text:
2005 was Jerome Jackson, not Jeremy.
Stripped To The Metal, We Root For The Abstract
- 2012 northwestern
- brady hoke poops magic
- devin funchess
- devin gardner
- drew dileo
- fitzgerald toussaint
- freeze play
- game columns
- game theory
- greg mattison
- greg mattison must break you
- hipster devin gardner
- jordan kovacs
- kenny demens
- math
- ondre pipkins
- randomness
- roy roundtree
- scramble
- stadium experience
11/10/2012 – Michigan 38, Northwestern 31 (OT) – 7-3, 5-1 Big Ten
College sports are a rich-get-richer kind of operation. American pro sports reward their best teams with crappy draft picks and salary caps that make it hard to keep successful operations together. Yes, successful operations can keep their heads above water for periods, and the Lions can be awful for 50 years. A relentless gravity still pulls everyone towards .500.
In college, success adds to success. You can tell recruits they'll go to the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl instead of, like, Nashville or wherever. Your pile of money is larger than someone else's pile of money and you can put up buildings where every brick is an XBox. You can point to some guy making millions in the NFL and promise recruit X will as well. You can tell recruits that you're not going to be fired and replaced by some guy from the Sun Belt, unlike every other school recruiting Derrick Green. The more you win, the higher your draft picks are.
Gravity has no place in college sports, just entropy. Entropy: the tendency of things to move from ordered states to disordered ones. Entropy: the gradual decline and fall of the Carr era. Entropy: Greg Robinson. Entropy: Northwestern football. With 18 seconds left there's a fifty-yard pass on the way, and things are about to get disordered.
I mean, what can you say when your glorious victory is so clearly a gift from the cosmic random number generator? I have seen many things in my time as a sports fan. None of them have been an opposing safety taking a pass that is about to sail into the turf 10, 20 yards further downfield and flailing at it in such a way as to send it into the arms of the Michigan receiver he'd battered to the ground, gently. Feather-like. After all of that… easy.
Meanwhile, that event had been immediately preceded by a Northwestern fourth-and-one conversion on which the ref had to make sure every chain was ramrod straight and get his nose down to the field level before awarding the Wildcats a first down they probably didn't get but could not be overturned from above. Fitzgerald Toussaint's only decent run of the day ended with a bizarre pop-up fumble. Trevor Siemian came in and tore Michigan's secondary to shreds.
I like it better when the randomness is under a nice ol' narrative. When it's in your face so spectacularly, it's like the gods of math are taunting you for daring to care about anything they have their fickle fingers in. Go home, get a pen, and root for Fibonacci psuedo-randomness, they are saying. What you are doing is the equivalent of rooting for 3, they say. The number. The literal number. Woo 3. Go 3. You are so much more prime than 4. That's so 3! Oh god those people who like 4 are just animals. They poop in coolers, you know, and drive trucks. They're so… divisible.
Stripped of the narrative bit the mind goes back to a game of partial information, high stress, and plain evidence that worshipping the gods of math gets you nowhere. Big stacks matter in tournament poker, too. With many chips you can lean on people, play with the numbers on your side, and force people to decisions for all their chips. You get to be the gorilla. You get the good recruits.
Back in the day when laws were unclear and jerks hadn't yet banned online poker by attaching a rider to a bill about port security, I played a lot. I was pretty good. I played online satellites until I'd gotten a buy-in to the World Series of Poker, and went. I made the second day in rough shape, and started repairing my busted stack by chopping off preflop raisers. While I'd risk more, I'd be in fewer hands, give off a tight image and get 5-6 blinds instead of 1.5. I would have no illusions about whether I should GTFO if someone played back at me. It was working, and I caught a couple hands. I was on my way to day three.
I'd done this to the guy to my right two or three times already, and his frustration was evident the last go-round. He raised preflop again, and I looked at kings. Long story short, we ended up all-in, he turned over aces instead of anything else, and I did not suck out. Short-stacked after, it was a matter of time.
Brady Hoke hasn't had kings, but he has sucked out, and sucked out, and sucked out.
With 11-2 and a BCS win in the rear view, Michigan picked up the kind of momentum that saw them lock down a top-five class by March. Getting there took a series of desperate heaves to Junior Hemingway. This year the heaves have been a little less desperate but twice Michigan has had 18 seconds and needed big chunks of yards to set up do-or-die field goals and got them. They're not getting every break—see refs in all Nebraska games—but with a combination of skill and fortune Hoke is building quite a stack for himself.
The latest chip is a 2013 starting quarterback out of nowhere, a guy who had looked basically awful in any extended playing time before Denard's elbow injury forced Devin Gardner into the Minnesota game. And even if Saturday was too transparently chaotic to go down as an all-timer, it's another step through this rough patch as Michigan waits for the large, mean cavalry to arrive.
In the meantime let's all just stay here on the floor breathing heavily and slathering narrative over the terrifying randomness of the universe.
Football looks hurty sometimes, and by sometimes I mean all the time.
Also, here's Gardner chucking that TD to Funchess:
Brad at Maize and Blue Nation had a day with his shots. He's the guy who grabbed the shots that lead the post and then this is pretty great too:
Also, nightmare fuel!
Full gallery here.
The News got a great shot of Gardner:
David Guralnick/Detnews
That's Bryant in the extremely large track jacket BTW.
More videos posted by Thorin on the board. UMGoBlog shots. Favorites from Mike DeSimone's page.
Brady Hoke Epic Double Point Of The Week. Roy Roundtree, come on down. Not only did you spawn a strange and likely short-lived meme when the Larrys, about whom more later, made a bizarre joke about how he would be better at catching the ball if his name was "Squaretree"—because square things are good at catching I guess—but you also put up 139 yards receiving, including the game-saving deep miracle. Also on 'Tree's docket: a beautiful corner route catch, getting run over on third and seventeen, and a critical hitch-and-run in OT.
Honorable Mention. Devin Gardner (at this rate will be Vince Young by next year, too bad about plateaus and such), Jeremy Gallon (hitch/bomb/punt return/let's ignore those other punt return opportunities), Kenny Demens (a close, close #2 with back to back OT TFLs).
Epic Double Point Standings.
3: Jake Ryan (ND, Purdue, Illinois) deytikerjerbs
2: Denard Robinson (Air Force, UMass)
1.3: Jeremy Gallon(Alabama, 1/3 Minnesota), Drew Dileo (Michigan State, 1/3 Minnesota), Roy Roundtree (1/3 Minnesota, Northwestern)
1: Craig Roh(Nebraska).
Brady Hoke Epic Double Fist-Pump Of The Week. NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW
This must be awarded to the play that spawned it, which is Demens decleating Northwestern to end the game. In the future awarded to the BOOM YES play of the week.
Honorable mention: Kenny Demens stones Northwestern on third and one too, Treezy to the rescue, Devin Gardner kind of balletically flings a ball way high except it's to Devin Funchess so it's on the money, Jibreel Black forces a Colter fumble, Jordan Kovacs implodes Colter's back.
Epic Double Fist-Pumps Past.
11/10/2012: Mattison baits Fitz, Kenny Demens decleats Northwestern, game over.
Our hipster quarterback. WHICH ONE OF THESE DUDES IS DEVIN GARDNER
you've probably never heard of me
Probably the one on the left. PROBABLY
Open contempt. Northwestern fans were pretty hype on Nick Van Hoose as the cornerback who might rescue their secondary from its overwhelming Northwesternness; Van Hoose did not play. The Northwestern secondary was overwhelming in its Northwesternness.
This manifested on second down after second down when Michigan generally followed up a one yard run by going with a 2TE I-Form set and throwing a hitch in front of a helpless cornerback, or a corner at a helpless cornerback, or a hitch and go well past a helpless cornerback. I get pretty irritated when Michigan, which cannot run from under center even a tiny little bit, goes OOPS POW SURPRISE PLAY ACTION on obvious passing downs, but in this game it worked because every hitch route came with either a first down or some YAC baked in.
I have no idea why Northwestern didn't just bracket Michigan's single WR hard and dare Michigan to make them pay by getting to the second level—something it seemed they were four or five blocks from on every play. But they didn't. So, yeah.
RUUUUUUUUUUUU—oh you are nevermind. IIRC, Michigan did not have any called runs for Gardner except the goal line rollout (and that did have a pass option). He got sacked once. That means his seven other rushing attempts were all scrambles. That's more than Denard has acquired in eight games. They were also effective—an average pickup of almost seven yards without any of those coming on fruitless third and longs.
Yeah, that is Vince Young-like. The combination of effective deep balls and a willingness to take off is potentially deadly. Covering four verts and containing Gardner seems hard, and add in dumpoffs to space players like Norfleet and Hayes, and that's a nice recipe. Hopefully Michigan explores that once they don't have to minimize QB impact at all costs.
[UPDATE: After checking out the Gardner errysnap video, Michigan did have another called QB run in a goal-to-go situation that went for five or six yards, so six scrambles.]
not always pretty, but so far so good / Upchurch
Air check. We should erase the desperation bomb to Roundtree, which was a throw Gardner had to attempt, missed, and got a miracle deflection to complete it. That excised, Gardner was 15 of 28 for 8.3 YPA, two touchdowns, and a turrible interception. Add in the scrambles and that's good in a vacuum. Your context: Gardner was playing a poor defense minus its best cornerback and on an offense that can't run the ball even a little.
Those probably balance out, leaving Michigan with a good performance from a guy who'd been playing WR two weeks ago and has eligibility next year. That is huge.
Unlike last week, I can't remember anything particularly outlandish that happened to alter Gardner's stats since we've already set aside the desperation heave at the end of the game. Gardner actually lost a long completion to Jerald Robinson, and there was nothing on the order of Roundtree, Dileo, and Gallon going all circus for their QB in the Minnesota game. When Gardner missed, it wasn't by much. Minnesota was some good throws interspersed with a lot of shaky ones on which the receivers were great; Northwestern required a lot less heroism from the WRs.
You'd expect rapid improvement from a guy getting almost his first extended playing time and transitioning back to reps at QB from reps at WR; Gardner leapt even that high bar.
Y'all be jumpin'. Michigan has now pulled opponents offsides five times in two weeks with Gardner under center, with Northwestern threatening to go three or four more times.
That's a credit to Gardner's hard count and evidence of how much more comfortable Borges is with an offense that operates from under center. To run those freeze plays you have to be under center quickly enough to try it and then try something else if it doesn't work, something that has not often been the case for most of the year when Michigan was struggling just to get plays in. Against Northwestern, how often did you think "GET OUT OF THE HUDDLE" to yourself? For me, it was zero times. That's down a half-dozen from most games this year.
SIDE NOTE: I've seen a lot of credit going to Gardner for having the awareness to fling those fades when guys go offsides. That's a misunderstanding of what's going on. The way it works is this:
- Gardner huts his hut real hard, and then waits.
- Guy jumps or does not jump.
- If guy jumps, Mealer snaps it, free play.
- If guy does not jump, Michigan checks into something else.
So if Gardner gets the ball he knows someone is offsides and he has a free play and just throws the fade. He only gets the ball if he has a free play. The credit should go to Borges and Mealer.
SIDE SIDE NOTE: Yeah, Michigan did try to do similar things under RR from the gun. Bizarrely, what seemed to happen is that Michigan would get a guy to jump but he would get back before Michigan could snap the ball, leaving Michigan to burn a down on a low-percentage play.
Hello, Fitz. Not that Fitz. Hey, three broken tackles en route to a touchdown on a nothing dumpoff: that is a play. I enjoy Fitzgerald Toussaint making plays. he also picked up a bunch of bonus yards on his 50-yard inverted veer give, and then fumbled. That's his first fumble, right? I guess he gets a pass for it. Even Mike Hart finally broke.
A tip, I say, a palpable tip. Did anyone else notice Michigan removing AJ Williams for Devin Funchess on the third and goal in OT, and think to themselves "rollout to Funchess's side"? Lo, it transpired, and Northwestern covered Funchess but had no one else on the edge once a playside LB tried to shoot inside Omameh and got walled off.
I require more Dileo. Michigan finally had enough of seeing punts hit the ground and put Dennis Norfleet back there in place of Gallon; Norfleet let the next punt hit the ground. Dileo fair-caught the next one. Meanwhile, balls are being tossed at the thus-far ineffective Jeremy Jackson and Jerald Robinson as Dileo watches from the sideline. I humbly request more targets for Dileo, who gets separation and catches passes, instead of larger receivers who do neither of these things
Maize and Blue Nation
Kenny Damn Demens. Remember when he was getting lined up two inches behind a nose tackle on a three man line and obliterated by guards releasing clean? Yeah. Demens isn't going to be a guy who makes every #25 in the future wear his name on the chest, but any time he walks into a bar for the rest of his life sporting that mustache of his someone is going to be like "CONSECUTIVE TFLS TO WIN 2012 NORTHWESTERN" and buy him a beer, and I love it when that happens. See also: Jerome Jackson, 2005 Iowa.
Demens did get beat by Northwestern's #1 WR on their last touchdown, but that's an RPS thing and a function of Michigan's LB slide plus Northwestern consistently gashing Michigan on the corners. Projected % of Michigan fans instantly reminded of Chris Graham against Anthony Gonzalez: 37%.
So sexy. Michigan came out with a a weird three man line featuring Jibreel Black as the NT that all but begged Northwestern to run up the middle on their fourth down, with the results noted above: Ryan gets cut off by the backside G, Black shoots playside of the tackle and forces a cutback on the handoff NW was baited into, BOOM.
That was exactly the plan:
"The last tackle there — number one, I like the call that (defensive coordinator Greg Mattison) made because it was one where it may have talked (Northwestern) into running the football because of some of the space inside," said Michigan coach Brady Hoke. "And then Kenny just did a nice job of just working inside out to the ball, where maybe a little bit earlier he was maybe getting too far ahead of it."
Michigan's defense finally got gashed, but man did they dial it up at the end.
Will it happen again? Ohio State is going to be checking out the Northwestern film quite a lot, but I'm not sure they have a Mark-like back to hit that edge. They've got a couple thumpers who will challenge tackling skills more than speed.
Linebacker switching. I didn't notice this live but a lot of people have said Desmond Morgan had a rough game, which seems logical since after a couple weeks of limited linebacker swapping we saw a lot of James Ross, including on the final two Northwestern drives. Ross was the guy who came an inch away from stuffing the Northwestern fourth and one. I'll get to the bottom of what went down in the UFR.
Pipkins comes on. Also receiving a lot more PT: Ondre Pipkins, who had a rough few plays against Minnesota before getting the hook. Again not sure why but probably based on Northwestern being one of those hurry-up outfits that puts a heavy demand on opposing defense's depth. Insert usual desire to be a team that puts that kind of pressure on the opponent.
Getting edged. Michigan's really got to do something about their option scheme, probably. I'll have to check it out to see if it was much different than what happened against Air Force.
Oblig. Kovacs number switch bitching.
Me = Dude (obvs)
Car = Kovacs
Flame = #11
Nihilists = Brandon (obvs)
He's still JKovacs32 on twitter, at least.
"I've worn No. 32 for quite some time, I think I'll always be No. 32," Kovacs said
Yes. Dammit that needs to be the walk-on-who-plays number. Does no one understand how to make things? /wireseason2
Oblig. game theory bit. Big points to Pat Fitzgerald for going for it on fourth and short with around three minutes left. That is a spot in which it's easy to go NFL and derp your way to shrugging postgame coverage, but the obvious play is going. One yard and you've got the other team trying to complete a 50-yard miracle to tie. Punt and even Michigan's languorous two-minute drill still has time to ease down the field.
Northwestern got it by a few molecules thanks to what seemed like a favorable spot, albeit not one that is ever going to get overturned by the Big Ten's milquetoasty replay officials. (After the Penn State TD debacle they are now the Rod Gilmore Memorial Big Ten Replay Officials.)
Fitzgerald gives back about half of those points on the punt. You hate variance if you are Northwestern punting the ball back with 25 seconds left. NW…
- took a delay of game penalty instead of using a timeout
- ran out their rugby guy to bash a line drive into Gallon's chest
- got a net of 11 yards as a result
Rugby punts are generally effective but tend to be more unpredictable than regular stuff: shanks are easier, and if the returners are positioned correctly they get an opportunity like Gallon got. The play there was to take a timeout and hang one in the air to force a fair catch. The upside of that is about equal to the rugby punt and the downside is nil.
Michigan didn't really face any major decisions. They could have taken a shot at the endzone after the Roundtree completion but chose to kick. The difference between that decision and the end of last year's ND game was one second on the clock and a timeout, which they had against ND but not here. The Roundtree completion took six seconds, and it's easy to see that last one slip off the clock for any number of reasons.
FWIW, Michigan played their TOs right by taking all of them immediately once they were facing do-or-die time on defense.
Git R Done, for values of R that equal racism. If you don't follow me on twitter you missed the saga of the Larry The Cable Guy clan in my immediate vicinity, a group of redneck yahoos that said a lot of things like "LEZ GO CUMONG" and "GIT EM CUMONG," which was annoying when they did that really loudly after a four yard run—now my hopes are all up and it's second and six—but mostly harmless.
That ceased on a Norfleet kickoff return on which one of them screamed "run like you stole it" and I was processing the I am somewhat uncomfortable with the racial overtones that statement displays thing when one of them almost certainly dropped the n-word. I looked at the MGoWife, and she looked at me to confirm, and then I just really hoped that it wouldn't come up again because if that happens a second time, well… words will be exchanged and I'm trying to panic myself to death at a football game thanks, please let's not get in a screaming match.
It did not come up again. Hurrah. There's no real lesson here except it's not very fun to be surrounded by Larry the Cable Guy.
BONUS BONUS BONUS: a Larry next to me left after the Gardner INT, which lol. I moved over because there was a tall guy in front of me… directly into the path of a woman with four pom-poms whose thought process in relation to those was:
I bet if I shake these really hard they're invisible.
If only, lady. If only.
* NW ended up with 431 total offense yards. That's the same amount that Alabama,
the greatest team ever assembled, a pretty good offense, had against us. I never would have guessed that Alabama and NW would be equivalent at anything. After the Alabama game, I wrote, "If we can hold everyone else under 431, I'll be happy." NW didn't get more than 431, so I'm not unhappy, I'm just confused.
* Thomas Gordon led us in tackles with 11, not a good sign. Demens and Morgan were next with 9 apiece. Considering Mattison substituted freely with the LBs, that's a lot of tackles.
I bumped Best And Worst but in case you didn't click through:
…this week's game definitely felt like the first one to showcase Al Borges's "preferred offense." It was a number of shorter passes, a dedication to running the ball with the RB, and play-calling that couldn't fall back on a Dilithium-fueled QB if the first and second reads were not open. Minnesota showed this a bit in the first quarter, but that game felt over at halftime and so I'm not sure what you could glean from it except that the offensive line still couldn't get a push inside.
mGrowOld's kid meets Kovacs. MGoUsers of little faith.
Opponent stuff. The Northwestern blog POV includes an analysis of Northwestern's success on speed option pitches, misery, more misery, and misery. Lake The Posts:
Does it need to be said much more than that? Inches decide ball games, particularly close ball games. Against Nebraska inches separated Northwestern from a clinching interception and a devastating blown lead and loss. Against Michigan, those inches mattered even more.
You can slake your schadenfreude needs if you're weird and hold some sort of grudge against Northwestern at the SoP postgame thread.
Blog stuff. The Ann Arbor Chronicle has a photoessay documenting everyone recording the football game. Meta.
not actually photos of the Roundtree catch
KENNY DEMENS – He didn't play a perfect game but he did make the tackle of his life – TWICE! It's a play and situation you dream of as a kid growing up playing Pop Warner Football. Demens not only made the big stop to win the game on 4th Down, but he also made the stop the play before on 3rd Down! OUTSTANDING!
Michigan struggled on defense in this game for a number of different reasons. Jake Ryan and Frank Clark both lost contain frequently which gave Northwestern big gains on the ground. In addition, and I think Mattison figured this out before the fourth quarter, but Michigan was defending the speed option in an unsound manner. The playside linebacker was always playing the quarterback, forcing a pitch to the running back who had nothing but blockers in front of him. I think Mattison assumed his corners and safeties could get off of their blocks on the outside the help contain the rushing attack, but Michigan's corners aren't very good at doing this. By the fourth quarter, Michigan started forcing the runs back inside.
I cannot agree with Maize and Blue Nation about this:
The running game. It showed signs of life this week. I think the more pro-style offense that Gardner runs suits Michigan better on offense. We're still trained to run the spread-option, but I don't think it's working for Fitz. He's a downhill runner. I really like that Rawls can come in and compliment Fitz...although, it might be the other way around, actually. I thought the line blocked better this week. Hoke stayed with the same lineup he's had all year across the line, so it was encouraging to see the interior especially, play better.
Michigan got a 50-yard gain on an inverted veer give—blocking not relevant unless you're a WR—and 41 yards on six Gardner scrambles. They also lost six yards on a Hayes jet sweep that's now scouted by opponents. Their other 23 carries went for 49 yards. Death. If Michigan finds itself trailing against OSU there's going to be a point at which it'll be time to run the quarterback from the shotgun even if it's Gardner and the backup option is Jack Kennedy. Michigan just can't move the ball on the ground without the numerical advantage provided by using the QB.
U-M Student Section Sucks
And I thought the key play nonsense was bad.
The empty seats are past the point of ridiculous now. Michigan has been reduced to having its football players make videos begging fans (read: students) to show up on time for the games. WTF?! This isn't Ball State. Bo's probably rolling over in his grave.
I'm not sure what more can be done since the athletic department already instituted the points system. But seeing all those empty seats up there after the game starts is a slap in the face to Hoke and the Michigan players.
That should be "30% of the student section sucks." 70% of them are there. The solution is to give out t-shirts.
FWIW, the key play thing has not been done in probably ten years.
It wasn't a perfect day. The Toussaint fumble was maddening, but a great play by the Wildcat defense. Special K remembered where "In The Big House" was on his hard drive. There weren't enough holes in the offensive line to run through, things of this ilk.
But it was sunny, warmish for a November day. Al Wistert got a tremendous ovation from the Michigan Stadium crowd, the MMB put on a funny show, Devin Gardner continued to look good, Roy Roundtree remembered that he's a heck of a receiver, Gibbons is still money, and in the end, Michigan was victorious, Really, that's more than we should be able to ask for from the football gods. After all, you need to stay humble.
Warmish? High standards over at the Hoover Street Rag.
Recaps from Maize and Go Blue, TTB, MVictors, Holdin' The Rope,
Mainstream stuff. Meinke on the division race. Wojo:
For Michigan, it's never over until the last pass is thrown, and tipped, and cradled, and caught. For Devin Gardner, same thing — it's not over even when others think it is.
Nothing is over for the Wolverines, and it's just getting started for Gardner. How many times can a game, or a season, or a young career twist? Gardner was a receiver a couple of weeks ago, hoping to be a quarterback again. Now he's directing a team contending for the Big Ten title.
The Daily on Brady Hoke's magic:
The last time Brady Hoke and Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald were at Michigan Stadium together was Oct. 7, 1995.
Hoke was a first-year defensive line coach on the home sideline. Fitzgerald was Northwestern's burly junior middle linebacker, wearing a white No. 51 jersey and terrorizing Michigan quarterback Brian Griese.
With the Wildcats leading 19-13 and just 1:40 remaining on the clock, Griese and the Michigan offense were 41 yards from the end zone facing a third-and-15. Fitzgerald had ended the previous drive by tipping a pass out of harm's way.
Nesbitt FTW; great great angle there. Hadn't even thought about it. Also Estes on not saying sorry.
Gardner saying the right things:
Gardner on Denard Robinson : "This is Denard's team, and this is always going to be Denard's team. He's done way too much for two games to change that."
Meinke has like another column—indefatigable! And another! Baumgardner numbers. Game story.
after the late hit was called on Heitzman (I think), which upset me, so I left the live blog. This is not a complaint against the moderators, who do a great job, so there must be a lot of garbage that doesn't get through them. That upsets me even more, though.
If you left, you missed the explanation. With the new software, it autoscrolls comments as new ones come in. There was a flood of comments at that point and one of us inadvertently must have clicked approve on that comment while intending to approve a different one. There was actually a few more racist comments that didn't get through. We all do our best, I assure you it was not intentional.
IIRC, Michigan did not have any called runs for Gardner except the goal line rollout (and that did have a pass option). He got sacked once. That means his seven other rushing attempts were all scrambles. That's more than Denard has acquired in eight games. They were also effective—an average pickup of almost seven yards without any of those coming on fruitless third and longs.
Yeah, that is Vince Young-like. The combination of effective deep balls and a willingness to take off is potentially deadly. Covering four verts and containing Gardner seems hard, and add in dumpoffs to space players like Norfleet and Hayes, and that's a nice recipe. Hopefully Michigan explores that once they don't have to minimize QB impact at all costs.
This is what we get when Al Borges is working firmly within his element. The playcalling in this game was superb. So now can we stop talking about him as if he's the second coming of Terry Malone?
I think this one is not Devin Gardner. Kind of looks like new-hipster Meinke to me. Although Meinke pulls off the hipster look much better.
Beat out in day 3 with Kings against Aces. Yikes. Hopefully, the cosmos has paid you back for that one.
I've been thinking a lot since the game about the whole Borges/Denard/Devin "comfortability thing" and I honestly wonder if the reason we are seeing things now we hadnt seen before (audibles, hard counts, hot routes) isnt because of the formation (under center vs shotgun) but rather the QB himself. The coaches watch the players every day in practice and spend countless hours looking at film so they know them better than we ever will. Don't you think it's odd that Borges would allow the 2nd string QB who'd been playing wideout all year the freedom to audible out of a bad play but he doesnt let his starter do it? Is it not possible that the reason Devin has that lattitude and Denard does not is due to their ability (during practice) to consistently check in or out of the right play?
I love Denard and have been a stuanch and vocal supporter of him but I'm having a hard time reconciling the "new Borges" with the "old Borges" when the only change I see is the guy on the field. Please understand I am not suggesting that Devin is better or that we have anything like a QB discussion for our last two games (if Denard's healthy he plays) but the radical change in Borges's QB leash has me wondering.
Not directly related to your post, but last night on ESPN, Jesse Palmer blurted out something about how Michigan might have a QB controversy during their run down of the bottom half of the BCS standings. I used to think he was one of the smarter commentators on ESPN, but my respect for him evaporated when he made that comment.
MIchigan has a small QB controversy, it's whether Denard will play or cannot due to injury.
That's the only controversy.
i work with three separate 20-somethings (i'm 47) who think that gardner should be starting whether or not denard is healthy, "because denard just can't throw the ball."
i've tried to kill them, but those 20-somethings are tricky little bastards.
Tell them to hold off until next year, when they'll think Devin can't get it done and that Shane Morris is clearly the answer.
Thus as it always is for Michigan's starting QB.
It could just as easily be Borges' comfort in teaching what audibles he wants his QB to look for. If it's clear that Borges isn't comfortable in calling plays that build off each other out of the spread/shotgun look (I think it is), then it's fairly safe to reason that he's not extremely comfortable with how his offense should adjust in real time to looks the opposing defense gives. I doubt there is an OC in the country that allows his QB to audible without discussing in advance what keys to look for and what plays to audible into. Audibling is also a much easier recognition than reading pass-coverages. If you can trust your QB to read the defense and decide where to throw the football, you can trust him to audible out of plays that won't work. He just has to be given the authority to do so.
I could be wrong, as it's my inclination to err on the side of blaming the longtime OC who is coaching an offense he doesn't know than to hint that a 21 year old kid lacks the intelligence to perform the task.
So you would blame a longtime college OC for being ignorant of football, but give credit to a 21 year old player that has played at the college level for all of three years? Again, interesting. Long time coach, not intelligent. 21 year old player, intelligent.
I've heard a certain group of people at or around the Big House use racially-tinged language in the past couple seasons.
It's always either the rednecks (who, for whatever reason, always look like they came here as a random thing to on a Saturday) or the WASPy types whose parents sent those racist letters to the Fab Five.
I've had to get into it with some of those latter people in the past, especially since they spend their Saturdays by dropping a ton of cash to angrily say racist things about everything that's around them.
Do they hate Denard, and every black player on the team? Yes. Constant racially-motivated complaints, entirely unprompted. (It's not like they are saying racist stuff after a bad pass, they are saying it loudly at 1:30 pm while cooking.)
Do they hate the coaches, from Carr to Rodriguez to Hoke? Yes. Is it because they are recruiting black players? Yes.
Do they hate the people tailgating around them? Yes.
Do they hate Michigan, hate anything progressive surrounding the school? Yes, they are the first to talk about how we're all godless heathens or whatever for not supporting whatever they support.
(And, before this derail starts, it's not a religion thing. It's a money spectrum and ignorance thing.)
Frankly, I don't know why they are here. If they want to dress like yachting twats and shout racial epithets, the SEC is awaiting them with open arms.
Looking like they've randomly decided to show up somewhere is part of the redneck oeuvre, if you will.
that kind of sh*t needs to be confronted. Crawl into your hole and say what you like, but don't bring it to our house. I'm sorry, but the Civil War was 150 years ago.
"Rednecks", "Yachting twats", how are your epithets fundementally different than those with which you take such great offense?
Those rednecks and yachting twats don't have those traits in their DNA, jackass.
Don't look for improvement this year. Our interior OL isn't changing for the last 2 games. But it will change big time next year. We'll have 3-4 new starters, at least 1 will be a RS Freshman. "Al's offense with Al's guys" starts next year, especially on the line.
I mean, what can you say when your glorious victory is so clearly a gift from the cosmic random number generator?
It's almost like you feel that once a win expectancy is greater than a certain percentage the game should just be called.
Here's the difference between poker and football Brian: In football, the players can change what cards come next.
True, but this wasn't players making their own luck/deciding their cards. An example of that would be UTL last year. We stepped up, made plays, and won the game. But are you honestly going to try and say Saturday was designed that way?
I'm baffled as to how anyone can consider a football game won by luck and not by stepping up and making plays. Devin threw the ball 50 yards, after the 4 man rush didn't sack him, and Roundtree made a circus catch with a guy on his back. What part of that is just luck and not playing making plays?
I also don't understand your comment about "designed". The game wasn't designed, the game happened, so I'm not clear on the meaning.
When I say designed, I'm talking about running a play. UTL last year for example, we noticed a break in ND's coverage, and ran Gallon on a wheel route that got him wide open. A hook and lateral is another example, when you pitch it you're forcing the defense to change directions in a way that's impossible to do.
Last Sat was not designed. There is no "overthrow-your-receiver-but-have-the-DB-tip-it-back-to-him" play in the book. It wasn't players stepping up and making plays, but a random event going in our favor. Roundtree didn't jump up near the sideline, snag the ball, and get a foot down. He had no control over the play until the ball was tipped back to him. Loads of credit for catching the ball, but it wasn't "making plays"
I don't know how you argue that a guy making that catch, even off a deflected ball, is not "making a play".
It's making a play, but it's a lucky play. Up until the ball was tipped, Roundtree had no control over how the play would end. And when I think about all the things the DB could have done, and how he ended up doing to one thing that got us a catch, that seems a lot more like luck/random event/whatever you want to it to me than our players "stepping up".
The original post I responded to said that unlike poker, players decide what cards come up next, my point is that no they didn't.
Yes, Roundtree made a play. That's not a sure catch, and props to him for tracking the ball as he fell down. But, it was still luck
I would say that the luck went against us as much as it went for us. Beyer's late hit penalty was iffy at best and set up a NW score when they otherwise would have had 3rd and long. Then NW was given credit for a first down on a very questionable spot - a call that allowed NW to bleed three minutes off the clock. And then we lost the coin flip in OT (the coin flip winner goes on to win OT a surprisingly large percentage of the time).
Yeah, we caught a break when the NW defender tipped the ball, but even then, it took a phenomenal effort by Roundtree to haul that ball in - it's not like it fell in his lap. And we probably wouldn't have needed to chuck it 50 yards in the first place if not for that questionable spot on 4th down just prior.
...right in this post. Michigan has been there before, and done it before. They know how to win, and always believed they would win. Even in games that it really probably isn't true. (Check that Bama game out again....we got killed and didn't have a chance, but tell me that team ever quit trying). Northwestern has found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in every big game they've played this year. I just used the Crisler quote on tradition in another thread....one of the advantages Michigan has is just that....they know they can always win. Northwestern doesn't know what it doesn't know. So when things get tight, who's going to nut up? Now, you meet someone who's your equal, like Ohio State, and that doesn't cover up bad play. But in November, against a good Northwestern team? It can make all the difference.
two plus two poker forums handle?
hard to believe a guy who played poker and is net/forum savvy didn't have a 2+2 account.
I never posted there, just lurked.
I wasn't super happy with Special K Saturday. Frequently on 3rd downs, there would be great crowd noise and he would start up SNA, which made everyone stop to do the "Oh"s with the music. It was especially bad when he started this while Northwestern was setting up on the line. Seriously?
getting ITBH right after a euphoric win is always a huge buzzkill for me. It's like
I guess I'll go home now.
I had the exact same feeling, even though I was watching it DVR'ed on TV. I was already home so I there was nowhere I could go, but ITBH did make me turn off the TV and stop procrastinating on doing the laundry. So there's that.
Let's not forget playing Journey right before 4th down in OT, that was as bad as "Build Me Up Buttercup" in the OSU game last year
I think that 32 can still be the walk-on number thing though I'll be surprised if that happens. 3 games at number 11 isn't going to change how many people remember him.
In the Hoke gif the cop over his right shoulder shows his true colors. He just can't help but smile after that one.
The only person surrounded by more security than Hoke was Jenn Brown (the ESPN sideline reporter). She was surrounded by nearly a half dozen guards all game -- what did they think, that students would jump onto the field and profess their love?
Espn does it for easier for their reporters to dig throught the mass of players an dpeople at the end of the game to ge ttheir interview. It also makes her look more important.
Type that from your phone?
I like how Hoke actually shows emotion. All too often many coaches, including Hoke, think stoic is best. It seems to me that after the play Hoke wanted to just smile as he always does and deflect praise to the kids. I think there is a moment there where I think he was going to restrain himself but the emotion of winning the game on such a great defensive hit was too much and he had to fist pump. Not once, but twice. I think I subconsciously did the same. If I was the cop I would smile too.
It looks like somebody put an invisible fence collar on Will Hagerup in that Hoke double fist pump gif.
This picture gets me to wondering what the "helmet to helment" contact rule entails. It seems like the intent is to make leading with the crown of the head illegal. Clearly, Kovaks is not doing that. It is actually a great shot of the old axiom "see what you hit." That being said, is this technically helmet to helmet contact?
The difference is the way Kovacs is hitting, his head is merely in the way of his body making the form tackle. His neck will flex back and the shoulders are what's actually delivering the blow. The helmet contact is incidental. The dangerous play that should get penalized is when a player lowers his head and uses the helmet to deliver the hit, endangering himself and the guy getting tackled. It's subtle sometimes, especially when you have a still frame of them moment of impact, but I think it's usually fairly easy to tell the difference live.
But I will point this out: the explanation you just gave is why I've always defended Shawn Crable for his hit on Troy Smith. Only difference was Crable was 7" taller than Smith, so it looked worse.
Kordell put the ball in the right vicinity (unlike Devin and the Roundtree catch), and it was the actual game winner (same comment), but maybe, just maybe, that tip was karmic payback for Chuck Winters setting up that jump ball for Michael Westbrook. Damn, that still hurts.
This is the best article you have written in the 3 years I've been following this blog. When my daughter is old enough, she will learn her writting skills from your posts on MGoBlog, rather than a Nun at some Irish-Catholic school who slaps your wrists when you mess up, like what I endured.
I'm sure her high school essays on Shakespeare in which she cites mathematical theorems and analogizes to poker strategy will be quite unique.
an opposing safety taking a pass that is about to sail into the turf 10, 20 yards further downfield and flailing at it in such a way as to send it into the arms of the Michigan receiver he'd battered to the ground, gently.
I think you might be short changing Devin a bit on the Roundtree bomb. Given the coverage, leaving the pass a bit shorter would probably be better, but that pass was very much catchable. The only reason it goes over Roundtree's hands is because the defender is basically climbing up Roy's back (and badly mis-times his jump btw), preventing him from elevating to grab that ball. Also, give Tree credit for getting in a good position and boxing out the defender. If that ball was incomplete, I think you would have seen a PI flag. I know the announcers were saying the ref's wouldn't throw the flag in that situation, but that was pretty egregious and I think the only reason it didn't come out was the ref was trying to make sure he caught it first.


text:
PAMPA - Essie Robinson, 98, of Pampa died Sunday, March 18, 2012.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in Southside Church of Christ with Frankie Lemons officiating. Arrangements are by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Pampa.
Mrs. Robinson was born March 26, 1913, in Anderson County to Charlie and Lue Edwards Osby. She was a member of Southside Church of Christ.
Survivors include a daughter, Annie Foy of Pampa; two grandchildren; three great-grandsons; an adopted daughter, Jeanetta Young of Fort Mitchell, Ala.; and Jeanetta's two children.
Amarillo Globe-News, March 21, 2012

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|2007-07-01, 09:14
|Link #1
Join Date: Nov 2003
windows xp & vista in one computer (multi-boot)
I am going to buy a computer with Vista pre-installed and I will install XP in that same computer as well. I have two hard drive. One will come with the computer with Vista installed already. The other is now only a storage drive (no OS). I will install XP in that storage drive. Do I need to re-format that storage hard drive? I thought I could just insert my XP CD (full version) and install it. Is it that simple?
Microsoft website says that I have to give one partition for each of them. But this is not a brand new hard drive. I am using it as storage drive so it has been partitioned when I first installed it, right? Do I have to do this again?
They say to install older versions first. Well, since vista is pre-installed, I can't change that part. I will just have to install XP after Vista. Is that OK?
|2007-07-01, 12:37
|Link #2
Gregory House
IT Support
At any rate, you could do so by installing GRUB, which is the tool for multi-booting that most Linux distributions use. I don't know how does one install it without a Linux distro, but it should probably involve floppy disks or booting from CD, or something like that.
|2007-07-01, 12:50
|Link #3
I'll keep walking.
Uhm, okay let's walk you through this.
First off, you don't need two hard-drives to install both Vista and XP on the same computer. And you don't need two partitions in the secondary HD to do so as well. I'm not very familiar with Vista ( all I know is that two hours for an install is ridiculous ), but if it follows around the previous base used for other Windows products, you could even install two Vistas on the same HD.
Well, anyway. About installing XP without having to do a format on your secondary HD, you can only do it if your Windows installation permits. I say this because some big companies don't actually "Install" XP, they just copy a partition already made through a program called Ghost. If you're using that method, then you'll have to format. If your Windows CD lets you choose where you want to install it and gives you info/options with regards to partitions and etc. ( in other words, a real WinXP installation ), then you'll be able to do it without having to format.
But again, going back, you could install Windows Vista and Windows XP on the same HD if you wanted ( I'd personally do this, since one, you don't need to worry about your OS corrupting your stored data and two, it's probably easier ). If you have an original WinXP install CD, plug it in, it'll probably say you already have Windows installed, and it'll ask you if you want to create a new partition to install XP in. Then from that point on, it's your choice really.
However, I need to say that I have no idea if partitioning a HD while there's stuff in it will cause any problems, especially OS-related problems. You'll probably ask someone with expertise on that field.
And about installing XP after Vista, if you do it in two separate partitions, I wouldn't think of a reason why that would be a problem.
Well, WK just tackled this issue up above. Since I don't have knowledge on the issue, I'd suggest you go with his info.
|2007-07-01, 13:43
|Link #4
I have actually installed XP after Vista (triple booting machine... Linux, vista, XP).
Heres what happens:
Windows XP install kills the Vista boot loader. You can NOT boot Vista from the XP boot loader. Even if you use grub as WanderingKnight suggested, grub can only chainload to the Vista/XP boot loader. Once you install XP after Vista, if you chainload to Vista, it'll boot XP and only XP.
On the Vista DVD there is a BOOT folder. Within that folder, there is a command line app called bootfix. Run that after installing XP to restore the Vista boot loader. The vista boot loader can boot XP but you'll need to manually configure it. It does not use the boot.ini of old.
You can use this to make it easier: http://www.vistabootpro.org/
|2007-07-01, 22:15
|Link #5
Join Date: Nov 2003
|2007-07-02, 02:30
|Link #6
Not that simple.
Join Date: Jun 2007
After installing two OSs and have problem with boot selection, you can fix it and make a boot selection using this.
This helped me to make triple boot on my computer (Ubuntu, Vista, XP.)
|2007-07-02, 19:33
|Link #7
|2007-07-26, 22:26
|Link #9
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 60
I'd say it wouldn't hurt. Sometimes the vendor drivers work a bit better than XP core drivers... sometimes not.
((though this whole exercise makes my head hurt .... dual boot XP/Vista???))
|2007-07-26, 23:33
|Link #10
Gregory House
IT Support
|2007-07-27, 05:40
|Link #11
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Philippines
They maybe a little side topic but I'll be buying a laptop with windows vista preinstalled so may question is can it detect the external harddrive that got formated from a window XP based os or will it cause problems?
|2007-07-29, 13:45
|Link #12
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 60
It *should* be fine. Vista would be completely toast if it couldn't read drives formatted by earlier Windows systems. NTFS is pretty solid such as it is.
|2007-07-29, 14:28
|Link #13
Join Date: Nov 2003
|2007-07-29, 15:05
|Link #14
Gregory House
IT Support
|2007-08-06, 08:31
|Link #15
Join Date: Nov 2003
An update. I tried several times already but I kept getting this error message when I installed XP. After I put in the CD, and it started, downloading this and that, then I got an error. I forgot to write it down. I may try again in the future, unlikely though. Thanks for all your help.
Last edited by guest; 2007-08-07 at 01:59. Reason: typo
|2007-08-06, 19:20
|Link #16
Mew Member
IT Support
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Age: 33
If anyone wants to try, I am using EasyBCD - http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1 . Even after installing Windows XP Professional on a secondary partition after the Vista installation, it worked perfectly.
It seems that no one has addressed why we must use third party software to direct BCD to other OS's. Vista's Boot Configuration Data has replaced the boot.ini that has followed NT 5.0 for several years to allow for booting between multiple Operating Systems. Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 allow the use of boot.ini coupled with NTLOADER, msdos.sys, and several other configuration files found on the System Disk (primary active partition). Vista uses BCD another type of boot loader. This causes problems when you are trying to access older Operating Systems from Vista's boot loader. Unlike the ease of editing the boot.ini, you cannot simply redirect BCD to other Operating Systems due to incompatibility. At any rate, EasyBCD and other third party programs allow other Operating Systems to exist within the same computer as Vista. This allows the boot.ini file to be written to the primary System Partition.
In the end result, Microsoft is making things difficult again.
|2007-08-06, 22:36
|Link #17
Gregory House
IT Support
|2007-08-07, 04:09
|Link #18
Mew Member
IT Support
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Age: 33
|2007-08-11, 08:02
|Link #19
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Wolverhampton, UK
Age: 31
i dual booted a system only last week
i partitioned a hard drive and installed vista first on one partition and then xp after on the other partition
it came up with an error when booting so i used an app to get it to ask if i wanted xp or vista
but yes i installed vista first and got no trouble at all
last time i tried to install xp first i got nothin but trouble
|2007-08-11, 11:06
|Link #20
Mew Member
IT Support
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Age: 33
|Thread Tools


text:
taskqueue -- asynchronous task execution
#include <sys/param.h>
#include <sys/kernel.h>
#include <sys/malloc.h>
#include <sys/queue.h>
#include <sys/taskqueue.h>
typedef void (*task_fn)(void *context, int pending);
typedef void (*taskqueue_enqueue_fn)(void *context);
struct task {
STAILQ_ENTRY(task) ta_link; /* link for queue */
int ta_pending; /* count times queued */
int ta_priority; /* priority of task in queue */
task_fn ta_func; /* task handler */
void *ta_context; /* argument for handler */
struct taskqueue *
taskqueue_create(const char *name, int mflags,
taskqueue_enqueue_fn enqueue, void *context);
taskqueue_free(struct taskqueue *queue);
struct taskqueue *
taskqueue_find(const char *name);
taskqueue_enqueue(struct taskqueue *queue, struct task *task);
taskqueue_run(struct taskqueue *queue);
TASK_INIT(struct task *task, int priority, task_fn_t *func,
void *context);
TASKQUEUE_DEFINE(name, taskqueue_enqueue_fn enqueue, void *context,
These functions provide a simple interface for asynchronous execution of
The function taskqueue_create() is used to create new queues. The arguments
to taskqueue_create() include a name which should be unique, a set
of malloc(9) flags which specify whether the call to malloc() is allowed
to sleep and a function which is called from taskqueue_enqueue() when a
task is added to the queue to allow the queue to arrange to be run later
(for instance by scheduling a software interrupt or waking a kernel
The function taskqueue_free() should be used to remove the queue from the
global list of queues and free the memory used by the queue. Any tasks
which are on the queue will be executed at this time.
The system maintains a list of all queues which can be searched using
taskqueue_find(). The first queue whose name matches is returned, otherwise
To add a task to the list of tasks queued on a taskqueue, call
taskqueue_enqueue() with pointers to the queue and task. If the task's
ta_pending field is non-zero, then it is simply incremented to reflect
the number of times the task was enqueued. Otherwise, the task is added
to the list before the first task which has a lower ta_priority value or
at the end of the list if no tasks have a lower priority. Enqueueing a
task does not perform any memory allocation which makes it suitable for
calling from an interrupt handler. This function will return EPIPE if
the queue is being freed.
To execute all the tasks on a queue, call taskqueue_run(). When a task
is executed, first it is removed from the queue, the value of ta_pending
is recorded and then the field is zeroed. The function ta_func from the
task structure is called with the value of the field ta_context as its
first argument and the value of ta_pending as its second argument.
A convenience macro, TASK_INIT(task, priority, func, context) is provided
to initialise a task structure. The values of priority, func, and
context are simply copied into the task structure fields and the
ta_pending field is cleared.
Two macros TASKQUEUE_DECLARE(name) and TASKQUEUE_DEFINE(name, enqueue,
context, init) are used to declare a reference to a global queue and to
define the implementation of the queue. The TASKQUEUE_DEFINE() macro
arranges to call taskqueue_create() with the values of its name, enqueue
and context arguments during system initialisation. After calling
taskqueue_create(), the init argument to the macro is executed as a C
statement, allowing any further initialisation to be performed (such as
registering an interrupt handler etc.)
The system provides three global taskqueues, taskqueue_swi,
taskqueue_swi_giant, and taskqueue_thread. The swi taskqueues are run
via a software interrupt mechanism. The taskqueue_swi queue runs without
the protection of the Giant kernel lock, and the taskqueue_swi_giant
queue runs with the protection of the Giant kernel lock. The thread
taskqueue runs in a kernel thread context, and tasks run from this thread
do not run under the Giant kernel lock. If the caller wants to run under
Giant, he should explicitly acquire and release Giant in his taskqueue
handler routine.
To use these queues, call taskqueue_enqueue() with the value of the
global taskqueue variable for the queue you wish to use ( taskqueue_swi,
taskqueue_swi_giant, or taskqueue_thread ).
The software interrupt queues can be used, for instance, for implementing
interrupt handlers which must perform a significant amount of processing
in the handler. The hardware interrupt handler would perform minimal
processing of the interrupt and then enqueue a task to finish the work.
This reduces to a minimum the amount of time spent with interrupts disabled.
The thread queue can be used, for instance, by interrupt level routines
that need to call kernel functions that do things that can only be done
from a thread context. (e.g., call malloc with the M_WAITOK flag.)
This interface first appeared in FreeBSD 5.0. There is a similar facility
called tqueue in the Linux kernel.
This man page was written by Doug Rabson.
FreeBSD 5.2.1 May 12, 2000 FreeBSD 5.2.1


text:
Either could be transcription errors; it was probably on paper when received. Possibly also if the letter was drafted in London they may use British spelling, at least for communication with the British govt. Diplomats are supposed ot be sensitive to nuances like that; though that level of cultural se
As others have noted, it's a formal title. In the UK, it applies to members of the Privy Council, which includes the Cabinet, and to various nobles with historic titles. Hence, as Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw is addressed formally in written correspondence as "The Right Honourable Jack Straw".
You'll also hear members of parliament refer to "The honourable member for <place>" during debates, for those MPs who aren't Privy Counsellors, or to "The right honourable member for <place>" for those who are. I'm sure you can find more details somewhere like Wikipedia if you're interested.
Out of curosity, since when would an American English user use the British English spelling?
As evidenced by the fact that it's capitalized, it's an official title. You don't "correct" the spelling of someone's title. That's be like "correcting" the spelling of their name.
If you have ever read any of Rice's work, you would quickly realize that little to nothing in here is from her.
I know what you mean... Rice would have written something like "The United States and the European Union of Gay Vampires have long worked together toward the goal of global access to the international blood supply."
I don't think it's harsh even by European standards. To me it reads like "we've always controlled the Internet, everything has worked fine, let's not try to fix something that isn't broken." It simply makes sense, and everyone agreed.
I'm worried that I'm feeding a troll here, but I'll take your post at face value.
The internet's structure (sans spam) seems to be working well. Why change it.
It's not bad, but there's plenty that could be improved. Ask yourself why:
HOWEVER, what does concern me is growing evidence of U.S. puritanism in the decision process, like the blocking of the
It's not so much the domain name that got blocked, per se (as other posters have said,
The ".EU" situation is more com
What are the chances Rice wrote this in the first place? It was only cosigned by her (along with Guiterrez), and I believe writing this type of thing is almost always delegated down to someone with expert knowledge in whatever field is being discussed. Her signature just means she supports the position outlined. The article just said it was from Condoleezza Rice because she is a well known mem
Clinton agreed to make it independent, but that changed:
The US government, which funded the development of the internet in the 60s, said in June it intended to retain its role overseeing Icann, reneging on a pledge made during Bill Clinton's presidency. Since Icann was created, the US commerce department has not onc
I know this is Slashdot, but it looks like even the submitter hasn't read the article! Kind of odd as they also appear to be the person that wrote it...
The Register is a very opinionated publication, and this article, like most, is heavily laden with emotional bias and innuendo. I have no problem with that, per se, but I am confused because K-boy's articles from the Tunis conference seemed to be contradictory.
I recall one article which quoted the head of the ITU bragging that -- because of EC support? -- the ITU (the international consortium of telephone companies and nationalized telephone utilities) would control the Internet within five years. K-boy, the Register reporter, was appropriately horrified at that prospect, and pointed out that ITU controls in the past would have quashed the Internet, simply never let it be born.
Now, however, in his article about Rice's forceful US defense of the status quo, the same reporter seems again disturbed (if perhaps less than horrified) that the US is not more open to international governmental influences, and is not more willing to adapt Internet control to the likes of the ITU.
So where *do* you stand, K-boy?
Many of us Netcitizens are willing to put up with the imperfections of the current Internet governance -- hoping that strong contractual obligations on an independent administrator will, minimally, guarrantee the ongoing availability of connections -- rather than see control of the Net slide into the hands of greedy, lowest-common-denominator, trans-national bureaucrats, of which the ITU is a preeminent example.
Didn't Condi's letter and the US lobbying campaign save us from the ITU, a fate worst than (or perhaps equivalent to) death for the Internet as we know it?
One thing Rice's letter suggested to me was the advantage of the home-town team, the established owner and manager, over uppity rebels with independent ideas. The same thing, I fear, would be true of the advantage the ITU regulators would have over disorganized international libertarians, if the US were to declare the Net's infrastructure to be up for grabs. If Internet governance -- which may only today be an oximoron -- were to slide into the international political arena, wouldn't it only be a matter of time before Real Control would be seized by the organization with the best financing, technical savvy, and skills at political infighting?
The current ITU president obviously thinks that it is a foregone conclusion that the ITU would be that organization. Anyone want to predict the future of the Net that would follow?
What does the history of the ITU tell us about the prospects for future innovation and disruptive change in an Internet controlled by the ITU?
Just because the US government is a proponent of a position does not mean that it is wrong.
What? The history of the Internet's growth was based on private-sector investment? Intergovernmental structure would be a burden? As everybody on Slashdot knows, this is a complete rewrite of history. From the late 1960s and before even that, up until the mid-1990s when NSFnet began handing things over to corporate America, the Internet was funded by, invested in, and overseen by the US government. There was absolutely no private-sector investment, just government funds sent to the private sector. The government paid for decades of R&D to create the Internet, and oversaw its creation. Now she is trying to claim that the Internet was created by private sector investment, and that government oversight would just cramp what she says the private-sector investment created. And of course, neither she nor Bush has any intentions of removing government oversight from the Internet. What a joke!
Private-sector funding, in conjuction with many government grants, throughout the 1990s ushered in a completely different era in the Internet's history. Had the powers at be continued to restrict access, we'd have something that looks like Internet2.
As for your statement regarding "absolutely no private-sector investment," I'm fairly certain that following companies will strongly disagree:
That list can continue on and on, but I think you get the point. I'm not sure where you're from, but here in the US, Uncle Sam does NOT lay telephone wire/fiber/cable. Once again, private-sectore investment.
Does this mean that the Internet was invented by the private-sectore, no; merely, the Internet as we now know it was built through private-sector investments.
Adding levels of bureaucratic oversight to anything constrains development. NASA is a good example of this. Adding "Safety" committees to make sure space travel is 99.999999% safe has brought development of new/risky programs to a crawl.
As a side note, I don't see the purpose of political bashing here. I highly doubt anyone else in either Rice's or Bush's position would gladly give up control of the Internet.
If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith. -- Albert Einstein


text:
Just in time for Halloween, the Des Plaines Park District presents Haunted Hole-O-Ween, a spooktacular weekend of fun, October 25-27, at Mountain View Adventure Center. During the day, the 18-hole mini-golf course will be dressed in its Halloween finest. The waterfalls will run red and golfers should beware of skeletons, witches, snakes and rats on the loose at every hole. All children dressed in costume will receive a goody bag.
Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 7 p.m. on Sunday, live ghosts and ghouls will haunt the course searching for unwilling victims. Bone-chilling horrors and things that go bump in the night await the brave of heart around every corner. Watch for the Headless Horseman at the entrance to the course. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannonball in the Revolutionary War. His haunts are not confined to Sleepy Hollow.
Live haunting time on the course may not be appropriate for very young children. Mountain View Adventure Center is at 510 E. Algonquin Road in Des Plaines. Hours for Haunted Hole-O-Ween are: 4-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26; and noon-9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27. Admission is $10.
For information call (847) 391-5733 or visit www.DPParks.org if you dare!
• Send Your news to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of people from Maine to the Carolinas awoke Tuesday without power, and an eerily quiet New York City was all but closed off by car, train and air as superstorm Sandy steamed inland, still delivering punishing wind and rain.
The full extent of the damage in New Jersey, where the storm roared ashore Monday night with hurricane force, was unclear. Police and fire officials, some with their own departments flooded, fanned out to rescue hundreds.
"We are in the midst of urban search and rescue. Our teams are moving as fast as they can," Gov. Chris Christie said. "The devastation on the Jersey Shore is some of the worst we've ever seen. The cost of the storm is incalculable at this point."
The death toll from Sandy in the U.S. climbed to 18, including six in New York, four in Pennsylvania and three in New Jersey, with most of the victims killed by falling trees. Sandy also killed 69 people in the Caribbean before making its way up the Eastern Seaboard.
At least 7.4 million people across the East were without electricity. Airlines canceled more than 12,000 flights.
Lower Manhattan, the financial center of the U.S., was among the hardest-hit areas after the storm sent a nearly 14-foot surge of seawater, a record, coursing over its seawalls and highways and into low-lying streets.
Water cascaded into the gaping, unfinished construction pit at the World Trade Center, and the New York Stock Exchange was closed for a second day, the first time that has happened because of weather in more than a century.
A huge fire destroyed as many as 100 houses in a flooded beachfront neighborhood in Queens on Tuesday, forcing firefighters to undertake daring rescues. Three people were injured.
A downtown hospital, New York University's Tisch, evacuated 200 patients after its backup generator failed.


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Archived Boards and Threads... > SMF Feedback and Discussion
We are always looking for Support Specialists!
(1/27) > >>
SMF has decided to take a new approach to support. We are going to implement a new system to thank the non-Team Members who've post helpful replies to others. There are a number of you who enjoy giving support but can only do it for a few months at a time. We understand that life gets busy and that sometimes SMF has to take the back burner :(.
The SMF team knows all about working for free. A lot of us have been working on this project for years. We use our free time to help move this project forward. We also understand that you are putting in your free time as well to help this project out. I hope that this program will help us to have a better relationship with you.
Your contributions have been noticed even when nobody has mentioned it to you. In order to publicly thank those who have taken the time to help us out, we have created a new membergroup that will show a temporary badge. If the SMF Team feels that you have contributed a significant amount of helpful support, you will earn a badge which will only last about a month. We will only issue a few of these each month to those who have provided the most professional and knowledgeable support. If you continue to provide support, you may be able to keep the badge for additional months :).
The second way we want to help you out is by giving you more tools to work with. The SMF team have a number of tools that we use to help provide support in a more timely fashion. New team members that come onto the team often wonder why these tools are not offered to them beforehand. Since we do not wish to clutter up everyones forum, we will be providing a portion of these tools to you by means of a membergroup. This membergroup will be a requestable membergroup; to request entry visit your profile (Profile > Group Membership > request membership for the "Community Support Helper" membergroup).
After joining this group you will see a few new tools on your screen. If there are any problems about this you can contact JimM at any time by sending a PM.
Thanks for your continued support and we look forward to working together more closely.
If you are lazy like me then you can also use http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?action=profile;sa=groupMembership to get to the Group Membership page.
thanks for the option to do this.
--- Quote from: Darknico on March 31, 2008, 05:32:16 AM ---Thanks!
--- End quote ---
You're Welcome ;)
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education, why is this so difficult?
- 1 Article
I wonder why it is so difficult to make everybody educated!
Well, what do we mean by education? Is it just the ability to
read, write and do some basic mathematics? Do we need schools
for it? If so, why aren't people in developing countries educated
with all the plans to educate their people? Is it because their
government hasn't planned well or could not implement the plans?
What should the people do? Can they do this on their own, can't
they? I know of some people who have made a difference in others'
lives by educating them. They are non governmental organizations
who open schools for adults, child laborers and children with
learning difficulties. I think that this group can help and
correct the government in this effort. What do you say?


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On the subject of trade rumors, a topic that DeMarcus Cousins ought to be plenty familiar with, the mercurial-but-talented Sacramento Kings big man will offer only this blanket reply.
"I didn't even know my name was in trade talks," Cousins said early Wednesday, before the Celtics defeated the Kings, 99-81, at the Garden.
Pressed again on the matter, specifically how such talks affect him, Cousins retorted, "I didn't know about it, so it doesn't bother me at all."
Ah, ignorance is bliss. Or alleged ignorance, in this case.
But facts are facts, and Cousins' name has been attached to a slew of supposed trades, including to Boston, that never went down at various points this season.
Oddly, with the trade deadline less than a month way (Feb. 21), there has been little buzz that Cousins might be moved.
Yet, despite the pie-in-the-sky dreams of Celtics fans, the only green that Cousins might be wearing anytime soon – save for St. Patrick's Day – is likely not to be in Boston but in Seattle.
That's where the Kings franchise could move next season, if the NBA's relocation committee approves the team's move — and it's been reported that the committee will do so.
"It's a business," Cousins said of the potential move.
And that idea – that the NBA is a business – is what the third-year center drafted fifth overall out of Kentucky said he has learned most of all since entering the league in 2010.
"I'm a loyal guy," he said. "I'm a family-orientated guy. [But] not so much in this league. You've kind of got to look out for yourself most of the time and always do what's best for you."
What's best for Cousins might not be known until his contract expires; he's got two years left on his rookie deal.
Cousins is considered not only one of the best young players in the NBA, but one of the more promising players overall, regardless of his position.
The 6-foot-11-inch, 270-pounder was averaging 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds entering the game; he had 13 points and six rebounds Wednesday night.
But Cousins is also not without his issues, such as being suspended three times this season.
His most recent suspension, a one-game penalty, stemmed from "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team."
Which is another way of saying that Cousins and Kings coach Keith Smart exchanged heated words during halftime of a December game against the Clippers in Los Angeles.
"I don't think it's a challenge," Smart said of coaching Cousins.
Smart said there are often good players who want to be great but want to skip the process of getting there.
"Because the guy gets 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds] and it's not a hard thing for him," Smart continued. "He can be a guy who's going to get 25 and 14. But now I'm trying to push him to do the other little things."
One of those little things that Smart mentioned was playing better defense, which is one of the biggest adjustment every basketball player makes when he or she rises through the ranks.
The goal, Smart said, is to help Cousins develop to the point that he receives NBA All-Defense honorable mention honors.
"The guy handles the ball like a guard," Smart said. "He's got a good jump shot. His post up game is developing. I think if he develops that [defense], that will put him in a position where he can be counted on every night as a go-to guy."
Said Celtics coach Doc Rivers: "The one thing with Cousins, I don't think he's a great athlete. He's just really skilled. And he's really savvy.
"He's a heck of a passer. I think people get lost in the other stuff, and they don't give him enough credit for his basketball IQ."
As for the issues Cousins has had . . .
"You look back in the history of this league," Smart said, "and you look at all the talented, young players, and they all had some little issues, but issues that are controllable. For me, it's not a hard thing."
Smart also noted that Cousins has had to adjust to teams scheming against him with double-teams and so forth, and that the adjustment hasn't exactly been smooth.
"I don't think that's a good enough excuse," Cousins pointed out.
"I'm not even one of the top players in this league. Players like Kobe and LeBron face it every night, and they still find ways to make it happen, so that should be the same thing for me."
That's just one adjustment Cousins has to make to become the elite player he has shown tantalizing flashes of being.
Another adjustment might be a jersey change, though at this point, it's hard to say for sure where the young star might one day end up.Baxter Holmes can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BaxterHolmes


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WALNUT – Makanna Sabin, 11, of Walnut was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 8 years old.
When doctors discovered the grapefruit-size tumor on her liver, she was sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Peoria where she underwent surgery and received six cycles of chemotherapy.
Although faced with an unforeseen experience at such a young age, Sabin took on the battle and was able to beat her illness.
She and her mother, Kay Broers, consider themselves lucky.
"We were lucky to deal with it for only six months, when there's some people who deal with it for years," Broers said. "It was a rough six months, but we got through it."
Sabin continues to be cancer free today and is able to recount the memorable moments made during her illness. Some of her favorites are when she learned to give shots in her stomach, gained the silly nickname "troublemaker" from her doctor, and of course, when she got to shave her own head.
While going bald may sound terrifying for some 8-year-old girls, Sabin saw the positive side of sporting no hair.
"It was kind of fun being bald," she said. "I'm not the type of girl who likes brushing their hair, so it was kind of good I didn't have to do it."
Sabin refused to wear a wig during chemotherapy and even showed off her bald head during a photo shoot for a St. Jude's Hospital calendar.
"She had a good attitude, and that's what got us through it," Broers admitted.
The toughest part about cancer, according to Sabin, was not being able to go places, play outside, visit the swimming pool and run around in the barnyard.
"It almost killed me," she said.
The one thing that kept her spirits up was the talk about getting a pony once she had completed chemo treatments. Growing up on her grandparents' farm gave her the appreciation of country life and the love of horses.
"I like brushing them and just going out to see them, and that smell ... if you gave me a choice to either smell like a horse or smell clean, I'd pick a horse because I love that smell," she said. "It smells so good."
Shortly after she was back on her feet and was able to go outside, play with the cows and wrestle with her cousins, she and her mom found Shamrock – the perfect pony for the family.
Today, Sabin spends a lot of her time practicing riding and jumping with her pony and travels on the weekends to horse shows.
"Mom is my teacher. She's still teaching me how to jump, and she's teaching me new things everyday," she said.
Although the rough times seem to be in the past for Sabin and Broers, they take nothing for granted and continue to support St. Jude Children's Hospital at any given chance.
"We try to do things when we can to help because it was an amazing place," Broers said. "When you walk in the doors and they know you're there for treatment, you see nurses with smiles on their faces even after dealing with all that they deal with, and that just makes a big difference."
Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.


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More Cougars hail from New England than Chicagoland, so the mood among players with a rooting interest in the Stanley Cup Final sided not with the Blackhawks, but the Boston Bruins.
The Blackhawks on Monday erupted for two goals 17 seconds apart in the final 1:16, avoiding a possible Game 7 to win, 3-2, and take the Cup in six games.
"I thought [the Bruins] had it, but they've been struggling playing defense, and the Blackhawks, they deserved it," said infielder Brad Zapenas, a Boston College product and Nashua, N.H., native.
Zapenas watched his boyhood team from the comfort of his host family's residence as the Cougars enjoyed a day off. His girlfriend and her mother were in attendance in Boston, seated three rows from the glass.
Reliever Stephen Perakslis, a native of the Boston suburb of Stoughton, Mass., also was pulling for the B's. That left lefty Michael Heesch – a Prarie Ridge alum whose family now lives in Bartlett – stumping a little harder for the Hawks.
Lefty Sheldon McDonald was on Chicago's side. A native of hockey hotbed Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, McDonald liked the Hawks in part because they share the Western Conference with the Oilers, but also because of favorite Canadian son Jonathan Toews, the Hawks' captain.
"I was happy the Blackhawks pulled that out," McDonald said, "and with that 17 seconds apart, that was pretty special."
– Kevin Druley, email@example.com


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i taught u so well haha
You wanna be an Assisiatnt for the Clipeprs NBA Mock Offseaon with me?
no i did not. did u know zo ****in retired? meaning we better trade marion for jermaine o'neal now.
i lied i dont have public speaking 2nd semester. money management with shill chyeaaaa boi. i saw ur bro on the way 2 guidance, hes very strange lmao
Rest In Peace Sean Taylor


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NEW YORK -- Finding a can of regular Sprite in the United Kingdom is about to get difficult.
Coca-Cola says it's replacing Sprite in the country with a version that uses the sweetener stevia and has 30 percent fewer calories. The move is in response to a government push calling on companies to address obesity. Coca-Cola already offers Sprite with stevia in France.
The Coca-Cola Co. made the announcement ahead of the airing of its anti-obesity TV ad in the United Kingdom. That ad first aired in the United States in January and spells out the company's efforts to address obesity.
A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said the ad will roll out to other countries throughout the year. She said the company is still exploring whether to bring the Sprite with stevia to the U.S.


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Reviewed By Robert T (MECHANICSVILLE, VA) Reviewed for a 1999 Jeep Cherokee —10/17/2014 5:55 AM
This was a well made, solid receiver, only problem was it was assembled with the frame mounting rails a good 1/4" too close. the only fix was about 15 minutes with a die grinder to open up the holes. The included washers were plenty big to cover the opened areas and installation feels solid. Hardware was good quality and overall a great piece. Just be prepared to fit it to your jeep. Mine has never had any damage so I guess it was just not jigged up right.


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This Positive Life: Nicole on Advocacy, Dancing and Making the Most of Life
March 20, 2013
Don't you ever get tired talking about HIV?
No, I don't. I mean, sometimes I have a hard time with losing people. That's hard, because we call BABES a "sisterhood of women facing HIV together," and when women pass away it's really difficult and scary, because I could be in the same boat. I do take care of myself, I'm really diligent about doing all my appointments like I'm supposed to, I never miss my meds. Maybe once every couple of months, but I'm very good at taking care of myself.
You mentioned the peer support aspect of the BABES Network as something that makes it unique. Is that the mission of the organization?
Yeah, we're a peer program. So, we provide one-on-one peer support for women and their families living with HIV. We do support groups, advocacy, retreats, we have a newsletter that goes out that's written by our members. We provide referrals to medical and case management and other support services that women need.
What has doing this work taught you?
It's taught me a lot. It's taught me not to be judgmental. That it takes all kinds. That people come from so many different walks of life, and you can't generalize someone by just looking at them or hearing them say a word. You just have no idea; it's really brought so much fulfillment to my life. I had no idea that there was so much more out there than just this little world that I was living in.
What do you think are the biggest issues that need fixing in HIV today? What do you tell people that they might be able to do to change whatever that is?
I think people think that it's kinda gone away. People think, "Oh, there's a cure," or "There's medications, people do fine, it's not a big deal." The funding is getting cut all over the place, there's waiting lists for people to get on medications in America. Which is just beyond me how that's even possible.
I think it's really important for people to understand that it's important that they advocate. If we don't stand up and fight for what we need, what we demand, that we're not going to get it. I think that women are a minority, and a lot of people don't think that HIV can happen to women. But there's a high percentage of women who are positive in the United States, and a lot of women don't realize that. I think that women really need to step up, because we are really getting pushed underneath the rug and forgotten about.
Could you compare your feelings about living with HIV now to your feelings when you first found out you were HIV positive?
Well, now I still have my moments. There's times where I just get mad, and "Why did this have to happen to me?" and I have my little pity party and I get over it. In the beginning, I just kind of walked around in a cloud for a while. I couldn't believe that something like this could happen to me, and "Why?" I still have those moments sometimes, but I do believe everything happens for a reason. That's why I feel like doing the work that I do is very important, and maybe that's the reason. I'm saying, I'm not excited about it, I'm not happy about it, but I'm making the best of it.
Has your being able to look at it that way, is that what has changed for you? How has HIV changed you, or has it?
Yeah, of course, it's changed me a lot. I feel like I'm a much better person. I feel like, if I wasn't diagnosed, who knows where I'd be. I really wanted to quit doing drugs, because I wanted to be healthy and take care of myself, so I often wonder where would I be had I not gotten that huge news.
What advice would you give someone who was just diagnosed HIV positive?
Educate yourself as best you can. Learn as much as you can. Make sure you're looking at information that is up-to-date and factual, because there's a lot of information that isn't. Find a support network. Find someone else that's positive that you can share with. You know, not everybody feels positive disclosing to their family and friends, but finding someone that can give you that support and education. Going to your doctor and making sure that you're right on top of your health. Women sometimes put themselves on the back burner, they want to take care of their kids, their husbands, their jobs, their house, everything else before themselves, and you're not going to be able to take care of everyone else if you're not taking care of yourself.
Is there anything else that has not come up that you would like to discuss or like to include?
One other thing that I thought of when I was diagnosed was, "I'm 25, I'm never gonna get married, I'm never gonna be loved, I'm never gonna have children." And, I'm really glad to know that that isn't true. Here in Washington State, there's a very low prevalence of babies being infected with HIV. There are medications you can take, and the baby can take, and there's only a 1 percent chance. It's awesome. We have lots of babies -- babes, we call them -- being born.
I remember, in the '80s, even into the '90s, the idea of a woman having a baby who was positive was quite provocative. Even seen as irresponsible. Has that changed? Can she now do it with confidence that she's not making a choice that is a dangerous one?
I believe so. I think for herself, you never know. There may be a doctor out there who thinks it's not a good idea, or a family member or a friend. But if you read the facts -- if the woman's viral load is undetectable, and she's on medications, then when the baby is delivered, you can have a normal birth. You may get intravenous HIV medications while you're having the baby, and then the baby gets a liquid medication for the first six weeks of their life. I've seen women give the medicine to their babies, they don't seem to have any problem with it. The babies don't have any side effects and they don't get sick. It's definitely possible. It is toxic medication, but it's only for a six-week period and we haven't seen anything that shows that it causes any long-term side effects, so that's wonderful news.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
More From This Resource Center
Newly Diagnosed? Words of Encouragement from HIV-Positive Women
What Every HIV-Positive Woman Should Know About GYN Care and Prevention
Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Before
adding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)


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A man has been charged over a serious assault at Glen Innes yesterday morning.
About 1:30am on Sunday, a 30-year-old man was standing outside a hotel in Grey Street when he became involved in an argument with another man.
During the incident he was allegedly punched several times to the head before falling to the ground and hitting the back of his head on the footpath.
The man, from Glen Innes, was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics and taken to Armidale Hospital. He was later airlifted to John Hunter Hospital where he remains in a critical condition with head and facial injuries.
About 2:25pm yesterday detectives attended a house in Glen Innes where they arrested a 25-year-old man.
He was taken to Glen Innes Police Station and charged with recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm and granted conditional bail to appear in Glen Innes Local Court on Tuesday 11 December 2012.


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There are many theories on how to best manage performance horses during periods with no forced exercise (whether after sustaining an injury or just for a rest period), and owners are often left with a dilemma: stall rest or pasture turnout? To find the answer, a team of researchers recently completed a study evaluating how well horses maintain a certain fitness level with either pasture turnout or stall confinement.
Patricia M. Graham-Thiers, PhD, and a team of Virginia Intermont College researchers assigned 16 horses in light to moderate work to one of three groups: pasture turnout (P), stalled and exercised (E), or stalled with no exercise (S). During the 14-week study, horses in the P group roamed on approximately 100 acres of pasture, while horses in the S and E groups stayed in stalls during the day and were allowed access to a one-acre paddock at night.
The researchers exercised horses in the E group five days per week for one to two hours per day at the walk, trot, and canter. The team also used GPS units attached to the horses' halters to estimate the distance each horse traveled in a 24-hour span at intervals throughout the study period.
The team put each horse through a standardized exercise test (SET, lasting 20 minutes, with consistent increments of walk, trot, canter and hand-gallop work, and a 10-minute cool down period) at the beginning and end of the 14-week study. Researchers took blood samples and rectal temperatures before the SET, at peak exercise, and during recovery; they recorded horses' heart rates at intervals throughout the SET.
Also before and after the treatment protocol, researchers evaluated each horse's body fat via an ultrasound of rump fat (to estimate total body fat percentage) and took radiographs of one of each horse's cannon bones to measure bone mineral content--an important determinant of bone strength. Additionally, the team evaluated horses' weights and body condition scores every other week during the study.
Key findings included:
- Rump fat measurements and bone mineral content did not differ between treatments at the start of the study; however, P horses had greater bone mineral content compared S and E horses at the end of the study.
- At one minute into recovery after the SET, S horses showed a 63% increase in heart rate from start to finish of the treatment, whereas P horses showed minimal difference (4%) and E horses' heart rates decreased (-21%).
- S horses' rectal temperatures were higher at peak exercise, and their plasma lactate and rectal temperatures were significantly greater during the 10 minute recovery compared to the E and P horses. The team did not observe any other differences in blood parameters.
- Based on GPS readings, P horses traveled a greater distance on a daily basis compared to the E or S horses. Interestingly, the team noted, the P horses even traveled farther than the E horses during exercise days.
The team concluded that horses on stall rest for 14 weeks lost fitness, as indicated by the increase in heart rate and blood lactate levels after the final SET. But more importantly, they noted, pastured horses were able to maintain a similar level of fitness as the stalled, exercised horses in addition to having greater bone mineral content at the end of the study.
Graham-Thiers concluded, "Letting horses be horses—as in putting them in their natural setting—allows them to maintain fitness better, which may make their transition back to competition easier and likely more successful."
The study, "Improved Ability to Maintain Fitness in Horses During Large Pasture Turnout," was published in August in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.
Disclaimer: Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.


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Two children injured in related shootings in southwest Houston
Updated 10:10 pm, Wednesday, August 6, 2014
A young girl remained hospitalized Wednesday night after she and her brother both were struck by gunfire near the scene of a suspected drug deal in the Alief area.
The girl, 9, and her brother, 7, were hit by stray rounds about 4 p.m. along the sidewalk in front of an HEB supermarket along the 10000 block of Beechnut, Houston police said.
"Their mother was right near them as they were walking along the sidewalk," said John Cannon, a Houston police spokesman.
The children were innocent bystanders to a drug deal that erupted into gunfire in the supermarket parking lot, Houston police said.
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A Buick Sentry and a large white sports utility vehicle, possibly a Lincoln Navigator, were parked next to each other. Police said three men in the Buick and at least two more in the SUV were involved in some kind of narcotics transaction. Witnesses told police they heard gunfire soon after a man got out of the SUV.
Police believe the man from the SUV opened fire at the people in the Buick but instead hit the two children walking with their mother. He was identified at the scene only as a Hispanic man with tattoos on his face and wearing a white T-shirt. He fled in the SUV.
"He's the one we are really after," Cannon said.
The wounded children were taken to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. The boy was treated and released at the scene from a grazing bullet wound. The girl was struck in the thigh and was then flown by Life Flight helicopter to the Texas Medical Center. She was listed later Wednesday in stable condition, police said.
Meantime, three men were in the Buick, fleeing west along Beechnut, when they crashed into another car in front of a McDonald's restaurant near Wilcrest.
A Rosenberg police officer and a deputy constable from Harris County Precinct 1 - both assigned to an undercover anti-drug task force - coincidentally happened to be driving along Beechnut at the time of the crash.
"They looked in their rear view mirror and saw these guys making a run for it," Cannon said.
They were carrying several large bags filled with marijuana. HPD officials said at least one was carrying a firearm.
The undercover officers pulled into the restaurant parking lot. One of the men dumped a bag of marijuana near the drive-through lane and ran toward a nearby apartment complex. He was still being sought later Wednesday. Police did not have a detailed description of him.
The undercover officers ordered one of the men to surrender, but he refused and pulled out gun. Then the two officers identified themselves as law enforcement.
"He dropped the gun and gave up right there," Cannon said.
Another man from the Buick ran into the restaurant. The officers were only about 15 feet away and could see him through the glass. He was still carrying a gun, HPD officials said.
"Both officers then discharged their weapons. The suspect was not hit," Cannon said.
A man who declined to identify himself said he was in the McDonald's at the time. He said he saw the officer, undercover but wearing a badge on a chain, fire from the parking lot into the restaurant. "I heard a big crash and I just turned around and left," he said.
The man the undercover officers were shooting at ran into a bathroom where an employee was cleaning. "He said, 'Hide me. Hide me,'" Cannon said.
Police don't believe the employee was being held hostage. The man surrendered about five or 10 minutes later.
"He came out saying, 'Hey, what's all the fuss about?'" Cannon said.
Police said they found his weapon inside the bathroom. He also was taken into custody.
Charges against both men were still pending.
Police said they will question both men in custody and hope to get more information about the man whose gunfire struck the children.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.