at night, you really haven't seen them at all. The best part? On a cruise, you only have to unpack once. There's no more relaxing and glamorous way to work your way through Asia.
Don't take our word for it, though - after all, a picture is worth a thousand words. We've gathered some of the best travel photography on Instagram to showcase just how beautiful our favorite Asian cruise destinations are after dark.
Photo Credit: @adorawhitney
Phuket, Thailand is known as "the pearl of the Andaman Sea", likely thanks to its lush green interior, pristine sandy beaches, and breathtaking Phang Nga Bay. In November 2016, it's a stop along our 13 Night Spice Route Voyage. An 11:00 p.m. departure times means guests will have plenty of time to relax on tropical beaches, visit temples or rainforests, and watch the sunset.
Photo Credit: @ajh301
Halong Bay is known for its thousands of limestone karsts and islets and its glittering waters. The views are astounding when the sun shines on the emerald bay, and as the sun sets and the sky turns to vibrant shades of orange, red, purple and pink. Onboard the Azamara Quest, you'll have the ultimate view. This December 2015 voyage features an overnight stay.
Photo Credit: Instagram
Hong Kong is an ideal embarkation port for an Asian cruise. Arrive a few days early so you can shake off jet lag and explore the city. During daylight hours, take advantage of dim sum, endless shopping and the Tian Tan "Big Buddha". At night, don't miss "A Symphony of Lights", the nightly light and sound show out on by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Another must-see spot is Victoria's Peak. The tram runs until midnight, so plan your visit around sunset. The stunning panoramic view of the city lights up after dark.
There are nine upcoming Azamara voyages to Hong Kong, including several that embark or debark there.
Photo Credit: @tobsmeadows
You won't find towering skyscrapers here. In fact, from most places in Yangon, visitors can spot the golden Shwedagon Paya. The famous pagoda sits atop Yangon's Singuttara Hill, and is the single most sacred Buddhist site in all of Myanmar.
Plan a trip to Yangon for 2016.
Photo Credit: @kai_chic_kin_fs
Our November 2015 "Discovering Thailand & Vietnam" voyage features not one, but two overnight stays in Bangkok. And for good reason! There is so much to take in when you visit Bangkok, starting with incredible Thai food. The city is modern and bustling, but ancient culture is everywhere. Settle in at a riverside restaurant and watch the sunset - it's the perfect escape from the hectic city streets. Thanks to glowing temples and glittering skyscrapers, the views only become more incredible as night falls.
There are five upcoming voyages to Bangkok, all featuring one or two overnight stays in port.
Photo Credit: @lupihariarti
Known as "The Paris of The East", Shanghai, China, is a fascinating city. Eastern and Western culture collide here, and old meets new. Like many of Asia's greatest cities, Shanghai's modern skyscrapers and traditional temples, teahouses and gardens will equally awe visitors. This March 2016 voyage includes an overnight stay in Shanghai.
Photo Credit: @music_paradise7
Osaka is pivotal to Japan's economy, yet is often overlooked by tourists visiting Japan - but it shouldn't be. The regional cuisine alone is reason enough to visit. Osaka is also home to several wonderful museums, one of the best aquariums in the world, and the iconic Osaka Castle. An overnight stay or two in Osaka provides cruise guests plenty of time to visit nearby Kyoto, home to an astonishing 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In March 2016, our 16 Night Asian Kaleidoscope Voyage concludes with two overnight stays in Osaka, and the 16 Night Asian Cities & Waters Voyage begins with one.
Photo Credit: @mathurotc
Of all of Asia's glittering metropolises, Singapore may glitter the most. Singapore comes alive at night, thanks to glamorous hotels, a 24 hour shopping mall, brightly-lit golf courses and countless rooftop bars. It may be cliche, but it's practically required that you order a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel, where the cocktail was created. Singapore is such a popular travel destinaion, that we have 18 upcoming voyages calling there. Kick off your holiday season by spending a few days in Singapore this December, before embarking on our Temples, Dragons & Beaches Voyage.
Photo Credit: @mideal
Kuala Lumpur's iconic 88-story Petronas Towers glitter at night, and dominate the city's skyline. They're connected by the double-decker skybridge at the 41st and 42nd floors. Beneath the towers, you'll find the 17-acre KLCC Park, and the upmarket Suria KLCC shopping center. Like all of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur boasts a rich blend of cultures, resulting in diverse cuisine that delights visitors. We'll be calling on Kuala Lumpur in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Photo Credit: @truongtanlam
Da Nang, Vietnam is the gateway to Hue and Hoi An, as well as Vietnam's gorgeous countryside. Hoi An is a charming, historic small town that comes as a welcome contrast to some of Asia's fast-paced cities. Hoi An was an important trading port from the 15th to 19th century, and today its Ancient City is exceptionally well-preserved. Hoi An's night market is famous, both for incredible its incredible food and the beautiful silk lanterns that create an irresistibly romantic atmosphere. This December 2, 2015 voyage includes an overnight stay in Da Nang.
Want to see more great travel photography? Follow us on Instagram, @azamaraclubcruises.
from $2,899 USD
from $2,999 USD
from $3,199 USD
Other Blogs You May Like...
Ten Travel Destinations You Must See At Night
Longer stays. Overnights. Night touring. It's why Azamara voyages are for those who love travel. After all, why travel all the way to an exotic destination...
Ten Incredible Photos Of #AthensByNight
Ahh, Athens. The cradle of European civilization and the birthplace of democracy. That's quite a reputation! Athens offers incredible sightseeing...
From the Desk of Captain Carl Smith, Master, Azamara Quest
A Walk in the Park: How Little Did We Know... At the end of last week, Adriana, our Shore Ex Manager called me to let me know that there was a...
Are you excited for your next Azamara voyage?
Enter your email address below for exclusive offers, updates, and news. Don't miss out!


text:
First Look: Manny Torres Gimenez at Roxy's Cafe, San Francisco
Note: First Looks give previews of new dishes, drinks, and menus we're curious about. Since they are arranged photo shoots and interviews with restaurants, we do not make critical evaluations or recommendations.
Manny Torres Gimenez has left Mr. Pollo on San Francisco's Mission Street, where he created a daily tasting menu that went for $20 a person and garnered him quite a bit of buzz. There's some bad blood with the landlord and his former sous chef, who has taken over at Mr. Pollo, but Gimenez is keeping it positive: his new space (a few doors down) is more than twice the size, and he's calling on his background—he trained at Nobu in New York, Frasca in Colorado, Quince and Coi in San Francisco—to serve a new $75 ten-course prix fixe menu based on his favorite creations. "My concept is to do fine dining for ordinary people," he says.
"I wanted to bring my best dishes back," says Gimenez, "At Mr. Pollo my dishes changed every day, and I didn't want to repeat, but here, the structure is stronger." Though you might see a filled pasta with Cinderella pumpkin one day and butternut squash the next, he says he aims to perfect each dish, making small adjustments depending on what he can find at the farmers' market each morning. "Every day I make each dish better," he says, "and I fall in love every day more and more."
Some of the preparations are Asian-influenced, including a few plays on sushi, while others are fancied-up versions of the Venezuelan foods of Gimenez's youth. At the center of the meal are handmade pastas—some more traditional, like Žlikrofi served with crisp pancetta and brown butter, but others more unusual, like noodles made with sweet plantains in the dough, hand-cut on the chittara, and gnocchi made from yucca, served with wild mushrooms and Oregon truffles.
We got a peek at the complete tasting menu—check out all of the dishes in the slideshow above.
Gimenez is also serving a 4-course prix fixe for $25, as well as arepas and one handmade pasta each night à la carte. Open for lunch and dinner, text 415-375-1185 for reservations.
Roxy's Cafe
2847 Mission Street, San Francisco (between 24th and 25th Street map); 415-375-1185. Open 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


text:
Events for May 2, 2019 › Board Meetings
Events Search and Views Navigation
2:00 pm
Engineering Committee Meeting
May 2nd – Engineering Committee Agenda – Engineering Committee Agenda PackageFind out more »
Regular Board Meetings are generally held the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 1:00pm in the CCWD Board Room.
Special Board Meetings are held as needed.
Please call CCWD offices to confirm date and time of meetings.
Closed Session Meetings are not open to the Public


text:
Representatives of the North Carolina insurance industry have filed documents seeking an average increase of homeowner�s insurance rates by 17.7 percent � the increase would be even higher in the coastal and near-coastal areas such as Lenoir County.
Representatives of the North Carolina insurance industry have filed documents seeking an average increase of homeowner�s insurance rates by 17.7 percent � the increase would be even higher in the coastal and near-coastal areas such as Lenoir County.
�We think we have come up with exactly the right number for what the rate level ought to be,� said Ray Evans, the general manager of the N.C. Rate Bureau.
The Rate Bureau, headquartered in Raleigh, is a nonprofit group which represents every insurance firm certified to sell property, auto or workers� compensation coverage in the Tar Heel State.
The group recently filed documents with the N.C. Department of Insurance seeking the rate increase.
Evans said in recent years the frequency of claims filed for every 100 homes in North Carolina has greatly increased, as well as the severity of those claims in terms of the average cost.
He said the cost of reinsurance � the coverage insurers purchase for themselves to enable them to properly cover customers� losses � has risen 65 percent in recent years.
Insurance companies are also �becoming more sophisticated in our projection of hurricane losses,� Evans explained.
He noted the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irene last year throughout Eastern North Carolina � estimates have put the cost of the damage at more than $1 billion � and said insurers look at past hurricanes at all levels such as 2005�s Hurricane Katrina which reached Category 5 status before it struck land, or 1954�s Hurricane Hazel.
�From that kind of notion we really think that the insurance that is in the coastal area right now is inadequately priced,� Evans said.
They also consider future storms, which are predicted to remain strong and cause heavy damage.
The rate increase requested is an average of 17.7 percent, and rates in coastal territories, which include Jones County, should be increased by 30 percent to be effective.
In Territory 45, which covers nine Eastern North Carolina counties, including Lenoir and Greene, the rates should be increased by 21.2 percent, Evans said.
The insurance industry in North Carolina has sought at least four rate increases in the past decade, ranging from 12 percent to nearly 22 percent, and state insurance officials have knocked those increases down to much more modest ranges, from 2.2 percent to 5.4 percent.
�Ultimately there are very valid differences in opinion,� Evans explained.
State residents have until Oct. 19 to submit written comments, and a public comment session will take place Oct. 17 in Raleigh.
Three Kinston residents said they were not happy with the idea of paying more for homeowner�s insurance.
�I can't see them raising it (almost) 18 percent, and that's not including flood insurance,� resident James Chapman said.
Chapman, who is bishop of the Rhema Word Christian Center off East Vernon Avenue, said his church was recently dropped by its insurance company because of a too-high risk of vandalism and its location on the east side of Kinston, generally considered unsafe.
�I told them, �If you don't want to take a risk you shouldn't be in the insurance business,� � he recalled.
Another resident, Laura Key, summed it up simply: �I think it stinks.�
Key said she has never filed a claim in the 10 years she has lived in her home, and has even cut back the trees on her property to avoid storm damage.
�I'm having to suffer for the people who didn't prepare,� she said.
Frederick Rhoe, who is co-pastor of Destiny Ministries of Kinston with his wife, said he has had a few homeowner�s claims, but �most of the time they come through okay.�
�Like anything else it puts a stress on you at times but you have to have it, though,� he said of insurance. �If you don't have it you�re up the creek without a paddle, especially if something happens.�
David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at DavidFreePress.
Written comments can be sent through Oct. 19. They can be sent by mail to the N.C. Department of Insurance, Attn: Bob Mack, Property & Casualty Division, 1201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1201; or emailed to email@example.com
A public comment session will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Jim Long Hearing Room at the Dobbs Building, 430 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh.
To review the N.C. Rate Bureau�s full filing, visit pserff.ncdoi.net/pc.html, put in Serff Tracking Number NCRI-128708881


text:
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Frightened By Fiction
Whether it is age, my experience as a writer, or simply the way my brain works, I don't think I can. When I'm reading fiction, some part of my brain is always dissecting the sentences and thinking about how the author put everything together. I get analytical, looking at the book as a created object, rather than as a world to disappear into. I often feel like I'm reading the book over the writer's shoulder, while he or she is banging it out on the typewriter/keyboard. (Movies are another matter entirely.)
I have wanted to read a few of Stephen King's books for awhile. I read On Writing last November and I recently found some of his books in the communal eating area at work, and gave them a nice home! Since the start of the year, I have read both It and The Stand. Both novels qualify as the type of doorstops I like spend time with and they are generally regarded as two of his finest books.
A blogger named Dan began a project of reading every King book in chronological order – he hit a wall after about a year – and re 'Salem's Lot, he wrote: "Much is made of the necessity for suspension of belief among the main characters (i.e., if you refuse to even entertain the possibility of vampires, you've already lost), and this lesson is not lost on the reader: we must accept that these things are real if we are to truly feel a chill down our spines when a branch scrapes the window in the dead of night."
While I enjoyed (generally speaking) both It and The Stand, I was not anxious or scared or afraid to read on, as many people say they are with King's books. (Perhaps these books do not lend themselves to those emotions?) King is eminently readable, a masterful storyteller, and I was drawn back to the books night after night. I am not completely against the supernatural; there is a wraith interacting with various characters in Infinite Jest, after all. I suppose it's a matter of degree. But that might be enough of a nail in the coffin for a lot of King's work.
Parts of It were wonderfully written, the camaraderie of the characters at age 11-12 was fantastic. But the climatic showdown with the murderous evil that haunts Derry was too much. It ended up being mere words on the page.
I had better luck with The Stand. Originally published in 1978, King came out with a "complete, uncut" version of the novel in 1990. It was (more or less) what he first submitted to his publisher. With roughly 400-500 manuscript pages added back in, my paperback totals 1,141 pages. Many sections went on and on, and I felt King could have told us more than enough in five pages rather than 12. But when I slowed down and read each sentence carefully, it did not seem indulgent or redundant or excessive. King was simply taking his time, relishing the details of his apocalyptic tale. If you concentrated, he wasn't boring. I simply wanted the story to move along at a much quicker pace.
I read a handful of King's books as a teenager in the early '80s and I want to go back to some of that early stuff and give it another shot. I also want - in the wake of On Writing - to read the books in which he explores the idea of creativity, or writing itself – Misery, The Dark Half, and Duma Key, among others. And I'm curious about the shorter novels he published under the name Richard Bachman in the late '70s.
3 comments:
- laura k said...
Interesting! I am more affected emotionally by reading than movies. I don't know about fear - I never read scary books - but certain disturbing scenes I've read have stayed with me for years, seemingly forever. (Cormac McCarthy comes to mind.)
With good writing, the words bring the image into my head in a much deeper way than a visual image would - a movie would be superficial by comparison.
I also do that analytical, meta-reading thing, too, but only if the writing is mediocre. If the writing is good enough, I disappear into it.
- Sunday, February 19, 2012 7:48:00 AM
- M@ said...
I read The Stand quite a while ago, and while the concept of the disease is scary (and more and more relevant nowadays) I agree that I wasn't actually scared by the book. And I don't know whether I've been scared by a book either.
I wouldn't call myself a fan of King and I've only read a few of his books, very few of them his horror books. King is kind of an interesting case. There's no question he has the skill, as an author, to compel you to read and keep reading his books. But when he leaves the horror ideas behind he becomes a very, very interesting author.
The Bachman books are excellent, as far as I'm concerned, particularly the Long Walk.
- Sunday, February 19, 2012 10:34:00 AM
- allan said...
The way King described the disease spreading from person to person was remarkable. Almost off-handed, which only increased the horrific aspect of it. It's probably the main thing I'll remember from the book.
Matt: Which non-horror books are you thinking of?
- Sunday, February 19, 2012 10:51:00 AM


text:
MILWAUKEE (AP) Brandon Jennings hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 105-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
The referees used video replay to confirm the shot left Jennings' hand with one-tenth of a second left on the clock.
Mike Dunleavy had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee.
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points for Cleveland, tying the game with seven-tenths of a second remaining on a driving layin over Ersan Ilyasova.
Dunleavy then inbounded from the top of the 3-point line to Jennings, who hit the winning shot and celebrated by joyously running the length of the court to his teammates.
The Bucks (2-0) used a late 12-2 run to take overtake Cleveland (1-2), which was opening a six-game road trip.
Milwaukee took a 102-95 on the late run, but Irving converted a three-point play and hit a pair of free throws to bring Cleveland within 102-100 with 33.6 seconds to go.
Jennings then missed a running jumper with 10 seconds left, but the ball went off Cleveland's Anderson Varejao out of bounds with a tenth of a second left on the shot clock.
Dunleavy inbounded to Jennings who scored on a quick jumper but referee Kevin Fehr waived it off as a shot clock violation. The call was confirmed during video replay and Cleveland took possession with 9.2 seconds to go.
Irving then used a pick by Varejao to get around Jennings and lifted a high shot over Ersan Ilyasova to tie the score a 102 with seven-tenths of a second to go.
Jennings scored 13 points and had 13 assists. Larry Sanders had a career-high 17 points before fouling out late in the game.
Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said during the preseason he wanted Dunleavy coming off the bench to ensure some scoring when the second unit was playing. The veteran forward made 10 of 12 shots, including six of seven 3-pointers, in 35 minutes to lead the Bucks to a 2-0 start after the team missed the Eastern Conference playoffs a year ago.
Milwaukee beefed up its roster during the off-season by drafting John Henson, and acquiring Samuel Dalembert and Joel Przybilla to bolster its inside defense. But with Henson out due to injury and Dalembert and Przybilla playing limited minutes, Varejao was able to dominate in the post, scoring 20 points on 10 of 13 shooting while grabbing 17 rebounds.
Dunleavy hit a pair of 3-pointers to give the Bucks a 76-74 lead with 1:40 left in the third quarter. Donald Sloan made a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds to go, giving Cleveland a 79-76 lead after three quarters.
Ellis made 7 of 10 shots in the first half and scored 16 points as Milwaukee led, 55-49, at halftime.
Tyler Zeller hit a 17-foot jumper with 20.8 seconds to go in the first quarter to give Cleveland a 27-23 lead after one quarter.
Notes: Przybilla made his season debut in the second quarter and was whistled for a technical foul for arguing after playing only 2 minutes. . Gee scored nine points in the first 4:34 of the game. . North Carolina coach Roy Williams was sitting courtside at the game. Cleveland's Zeller and the Bucks' Henson both attended UNC. . Henson is out with a sprained left knee, but may return Wednesday when the Bucks host Memphis.


text:
Tea's Former Chief of Police Named in WY Lawsuit
TEA, S.D. (AP) - The former police chief of Tea who unexpectedly resigned last week is facing a lawsuit in Wyoming.
KELO-TV reports that Brian Ketterhagen is one of three officers being sued in Wyoming by a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder.
The lawsuit claims Ketterhagen, as captain of the Sublette County Sheriff's Office, withheld evidence in the case of Troy Willoughby, who was wrongfully convicted two years ago for a 1984 murder. Willoughby's conviction was overturned after it was revealed that authorities had failed to disclose a police report to Willoughby's attorneys that included an alibi.
Willoughby was granted a new trial and a jury acquitted him earlier this year.
Ketterhagen resigned from the Tea police force last week.
A phone number for Ketterhagen could not immediately be located.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.


text:
Sterling Silver
Throughout history, silver has been valued for its bright luster and utility. Since silver is generally too soft in its purest form, it is mixed with other metals to give it durability. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Copper gives it hardness while not dulling the silver's beautiful shine.
While sterling silver has an incomparable shine, it also has the tendency to tarnish over time. The easiest way to get rid of a dulling coat of tarnish from your silver jewelry is to polish it right away with a product designed to remove tarnish. Although wearing your sterling silver jewelry often is the best way to prevent tarnish from building up, regular cleanings, either at your local Helzberg Diamonds store or at home with a silver cleaning cloth, will prevent any dulling and keep your silver bright and sparkling.


text:
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies. Click here for further information on our cookie usage. Ok, Got It
Happy New Year from all at Stif - Shop Closed New Years Day
Hope Bike Components, Brakes, wheels, head sets and much much more. All made in the UK. With Hope's product development and improvement being a hugely important part of their business, Hope's technical excellence and unrivalled customer service holds the key to producing products of the highest quality and value for money.
Everything Hope is made in the Barnoldswick Factory right down to the connectors, shims, pawls and other small parts that go into making the finished piece.
A good quality bottom bracket is key component for your bike with the amount of abuse and action it see's. However hard you push them these offerings from Hope, Chris King, and Shimano, cover all the basis of modern mountain bikes.