text:
Ilya Bryzgalov, Tim Thomas Rollercoasters Continue: NHL Stock Up, Stock DownMarch 14, 2012
Stanley Cup handicappers are taught at a young age about that mythical creature, the "Hot Goalie," who locks up a team's goal cage in the spring time and throws an entire conference out of whack.
Mid-March is when the "Hot Goalie" begins to defrost. The Flyers finally have one. The Bruins finally do not.
Stock Up: Ilya Bryzgalov, the Goaltender
"Holy Moly!" would be the best reaction to what's been going on recently with Nobody Beats the Bryz.
For the sake of fun and art, here are Bryzgalov's numbers from his last five contests: 5-0-0, .986 save percentage, 0.39 goals against average, four shutouts.
Tuesday night, Bryz joined John Vanbiesbrouk as the only two goalies in franchise history to record three straight perfect games. He will go for the record Thursday night against the Islanders.
The same guy who dawdled his way to an .898 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average in is first 41 games has allowed only 12 goals in nine games since, begging the question: Do the Flyers have their most legitimate playoff threat in goal since Ron Hextall?
Based on the last two postseasons, your answer would be no. Each Red Wings series was a disaster in its own way.
However, Bryzgalov played 69 and 68 regular season games respectively in 2010 and 2011.
He will enter the 2012 playoffs at least 10 games fresher, partly because backup Sergei Bobrovsky has had some good stretches, but mostly because Bryzgalov himself has had so many bad ones, forcing coach Peter Laviolette to sit him down.
In his first two playoff runs with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2006 and 2007, Bryzgalov performed very well.
Stock Down: Ilya Bryzgalov, the Soundbite
Even if Bryzgalov's hot streak fizzles out, it appears the cute anecdotes about how much he stinks will not be making a comeback.
According to Comcast Sportsnet, Flyers players met with Bryzgalov a few weeks ago and asked him to tone down his act.
"The last couple of weeks, he's actually been a great teammate," said Danny Briere, the current de facto captain with Chris Pronger out for the season. "Hopefully he stays that way."
Until last week, the Bryzgalov story had all the ingredients of the next great American train wreck — a $51 million contract, a notoriously nasty fanbase, popular star players traded to make room and a save percentage below .900.
In the background is a star goalie who died 25 years ago that the franchise has still never truly replaced.
Still, after every loss, Bryzgalov was impossible to hate as he'd struggle to find words to describe how badly he'd played.
It was broken English for a broken heart, and it worked.
Now Flyers leaders have asked Bryzgalov to deflect attention from himself, which is the last thing fans want during tough times.
Stock Down: Tim Thomas
Thomas was pulled in Pittsburgh on Sunday and in Tampa on Tuesday. His numbers this March are gruesome: 3-3-0, .852 save percentage, 3.73 goals against average.
This would usually be about the time Tuukka Rask plays a few games.
Unfortunately, Rask is out for the rest of the regular season and the Bruins, losers of three in a row and five out of seven, have seen their Northeast division lead dwindle to just a game-and-a-half over Ottawa.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kate (Allen) Brown
b. Aug. 11, 1861, Hamburg, Ia.
d. April 30, 1952, Prescott, Az
COD: Heart disease
w/o Mr. Brown (Div.)
d/o William T. Allen
Contributed on 12/23/03 by jlwight
Email This Contributor
Record #: 2915
On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arizona, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 12/23/03 • Approved: 12/20/08 • Last Updated: 12/20/08 • R2915-G0


text:
June 15, 2011
Chandra Deep Field South
This sequence of images begins with a large optical image of the southern sky. The view zooms into the 4-million-second exposure of the Chandra Deep Field South, and then an optical and infrared image from the Hubble Space Telescope is overlaid. This provides evidence that growing black holes have been detected in 30% to 100% of the distant galaxies.
credit: NASA


text:
|Poetry Master
Good Poems Made Better
Welcome, from Dan
After reading thousands of poems over the past many years, I am still anxious to read one of yours. I will critique one poem--in detail--FREE OF CHARGE and return it it to you promptly.
Click here to download some "Writing Tips" I have found helpful.
If I feel I can improve your writing, I will invite you to enter into a contract. But the first poem is absolutely free--no strings attached!


text:
All that stuff rattling around in my brain presented in a "small" somewhat tasty package.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Real Beauty - Dove's Reeducation Project (LONG blog - sorry!)
From what I can see in the literature from that study and from the social advertising they are putting out there the urge to put ourselves down is ingrained so deeply it is beyond epidemic. It's practically genetic. Based on what Dove has put out there, 96% of women look in the mirror and find so many faults that they do not consider themselves beautiful no matter what you do to try to dissuade them. That is almost every single woman on the planet.
Now you can say that this is based on models being held up as perfection and a very small population of the world is in the modeling profession, and that might be the answer if Dove only looked at the US and other Western nations. They didn't. That number is world wide where there are so many culturally different versions of beauty that a few models at Fashion Week aren't going to affect these deep seeded feeling quite so much. Do those models help? Absolutely not. But I don't believe our issues with our looks started with the catwalks any more than I am convinced that the only beautiful women during Lord Byron's day and age were those dying of consumption, also known as tuberculosis. That's almost as good as the heroin beauty of the 1980s. What does it say about us if we only find those who appear to be closer to death beauty but those of us stuck in life not so much - well at least to ourselves?
Dove's most recent social experiment was to bring in a forensic sketch artist with FBI training to sketch a group of women. Each woman was brought to a loft they had never been to so they were a bit off kilter already - probably on purpose. They were then introduced to a stranger and asked to speak with that person for at least an hour. After that they were brought back to the room with the sketch artist. He could not see them, nor they him. With a series of questions he would sketch the woman as she described herself and then after she left the stranger was brought in and the questions would begin again. The end result in each case was two sketches showing two completely different women. The woman on the left, the one from the descriptions of the woman, were decidedly far less attractive than the one on the right. Shockingly so in some cases. Take a look at the video here: Dove Real Beauty Sketches or read the Huffington Post article which has copies of the sketches as well. You can read the article here: Dove's 'Real Beauty Sketches'.
There is another article you should read as well. A blogger named Jazz on Tumblr wrote a post entitled "Why Dove's 'Real Beauty Sketches" Video Makes Me Uncomfortable...and Kinda Makes Me Angry." There are probably other detractors of the project that are just as educated, well spoken and true to their own voice you could read as well, but I find Jazz's op/ed piece to be very telling. What I mean by that is that I think her anger shows that the project may just be working.
Remember - at this point the project is 8 years old, so not new, but not that old either. They are at the point where they are just now getting the data and understanding what it means. They are looking at their social experiments - read that ways to get women in one room and run a camera as they use Dove products or talk about what beauty means - and trying to figure out where to go from here. This video experiment is just one active push to show women they are far more beautiful in the eyes of others than in their own. It is one of the first projects, save the mentoring project, that is specific to the Real Beauty Campaign without it being an ad and more of a PSA. That said, let me take a look at what Jazz says and then show it another way.
Boiled down to it's core, Jazz is a bit upset that Dove is choosing to show mostly white, well off women who are typically beautiful yet are sitting with this sketch artist saying things like "I have a pointy nose" or "My chin is too long" or even better "I have a huge forehead." No, it does not focus on a myriad of cultures. There is at least one African American and one Asian, but mostly it is white women. Oh - and all of them are beautiful, and if I remember correctly only one of them seems to have a weight issue.
I see Jazz's point. I really do. They could have been far more inclusive if the point of the experiment was inclusivity. From what I can tell, it wasn't. If I'm right the point of the experiment was far more straight forward than just showing a melting pot of women they are beautiful. Instead it was to show us that if these women could possibly have had careers in modeling either in the past or in the future feel that they have so many things wrong with their faces and can be proved wrong, then maybe we can also be proved wrong.
The videos also show how deeply ingrained the need to be beautiful is to women. You could hear it in their voices and see it in the sketches drawn from their own descriptions. "I look sad. I look depressed. Oh my, am I really that distraught?" And then when they looked at the sketch drawn with the words of a stranger guiding his hand "Wow, I look so much more open here." and "Am I really that happy? I guess maybe I am." (These are not direct quotes, but will hopefully give you an idea of what was said.)
Yes, the women brought in for the experiment were stereotypically beautiful. Dove and their ad agency needed to find a very specific woman if this was the message they hoped to give. They had to find one who was stereotypically beautiful, could potentially be a model and isn't because she has her own personal body issues that hold her back at work, in relationships, in goals, etc. etc. etc. These body issues may even cause some depression and lack of self confidence.
The point of this video isn't just to keep flogging us with more and more beautiful blonde, white women. The point of the experiment/Social mission is to show that there are women out there who fall into the guidelines that most companies use when hiring who think they are ugly. If these women are being hard on themselves for no seeming reason, then maybe so am I/so are we.
Look, I wasn't in the casting room or the sketching studio when this social experiment was conducted so am guessing at motivations here. I am just pleased with the result because it spoke to me in a rather big way.
Here I am, I am 5'8" and weigh under 150lbs most days. My hair is my best and worst feature - long, which I love, but I have wavy, Jewish hair which means one drop of humidity and my hair is toast. I have a weird chin, skinny arms, a mole by my eye, and I feel ugly most of the time. Ugly and fat. That's my reality. And every single one of my friends who has ever seen me has told me something other than what I just described. I just haven't believed them, and I know many of my girl friends who fall into this category with me.
So here's what I would love to do. I want to recreate the experiment with Dove's approval. (Heck - their backing would be nice as well.) I would love to have some of my girlfriends meet up with me somewhere, each one bringing someone no one else knows to act as partners in this experiment and have a sketch artist come in and sketch us all two ways. We may learn something from going through the experiment - something more than all the words from our significant others are meant to do but can't quite seem to.
Who knows, maybe we'd all finally see who we are in everyone else's eyes, helping Dove move that 4% of women who believe they are beautiful up a few notches.
What do you think, Dove? Care to help me recreate your experiment with another group of women?
2 comments:
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it
seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You clearly know what youre talking about, why waste
your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you
could be giving us something informative to read?
my site; Iris EYe Gel
- September 11, 2013 at 12:02:00 AM EDT
- lisa moore said...
Thank you. I appreciate the compliment and will do my best to write more blog posts. I do think, however, that you may have missed the point of this post. This particular post was specifically about the video Dove posted as part of their Real Beauty campaign and my opinion about it. Most of my blog posts have been in response to current event topics I feel strongly about.
That said, I would love to know what subjects you would like to hear my opinion about.
Thank you again for stopping by and reading my posts.
- September 11, 2013 at 12:48:00 AM EDT


text: Pat Thompson [email protected]net 970-867-2212 Loomis GLX Rod Tip HELP !!!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey all you rod builders!! I am an amateur rod builder. I have a friend who has a custom built rod that was built by Barney Sanders, a custom rod maker for many years at West Yellowstone fly store and Bud Lilly. The rod is an 8 1/2 foot Loomis GLX two piece 5 wt. The upper section has been broken about a foot above the ferrule, it is shattered and irreparable. I sent the rod to Loomis, but it is a discontinued blank model and all they could offer was a 9 foot 4 piece blank. Since Barney was a dear friend and mentor to both of us there is a deep sentimental attachment to this rod. IF ANY OF YOU HAVE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE A TIP SECTION FOR THIS ROD OR KNOW SOMEWHERE I MIGHT INQUIRE FOR ONE PLEASE CONTACT ME OR SEND AN EMAIL: __________________ \"Tap her light and she\'ll always be fresh\" ~~~~~~~~~~<(*)))>< Paddy 80701


text:
We hadn't always been here. But the neighborhood has. Even before it was a neighborhood on earth this one had been here. Here for those that would be lost on those cursed grounds, here for those who would die long before their real life ever truly began, here for those who never really wanted to grow up. We come from different times and we come from different lives, but one thing remains true of all of us. We lived on the earthly realm of the neighborhood at some point in our lives and died long before our time was supposed to come. We don't remember much of our lives in the cul-de-sac since the last member of our group joined us and certainly we won't remember now when the next spirit comes, but here is what we do know:
Rolf was the first to come here. Unlike most of us he was born in far off lands and even in the afterlife hasn't lost the touch of his old world upbringing. He lived in the neighborhood before it was developed. The son of a shepherd, he and the rest of his family came to start a farm on the lands that would soon turn into the place we would all eventually reside in. He died in 1903. While tending to the family's animals, the bull broke loose from its pen and in Rolf's efforts to stop the beast he was trampled to death. That is why even though he brought many of his family's livestock with him in spirit he chose not to bring the cattle along. He continues to go about the farms business on a daily basis, but is more than happy to occasionally neglect them to play with the other children of the neighborhood.
Jonny was always the lonely child. In fact Rolf actually became his first human friend ever when he came to the cul-de-sac after his death. His parents moved onto the grounds of Rolf's former farm not long after his death. With no other children around and no fieldwork to take up his time as it did Rolf's, Jonny drew into his own mind to a great extent. From the Plank was born. Together they wandered about the country side climbing trees and getting themselves in trouble. Sadly this didn't last forever as a few years later Jonny became bedridden with illness. In 1922 he died after a long battle with tuberculosis. He saw his imaginary friend plank standing by him to his last breath. Even now in the afterlife without the countryside to play in Jonny still wastes much of his time frolicking through the backyards and streets.
Eddy was the next to come. Eddy was born in New York City but moved to the neighborhood in 1932, just as the Great Depression was hitting full swing. The neighborhood while still different was beginning to take form from the fields of its past as families moved in and split up the lands that had once belonged to Rolf's family. Always a schemer, Eddy looked to do anything to bring some comfort to his very bare family life even if it cost him the friendship of others. Eddy died in 1939 after one of his grand plans to swindle a sap backfired. He drowned trying to cross the local river after trying to run away from the angry kids that he had tried to deceive. Even in the afterlife he keeps chasing after the almighty dollar.
Sarah and Ed came together not too long after that. By the late 40's the cul-de-sac had already nearly taken its final form as one of the preplanned developments that became popular in the post war era. As brother and sister growing up in the chaos of World War II, they both had various ways of escaping their lives as children of a dead GI and a working mother. Sarah became enraged and controlling as she sought to make sure that everyone around her knew that she was in charge, all in an attempt to copy off of her view of the hustle and bustle of her often working mother. Ed on the other hand went about it in a different way. He just shut it out entirely, in fact he shut out nearly everyone and everything in the world entirely becoming what appeared to be a complete idiot. Ed chose instead to become completely involved in the monster movies and comic books that began to pop up after the war had ended. It wasn't too long after this that, in 1953, Ed and Sarah died in a car wreck as their mother was taking them to visit their grandparents.
Nazz came a time after the brother and sister. Nazz was a flower child, born to a pair of hippies turned establishment in the late 60's. She was a naturally beautiful girl that had always had a way with boys and men alike. She lived life on a whim and would often go about flirting and playing without any intentions. She died in possibly the most horrible way of any children in the neighborhood. In the summer of '79 a serial killer, who had broken out of a local asylum, had slipped into her house in the dead of night and raped and killed her along with her entire family. In the trauma of these events she in a way similar to Ed shut out the world entirely and forgot of her parents and siblings, which is why in the afterlife she doesn't ever receive demands from the non-existent parents unlike many of the others. This gives her much more time to lounge around and party as she often does.
It didn't take too long before Edd joined the rest of the neighborhood. He was the child of two highly controlling professionals in the age of greed that, despite their constant absence, dominated his life. As such Edd became quite the intellectual and a rather meek and shy figure. Always the curious type, he loved to experiment when given the time away from school and the constant chores of his parents. This would lead to his untimely demise in 1986, as a gas leak combined with a Bunsen burner from one of his experiments tore him and his house to pieces. Being the timid and subservient type, between various misadventures, Edd continued to follow the written orders of his parents long after his death.
Kevin was the next to join the group. He was born to the day of Edd's death and is in many ways his polar opposite. Kevin came from a broken home and developed a bold personality. In life he was the cynical and angry and took it out on many of the other children. His abusive father would rarely pay him any attention in life and would end up bringing about the end of it. In a drunken rage his father beat him after Kevin attempted to stand up to him. He died on the way to the hospital in the winter of 1999. His father spent the rest of his life in prison. In the afterlife Kevin changed his perception to the opposite of what his life really was, with a distant father who would shower him with gifts, however he continued to maintain his bullying even in death.
Jimmy was the last to come to the cul-de-sac. He died in 2000 not long after moving into the house that Kevin's father had once lived in. He had had leukemia since he was barely old enough to walk. As such, he was always a very sickly child and due to his over protective parents he never really got to be around other children. He lived his days out in a small bedroom completely neglected by the outside world. Jimmy lingered for quite some time in a state of near death, but in the end finally caved into the suffering of his life long illness.
The Kanker sisters were different from any other denizens of the cul-de-sac. They were never of the earthly plane of existence. Instead they are the children of demons not too dissimilar from the succubi of human lore. They seem to possess abilities impossible by the standards of the others, such as the ability to appear nearly anywhere instantly. They were sent from hell to torment the already tortured souls of the neighborhood. Surprisingly they are attracted to the Eds for unknown reasons, although it is speculated that they are the weakest willed members of the neighborhood and are seen as easy targets by them. Despite that they are universally loathed and often feared by everyone including the Eds."
- Join Date: Aug 2011
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What Ed, Edd and Eddy was really about (storytime)
What.....***Spring Cutters Crew OG***
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Frumpy + Gibb1991 Workout Journal
***Always Proud, Never Satisfied***
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the one about the rugrats and how all the kids are a figment of angelica's mind is wayy more interesting lol**Knee Draggers Unite**
**Bangs Chicks From Across The Street While At Home Crew**
**Bird Mistook Penis For A Giant Juicy Worm Crew**
**Uses Penis As Baseball Bat Crew**
**Arrested At Airport For Dangerous Weapon In Pants Crew**
**Gets Dizzy While Acquiring An Erection Crew**
**Penis Push Ups All Day Erryday Crew**
- Join Date: Feb 2011
- Location: California, United States
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"forced" to take my grandfather's M6 to school stop at the mcdonalds I used to work at manager i worked with sees me in the drive thru we hate each other she asks how did I obtain the car I ask for a hamburger, she gives me a hamburger I raise it to my lips and take a bite. My eye twitches involuntarily. Across the street a father of three falls down the stairs I swallow and look down at the hamburger in my hands. She gives me a hamburger I swallow and look down at the hamburger in my hands. I cannot swallow. There are children at the top of the stairs a pickle shifts uneasily under the bun. She gives me a hamburger I look at her face, and she is pleading with me. The children are crying now I raise the hamburger to my lips, tears stream down my face as I take a bite she gives me a hamburger. I am on my knees.
I plead with her to go across the street. She hears only children's laughter she gives me a hamburger I am screaming as I fall down the stairs. She is my child. I cannot see anything I take a bite of the hamburger the concrete rushes up to meet me I awake with a start in my own bed. My eye twitches involuntarily she gives me a hamburger as I kill her, I do not make a sound she gives me a hamburger...
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not enough money for jaw breakers
enough money for unlimited building supplies....
****ing ed, edd and eddy logic* BJJ Crew (White Belt) *
* 2400 rated disc priest crew *
* Never have energy to phuck GF because my workouts are so intense crew *
* UFC Fanboy Crew *
* Thread Killer Crew *
* JRE Crew *
* Don't Drink crew *
* 135 IQ but feel average crew *
* Message girl on Facebook, she goes offline and Add Friend button appears crew *


text:
WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart chief executive Mike Duke found out in 2005 that the retailer's Mexico unit was handing out bribes to local officials, according to emails obtained by lawmakers.
The lawmakers say the emails contradict earlier claims by Wal-Mart that executives weren't aware of bribes.
Democratic Congressmen Elijah E. Cummings and Henry A. Waxman, who are investigating bribery charges at Wal-Mart's Mexico division, on Thursday released emails that indicate that Duke and other senior Wal-Mart officials were informed multiple times starting in 2005 about bribes being made in the country. U.S. law forbids American companies from bribing foreign officials.
The lawmakers shared the emails, which they say they got from a confidential source, with Wal-Mart on Wednesday.


text:
Related Topics:
My company deploys equipment housed in an enclosure that is located in a mild salt-spray environment but no sun/UV exposure. Now we are using stainless steel but we need better heat conduction. Can we use aluminum enclosure? Painted? Coated? Z. K.
Absolutely! The British Navy built destroyers having aluminum superstructures. The salt-laden ocean breezes did not harm them. However, a cruise missile nearly burnt one of them in half during the Falkland Islands War. Therefore, I can't promise you protection against cruise missiles, but I can promise you protection from a mild salt spray atmosphere. Pretreat the aluminum using a two-part vinyl wash primer or an inorganic conversion coating for aluminum. To the pretreated aluminum, apply a robust finish system such as a two-part epoxy primer topcoated with a two-part polyurethane or a urethane acrylic enamel. Although this is a fairly expensive finish system, it may still be less costly than using stainless steel for your enclosures. You must do the math. Suppliers of these finishes are listed in the 2005 Products Finishing Directory & Technology Guide, under Coatings, military and government specification and Coatings, plural-component (www.pfonline.com/suppliers.html).


text:
Water pump good, thermostat good, no coolant leaks. I have tried bleeding the system it wont work there is air in both radiator hoses and air in the engine. It has no heat coming out and the engine is overheating. The upper radiator hose gets hot but the lower hose does not. What would cause the system not to bleed and I know how to bleed it so its not my technique. Help
Saturday, February 23rd, 2013 AT 10:06 PM


text:
Mayweather vs. Guerrero: Biggest Questions Facing Each Fighter on May 4May 1, 2013
Boxing fans have grown accustomed to seeing Floyd "Money" Mayweather talk the talk and walk the walk. He's walked away from all 43 of his professional fights with his gloves in the air and a familiar look of confidence on his face.
As long as Money keeps winning, people will keep shelling it out to watch him fight. And on May 4, fans will be treated to a May Day bout against Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero that may answer some questions about how long Mayweather can keep doing what he's done his entire career.
Guerrero is a huge underdog in this fight, but there's a reason Mayweather continues to find opponents willing to go toe to toe with him and it's not just the money. Everyone wants his shot at taking down the best fighter on the planet.
The 30-year-old Guerrero is next in line, but he'll have his work cut out for him. Can he become the first fighter to beat Mayweather, or will he join the group of failed challengers as loser No. 44? We'll find out, but he too will have some questions to answer in this bout.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest concerns facing both fighters as they prepare for May Day and a showdown that has the potential to make history.
|Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr.
|Full Name
|Robert Joseph Guerrero
|145-147 pounds
|145-147 pounds
Can The Ghost Make Them Count?
Mayweather is one of the best all-around fighters to ever lace up the gloves, but he does lack in the power department. However, he makes up for his lack of elite power-punching ability with incredible speed and defensive prowess—not to mention boxing intelligence that may be unmatched by anyone in the sport.
Guerrero brings to the table superior aggressiveness and power. The Ghost earned his 31-1-1 record by throwing every shot imaginable at his opponents, and he did it regularly.
But will that work against Mayweather?
If history is any indication, the answer is a resounding "no." Mayweather has taken his share of punishment in the ring, but his defense and counterpunching skills are top-notch. Opponents who get overly aggressive often end up face down on the mat as a result.
For Guerrero to win, he needs to create the perfect storm of aggression and cautiousness. One wrong move and Money will give referee Joe Cortez a reason to practice his counting skills.
Will This be the Beginning of the End?
At 36, Mayweather can't expect to retain his elite quickness for much longer. He's shown little sign of slowing in previous fights (save for a few stumbles against Miguel Cotto last year), but Money also hasn't fought in a year and missed a couple of important training months courtesy of a stint behind bars.
No one will expect Father Time to put his stamp on Money until it actually happens, but rest assured—it will happen at some point.
Even if Mayweather cruises past Guerrero (as most expect to be the case), he'll still be faced with questions of his age, especially with a slate of ambitious young fighters lining up to take their shot at the pound-for-pound kingpin. Without an absolutely dominant performance on May 4, questions will continue to arise as to how long Mayweather can keep doing what he has always done.
What Makes Guerrero Different?
Forty-three challengers have given it their best shot, and 43 challengers have left the ring empty-handed. Mayweather's dominance in the sport is unmatched by any fighter of his generation.
So what makes Guerrero different from anyone Money has already seen?
Apart from being a southpaw (something that Money has struggled with at times in the past), there's nothing that sets Guerrero apart from any other fighter to go toe to toe with Mayweather. He just doesn't do any one thing well enough to cause major concern for the five-division champ.
The Ghost has age, power and aggression on his side, but none of those attributes has slowed Mayweather in the past. And with the longest training camp of his career almost in the books (pictures of which he tweets regularly), you can count on Money being well-prepared with a strong game plan in mind.
For Guerrero to put the first blemish on Mayweather's record, he'll have to go a step above what he has always done. There's just nothing that sets him apart from the crowd.
We may see a shocking outcome in this fight, but the odds are stacked in favor of a Mayweather victory. Guerrero has to fight like a special boxer to upend Money, and that's unlikely to happen.


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Wanderlei Silva: Chael Sonnen Is a RacistApril 23, 2014
Chael Sonnen can get under the thickest of skins.
Whether it's a legendary mixed martial artist or a local coffee shop employee, he'll verbally throw down at the drop of a hat.
And when you mix that with the volatility that is Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva, bad things are going to happen.
But as vicious and ill-willed as their rivalry outside of the cage has become, it's just getting started.
"This guy is a racist and he doesn't deserve our respect," wrote Silva in a recent Instagram post (h/t Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting). "I wouldn't be mad (at him) if I had no reasons to be. This is just one of the things he said about us."
Silva's aggressive media onslaught stems from his brawl with Sonnen on the set of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Sonnen's actions during the shooting of the reality show apparently came off as "racist," and the Brazilian took immediate offense.
"Now, if you want to cheer for him be my guest, you deserve my respect," added Silva. "I don't agree with him and I think we should be united this time. We're stronger together."
Silva obviously has a point to his madness, but it seems unfair to peg Sonnen as a racist strictly based on the words of another man. Their time on the show as rival head coaches surely stirred the pot, but nobody knows for sure what went down.
If Sonnen did provoke Silva in an unprofessional and racist manner, then shame on him. Those types of personal convictions hold no weight in a sport as global and diverse as MMA.
The two men will finally hash out their differences at UFC 175 this July. It will serve as one of the biggest grudge matches in UFC history.
For more UFC news and coverage, follow @DHiergesell.


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"Of all the places you've traveled to, which is your favorite?"
Uhh, whoa, talk about a tough (and rather unspecific) question!
But it's one that has been coming up a lot lately and I'm ashamed to say I've never really had a good answer for it. It's not that I had never pondered the question before–I can generalize for days (I prefer South America to SE Asia, for instance, or I can name my favorite countries)–but I had never gone any deeper to figure out which specific cities I truly loved…until now.
Of course, there can't be just one favorite. I've now traveled to 17 different countries outside the US and more cities within those countries than I care to count. This may seem like a paltry number compared to other devoted travelers, but its still enough to require some serious deliberation to determine my top picks, let alone one unrivaled favorite.
Once I really thought about it (without the pressure of someone waiting for an immediate answer) I was able to narrow my list down to the top ten more easily than I expected; however, they appear on the list in no particular order, and there's no definitive #1…sorry! They may have a number of things in common (a nice climate or lots of great restaurants, perhaps) but my affinity for each of these places extends beyond the surface.
Each of these destinations, more than any of the others I've traveled to thus far, have evoked strong emotions in me; I felt a distinct energy–a vibe, a pulse, a heartbeat–that gave me life. I reminisce about each of them and feel that unmistakeable pang of longing in my stomach to relive the experiences I once had there. Travel has me wrapped around its little finger, I tell ya.
So here you have it, folks…
My Top 10 Travel Destinations (So Far)
Sydney, Australia
Without a doubt, Sydney will always hold a special place in my heart. Before I first met her back in 2009, I had only barely crossed US borders into Canada and Mexico, so you could even say I lost my traveling virginity to Sydney. It was my first intercontinental flight and my first real unchaperoned travel experience. And what's not to like about Sydney? It comes with all the perks of being a major metropolis (i.e. food, nightlife, and entertainment), and it's simultaneously crawling with curly-haired surfer types. Win-win!
New York, New York
I'm going to be really honest with you guys and let you in on a little secret…when I'm not in the US, I get more nostalgic for New York City than for ANY other place. I've never missed my hometown like I miss New York, I've never missed Berkeley like I miss New York, and I've sure as hell never missed Connecticut. Period. I spent one year of my life in the Big Apple and I'm still not over it. My inability to move on can only mean that it's my life's greatest love story, right? I don't know if I'll ever feel the same way about another city, and honestly I'll be incredibly surprised if I do. If you're not sure what I'm going on about or what's so amazing about this city, I don't know if I'll be able to explain it to you. You may just have to go and see for yourself.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
This one seems like a no-brainer…how can you spend fifteen months in a city like Chiang Mai and not grow attached to it? The answer is: you can't. The Thailand chapter of my life feels like quite a long time ago now, but I'll never lose the sense of independence and self-confidence that I discovered by moving there. More about why I love Chiang Mai here.
Bali, Indonesia
This one might seem like a cliché, and it kind of is. Everyone loves Bali, or at least everyone I've ever discussed it with. This easy-going island has so much beauty packed into a relatively small place. I vacationed there while working in Thailand and got my Open Water Diver's certification with my amazing friend Marlies as my instructor. Diving on a WWII shipwreck at Tulamben was the buttercream icing on THAT life-goal cake. When I returned to Chiang Mai from that trip I was glowing with happiness and a beautiful tan. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Washington, DC
In the handful of times I've been to the "other" Washington, I've grown to really love it. My country's capital possesses a unique combination of rich history and youthfulness. It attracts the intelligent and the passionate, the people who are intent on becoming tomorrow's change-makers. A trip to DC never fails to leave me feeling inspired to make my own mark on the world.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur was one of the first cities I visited as a true solo traveler, and before arrival I was in a full-on panic. After arrival, however, I felt slightly foolish for letting my fears get the best of me. The city was easy to navigate with public transportation, and after a few days I even felt comfortable walking around alone at night (gasp!). I loved the eclectic mix of cultures and that whenever I needed respite from the heat I could just duck into one of the city's gajillion malls. I swear, that city is half mall…another reason for a shopaholic like me to love it.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Whenever people ask me what Tel Aviv is like, I respond with: "It's like a mix between New York and San Francisco." The Mediterranean climate is mild year-round and people are constantly walking or biking to get where they need to go. It has gorgeous beaches and palm trees. But at the same time, it has that slightly-dirty feeling that I typically think of as uniquely New York (hot garbage smell in the summer, anyone?). The nightlife is a little grungy and there are certain streets that you always avoid because they are all-too-often used as a public urinal.
Medellín, Colombia
If you think I'm crazy for naming Medellín one of my favorite destinations or for traveling to Colombia in the first place, I'm here to set the record straight: Colombia. Is. Safe! It's no longer a country ravaged by cartel terrorism, and paisas (Colombians from Medellín), especially, want the rest of the world to understand that. Medellín is thriving like never before and the energy is palpable. Did I mention the temperature hovers around 75º Fahrenheit (aka perfect) pretty much all year?
Cusco, Perú
After spending nearly 5 weeks in Cusco in October and December of last year, I really felt like I knew the city well. I even had people stop me to ask for directions on more than one occasion (including a few instances of other travelers asking me in broken Spanish–I must have really looked like a local??). I had my favorite cafes and restaurants (so many amazing restaurants!), I knew the quickest way to get where I needed to go, and I would always run into people I knew while out and about. It started to feel like a home away from home. I'll always feel a close connection with this former Inca capital…and if you want my restaurant recommendations, just ask!
Montañita, Ecuador
There's a reason I have almost no photos from my time in Montañita, and it's because I was too busy enjoying myself to play tourist. This little beach town on Ecuador's southern coast has a laid-back yet high-energy atmosphere by day and a lively party scene by night. It's definitely too small to keep a city girl like myself entertained for longer than a week at a time, but I could definitely make a habit out of visiting this lovely little spot.
Honorable Mentions:
Port Douglas, Australia
How does my list of favorites compare to yours?


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A 73-year-old grandmother has been charged with assault after trying to wash her daughter's boyfriend's mouth out with Fairy Liquid because he was swearing at her.
Margaret Gettings was charged after Robert Weekes, a 6ft 2in chef, phoned police in Newark, Nottinghamshire, to say she had assaulted him.
The gran is alleged to have squirted washing liquid at Mr Weekes' face after a series of rows he'd had with her daughter and granddaughter.
Mrs Gettings told The Sun: "I put Fairy Liquid in my bag but never thought I would use it until he leant down over me and was cursing like a trooper."
Mr Weekes, 38, phoned police to report he had been assaulted, and officers attended the scene.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "Officers attended an address in Newark on 16 November 2014, after the report of an assault on a 38-year-old man.
"A 73-year-old woman was voluntarily interviewed on suspicion of assault, and following CPS advice was reported for summons for the offence."
Mrs Gettings appeared at local magistrates court and pleaded not guilty to assault.
Mr Weekes has since retracted his police statement and said he wants no further action to be taken but the Crown Prosecution Service said Mrs Gettings' next court date will be in March. It wouldn't comment further on the case.
Mrs Getting said: "It's finished my faith in British justice if they can waste all this time and effort on someone like me while murderers go free."


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I'm going to be doing a little remolding of the blog and adding a couple of different pages that I hope people will find
useful. One I should have had a long time ago is an endorsements page.
I haven't been as organized as I should have been through the years collecting those kind comments people made and getting permission to share them. I think the time has come to take the project on. If you have seen me present and want to make a comment to be included either respond in a comment to this post or e-mail me at email@example.com
Here's one to start you off. Elaine generously gave me permission to use her recent post on IowaLib.
Please remember Sarah Uthoff! She is also a Humanities Iowa speaker. Sarah
is an expert on Laura Ingalls Wilder and has a variety of programs related
to Laura. Sarah also has an excellent program on One Room Schoolhouses.
She also has other programs, but I am just speaking about the programs she
has done for me.
Sarah is an excellent speaker and extremely knowledgeable. I've been having
her present programs at the North Liberty Comm. Library for years, and I
learn something every time she presents. Sarah is engaging and lots of fun
and her programs attract attendees from children through senior citizens. I
really can't recommend her enough!
Here is her website: http://www.trundlebedtales.com
– Elaine Hayes, MA, MLIS
Adult Services Librarian
North Liberty Community Library
"William Anderson is a noted Wilder expert; but Iowa has its own expert in Sarah S. Uthoff who frequently writes about Wilder on her Trundlebed Tales site."
In addition to Sarah's active online presence, Sarah has a full repertoire of speaking programs that she is able to give to audiences of all age groups. Sarah Uthoff is one of the finest contemporary experts on the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder actively writing and presenting today. She has a portfolio of possible programs that she is able to draw from – giving groups and organizations just the focus needed. Her programs extend from general background information to, my favorite, an "interactive visit with Laura using some of Laura's own words." Laura often comes dressed in the era about which she is speaking. Those in the audience might even think she has gone beyond channeling Laura's words and has actually become Laura. Sarah is a most interesting speaker and brings much to those who have an interest in learning more about the prairie life in the late 1800s. Her programs are of interest to adults and fascinating to younger readers. If you have a chance to hear her speak or to invite her to your conference/library—don't miss the opportunity.
~ Sharron McElmeel, Director of McBookwords, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sarah S. Uthoff is main force behind Trundlebed Tales fighting to bring the History, Mystery, Magic and Imagination of Laura Ingalls Wilder and other greats of children's literature and history to life for a new generation.Attend one of her programs, schedule one yourself, watch her videos, listen to her podcast, and find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+,LinkedIn, and Academia.edu. She is currently acting President of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association. Professionally she is a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College and director of the Oxford (Iowa) Public Library.


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A clipper system is expected to sweep into the region Monday night, bringing 2 to 4 inches of snow and potentially fouling the Tuesday morning commute, according to the National Weather Service.
The accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected across parts of central and east-central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin before the snow tapers off Tuesday morning. Lesser snowfall totals are expected along the Minnesota River Valley.
Blowing and drifting snow, especially in open country, is expected once winds switch to the northwest and increase overnight.
A winter weather advisory remains in effect for areas generally along and south of Interstate 94.
Temperatures in the Twin Cities will fall during the day Tuesday, reaching 16 degrees late in the afternoon.
Wednesday brings a chance of snow after noon, mixing with freezing drizzle after 4 p.m., and a high of around 18.
Winds pick up Wedsday night into Thursday. Blustery northwest winds are expected to generate blowing and drifting snow, especially in open country.


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Hall of Fame ballot overflows with worthy players
Updated 11:07 pm, Tuesday, November 26, 2013
That was quite a Hall of Fame dinner reception they had at Cooperstown last year.
"Inductees, party of none - your table's ready."
What a strange sight, witnessing not a single acceptance speech beyond Paul Hagen's (for the writers' wing) and the family members of three veterans' committee selections no longer alive: Deacon White, umpire Hank O'Day and executive Jacob Ruppert. The "character clause" wiped out Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and other tainted stars of the Steroid Era, and none of the allegedly clean candidates got enough votes.
That won't be a problem this year. The official ballot was released Tuesday, and for some of us, the biggest issue will be finding room for everyone. There's a 10-vote limit, a stipulation already challenged by several national writers and perhaps to be eliminated in future years.
Simply put: If you dismiss the Cooperstown-is-church stance and give Bonds & Co. their due - that's always been the case for this voter - you'll be forced to leave out players with sterling credentials.
We're not allowed to disclose our voting choices until after the results are announced, but I can tell you I've voted for Bonds, Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa at every opportunity. And just a quick note on Sosa, who seems to be completely forgotten: The man hit 60-plus home runs three times, drove in 100-plus runs for nine consecutive years, delighted Cubs fans for years with his infectious personality and brought joy to the entire country in 1998 as he joined McGwire in pursuit of the single-season homer record. He mattered. Had Cooperstown written all over him. If Bonds ever gets the OK, Sosa should be recognized, as well.
At any rate, there will be several holdover candidates to consider, including Craig Biggio and Jack Morris - each received 68 percent of the vote last year, short of the required 75 percent - as well as Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Curt Schilling and Edgar Martinez. (The checkmarks on my 2013 ballot went to Morris, Piazza and Schilling.)
My eighth and final vote last year went to Don Mattingly, for the same reasons I always voted for Will Clark and Keith Hernandez: Each of these first basemen was a game-changer, a hitter of legendary skills, consummate ballplayers who made their presence felt in every game. They were Hall of Famers at the time, not in retrospect, during their prime years, and that's always my No. 1 criterion.
Regrettably, their peak seasons were packed into a relatively short time frame, and I'm not sure I can afford to acknowledge Mattingly's greatness this time; he has no chance to get in, and there are too many other people to consider.
The list of first-year candidates is imposing, to say the least. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were rotation mainstays of the great Atlanta teams for years. Frank Thomas struck a Cooperstown look from the moment he arrived on the scene, and although Thomas broke in as a first baseman, it will be interesting to see if he or Martinez (or David Ortiz, down the line) becomes the first designated hitter to be inducted.
Then there's the fascinating case of Jeff Kent, who toiled so long in Bonds' shadow in San Francisco. I generally have a gut-feeling opinion on every candidate, making it unnecessary to pore through a bunch of numbers, but I've always been torn on Kent.
On one hand, Kent hit 377 career home runs, including a record 351 as a second baseman. He was a five-time All-Star who had at least 20 homers and 100 RBIs in eight seasons, the most by any second baseman in history. When you examine the great hitters at that position - Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, Charlie Gehringer, Frankie Frisch, Rod Carew, Joe Morgan, Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg - Kent is absolutely in the discussion.
He hardly ranked with Alomar or Bill Mazeroski as a fielder, but he was a hard-nosed guy who made the routine plays, played through the pain of dreadful poundings (from baserunners taking him out) over the years and was always in character. The nagging question: Did he strike you as a Hall of Famer at the time?
I'm not sure there will be room for Kent on my ballot, and things get even more interesting next year, when Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz become eligible. I know this: With so many writers making moral judgments on Bonds, and unlikely to switch their stance for many years, Kent could enter the Hall of Fame ahead of his old sparring mate. Such are these crazy times in Cooperstown.
Bruce Jenkins is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @bruce_jenkins1


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June 27, 1988
Police entered a warehouse without a warrant and saw several suspicious looking bales in plain view. Not mentioning any of this in their request, these officers got a warrant, and seized the bales, which contained marijuana. An earlier case called Segura allowed for evidence seized with a warrant to stand, even if the police had earlier made an illegal entry, provided that the warrant was not based on any evidence gained from the previous entry. The question was whether the Segura doctrine applied in this case, where apparent evidence had been in plain view.
The Court ruled 4-3 that such evidence need not be suppressed (Brennan and Kennedy did not participate). As long as the warrant was in no way based on evidence from the previous entry, it made no difference whether the evidence ultimately seized had been previously visible or not. He found support for the conclusion in the inevitable discovery doctrine, which allowed for even illegally seized evidence to come in if it would have inevitably been found by legal means. Scalia did not think this rule would encourage bad police behavior, but did remand to determine whether the policemen would have applied for a warrant without seeing the bales.
Marshall, joined by Stevens and O'Connor, dissented. He thought it almost certain that the police only applied for a warrant because they saw the bales. He thought this extension of the Segura rule would positively encourage bad conduct by the police. Just do an illegal search, and don't bother getting a warrant unless you see evidence of wrongdoing. The potential for abuse was simply too high, and greater deterrence was needed. Stevens, in his own dissent, registered his continuing belief that Segura itself was wrongly decided and should be overruled.


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Loren W. Myers
Loren W. Myers, 83, of Monroe, passed away on Monday March 26, 2012, at Woodcrest Nursing Center in Decatur.
He was born on July 20, 1928, to the late Frank and Minnie (Foreman) Myers, in Adams County.
On August 1, 1953, Loren married Norma J. (Funk) Myers.
A lifetime resident of Adams County, Loren was a lifelong farmer and was also a plasterer for many years. He attended The Bridge Community Church in Decatur, and First Christian Church in Haines City, Fla., and served for many years on the Adams County Plan Commission.
Loren is survived by his wife, Norma J. Funk, of Monroe; two daughters, Sherrill A. (Wayne) Frock of Monroe and Diana S. (Steve) Bailey of Decatur; two brothers, Donald (Mary) Myers of Constatine, Mich., and Larry (Darlene) Myers of Decatur; one sister, Dorothy Brown of Fort Wayne; seven grandchildren, Missy (Paul) Walker; Bob (Angela) Frock; Casey (JD) Nidlinger; Jon (Robin) Frock; Tim (Michelle) Frock; Alex (Tyler) Roach; Madison Bailey; six great-grandchildren, Jarrett Bailey; Jamison Roach; Elaine Nidlinger; Haylie Frock; Kylee Frock; Daymon Frock; and two stepgreat-grandchildren, Bryan and Hannah Walker.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Ronald W. Myers; and two sisters, Faye Miller and Marcile Williamson.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 1, from noon-4 p.m. at Haggard Sefton and Hirschy Funeral Home, and one hour prior to services on Monday.
Services will be held on Monday April 2, at 10:30 a.m., also at the funeral home. Pastor Jim Compton will officiate.
Burial will be in St. Luke Cemetery.
Preferred memorials may be made to Family Life Care.


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Fresno, Calif. More than 100 cars and trucks crashed on a fog-shrouded freeway Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens more, the California Highway Patrol said.
Eighteen big rigs were involved in the massive pileup on Highway 99 just south of Fresno as patches of dense fog obscured visibility on the heavily traveled roadway, highway patrol officials said.
"It looked like something out of a movie, walking up and seeing all the cars mangled and crushed," highway patrol Officer Paul Solorzano Jr. said.
A 5-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man traveling in separate vehicles were killed in the chain-reaction collisions about 7:45 a.m., he said.
A 62-year-old man was arrested Saturday on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, said highway patrol Officer Kirk Arnold.
"He has not been said to have been the cause of (the crash), he is just a person who was involved in the collision who was taken in for DUI," Arnold said.
"There was probably two-foot visibility in the fog when I got here. It was really bad," said Mike Bowman, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "It looked like chaos. Cars were backed up on top of each other."
Rescuers had to extract several people from the wreckage, and paramedics took more than three dozen patients to the hospital with injuries, Fresno Fire Department spokesman Ken Shockley said.
"Everybody was trying to miss everybody, but it was impossible not to get hit," said Cindy Ramirez, 21, of Selma, whose purple Mazda pickup truck was rear-ended. "I'm fine physically, but I keep thinking about all of the things that could have happened."
Hours after the accident, the freeway was littered with smashed cars and trucks, broken glass, auto parts and blood. A big rig carrying stacked crates of live turkeys was stranded on the normally busy highway.
Two of the big rigs leaked 90 gallons of diesel fuel onto the freeway when their fuel tanks ruptured, but the diesel was contained. No hazardous materials were spilled, officials said.
Crash victims gathered on the freeway shoulder near the wreckage, waiting to be interviewed by investigators.
The freeway's northbound lanes were shut down indefinitely as investigators worked to determine the cause of the crash. Traffic backed up for miles south of the wreckage. Southbound lanes remained opened.
Thick seasonal fog known as "Tule fog" typically occurs in Central California in the late fall and winter. Two people died along a nearby stretch of fog-blanketed Highway 99 in an 87-vehicle pileup in 2002, and another section of the roadway several miles south was the scene of a 74-vehicle crash that left two dead nearly a decade ago.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.


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Greetings all, I am trying to automate a few small file processes using perl. I need to create a script that will read a given linux directory, find all of the JPEG files and list the file names in a plain text file. The problem is that I have no idea how to do this in perl. I need help... ...please help me. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
2005-08-16 Retitled by Arunbear, as per Monastery guidelines
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The Avengers Box-Office Prediction Thread - Part 7
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Juicy J
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Mars
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Re: The Avengers Box-Office Prediction Thread - Part 7
Look I concede to the point that this has negatively effected the box office, but not by a huge margin. Anyone who was already going to see the movie this weekend to begin with won't be put off by the shootings. I don't know a single person who says that the shootings even remotely affected their decision to turn out this weekend.
Granted I'm sure there are some out there but not enough to put a big, serious dent in the BO returns.
And until I see anyone around me skip out on going to the movie because of the tragedy, I'm sticking to that.
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XPDay 2003 - Lean and keen
Mary Poppendieck gave the keynote speech and focussed on the (self-interested!) reasons that development teams should be keen to practice Lean Development. She did a great job of explaining ideas such as kaizen, muda (waste) and value chain analysis, and I hope that anyone present who was unaware of the lean principles went away interested to find out more. (Oh and her book is a cracking good read, too!)


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What does WUGO mean in Companies & Firms?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand WUGO in the Business field in general and in the Companies & Firms terminology in particular.
Wegener Uitgeverij Gelderland- Overijssel
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Gigi Del Neri accepts Juventus were lucky last week and got the reverse in stoppages at Verona.
"We hit the woodwork twice and played with 10 men for over 45 minutes," he said of the 1-1 draw with Chievo.
"The team did its duty, then conceded in stoppages when we thought the victory was safe. Last week we played that trick on Lazio, this time it was our go.
"We accept the point and go home with a relaxed state of mind. We made up for the absentees with hard work and in my view deserved more."
The result means Juve drop behind Lazio and Napoli in the table.
"It is a very open League and we have our chances. It can even be said this point was precious considering we played with 10 men and were missing so many important players," continued Del Neri.
"On the one hand, these games leave a bitter taste in the mouth, but on the other we always need this character and determination."
See the latest Serie A predictions and betting tips with Eurotips.co.uk


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7/01/2009 9:06am, #1
Judo Bullshido: Why many Judoka are silent on rank inflation.
This I am sure will get passed about, and people will attack me for this, but I do not care.
Many of you are stunned at the reaction to Coach Josh's comments at Judoinfo. I would like to let all of you know why that reaction is.
First, some history. For quite some time AAU ran sport Judo. From this USJF was created, but you still had to be an AAU member to compete.
As always happens with such things, political crap came in, and things were very bad. The AAU/USJF controlled Judo, and many were unhappy with that control. Finally, Phil Porter sued, and won, to break the strangle hold. Mr. Porter, who ran the Armed Forces Judo Association, created USJA. The AAU was out after this, and USJA/USJF ran things on their own, separate but equal.
Now, once Judo became an Olympic sport, this country needed a NGB for Judo. The fight as to should it be USJA or USJF would have made the middle east look tame. As such, a great idea was made. Create a new group, made up of equal representation of USJA/USJF to run Olympic Judo. This became USJI.
However, to expect things to stay that way would be silly. It took time, but now, hardly anyone remembers or admits those facts. With elections and political moves, now USJI is above USJA/USJF and working hard to eliminate BOTH of those other groups. This is EXACTLY why the AAU problem happened.
Phil Porter tried to fight this. His plan was to make USJA so large and powerful that they would get the IOC to make them the NGB and not USJI. His way of doing this was to get as many people in USJA as he could; and the simplest way to do that, was to sell rank.
USJA became no different than Juko-kai. They had Aikido, TKD, Jujitsu, Sambo, etc divisions and all of them sold rank. Phil did clinics all over the US and used them to sell rank. He did programs in Karate schools and gave out shodans in Judo! When he came to my school in the early 1990's, he left with over $17,000 in promotion fees!
At this time, something very odd was happening. My uncle was THE USJA man here in Michigan. He was the head of the promotion board, and the top USJA rep in Michigan. I had a huge club; over 100 members, and in the USJA top ten. All Michigan USJA promotions were supposed to go through him. We used my school for all tests. Problem was, we were only testing our students. People were getting promoted to dan rank, and in many cases high dan rank, without going in front of the promotion board! Why would someone in Michigan, go to Ohio to get promoted? Because Phil, as president of USJA, promoted HUNDREDS of people to ranks THEY WERE AND ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO HOLD. They did not need to take the actual test.
MY Uncle and I saw this at camps and clinics. We would see people with very high rank and wonder how they got it. More often than not they would get off the mat when we were around, because they knew they didn't have the skills to back up the rank.
Most of you know what happened next. Phil was removed from USJA, started his own group, and is still selling rank. Many people to this day will say USJA rank stinks because of all of this....
However, here is the dirty little secret. MANY of those people got one of those inflated USJA ranks from Phil, and used them to get rank in USJF/USJI then never claimed USJA rank again! Yes, I could name names.
Do you understand why so many people do NOT want people looking real close at their rank papers? Or their history? Want to know how to catch them? Ask a 5th dan for EVERY promotion along the way! You should be able to find a record of "growth." Here is Joe Doe as Shodan, then NOTHING until Joe Doe shows up as a Godan... its easy to know what happened.
LOTS of them did this, and its why Bullshido scares the hell out of them...
Mark Tripp
7/01/2009 9:13am, #2
And now I know, and knowing is half the battle! *queue GI Joe music*Let your anger be like a monkey trapped inside a pinata; waiting inside, hoping that the children don't break through with the stick.
-Master Tang (Kung Pow! Enter the Fist)
A word to the wise ain't necessary. It's the stupid ones who need the advice.
Bill Cosby
The believer is happy, the doubter wise.
Greek proverb
7/01/2009 9:14am, #3
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Mark, you should post this on Josh's Judoforum thread. You have the background to at least make the point credibly. How they react to being confronted is another matter, but you could drop it as a bomb, and then disengage. If this is true, they deserve to be confronted with it. As it stands, they are looking down their noses at bullshido as a bunch of cyber-vigilantes and children instead of looking in the mirror.
Just my $.02Now darkness comes; you don't know if the whales are coming. - Royce Gracie
KosherKickboxer has t3h r34l chi sao
In De Janerio, in blackest night,
Luta Livre flees the fight,
Behold Maeda's sacred tights;
Beware my power... Blue Lantern's light!
7/01/2009 9:22am, #4
Thanks MTripp. This explains the "live and let live you are meanies Bullshido" rants in that thread.
If one person who bought rank was caught, whose to say who else might get caught with bought and faked rank?
7/01/2009 9:23am, #5Carter Hargrave's Jeet Can't Do
7/01/2009 9:26am, #6
Mark, I dont know if you know my coach, Norm Miller. Norm is the chair for AAU Judo, and he gives out ZERO rank, the only Japanese he teaches is the few words you will hear from a refrree in a judo match. the only bowing you do is at the start of a match.
Norm's club is more like a wrestling team, and it has it's appeal. Norm gives out a team belt to any member that has competed in ten tournaments, Norm says there are "black belts" in some of the current governing bodies that dont even have five tournaments under thier belt.
Norm is graded as a nidan, but never wears a judo gi, he just gets out on the mats and coaches. He puts out some tough guys, and runs a good program.
I kind of prefer the AAU over the other guys, personally.8 years till retirement.
7/01/2009 10:14am, #7
OH, I should clear that up....
The people who ran judo for the AAU in the OLD DAYS, really are around running Judo today. The problems with AAU are problems of YEARS ago that are not there today.
Today, AAU is a GREAT place to be involved in Judo. My club always supported AAU. I know Norm Miller, and Steve Scott, and many others over there now, and I can't say enough good things about them.
7/01/2009 10:15am, #8
7/01/2009 11:29am, #9
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When I first started Judo, it was with my high school wrestling coach back in 1967. Never got formal ranking. Later, as a police officer, started with Mike Royse around 1979 and got ranking. We went through the AAU/USJA/USJI/USJF nut roll. Stayed USJA, life member and all that stuff, finally getting to Shodan around 1983. (Yeah, I know. Slow learner). The thing is, other than a smallish test fee, we didn't pay a lot for belts. Porter came by regularly, and some "names" for clinics and tournaments. Hate to see some of the stuff going on now with US Judo. Rather roll than play politics.
7/01/2009 11:47am, #10
Thats a shame Mark. I do remember when the Phil Porter seminars started. I say this as one outside of Judo circles. I remember these events because there were also karate guys involved (won't mention names) and suddenly two things happened that had not happened before in Baltimore:
a) Guys suddenly needed a rank higher than your reasonable skill levels... I.e. my teacher Willie BEn was a 5th dan and a great fighter, and he was pressured to go to a guy who was not nearly as good as he was to get a higher rank.
b) Suddenly the pure fighting fitness was diluted with garbage.... you saw guys fighitng karate bouncing up and down and flashy **** that had no effect other than visual in tournaments... Quality became diluted.
Yes Phil Porter and his clinics via New Jersey? if memory serves correct and karate guys who would give you rank for money and a kata or two...


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I'm trying to "sticky" a post of similar tag so that when that particular tag is clicked, all post related to that tag would appear chronolgically but there's one "stiky" post on top of all other post with that tag.
Does this make sense? I hope my ecplanation is clear. Can any one point me to the right direction.
The blog I need help with is getook.wordpress.com.


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Collins Plays Down Rift
The first time Mick McCarthy met Roy Keane following their public spat at the 2002 World Cup it was hardly a private affair.
Carried out under the full glare of the Skysports cameras at Molineux, and surrounded by a pack of paparazzi, the pair shook hands, and ended a five year spat.
Defender Neill Collins has served under both men, and is glad that this weekends coming encounter won't be overshadowed by personal issues again.
'I think both managers are glad to have got it out of the way,' he said. 'I think this time it's all about the players.'
The press interest at the time verged on rabid, although as Collins points out, that didn't distract either team then, and certainly won't this time around either.
'I don't think it affected us much at the time because players aren't really bothered with all that.
'I think this time we can just concentrate on the game itself because it's a big enough match without all of that going on.'
Wolves deperately need to come away from The Stadium Of Light with at least a point, if not better.
And Collins will need to be back to his very best when he returns to his old club for Wolves to have any chance at all of achieving it.


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"I have been having heart palpitations. I wore a holter monitor for a month. My internist got the results back today and said that I am having heart beats in parts of the heart muscle that I shouldn't. He refer me to a Cardiologist. What ..."
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text: Choose from over 175 vehicles in stock! We have one of the largest inventory of Vehicles West of Toronto. Come see the difference at Burlington Toyota and why we are one of the largest volume Toyota stores in the Golden Horseshoe including Hamilton, Oakville, Mississauga, Ancaster, Brantford, Dundas and Toronto. See how the staff at Burlington Toyota Scion can help you make the right choice for you.


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The West is again vaunted. So loaded, the Los Angeles Lakers are just hoping to make the playoffs. Imagine that. A few of the playoffs teams in the West made some moves to get even better. And the usual powers are still potent. Mix in some injuries, some coaching changes, some bad blood, and you've got a captivating season out West.
When the dust clears, here is how we see it shaking out.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
Hard not to buy the hype. Again. Chris Paul has had nice talent around him since he became a Clipper. But Los Angeles' new best team added much-needed outside shooting in J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley. But their biggest addition was Doc Rivers, a championship caliber coach. If anyone knows how to maximize all that talent, it's Doc.
Strengths: The best point guard in the game, the best sixth man in the game, one of the best coaches in the game and a slew of quality role players (led by Darren Collison, who I think will be one of the clutch pick-ups off the offseason).
Biggest concern: Does Blake Griffin have another level to his game, or is this it? Especially with a zero-offense center in DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers need someone who can generate inside offense. Otherwise, they're relying on CP3 and Jamal Crawford to make everything happen.
X-Factor: J.J. Redick. What the Clippers needed was consistent outside shooting.
2. San Antonio Spurs
How can anyone still doubt the Spurs? They were too old last year and still came 26 seconds from being the champs. Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Danny Green all should be better with that experience under their belts. The machine continues.
Strengths: Tony Parker and Tim Duncan can win games in their sleep. Manu Ginobili may not have much left but Marco Belinelli, and a larger role for Leonard, should cover for that. And they still have the grand wizard on the bench in Gregg Popovich.
Biggest concerns: At some point, mileage has to catch up to Duncan and Parker right? Popovich's worries about mileage might lead to lots of games off. Spurs never cared much about regular season, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they wound up coasting at No. 4 and Oklahoma City lands at No. 2.
X-Factor: Leonard was a beast in the playoffs. A big year from him makes Spurs that much more lethal.
The Warriors won 47 games last season with their starting center playing just 32 games and three rookies getting significant minutes. Now, their starting center is healthy, those three rookies have experience. Oh, and they acquired exactly the type of player their core was missing in Andre Iguodala. The Warriors should be noticeably better defensively. They have the most versatile roster in the conference, on paper. One misplaced injury kills it all, but if healthy this team will be scary.
Strengths: They will be versatile defensively and, assuming they start clicking, very difficult to defend. They have the great equalizer with the 3-point shot, thanks to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. On paper, they are deep, which is key over an 82-game season. Marreese Speights, Jermaine O'Neal, Toney Douglas, Draymond Green, Kent Bazemore, Festus Ezeli: if they get good years from two or three of these, they'll have a nice bench.
Biggest concern: They still lack inside scoring for sure. But the greatest question mark is how will they do in crunch time. Their floor general down the stretch was mostly Jarrett Jack, but he's now in Cleveland. Is Curry ready to carry the Warriors in crunch time? Another option is putting ball in Iguodala's hands, but is he as good of a shot-maker as Jack?
X-Factor: Harrison Barnes. If the playoffs were an indicator, he will feast on single coverage and mismatches.
4. Oklahoma City
A lot depends on when Russell Westbrook returns, and how long after he returns before he becomes Westbrook again. As was evident in the playoffs, Batman (Kevin Durant) really needs Robin. Plus, Kendrick Perkins has even more miles on those legs and Reggie Jackson has added responsibility, which is a big question mark. The Thunder is still a factor in the West, but maybe the departure of James Harden was the start of OKC coming back to the pack a little.
Strengths: Kevin Durant. He is a beast and after his last playoff experience, you know he is determined.
Biggest concern: Their depth leaves a lot to be desired, even with Westbrook healthy. Kevin Martin is in Minnesota, which leaves offense off the bench a major concern. Plus, they still need a second facilitator, someone who is good enough to push shoot-first Westbrook off the ball.
X-Factor: Jackson. He can play. But there is a difference between being the sleeper off the bench and a key rotation player. Scout, meet Reggie Jackson. Reggie, Scout.
5. Memphis
No question the Grizzlies are still a formidable contender in the Western Conference. But they didn't do anything to address their weakness: scoring. Mike Miller could be big for them in the playoffs, but even if he's healthy in the regular season, he doesn't have enough left to make a noted difference. Plus, isn't it time to expect declines in the games of Tayshaun Prince and Zach Randolph? Hard not to think the Grizzlies have already peaked. And this talk of speeding up the pace, despite having slow players, is unsettling.
Strengths: Probably the best defensive team in the league, big and physical enough to beat most teams into submission. The Grizzlies are anchored by probably the best two-way center in the league. Under-appreciated point guard in Mike Conley Jr. thrives under the radar.
Biggest concern: One of Memphis' strengths was their experience together. But Lionel Hollins, whom the players loved, was ousted in favor of Dave Joerger. Coaching changes always equal adjustments, especially when the previous coach was good.
X-Factor: Conley Jr. has to be dominant at his position. With the switch to an uptempo pace, the burden on his shoulders has become much larger.
6. Houston Rockets
The Houston bandwagon has people hanging off it. But after last season, its hard to presume Dwight Howard alone vaults the Rockets into the top of the West. They will be better, for sure. But the acquisition of Howard did not cover every hole. And there were many.
Strengths: They have one of the game's best players in Harden and a dominant presence at center in Howard. And they can shoot the 3. They are definitely going to cause problems.
Biggest concerns: Defensively, they are susceptible on the perimeter. And with Howarf, their locker room will likely be full of drama. If nothing else, they will constantly be scrutinized. What happens when they lose four in a row?
X-factor: Chandler Parsons. He's a really good young player, but he's done his damage in a pressure-free, wide-open, gun-slinger style of play. That's great when you're the underdog. That's not Houston's environment now. Does he have another level to his game?
7. Denver Nuggets
From the third seed to fighting for one of the last spots. That's the Western Conference. If you're not getting better, you're falling. The Nuggets lost Iguodala, starting center Kosta Koufos and their genius head coach in George Karl. They have enough to be good — Nate Robinson, J.J. Hickson, Darrell Arthur were nice additions — but they will struggles.
Strengths: Denver will still be one of the most difficult places to win. They also still have the pieces to be one of the better uptempo offenses in the league, led by point guard Ty Lawson. They still have some good size on the frontline, too.
Biggest concerns: They assuredly took a hit defensively by swapping Iguodala for Randy Foye. But their biggest flaw is not being a smart team. It hurts them on offense, it hurts them on defense. It hurts them on the road, when they don't have an advantage. Maybe rookie head coach Brian Shaw changes that.
X-factor: Kenneth Faried is a great rebounder, a great finisher. He plays with energy. If he can elevate his game, become a power forward who can take over, they might surprise some teams.
8. Los Angeles Lakers
This pick is less a belief in the Lakers and more a disbelief in the other competition. Minnesota could end up here. So could Dallas. Perhaps even Portland. But who are you putting money on, those hopefuls or guys like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash, who you know have done it before at a high level?
Strengths: Experience and elite (albeit aging) talent are still on the side of the Lakers. Bryant is motivated, which matters. Coming off a torn Achilles team to carry and suspect team into the playoffs is exactly the kind of stunt Bryant likes to pull off.
Biggest concerns: Their best players are on AARPs watch list, and the supporting cast is a random collection of journeymen. Individually, they might be good pieces when in the right situation. But on the Lakers, they are key contributors: Jodie Meeks, Xavier Henry, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Hill, Wesley Johnson. How can you not be concerned about that cast?
X-factor: If somehow, Nick Young can emerge as a reliable, efficient scorer until Kobe Bryant returns, that would be huge. They really need someone who can create offense and take some of the pressure off Nash.
On the bubble:
Minnesota has the talent on its roster to get a playoff spot, but they somehow Kevin Love or Ricky Rubio winds up hurt. If the Timberwolves had gotten a chance to play together last season, perhaps this would be the year they get over the hump. Dallas was in the hunt for a playoff spot last season. The Mavericks responded by getting Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon. That might be the worst defensive backcourt in the NBA. And who knows how much Dirk Nowitzki has left in the tank. Portland is an intriguing pick. They have some explosive scorers on the perimeter in Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard and off-season pick up Mo Williams. LaMarcus Aldridge is a bonafide star down low and Nicolas Batum is a nice young player. But that's pretty much all they have. That top four isn't good enough in the West. A lot of pick are picking New Orleans as the dark horse. The Pelicans acquired Jrue Holiday from Philadelphia and former No. 1 pick Anthony Davis is growing nicely. But inexperience will be a problem.


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Let's take this opportunity to look back at the 2012-13 Serie A campaign that was by handing out the end of season awards.
Manager of the Year – Vincezo Montella (Fiorentina)
With five minutes left to play in the Serie A season, Vincenzo Montella had Fiorentina in a Champions League position. Milan then received a fortunate penalty call against Siena and a late winner from Philippe Mexes to take that spot away from La Viola. Despite the failure to secure a Champions League place it cannot be understated the wonders the former Roma striker worked with the Tuscan club. He revived the careers of veteran players Borja Valero, David Pizarro, Luca Toni and Alberto Aquilani. On the flip side, he took a troubled youngster in Adem Llajic and helped him realize his potential. All the while playing beautiful football, and earning results.
Honorable Mentions: Antonio Conte (Juventus) and Massimiliano Allegri (Milan)
Best Transfer – Alessio Cerci (Fiorentina to Torino)
What seemed to be the story of another promising youngster never reaching the lofty expectations put on him by club and country is now a great story of how Alessio Cerci turned his career around and may become a focal point of the Azzurri going forward. Not only that, but he was the main reason Torino staved off relegation this season. Eight goals and eight assists have caught the eye of many clubs around Italy, but if he is on the move again it will be for quite a bit more than the €2.5 million Torino paid last summer.
Honourable Mentions: Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool to Fiorentina, €4M) Paul Pogba (Manchester United to Juventus, Free) Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina to Milan, Free) Samir Handanovic (Udinese to Inter, €11M)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
The Juventus captain just continues to be the glue that holds Juventus together on the pitch. He has commanded the league's best defence for two years running and does not seem to be slowing down. He may not be able to make all the saves he once did, but Buffon commands his area better than any 'keeper in the world all the while making sure his defence stays organized. Steady as she goes, Gigi is still the best stopper in Serie A.
Honourable mentions: Samir Handanovic (Inter), Federico Marchetti (Lazio)
Young Player of the Year: Stephen El Shaarawy (Milan)
He could have been the player of the year had he not slowed down after the arrival of Mario Balotelli. But despite hitting a wall at the end of January, the Italian international still scored 16 goals this season, good enough for third in the league, and can largely be considered as the reason Milan were still in the race for a Champions League spot at the time of Super Mario's arrival. The sky is the limit with this youngster and if he can learn to work with Balotelli, together they have the talent to achieve great things.
Honourable Mentions: Adam Llajic (Fiorentina), Erik Lamela (Roma)
Player of the Year: Arturo Vidal (Juventus)
At times the love for Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo overshadows just how important the Chilean is to Juventus. But many of Juventini around the world will tell you Vidal was their MVP this year, and in fact the club named him its player of the year. Vidal combines everything you want in a midfielder: high work rate, great vision, tackling ability, intelligence, he can test the goalkeeper from long range, and will continuously tire defenders with dashing runs into the opposing team's areas. He scored 10 goals, but also led the team in assists. The trouble Juventus will have is keeping Vidal for the long-term, as the giants in Europe are already looking to pry him away from the Bianconeri.
Honourable Mention: Edinson Cavani (Napoli)
Dan Riccio is the host of the European Football Weekly podcast on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. Listen to the podcast HERE and follow Dan on Twitter.