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It's been nearly a year since Neal Stephenson and friends released the first installment of their Foreworld series – and even longer since they first started releasing it as an "online social media experience" – and now the saga is complete. The Mongoliad: Book Three – the final installment of the series – comes out today, closing the latest chapter of the massive medieval adventure.
To give just a little taste of what's in store, Wired is premiering all of chapter 11 here. (Don't worry, no one goes bankrupt … well, maybe morally bankrupt, but not really. Nevermind.) The Mongoliad was birthed out of a genuine interest in swordfighting by Stephenson and his fellow authors Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Nicole Galland, Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey, and Cooper Moo – all of whom sought to create a bloody alternate history of Western martial arts.
(Spoiler alert: Plot points to follow, naturally.)
Book Three begins with Ongwhe Khan's Circus of Swords being reopened – causing fighters on both sides to join forces to attempt to bring the Khan down. Chapter 11 introduces Lakshaman, an Eastern gladiator (see the illustration above), who will be playing a key role in the ultimate conflict.
Read on to find out what happens when Lakshaman does battle in Khan's Circus below.
Chapter 11: Rough Beasts
Lakshaman lived because other men bled. His world, the gilded prison of Onghwe Khan's menagerie, had been reduced to this axiomatic definition. He could no longer recall a life before the Khan's arena—not that such a life mattered to him any more, anyway. He had seen the light go out of a man's eyes more than a hundred times, and each time, the cessation of the other's breath and heartbeat simply validated the primal truth of Lakshaman's existence.
Did he secretly yearn for something else? Some life that was not filled with the torpid stickiness of blood or the putrefying stench of fear? Did he look at his hands and wonder if they were meant to hold something other than his cruel knives? When he was led into the dark tunnel that led to the arena, did he gaze into the darkness and wonder if, perhaps, there was no end to this tunnel? Maybe it went on forever, and eventually, he would stop and look back and not be able to see where he came from. There would be no point in continuing, and so he would sit down in the darkness. Maybe he would even lie down and rest. If the fundamental truth of his existence was no longer valid, would he close his eyes and simply stop breathing?
The islander had asked him questions like those, recently. The one who called himself Mountain of Skulls. After Zug's defeat in the Circus, he had become oddly reflective and was prone to fits of introspection like this. As much as Zug's questions seemed to be the addled nonsense spewed by an idiot, Lakshaman had found himself unable to simply ignore them, and so he said they were silly questions. There was always an end to the tunnel, he told Zug, and at the end, there would be a man waiting to die.
The Khan's stickmen surrounded him as he strode through the tunnel. They stank of fear, even though they were many and Lakshaman's hands were bound. They walked stiffly, the tension in their arms and legs announcing their discomfort more loudly than a hungry baby's wail. Lakshaman gave them as little thought as he had Zug's philosophical questions. They were like the flies that swarmed horse shit.
He may even have said as much to the Flower Knight, Kim Alcheon, when the Korean had come to talk of rebellion. They are flies on shit, he may have said.
Does that make us the shit? Kim had enquired. He had been amused by Lakshaman's words, and for a moment, Lakshaman had felt a twinge of something deep within his brain, an unfamiliar emotional response.
If you wish to think of yourself that way –certainly, he may have said to Kim, ignoring the man's humorous query. The Korean had been spending too much time with Zug, and had picked up some of the Nipponese man's annoying habits. They're just flies. I can swat flies.
The gate at the end of the tunnel opened as it always did, and the channeled sound of the audience swept over him. Several of his Mongol guards hesitated, and Lakshaman found himself idly thinking about pulling the wings and legs off some flies as he stepped out of the dim tunnel. He blinked in the sunlight, and took a deep breath, inhaling the fecund aroma of the arena's sand, the sweat of his guards, and the stink of the massed audience. The familiar smells.
Soon there would be the scent of blood too.
One of the guards stepped forward to undo the bindings on his hands, and Lakshaman stared unblinkingly at the top of the man's head. The guard fumbled with the knots when he saw another of the guards placing Lakshaman's knives in the dirt – just out of reach, but still too close for the man's comfort. The Mongol nervously licked his lips and tugged hard on the last knot, trying not to be distracted by the presence of the knives.
Lakshaman didn't move; he didn't even blink. As soon as the final knot was loosened, he flexed the fingers of his right hand, and the Mongol guard fled.
The gate banged shut behind him, leaving Lakshaman alone in the arena, surrounded by the thunderous noise of the eager crowd. Slowly – Zug would have accused him of playing to the crowd slightly – Lakshaman stripped the loose bindings from his wrists and hands, tossing the rope aside. He flexed his hands, bending each of the joints of his fingers.
His knives waited for him. Unadorned, hilts wrapped with stained leather, blades marred with age and use, they were not fancy weapons. Lakshaman scooped them up, the hilts slapping comfortably against his palms, and finally turned his attention to his opponent.
The man was by now waiting for him in the center of the sandy arena, swathed in a coating of maille from neck to knees. A white coat covered his midsection, stained with dirt and stitched with a red sword beneath a Christian cross of the same color. The man's helmet was an unadorned metal can that offered only a thin slit in the front. While it made the man's face a difficult target, it also reduced his field of vision. He held a short hatchet in one hand, a horseman's hammer in the other.
A frown crossed Lakshaman's face. He was wearing mismatched leathers, a sleeved jerkin, and pants he had acquired from a dead man a long time ago. Though his blades were long, each roughly the same length as the span from his elbow to his fingertip, they were made for cutting. Against this man, they would not be very effective. Lakshaman glanced up at the colorful silk hangings of the Khan's pavilion. He would not be able to see the Khan very well if at all – the sun was high overhead and most of the pavilion was clothed in shadow—but the Khan could see him.
He would kill this man – he could imagine no other outcome. But the Khan's dismissal of his value was like an itch in a spot he could not easily reach. He was under-armed and underprotected to fight this man. Either the Khan was supremely confident of his ability, or Onghwe simply wanted a spectacle, a passing bloody fancy to occupy an otherwise indolent afternoon.
Like flies, he thought, and spat in the dirt. If he survived, he would speak with the Flower Knight. He did not care what Kim's plan was, as long as it allowed him an opportunity to kill Mongols.
Tightening his grip on his knives, he approached the knight. As he closed, the knight fell into an easy stance, hatchet held ready in front of him, hammer raised behind his head. Lakshaman adjusted his step, circling to his right – just outside the reach of the knight's hammer swing.
The knight shuffled, shifting to keep Lakshaman in front of him. He held himself with an easy confidence, assured in the superiority of his weapons and armor. His reach was longer; he had no reason to attack first. Lakshaman would have to get in closer to use his knives, and during that time, the knight would have a chance to use the hammer and hatchet.
Arrogance is good, Lakshaman thought. It will make him slow.
He continued to drift around the man, maintaining the same distance and letting the tips of his knives dance hypnotically. As if he was mentally assessing the knight's armament, and trying – vainly – to ascertain a weak spot in the man's maille. He stopped being aware of breathing, as his mind unconsciously focused on the subtle changes in the knight's posture and position.
The sun beat down, and Lakshaman felt sweat bead up on his neck and drip down the inside of his arms within his leather bracers. The knight's white coat would keep him somewhat cool, but his arms and head did not have the same protection. It had to be getting hot in that armor. How much patience did the knight have?
Having completed two complete circuits of the man's stationary position, Lakshaman settled into a low stance, knives ready, and waited. How long?
The Westerner leaped forward, the hatchet lashing out at Lakshaman's neck. It was a marvelously delivered blow, the weight of his opponent trailing behind the ax head as it whirled toward him. Waiting behind it was the hammer, held high in preparation to swing down and shatter bone. A less experienced fighter would have expected the hammer to come first, but Lakshaman had never doubted that the first strike would come from the hatchet. For all the swiftness of the knight's attack, signs of his intent had been readily clear to Lakshaman. The hatchet was in his enemy's left hand, and as it snapped toward him, Lakshaman stepped forward and to the outside. He slammed the pommel of one of his knives and his other forearm against the Westerner's arm, blocking the blow before it could even be fully extended.
He was close enough now for the knives.
The knight reacted quickly, folding his arm back to make his elbow a blunt object. His momentum carried him forward, and his elbow hit Lakshaman hard at the base of his rib cage. With a concussive whuff, the less-armored man felt half his breath abandon his body. It was only an instinctive tightening of his abdomen that prevented him from being left gasping for breath.
He felt the hammer coming. If he stood still and looked for it, his upraised face would be a natural target the knight could not miss. He could not step back quickly enough to avoid the strike either. He had to stay in close.
Lakshaman had a choice to move right or left, behind or in front of the knight's body. Moving in front meant that he was exposed to the man's weapons, but it also meant his own could come into play. Moving behind the knight would put his own back to the man. As the hammer came hurtling down, Lakshaman darted to his left.
As he moved, his left hand came up, and his blade slashed across the gap between the base of the man's helm and his neck, on the off chance that the armor was weaker there. Metal rang off metal with no sign of blood, and Lakshaman had no other opportunity to investigate his blow as the knight's hatchet blade came whirling past his nose.
The only reason the hatchet missed was because the move was one that Lakshaman himself knew – the whirling arm-over-arm assault that seemed, to an untrained eye, to be an impossible tangle of limbs. That the Westerner knew it was a surprise to Lakshaman—even more so that he would attempt it with disparate weapons like the hammer and hatchet – and it was only pure instinct that had warned him to pull back. As it was, the blade of the hatchet passed less than a finger's width in front of his face.
Lakshaman did not wait around to see if the knight was capable of continuing the whirlwind. The angle was bad, and his knives were not meant for stabbing, but he jabbed the one in his right hand up into the knight's left armpit anyway. He put as much strength as he could in the attack, and the knight collapsed around his weapon, a muffled grunt of pain coming from inside his helmet.
The knight jerked backward, and the knife was torn out of Lakshaman's grip. Instead of trying to retrieve it, Lakshaman grabbed for the shoulder of the man's coat, getting a fistful of cloth and maille. The knight was off- balance. It would be easy to throw him now. Once the man was on the ground, the superiority of his weapons would be negated and it would be much easier to cut him.
Fire exploded across his back. The knight had managed to twist the hatchet and plant it into Lakshaman's back. His legs and arms still worked, so the hatchet had missed his spine, but the strike had split his leathers. Snarling like a wounded beast, Lakshaman drove his right knee into his enemy's groin, sending the man reeling. His back muscles shrieked in agony as the knight tried to hang on to the hatchet; finally, Lakshaman managed to twist away and pull the handle from his opponent's fingers.
The crowd roared with delight as they separated, each now missing one of their weapons. Lakshaman's knife lay in the dirt somewhere, and he tried to reach around and grasp the haft of the hatchet caught in his back. More pain lanced up his back and into the base of his skull as he twisted his body. His fingers slipped on the bloody handle.
The knight wobbled, his legs struggling to hold him upright. He grasped the lower edge of his helmet with one hand, adjusting it, and Lakshaman caught sight of a shadow at the base of his neck. His knife had cut the man after all. Not fatally, but he had drawn blood.
The crowd was on its feet, shouting and screaming a war cry of its own, as the knight gripped his hammer with both hands and charged. A bold attack. The man hadn't learned caution from their first exchange.
His teeth bared in a feral grin, Lakshaman's hand found the haft of the hatchet and pulled it free. Now he had a more suitable weapon.
The hammer swept down, and Lakshaman darted to his left, sweeping the bloody hatchet up to slam its handle against the shaft of the knight's hammer. Even before the shock of the contact rippled all the way up to his shoulder, he was already turning his wrist, letting the momentum of the hammer carry it past him. He was inside the knight's guard again.
The knight snapped his right hand out, and his metal-shod fist drove into Lakshaman's throat. He'd taken worse, but the blow made his throat close. Gagging, he felt his grip on the hatchet loosen. The knight hit him again, and he barely managed to tuck his chin down. The knight's fist scrapped across his jaw—once, twice.
Lakshaman stumbled back. The knight pressed his advantage, pounding Lakshaman with short jabs. They weren't terribly powerful hits, but the flurry of punches kept him off balance, forcing him to retreat.
He saw his opening: his opponent was covered from head to foot with the tightly linked maille, but it did not cover the entirety of the palms. At the base of the hand there was a patch of exposed skin. As long as the knight held a weapon, it wasn't vulnerable, but without one …
As the knight punched him again, Lakshaman jabbed upward with the knife in his left hand. He shoved the point into the base of the man's hand with all of his strength, and the knight's fist cocked at a strange angle. He felt the knife grind against bone, and he shoved and twisted the blade.
The knight screamed, and Lakshaman caught a flash of the whites of the man's eyes through the narrow slit of the helmet.
Letting go of both his knife and the nearly forgotten hatchet, Lakshaman grappled with his enemy. He looped his left arm around the knight's right, pinning the man's elbow against his side. The knight, moaning and spitting, threw his weight against Lakshaman in a desperate attempt to overwhelm the lesser-armored man and regain control of the grapple. Lakshaman dropped his hips – the one whose hips are lower is the one who wins – and twisted his body around as he swept his right leg back.
The knight tried to stop the throw, but he was too off balance, and his armor gave him too much mass. He flew off his feet, and Lakshaman, still holding onto his arm, came tumbling with him. They crashed to the ground, and there was a bone-snapping crunch as his elbow twisted too far in the wrong direction.
Lakshaman rolled off his opponent, the roar of the crowd filling his head. Crouching, he warily regarded his downed opponent while his right hand tried to explore the painful gash in his back. His hand came away red with blood, but he could still move. He could still fight.
Unlike his opponent.
The knight was struggling to turn over, but his brain hadn't quite realized how useless his right arm was. The hand had been punctured by Lakshaman's knife, and the elbow was bent at a hideous angle. The maille sleeve was already dark with blood. If he was spared the ignominy of death in the arena, he would be maimed for the rest of his life.
Lakshaman was reminded of something he had seen as a boy, an odd memory of a time before he had become a fighter. One spring morning, he had stumbled upon a butterfly as it struggled to emerge from its chrysalis. He had watched it wriggle out of its sheath and tumble to the ground. Its wings never opened properly, and the fall had caused its crumpled wings to harden stiff in a wrinkled mass that would never carry it aloft. He remembered crouching over it, staring intently at this tiny creature whose life was over a scant minute after it had been born.
The knight flopped onto his back, clawing at his helmet with his good hand. He was screaming and crying inside the metal cap; he couldn't get a good look at what was wrong with his arm. He knew something was wrong, but the pain had to be so intense that his martial resolve had been swept away. He was like the butterfly, lying on the ground, struggling to fly but unable to understand why it couldn't.
Lakshaman retrieved his other knife from the sand and knelt beside the downed knight. With a grunt, he shoved his blade through the eye slit of the man's helmet. The man thrashed for a moment and then his limbs stilled.
Just like the butterfly when he had crushed it with his thumb.
The Mongoliad: Book Three was released Tuesday.


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Of the more than a million people across the country who have auditioned for American Idol, only a few dozen know what it's truly like to live the Idol life. And that's why OKmagazine.com brings you Idol Round Table, where former finalists Mikalah Gordon, Anoop Desai, Diana DeGarmo and Megan Joy — and some special guests — will share their insider insights on the new season.
This week, the Round Table discusses early front-runners, Paula Abdul's absence and whether or not AI can survive the departure of Simon Cowell.
Mikalah, who covered the early auditions as a correspondent for the TV Guide Channel, had a chance to get up close and personal with the hopeful. "There were a few standouts to me," she says about the Boston tryouts. "I will say Maddie Curtis was amazing. She has an old soul just like Kara said… loved her and have much respect for her. Benjamin Bright was also very good, along with Ashley Rodriguez who had a great audition!"
Both Maddie and Ashley made Megan Joy's list of early faves, though she saved a special shout-out for Justin Williams: "GO SANDY, UTAH BOY!" she cheered.
As for Atlanta, Mikalah said she had mixed emotions. One stand out: Holly "Guitar Girl" Harden" "That voice came out of her… Seriously?" recalls Mikalah. "She reminds me of Kellie Pickler. Vanessa Wolfe, who we saw jumping bridges and living in small town Tennessee has the ability to be very good, but I'm worried she will be so far out of her element. But my favorite of the day was Jermaine Sellers who sang 'What if God was One of Us'! He had such control over his vocals it was fabulous."
This week was also the first chance for everyone to see how the Idol fared without original judge Paula. For his part, Anoop tells OK! he's taking a wait-and-see attitude. "It's hard to tell, but the rotating judge spot has held up so far," he explains. "The real test will be during Hollywood week when Ellen DeGeneres joins the judging table. That's when we'll see how the dynamic between the panel plays out."
When she first heard the news of Paula's exit, Megan says she couldn't imagine the show without the offbeat judge, but the new format is growing on her. "I love Paula and certainly have a spot in my heart for her, so it's weird to not see her for sure," Megan says. "But I loved Victoria Beckham and Mary J. Blige… I am just so happy and proud that I was a part of last season with both Paula and Simon."
Mikalah puts the whole situation in perspective, saying, "I love Paula, and I will miss her when I go to visit this year. But honestly you can't tell yet that she is gone. That's probably because it's just the auditions, so check back with me on this question when the top 24 starts."
So if the show has managed to stay afloat without mainstay Paula, does that bode well for a Simon-free future? "If they revamped everything, yes," opines Mikalah. "If they keep it exactly how it is, absolutely not. Who wants to watch Randy and Kara poke fun at all the outrageous people? Simon is the one that made that work. Simon is what people go to the auditions to see. I'm worried for American Idol after Simon exits. He is the biggest draw to the show."
Megan's outlook is slightly more upbeat. "I can't see Idol ever being the same again once Simon is gone, but now we will have two new shows to look forward to," she explains, referring to Simon's decision to leave AI for the new American edition of UK hit The X Factor. "It will be crazy!"
Speaking of emotions, we asked the panel what it's like now that they've transitioned from Idol finalists to Idol watchers. "Any time I hear the Idol theme music, my stomach does a little turn," says Anoop. "That simple jingle makes me feel like I'm about to go on stage and sing in front of the country… It's been more than a year since I auditioned, but I still remember the waiting, the uncertainty, and the stress of the first one. I definitely feel for all of the singers — good and bad."
Confesses Megan about watching the premiere, "I felt pretty emotional the whole time watching. I even dropped a couple tears a couple times. It brought back all of the emotions (excited, nervous, scared, so many things) of what it felt like to be standing in front of them… Too wild. I also just felt extreme love and appreciation."
Despite being the youngest member of the Idol Round Table, Mikalah, who was only 16 when she auditioned for the show, is the veteran of the bunch. "Since today is my 22nd birthday, it has finally hit me that it has been five years since I was in their spot," she recalls. "I have excited emotions for everyone auditioning, but also sad because only one person gets to win."
That's it for this week, check back every week for more from OK!'s Idol Round Table.
Also in this issue:
• Everything you need to know about Carrie Underwood's wedding!
• The feud between Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie is just getting worse.
• Tag along with Jersey Shore's Ronnie and Sammi on their romantic night out in NYC!
…and all the latest news, fashion and photos!
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!

subset: commoncrawl


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The same party wins every time. Duopoly power rules. America is a one party state with two wings. Each replicates the other. On major issues mattering most, not a dime's worth of difference separates them.
The late Gore Vidal explained it as well as anyone. Some of his best comments included:
"Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates."
"Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically by definition be disqualified from ever doing so."
"By the time a man gets to be presidential material, he's been bought ten times over."
"Every four years the naive half who vote are encouraged to believe that if we can elect a really nice man or woman President everything will be all right. But it won't be."
"The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return."
"We should stop going around babbling about how we're the greatest democracy on earth."
He also said America is "rotting away at a funereal pace. We'll have a military dictatorship pretty soon, on the basis that nobody else can hold everything together."
He thought of himself as a modern-day Voltaire. We need a legion of them at perhaps the most perilous time in world history.
Reelecting Obama assures worse than his first term harm. Romney in office would match him blow for blow. Voters likely chose the lesser of two evils. At least they thought they did. In any form, evil is evil. Duopoly power offers no other choice.
Expect four more years of permanent wars, greater economic hardships, growing poverty, unemployment, homelessness, hunger, and human misery, handing more of the nation's wealth to corporate predators, governing lawlessly, and cracking down ruthlessly on resisters.
Anti-progressivism defines Obama's agenda. He's hard-right, reactionary, belligerent, and pro-corporate. He serves wealth, power and privilege at the expense of essential popular needs.
Force-fed austerity will harm millions more than already. Expect human suffering to increase exponentially domestically and abroad. Why anyone would support what they should condemn they'll have to explain.
It's true as well about political promises broken every time. IF Stone told aspiring journalists that all governments lie. Nothing they say should be believed.
Obama exceeded the worst of his predecessors. Every major pledge made he broke. He's a duplicitous con man. He's a crime boss, serial liar and moral coward. He promised change and delivered betrayal.
He doesn't fool all the people all the time but enough to matter. Tuesday night he celebrated with supporters. The Chicago Tribune headlined it.
It shamelessly endorsed his reelection. It praised his "decisiveness and intellectual rigor." It backed the worst of his policies. McCormick Place echoed with "deafening cheers….launching a wild celebration among thousands of his supporters."
It was subdued compared to 2008. Chicago offices closed early. Tens of thousands packed Grant Park downtown. Word came around 10PM. The celebratory mood felt like New Year's eve.
Supporters thought Obama could make a difference at a time of deepening economic duress. He made things worse, not better.
This year, McCormick Place erected huge television screens. Victory was announced around 11:20PM. Several thousand inside heard it. They came by invitation only. They were hand picked in advance. Tickets were needed for entry.
City streets were no more active than usual. The celebratory mood four years ago wasn't repeated. Most people likely went to bed. Obama's victory speech sounded like more campaigning.
"We are an American family and we rise as one people," he said.
"Whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've made me a better president. I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever."
"Tonight, you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours."
"(W)e know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come."
"We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers….(a) global leader….with all of the good jobs and new businesses that follow."
"We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth….to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being."
"We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America open to the dreams of" everyone.
"Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending."
"I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead."
"And together, with your help and God's grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth."
All of the above was said with forked tongue. Obama and likeminded rogues deplore rule of law principles, other democratic values, and vital social services when they're most needed.
They prioritize war, not peace. Their agenda threatens humanity. They don't give a damn about ordinary people. Obama never did. He just pretends. Despite all the harm inflicted on so many, half the country still supports him. Why they'll have to explain.
Imagine what he plans in term two. Humanity may not survive. More wars are planned. Current ones will continue. Social America is on the chopping block for elimination. Great Betrayal priorities demand it.
Resisters face harsh crackdowns. Anyone can be arrested, imprisoned, and stay there indefinitely uncharged and untried. On Obama's say alone, people can be marked for death. He's now judge, jury and executioner.
America hasn't been fit to live in for years. It's now dangerous. Ahead it'll be intolerable. Obama's mandate is to assure it. Imagine a leader promising better times and delivering what few can tolerate.
Imagine too few realizing that the worst is yet to come. Imagine putting up with what should be challenged and dispatched. Imagine media scoundrels praising what they should condemn.
America's "newspaper of record" endorsed him for the wrong reasons. Death squad diplomacy was ignored. So were plans for global dominance and human deprivation at home.
The New York Times cited economic recovery at a time it's worsening. It called his achievements "impressive." It claimed destructive domestic and foreign policies were successes.
It turned truth on its head. It "enthusiastically" endorsed four more years. On November 6, it headlined "President Obama's Success," saying:
Winning showed most people support his "economic policies that stress job growth, health care reform, tax increases and balanced deficit reduction…."
"It was a repudiation….of the politics of fear, intolerance and disinformation."
Fact check
Obama wrecked the economy to help banks, other corporate favorites, and rich elites. He's been more a job destroyer than creator. Nearly 25 million remain unemployed. They represent nearly 23% of eligible workers.
Most youths have no futures. Higher education doesn't help. Increasingly it's unaffordable. Most getting it end up debt entrapped for years, decades, and in some cases forever.
Obama continued past policies of offshoring high pay/good benefit jobs. Most remaining are low pay/poor or no benefit part-time or temp ones.
He cut corporate taxes. He left Bush-era cuts for the rich in place. He plans more of the same at the expense of public need. He presides over the largest military budget in world history. Increases are planned, not cuts.
He handed America's healthcare system to corporate predators. Ralph Nader calls it "a pay-or-die system that's the disgrace of the Western world."
Costs are shifted to consumers. Most get inadequate or unaffordable care. Corporate provider profits are better than ever. So-called financial reform did the same for Wall Street and other large financial institutions.
Deficit reduction will be done on the backs of ordinary people who can least afford it. Destroying social America is planned to accomplish it.
New York Times editors are well paid. Human deprivation isn't their concern.
Nation magazine also endorsed Obama. It openly campaigned for him. Defeating him would be catastrophic for progressive politics, it claimed.
Truth was ignored in support of what should have been condemned. Policies too disturbing to discuss are ignored. Obama's war on humanity and police state repression get no attention. Sophistry and lies substitute. It's official Nation policy.
It's been that way throughout its history. It masquerades as progressive. It represents middle-America elites. Ordinary people don't matter.
On November 7, Nation contributor John Nichols headlined "For Obama, a Bigger Win Than for Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Bush or Bush," saying:
He won "a credible, national win….And it was a real victory….And a president who has been comfortably reelected ought not think small. He should 'spend his capital' on projects worthy of the trust Americans have afforded him."
Not a word in Nichols' article about permanent imperial wars, prioritizing corporate favoritism, US-style fascism wrapped in an American flag, growing unmet people needs, and harsh police state laws targeting resisters.
Nothing either on Democrats perhaps better able to destroy social America than Republicans. In 2008, monied interests chose him to do what Republicans wouldn't dare. It represented a classic reverse Nixon goes to China moment.
The fix was in. There's unfinished business. Four more Obama years may complete turning America into the worst of all possible worlds. Backers have that idea in mind.
Nation magazine and other progressive charlatans conceal it. Nichols and contributors like him turn reality on its head.
Most Americans afforded Obama nothing. Most votes for him were likely against Romney. Money power in America chooses candidates and winners. Corporate manipulated and controlled electronic voting machines have final say.
Nichols and likeminded Obama supporters suppress what should be headlined. Ordinary Americans will learn more harsh truths straightaway. Lame duck congressional budget cutting looms.
They'll be hardest hit. Obama supports it. Monied interests gave him two terms for that purpose. He hasn't disappointed. Expect lots more pain and suffering ahead.
Stephen Lendman- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst Stephen Lendman was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. He received a Harvard BA in 1956 and a Wharton MBA in 1960. Since 2005, Mr. Lendman has been writing on vital world and national topics, including war and peace, American imperialism, corporate dominance, political persecutions, and a range of other social, economic and political issues. He hosts The Progressive Radio News Hour on The Progressive Radio Network. Visit Mr. Lendman's blog site here. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com
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A Sandwich a Day: Olympic Restaurant
A new sandwich every day.
In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around New York. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. —The Mgmt.
Olympic Restaurant has not aged well, though few things on Delancey and Essex have. But I'll give the place credit for chugging along, rickety booths, kvetching old guys, and all, because even down-and-out diners have an important place in New York. And it's not like this street corner offers a wealth of dining options—Essex Street Market excepted, of course.
They do a decent BLT ($4.50) on thick-cut toast—rye is nice—with fresh crunchy iceberg, less-mealy-than-they-look tomatoes, and sweet, smoky bacon cooked on the right side of too crisp. You'll want some mayo in there to moisten the bread, which is admirably crisp but something of a workout to chew.
A hot Meatloaf Sandwich ($5.50) is bland and uniform in texture, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it in a school lunch kind of way. Ample gravy helps, and it brings that well-toasted rye into sync.
Egg cream fans can find a decent one here ($2). It's a little less effervescent than I'd like, but it boasts a creamy foam that edges off the sides of the glass.
Don't go out of your way for a meal at Olympic Diner, but if you're looking for a taste of the old Lower East Side, it'll offer you one.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Is it possible to define a subsite in a webtemplate? I can't use a site definition because I'm working in Office 365 - SharePoint Online.
Wrong approach:
I thought about activating a site-feature in the ONET.XML of the rootweb so it would create the subsite when the rootweb is created. But webtemplates-features need to be activated on sitecollection-level. And because I'm working in Office 365 (so a sandboxed solution) all sitecollection-features are activated automatically.
Is there someone who knows how I can create and provision a subsite from my rootweb? Preferably with templates. If nothing else works, with code (but I'm working in Office 365 so I'll guess I need to use the client object model?)


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John Travolta and Kelly Preston are "ecstatic" over their new arrival: a baby boy.
The couple welcomed their third child, a son named Benjamin, at a Florida hospital November 23, reports E! Online.
"John, Kelly and their daughter Ella Bleu are ecstatic and very happy about the newest member of the family," a rep for the family said. "Both mother and baby are healthy and doing beautifully."
U.S. & World
The family announced Preston's pregnancy last May, 17 months after their 16-year-old son Jett died after suffering a seizure during a family vacation.
Benjamin was born weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces.
Selected Reading: E! Online, Huffington Post, Associated Press


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Planetarium (Limited Capacity)
As part of The Franklin Institute's health & safety protocol, some seats have been removed from the Fels Planetarium. Planetarium shows now run every 30 minutes.
Explore the night sky with cutting-edge astronomical presentations in the awe-inspiring Fels Planetarium. The immersive dome—measuring 60 feet in diameter—provides the ultimate screen for cosmic exploration. Look up and see what the actual night sky would look like without the interference of weather, pollution, or city lights. The immensity and clarity of the view create a sense of wonder and stimulate the imagination. Engaging shows and incredible special effects, accompanied by super-fidelity sound, educate young and old alike about astronomy and our place in the universe. Whether you're learning about the constellations in our night sky tonight or watching mind-bending fractal zooms, a visit to the Fels Planetarium will be an experience that you won't soon forget!


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Eco-friendly VICOTE™ Coatings improve the wear performance and life of the coated part.
Available in powder or aqueous dispersions, our VICTREX™ PEEK-based thermoplastic coatings can be easily applied to different part geometries, delivering excellent performance across a broad range of temperatures.
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Thermoplastic coatings that deliver durability and strength.
VICOTE™ 700 Series powder coatings are made-to-order. Powder sizes are available in a range from 10 microns up to 50 microns, as well as in various melt viscosities depending on the film thickness and level of melt flow required.
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Victrex's durable polymer coatings deliver significant benefits to OEMs and end-users, including improved product performance and functionality, extended lifetime and reduced systems cost.
More detailed information on this thermoplastic coating can be found in the technical datasheets.
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Thermoplastic coatings that are optimized for critical wear components.
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VICOTE™ Coatings have been specified by leading brands in markets ranging from food processing, textile and industrial to automotive, oil and gas and electronics, as they deliver high-performance in extreme environments.
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Electrostatic and spraying techniques for high-performance VICOTE™ Coatings.
VICTREX™ PEEK-based VICOTE™ thermoplastic polymer coatings can be applied using electrostatic or conventional dispersion spray techniques. VICOTE™ 700 Series powder coatings can be applied by conventional electrostatic coating equipment either in manual or automatic powder booths using negative Corona charges.
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Powders can be sprayed directly onto the substrate. The powder melts to form the polymer coating, which typically has a dry film thickness (DFT) of 100 – 1000 microns (4-40 mil).
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Click 'Add' to save a document to your own Victrex folder
The formulated aqueous-based polymer coating is sprayed onto the substrate, which is subsequently heated to form a thin film, typically between 25 and 50 microns.
Dispersions allow a wider range of formulation options to enhance wear and release properties. Typical applications include cookware, irons, engine piston rings, bearing cages and moulds.
Read our coating procedures in the flyer below to learn more.
Click 'Add' to save a document to your own Victrex folder


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Congressman Joe Courtney recently wrote a letter to director Steven Spielberg insisting that he had made a mistake in his film "Lincoln":
"I was on the edge of my seat during the roll call vote on the ratification of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery. But when two of three members of the Nutmeg State's House delegation voted to uphold slavery, I could not believe my own eyes and ears. How could congressmen from Connecticut — a state that supported President Lincoln and lost thousands of her sons fighting against slavery on the Union side of the Civil War — have been on the wrong side of history?" Courtney expressed serious concern over Spielberg's lack of accuracy and requested that the mistake be corrected before the film is released on DVD.
Although I truly appreciate Congressman Courtney's enthusiasm and defense of Connecticut, his version of history isn't terribly correct — and he's not alone on this.
It's true that Spielberg, or more correctly screenplay writer Tony Kushner, got Connecticut's vote wrong. No one in the Connecticut delegation voted against the proposal to outlaw slavery. Congressman Courtney was right to protest the inaccurate depiction of events in "Lincoln." But he was off in describing the mood in Connecticut about slavery.
Kushner was recently at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, and I had the opportunity to ask him about this mistake in the movie. He readily admitted two things: 1) He initially didn't understand that Congress voted by last name alphabetically, not by state, and realized it only after the scene had been filmed. 2) Kushner and Spielberg needed to create some sense of drama and because Connecticut begins with a C it voted early and a resounding "No" created that drama. They decided to change the Connecticut congressmen's names to a fictitious ones, and did the same for a number of other congressmen so that the film might avoid the very controversy in which it is now embroiled.
So what's the problem with Congressman Courtney's version of our history? He insisted in his letter to Spielberg that "Connecticut provided a unified front against slavery," and that "placing the state of Connecticut on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is a distortion of easily verifiable facts and an inaccuracy that should be acknowledged."
What we know, however, is that Connecticut most certainly did not provide a unified front against slavery, and the real distortion of the American Civil War is that so many people today think this is the case, and more broadly that it reflects the North as a whole. These are easily verifiable facts.
Connecticut was hugely divided over fighting the war and over slavery. I document this history in my book, "Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice, and Survival." I found that America's most famous abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, referred to Connecticut as the "Georgia of New England" and that "the simple truth is that in the 'land of steady habits,' one of the steadiest was a virulent racism."
This is a tremendously important history that every resident of Connecticut should learn, lest we whitewash our past and thereby fail to do justice to the still-lingering problems of race.
Since the start of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in spring 2011, the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission (www.ccsu.edu/civilwar) has been focused on this story and the wider history of the war. We still have a long way to go in understanding the bloodiest war in American history, why we fought it, what it did to our nation, and its lasting legacies.
I invite Congressman Courtney to join the commission on this journey and have sent him a copy of my book. Perhaps I should mail copies to Spielberg and Kushner, too.
Matthew Warshauer is a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University and co-chairman of the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission.


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Happy 4th of July
Time to celebrate our independence and thank all those who serve in our nation's military, including one of the newest members. Taylor Jackson, daughter of ESPNLA.com beat writer Tony Jackson, graduated from basic training last weekend in the U.S. Navy. Congrats, Seaman Apprentice Taylor!
And congrats are also in order to Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton on their All-Star honors. A great case could have been made for Furcal, Kuo and even Kershaw, but I guess that's what the All-Star selection Sunday is all about – debate. So feel free to debate it here.
Here's hoping you all are enjoying a BBQ and watching or listening to the game and then roll out tomorrow night to Dodger Stadium for Fifth of July fireworks.
77 Comments
Thank you to all our service men and women!!!! Your sacrifices and service are greatly appreciated!!! Long live the Red, White, and Blue!!!!!!! Congrats to Andre and Johnny!!! Way to go Taylor Jackson!!! And, as Trumom says……. GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to all of you who make us safe. It's great to be an American and enjoy all the freedoms we have.
Now, let's get the win today….GO DODGERS!!!!!
So proud of Andre and Brox for making the All-Star team.
Happy 4th everyone. We are fortunate to live in such a great country that affords us such personal. I'm thankful to everyone who has sacrificed to keep it that way.
Congrats Taylor Jackson and thank you!
thank you that have served and are serving in the military!
God Bless America
Congrats to Jonathan and Ethier!
Have a wonderful 4th everyone!
Have a fantastic day, Jhall….Wish you were here 🙂
Thanks Trumom, you and yours likewise!!!
HAPPY 4th OF JULY ITDers!!!!
Good comeback for Bills to strikeout the side after giving up the double and triple. Now, we got to break through on Haren.
Hi'Ya Nelly!!! Happy 4th to you!!!
Hang on, kids, it's our all star.
WTG Raffy and Dre to tie the game. Come to think of it Raffy should be in the All-Star Game too. He certainly has played like an All-Star. To bad he was on the DL, that hurt his stats.
Now that's the Bison!!!!
Alright Kemp!!!! Opposite field blast!!! If Kemp can consistently get hits by hitting the ball to the opposite field, he will become a star.
I am listening to the Dbacks broadcast and they were talking about Matt and his power. Once he learns he doesn't have to pull the ball to get his power, he will be incredible, and it looks like he may be learning that.
Great job Kuo!!!!! Strikes out the side twice!!! Lefthanders are 0-30 with 16 Ks against him. Just think of what he could have done in his career if his arm wasn't so fragile.
Johnny Says….. God Bless America, and Fu-Q D'Backs!!!!! I would like to second that!!!! Happy 4th gang!!!!
No Sunday drama this week. Thank you, Jonathon.
I'm with Emma. I'd rather see Brox rest. Kuo could even deserve it more and I'd rather he did not go at all.
Good to see Broxton back on track. We needed to win this series after losing on Friday. Great road trip (5-1), and now we're at .500 for the season on the road (21-21). I'm looking for the Dodgers to cut into the Padres lead on the coming home stand.
What the heck Infante over Furcal? Infante have played in 6 fewer games and almost half of Furcal at bat.
What the heck Infante over Furcal? Infante have played in 6 fewer games and almost half of Furcal at bat.
Gosh stupid dial up going slow and didn't post the 1st time until I hit the 2nd one.
Thought this was interesting
Dodgers at home: 176 runs scored, 176 runs allowed, 24-15 record
Dodgers on road: 210 runs scored, 187 runs allowed, 20-21 record
by Eric Stephen on Jul 4, 2010 1:53 PM PDT reply actions
Those numbers are sick. If we would've scored 210 runs at home we would have 30+ wins at home.
If we would've only allowed 176 runs on the road we would've had a .500+ record on the road.
Free Kobayashi!!!
That is all.
Looks like the back end will be up to Belisario tonight. Weaver is due for a good outing and maybe Schlichting ( another name I have to learn how to spell ) will help again with a good inning or two.
You have to wonder what a completely healthy Kuo would do.
Looks like McDonald has disappeared.
knouffbrock – I was wondering what happened to McDonald as well, especially when are pitching isn't going so well. It seems, like you said, he just disappeared. He had such promise, and than "poof", he was gone, never to be heard from again.
Thank you for that information Messagebear. I figured somebody familiar with the minor leagues would know what is up with him.
When Mac's pitched, he's been OK:
4 1 4.65 10 10 0 0 0 50.1 56 26 26 4 5 18 50 1.47 0 0
Proving yet another thing about ol' Ned… you either give JMac a real chance including allowing him to fail (could he have been any worse than Haeger or the Ortizi this year or last?) OR you trade him when he was a hot commodity. We of course know NedCo did neither and now JMac's dwelling in anonimity.
Glad the "braintrust" finally gave up on making Lindblom a starter. The guy's a reliever his entire college career, so hey, let's make him a starter. Since they moved him back to the pen he's pitched 10 innings and given up 3 runs with 5Ks and a walk.
Anyone know anything about this Jerry Sands kid? They moved him up to AA and he's already popped 6 HRs.
Probably because we can't get champagne on a Thunderbird budget Nells. Still don't think another starter's going to make a difference this year – this team's really Jeckyll and Hyde… and I'm DAMNED SURE Harang isn't going to make a bit of difference. Besides that, who's he going to bump? We already have 5 starters I'd take over Harang any day of the week, and its not like we have the greatest starters to begin with.
Its typical of McCourt's regime though – they'll make a move just to make it look like they're doing something, when in reality they're going backwards with another worthless PVL. Either you go out and get an impact player or you don't. There's plenty of time for Ned to pick-up wothless PVLs in the offseason. Can hardly wait to get Dontrelle and Rausch before we start next spring.
In the current Bleacher Report, it lists the top 50 players who may be on the move. There aren't any Dodgers listed, but the only player we "supposedly" are interested in is Aaron Harang (Reds). Ummmmmm, I know this is just rumors, but why aren't we even mentioned as "rumored" to be interested in Lee, who happens to be the #1 player on the move.
Here's the article 🙂
Good afternoon everyone. I hope you all had a great 4th!!
I've been busy with some out of town guests the last week or so, thus I've not been on here much. Nor have I seen any games since the Giants game I went to with Nelly & her family. Good times with the Nelly clan! Although I missed seeing True & D4!! Next time!!!
Thanks again Nelly for arranging that at the last minute. It was nice to see you guys and get yelled at!!
As far as Lee there is a report on CNN that the Dodgers were among teams that were scouting him on Sunday. So he might be in the mix but I wont believe it until I see it.
I would rather see Oswalt as he has another year left in his contract, so we would have him next year as well.
i do have a topic for conversation that I was wondering about. In the game against the Yanks where Bills blew up I was at my own game so I missed it. But looking back I saw pretty much all of his pitches were fastballs with a few sliders thrown in.
In looking at an article yesterday they were talking about Kuo (Maybe it was with him I can't remember) and the comment was that he has raised his game since he has added a slurve and a change-up. That has been my issue with Brox. Why doesn't he change speeds. It is same speed all the time. If he learned to use his change it would make him a lethal pitcher. I think he is a great pitcher but he would be awesome and I don't understand why he doesn't have someone teaching him to thrown one, or insisting he thrown one if he can.It just seems like something that would make him that much more affective and have another weapon to use when his other pitches aren't working.
Hi Collie~ I'm definitely coming next time. Who else will pick Nellyjune up when she faints? 🙂
I am sure the Dodgers are interested in Lee but realize the "price" may be too high. Or, to look at things another way, the Dodgers may not have enough to offer in a trade without giving up players currently on the 25 man roster. Realistically, the Dodgers have few options to replace any player on the roster and the minor leagues are a bit thin at the moment. But I agree with comments above that say the Dodgers need more than one starting pitcher. If the Padres can keep up with their smoke and mirrors, they may be hard to beat. All the talking heads keep saying they don't believe the Padres can keep doing what they are doing. We will see.
It is a bit sad about McDonald. Not sure what the issue is with him. Is he a starter or reliever? In a way he reminds me of Dave Stewart. When Stewart came up with the Dodgers he seemed to have the tools but as I recall, his pitches came hard but straight, making him easy to hit. Somewhere along the line he figured things out and became what most would consider a good major league pitcher, at times even a dominating pitcher. Unfortunately, it was for Oakland and not the Dodgers or even the team that got him from the Dodgers. Maybe something like this will happen for MacDonald. So far, the organization seems to have a lot of patience for him.
As for the All Star game, congrats to Andre and Big Bad John. I did not vote this year, mostly because I just don't like the process and the system but also because I was just too lazy to do it. This game has become more of a fan's choice game and that is o.k. with me but I do find it a little unsettling that teams sometimes need to push fans to vote in a player. Don't get me wrong, I think Andre is deserving, but he was a lot more deserving before the broken finger than after. I do hope he gets a chance to play and does well. It is refreshing to hear both Andre and Jonathon talk about their excitement at being selected. While I am opposed in principle to the DH, I can think of no better venue than the All Star game to use it. I also think it is time for Bud Selig to do away with the winner of this game getting home field advantage in the World Series and go back to the way it was before he made his ill timed decision. The players have enough incentive to win this game without an artificial prize that really does not benefit most of the All Star team members.
You are most welcome Collie!!
Well, the rumor here is that while the Giants are in Milwuakee, they might be taking Prince Fielder home with them. It's been talked about, and now with Posey behind the plate, there is room at 1st base for him.
I would prefer to have Oswalt instead of Lee as well, but I don't think we have the money for either one. I am with the rest that will believe it when we see it.
Nelly, Fielder and Panda on the same team? There won't be anything left to eat for the other guys on that team! Would they have to pay a fuel surcharge on team flights?
LOL!!! That's funny lbirken.
If the Giants get Prince Fielder without giving up a HUGE piece of their puzzle, we're all in trouble.
Harang? I'd rather get nobody than Harang. I'd rather get less than nobody than Harang.
Garland was a pitcher I always felt would end up in Dodger Blue with somewhat of a good feeling. (Though Ned didn't keep him because he still had value, and had not dropped to "was a has-been 2 seasons ago" status)\
Harang is a pitcher I've never wanted on my squad. No offense to him as a person, but I know what Ned's given up for C-level talent in the past, and we will get screwed.
Frank McCourt doesn't give a damn about the Dodgers.
The Prince and the Panda. Sounds like a Disney feature!
Anyway, looking forward to seeing Ely pitch in person tonight. Let's hope the Dodgers create some fireworks of their own before the real show. Have a great evening, everyone.
Thanx, everyone for the McDonald update. There is more about him in that bit of news on Monistarios. Maybe we'll get that effective Mac back.
That does conjure up a sight! Panda and Prince eating the giants out of house and home.
lineup: Furcal 6 Belliard 4 Ethier 9 Kemp 8 Blake 5 Loney 3 Martin 2 Johnson 7 Ely 1
Go Dodgers!!!!
This Dodger team ranks 10 out of 16 in NL pitching. Pods are #1. Until this pitfall is addressed, it'll be scratch and claw all season long. And no Harang or Lee or Oswalt is going to alter the mediocre depth on this staff. Ely has been a nice diversion…but it's becoming obvious that he is what he is: a "nice" player we got for Juanpy.
Hi Everybody
I hope you all had a great independence day yesterday and today.
The Dodgers had enough practice now, so they should be able to beat a team from the NL East.
If not we'll have to go back to the drawing board.
Good luck, Ely and get to work on Nate Robertson, guys.
Harang isn't what the Dodgers need. Another #5 pitcher is no bueno… It's an Ace or nothing in my eyes. The youngsters could use a guy to take the pressure off of them.
Down 2-0 early. It'll be interesting to see how they rebound. I'm confident they can come back.
I'm happy with Ely even though he gave up a couple. They didn't hit him hard and a couple of breaks and they wouldn't of scored that 2nd run. I'm also happy with him for the season. Even when he had some bad starts they were still winnable games.
Go Blue!!!!
If the Giants get the Prince we might be in trouble. However he did have a tough time in the home run derby here in SF.
When I don't think my admiration for Andre, both on and off the field, he once again impresses. The fact that he took the time to shake hands with every Marine on the field is just down right impressive, and THAT, and his ability on the field, is why he is an All-Star 🙂
Damn, a good throw by Martin would have had Stanton at third.
The Dodgers should forget they're playing the Marlins and make believe they're playing one of the teams in their own division.
He owed us that hit after that poor throw.
It's going to be another long evening, isn't it?
Ely didn't have it tonight, even though some of the hits were well placed ground balls. But, they did hit him hard at times.
You said it Nelly, if this keeps up I'm going to go to bed soon.
Well take that run.
oldbrooklynfan ~ We'll take it and we needed it. I don't think we're out of this game just yet. I think we're going to hit Robertson.
Every time this team tries to make a move, it's pitching drags them back.
Way to go Raffy!!!
Well, that made things alot better – WAY TO GO RAFFY!!!
Alright Raffy!!! He's a one man gang. He hit that ball in Fan Since 53 territory.
A nice inning for Weaver shutting them out after we put 2 up.
Nelly ~ Looks like I won't be going to bed just yet.
I wouldn't be surprised if 53 caught that ball.
I'd like to see them get Ely off the hook this inning.
It's been a real good game so far, just can't shake off an east coast team.
To more shots.
MR. RBI comes thru again.
BELISARIO a job well done.
Can't believe Molina made it should've been McCain to start Olivo backing him up and how the hell did Rhodes and Meek made it and the only Pirates rep should be Mccutchen. If you going to used those 2 especially Rhodes than you have to have Kuo there.
Belisario had 3 innings tonight wow.
Well time for me to go back and vote for Konerko and Votto.


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Wiktionary:About Korean/Romanization
RR transliteration[edit]
In Article 3 Paragraph 8 of the 2000 edict establishing the Revised Romanization, provision is made for a system for academic use which represents the original hangul more precisely than standard RR. This system uses the standard jamo equivalents, without exception: for example, ㄱ is represented as "g" regardless of position and pronunciation. Thus for example 백 is baeg, and 막히다 is maghida (cf. baek, makhida in the standard system). In addition, syllable-initial ㅇ is represented by a hyphen. Thus "백이" is romanized "baeg-i" while "배기" is romanized "baegi."
RR transliteration is almost entirely unambiguous in its representation of written Korean. However, it does not represent pronunciation clearly.
In general, it is expected that McCune-Reischauer romanizations will follow the original 1939 system, with necessary adjustments based on the phonetics of modern Korean. For example, the standard South Korean pronunciation of 한자 would be romanized hanja, not hancha as given in the 1939 paper, because the ㅈ is no longer tensed. However, if it is considered likely to be of interest, differences between how different versions of MR would represent a particular word or phrase may be included.
Yale is the only romanization system which represents both the written and the spoken form of Korean words without ambiguity. However, it is seldom used outside of the linguistic community.
The variant of Yale used for Middle Korean is the only romanization in use for that language.


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Acknowledging that recovery raises special issues for women--from questions about sexuality, relationships, and everyday life to anxieties about speaking up at mixed-gender meetings--A Woman's Way through the Twelve Steps focuses directly on the feminine experience of addiction and healing. The author explores the Twelve Steps one by one, reiterating each in its traditional language, then explaining and illustrating it in a way that highlights a woman's experience--empowering the reader to take ownership of her own recovery process as well as her growth as a woman.
Read the introduction to A Womans Way through the Twelve Steps. This file is in PDF format.
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Chuck Taylor has let it be known that he will be starting a new stable in EVOLVE and DGUSA beginning at this Friday's EVOLVE show. The first member of the group will be introduced in a match against local Toronto talent Josh Alexander.
It's highly doubtful, but you think the Fightin' Taylor Boys will show up? :mrgreen:


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Deputies seize more than 20 horses from pasture
Sheriff: "...it's just a pretty sad situation."
Deputies seized more than 20 horses from a local man's farm near Panama Saturday.
The LeFlore County Sheriff said he investigated several complaints of abuse and neglect.
Rescuers said numerous complaints from a pasture off of AES Road spawned an animal cruelty investigation.
Horse rescuers took in 24 horses for rehabilitation.
"This is not a horse problem, this is a people problem," said Elizabeth O'Neal, who owns Triple O Ranch Equine Sanctuary.
One of the horses did not make it. A baby colt was found dead near a shelter.
"Can you see the horse shiver? On a day like this, under these circumstances, that horse should not feel that way," said O'Neal.
"I was shocked at the condition of the animals. The rain rot, the cuts on the animals, the conditions they were in, the lack of food and water; it's just a pretty sad situation," said LeFlore County Sheriff Rob Seale.
Rescuers from all over the area came out to take in the horses.
"We can take one or two in or help financially that's what we're going to do," said Rick Boivin, a horse rescuer from Lavaca, Ark.
Boivin saw the neglected animals and went to social media. That's how the investigation started.
"Social media has its advantages sometimes," said Boivin.
In the pasture, rescuers worked to herd the scared horses into trailers.
The sheriff said he's cracking down on anyone who abuses animals.
"If we get reports of this we're going to investigate it and if the conditions warrant it, we're going to continue what we're doing today," said Seale.
"We are now lucky to have our law enforcement ready to do whatever it takes," said O'Neal.
The sheriff said the owner hasn't been formally charged or arrested yet.
The horses, Seale said, still need to be evaluated by a veterinarian.


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Patients should be at the center of the healthcare universe, and Personal Health Records are an integral part of the national debate on healthcare reform. But are patients' rights being considered in the move towards an interconnected health system? And will the infrastructure that emerges truly support and encourage the development and adoption of innovative new products and services?
The Harvard Medical School Personally Controlled Health Records Infrastructure meeting series is a landmark effort to bring together industry, academia and government to answer these questions and make real progress towards the development of a healthcare information platform that will enable the next generation of consumer-focused wellness, clinical and research applications.
The last year has seen real advances in the field – in particular, the idea of the "patient controlled" health record has gained remarkable traction since our first conference. This year we're continuing our focus on the PCHR platform – the Infrastructure. The collaborative portion of the meeting will feature three tracks:
- Business Models for the PCHR Platform
- PCHRs for Safe and Health Populations
- Technical Underpinnings of an Open PCHR Platform
The 2007 invitation-only PCHRI Meeting will take place on November 27th and 28th, 2007, at Harvard Medical School's Countway Library of Medicine.


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For Immediate Release
Patricia Kiernan Johnson;
Nine Opera Companies Receive a Total of $225,000
To Develop New North American Operas
New York, NY—
OPERA America
, the national service organization for opera, is pleased to announce it has awarded grants to nine opera companies through its
Opera Fund
: Repertoire Development
grant program. These grants provide vital financial support to opera companies developing new North American opera and music-theater works.
Repertoire Development grants allow creators and/or producers to assess and refine a work-in-progress. The grants may be used to offset creative fees and other costs associated with the development of a new opera/music-theater work, including lab productions, workshops, readings and revisions.
A total of $225,000 is being awarded to the following nine opera companies:
American Lyric Theater
(New York, NY),
Beth Morrison Projects
(New York, NY),
Houston Grand Opera
Lyric Opera of Chicago
, the
Metropolitan Opera
Opera Philadelphia
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
San Francisco Opera
Washington National Opera
Over the past 20 years, OPERA America's Opera Fund has provided grants totaling nearly $13 million to assist companies with the creation and development of works such as
(Philip Glass),
Cold Sassy Tree
(Carlisle Floyd),
Dead Man Walking
(Jake Heggie),
Elmer Gantry
(Robert Aldridge),
Frau Margot
(Thomas Pasatieri),
Little Women
(Mark Adamo),
Margaret Garner
(Richard Danielpour),
Nixon in China
(John Adams),
Shining Brow
(Daron Hagen) and
A Streetcar Named Desire
(André Previn).
"Fostering the creation of new works by American composers is a cornerstone of OPERA America's mission," stated Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO. "Through the generosity of
Opera Fund
donors, Repertoire Development grants assist in increasing the vitality and diversity of our art form," he continued.
Recipients of the Repertoire Development grants were selected by a panel of industry leaders, including mezzo-soprano
Joyce Castle
, librettist
Michael Korie
, composer
John Musto
, bass-baritone
Eric Owens
, composer
Caroline Shaw
and stage director
Tazewell Thompson
Opera Fund
was launched by The National Endowment for the Arts, and is funded by The Helen F. Whitaker Fund, Lee Day Gillespie, Lloyd and Mary Ann Gerlach, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation.
Opera Fund: Repertoire Development Grants were awarded to the projects of these nine opera companies:
American Lyric Theater
(provisional title) by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek
In November 2014, American Lyric Theater and Fort Worth Opera (FWO) will collaborate on a developmental workshop and public reading of the complete piano-vocal score of
(working title), a new opera by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek.
is a full-length opera being developed for the 70
anniversary season of FWO in the spring of 2016. Reflecting a significant moment in American history, the opera will tell the story of the lives and relationships of those connected to the 35th President of the United States, with a focus on their moments in Fort Worth the morning before his fateful trip to Dallas.
Beth Morrison Projects
Aging Magician
by Paola Prestini and Rinde Eckert
Aging Magician
is a composite of sonic and visual elements that paints the fading world of a man approaching the end of his life. The man's vibrant last adventure is brought to life by a team of multi-disciplinary artists who combine music, theater, puppetry, instrument making and scenic design to create an enduring work for the stage. In partnership with VisionIntoArt, Beth Morrison Projects will use this grant to support year-long residency at Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan and later a technical residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
Houston Grand Opera
by Carlisle Floyd
Houston Grand Opera is commissioning a new work from Carlisle Floyd, titled
. Based on the stage play
Compleat Female Stage Beauty
by Jeffrey Hatcher, the opera tells the story of Edward Kynaston, the last of the boy players who played women's roles onstage during the period of the Restoration in England. The opera follows Kynaston's life from the height of his fame to his downfall after King Charles II's proclamation allowing women to appear onstage.
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Bel Canto
by Jimmy López and Nilo Cruz
Lyric Opera of Chicago will hold five days of workshops over a two-week period in the summer of 2014. These workshops will involve the entire
Bel Canto
creative team, including the composer Jimmy López and librettist Nilo Cruz, as well as creative consultant Renée Fleming, conductor Sir Andrew Davis and stage director Kevin Newbury. Adapted from the Ann Patchett novel of the same title, the work is inspired by the Lima Crisis of 1996-1997, when members of a revolutionary movement in Peru held hostages at the Japanese ambassador's house for 126 days. Central to the story is the fictional famed American soprano, Roxanne Coss. Like the novel, the opera will explore the tensions and unexpected alliances that develop when a group of culturally disparate strangers — the terrorists and their hostages — are confined in close quarters for months.
Metropolitan Opera
Blizzard on Marblehead Neck
by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner
The Metropolitan Opera plans to expand the one-act opera,
Blizzard on Marblehead Neck
by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner, into a full-length, two-act opera. Originally premiered at The Glimmerglass Festival in August 2011, the work portrays a fight between an ailing Eugene O'Neill and his wife, Carlotta, during a raging snowstorm. Tesori and Kushner will further develop this story to encompass more elements of the couple's tempestuous relationship during the last years of O'Neill's life, as he faced the realization that he could not complete his final masterpieces.
Opera Philadelphia
Charlie Parker
by Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette Wimberly
Charlie Parker
is a co-commission and co-production between Opera Philadelphia and Gotham Chamber Opera, which will have its world premiere in June 2015 in Philadelphia. Written by composer Daniel Schnyder and librettist Bridgette Wimberly, the opera tells the story of legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, who will be portrayed by renowned American tenor Lawrence Brownlee.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Shalimar the Clown
by Jack Perla and Rajiv Joseph
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has planned two week-long workshops in the Sally S. Levy Opera Center for
Shalimar the Clown
, written by Jack Perla and Rajiv Joseph. Based on the Salman Rushdie novel, the work will premiere in June 2016 as part of the company's spring festival season. Rushdie's novel was a finalist for the 2005 Whitbread Book Awards, and has been described as "Rushdie's greatest novel since
The Satanic Verses
" by the
Los Angeles Times
. The opera will tell a complex story of seduction, revenge, cultural clashes and shifting global politics.
San Francisco Opera
Dream of the Red Chamber
by Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang
San Francisco Opera has commissioned a new opera, titled
Dream of the Red Chamber
, from composer Bright Sheng and librettist David Henry Hwang to premiere in fall 2016. Based on the Chinese novel of the same title, the company has planned a piano-vocal workshop in September 2015. In two acts, the opera unfolds within the red walls of the Grand Panorama Garden or Red Chamber. "Red Chamber" usually refers to a room where the daughter of a prominent family is sheltered.
Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center
An American Soldier
by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang
As part of the American Opera Initiative, Washington National Opera will workshop
An American Soldier
by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang in March 2014. The work is based on the life of Danny Chen, a Chinese-American U.S. Army soldier who served in Afghanistan. A victim of racial slurs, verbal abuse and physical assaults from members of his own unit, Chen was found with gunshot wounds in a guard tower in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, and passed away soon after on October 3, 2011.
Excerpts of select works that have received support from OPERA America will be showcased at the
New Works Sampler
at OPERA America's
Opera Conference 2014: Audiences Reimagined
, in San Francisco from June 20-23. Additional information about the New Works Sampler will be available at
in spring 2014.
For more information about OPERA America and its services,
OPERA America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.
Artistic services help opera companies and creative and performing artists to improve the quality of productions and increase the creation and presentation of North American works.
Information, technical, and administrative services to opera companies reflect the need for strengthened leadership among staff, trustees and volunteers.
Education, audience development and community services are designed to enhance all forms of opera appreciation.
Founded in 1970, OPERA America's worldwide membership network includes nearly 200 Company Members, 300 Associate and Business Members, 2,000 Individual Members and more than 16,000 subscribers to the association's electronic news service. In 2005, OPERA America relocated from Washington, D.C. to New York as the first step in creating the first-ever National Opera Center. With a wide range of artistic and administrative services in a purpose-built facility, the Opera Center is dedicated to increasing the level of excellence, creativity and effectiveness across the field.
OPERA America's long tradition of supporting and nurturing the creation and development of new works led to the formation of
The Opera Fund
, a growing endowment which allows OPERA America to make a direct impact on the ongoing creation and presentation of new opera and music-theater works. Since its inception, OPERA America has made grants of nearly $11 million to assist companies with the expenses associated with the creation and development of new works.


text:
What: US vs. Slovenia, Group C, Matchday 2
When: Friday, 10 a.m. ET
Where: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
TV: ESPN, Univisión
England are out of the way, but now comes the hard part. After earning what amounted to a dream start to the World Cup with a hard-fought draw against the Three Lions, the US are in an unfamiliar role in their second match: favorites. And that's not all it's cracked up to be.
Think back to big games the US was supposed to win at recent World Cups. Iran in 1998. Poland in 2002. Ghana in 2006. All three disappointing losses. Even within CONCACAF, the Americans classically have trouble with teams they're supposed to beat. And in Slovenia they get an unpleasant taste of their own medicine: a team that is happy to absorb pressure and wait for its chances to counterattack.
But it gets more complicated. If the US can grab a win in this match, they'll take a big step toward advancing to the knockout rounds. But if they don't? Slovenia are in the driver's seat of Group C after their opening win over Algeria, and it's a pretty solid bet England will also beat the stuffing out of the Algerians later on Friday.
If the US lose this game, it's big, big trouble. As Landon Donovan put it earlier this week, "In all likelihood, if we lose Friday, we're out of the tournament – that's the reality of the situation."
Thankfully for the US, they won't have to worry about slowing three world-beating players at once, as they did against England. That means Bob Bradley can open up his team to attack a little more, which will be a necessity given that Slovenia don't need to go on the offensive.
Does that mean Bradley will shuffle the deck a little? It's possible. The Michael Bradley-Ricardo Clark central midfield duo was effective in its ball-winning duties against England, but the US may need more finesse to manufacture a goal. That could open the door for a more offensive-minded central mid like José Francisco Torres or Benny Feilhaber.
Should the US need to press, Bradley can also utilize a speedy winger like Stuart Holden, or perhaps an attack-minded fullback like Jonathan Spector or Jonathan Bornstein. Up front, Bradley could replace the speedy Robbie Findley with a banger like Edson Buddle.
In any case, the challenge remains: Figure out a way to score a goal, and make sure the Slovenians don't use the counterattack to beat the US at their own game.
There may not be a more disciplined, organized underdog at this World Cup than Matjaz Kek's men. Slovenia allowed only four goals through 10 games of European qualifying, then famously shut down the potent Russian attack in the playoffs to earn a stunning berth in South Africa.
Slovenia hasn't a single star player that will bowl you over with dazzling highlight-reel moments, but they play a solid, steady game and show incredible patience – which will frustrate any team that doesn't take them seriously.
"We are mindful of the fact that a daunting challenge lies ahead of us," Kek said at Thursday's prematch press conference. "We respect the United States, but we do not stand in awe of them and we are not afraid of them."
Key Players
United States: Landon Donovan. Obvious? Maybe. The all-time leading scorer in US national team history played much deeper against England, tasked with helping hold off Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Against Slovenia, he'll return to the offensive third. Look for him to be hungry and take chances of his own, especially in finding passing lanes against the tight Slovenians.
Slovenia: Robert Koren. The West Brom centeral midfielder isn't only the captain. He is, as Bradley said, "the engine of their team." In a game where everyone needs to stay compact, Slovenia will look toward their leader to stay organized.
Final Analysis
The US didn't need a result against England, but they got one. Now, it's absolutely crucial they get another one. Donovan & Co. will have to push forward and take some risks, which may leave them exposed. The letdown from that England draw is also a worry, but you have to believe Bradley has kept his troops grounded enough to understand that if they win, they'll move on. There's no greater motivation than that.


text:
SQLAT is a suite of tools which could be usefull for pentesting a MS SQL Server. The tools are still in development but tend to be quite stable.
The tools do dictionary attacks, upload files, read registry and dump the SAM. They do this by wrapping extended stored procedures. There is also a tool for doing a minimal analysis of a SQL Server with output as HTML. You need to be 'sa' to run some of the tools, but this usually isn't a problem.
The tool temporarily restores the xp_cmdshell if it is removed and the dll is still left on the system.
SQLAT is based on the freetds library and as of version 1.0.6 supports NTLM integrated login. It does not do named pipes yet.
FreeTDS http://www.freetds.org
Pwdump2 http://razor.bindview.com/tools/files/pwdump2.zip
1.0.6 -> Applied patches from Eric Augustus + altered code in order to work with freetds 0.62.x
1.1.0 -> Applied even more patches from Eric Augustus + made some minor changes
Version 1.1.0 source sqlat-src-1.1.0.tar.gz
SQL Auditing Tools (SQLAT) were developed by Patrik Karlsson.


text:
He hopes to inspire other kids through Super Shot's tales of courage and strength.
Oh, no. It's the evil monster, The Virus, who draws his power from sick people and stops them from getting treatment. Here comes the invincible doctor, Dr. Shrink, and his sidekick Super Shot – the boy with cancer – ready to fight this villain and bring the town back to health.
Luke as always turned to comic books for entertainment and inspiration. The valiant superheroes continue to revive his courageous spirit. And Luke has definitely needed the strength.
Born with a heart defect, Luke underwent open-heart surgery when he was only five days old. When his doctors estimated a 20 percent chance of survival it became obvious Luke already had superhero strength as this infant overcame those odds and thrived.
But Luke's hero cape was needed again three years later when he was diagnosed with leukemia – another life-threatening medical condition. Never fear, Luke's comic book characters come to the rescue. During his chemotherapy Luke tapped into his creativity thinking up stories and sketching characters for comics.
Upon meeting his Make-A-Wish® Middle Tennessee volunteers, Luke already knew his one true wish: to create an original comic book to share with other kids.
"I wanted to help kids understand they shouldn't be scared of doctors," Luke says.
Thanks to the wish team and its sponsors, Luke and his family are off to New York to visit the Marvel Comics headquarters. There, Luke shows his sketches to professional comic artist Ryan Dunlavey. Together they develop the characters and storyline for the comic book.
Dr. Shrink, Super Shot and The Virus are brought to life. The original comic book Super Shot is created.
Luke wants Dr. Shrink's character to show the kids that doctors aren't trying to hurt them, but to save them. He hopes to inspire other children through Super Shot's tales of superhero courage and strength as it inspired him, keeping them positive and ready to fight – like his character Super Shot.
I might be sick, but life's not over and I'll never stop fighting!
Share this quote
Super Shot
This story makes me feel
November 05, 2019
This is such a sweet story. I loved it! While i was reading his story, i almost wanted to cry because it's so sweet. I wish great hope for this boy! His story is truly amazing!
April 05, 2011 - 7:36 AM
This story breaks my heart. I'm so glad this boy had his wish come true, and what a great wish!
October 16, 2011 - 11:29 AM
June 25, 2012 - 11:25 AM
Ben's wish is inspiring because it was selfless and – Ben is a philanthropist.
Patricia Wilson
We just felt so honored that above anything she could have wished for … she chose animation …
Howy, director of Dave the Barbarian
A wish is a powerful thing ... I completely underestimated it.
Grace's mom
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text:
Struggling Cities and the Promise of Inclusive Competitiveness
Entrepreneurs are busy in our increasingly multicultural urban landscape, but they're not creating many jobs. That could change if we invested in them.
When Detroit filed for municipal bankruptcy, no one seemed surprised. After all, dozens of cities across the nation are seeking to stave off financial disaster. Yet Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder expressed optimism that the bankruptcy process will produce "a stronger, better Detroit and a format to grow the city."
Indeed, governors and mayors across America are likely cheering for a quick rebound for the Motor City and watching closely to see how it responds to this economic crisis. And there is good news for the salvation of many struggling metropolitan areas in census data: Rapid growth in entrepreneurship is occurring among the nation's black and Hispanic populations -- 60 and 44 percent, respectively, from 2002-2007. In Detroit, the growth among black entrepreneurs over the same time period was 71 percent, more than four times the national average.
Those numbers, unfortunately, don't paint the whole picture. Detroit, with a black population of more than 80 percent comprising about a quarter of the region's population, produces less than 2 percent of the gross regional product. All of that growth of black entrepreneurship has failed to attract the kind of investment that would stimulate significant job creation.
What is becoming clear to many is that the historically segregated foundation upon which the 21st-century private-equity investment ecosystem was built is an obsolete base for global competitiveness in today's multicultural paradigm, America's historic economic apartheid has been the norm for so long that it may be our largest economic blind spot. Yet it may also point the way to a sustainable solution.
America needs a new economic religion. As more cities move toward increasingly multicultural populations, they are confronted with a similar, unrelenting challenge: the need for demographics-driven economic inclusion and competitiveness.
Cleveland faces common challenges with Detroit. It's exploring the visionary framework of "inclusive competitiveness" -- policies and practices that improve the performance of diverse populations in innovation ecosystems, clusters and emerging industry sectors -- advocated by the framework's architect, Johnathan Holifield.
As part of a group of regional thought leaders at the turn of the century, Holifield helped Cincinnati develop its thriving technology-based innovation ecosystem when he launched CincyTech. Now Holifield, co-founder of the America21 Project, leads the strategic thinking around economic inclusion at NorTech, a technology-based economic-development powerhouse guiding economic cluster development strategies in 21 northeast Ohio counties.
Holifield's vision of inclusive competitiveness was key to helping regional leaders grasp the challenges they face: A June 2012 report produced by PolicyBridge in collaboration with Cleveland State University, documented that 20 percent of the northeast Ohio population was contributing less than 2 percent to the overall gross regional product.
Promising leadership action has emerged in response to the challenges described in the PolicyBridge report. An Inclusion Committee and a Core Cities Subcommittee, for example, were added to the Fund for Our Economic Future's Regional Economic Competitiveness Strategy effort to ensure that inclusion is prioritized. And inclusive-competitiveness concepts and objectives were incorporated into the Fund's report, "What Matters to Metros," which examines 115 metropolitan areas while focusing specifically on northeast Ohio.
With the White House leading the way, initiatives targeting technology inclusion and economic competitiveness are accelerating. Inclusive competitiveness is not just a vision that may offer economic salvation for Cleveland, Detroit and other struggling cities and regions. It could also be a foundational framework for the global economic competitiveness of a multicultural America throughout the 21st century.


text:
Equipment Zaylor Midi Wrap Skirt
Free Delivery
Equipment was born out of the ready-to-wear fashion world of the '70s: minimalist, menswear-inspired designs for the modern woman. Relaunched in 2010, the label has kept true to its roots, crafting simple yet sophisticated tops, dresses and more out of the finest silk, cashmere and cotton. Clean silhouettes, feminine accents and an array of prints keep pieces timeless yet fresh.


text:
SAN DIEGO — Yes, it happened.
But, what just happened?
Pinch yourself. It wasn't a delusional dream featuring Snow White and Clint Black. It was all manner of color and brightness, magic and wonder. The score still is the same Tuesday morning as it was Monday night.
Broncos 35, Chargers 24.
The Broncos put on a surreality show before a national TV audience.
A team looking for its identity discovered it in the second half by scoring five touchdowns — three on Peyton Manning passes, two by the defense — and holding the Chargers scoreless.
Just as everyone, including this witness in Qual-calmed Stadium, was preparing to diss the Broncos and dump the season, the Broncos found a way to win and a chance to make this a celebrated season.
The Broncos were half bad, half miraculous.
The largest man-made excavation in the world was the Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah. Until Monday night's game. The Broncos dug themselves a much deeper hole but found a way to climb out.
Before a stadium with thousands of Broncos loyalists crammed in among the Chargers faithful, the Broncos fumbled a punt away, fumbled a kickoff away, suffered a pratfall on a pass reception run for a touchdown, threw an interception, had mix-ups, flare-ups, put-downs and breakdowns. It all led to the Chargers having a 24-0 halftime lead.
It should have been worse.
In six games this season the Broncos have been outscorerd 98-42 through the first two quarters. Only in the game against the Raiders did the Broncos have the advantage at halftime, and it wasn't much — 10-6. The Broncos did stretch it out in the third quarter.
But, as they did in New England, the Broncos came out like zombies.
This was really hideous. The Broncos looked like the worst team in the NFL as the Chargers cruised to three touchdowns, one off a Manning interception when his receiver took the wrong route. San Diego appeared in total control. Even when the Broncos had a special play — on a wide-open deep ball by Manning — Eric Decker was running alone when he looked as if he had tripped over a wire. So much for a touchdown. At halftime coach John Fox produced the greatest halftime speech since Knute Rockne, or a genie appeared from a bottle and granted the Broncos about a dozen wishes.
Right out of the tunnel Manning led the Broncos to their first touchdown.
Get out the shovels.
There seemed to be a better chance of frogs flying from the sky than the Broncos coming back.
Look up for toads.
Philip Rivers was transformed in a mere mortal at quarterback — and ended up throwing four interceptions, and he had lost two fumbles.
The Orange crushed him.
Everything that could go right for the Broncos did — from backup safety Jim Leonhard taking away a pass from San Diego's taller Antonio Gates — to Manning completing one of those sensational third-and-long passes for a first down to an interception return for a touchdown here to a fumble return for a touchdown there.
The Chargers, like the wicked witch, just melted in front of the Broncos. By game's end, the only people left in the stadium were wearing orange.
"You can't play two quarters of ball," the Chargers' Eric Weddle said.
Tell that to the Broncos, who got away with it.
Cornerback Chris Harris, who replaced the ill Tracy Porter in the starting lineup, had two interceptions. Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller were Doom & Gloom for Rivers, combining for three sacks and plenty of pressure. But the most important aspect was the Broncos transforming into beauty from beastly. People who shut down their TVs on the East Coast are not going to comprehend what happened.
What happened, Chargers safety Atari Bigby? "They made more plays than we did in the second half. … For some reason in the second half the game flipped on us, and it didn't go the way we wanted it to go."
You think? The Chargers went from being in control of the AFC West with a victory to being tied with the Broncos, and having the return meeting in Denver later.
Because the Broncos went from the abyss of a hole to a whole new world.


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