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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tee-Ball Mentality
My step-father often talks about the "tee-ball mentality." Everyone gets a turn at bat, everyone gets a hit, and everyone gets to be told they're special, no matter how well they do. I experienced this first hand growing up. I have absolutely terrible hand-eye coordination. I never could hit the ball off the tee. Yet it took about ten minutes of me swinging and missing or swinging and hitting the tee instead of the ball for them to take me off the field, making the whole team wait for their turn.
How does this translate to the discussion of elitism? It's the idea that there is no "wrong" or "bad," which makes being an elitist (or even being perceived as elitist) equivalent to being scum. I was very, very bad at tee ball, but no one would say anything because I was five or six years old and it would have made me cry. Instead, they just let me embarrass myself every game until I was allowed to stop playing.
When I join a group, I expect that the people I am grouped with are spec'd and geared appropriately for their class and have an idea of what they're doing. If they're new to the encounter, that's fine. Boss strats and trash pulls can be explained during the course of the instance. However, you cannot "fix" someone's gear/gem/talent choices in the middle of a raid. And how often must you die to the same thing, receive the same warnings, and be coached through a process before it is determined that there is something wrong?
Some people may say expecting a certain talent setup is elitist. It goes with asking for "cookie cutter" specs and setups. However, cookie cutters tend to be cookie cutters for a reason; they are the most optimal build (with some leeway depending on gear and focus). Messing with a cookie cutter can be innovative, possibly, and if you can prove there is value behind it in both words and performance, then you are set and fine. And there is some truth to the knowledge that it isn't all a DPS or healing race, but it can be a marker of how well you're contributing. As well, cookie cutters tend to make more allowances for mistakes, as generally a mistake in an optimal build will not be as much of a detriment in a build already lacking optimization.
For certain classes, there are one or two trees optimized for PvE and one that, while doing well, is not the best choice. For example, the Hunter class. While Beast Mastery used to output the highest DPS, now higher-end guilds expect their hunters to be either MM or Survival, with possibly a dual spec so they can have both. Beast Mastery has been relegated to a sort of gimmick fight, like Yogg-Saron without keepers, where your pet is doing more steady DPS than your hunter (who must constantly be turning away), and burst DPS shines. So, when accepting an applicant for a serious raiding guild, the BM hunter would be turned down in favor of a Survival or Marksman. This could seem "elitist," but guilds pushing hardmodes, server firsts and progression races want their groups to be min-maxed to the extreme.
But if it's a PUG raid or instance, or a less rigidly defined guild? The BM hunter can happily take a ranged DPS spot and do well. But, if they have not optimized their build, it almost counts as two strikes against them. PUGs are not the smoothest of runs, historically, and having along a non-hit capped MM hunter wearing Spellpower mail is much more likely to get the boot than a BM hunter whose pet didn't aggro the next trash wave because it was on passive. Is this elitist? No. If you're not contributing, you're dragging everyone down with you.
Now we should probably talk about "what right do other people have to critique my gear/spec/gemming?" And it kind of depends, really. Are you standing around in Dalaran minding your own business, when someone randomly whispers you to tell you that your gem choices are wrong and it would be most optimal to go this way? Well, it would depend on your mood and whether they're right or not. That one is your affair. But in an instance or guild? I feel every member has every right to discuss another's spec or gear or spell choices (in a non-aggressive, non-insulting manner), or their boss strategy. Why? Because if you are "doing it wrong," then you are not just hurting your own performance. You're hurting the performance of others. PUGs would run a whole lot smoother, bosses would die a lot faster, and people would get a lot more loot if everyone was a bit better at doing what they signed up to do. And, yes, when you accept an invite into a group or raid as a certain spec, you are signing up for a role, and it is expected you should perform.
I could possibly be considered "elitist," in some ways. I try to take things in stride, but I cringe when I see weird or incorrect specs. Like the 0/71/0 Frost DK who tried to tank Sartharion and couldn't hold a lick of threat, my tolerance has a limit, and there becomes a point where it is possible for you to just be bad. Inexperience, I can handle. I have gently coached both friends and strangers through encounters they had never seen before, helped people with rotations and spec choices, made them glyphs and directed them to websites for more information. But willful ignorance or stupid choices that are repeated consistently, with perhaps a glaring lack of insight of class mechanics at 80? Ouch.
Everyone has their limit. When the Resto Druid who is running Nexus with you stands in front of the dragon in multiple attempts (after being informed that this is a Bad Idea), and does not shift out of chains so they don't stack their debuff, and pulls trash multiple times during the instance because instead of staying in already cleared hallways, they find it more prudent to run into the uncleared room to heal from a distance, there comes a point where you just break and you mentally categorize these people as "bad." Whether it's bad at situational awareness, bad at gear choice, bad at optimization or bad at understanding "this is your role, please play it," there are, in actuality, people bad at the game. Whether or not they can improve is not the issue, it is that they are, at that point, bad. And if you point it out...
This seems to instantly make you the bad guy, if you bring this up. It's a game, bro. Chillax. We're all here to have fun. I, personally, cannot have fun with more than a few wipes on content that should not be being wiped on. I can understand a learning curve. But at what point am I allowed to tell someone "What you are doing is wrong. What you have been doing is wrong. Stop. Being. Wrong." without being a nerd-raging jerk who takes the game way too seriously? My gaming enjoyment is being affected by your terrible choices, yet me imposing a more correct, studied, optimal way is often seen as much more diabolical. This is the "tee-ball mentality." Everyone gets their chance to hold up the team by swinging the bat awkwardly and wildly, and how dare you make any insinuations that perhaps they are not doing it right.
Do not misunderstand me, there is true elitism. When you exclude people because of inexperience, or because their gear makes the requirements but does not exceed them (so you'll have to slow this Naxx down just a bit), or when you laugh at their lack of achievements, then that's elitism. When someone isn't given the chance to show you why they chose a certain spec or why that they can succeed despite their detriments is elitism. Expecting someone to come to a raid in a spec appropriate for what they will be doing, in gear properly itemized and gemmed and a decent understanding of their class mechanics is not being elitist.
As well, "casual" has nothing to do with being "bad." There are plenty of serious raiders who do things badly. A person can be a casual and still optimize themselves during their time of play. Saying "hey man, I only play this game two hours a day" is no excuse to hop into a pug and pull 900 DPS at level 80, just the same as "my main's in the top guild on the server" is no excuse, either. If you cannot contribute properly, you are hurting other people's game time and enjoyment, and you are probably being carried. Though I tend not to speak like this generally as it sounds conceited, I have carried groups through instances and helped carry in raids. It is Not Fun. Not at all. It is frustrating and stressful.
Sometimes there are circumstances that actually necessitate elitism. Le gasp! But it's true. If you're working on One Light in the Darkness, it's probable you won't include anyone, no matter how epic they are, that has not at the very least killed Yogg before. It's perfectly acceptable to turn away someone who is, perhaps, geared enough for the encounter because they lack experience. That person may have contributed well, they may have been able to pick it up, but it's not worth it for those who have taken the time to learn the mechanics to bring them in and hope they can catch up.
Recently, on Vigilant's application forums, there was a rogue applicant. He was given a set of questions about certain choices for gear he had made. He itemized in an odd way, and suggestions were made that could increase his DPS by increments of 20 to 70 DPS. He adamantly refused to go with what he saw as "minimal" upgrades so he could play his way, while stating that this was the way he did max DPS on the boss. Our guild rogues run multiple spreadsheets constantly to check gear and DPS outputs, experiment with specs and gem choices. They are open to suggestion, but when someone is saying something wrong (did you know, you can be wrong in playing the game!), and there is intense melee competition in a guild, they will get turned down. And so he was, both for his insistence on gimping his own DPS as well as his attitude. No, we'd never seen him play, but he showed to us he wasn't worth the investing the time to do so.
Is my guild elitist? Definitely. Do we have to be at times? Definitely. Do we exclude people without experience or gear? Definitely not. If we did, I never would have gotten in. But we require the min-maxing and research necessary for downing hardmodes, and it is clearly stated that this is necessary for invitation. If we were a casual guild, the guy probably would have gotten in. He had epic gems and was fully enchanted, had good DPS (by his admission, anyway) and was available at raid times. But the top end raiding guilds have to be elitist to continue pushing server firsts and hardmodes. It is what their guild is designed to do, it's what the members want to do, and so the elitism is warranted.
WoW is, all things considered, a highly social game. You have to realize that when you interact with a group, your gaming enjoyment is not an isolated entity. By interacting with others, you become connected to their enjoyment. Low or slow DPS, inefficient healing, lack of awareness, or a chaotic spec can quickly irritate or stress the people around you because they have to pick up the slack. WoW is not tee-ball, and I don't expect people to wait around while I swing futilely at a ball I can't hit for hours on end. Is it fair that I should have to wait for others?
Elitism has its place, even if you may not necessarily like it. It isn't always good, and can be wielded inappropriately. But many things would be impossible without it. Without it, would there be any incentive to stop walloping the tee instead of the ball?
14 comments:
- @valkyrierisen said...
I'm cheering and screaming in fan-girl-gasms. Really. And somehow I will not post this to my guild forums, where I've been made out to be the "bitch" and the "elitist" because I expect people I group with in Ulduar to play well. /sigh
- August 20, 2009 at 9:44 AM
What you are saying is basically, you expect competence in play, gear choices and gems/enchants/glyphs. That would be true of any raiding guild taking in someone for their raid team.
Your guild, due to their position and their desire to keep that position, needs more than that... They need the MOST competent players with the gear to match.
a few weeks when you applied to Vigilant, you knew you had to have the best stuff... so you re-gemmed, re-enchanted and put yourself in prime condition for the application process. You knew you had to be at your peak for serious consideration.
If I were ever to apply to our Vigilant-equivalent, Drow, you bet I'd be looking at their resto druids on the armory, checking them out and comparing them to what I had before I ever put the app in. They are the best for a reason, after all.
Too bad this guy wasnt flexible enough to think that way... he might have become a good raid member if he had. And you are right, rejecting someone on that basis is not elitism. A guild like Vigilant demands the best and will only accept that. ::grinning and clapping Bell on the arm::
- August 20, 2009 at 10:37 AM
- Jong said...
What a scrubbish rogue.
I didn't know you got into the guild. Belated grats! Hope you fun running with them.
- August 20, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Everyone has thier level of play and style. I respect those who want to be in these cutting edge guilds and explore the content as thoroughly as possible.
I do believe you're claim here is correct; in that to participate in such activities you're by default elitist.
While I've appreciated and learned from some of your advice on being a resto druid here, as a result of this particular article I'm dropping this site from my RSS feed and daily visit.
The ego that comes with elitism is something I refuse to tolerate in my method of game enjoyment. I won't fool myself into ever even thinking I'd raid with a guild such as yours and thankfully both your guild and I would be completely okay with that.
Resto Druid
- August 20, 2009 at 12:07 PM
- Bell said...
@valkyrie - I'm sorry you've been stamped that way for asking for people to play well. It can really suck. Glad you enjoyed the post, though!
@Kayeri - flatterer
@Jong - there is apparently a lot you don't know about me! :P
@Anonymous/Treecaller - I would like to think I keep my ego relatively in check; if I thought I was the best of the best, I'd have no reason to improve. I wish you all the luck in your continued WoW playing, and I hope other Druid blogs are more to your taste. :)
- August 20, 2009 at 12:18 PM
- Hana said...
For the most part I agree with the post, especially when it comes to raiding, but when I'm pugging 5-mans (or an easy raid instance) I care less.
Not everyone is going to research a spec online. It involves a time investment outside of the game itself. As a raider it's a necessity. But for the person who plays infrequently the thought of reading up on a build might involve a trip to GameFAQs at best.
All I ask for a pug is someone to be competant, and depending on the level of difficulty of the instance/raid the competancy bar moves up or down (competancy being a combination of gear and ability to play). For a heroic, the competency level is relatively low. As long as they can follow instructions and do decent dps/healing/tanking it doesn't endanger the group it doesn't matter to me if their spec isn't cookie cutter.
- August 20, 2009 at 1:11 PM
How about people who, will being really good at playing their class, aren't good players overall? I have had so many groups lately (not all PUGs, my guildies keep pulling this too) where we're clearing trash in a heroic and all of a sudden... two DPSers are afk. At best you get a "be right back" and maybe it's true. Or mana users who refuse to drink between trash fights and so go OOM and start wanding. Look, I get that honeymint tea costs gold. That's why I run my dailies. I don't complain about re-applying GotW every time you wipe us.
Or being smart enough to figure out kill order without the icons? You know how much damage you do, you should be able to tell if you're the only DPS'r on a mob. It makes the healer's job way easier when you drop the mobs 1-2-3-4 rather than all at once (and I'm not talking about AOE damage, just single target DPSers who don't play right)
Look, I know how DPS-ing instances goes. I have a mage that I love dearly who never gets to come out because the only time I get to run heroics is if I'm healing. It's not that hard. Don't stand in the fire, don't pull aggro, don't wander off to talk to your mom halfway through without telling us!
Resto Druid
- August 20, 2009 at 2:44 PM
- Alaron said...
Hah! A /vent post cleverly disguised as inventive commentary! :)
Well, /signed, obviously, but I imagine the average WoW blog-reading person isa a bit above the norm, so I don't think you'll get a lot of disagreement. Unfortunately, WOW by itself doesn't give you a lot of tools to teach you how to improve, so many people still have never had that lightbulb moment (I can find out WOW stuff OUTSIDE the game?!?!).
You've inspired me to make my own post on this on my blog. I'll link it here in a bit.
- August 20, 2009 at 3:10 PM
- Alaron said...
Posted my response at http://thefluiddruid.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/standards-vs-elitism/
- August 20, 2009 at 8:35 PM
All good points.
It breaks my little healer's heart when I get called up to PuG some 80s through H ToC - and the DKs still have that 'new-80' smell. Just because it's WoW's latest loot pinata doesn't mean it should be top of your to-do list after the big ding. Especially if you have never done a Northrend instance before. And even more especially, if you won't admit to not knowing the fights.
I am always happy to point things out (like run out after the first bosses dismount) but I can't explain things to players who adamantly tell me they know the fights. Even after they get lost coming in. And don't know where to find a lance. And wonder where their action bar suddenly went. By which point you've already started and you may as well finish it.
Because if you bail (even after the numerous wipes on the same fights for simple reasons like tanks without threat, or DPS not targeting the tank's target) YOU are the bad guy. You're the jerk, the bitch, the prima donna, the elitist funsucker who hurt some DKs feelings.
On the plus side - those people will never ask you to heal, ever ever again.
Resto Drood
- August 20, 2009 at 10:22 PM
I would say your spot on here.
Vigilant manages it's necessary elitism very well. I had applied at another high end raiding guild about half a year before I apped at Vigilant. The two experiences where quite different and I was talking about this same topic just the other day with a friend.
The other guild was by no means "wrong" in their approach and I was/am not angry at them or anything like that, it was just interesting to see the two guilds approaches.
The other guild was very quick to reply and ask questions but they knocked back people much quicker and more often. If there were too many of a certain class or the persons gear was not up to scratch they got the DECLINE.
When I apped at Vigilant (admittedly more prepared) I expected them to be harsher than or at least as harsh as they are the top ally guild.
Not the case.
While they had no problems knocking back people who didn't make the cut for the reasons Bell outlined, they did not decline people based on current numbers of that class. Instead the app was given an honest warning that their class/role was full and that joining would mean competing for a raid spot. This to me makes so much sense. Competition breeds excellence. Also, people whose gear was not up to par BUT was gemmed, enchanted correctly were given the opportunity to explain their choices and with Bell as a perfect example, join the guild anyway.
The elitism displayed by Vigilant's app process is very well managed and results in a fair go for any competent players to prove themselves and excel. I think this is a good example of where elitism is necessary BUT fair. The word does not always need to inspire negative connotations.
- August 20, 2009 at 11:46 PM
- Bell said...
@Hana - I think it's important to do well when you're pugging because you still are having an impact on others' enjoyment. I do not set the bar quite so high (basically, if you are doing decent DPS, if we are not dying, no mob is hitting me in the face, and you're getting out of the fire, you're fine) but I believe there is still a bar. So I think we agree on requiring competence.
@Metaphor - Being good at your class and not being able to survive or taxing the healers/tanks/other DPS is just as bad. I was in an OS 25 with a hunter who demanded I heal him through lava walls because then he could do DPS on the boss. He was pretty close to top DPS too. But I refused to heal him. Why? Well, for one thing, he never tried to dodge. For another, we were doing OS 25 with only three healers. I had to prioritize, and he just wasn't worth it.
@Alaron - actually, I'm not venting here. It's a topic I've been thinking about for a while, and though you might not be able to tell, I worked off and on with this post for over a week before posting it. I'll be glad to read your view on this!
@Anonymous/Verdian - Heroic ToC is the one place I dread pugging. There is the wipe on the first pull, the not turning away on Eadric the Pure, the attacking of the Confessor when the memory is up, the standing in exploding ghouls or poison muck or what have you. It's still surmountable, but man if it isn't hair-pulling painful.
@Thedoctorr - I couldn't agree more. That's why, even though it seemed a long shot, I chose Vigilant to app to.
- August 21, 2009 at 8:06 AM
- ArchDruid Angela said...
What you say about casual and bad being different things is completely true. I have played with several people who are really good at their class, but don't have loads of time to spend in game, and their gear and achievements reflect this. In contrast I have played with people who obviously spend a lot of time in game, and have the best gear money & grinding can get them, and are still completely clueless.
I don't PUG much anymore, but when I do, I always have to keep my fingers crossed to avoid the people you have described in your post... we all know the type!
- August 27, 2009 at 11:36 AM
- Tittertot said...
Good read
- September 2, 2009 at 3:31 AM


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The process of shoving a flashlight, the brighter the better, into a female's vagina. Once the flashlight is inserted correctly the flashlight is tunred on. This will create a Jack-o-lantern effect. This can also be done with a strobe light for a different effect.
My girlfriend and I were so drunk and horny after the halloween party, so I decided to give her the Jack-o-lantern
by HDpanhead1891 November 09, 2010

subset: commoncrawl


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The anthrax vaccine now licensed was developed to protect workers against skin disease from anthrax spores in animal fur. The spores are more deadly when inhaled. Scientists disagree over how effective the vaccine is against inhaled anthrax, and whether antibiotics can work just as well.
- Anthrax spores enter the lungs, with the finest particles penetrating the deepest. As they enter the lungs, the spores are dormant. But they germinate into the bacterial form, bacillus anthracis, once inside the lung.
- At this point, the body's immune system begins attacking the spores. Some are killed, but others can get to lymph nodes and other parts of the body to develop further. Antibiotics can help the body defeat the infection at this point. Proponents of the vaccine say experiments with animals show that the vaccine can work here too. Testing on humans has never been done.
- Bacteria inside the body continues to breed and multiply, producing toxins that cause tissue damage, fluid buildup and hemorrhaging. Unless all anthrax spores are killed, they continue to multiply. Proponents of the vaccine say that's why antibiotics alone might not do the job.


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By KATE MCCARTHY
Special to the News
The Treasure
The Mt. Hood summit held recently at Timberline Lodge was an inspirational gathering of people seeking a vision for Mt. Hood, Oregon's much loved icon. "Save the mountain from over-development" seemed the overwhelming sentiment from the audience, according to their comments.
Alpine areas are rare in Oregon, and Mt. Hood is the only glaciated mountain in the Mount Hood National Forest. To many, the mountain in its natural state is one of Oregon's greatest treasures.
With five ski areas on its slopes, more than any other mountain in the United States, Mt. Hood's resources are already overstressed. Skiing, snowboarding, and developed recreation already have their fair share of the mountain. Enough is enough.
The Spin
Mt. Hood Meadows' propagandists would have us believe that the company is environmentally sensitive, wants what is best for the community, and can successfully develop an "ecologically friendly" resort added to the existing burden of commercial interests ringing the mountain.
Today's ski industry, unlike the ski areas of earlier rope tow days, takes a heavy toll on mountain resources and beauty. Downhill Slide, a book by Hal Clifford, is a study of the current ski industry. Clifford writes, "Skiing has morphed from a more or less environmentally benign outdoor experience into a destructive, extractive industry." In a chapter titled From Rope Tows to Real Estate, he writes, "... skiing is no longer an end in itself ... ; instead, skiing has been transformed into a come-hither amenity to sell real estate." And later, "The ski industry appears committed to an aggressive spin campaign to portray itself as environmentally friendly in the face of countervailing facts."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, commenting on ski development in 2000, wrote, "No other land management prescription on the forest directly results in more stream depletion, wetland impacts, air pollution, permanent vegetation change, or permanent habitat loss, including direct and indirect impacts that are permanent, irreversible and irretrievable."
So let's not buy into Mt. Hood Meadows' greenwashing public relations.
The History
I have seen the changes to Mt. Hood myself. In the past I have camped for days at a time in the once-beautiful "Glacier Meadows" that became the Mt. Hood Meadows ski area. I know the damage that has been done.
In the beginning the Forest Service permit for the proposed ski area was carefully drawn to provide strict protection of a very special area of unusual beauty and resource value. There were to be no roads above the base area and no bulldozers on the slope. Much work was to be done by hand. A 1965 article in the Hood River News showed a map where the (one!) proposed lift would be located.
But the public was blindsided by what actually occurred.
In spite of the strict regulations in the Forest Service permit, the developers (the same company that still runs the area) came like a herd of bulls in a china shop. The core of the area was gutted. Bulldozers and chainsaws transformed the land. Forest and meadow were scraped bare and recontoured. Ridges and the face of the mountain were blasted and reshaped for ski runs. The hydrology was disrupted, streams plugged, wetlands filled. Beautiful, flowered meadows were buried under many feet of fill; acres of parking lots were built; tumbling, flower-bordered streams were replaced by 3,000 feet of culverts; and roads laced the mountainside. Habitat has been fragmented and destroyed, and mountain forest, including high alpine trees, have been clear-cut.
Many of these changes appear to have been done illegally, and much of the damage is "permanent, irreversible and irretrievable."
In 1977, the Regional Forester wrote to Franklin Drake, the (then and now) majority owner of Mt. Hood Meadows, "As you know, the Mt. Hood area is probably the most popular and heavily used area in the Northwest. For many types of outdoor recreation the Mt. Hood area is now being fully utilized and, in some cases, overused." That was more than 25 years ago.
The Present
The damage continues, both at Mt. Hood Meadows and Cooper Spur Ski Areas. Mt. Hood Meadows continues to propose big new projects, and to encourage more overuse.
Mt. Hood is more in need of protection than promotion. I believe it is not in the public interest to continue to promote pouring more people onto Mt. Hood, using mass-market commercialism to hammer the mountain. This is particularly true when support is needed for alternative opportunities for recreation, such as low-intensity, low-impact, back-country sports which leave the mountain in its natural state.
The Cooper Spur Proposals
Northside expansion proposals are outstandingly ill-advised. The north side of Mt. Hood is perhaps the worst choice for a destination resort. The snow is marginal and, except for the already developed practice hill at the Cooper Spur Ski Area, the terrain is poor. The area straddles an important wildlife corridor and habitat area. A resort would seriously impact the traditional and treasured back-country use, the adjacent national wilderness area, and the historic area that includes the Tilly Jane Trail and the Cloud Cap Inn. And the destination resort would necessarily jeopardize the Crystal Springs domestic watershed. It is well to remember that water is the most important resource the mountain provides. A resort, with all its impacts, would place our watershed at risk.
Moreover, we have already a fine destination resort: Hood River, with its great variety of available overnight accomodations, restaurants and retail stores.
In short, there are much better places for job creation and intensive real estate development than on the fragile north slope of already overstressed Mt. Hood.
The Threat
Mt. Hood Meadows' enthusiasm for crowding more people onto our mountain and for real estate speculation appears to have no bounds: an attitude of limitless expansion, a future of never-ending cumulative damage. The pressures of real estate speculation could turn our valley into a collection of 10-acre ranchettes and hobby farms. I believe this is not the vision most people seek—either for Oregon's treasured icon, Mt. Hood, or for our beautiful and bountiful valley.
There is no right way to do the wrong thing!
Kate McCarthy lives in Parkdale.
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Did LimeWire Shutdown Increase Music Sales? Part II
from the checking-in dept
So, with the recent settlement in hand, it seemed like as good a time as any to look into the data. Of course, it also helped that Capitalist Lion Tamer sent over the latest stats from Nielsen, noting that music sales are up in 2011.
Boom! Case closed. LimeWire's shutdown saved the music industry. Right? Well, actually, no. Doesn't look like that at all. In fact, Nielsen doesn't even mention LimeWire's shutdown in its note about this, attributing much of the increase to the Beatles finally coming to iTunes. And, actually, if you look at the same Nielsen reports going all the way back to 2006, they show music sales going up each year. It's just that more of it is single tracks, rather than full overpriced albums. It looks like the same is true of the latest data as well. If anything, the data suggests a noticeable slowdown in the growth rate. That is, sales are only up 1.6%, this year, which seems significantly down from the growth rate in past years. In 2006, the growth rate was 19%. In 2007 it was 14%. In 2008 it was 10%. In 2009 it was 2.1%.
Perhaps there's some other data to be found, but it's hard to see how there's much of an argument that the shutdown of LimeWire, even if it really did cause file sharing to drop massively, then resulted in an increase in music sales. Kinda makes you wonder about those claims from the RIAA about just how much LimeWire had to do with their problems.... It also explains why the labels were happy to settle for $105 million after claiming trillions in damages from LimeWire. Even the industry seems to know that it's not file sharing that's the real issue.


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The Nets were able to overcome a cold hand on the part of Joe Johnson, who missed nine of his ten shots.
The victory comes just days after the Nets defeated the Boston Celtics, 102-97 at the Barclays Center before starting their current three-game West Coast road trip.
The Nets were set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Also on the upcoming schedule are matchups against the Clippers and Celtics, and the long-awaited showdown between new cross-town rivals the New York Knicks, who are streaking as well, sitting at 7-1.
That game will take place on November 26 at the Barclays Center.
The Nets got the week started off right, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 114-101, in one of their most consistently played game this season on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center.
Coach Avery Johnson said after the Nets narrow win over the Magic that the team was not ready mentally to play a full game, but the Nets did just that against Cleveland, with Brooke Lopez scoring 23 points, Joe Johnson scoring 25, and Deron Williams adding another 26.
Having a 20-point lead is a nice problem to have, which is what the Nets have been dealing with lately, blowing a big lead against the Timberwolves and nearly doing the same against the Magic.
But on Tuesday when the Nets got up big, they kept the pressure on the Cavaliers, walking away with a 13-point victory.
"The composure in the fourth quarter was good," said Coach Johnson. "We came back and got our defense set."
The Nets shot 57 percent from the field and out-rebounded Cleveland 39 to 35. Joe Johnson in particular had a hot hand.
"He is just not a guy I am worried about. Guys like Joe know how to play," said Coach Johnson. "I just want him to be efficient. He hit one from the parking lot tonight."
Williams was 10-for-20 from the field.
"I thought the offense was a lot better today as a whole," he said after the game. "There was definitely a better flow today. It seems like were having better chemistry out there.
Anderson Varejao scored 35 points and Kyrie Irving scored 34 for the Cavaliers.


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hey! I'm new to the sport of disc golf. My sisters fiancée showed me how to play last week in Minnesota. I'm loving the sport but playing alone will get boring. Anyone looking for a new player to tag along with and possibly give some tips?? I was told I have a natural throw, but I want to learn more!! I'm also looking for some other venues to play. I live in Kansas City and I work Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm on fort Leavenworth. Let me know if anyone wants to play! Thanks and I look forward to playing some disc golf!!
Rick,I went ahead and moved your Lost Disc post to the Found & Lost forum. You'll surely get more viewing traffic there!Found & Lost


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Cebu Pacific's Inaugural Flight Touches Down At LCCT-KLIA
01 December 2006
SEPANG, 1 Dec - Cebu Pacific (CEB), the leading low-fare carrier of the Philippines today made its maiden flight to the KL International Airport's Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT-KLIA), making it the first fully foreign-owned low cost carrier to utilise the terminal since it opened in March this year.
Currently, the other airlines operating at LCCT-KLIA are Thai AirAsia and AWAIR with Malaysia's premier low cost carrier, AirAsia as the main airline.
Flight 5J 501 touched down at the LCCT-KLIA at 12.25am and the 150 passengers on board were greeted and presented souvenirs by YB Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, Deputy Minister of Transport accompanied by Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Aris Othman, Chairman of Malaysia Airports, Y. Bhg. Dato Seri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports and His Excellency Victoriano M. Lecaros - Ambassador, Embassy of the Philippine.
Effective today, CEB operates four times weekly flights on the Manila-Kuala Lumpur-Manila route, utilising their brand-new A319 aircraft with 150 seats configuration. The Kuala Lumpur-Manila flights fly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays while the Manila-Kuala Lumpur flights depart every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The flight departs from Kuala Lumpur at 1.10am and arrives in Manila at 5.00am while the Manila-Kuala Lumpur flight takes off at 8.55 pm and arrives at 12.25am.
CEB has successfully marketed its inaugural flight as both the incoming and outgoing maiden flights are fully booked, clearly indicating good passenger load and demand for the Manila-Kuala Lumpur route.
According to Dato Seri Bashir Ahmad: "We are very delighted to welcome Cebu Pacific to the LCCT-KLIA."
"This latest development is especially meaningful to us as the LCCT-KLIA was recently bestowed with CAPA's Low Cost Airport of the Year Award during the recent Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Aviation Excellence Award," he added.
Meanwhile, Lance Gokongwei, CEB president and CEO, said that the KUL - Manila service will further boost business and tourism between the two countries.
"Cebu Pacific will always offer the lowest fares to the destinations that we fly to, and now that we are bringing our trademark low fares to KL, we believe that we can stimulate travel which in turn benefits the economies of both Malaysia and the Philippines," Gokongwei said.
"We are also proud to be the only Filipino carrier operating on this route and we are especially gratified to utilise the LCCT-KLIA, as although the terminal services Low Fare Airlines, it does not compromise on its facilities and safety measures," added Gokongwei.
The airline launched its Kuala Lumpur - Manila service with a seat sale fare of only RM99 one-way, a price cut of almost 90% from the current fares for this route. This promotion ran from October 11 to 18 only and is good for travel from December 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007. The best way to purchase seats is through CEB's website (www.cebupacificair.com). The promotional fare is exclusive of surcharges and government tax.
CEB has the newest fleet in the Philippines and one of the newest in Asia, with a fleet age of less than 10 months, and operates 12 brand new Airbus aircraft to service its regional and domestic routes.
Now in its 11th year of operations, CEB pioneered low fares in the Philippines in March 1996 and now has a domestic market share of over 40%. The airline services 20 domestic Philippine destinations and also flies to Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul and Pusan in South Korea and continues to set the standards for airline innovation in the Philippine aviation industry. The airline's tagline is "It's time everyone flies".


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Edge of Love, The (UK - DVD R2)
Scott McKenzie takes a look at this war-time movie with Keira Knightley...
In a war-torn London, childhood sweethearts Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley) and Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys) rekindle their acquaintance. When Dylan's wife Caitlin (Sienna Miller) arrives on the scene, rivalry between the women turns into friendship and the three of them enjoy happy times together. Vera then meets William (Cillian Murphy), who asks her to marry him shortly before he's sent off to war. The money sent home from William funds the lives of the three free spirits back home as Vera and Dylan's feelings for each other intensify.
Written by Keira Knightley's mother, The Edge of Love bears a partial resemblance to last year's Atonement. Knightley's character is waiting back home for the safe return of her husband, but instead of the two of them being a couple who were meant to be together, here their attempts at happiness are thwarted both by her and Thomas's feelings for each other. Where the story is concerned, the main difference I found was that where Atonement contained some great sympathetic performances, I failed to connect with this movie due to the fact that I found the three central characters so unlikeable.
While the performances of the main actors are believable (including Knightley's Welsh accent), the characters themselves were so concerned with their own problems above any else's that I found it difficult to find anyone to identify with. The experience of watching an obnoxious Dylan Thomas hang around with the women in his life was similar to tagging along with the clique of 'cool' kids at school and realising that all they do is drink and smoke and they're not actually that interesting after all. Only Cillian Murphy offers a character that is the equivalent of an 'everyman' but he is missing from long periods of the story.
That's not to say The Edge of Love is a bad movie. There are plenty of rewarding moments and the main highlight is the visual style of director John Maybury. The movie opens with Keira Knightley singing (according to the commentary she was singing live) in what appears to be a tropical location, but the picture gradually loses its gloss and we realise she's singing for people in the London Underground who are sheltering from the blitz. This flair is most evident during the sequences set in London and Maybury even goes so far to include a shot from the point of view of a puddle of urine.
Fans of David Lynch may find more reward in this movie than most, with his favourite composer Angelo Badalamenti providing the score and some scenes of Keira Knightley singing have a distinct feel of Blue Velvet about them. However, overall I thought the movie is too long and is more of a triumph of style over substance. The Edge of Love wants to be about the characters' struggles to accept their love for each other but in the end I didn't like them enough to care either way.
The Edge of Love has the storyline of a low budget TV movie but the visuals are very striking, so much so that the sepia-tinged soft focus reminded me of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow at times. The range of colours is huge, from a bright opening shot that jumps out of the screen to some scenes that are so dark and washed out as to almost be shot in black and white. This is of course all intentional and the transfer does nothing to let the quality of the picture down, with no obvious artefacts and only small signs of compression in the darker scenes. John Maybury notes on his commentary that the scenes set in London were shot in digital high definition and the scenes set in Wales were shot in 35mm film but I didn't notice any variation in quality on this disc. If there's one reason to watch this movie, it's definitely the visual style and there are no problems here to detract from your enjoyment.
The only soundtrack option is Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and while the sound production isn't quite as impressive as the visuals, there are also no issues with the quality on offer here. There are moments when directional sound comes into play, with air raid sirens and a few explosions during certain key scenes, but this is generally a dialogue-heavy movie with most of the action coming from the front speakers. Angelo Badalemti's score adds an extra something to the movie but it doesn't drown out the dialogue or the narration when Dylan Thomas recites one of his poems.
The disc opens with trailers for The Spirit, Suburban Girl (so that's what happened to Sarah Michelle Gellar), Lonesome Jim, Mad Money and Death Defying Acts. The commentary track is provided by director John Maybury and Dylan Thomas himself Matthew Rhys. The two of them share plenty of banter and anecdotes about the making of the movie including the fact that the characters pretty much chain-smoke their way through the whole story, but it's when Rhys stops talking that Maybury gets into the real technical detail about the production.
We then get a ten-minute featurette 'Looking Over The Edge of Love', which consists of interviews with the main actors who discuss their characters. Matthew Rhys talks about his apprehension about playing the character of Thomas and Keira Knightley mentions the fact that while she had pre-recorded the songs she sings, Maybury made her sing them live at short notice. There are seven deleted scenes on offer but as is usually the case, they would have made an already too-long film even longer and don't offer much more in the way of character or plot development. Finally we get an animated photo gallery that appears to be pictures of the premiere and a four-minute gag reel showing the actors messing around on set and filming the sex scenes.
The Edge of Love has the plot of a period romance novel but just doesn't have the characters to make the story compelling for this reviewer, even if they are based on real people and one of them is a well-respected poet. What the movie does have going for it is the visual style and Badalamenti's score and I have no complaints with either of them on this DVD. The extras aren't exactly comprehensive but do give a pretty good insight into the production.
Review by Scott McKenzie
Suitable only for persons of 15 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 27th October 2008
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: PAL
Aspect: 1.78:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX English
Subtitles: English
Extras: Audio Commentary with Director John Maybury and Actor Matthew Rhys, Interviews with Cast and Crew, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Photo Gallery
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: John Maybury
Cast: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Ciallian Murphy, Matthew Rhys
Genre: Drama
Length: 110 minutes
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Rick Ankiel is off to a hot start in his bid to earn a job with the Houston Astros.
Ankiel singled in the third inning and homered in the fifth off Mike O'Brien in the Houston Astros' 7-6 win over a New York Yankees' split squad on Thursday.
The 33-year-old ex-pitcher is 6 for 9 with a double, triple and home run.
"I'm sure I'll have dips," Ankiel said. "I don't think I can keep at the pace I'm going, but it's really not about that. What I'm looking for is trying to see the ball and get good pitches to hit. The results you can't control, but I can control which pitches I swing at."
Ankiel hit .228 in 68 games and 158 at-bats with the Washington Nationals last season.
"It feels great," he said. "I feel like I'm seeing it great right now, for where we're at, and I just hope to continue on the path we're on and get better each day."
Ankiel agreed in January to a minor league contract. If he's added to the 40-man roster, he would get a $750,000, one-year deal and the chance to earn $775,000 more based on plate appearances.
"He's off to a tremendous start. He's a pro's pro," new Astros manager Bo Porter said. "He's going to be a great teammate. He's going to add veteran leadership in the clubhouse, and he's an outfielder who can change the game with one swing, and he can pay all three outfield positions."
Ankiel would rather be on this kind of roll a month from now.
"Later in camp I think you'll start seeing more cutters and breaking stuff," he said. "It might be just as important to get at bats later on as it is now. Really just being able to hit the heater right now is what I'm working on, and the adjusting will come later."
Brandon Laird followed Ankiel's home run an inning later with a grand slam off loser Shane Greene.
Melky Mesa's three-run run homer off Ross Seaton in the sixth inning had given the Yankees a 5-1 lead after RBI singles by Zoilo Altmonte and Matt Diaz.
Harrell was efficient in his second spring start, giving up three singles and getting two double plays.
The 28-year-old right-hander is coming off a season in which he went 11-11 in 32 starts, no small achievement on a team that lost 107 games.
"I look at it as I pitched in 30-something games last year and I think we won 18 of my starts," he said. "More important then getting the win is the team gets the win, and I give them a chance to win, keep the game close. If I get a win it's just the cherry-on-top type of thing."
Sam Demel got the win for the Astros.
The 22-year-old Marshall pitched to the minimum nine batters in his three innings, striking out three while Francisco Cervelli threw out two runners attempting to steal.


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'Kamikaze Bike Games' rounding into shape
Four-day event will feature 'Gran Fondos' on roads, mountain
The band-new Kamikaze Bike Games, a five-day event scheduled for the first week of September, will add several new features to some familiar events.
Apart from bringing back mountain bike racing on Mammoth Mountain for the third time since 2005, the Sept. 4-8 festival this year folds in the stalwart Sept. 7 High Sierra Fall Century road bike ride, with a "Gran Fondo" twist.
A "Gran Fondo" bike ride is the latest craze in big, group-ride events, and is beginning to overtake the fabled "Century" (100-mile) as the favored party on wheels in the U.S. during the warm months.
The name is from Italy, and refers to its "big rides," frequently in honor of cycling legends or local heroes.
According to Bicycling Magazine, entire towns shut down, wine flows, and thousands of riders pedal over classic mountain passes, through vineyards, and along famous race routes.
In Mammoth, organizers say they are expecting up to 1,000 riders for the Gran Fondo/Century.
What makes a Gran Fondo different than a century is that participants engage in a mass start, and then are timed, turning a mere "ride" into a "race" for those who wish to participate. To ride in the High Sierra, riders can choose whether to test it as a ride or a race.
Also, the Fall Century route will change from a start/finish at the Whitmore Ballfields to a new start/finish at the Village. The change results in pushing the ride from its previous 96 miles to about 102 miles.
Short course options of 30, 45, and 60 miles are also available for riders of any ability, and these routes include some of the best sections of the longer Gran Fondo and 100 Mile Century bike ride routes.
To keep on the Gran Fondo theme, the mountain bikers take over on Sunday, Sept. 8 with a Gran Fondo of their own, on a course yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, organizers have locked in practice days on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 4-5, with racing beginning on Friday, Sept. 6. The High Sierra Ride/Gran Fondo begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, ending with a post-ride party in the Village in the late afternoon.


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Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Graylo is Immortal!!!!!!!
Most of us also got Heroic Glory of the Raider for a server second. Our Immortal run was a server third. Another guild beat us by a day. Anyway, Here is a pic of our new proto drakes. Unfortunately I forgot to turn Timerbuttons off.
Its funny how anti-climactic it is. The first kill of a tough boss is rarely clean so you have all the drama that the mistakes provide. With the Immortal its like your waiting for something that never happens. Its like having an awesome feeling because you got home from work safely.
Anyway, I'm very happy. Grats to everyone that got the achievement with me.
One other thing. I am really looking forward to running a stress free Naxx next week, assuming the patch doesn't drop.
Edit: I posted the above in haste last night just because I wanted to get it out there. Now that I've had a little more time to think there are a couple of other things i would like to say.
When I look around the forums and such there is quite a bit of debate on just how easy or hard The Immortal is and what it really measures. The way I look at it, The Immortal is deceptively hard, but should really be a fairly easy achievement.
In a way it's a lot like Archimonde in Mount Hyjal. Archimonde wasn't a hard fight. As long as you stay out fires, click your tiers, and decurse, it should go fine. However, one mistake by one person screws up everything. One death could cause three more, and those three would wipe the raid. Its relatively easy, but very unforgiving.
I would be willing to bet that a majority of "hardcore" raiders without the Immortal have killed every boss in naxx with out a death. They just haven't done it in a single week. We all know how to stay alive and keep our guildies alive, but a laps in focus here or there ruins it.
Some people claim that the Immortal is all about RNG. I agree that RNG can screw you, but it is unlikely that RNG will screw you week after week, and I think most of the times guilds miss it can be attributed in some fashion to player error. We had 3 really close weeks before we got it this week. I think our first near miss was RNG. We only had two tanks for adds on KT because we were doing the 20man achievement and both tanks were CCed. It might have been possible for a priest to get off a GS but that is pushing it a little bit. The next close call was lost due to player error, and our third miss was due to our collective ignorance of how the ice blocks worked on Sapphiron.
The trick is to learn from your misses. Unfortunately I don't think there is a big guide anywhere that says, this is your biggest issue on this boss, and that could happen on that boss. Little things that aren't a big issue normally come out and bite you. One of our early attempts at Immortal we lost because we chained a Holy Wrath during 4 Horsemen. We had killed 4 horsemen for several weeks without a death, but this week we chained it and someone died. It didn't happen again because we changed our strategy and we were more aware of the possibility.
Ultimately, I think this achievement has made me a better player, and is proof that I am a good player. The Immortal has forced me to pay more attention to my "oh shit" abilities, and shows that I am capable of avoiding damage. Now that is a skill to be proud of.
Thanks for all of the congratulations, and good luck to everyone still looking for the achievement.
17 comments:
- April 2, 2009 at 12:45 AM
- Dark Spot in the Corner said...
Congratulations! :-)
- April 2, 2009 at 12:46 AM
Very impressive - gratulations!
- April 2, 2009 at 2:10 AM
- Cerista said...
Grats!! I'm glad you finally got it and your drake. Maybe you can finally relax a little until the patch, like you said. :)
- April 2, 2009 at 2:57 AM
Congrats Graylo! It's been a long time coming it seems ^^
I stuck your screenshot into photoshop and rubbed out the timer thing since you'll probably want to keep the screeny.
Love your blog; helped me a lot when I was Boomkin in tBC ^^
- April 2, 2009 at 3:04 AM
didn't seem to copy the whole link >.< There's the screeny...
- April 2, 2009 at 3:06 AM
...now I definately copied the full one there...seems to be cutting it off >.<
Add, graylo.jpg, to the end of the link -.-
- April 2, 2009 at 3:08 AM
- menk said...
Immortal is by far the most annoying achievement because it adds a lot of bad pressure to the raid.
We have done Immortal twice but these raids weren't fun. Now we try to do our own achievements which are much more interesting in terms of raiding. For example: try to clear Naxx in less than 2 hours (or less than 1h45 or less than 1h30)
- April 2, 2009 at 3:50 AM
- Birk said...
Grats! aawww I want to join a raiding guild as well so I can get some of the more demanding achievements :(
- April 2, 2009 at 4:41 AM
- Merlot said...
Gratz mate! Now what are you gonna blog about!?
- April 2, 2009 at 4:53 AM
Congratulations man, I came to the same conclusion you did that good guilds would get immortal its only a matter of time and effort.
*Thumbs up!*
- April 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Grats, but just because you got the achievement done doesn't make it any less RNG. Personally I never cared if I get the silly achievement, but I haven't got control over the internet, bad weather, or many other things that might prevent a raid from going off as planned.
Really the thing I hate most about this particular achievement is that I have to be in these raids where people get into big fights cause someone died, and essentially ruins the run for a lot of people. My run isn't ruined because I didn't get an achievement it's just ruined because of fights or just unhappiness.
- April 2, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Grats Graylo! We got ours last night also. It was a great April Fools joke to the server!
- April 2, 2009 at 6:30 PM
GZ!!!!I've been following your blog from Greece and it has made me a better player...a bit :)
I "sensed" your distress the previous weeks and I'm glad you got it over your chest now,
- April 3, 2009 at 12:51 AM
Faeker of Kargath
- April 3, 2009 at 6:44 AM
- Tsunamee said...
WOOT! Grats Graylo.
We just nailed Twilight Vanquisher a few nights ago (proud boomchicken center of screenshot on our homepage - lol), and are hoping to get this one next.
Our biggest problem, week after week seems to be internet issues. Staying focused and alive is shockingly easy when you truly put your mind to it. Things will be going perfectly, and then right when people start to get excited at the prospect that it might happen, we hear "so-and-so just DC'd"... followed by a collective sigh of frustration as we watch their unmanned toon die a horrible death... Quite frustrating
Anyway, GRATS man. I know how hard you guys have been trying for this one
Tsunamee - Firetree/US
- April 5, 2009 at 1:16 PM
- Lissanna said...
Congrats! Also...
You have officially been tagged! If for some reason you have been tagged elsewhere and I missed your post, just know that you've been tagged again because… well, because you're just THAT good! =)
1. When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real.
2. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don't have seven friends. Show the seven random victims' names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!
- April 5, 2009 at 7:50 PM


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SAN DIEGO — Phil Jackson came down with flu-like symptoms and won't coach the team in tonight's exhibition game against the Golden State Warriors, a Lakers spokesman said. Brian Shaw will handle the coaching duties in Jackson's absence. It's not known if he will be available to coach the team in its exhibition finale against the Warriors in Ontario. Jackson last missed a game April 9 in Portland because of swelling in his lower right leg.
Also, the Lakers waived free agents Trey Johnson and Andrew Naymick.


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South-eastern Australia in for wild weather ride
The entire state of Victoria and large parts of South Australia and New South Wales are on flood watch as an unprecedented wet weather system looks to smash through the recent record-breaking heat.
Southern and eastern Australia is about to cop a lashing from Mother Nature, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) advises, with falls of up to 200mm predicted in parts of Victoria and western NSW.
Severe thunderstorms are expected in South Australia late on Thursday and into Friday, bringing with them damaging winds, hail and heavy rainfall up to 100mm.
As the system moves into Victoria and NSW, that predicted rainfall only gets higher.
"The system will ramp up over Victoria and western NSW on Friday and into Saturday with rainfalls of 100-200mm expected in these areas, particularly those areas closer to the ranges," BoM senior forecaster Scott Williams said.
"Peak falls in the northeast of Victoria could top 300mm over the 48 hours to Saturday night.
Initial Flood Watch issued for Victoria: From Friday to Sunday widespread totals of 60-120mm in the South and 100-200mm in the North are forecast. Widespread flooding is likely from Friday onwards.— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) November 29, 2017
Check here for updates https://t.co/Ildo3KSAXKpic.twitter.com/arHidYCYGu
"Melbourne is likely to see at least 50 to 100mm of rainfall and severe thunderstorms overnight Friday into Saturday. There is a chance that heavy rain could return to the Melbourne area on Sunday, possibly delivering another 50mm or more."
The entire state of Victoria is the subject of an initial flood warning, while much of southern NSW is also on flood watch.
More than a months rain forecast in 36 hours in some areas to start our summer. Check the #forecast at https://t.co/SrkQxr8aaYpic.twitter.com/gb9i8dBbYt— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 29, 2017
"Southern parts of NSW and the ACT could see falls in excess of 100mm on Friday and Saturday with some places seeing 200mm," Mr Williams said.
The weather could hit Canberra but at this stage is unlikely to impact Sydney.
"Rainfall rates could be quite intense," said James Taylor, a senior meteorologist with the BoM's extreme weather desk. "There's some risk of riverine flooding."
"To get a rainfall event like this at any time of the year of the year is certainly unusual," Mr Taylor said, adding that spring is the most likely season for such weather.
FLOOD WATCH updated 4:30pm. Very heavy rainfalls expected Friday and Saturday for Bell, Belubula, Murrumbidgee, Upper Murray and Snowy Rivers: https://t.co/xZcXIvFypN#NSWfloodspic.twitter.com/QpKsnjiqt8— Bureau of Meteorology Australian Capital Territory (@BOM_ACT) November 29, 2017
In Wagga, where it's expected to receive 50mm on Friday and 80mm on Saturday, the State Emergency Service (SES) called for extra volunteers to help fill sandbags on Wednesday night after a flood watch was issued for the Murrumbidgee River.
Acting SES regional controller for Murrumbidgee Jon Gregory said the alert could be best described as a "heads-up".
"It's not a bulletin or warning. It's advice that there could be minor to moderate flooding, depending on rainfall," Mr Gregory said.
With Victoria under a severe weather warning, the SES isn't taking chances.
Bendigo SES deputy controller Natalie Stanway said residents should prepare their properties before the rain hits.
"If that volume of rain comes down with blocked gutters, water can come into ceilings, so it is well worth (clearing gutters) and checking down pipes before the rain starts," she said.
"If like last Sunday, we received something like 37 calls in a short space of time, it is not possible for us to get to everybody.
"So people need to prepare to take steps themselves."
In Tasmania, where the BoM has predicted November would be a record-breaker with some of the hottest average maximum temperatures, the start of summer is going to come as a shock.
"The maximum temperature will be over ten degrees colder in some places on Friday compared to Thursday," Weatherzone meteorologist Graeme Brittain advised.
"So make the most of the last few days of spring, for summer will begin on a very different note."
WATCH: BoM senior meteorologist Adam Morgan explains how the wild weather will come in.
The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
- Don't walk, ride or drive through flood water
- Keep clear of creeks and storm drains
- Be aware that in fire affected areas, rainfall run-off into waterways may contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks
- Be alert that in areas recently affected by fires, heavy rainfall increases the potential for landslides and debris across roads
Warnings current at 10.30am Friday, November 30
Source: Bureau of Meteorology
- Flood watch for Bell, Belubula, Murrumbidgee, Upper Murray and Snowy Rivers: Local and minor to moderate riverine flooding may develop along the Murrumbidgee River from Friday onwards. Southern and central districts forecast to receive the most rain, with some areas likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall during Friday and Saturday. The Upper Murrumbidgee catchment is wet following rainfall in the last two weeks. Potential to cause minor to moderate riverine flooding as well as local flooding from Friday onwards.
- Initial flood watch for Victoria: Heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms are likely to develop in the far west during Thursday night before extending across the remaining parts of the State during Friday. The heavy rain and thunderstorm activity will continue on Saturday. Three day totals of around 60-120mm are expected south of the Divide and over the far northwest with totals of between 100 and 200mm over remaining areas on and north of the Divide. However, totals over the northeast ranges may exceed 250mm.
- Catchments likely to be affected: Snowy River, Tambo River, Mitchell River, Avon River, Macalister River, Thomson River, Latrobe River, Traralgon Creek, South Gippsland Rivers, Bunyip River and Dandenong Creek, Yarra River, Maribyrnon River, Werribee River, Barwon, Leigh and Moorabool Rivers, Hopkins River, Lake Corangamite, Otway Coast, Upper Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers, Kiewa River, Ovens and King Rivers, Broken River, Broken Creek, Seven and Castle Creeks, Goulburn River, Campaspe River, Loddon River, Avoca River, Wimmera River
- Severe weather warning for heavy rainfall: Heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms which may lead to flash flooding are likely to develop in the far west during Thursday night before extending across the remaining parts of the state during Friday. The heavy rain and thunderstorm activity will continue on Saturday. Three-day totals of around 60-120mm are expected south of the Divide and over the far northwest with totals of 100-200mm for remaining areas on and north of the Divide. However, totals over the northeast ranges may exceed 250mm. Locations which may be affected include Mildura, Horsham, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Shepparton, Seymour, Maryborough, Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Traralgon and Bairnsdale.


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|START Conference Manager
ASIST 2012 Annual Meeting
Baltimore, MD, October 26-30, 2012
Scientific Bloggers under the Altmetric Microscope
Isabella Peters, Lisa Beutelspacher, Parinaz Maghferat and Jens Terliesner
Monday, 6:30pm
In this paper we present a preliminary altmetric study of scientific bloggers and how they use different social media (i.e. blogs, social bookmarking systems, and Twitter) for scholarly communication, information dissemination, and creation of visibility. We analyzed linking behavior in blog posts and tweets, number of comments assigned to blog posts and share of publications found in social bookmarking systems. Results show that heavy tweeting and blogging do not result in large numbers of followers and comments, tweets and blog posts contain lots of URLs and self-citations, and share of publications found in social bookmarking systems varies between different platforms.


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CANNES, France (AP) — Associated Press journalists open their notebooks at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival:
Will a switched-at-birth Japanese drama tug on Steven Spielberg's heart strings?
The Cannes Film Festival was wondering that Saturday, when Kore-eda Hirokazu's elegant and emotional "Like Father, Like Son" premiered. It quickly emerged as an early contender for the Palme d'Or, the winner of which will be decided by a jury headed by Spielberg.
Though reviews varied, "Like Father, Like Son" largely charmed Cannes with its sweet, understated examination of nature versus nurture.
In it, two sets of parents find out, shortly before their sons' 6th birthday, that their babies were switched at birth. The families are opposites of one another: one headed by a wealthy, driven professional (the Japanese pop singer Fukuyama Masaharu) with strict expectations of his only child; the other father a poor but lively shopkeeper (Lily Franky) with two other playful children.
With the graceful simplicity that characterizes Kore-eda's films ("I Wish," ''Nobody Knows"), the film contemplates the nature of parenthood — where it begins, how it develops — as the two families debate exchanging their sons.
"He told me the film was the story of how to become a father," Fukuyama told reporters Saturday, referring to Kore-eda. The film focuses on the actor's character, as he slowly begins to question his hard, remote approach to fatherhood.
"I wanted to create in his mind a real shock, a healthy shock," said Kore-eda.
The director said the film, which ends ambiguously, wasn't made to convey a message, but to reflect his own experiences. Kore-eda has a son similar in age to the boys in the film.
Spielberg has long gravitated to stories of fathers and sons, but whether "Like Father, Like Son" struck a chord with him won't be answered until the Palme d'Or is announced May 25 at the end of the festival.
— Jake Coyle, http://twitter.com/jake_coyle
REV RUN, KING OF ... DJs?
Rev Run is one of hip-hop's legendary rappers, but these days, he's spinning records — and is finding the experience may be even more enjoyable than rapping.
"I love the Run-DMC shows: it's big, it's intense," he said in an interview on Friday. "Me and (partner) D (Darryl "DMC" McDaniels) know the lyrics like riding a bike because we've been doing it since we were kids. But this is different. This is fun. I'm in Vegas every other week.
"It's very cool to be a DJ," he added. "I'm a part of that and proud of that and thankful for that — that I can do a stadium one day and be in Cannes the next day."
Run was at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night to perform at the Belvedere Vodka party with his partner, DJ Ruckus. Among the celebrities in attendance for the party included "Hunger Games" star Liam Hemsworth, singer Solange Knowles and DJ/producer Diplo.
In an interview a few hours before the show, Run said that he started DJ'ing about three years ago when people started asking him to show up to parties. Though he does rap some during his sets, he doesn't do too much:
"I'm not going to go out and do Run-DMC records without d. I'll throw on a Run-DMC record and throw on my part a little bit, you'll get the essence," he said. "I'm a celebrity DJ."
Ruckus said he has learned a lot from Run — "It's obviously an honor to be on the road and have such a mentor and legend and somebody who helped create all of what I worked with."
And Run said he's learned from his younger counterpart as well
"I don't know all that's going on with all of these different genres of EDM (electronic dance music). Like, I don't know the difference between Berlin and (David) Guetta. Like, 'Huh? Aren't they both house DJs?' 'No, they're not.' So I'm trying to learn from him," he said. "I don't know what the heck is going on. . I'm learning that from him, but I'm happy and open and excited about it. "
Run hasn't given up his day job: next week, he's performing at the Atlanta Braves' baseball stadium with partner McDaniels for a Run-DMC gig after the team's game. He's also planning a return to reality TV, with an HGTV show showing the renovation of his home with his family.
"If you've seen 'Run's House,' you know what it's going to be. It's the same thing, but with a twist," he said.
— Nekesa Mumbi Moody, http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi
Jackie Chan is at the Cannes Film Festival to talk about his upcoming film "Skiptrace," but he's already thinking about his next project.
"You know everything in my mind always keep, keep, keep (moving)," he said in an interview Friday. "This movie (I had the idea) 20 years ago. So I have so many movies, 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, 70 years, all in my mind. Then I call my writer, 'Write it down! That's your job, write it down this script. Write it down this thing.' So many things."
Chan doesn't just have movies he's working on. He's also got his own brand of toe socks; during an interview, he was wearing a bright green pair. The socks have pressure points and grips on the bottom for each pair.
But unfortunately for anyone interested in getting a pair, according to Chan, they are yet to have global distribution.
"Not now, soon," he said.
— Louise Dixon, http://www.twitter.com/loudixon
Indian actress Sonam Kapoor loves red carpets. In fact, she loves the experience so much that she likens it to a wedding.
"It is really strange, but I feel like every time I go onto the red carpet I feel like I am getting married," she said with a laugh.
"So it is fine if I don't get married eventually," she added with a wry smile.
For some, the experience of picking an outfit and standing in front of the world's media is a daunting prospect, but Kapoor, being an actress at heart, treats the carpet like a stage.
"It depends on what character I want to be, so it is a bit like choosing your roles and deciding what I want to be at that point," she explained in an interview this week.
Kapoor is in Cannes to fulfill her duty as an ambassador for L'Oreal. She has no films at the festival, but has a lot to keep her busy in the future.
"I have three films right now: 'Ranjhana' which literally translates into Romeo, then there is this biopic which is about an athlete and there is this untitled project which is a romantic comedy," she said.
— Sian Watson, http://www.twitter.com/sianwatson


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|23 / 30
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Giving to the Clinical Child Psychology Program
Thank you for visiting the KU CCPP Endowment Funds page. Below, we have listed opportunities for you to partner with us to advance our mission of developing leaders in the research, dissemination, and practice of clinical science for children, adolescents, and families. A gift to the program represents a gift to the development of interventions, prevention programs, and basic research to improve the lives of children, adolescents, and their families.
Our endowment account has been growing thanks to the generous support of our alumni and friends, and children, youth, and families have been reaping the rewards. A gift of any amount will help us with our mission, and will help us continue our tradition of excellence.
Please remember that all donations are tax-deductible. All money donated goes to your stated purpose and does not mingle with or supplant state funds. Funds are administered jointly by the Program faculty and KU Endowment. We appreciate your support.
Michael C. Roberts Colloquium Series in Clinical Child Psychology Fund
The Michael C. Roberts Colloquium Series in Clinical Child Psychology Fund is an endowed fund that honors its name bearer's contributions to the field as Founder and Director of the KU Clinical Child Psychology Program. We have all been touched by Michael's personal commitment to our professional development, as well as by his advocacy for graduate education at the national level.
Interest from the endowed account will bring eminent scholars in clinical child psychology to KU to deliver colloquia, meet with students, and consult with faculty on ongoing clinical research projects.
The colloquium series will raise the national profile of the CCPP, enhance graduate training, allow invaluable networking opportunities for students, and offer opportunities for collaboration for faculty working on projects of vital importance for children, youth, and families.
The fund was established in May of 2012 with initial gifts from Dr. Sarah T. Trane, the family of Dr. Michael C. Roberts, and the faculty of the KU Clinical Child Psychology Program.
The inaugural speaker for the Colloquium Series was Anne E. Kazak, Ph.D., ABPP, who presented in October of 2015.
Graduate Student Research
The Program helps students meet the ever-increasing costs of conducting empirical research. Money donated through KU Endowment can be used to recruit and reimburse research participants, greatly assisting the development of research. State funds or clinic income cannot be used for this purpose.
The funds are used to supplement Program support for students' major projects (thesis, task, and dissertation) as well as extra projects. For annual commitments of research support in excess of $500, named awards can be arranged in specific topic areas.
Graduate Student Travel Support
Students often need financial assistance to travel. The Graduate School only partially funds one convention/conference trip during a graduate student's tenure. We would like to provide additional support for our students to attend meetings for their professional development and to present their projects at conventions and conferences. CCPP students could also benefit from travel funds for data-gathering, often necessary for studying low incidence clinical samples and other special populations.
Unrestricted accounts
The Program can spend funds in this expendable account as needed, for such purposes as new student recruitment, speaker receptions and student activities.
Endowed funds
Donors who wish to endow the Program can make larger donations for designated purposes. The principal cannot be expended from endowed funds; only the interest the fund accrues is spent for the donor's designated purpose. If you are interested in making a lasting impact on the Clinical Child Psychology Program by creating an endowed fund, please contact LaRisa Chambers at firstname.lastname@example.com (785-832-7471), or Ric Steele (CCPP Program Director) at firstname.lastname@example.com (785-864-0550).


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With a 30-year record of invention and innovation in software
technology we continue to support world-class Graphical User Interface tools
and highly cost-effective custom apps that are used in many of the worlds
leading organizations from our offices in the US and UK.
X-Designer, the award winning GUI Builder,
was used by Lockheed
Martin to
generate the graphical user interface for their Shuttle Connector Analysis Network
used to automatically track the thousands of tests performed
prior to each launch.
More ...
was used for building tools for the management, display and analysis of
oceanographic and meterological data
with gateways to the web, popular analysis tools and the Internet, for
NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
The iPhone® App for the 2012 City of London
Festival was produced for the third year running. Available in the App Store,
it helped visitors discover the many delightful events and locations of
the Festival's activities, which ran from June 24 to July 27 2012.


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Alternative Names
Pain - penis; Priapism
Common Causes
- Bladder stone
- Bites, either human or insect
Cancer of the penis
- Erection that does not go away (priapism)
Genital herpes
- Infected hair follicles
- Infected
prosthesisof the penis
- Infection under the foreskin of uncircumcised men (
- Inflammation of the prostate gland (
- Injury
Peyronies disease Reiter syndrome Sickle cell anemia
- Syphilis
Urethritiscaused by chlamydiaor gonorrhea
Home Care
How you treat penis pain at home depends on its cause. Talk to your health care provider about treatment. Ice packs may help ease the pain.
If penis pain is caused by a sexually transmitted disease, it is important for your sexual partner to also be treated.
An erection that does not go away (priapism) is a medical emergency. Get to the hospital emergency room immediately. Ask your health care provider about getting treatment for the condition causing priapism.
Call your health care provider if
Call your health care provider if you notice any of the following:
- An erection that does not go away (priapism) -- seek immediate medical attention
- Pain that lasts for more than 4 hours
- Pain with other unexplained symptoms
What to expect at your health care providers office
Your health care provider will do a physical examination and take a medical history, which may include the following questions:
- When did the pain start?
- Is it always present?
- Is it a painful erection (priapism)?
- Do you feel pain when the penis is not erect?
- Is the pain in all of the penis or just one part of it?
- Have you had any open sores?
- Has there been any injury to the area?
- Are you at risk for any sexually transmitted disease?
- Have you been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease?
- What other symptoms do you have?
The physical exam will probably include a detailed examination of the penis, testicles, scrotum, and groin.
The pain can be treated once its cause has been found. Treatments may include:
- Infection -- antibiotics, antiviral medications, or other medications (in rare cases,
circumcisionis advised for long-term (chronic) infection under the foreskin)
- Priapism -- the erection needs to diminish, a
urinary catheteris inserted to relieve urinary retention, and medications or surgery may be given if needed
Broderick GA. Priapism. In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011: chap 25.
Frenkl T, Potts J. Sexually transmitted diseases In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 13.
Pettaway CA, Lance RS, Davis JW. Tumors of the penis. In:Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 34.
Jordan GH, McCammon KA. Peyronies disease.In: Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 28.
Review Date:
Reviewed By:
Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director and Director of Didactic Curriculum, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington. Louis S. Liou, MD, PhD, Chief of Urology, Cambridge Health Alliance, Visiting Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.


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Mysteries and thrillers set in the years surrounding and during our two world wars have become a cottage industry. From Ken Follett's "Eye of the Needle" in the 1980s to recent novels by Charles Todd and Jacqueline Winspear, the standouts blend enough history with the genre's more familiar elements to keep readers enlightened and entertained.
Philip Kerr has achieved that alchemy through seven books in the Bernie Gunther series while advancing his complex hero to the Cold War. In "Prague Fatale" (Marion Wood/Putnam: 401 pp., $26.95), Kerr backtracks to 1941. Bernie is roused from suicidal thoughts caused by his intelligence work in Belorussia because of two Berlin murders, the charms of a beautiful hat check girl attacked by one of the dead men and a summons to Prague by hated SS Gen. Reinhard Heydrich.
Newly named Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrich has commandeered a castle once owned by a Jewish sugar baron and patron of artist Gustav Klimt and invited a dozen high-ranking SS officers for a weekend of good food and liquor, a rarity in war-deprived Germany. But a recent poisoning attempt has prompted Heydrich to ask his "friend" to serve as his personal bodyguard, an offer Bernie dare not refuse. "Working for Heydrich," Bernie notes, "was like being friendly with a vicious tomcat while you were looking around for the nearest mouse hole."
Bernie is soon investigating a murder, only it's Capt. Albert Kuttner, one of Heydrich's four adjutants. Kuttner's body is found in his locked bedroom after a booze-fueled party that leaves the guests hung over and unable to hear the gunshots. But after interacting with houseguests like Nazi villains Richard Hildebrandt, Col. Walter Jacobi and the Prague Gestapo's Hans Ulrich Geschke, Bernie is faced with the bigger conundrum — how does one find a murderer in a castle full of criminals?
Echoing the work of Agatha Christie, Kerr plumbs the locked-room mystery device and applies his extensive knowledge of German history to unearth the dirt, political and personal, of a cast of real-life villains while revealing a deeper mystery that Bernie must solve though at a price almost too great to pay.
Another kind of price is exacted in William Boyd's "Waiting for Sunset" (Harper: 353 pp., $25.99), the tale of a young actor swept into World War I and the nascent British intelligence effort. In 1913 Vienna, on a "lemony" August day full of "that possibility of audacity," 27-year-old Lysander Rief sits in the waiting room of a Sigmund Freud disciple, seeking the "Vienna cure" for a sexual ailment he fears will make him an unsuitable husband. Among the other clients in the analyst's waiting room is the captivating Hettie Bull, a high-strung beauty who is as aggressive and bold as her name. Despite Hettie's jealous lover, Lysander and Hettie fall into an erotic affair that, not surprisingly, seems to cure him. It also exposes him to a rape charge that sends him running for help from Allwyn Munro, another of the analyst's patients, who happens to work for the British Embassy. Munro loans him bail money, but "not interest-free, alas."
After Lysander's ingenious escape from Vienna and return to his London acting career, Munro reappears to collect on the loan, coercing Lysander to enlist in the British Army and fake his own death as prelude to a dangerous mission in Geneva. He wants Lysander to unmask an agent leaking information to the Germans. The resulting action tests the young man's courage and sense of loyalty in ways far beyond his imagination.
Although the novel suffers from a few too many coincidences and a too-leisurely pace, Boyd (a literary novelist best known to genre readers for "Any Human Heart" and "Restless") does an admirable job evoking the sensuality of avant-garde Vienna, battlefield horrors and the early days of British spycraft. But it is the evolution of a nation that is finally the most compelling feature of "Waiting for Sunrise." Like Lysander Rief, England at the end of the Great War has moved from the sunshine-clear distinction between good and evil into the shadows, where it is almost impossible to distinguish friend from foe and traitors from those who love us.
Woods is the author of the Charlotte Justice mystery series.


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Volume 19 Issue 13 | August 11 - 17, 2006
By Albert Amateau
The developer of the vacant Hudson Sq. lot where the late sculptor Arman turned scrap metal into art has decided to scale down its application for a residential project that exceeds the neighborhoods zoning.
Red Brick Canal L.L.C. told the Board of Standards and Appeals on July 26 that it has revised plans for the triangular lot at 482 Greenwich St., at the northwest corner of Canal St. to conform to current land use rules governing the size of buildings. The building will still be 11 stories and 120 feet tall.
For the past year, Red Brick had been asking the B.S.A. to permit a building with a floor-to-area ratio (F.A.R.) of 7.98 instead of the 6.02 F.A.R. allowed under zoning that was liberalized in 2003. F.A.R. refers to the enclosed floor area of a project in relation to the area of the building lot.
The project is to include a 40-ft. tall brass sculpture by the internationally renowned sculptor, Arman, who died last year. David Slaven, a Red Brick partner, described the work, planned for the Canal St. façade of the project, as representing an assemblage of cello parts. The sculptor had agreed to sell the building to Red Brick and remained involved in the development until his death.
Canal West, a neighborhood civic group, has been opposing Red Bricks application for a bigger building, insisting that the developer play by the same rules that governed other neighborhood projects. At an April hearing, B.S.A. chairperson Meenakshi Srinivasan, indicated the agency was reluctant to grant more floor area than zoning allows.
Red Brick took the hint but also took advantage of a land-use provision that automatically increases the projects F.A.R. from 6.02 to 6.5 by including a 415 sq. ft. community facility space on the ground floor of the Canal St. side of the building.
A Canal West member, Kate Koster, said this week that the group was grateful that the B.S.A. turned back the first proposal, but she was skeptical about the community facility bonus.
Those so-called community spaces often end up being locked and not available to the community, Koster said. We would be much happier with a 6.02 F.A.R., she added.
Filippo Mancia, president of the condo board at 497 Greenwich St. and a member of Canal West, characterized Red Bricks community facility proposal as a desperate grab for more floor area. He estimated the addition of a 415 sq. ft. space would allow Red Brick to add more than 1,000 sq. ft. to the project.
Regarding the Arman Buildings community facility space, Slaven said, We havent signed anyone yet, but ideally it will be a non-profit arts group.
Although the new plan conforms to existing floor-area ratio, Red Brick is still seeking a B.S.A. variances to allow the project to cover 98 percent of the triangular lot instead of the 80 percent allowed by zoning rules. Red Brick also wants a variance to allow a curb cut to a ground level parking garage on Greenwich St.
In previous hearings, B.S.A.s Srinivasan said she was not concerned with the lot coverage or parking issues but she was reluctant to grant a variance for a bigger building.
The B.S.A. may grant variances if developers prove they have a hardship because they cannot make a reasonable return on their investment by building a project as of right under exiting zoning rules.
Red Brick Canal has cited the high cost of building on an irregular-shaped lot, and the need for a special foundation for a project on a site above the westbound tube of the Holland Tunnel.
Although the B.S.A. closed the hearing on the project in April, the record was left open for written documents until Aug. 15. In view of Red Bricks new proposal, it is also possible that the agency could reopen the hearing.
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