text:
WASHINGTON — There was never going to be a spot on the schedule for the Phillies to underline or circle. There was never going to be a particular week, a certain series, an individual game. There would not be one final score, not one set of published standings.
There wasn't going to be anything in specific that would tell them what they needed to know. It was just going to happen. So Thursday, upon a 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals and the extension of a losing streak to six, it just happened.
They realized that their season was down to its last gasp.
"It's been time," Ryne Sandberg said. "It's been time to straighten it out. And it's been time to get hot as a group."
And from Jimmy Rollins, there was this: "It's getting out of control now. But we have a chance to go out and change that tomorrow."
That's about right, all of it. It's getting out of control. And it's time. And if the Phillies are going to salvage one last blast out of an era of 11 champagne celebrations, they must begin Friday and with a weekend series in Cincinnati. It is that urgent. Because the Phillies will return to Citizens Bank Park Tuesday to play the San Diego Padres. And by then, their fans are entitled to one of two things: better play the Phils have shown in a six-game NL East tumble … or significant changes in the rotting system. One or the other. Better play. Or something different.
The general manager is not going to be fired, not now, not soon. Sandberg's status as a legend of the sport should buy him an extra layer of job security — to the end of the year, at least, probably longer. But Steve Henderson is the hitting coach, and if accomplished franchise jewels Milt Thompson and Greg Gross can be fired for an ever-continuing slump, then there is precedent for that kind of a change. Ruben Amaro has made recent noises about certain players having minor-league options. Dom Brown, his average down to .206 after being an All-Star last year, is eligible. A move-for-the-sake-of-a-move of that level could provide helpful reverberations. Amaro could be inventive and concoct a minor trade. Something.
Sandberg has tried all manner of lineups to little success, batting his catcher second, dumping Ryan Howard down, using multiple leadoff hitters. He sounds like he may make a stronger commitment to John Mayberry, who has hit a homer in each of the last two games.
Hey, keep the celebration down.
"I'm definitely frustrated — frustrated that sometimes we haven't been able to put a game together with pitching and offense," Sandberg said. "In the meantime, our bullpen has been on a good roll for about eight or nine days now. Now they're stepping up and putting zeroes up and doing a good job. We need the whole package together.
"We need to do it for a series, and we need to do it for some games for a stretch."
The Phillies are 10 games below .500, stuck in last place in what should have been a negotiable division. If they win 68 of their last 104 games — a .650 pace — they will finish with 92 wins. So already, even in early June, that's where they have landed if they expect to seriously contend for the playoffs.
"It's not concerning — it's a little more than that," Rollins said. "You just have to find it."
Until Thursday, the Phillies reacted to losses with patience and optimism. "We've got another game tomorrow," A.J. Burnett had said after an 8-4 loss a night earlier. "That's the good thing. It's not over. The sun is going to come up. It might be a little cloudy. But we've got another game tomorrow. We have a chance to get a 'W' tomorrow, to get back on the right foot. That's the way I look at it."
That's how it seemed Wednesday. By Thursday, those clouds had burst, the manager saying it was time, the shortstop suggesting an out-of-control situation.
The crisis point never was scheduled. But that's just how fast it arrived.


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We've talked ad nauseum the past week about ways the Dolphins can defeat the Saints, and one idea is to keep the ball away from quarterback Drew Brees and a New Orleans offense that is, statistically the best in the NFL.
So, of course, everyone is suggesting the Dolphins should just run the ball. It is, after all, what the Dolphins do best, as their No. 1 ranking confirms, and it's a great way to keep the ball for extended periods.
The critical thinker, however, might look at the Saints defense and counter they are No. 5 in the NFL against the run. So, on the surface, running the ball against the Saints seems as good a strategy as running into a concrete wall.
But since we're "In Depth," as the blog's title suggests we go deeper to find truth. And this is truth: The statistics that paint the Saints as a great run-stopping team exaggerate. Those statistics are based on total yards per game.
And it stands to reason if the Saints are taking huge leads on teams, those teams abandon the run and pass to make up the deficit.
"What we're looking at here is a skewed amount of statistics, though," Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning said Thursday. "We're not going to have very much running against New Orleans when they're ahead by 20 points in the middle of the second quarter. You're not seeing many teams running. They're not going to be running it, they're going to be throwing it, just like the Giants did. You're trying to get back so you don't have as much run."
So what do you do, Dan?
"You go back and look at what have people have done in the first quarter when it was tied," Henning said. "[What happened] when it was 7-7 or 0-0? Did they run the ball decently? You have to look at those stats and see if they stopped the run under those conditions?"
Ah, I love homework.
In looking at the stats under those conditions, you should be encouraged if you are a Dolphins fan, because the Saints have proven to be less than stellar. The statistics in those situation not only suggest the Dolphins will run the be well against New Orleans but, indeed, kick the ever lovin' snot out of the New Orleans defense while running the football.
First, throw out the Saints victory over Detroit. The Lions are not good and New Orleans took a 14-0 lead en route to a 45-27 victory. That game was practically over in the first quarter.
The next week the Saints yielded only 3.6 yards per carry against Philadelphia. But before the game got out of hand, up until the point the Eagles were trailing 17-10, Philadelphia rushed nine times for 59 yards. That's a a 6.5 yard per carry average while the game was still close and before Philly abandoned the run.
The next week the Saints faced a Buffalo team that stayed close for quite a while. And the Bills, a good but not great running team, ran the ball well during that time. Buffalo rushed 19 times for 79 yards, which works out to a 4.1 yard per rush average.
The following week the Jets averaged a very good 4.9 yards per carry.
Last week against, the Giants averaged 4.4 yards per rush during the game. But while the game was still in doubt, up to the point it was 27-10, the Giants had gained 62 rushing yards on 11 carries. That's a 5.6-yard per rush average.
But here is the reeealllly interesting thing that jumped out at me. The Saints have faced a Wildcat type of run play six times this year. They have yielded 49 yards on those plays. That's an 8.2-yard per play average yield against Wildcat plays
Of course, none of this will make Gibril Wilson tackle better nor will it sack Drew Brees.
But it suggests the Dolphins will absolutely, positively move the ball on the ground against the New Orleans defense. And they will be able to keep Brees on the sideline where he can do no damage.

subset: commoncrawl


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A teenage girl was taken to hospital after being dragged over a kilometre down the flooded Leichhardt River in outback Queensland.
The girl was one of five who were swept off a crossing in Mount Isa where they were walking at about 5.30am (AEST) on Sunday.
Four managed to swim to safety, but the girl was washed 1.5km downstream before she could make it to land, police told AAP.
She was not injured but was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Two other people, a man and a woman, were also washed from the crossing about 11.30pm Saturday.
They also managed to swim to safety.
Detective Inspector Trevor Kidd said heavy rain has caused the usual dry Leichhardt River to flood and warned locals not to drive or walk through it.
"It happens every year, but people continue to ignore the closure signs and ignore the flooding, we're very fortunate that someone wasn't drowned or seriously injured," he told ABC radio.


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This report results from an extensive research project examining how knowledge functions within a consultation process for a new mental health policy in Scotland. The research is part of the European Commission funded KnowandPol project which investigates knowledge in relation to health and education policies within eight European countries. The work of the Scottish Health team throughout the project focuses on mental health policy in Scotland. Our work reported here represents the first of two case studies for 'Orientation 2' of the project which seeks to examine the way knowledge is used and produced within the processes of a particular policy or public action.
The following questions guide the general KnowandPol research within Orientation 2:
• Where do the actors involved in the public action speak from? Where do they come from? Who do they talk to? What kind of relationships are they involved in?
• What do the actors involved know? What do they think they know? What types of categories do they use in their narratives? How do they assemble ideas, actors, devices, events, values in their story?
• What are the common stages/events emerging from the narratives?
• Why is it that such or such representation of reality comes to structure public action at a given time period in a given country/sector?
Case study:
In order to explore these questions we have chosen to focus on the consultation for Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland (TAMFS) which was launched in October 2007. This consultation was initiated to develop the next stage of the Scottish population mental health policy - the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing. We chose the TAMFS consultation as a case study because the policy consultation process represents a 'critical event' in that it serves to strip an existing policy back, makes it justify itself and opens itself up to new discourses. It also represents the introduction of a new form of knowledge into the policy domain and permits us to visualise the way in which this knowledge flows through the policy community. It allows us to examine the knowledge used by a wide range of actors in their interaction with the policy ideas and each other. This action happens within a wide range of settings – within many different document forms, closed meetings, pubic events, 2 private discussions and emails. This allows us to visualise how knowledge differentially functions within these different practices.
The TAMFS consultation consisted in a series of events, documents and meetings which responded to a government consultation document. The key 'public' stages of the consultation involved a series of consultation events hosted nationally and by local authorities, health boards and NGOs and the submission of consultation response documents by individuals and organisations. The key 'closed' (internal government and invited) stages of the consultation involved a series of meetings by a national reference group of expert service users, practitioners and academics and of a internal government reference group, meetings between government actors and individual experts and a series of events with key stakeholder groups prior to the publication of the final policy document.
We tracked each stage of the consultation process by utilising a broad mix of data collection methods:
1. Interviews on the development of the National Programme and how the consultation document was developed.
2. Observation of a broad range of consultation events.
3. Documentary analysis of the consultation document and support documents.
4. Documentary analysis of written responses made.
5. Observation of the National Reference Group guiding the consideration of the consultation responses.
6. Interviews with those responsible for organising the consultation events and/or drafting responses.
7. Interviews with those involved in drafting the final policy and action plan.
8. Documentary analysis of the final document and other documents which informed its development.
In order to answer criticisms about the lack of a clear model of mental health being used in the work of the National Programme the TAMFS consultation document introduced a new theoretical model for public mental health based around the work of Corey Keyes and Keith Tudor. It also based itself clearly within an 'inequalities' framework.
We found that different actors used different forms of knowledge in very different ways at different stages of the consultation process:
Government actors:
Government actors set the terms of the consultation and used its involvement in order to educate the consultation 'public' about their agenda for mental health improvement. The knowledge government actors were presenting was validated through their reference to the work of 'expert' and international actors and through 3 referring to peer reviewed research and statistical evidence from the use of indicators and other measurement tools.
The Scottish Government does not create knowledge, but rather it gathered and organised it. Its involvement in the consultation was as a hand guiding the process. It directed how knowledge should be understood (in this case through the selection of appropriate theory) and what types of knowledge should be gathered (consultation events and inviting specific types of actors to contribute and through devising instruments such as indicators to support the policy implementation). In this way it set up the conditions in which knowledge could be created but did not generate its own knowledge.
Practitioners made up the vast majority of the 'consultation public' present at consultation events. Different practitioners were invited to present examples of 'good practice' at all consultation events we attended. The dialogue between practitioners within discussion groups which followed these presentations drew on the experiential knowledge of practitioners. This experience-based knowledge drawn from their work – often expressed in the form of short vignettes about their practice - was 'traded' in a back and forth dialogue between participants. The trading of good and bad practice allowed the boundaries of work in the area to be 'rehearsed'. Through the processes of the consultation appropriate practices were therefore developed in relation to the new policy being discussed. This process was educational in that it taught those who would have to implement the new policy about how this might best take place. In this way the consultation process acted as a way of cementing the new policy in the minds of those who would have to do the work and 'armed' them with strategies for how the work of the policy could be taken forward.
Practitioner knowledge did not take the form of vignettes in the consultation responses which were submitted by mainly practice-based organisations. In the consultation response documents practitioner organisations drew to a far greater extent on 'official' evidence drawn from research reports, evaluations and statistics. Practice based knowledge was largely absent from the rest of the consultation process although practitioners were included in the final stakeholder discussions in order to validate the policy before it was released. We argue that this may be as a result of the particular practices surrounding different parts of the consultation process – because of conventions about their use official policy documents cannot contain the type of experiential knowledge produced and used by practitioners.
Service users:
Unlike practitioners and government representatives, service users and carers did not give presentations on their experience at the consultation events but were most active as participants in discussion groups. As with practitioners, the service users and carers we observed based their knowledge on personal experience and often transmitted this knowledge through the use of small vignettes used to illustrate a point.
Service user knowledge did not 'travel well' through the process. Service user voices were present at the consultation events and reference group meetings but did not readily move from this context into the consultation response documents. This may be as a result of the form that service user knowledge was presented in. Like practitioner 4 knowledge personal experience is difficult to quantify and the vignettes in which service user knowledge were presented do not easily fit within some document forms.
Expert knowledge:
The experts whose knowledge was included in the consultation are mostly public health specialists and academics. Academic knowledge was not prominent in the consultation events and only visualised through the presentation or citation of the work of these experts. It was more prominently used in the reference group, which included academics and was provided with papers and presentations by Keith Tudor, Phil Hanlon and Carol Tannahill. The experts present a mixture of local actors who know the Scottish 'scene' and international experts who provide the theoretical and epidemiological perspectives which frame the work of the National Programme. Their knowledge was used to validate the government's agenda for mental health improvement in Scotland.
Psychiatry- an absent actor:
Psychiatrists did not participate at most of the consultation events and were not invited to do so by the government. Psychiatry has traditionally had little to do with the day to day work of public mental health, given that its focus is on the treatment of mental ill-health. Professional psychiatric knowledge challenges the mentally flourishing framework, as evidenced in the response document submitted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which made negative comments about the theoretical framework underpinning the TAMFS document.
Key points:
Consultation as education:
Within the TAMFS consultation the purpose of creating a new policy seemed at some stages to be secondary to the purpose of 'education' of the policy 'public'. Different actors used the consultation process for different educative purposes. For the government the consultation document and events also provided an opportunity for educating a captive audience about the issues and practices involved in the implementation of policy and practice for population mental health. The use of language and theory were important instruments in this work. In our discussion of practitioner knowledge we show that for organisations hosting consultation events these served the purpose of educating those working within their organisation or area about the role that they had to play in doing the work of the National Programme. This 'education' took place via presentations made by government, practitioners and experts. It also occurred through the back and forth dialogue of practitioners sharing good practice.
Through its educative function the consultation process worked to carve out a new space for policy action which would mean an easier transition to the new policy and a greater depth of policy awareness which would, in turn, lead to better policy implementation. In this way we can visualise the consultation process as functioning as the first stage of policy implementation. Consultation processes in themselves thus act as a macro instrument of policy.
Hierarchies of evidence – theory vs. other types of evidence:
The decision to use the theory related to its status in relation to other types of knowledge. Use of the theory was seen as a logical step for the consultation document as it provided a justification for the policy approach taken where no other evidence existed that would justify the policy. In the TAMFS consultation document theory was thus used instrumentally in place of other evidence when there were no other forms of evidence available. However, by the time that the policy and action plan came to be written other forms of knowledge had become available which were seen to challenge the 'authority' of the theory as evidence underpinning the work of the National Programme. The creation of new statistical and other research data on public mental health served to destabilise the dual continua theory for those developing the policy and action plan. Theory, then, was seen as important, but was 'outclassed' as a form of reliable policy evidence in the face of 'data' sourced from measures and indicators.
Language was used instrumentally by different actors throughout the consultation process where different vocabularies were used or challenged in order to make different policy arguments. Many of the arguments related to the need to develop a shared language which could convey the themes of the policy. Using a certain kind of language brings with it a certain kind of knowledge or theoretical perspective. Even in the absence of formally articulated scientific knowledge, the 'right words' were seen by many involved in the consultation process as a key vehicle of the 'right policy. There was a frustration amongst a range of actors about the inability for a shared language to be developed that could simply express the theoretical basis underpinning the work of the National Programme. A lack of a shared language was seen to result in limited shared working around the goals of the National Programme and a failure for the message of positive mental health to spread into other fields. Language was thus viewed as an important instrument whose correct use would lead to successful policy outcomes
Our analysis pointed to a growing interest in the creation and use of statistics and, following on from this, the development of indicators for mental health policy in Scotland. This raises questions about why indicators and statistics are seen to have such utility for mental health policy. It was felt that a lack of indicators meant that particular policies and programmes could not be justified to funding bodies and agencies because their effectiveness could not be adequately gauged. Drafts of the final TAMFS Policy and Action Plan called for the development of new indicators for population mental health in addition to the newly devised Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). The introduction of these new indicators extended the boundaries of the governable space yet further. Part of the utility of the development of the WEMWBS scale is that it marked out a new space as governable – that of positive mental health - and this was important when the words used to express the theory were deemed to be inadequate. Numbers were able to do what words cannot. A set of indicators becomes the shared language that everyone can use.
Conclusions about knowledge in the TAMFS consultation:
In concluding we can list some of the variables effecting the emergence of different types of knowledge within the consultation process:
Discourse practices – the type of practice in which a discourse is enacted depends on what type of knowledge is prioritised. For example, consultation events give way to embodied knowledge such as good practice or personal experience. This knowledge is not able to be contained so easily within a highly structured document such as a policy and action plan, where strict conventions govern what content is acceptable.
Individuals – what gets written down on paper in the end is determined to a certain extent by who does the writing. At each enactment of knowledge within every stage of the process different configurations of power and knowledge determine what knowledge is included. The leadership style and personal knowledge of those in leadership positions within the Mental Health Division determined what sorts of knowledge were prioritised within, for example, the discussions in the National Reference group.
Political environment – the political environment will have a 'high order', macro bearing on what knowledge is prioritised in the process. For example, the SNP's prioritisation of the use of indicators through its National Performance Framework meant that indicators were more highly prized than other forms of policy instrument.
Availability of instruments – in our discussion of theory we noted that there was what could be called a 'hierarchy of instruments' functioning. Theory was valid evidence for policy development only when the evidence produced by a more reliable instrument such as, in this case, data from an indicator, was not available.
SMITH-MERRY Jennifer, FREEMAN Richard & STURDY Steven (2009), Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland: Consultation as Public Action, KNOWandPOL Report.


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2.01. The Auntie Matter
Released January 2013
Behind the Scenes
Producer David Richardson previews the second series of Fourth Doctor Adventures, starring Tom Baker and Mary Tamm
Is it really a year since Tom Baker made his debut as the Fourth Doctor at Big Finish? In some ways it seems like only yesterday… in others, it seems like a lifetime ago. And so much has happened in between – most of it good, a little of it sad.
Before we launch into a full preview of season two of The Fourth Doctor Adventures, it seems fitting to talk about Mary Tamm, who eagerly embraced the opportunity to return as Romana for this series. "Nothing will keep me away," she told me when I first approached her, and she was true to her word. Even cancer, and months spent enduring treatment, didn't quell Mary's passion for the project. We, as colleagues and as fans, are indebted to her for seeing the series through, under awful circumstances. She came to every studio recording full of enthusiasm, laughed endlessly, and – on the last day I saw her – told me that doing the recordings had helped her get through it. She was a fantastic lady, and this season is dedicated to her.
Written by Jonathan Morris
Directed by Ken Bentley
Guest stars: Julia McKenzie, Robert Portal, Lucy Griffiths, Alan Cox
A glorious romp to open the season, in which Jonathan Morris channels PG Wodehouse in a tale of lovelorn young Reggie (Robert Portal) and his sinister Aunt, who might just be from another planet. Tom and Mary adored this script – Mary particularly, as it really brings Romana to the fore in a way, perhaps, that her TV episodes didn't.
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs
Guest stars: Hayley Atwell, David Warner, Toby Hadoke
Here's a bit of an exclusive… we have a bonus surprise for you! The Sands of Life will actually be three episodes long! Now, before you cry 'Why can't they all be three episodes long!' I should point out that it's a budgetary thing, and on this one occasion we were able to pull an extra episode out of the hat. So it's a special one-off…
And what a one-off it is. A power-crazed businessman, a race of space-borne aliens and a new
Earth President come together to provide deadly new challenges for the Doctor, Romana and K9. Yes, K9 – here making his debut in the range, played by the wonderful John Leeson. It's good to have him back. The season 16 reunion is complete.
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs
Guest stars: Hayley Atwell, David Warner, Toby Hadoke, Hugh Fraser
We're still in the far future, and the Laan have become a threat to the world. War Against the Laan continues the story established in The Sands of Life… meaning that, together, they make up a five-episode blockbuster. It's our longest Fourth Doctor tale since The Foe From the Future in the Lost Stories range. If you like an epic, then this one is for you!
2.4 The JUSTICE OF JALXAR
Written by John Dorney
Directed by Ken Bentley
Guest stars: Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Adrian Lukis
In many ways, it was an obvious choice to reunite the Fourth Doctor with Victorian investigators Jago and Litefoot, over three decades after they appeared together in The Talons of Weng-Chiang. So, not wishing to be entirely obvious, we brought Romana into the mix – what will this very sophisticated Academy graduate make of Henry Gordon Jago, as they are paired up to face a deadly steam-powered robot that is murdering on the streets of London?
This one was so much fun to make. The actors were in their element – Tom clearly adored the chance to work with Christopher and Trevor again – and the day whizzed past far too quickly. I wanted to relish every moment.
Written by Jonathan Morris
Directed by Ken Bentley
Guest star: Alice Krige
I gave Jonny Morris a firm brief for this story: The Auntie Matter had been a fun romp, so I wanted him to deliver the polar opposite with his second script – to be dark and scary. And he hasn't disappointed with this claustrophobic tale in which the TARDIS lands on the ocean floor, and meets a scientific expedition that has uncovered a terrifying presence. This is one to listen to with all the lights off.
I was especially pleased to book Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, Spooks) for the lead guest role in this story. And even more pleased to discover she was one of the most warm and kind actors I've ever met. I do hope she'll return one day.
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs
Guest stars: David Warner, Toby Hadoke, Dominic Mafham
You might just recognize a couple of the guest names on this one… Mr Warner and Mr Hadoke are back, as a story arc that began in The Sands of Life kicks back into gear. This time, the Daleks are along for the ride – and they have some deadly surprises up their sleeves (if, of course, they had sleeves).
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs
Guest stars: David Warner, Toby Hadoke, Dominic Mafham
The big season finale, in which our recurring story arc comes to a spectacular close. The Dalek plan is revealed, and the stakes have never been higher… I remember that we recorded this one in February, when the country was knee-deep in snow – somewhat ironic, as the story is set on a planet that is covered in snow. So at least the studio photos look quite fitting!
Doctor Who - Fourth Doctor Adventures Previous Release
Doctor Who - Fourth Doctor Adventures


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French from January 2015 on, 10:00 h, Friday
Friday, December 9, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (CET)
Event Details
Plaça Nova, entrance Carrer Bisbe (close to the Cathedral)
Meeting point: Standing in front of the cathedral, facing it, walk to your right side until almost the end of the Plaça Nova, where Carrer Bisbe starts. Right in front of the roman aqueduct you find the bronze (meter high) letters "Barcino", the roman name of Barcelona. We meet at the "O", simbolizing a sun.
Come to he meeting point with your children 10 minutes before the tour starts and assure appropriate clothing for the weather. Please shortly before the tour make your children use a toilet. We only wait 5 minutes and then start the tour. An hour later, we bring their children back to this meeting point. We ask you to come on time for the pickup, or after 10 minutes of delay we will ask 5 € per quarter hour of delay. Make absolutely sure that for a (hopefully not occurring) emergency you have the mobilphone, with the number you gave us when booking the tour, switched on.
The tour is aimed at children aged 6 to 10 but adults are welcome too!
When & Where
Placa Nova entrance
Placa Nova
08002 Barcelona
Friday, December 9, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (CET)
Add to my calendar
Ofrecemos emocionantes excursiones interactivas en el Barrio Gótico de Barcelona, con guías que llevan la vestimenta típica de entonces, que describen las vidas de los niños en la Edad Media.


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After a search for one last piece to post this month, I'm just not satisfied.
According to Evernote, where I keep my working drafts, I have 83 blog posts in progress.
Some of those are just a few lines or phrases, and will probably never go anywhere.
Other drafts are long and fraught. I just read one for the first time in about six weeks, and realized why I was struggling so much with it: there are three distinct ideas trying to establish themselves in the piece, and by the end, it's at best a weary draw. All three lay gasping in a heap, not even caring who won anymore. I need to treat my ideas with more respect.
In place of a properly-edited, mostly-polished blog post, I've decided to share a peek into my process: lines, quotes and images from works in progress.
I've intentionally left a few pieces out. There need to be some surprises.
Is there a sense of coherence across all these different fragments? I'm not sure.
What follows are simply clumps of loose and stray thread that may or may not be woven into something larger:
If you're taking all the trouble to go somewhere else, maybe it's worth pretending that the internet hasn't gotten there first.
One of the ship's officers, during a safety briefing:
"The bad news is that we do not have Internet aboard. The good news is that our records show that 100% of our passengers have survived this condition."
To those still expecting you to be a caterpillar, your wings are merely distracting appendages.
If all systems of transmission corrupt, the question becomes: how usefully or beautifully do they corrupt?
At a pivotal point in the middle of one draft, I found this:
[see notes not yet typed from Jan 4, in wet blue notebook]
From abundant potential, we must narrow our attention to a single, fixed goal. The decision of what to do in any given moment lasts much longer than that moment. It creates its own minor legacy.
The entirety of Anne Carson's biographical note on the back flap of "If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho":
Anne Carson lives in Canada.
Emily Dickinson:
"…the Truth must dazzle gradually…"
Offline, the shrunken world: Our social reach retracts to physical proximity. Just when I think I've truly escaped it all, there's a song playing in the bar that is also on the iPhone in my pocket.
Ushuaia — as a city tenuously clinging to the edge of the world? It doesn't exist.
Whenever I travel, I'm reminded of the distinction between where our body is, and where our mind is. How often are they co-located?
Other than the annual stumble through an old standard for my grandmother at Thanksgiving, who politely pretended not to notice the rapid decline of my keyboard skills, I didn't play any traditional repertoire for more than ten years. I had completely burned myself out, to the point that I didn't even want to pick through pieces I enjoyed listening to, or had once enjoyed playing.
Even when I was still too young to drive a car, my parents were broad-minded enough to let me put a bumpersticker on their car: "Skateboarding is Not a Crime".
It wasn't just theoretical: The only time I've ever been in the back of a police car was when I was 12 or 13, and was chased down for…well, I don't know what, and the officer didn't seem to know, either, but that didn't stop him from throwing me in the caged part of the car (my skateboard in the trunk) and taking me to the station for a good old-fashioned injection of small-town fear.
It is an error to assume the inarticulate have no story to tell, or that the middling sketcher has no inspiring vision to share. Maybe they just haven't found a medium yet in which they are or can become fluent, and in the meantime, they are a musician without an instrument, an actor without a stage, or a sculptor with only paintbrushes.
When you crash in public, keep going, and frame it with an improvisational flourish so it seems like it was part of a larger plan. Carry on, and finish strongly.
Momentary dissonances must be considered in a larger context.
Loud is easy. It's much harder to play softly but powerfully.
A strong wind hitting a bare mast won't get you anywhere.
By standing silently at the trimming of one twig, we give our assent to the loss of an entire branch of human knowledge.
We have a notion of Paris or Kyoto or the Baltic Sea, and we use those words to communicate that notion with others. And then we go there, and, on arrival, discover that we were completely wrong, even about some of the broad strokes. We can't reconcile the ideas we had in our mind with our present experience without completely rebuilding our definition of those particular words and letters.
And then we wonder: what have we been talking about all those years when the topic was Kyoto? What did the other person have in mind during that conversation? And did we effectively communicate anything at all?
I just felt like ending this one with a bit of red — a color our winters don't provide in abundance.
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
{ 1 comment }


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Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 routers include a very basic firewall that helps protect your home network form unwanted access from the internet. Since this firewall blocks incoming connections you may need open a port through it for certain games and applications. This process of opening a port is frequently called a port forward, since you are forwarding a port from the internet to your home network.
The basic process to open a port is:
While these steps might seem difficult at first, we will walk you through each step for your Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 router.
We think that forwarding a port should be easy. That's why we created Network Utilities. Our software does everything that you need to forward a port.
When you use Network Utilities you get your port forwarded right now!
It is important to setup a static ip address in the device that you are forwarding a port to. This ensures that your ports will remain open even after your device reboots.
Now we are going to login to your Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 router. Your router has a web interface, so you will login to it using your web browser. This can be either Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Edge. It usually does not matter which browser you choose to use.
Open up your web browser and find the address bar. It should look something like this:
In the picture above the address bar has 192.168.1.254 in it. Just replace all of that with the IP address of your Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 router. Your router's ip address can also be refered to as your computer's default gateway.
By default the IP address is set to: 192.168.1.254
After entering the IP address of your router you can simply press enter. If all goes well you will see the following screen:
You should see a box prompting you for your username and password.
Enter your username and password, and then click the Login button to log in to your Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 router.
If your username and password do not work then please visit our Default Thomson-Alcatel Router Passwords page.
If you still can't login to your router because you forgot your Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 router username and password, use our How to Reset a Router Password guide to set your Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 router back to its factory settings.
Now we need to find the port forwarding section in your router. Here's how you do it. Starting from the first page in your router:
Click the Toolbox button near the left of the page.
Click the Game & Application Sharing link near the left of the page.
Click the Create a new game or application link near the bottom of the page.
Enter the name of the program into the Name box. It doesn't really matter what you put into this box, but something that will remind you why these ports are being forwarded would be a good idea.
Put a dot into the Manual Entry of Port Maps radio button.
Click the Next button near the bottom of the page.
Now we are ready to enter some data in your router. In order to show you exactly how to configure your router we need you to answer 2 questions:
|IP Address
(The IP Address to forward to should be the same "static ip address" that you setup above)
Our router simulator shows you exactly what data to enter in your router based on your choices above. We are currently showing the ports for XBox Live. You should fill out the boxes in the router as you see them here:
Click the Assign a game or application to a local network device link near the bottom of the page.
Use the Device box to choose a device to forward ports to. This box contains a list of device names that are visible on your network.
Select the application you created using the Game or Application drop down box. Then click Add to enable it.
And that is it! You are done!
Now that you have forwarded ports on the Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 you should test to see if your ports are forwarded correctly.
To test if your port has been properly forwarded, you can use our Network Utilities tool, which includes a free Open Port Checker. Our Open Port Check tool is the only online port checking tool with Guaranteed Results.Thomson-Alcatel SpeedTouch585 Router Screenshots.
We also have the Internets largest collection of Router Screenshots.
|Port Range
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|Trigger Port
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text:
It's coincidental, but entirely appropriate, that the Theater Project opened its 15th anniversary season at the Majestic Theater last week on the day after what would have been Buddy Holly's 75th birthday. Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is the show that launched the theater in 1997 and has become its signature hit. The current production is its third revival here.
Holly wasn't an Elvis or Little Richard who exuded sexual danger. He was the nearsighted boy next door who wrote infectious pop songs and sang them with a hiccup in his plain-vanilla voice. He rode the charts for only a year and a half before riding that ill-fated airplane on "the day the music died." But in that brief period he changed rock 'n' roll, both musically, bridging white rockabilly and black R&B, and socially, a white kid from Texas performing in Harlem's Apollo Theater and touring with an otherwise all-black revue.
Alan Janes' script for Buddy is the definition of perfunctory, stitching snapshots of Holly's career into a tapestry of 13 of his songs, from "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" to "Rave On" and "True Love Ways," along with another dozen hits of the era. Buddy asserts his musical vision by blowing off a radio station's and a record company's insistence that he play only country; teams up with independent producer Norman Petty; meets his soon-to-be wife, Maria Elena Santiago, and proposes on the first date (fact); breaks up with his band, the Crickets, but (fiction) is back with them for the fateful final concert in February 1959.
A loose recreation of that show, occupying the last 45 minutes of this three-hour performance, includes the two other stars who perished in the plane crash, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson (Tim Reilly) and Latino heartthrob Richie Valens (Frank Manzi).
Watching Danny Eaton's lively, likeable production, it's hard to suppress the image of those PBS pledge-drive concerts where rockers of the past trot out their hits. Several veterans of the show's previous Majestic outings are back again, now twice the age of their characters. But Ben Ashley brings the same boyish enthusiasm to the title role as he did 15 years ago, and so do the other long-in-the-tooth performers, including two of the three Crickets, Tim Hosmer and Dan Whelton (Bill Morey is the trio's age-appropriate member), Ray Zorin as Petty and Christopher Shanahan as the hometown DJ.
Act One closes with the legendary gig at the Apollo, where the Crickets showed up after being booked by a promoter who thought they were black. In a showcase of Valley talent, Karen Bolden-King and Moonlight Davis lay down a couple of numbers by black groups of the era, and Greg Alexander gets the audience singing Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher," before Buddy and the boys hit the stage for their barrier-busting set.
It's a pity the storyline doesn't have more heft—skimming over Holly's sometimes bruising ambition and ultimately poisonous relationship with his mentor, Petty, for instance—because the music, mostly played by the performers and guided by music director Mitch Chakour, has plenty. The music didn't die on that snowy Midwestern night, but the meteor that was Buddy Holly imparted a lasting flavor to our American pie.
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story: through Oct. 30, Majestic Theater, 131 Elm St., West Springfield, (413) 747-7797, majestictheater.com.


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Hey guys this is something new I'm going to try I don't think it will get to carried away but anyways I'm going to be starting a riddle of the day post. If you get the answer correct you could win something, I'm still trying to fin out what I can give out that's like able and not too much an doesn't cost anything. So help me if you would like to so I can get ideas!
Anyways here's the riddle :
To open the door to be let in. You need this good breathing apparatus. What is it?


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Battle of Tumhalad
|Line 3:
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| name=Battle of Tumhalad
| name=Battle of Tumhalad
| conflict=[[Wars of Beleriand]]
| conflict=[[Wars of Beleriand]]
| place=[[Tumhalad]]
| place=[[Tumhalad]]
| result=Orc victory
| result=Orc victory
Revision as of 14:44, 15 November 2012
|Battle of Tumhalad
|Conflict: Wars of Beleriand
|Date: F.A. 495[1]
|Place: Tumhalad
|Outcome: Orc victory
Forces of Morgoth
At least 30,000 Noldorin Elves
At least 70,000[source?]
As high as 25,000[source?]
Possibly two thirds[source?]
The Battle of Tumhalad was the last battle of the Elves of Nargothrond. It was fought on the plain of Tumhalad between the Narog and its tributary, the Ginglith.
The battle was fought as result of a massive Orc-buildup beneath the Mountains of Shadow and in the Pass of Sirion. Messengers from Círdan brought these tidings and a message from Círdan concerning a warning from the Vala Ulmo that the Elves of Nargothrond should not fight in open battles against the armies of Morgoth.
However Túrin Turambar, a Man and an influential commander of Nargothrond's forces, urged King Orodreth to venture out and fight the forces of Morgoth.
Opposing Forces
Possible numbers for the battle are at least 30,000 Noldorin Elves, as Nargothrond had barely participated in th crushing defeat of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. The army led by Glaurung must have been at least 70,000 if they could've defeated such a large Noldorin force, although it is likely that the presence of Glaurung contributed greatly to the elven defeat.
The Battle
The Elves of Nargothrond, though, were not used to open battle for they had always waged a guerilla war, ambushing but never assaulting the forces of Morgoth. Also, the evil hosts were larger than anticipated and led by the Dragon Glaurung.
The forces of Nargothrond could not withstand the assault and were driven towards the plain of Tumhalad, were most of them, including King Orodreth and the Elf-lord Gwindor, were slain. Only Túrin withstood the attack of Glaurung, as he wore the Dwarven-crafted Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin.
The defeat suffered by the Elves allowed the Sack of Nargothrond by Glaurung.
Casualties for the Elves could've been as high as 25,000, with the remainder fleeing to Doriath, the Isle of Balar or possibly rallying to the defence of Nargothrond itself. Glaurung's army likely suffered heavy casualties as well, with possibly two thirds of the force being destroyed.[source?]
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If I pass a mental health test, purchase a gun and then later in life my brain snaps, am I supposed to return the gun?
� Mount Clemens
I agree that women should be trained for combat in the military, but I really don�t believe they should be on the front lined. Combat for them should be a last resort. It�s crazy that this is how far we have come as a nation to be so concerned about political correctness.
� Warren
Detroit plans to raise water rates again. A recent study shows that the Detroit Water Department is overstaffed by 80 percent. If the department got rid of the freeloaders, water rates could probably be reduced.
� Clinton Township
There are only three states that have a higher gasoline tax than Michigan: California, Connecticut and New York. Like Michigan, they are all big union states. That�s where the money is going. How can we ever fix our roads?
� Clinton Township
Kwame Kilpatrick�s mother was right when she said he was the chosen one. He was chosen to show what not to do when elected to office.
� Mount Clemens
How in the world did Tony Forlini get the position of leadership in the state House when he voted against the right-to-work law?
� Harrison Township
Are teachers able to find jobs? colleges graduate too many teachers. In this economy, more young people want to become teachers.
-- St. Clair Shores
I recently read about a woman who was devastated over the killing of a deer. We kill hundreds of babies every day by aborting them, but few people seem to care.
-- Sterling Heights
Our elected officials should be held to a higher standard. If one does not recognize that their girlfriend is intoxicated and unable to drive a car with his children in that car, then how can we depend on this person to be a judge and make very serious decisions?
-- Harrison Township
How come the insurance companies and the governor of our state are trying to destroy the American auto industry?
-- Clinton Township
Only in Macomb County can a drunken driver run down a young girl, leave her in the road for dead and only get a slap on the wrist.
-- Macomb Township
Detroit is a picture of our nation. Have you looked in the mirror? There is a picture like the painting of Dorian Gray, America�s own decline.
-- Chesterfield Township
We will have a Republican president after President Obama�s term ends because the idiots will vote for one.
-- Chesterfield Township


text:
A.H. Belo, the Dallas-based owner of the Providence Journal, has hired an Arkansas-based firm to help explore a possible sale of the ProJo, newspaper employees were told during a meeting with publisher Howard Sutton Wednesday morning.
The company retained by Belo to explore a sale is Stephens, which bills itself as "a privately-held, independent financial services firm focused on building value for companies, state and local governments, institutions and high-net-worth investors."
Sutton told ProJo workers that prospective buyers include both newspaper chains and Rhode Islanders, although no specifics were offered, says metro columnist Bob Kerr. A sale is not expected to take place before next summer.
The news comes as the Journal has suffered ongoing losses in circulation and ad revenue, like its peers in the newspaper industry.
Kerr says his colleagues and he aren't surprised by the news that the ProJo is being offered for sale, in part since Belo recently sold the Riverside Press-Enterprise in California.
Kerr says that despite less than an hour's notice for the 9 am meeting Wednesday, the session was well-attended.
"There's a general feeling that the change could be good at this point," Kerr says. "Belo's obviously not putting a lot into the paper .... I think there's a certain strange optimism about it."
Kerr, who has worked at the Journal for decades, adds, "Somebody's who been around here as long as I have would like to see something good happen. The last few years have been very uncertain and I think it would be good for all of us to know for sure what the next five or ten years look like."
Just how much the Journal could sell for is uncertain. By way of comparison, The Boston Globe sold for $70 million earlier this year -- 20 years after The New York Times paid more than $1 billion for it.
Reporter John Hill, president of the Providence Newspaper Guild, hopes for a new owner that will move the ProJo past "these annual Halloween layoff horror shows we've been having here for the past few years. Maybe to get someone who's from the area who cares about the paper as a civic institution and will see it that way, because I think right now we've been owned by an outfit that has its priorities in other places, and it would be nice to have somebody who values the Journal for itself."
As far as possible local buyers, Hill says, "If there are serious people out there, this should flush them out. You know, it could be better, it could be the same, and it could also be worse."
In a news release, Belo says:
"This decision is part of the revised financial and operating strategies discussed in the Company's third quarter earnings release. A sale of The Providence Journal would generate additional cash proceeds to potentially invest in or buy advertising and marketing services companies to grow and diversify revenues and to finance further share repurchases in the future. These funds may also be used for other general corporate purposes. Additionally, a sale of The Providence Journal would allow the Company to continue to focus resources and management time and attention on its core Dallas market. However, the Company cannot guarantee that an appropriate buyer will be located or that a transaction could be closed on acceptable terms and conditions.
"Jim Moroney, chairman, president and Chief Executive Officer, said, 'The Providence Journal is an important financial contributor to our Company, and the newspaper's commitment to the citizens of Providence and Rhode Island is unmatched. However, with A. H. Belo's focus on investing and growing in Dallas, it makes sense to explore this opportunity.' "
The company then known as the Belo Corporation bought the ProJo and the Journal company's nine television stations for $1.5 billion in 1997. Belo divided itself into two companies in 2007, with the newspaper entity known as A.H. Belo.
Before the sale to Belo, the Journal was locally owned by the Metcalf family, who considered the newspaper a public trust. The path to the loss of local control was set in motion both by broader industry trends (the wider desire of newspaper heirs to cash in) and the mysterious 1987 death of Journal publisher Michael Metcalf, who was killed in a bicycle accident in Westport, Massachusetts. The sale to Belo enriched those with a family stake in the Journal, even while drawing a sharp protest from some other family members.
The Journal and its bygone evening paper, the Bulletin, long dominated the news industry in Rhode Island. The newspaper helped pioneer the approach of using a series of external bureaus to cover statewide news, and the paper's journalism attracted national attention under such editors as Charles McCorkle Hauser and Joel Rawson. It last won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994, under the direction of Tom Heslin, who later succeeded Rawson as executive editor.
Yet a parade of talent away from the Journal began about 12 years ago, just as the threat posed by the Internet to legacy media was starting to become more present. In the time since, the paper has repeatedly cut its staff through a series of buy-outs and layoffs. Two members of the paper's former four-person investigative team, Mike Stanton and Tracy Breton, left earlier this year. Belo also offered the Journal's Fountain Street headquarters for sale in 2008.
A bitter four-year contract dispute that ended 10 years ago helped spark rumors about a possible sale of the Journal, and the late former governor Bruce Sundlun once made a run at buying the paper. Yet at least until recently, Belo saw the Rhode Island newspaper as a productive part of its portfolio.
This post has been updated.


text:
2012 Volleyball
Bluffton 3, Ohio Wesleyan 0
Bluffton moves to 12-10 with three-set victory over Ohio Wesleyan
October 9, 2012
By: Meghan Mohr, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - It's back to school for the Beavers as Bluffton welcomed the Battling Bishops on Homecoming week for a 'White Out' in Founders Hall. Bluffton handled the Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan in three sets (25-14, 25-20, 25-15), improving to 12-10 in the process.
Sophomore Kristyn Hovest (Gilboa/Pandora-Gilboa) and fellow outside hitter Kendra Parmenter (Grove City) both had nine slammers. Hovest tallied just one error for a superb .400 hitting percentage. Close behind were senior Heather Schierer (Crescent Springs, Ky./St. Henry) and freshman Jenny Brown (St. Marys/Memorial) with seven bombers each. Senior Brooke Distel (Carey) and junior Bethany Behnfeldt (Napoleon) were both flawless with four and three kills, respectively. Freshman setter Mackenzie Lauber (Mansfield/Madison) handed out 34 assists.
Junior libero Hailey Phillips (Malinta/Patrick Henry) had a team-high nine digs, followed by Schierer's seven, then Lauber and junior Lindsay Krohn (Marysville, Ind./New Washington) with six apiece.
Bluffton racked up 44 kills with just 16 errors for a .272 hitting percentage, while the visitors finished with 24 kills and 18 errors for a .065 hitting percentage. The Beavers picked up 43 digs and ripped eight service aces in the victory.
Up next, the Beavers will battle Hanover College on Homecoming Day at 2 p.m. in Founders Hall.


text:
|2004-04-29, 23:56
|Link #25
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Ace: Got a lighter?
Nami: How come the animator never let me wear new shoes? I'm sick of this old orange high heel. Forget this...I QUIT...
Sanji: At least you have new clothes every other eps...Look at me...97.4% of the time I'm stuck with this black tux...*exhale* That explain why no girls ever like me. *weep*
Nami: uh...Sanji-kun, I don't mind you wearing that tux 97.4% of the time....it's your curly eyebrow that does it.
(continuation of " How Mr.2 ruin ppl lives with his weird hobby")
Mr.2: If I could get Mr.0 in bed with me...would that green sexy hair...also?? *sigh*
*Zoro snoring while Mr.2 sneak onboard*
*morning and Zoro saw Mr.2 in his arm while Zoro and Mr.2 are half nake*(Jn183 vomit)
*Zoro eye wide open*
Zoro: *thinking to himself* This *beep* is not funny. Must be some sick *beep* dream*end of thought*
Mr.2: *high pitch voice*What ever you were thinking, it's true.
*Zoro Vomit and start crying*
zoro: My virginity was taken away by.....*Vomit*.....Robin......Tashigi...*sniff sniff*...I'm sorry...*cry even more*
The End of "how Mr.2 ruin ppl lives with his weird hobby"
Buggy: For the last time to all my fans...NOOOOOOO...that is the only thing I can't dislocate...sooo.. quit asking me whether I could or not... DAMN IT.....
Last edited by Jn183; 2004-04-30 at 19:35.
|2004-04-30, 05:02
|Link #26
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Everett, WA
Age: 36
In response to the previous reply
Luffy: That's *beep* sad, to think that my buddy would go this low
Shanks: Well, he's your crew mate. But seriously he should be taught a lesson
Luffy: Heck yeah.
Vivi: Hehe too bad
Robin: What a freakin loser.
|2004-05-02, 23:57
|Link #28
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Everett, WA
Age: 36
Shanks: Damn, I've beaten Kabaji at chess, Ben; first mate at checkers, Yasopp at Shougi and Go. I'm so dang bored. It's like my team didn't put up a fight
Nami: Could it be that your team could've slacked off the other night.
Shanks: You don't mean
Nami: Yep, I saw them getting high in Las Vegas last night
Shanks: It's no fair *kicks can & spits on ground*
|2004-05-03, 02:32
|Link #29
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
*while sitting on his fav seat and gazing at the blue sea Luffy start thinking"
*Nami collapse and Sanji cut his finger*
Luffy: Hey Shank
Shank: What is it Luffy?
Luffy: To prove to you that I'm brave enough to be part of your pirate crew, I castrate myself.
Shank: AHHhahahaha...Luffy you shouldn't joke like that...Ahahahaha
Luffy: I'm not...GRRRRR
*Luffy pull down pant*
Shanks:*eye wide open* BAKAAAAAAAAA
Luffy: What SHANKS...
Shanks Ben give me your match HURRY...*Shanks thinking to himself*..."hopefully I could melt the rubber and joint it back together"
*operation was unsuccessful*
Shank: Yasopp go find Dr. Tenma and bring him here immediately...
Yasopp: WHo the hell is Dr.Tenma??? You mean Dr.Kureha???
Shanks: NOOO...what could that old hag do??? I mean, Dr.Tenma from the new anime series...MOnster
Yasopp: OHHHHHHH...him....*Yasopp thinking to himself* "What the freak is anime series Monster??"
*few day later Yasopp bought Dr. Tenma and Dr. Tenma examine Luffy 'ahem'*
Dr.Tenma: Could we talk outside for a minute Mr.Shanks
*Dr.Tenma and Shanks walk out of Luffy room*
Shanks: SOOOOO..could you fix it Dr.Tenma??
Dr.Tenma: Sorry, I could not fix it. If only that child didn't try to melt his thing back together, then I could be able to stitch it back together. How baka kids now a day *sigh*
*Shanks swallow hard and start to cry*
Shanks: It's all my fault telling Luffy about my adventure and being brave and meltin his...*ahem*....melting his heart into being a pirate. IF you can't fix it, then no one can Dr.tenma.
Dr.Tenma: Mr.Shank, I have a person in mind that could possibly help.....
*a year later*
*Luffy was about ot ask Shanks*
Shanks: No Luffy you can't be part of my crew.
Luffy: No I don't want to be part of your crew. I will get my own and beat you. What I want to ask was...on my thing...ithere was a word.."Winry" Who or what is it??
Another pain that One Piece Characters had to endure as they grow up
Sorry, for making it so long. I just got carry away.
Last edited by Jn183; 2004-05-03 at 16:45.
|2004-05-03, 02:47
|Link #30
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Everett, WA
Age: 36
Nah, it's quite alright.
Luffy: *looks at Zoro approaching* Whoa, is that my buddy. Man, he's been workin out.
Chopper: You don't say
Luffy: Sup Zoro
Zoro: *arrives on his motorcycle* hey buddy, what's up
Luffy: I see you've been working out lately
Zoro: Heh, so you noticed. It's good, so now I can clobber Captain Kuro with my improved strength
Luffy: Hell yeah *inner Luffy: Hell yeah, kick Kuro's butt*
|2004-05-06, 13:33
|Link #35
Terabyte needs anime!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Sanji: Nami-san you really are not that smart are you?!! If you are not going to put out for me, at least be smart about something, baka.
Nami: *Starts crying as if she cares*
|2004-05-08, 01:12
|Link #38
The Incarnation of Chaos
Sanji: Alright, what the heck is going on!! I found a used contraceptive on Nami's bed! We all agreed that I had first dibbs!
Usuopp: Dude, you were takin to d*** long!!
Sanji: What!
Usuopp: Dude, come ON! 94 Freaking episodes into it, and you haven't even got a kiss. It was natural that she cling to me. She's pretty weak compared to you, I am pretty weak compared to all. What do you think we do when everyone else fights the villain.
Sanji begins to whip Usoupp's A$$
|2004-05-08, 01:58
|Link #39
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Tokyo Japan NOT!!!
Heres somthing that Luffy would never say.
Luffy: Hey I can't reach my back Nami! Could you scratch it for me?
Chopper: Sure i'll treat your wounds. *grins evily* For a price muh haha ha ha!
Any crew member: Oh no! I'm getting sea sick.
Sanji: last I checked you had two hands and two feet go make Lunch for yourself Nami!!!
Zoro: Oh no!! with all this fighting I might bruse my beautiful face. Being a pirate just isn't worth the risk. I'm going into modeling.
Last edited by Tima; 2004-05-08 at 02:32.
|Thread Tools


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Flames train with former U.S. Olympian to prep for ACAT
February 8, 2014 | Stafford, Va.
Liberty University's Tae Kwon Do team received feedback and instruction from 1988 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Arlene Limas and members of the current Team USA coaching staff during a training seminar Limas hosted Saturday at her PowerKix facility in Stafford, Va.
Flames Head Coach Jesse Wilson traveled with the team in preparation for its upcoming Atlantic Collegiate Alliance of Tae Kwon Do (ACAT) tournament, set for March 2 in Stafford. Two team members are also gearing up for the April 5-6 National Taekwondo Collegiate Association (NCTA) Championships in Berkeley, Calif.
Limas guided the team through some extensive agility drills designed to improve their footwork.
"Just as a boxer uses a jab to set up the stronger knockout punches and uppercuts, Tae Kwon Do (artists) use their feet in the same manner," Wilson said ." Footwork is essential in our sport. One foot jabs to set up for another kick to strike or knock out your opponent."
Limas also gave some great advice and demonstrated numerous kicking drills that require both offensive and defensive counters designed to lure an opponent in and set them up for a kick to the head.
"Most people think of Tae Kwon Do tournaments as just two people getting in and throwing a bunch of kicks," Wilson said. "This may be true for beginners, but for the experienced, it is like a game of chess. You have to observe your opponent, find his weakness, and then strike to the body or head at just the right moment."
This is just the second year that Liberty's Club Sports program has offered Tae Kwon Do and Wilson's fledling squad has already achieved some major accomplishments.
"In this short period of time, we have helped organize, form, and compete in a new league (ACAT) and we are currently ranked No. 9 in the Eastern Collegiate Tae Kwon Do Conference (ECTC), which includes more than 30 schools, including Penn State University, as well as Ivy League schools Harvard, Princeton, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology," Wilson said.
If Liberty's athletes win their divisions at the NCTA Championships, they could be selected to the International Team and be sent to compete against other collegiate teams in China.


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Halladay Loses With a Complete Game
Here is something that should never, ever happen. Roy Halladay pitched a three-run, complete game against the Braves today and took a loss. With the rate at which Halladay and other Phillies pitchers, like Cliff Lee, are being hung out to dry by this offense, it may be time to take more drastic measures.
The Phillies were the only team in the majors to not have a starting pitcher lose two games in a row. That streak ended today as Halladay got his second consecutive taste of how bad this Phillies offense sucks right now.
Just because it is Superman himself, Roy Halladay, on the mound, does not mean that he will toss a shut-out every time out. The movie Superman managed to turn back time by rotating the earth backwards on its axis, but do not think he will accomplish this feat whenever he feels like it, even in the movies. There needs to be some basis in reality to keep our attention.
The Phillies batters, however, seem to be hanging around, just waiting for another Halladay or Lee miracle. Tim Hudson pitched for the Braves today and was almost pulled from the game in the fourth inning with a sore hip, but he managed to go seven innings anyway. This means that the Phillies managed only four hits off a Grandpa (in baseball years) with a bad hip!
The only reason that Grandpa lasted seven innings was because the Phillies got themselves out. They swung at bad pitches and were not patient when Hudson began flinging balls all over the place, two feet over their heads or straight into the dirt.
Three of the four hits in the game were from the bench players, Pete Orr, Michael Martinez and John Mayberry Jr. who accounted for the only score with a two-run homer. Mayberry played center in place of the ailing Shane Victorino. Both he and Orr each stole a base as well.
So while the bench guys keep trying to resuscitate this team, where are the starters? Where are the bats of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez? Come out, come out, wherever you are! This game of hide and seek is getting old.
The 3-2 loss gave the Braves the series win, 2-1. The Braves are now only 3.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and the Marlins are two games back.
The Phillies will travel to St. Louis for a short, two-games series next. Cliff Lee pitches tomorrow, unless he decides to go on strike. Game time is 7:05pm.


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Today, ASUS introduced their new TS Mini small office/home office (SOHO) server. The TS Mini is designed to secure documents, multimedia, and other digital content in one central location. Asus has equipped the TS with an Intel Atom processor, and retails for $349 and $529 for the 500GB and 2TB models respectively.
"Consumer demand for rich content that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on any device is fueling innovation in networking and storage of media and data in the home," said Seth Bobroff, general manager, Data Center Group – Storage, Intel Corporation. "The Intel® Atom™ processor in the TS mini enables ASUS to deliver the ability to stream media, share files and protect data while remotely accessing it, all in a sleek and energy-efficient 2-bay design."
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On every team, it doesn't matter what sport, there are certain people who know their job is just to make your starters as good as possible. In 2004 when Haxtun won the state championship there were seniors who worked their butts off every day during practice but didn't get to play very much. I asked them if they felt as if they were owed some time on the field for all of their efforts that they put out. One answer: "When you live in a big football tradition town like Haxtun and everyone goes out for it, it's hard to be on the field all of the time. But every player plays a specific role to help make the team better. Mine was to hit our running backs as hard as I could every play so that when they got into a game they would be used to it and so they could get better. There are too many people that get caught up in starting all the time that they lose sight of the big picture, which is to win. And if the team winning meant that I didn't get to play very much then so be it because I was still A PART of the best 8-man team in the state that year."
Talking to him a while really made me open my eyes.
So keep that in mind the next time you treat the underclassmen like they don't matter because they don't play as much.
It's the same thing with the line. It's obvious who gets all of the "fame" and touchdowns. I'm talking about the quarterbacks, running backs and the wide receivers. But 100 percent of games are won in the trenches. Or the line dogs you could have the best running back or quarterback in the state but if he doesn't have line to run behind you can expect a crappy season and a beat up back. Unlike the quarterback and running backs the lineman have to go to war every play, every down, while the backs can take some time off if the play isn't going to them.
So the next time you score a touchdown or make a long run or you're sitting in the pocket untouched -- when you get back to the huddle thank your linemen. After a win where you knew the other team's plays before the snap of the ball, thank your scout team for pushing you all week and getting ready for that week's game.
Garrett Shafer is a senior at Haxtun High School.


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Project WET(Water Education for Teachers) is an international, interdisciplinary, water science and education program for formal and non-formal educators of K-12 students.
Minnesota Project WET trains classroom and other educators in hands-on, interactive lessons that are focused on water and encourage critical thinking. By providing training, materials, and support to these educators and water festivals for students, MN Project WET works to improve Minnesotans' understanding of our water resources.
New! Minnesota Project WET is offering a new book for educators, Water Ways: A Minnesota Water Primer and Project WET Companion. Water Ways is a 150 page book with content on water science basics, Minnesota's rivers, lakes, groundwater, wetlands, life in water, human use of water, challenges to water resources, and water policy. Each chapter includes suggested Project WET Activities, career profiles, classroom activities, field-trip suggestions and resources.
Minnesota Project WET is the state affiliate of Project WET national site .
Project WET contact
Janine Kohn
MN DNR - Ecological and Water Resources


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One of the important tenets of Forgotten Fiberglass is the sharing of knowledge about rare, vintage fiberglass sports cars with everyone who is interested. What better way to do this than to embrace world-class opportunities to showcase these cars with the public at large – this time at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.
I'd be proud to say this was our idea, but the credit for it goes to Amelia Island founder Bill Warner, who has been an enthusiastic supporter of Forgotten Fiberglass since we met him in late 2006. Bill first invited us and our fiber-tribe to debut several fiberglass cars at Amelia in March 2007, when we had a chance to meet George Barris and show him our 1957 LaDawri Conquest.
This year we brought our LaDawri Conquest again to participate in a class comprised of former cover cars for Road & Track magazine. Every appearance for us is an honor at Amelia, and getting there is half the fun! I left Tampa about 15 hours before the time we were to put our car on the field, and got to my friend Rick D'Louhy's house around 6 p.m. – empty trailer in tow. This isn't any normal trailer: It's a one-off, one-axle trailer made by good friend and West Coast racing legend Chuck Tatum.
Many of the Hemmings readers know that we've taken this trailer across the country saving fiberglass cars near and far. This time, the Chuck Tatum trailer would take its fiberglass life saving properties on the road and help transport Rick's La Dawri Conquest to Amelia in the early hours of Sunday morning.
While the weather was forecasted to be perfect for the show on Sunday, it was not so on Saturday night. With rain in our eyes and ample supplies of dry clothes and towels, we loaded the Conquest for travel the next day and hit the sack. By the time we finished at 3 a.m., it was actually 4 a.m. (because of the move to daylight savings time that day) and we were up and on the road just one hour later. And just as predicted, the weather was perfect on Sunday.
As usual, we appeared to be the only open trailer at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and as such, we were able to quickly steal a spot to unload front and center. I don't even think any of those big rigs noticed us hanging out in front of their prime locations. Sometimes being small is just perfect.
So at 7:30 a.m., we offloaded our car, made it past all of the other supercars among the field, and took our place in line in our class. We were part of one impressive group of cars that included:
* 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Ghia Coupe (January 1955)
* 1953 Paxton Phoenix (April 1957)
* 1963 Corvair Monza SS Concept (August 1963)
* 1968 Chevrolet Astro II Concept (July 1968)
* 1973 Momo Mirage (November 1971)
* 1977 Jaguar XLS Group 44 Racer (May 1977)
* 1990 Chevrolet Corvette CERV III Concept (April 1990)
When you think of it, the 1950s were a special time for individuals who could dream large and had the skills to realize those dreams. Les Dawes was one of those men. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, in July 1933, and the car he designed and built, the LaDawri Conquest, appeared on the cover of Road & Track on his 24th birthday in 1957. I don't know how many 24-year-olds today have had this type of experience. Les was a very special guy.
My favorite time at Amelia is setting the car on the field and meeting folks while it's still early and before the gates open. This is the only quiet time at Amelia, and I hold this precious, for during the show we keep busy doing our best to share the story of Forgotten Fiberglass with anyone who is interested to learn more about our car and others like it.
Judges for our class included Ken Gross, automotive historian and former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles; Matt DeLorenzo, writer for Road & Track; and Tim Considine, noted actor for Disney in his youth and later writer and automotive historian.
These were great folks to meet with and talk to, and we shared the history of the LaDawri Conquest as well as the movement of fiberglass sports cars back in the 1950s. Even folks like Johnny Rutherford, famed Indy driver, stopped by to chat.
Obviously, Amelia is not just a place for cars – it's a place for people. We also met another person who was being honored at Amelia that weekend – Stan Mott.
Stan is a famed illustrator, cartoonist, satirist, and all-around great car guy to talk to. Most of you know him as the co-developer of the Cyclops, which debuted in the March 1957 issue of Road & Track. But few people know that he was also the art director for Road & Track for a short while in 1957. In this capacity, the first R&T cover he was responsible for featured the 1957 LaDawri Conquest! What a neat coincidence, and naturally, we had to have the issue autographed by Stan – who was kind enough to oblige.
Amelia Island is certainly not the last chance to see these rare fiberglass cars in person at a show. Our next event will be in June at the Classy Chassis Concours d'Elegance in Houston, Texas. After that, we'll host a class of Forgotten Fiberglass cars in September at the Salisbury Concours d'Elegance in Des Moines, Iowa. We hope to see you at one of these special venues next.
Of course, our greatest thanks go to Bill Warner of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance for getting the ball rolling for all Forgotten Fiberglass fans to enjoy. Fiberglass hats off to you Bill!
Geoff Hacker is a Tampa, Florida-based automotive historian who specializes in tracking down bizarre, off-beat, and undocumented automobiles. His favorites are Fifties American fiberglass-bodied cars, and he shares his research into those cars at ForgottenFiberglass.com.
Geoff, The car looked wonderful at Amelia, sorry I missed catching up with you.
~ ditto Geoff, and thanks for relating your adventures for us.
Geoff: I saw one of your fiberglass dreams a year or so ago at Rick's Daytona Dream Cruise…Are you going to be able to bring this one to the Art of Auto here in the Birthplace of Speed's Art of Auto Show anytime soon?
and another link
Hope to see more of your cool stuff soon.
Congratulations, Guys . . . . what a beautiful vehicle . . . I can't wait to see it.
Very classy car in a very classy place. Great job. Keep'm roll'n !!!
Geoff, only lately picked up on FF site etc. Interested to know chassis/engine underneath the glass of LaDawri? Howard Bollinger
Hi Howard…
Thanks for your interest. The body of this car was found in the early 1990's and the builder at that time used a modified 1990 Chevrolet Caprice chassis, 455 Oldsmobile engine, T10 Transmission, and finished the build. Lots of fun to drive – and fast too!
Hope this helps 🙂
Geoff Hacker
Forgotten Fiberglass
I love the tail end of this car. I would like to see it for real. it doesn't look like has a caprice under it. With a torque monster 455 it should be fun. I wonder what it weighs??
The Conquest is a great looking car, Geoff.
Thanks Stu…
I have a Ladawri which was pulled out of afarm field in KS in 1977 It has been refurbished,white with a red interior,70pontiac400 and turbo400tran.Lots of fun.
Hi Stan . Long time no see.Glad to see your still around.
Atol got his roadster running.


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Graffitirazzi – Evolving Walls
By Gar Smith
Saturday April 13, 2013 - 11:14:00 AM
Parking lots are a tantalizing target for urban taggers. The setting offers the combined attraction of a drive-in movie and an al fresco art gallery. The parking lot at the Alin Building (northeast corner of Shattuck and Dwight Way) has seen its share of graffiti sprout up, only to be washed away by incoming tides of white-out. In the unceasing ebb-and-flow, some rare moments can arise. Like the time in June 2010, when the British artist Banksy visited the Bay Area and left a sample on the Alin wall.


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Difference between revisions of "Atlanta/Atlantic Station"
Revision as of 12:07, 9 May 2008
Atlantic Station[1] is a large urban renewed complex in Atlanta, directly northwest of Midtown. Opened in 2005, its property's location was once nothing more than an old steel mill, which a portion of it was preserved as a monument in its central park. This mixed-use development is one of the largest live, work, and play areas in Atlanta, and has even earned the motto "a city within a city", as well as its own zip code.
Get in
Atlantic Station is accessible by a free shuttle provided that departs from the MARTA Arts Center Station approximately every 5-15 minutes. The MARTA Bus Route #23 also serves Atlantic Station. By car, from Interstate 75/85 Northbound exit at 14th Street, from Interstate 75 Southbound exit at 16th Street, and from Interstate 85 Southbound exit at 17th Street.
Anchored by Dillard's and Ikea, shopping includes chain stores such as DSW, City Sports, Express, and Old Navy, as well as nani Sensorium. There is also the Taste Clothing Boutique, and White House/Black Market for women.


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Chinese regulators still reviewing Googorola slurp
Officials giving no hint of whether approval will be forthcoming
China's Ministry of Commerce said this morning that its antitrust bureau is still looking into Google's bid to slurp Motorola Mobility.
"The investigations and reviews are still under way. Any news will be disclosed in a timely manner," MoC spokesman Shen Danyang said at a press conference, according to China.org.cn.
The deal has already been approved by the US and European authorities, but the two firms also need the nod from China sometime before 20 March.
According to Chinese anti-monopoly laws, multinational firms need the government's approval for any marriage if their combined global revenues are more than 10 billion yuan ($1.59bn) and if the prospective spouses got more than 400 million yuan ($63.47m) in sales revenues their last annual report, or if their last annual revenues were more than 2 billion yuan ($31m).
Regulators in Taiwan and Israel also have to okay the deal based on their laws.
The US and the EU have both approved the acquisition, but said they'd be keeping a close eye on how Googorola handled its patents.
China is unlikely to hold up the merger, but it might use its current position as a favour in the bank with American and European powers.
"What China is extremely good at is identifying opportunities that can be leveraged as bargaining chips," an IT industry analyst in Beijing told Reuters.
"Chinese companies have been rebuffed in a number of attempts to make acquisitions in the US market," he said. "Any time China can be in an opposite position and say, 'You had your concerns and shut it down'... This cuts both ways." ®
Sponsored: Minds Mastering Machines - Call for papers now open


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Michigan basketball, on the way back. Go Blue!!!
Hello: Mitch McGary
I will keep my composure. I will keep my composure. I will keep my composure.
Well, I tried, but when Michigan hauls in their biggest basketball recruit since either LaVell Blanchard (1999) or Jerod Ward (1994) it's time to get excited. Mitch McGary chose the Wolverines today over Duke and Florida live on ESPNU, and lo, there is much rejoicing in Ann Arbor.
|24/7 Sports
#2 Ovr
#3 Ovr
5*, 97,
5*, 100,
#3 C, #5 Ovr
All four services are in agreement that McGary is 6'10" and around 250 pounds (except ESPN, which has him at 225, which seems implausible), and all are in agreement that he's really, really good at basketball.
How good? Let's get to the evaluations, starting with ESPN:
McGary is a physically imposing presence in the paint with good size, tremendous upper body strength, and limitless energy and physicality. He is proactive seeking out contact inside, a consistent finisher, and high volume two way rebounder. He is incredibly active with a terrific motor and great toughness. The lefty is skilled enough to stretch the defense to 18 feet, has the dexterity to dunk with both hands in congestion, and sets big screens both on and off the ball. He runs well in straight lines and has pretty soft hands around the basket.
That's their "strengths" blurb, while areas to work on include developing a more polished post game, using his right hand more (he's a lefty), and his basketball I.Q.—they cite that he plays with "blind aggression," which seems to make sense when you're a 6'10" NBA prospect with outstanding mobility and finishing ability, but that's just me.
UMHoops caught McGary—as well as his AAU teammate and best friend, now-fellow 2012 commit Glenn Robinson III—at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest this spring:
McGary's uncanny combination of size, strength, athleticism and coordination is extremely impressive because it allows him to do so much on the court. He loves to rebound the ball and push it up the court himself. He attacks the basket with a nice face-up game, although it'd be nice to see him play more with his back to the basket.
His decision making needs work as he often tries to do far too much before turning the ball over.He also tends to float to the perimeter a bit too much and loves to settle for jump shots despite having the tools to get a much better look at the basket. Overall, McGary was extremely impressive and he is on the verge of blowing up if he hasn't already. The lefty's flaws are correctable and easily outweighed by his size and talent.
I love imagining a 6'10" power forward leading the fast break, and now I don't have to, because he'll be doing it for Michigan and you can see him run the break in the highlights below. Also taking note of his precocious athletic talents was Eric Bossi of Rivals, who saw McGary at the NY2LA Summer Jam in July:
What a total animal this guy played like on Friday. First, the five-star big man broke Texas PRO in the first half with his ill-tempered length-of-the-court drives and rebounding, and he was able to rest himself for the championship after racking up 14 points and 16 boards. Then, looking as fresh as he would if he was playing his first game of the summer, he went out and dominated the paint in SYF's win over Dream Vision in the championship game. Bottom line, McGary is a competitor with a non-stop motor, great hands, great skill and even greater will.
ESPN's Paul Biancardi liked McGary's motor enough to deem it the best in the 2012 ESPN100, and also noted McGary's Novakian enthusiasm even when he's on the sideline:
It is difficult to find players who bring all-out effort and energy on a consistent basis, but McGary does it better than anyone. Not only does he bring energy to his own game, he gives it to his teammates. His motor never stops as he constantly works the backboard, runs the floor and dives on the floor for loose balls. His enthusiasm even carries over when he's on the bench as he cheers on his teammates and remains vocal. McGary has talent and physical tools, but his motor makes him special and will make him money one day.
Maybe the gritty grit grit stuff isn't coincidence, as McGary hails from Chesterton, Indiana, home of—you guessed it—Zack Novak, who hosted McGary on his official visit. McGary transferred after his junior season from Chesterton High School to Brewster Academy, a powerhouse school in New Hampshire, but I'm now strongly suspecting there's something in the water in Chesterton.
More scout drooling—plus a very interesting comparison—from Coast 2 Coast Recruiting:
When watching Mitch McGary play, it's easy to envision a young David Lee. Whether he is effortlessly running the floor, shooting left-handed fadeaways, abusing the rim with powerful dunks, or blocking shots into next Wednesday, all punctuated by electric yells, it's a beautiful sight to any basketball fan. The newly sculpted 6'10 250 pound power forward/center started tearing through the basketball world in the past three months at the NY2LA Swish 'N Dish, The Adidas May Classic, The Pittsburgh Jam Fest, the Jayhawk Invitational, and most recently, the NBPA Top 100 camp.
I'm totally fine with the Lee comparison as long as it's related to offense—Lee was a McDonald's All-American in 2001 (and the slam dunk contest champ that year) who went to Florida and was drafted in the first round (30th overall) by the Knicks, and he became a 20-10 guy for them, but his lack of ability on the defensive end played a role in him getting shipped to basketball purgatory at Golden State last season. On the offensive end, Lee is a 6'9" PF/C with great athleticism for his size, a decent mid-range jumper, and he's an absolute demon on the boards.
Finally, I had to end with this quote by Scout's Brian Snow from today's timely Sam Webb article [emphasis mine]:
"To put it bluntly — (at Michigan) he'd be the starting center and the best player on the team the moment he walks on campus," Snow said emphatically. "I really don't see a scenario in which that isn't the case. He is probably the hardest playing kid in the country. There's absolutely no prima donna to him at all. He'll run through a wall for you, he'll dive on the floor. Then he is a pretty good athlete. He can really face the rim and handle the ball, especially against centers. He also scores down low, blocks shots, and he is one of the better rebounders in the country.
"We're talking about a kid that can do it all from the low post," said Daniels. "He can run, he has good hands, he plays hard and with energy, he rebounds, blocks shots, and he can score. Whatever school gets Mitch is getting a heck of a player and a major impact-type guy as soon as he sets foot on campus."
Yes, please.
Dylan also posted UMHoops's final scouting impressions of McGary and several other scouting reports (a couple of which appear above) yesterday in anticipation of Mitch McGary Day. It's well worth a read, and since I got half these links from Dylan, you should feel obligated to click over and give his fantastic site a read, especially on a day like today.
McGary boasted six offers, and they're from a who's who of basketball powerhouses: Aside from Michigan, he had scholarship offers from Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina. I suspect that offer list would've been much larger had McGary not reclassified from a 2011 to a 2012 recruit—transferring from his hometown of Chesterton to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire in the process—and blowing up relatively late by basketball recruiting standards.
Dylan posted an extensive video archive with a solid ten videos. Lots of good stuff there, and here's one of my favorites:
Yes, he ole'd a defender with an around-the-back dribble on the break and finished with a two-handed dunk from halfway to the free throw line. That was not a hallucination, unless I am also hallucinating, which hopefully is not the case.
Also, obligatory video of McGary shattering a backboard and then revealing his incredible nickname, "White Thunder":
/BOOM Tractor Traylor'd (RIP)
He's gonna start. I know, I'm going way out on a limb there. Here's what Michigan's lineup will likely look like for the 2012-13 season (McGary's freshman year), with the not-entirely-safe-but-certainly-not-crazy assumption that Tim Hardaway Jr. sticks around for his junior season:
PG: Trey Burke (backup: Carlton Brundidge)
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr. (Matt Vogrich/Nick Stauskas)
SF: Evan Smotrycz (Glenn Robinson III)
PF: Mitch McGary (Evan Smotrycz/Jon Horford)
C: Jordan Morgan (Jon Horford)
That's, well, a really good team. Big Ten contender, dangerous in the NCAA tournament good. And if you believe Brian Snow, McGary will be the best player on a team featuring a junior Tim Hardaway Jr.—you have permission to get hype, people. McGary should be contending for all-conference honors as soon as he steps on campus, and has the potential to do even more than that.
As for whether or not McGary will stick around beyond his freshman season, that's certainly in question. From Nick Baumgardner at AnnArbor.com:
[McGary] would provide instant impact. For how long? That remains unclear. Plenty of national analysts have pegged McGary as a potential "one-and-done" prospect, though [ESPN recruiting analyst Dave] Telep said, "I don't think it's unrealistic to say he could be (in college) for two years."
I'll take two years of McGary in a heartbeat, obviously. It's easy to accept these things if a player is likely going to have a huge impact right away, especially when it means Michigan will likely be on the radar of future top recruits in a way they haven't been in over a decade.
McGary joins forward Glenn Robinson III (Rivals's #34 overall prospect) and guard Nick Stauskas (#79) in the class of 2012, and that will wrap things up with a dramatic flourish for that year's group. The Wolverines are already full for the class of 2013, with four-stars Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin and three-stars Mark Donnal and Austin Hatch (although Hatch's status as a 2013 recruit is in doubt after the tragic plane crash—he will likely reclassify as a 2014 player if he can continue his basketball career) already in the fold.
Yes, Michigan is already moving on to the 2014 class. Beilein Uber Alles. Really, the job the Beilein and assistant Bacari Alexander did with this recruitment was phenomenal by all accounts. I had to pull another quote from Sam Webb's article, because it should get you extremely excited for the future of the program (as if you're not already):
"What I really like about Michigan is its coaching staff, especially Bacari Alexander," said McGary in his ESPN blog Wednesday. "He's probably one of the most underrated coaches in the country. He really knows what he's doing with the big men. I just like that I can trust the coaches there, and I actually like that they're not on the biggest stage yet. That gives me the opportunity to go there and make a huge impact from day one."
Cue the Muppets, if Brian hasn't posted them already.
Its been a while since I've been this excited about the future of UM hoops! Can't wait to see what Coach B will do with this team over the next few years!
Great news for the Wolverines!!
I guess it's a big deal since I keep getting error reports from Chrome. I think a few people are logged in to MgoBlog.
I love that beer. But yeah, I keep getting errors connecting and posting right now.
What'd I tell ya
Ace on popping your "Hello" virginity
and of course Mitch for making a great decision!
Why thank you, though technically I've done one "Hello" post—Kenny Allen, though a five-star big man feels a little different than a preferred walk-on punter. No offense to Kenny, of course.
Incredible. You just replicated my first draft, in full.
I don't believe, what I just saw!
Yeaaaaaaa drink like 10 beers right now!
I love that they did it right at 5pm and we didn't have to wait all show. This is a program changing "get."
Can someone at Crisler please make room for at least 1 B1G Banner...
Also: Awwwww yeah, today's looking up already. Mmm, dopamine.
Aren't you one of the board's still-in-college posters? What the h*ll are you doing with C+C Music Factory...on cassette?!? You young whippersnappers keep your hands off my generation's music, [email protected]!
Gen-X music got co-opted by little brothers. I got a whole ton of cassettes actually, from my older siblings. Rammstein, mix tapes, Nirvana, Rush, Tool, it's like a giant time capsule from the '90s. Much easier on the ears than Top 40 radio.
This was expected. Good choice Mitch
And Billy Hunter:
Please keep screwing up the NBA so Mitch can stay more than a year. Much obliged.
Michigan Fanbase
Any chance the NBA's next labor deal will have any effect on the one and done?
I don't think the labor deal will have as much of an effect on potential one-and-dones as what already happened because people saw the lockout coming—a lot of players who could've entered last year's draft decided to stay in school. It should be a loaded draft next year with a lot of underclassmen coming out, and that could affect McGary's decision if he's not a lock for the lottery because of the depth of the class.
I think, but could be wrong, that he's asking if the new CBA will have a different rules concerning early entry to the draft.
Yes. This.
Ah, I'm an idiot. And in this case, entirely uninformed—not sure if the one-and-done issue is on the table or not in terms of the negotiations. I tend to wait until the playoffs to really get into the NBA unless the Pistons are good (not so much right now).
I believe that since McGary is a prep school kid - already one year removed from his senior season of high school - even if they went to a "2 and done" system he'd be eligible for the NBA Draft after his freshman season at Michigan.
Its Mitchapalooza time as a friend texted me so...
and now we just need a speaker city sponsered Snoop Dogg Concert
The University of Mi(t)chigan
I only had to get from Mason Hall to the Union and I still missed it!
Oh well! Go Blue!
What a feeling...
My reaction circa 5:04pm
Welcome to Michigan "White Thunder". Yes we're a little weird and we celebrate with puppets from a children's show but we'll love you forever.
Go Blue
First of all, mad props to the Michigan coaches and the whole team actually, as well as to Glenn Robinson Jr. They all played a key part in bringing in one of the best basketball recruits of all time into the Michigan family. I hope Tim stays around for another year and the rest of the guys continue to develop and progress like they have been under Beilein's tutelage. If McGary's talents really transfer to the college level, and if Tim sticks around and continues to get better and better, and if Big Dawg Jr. comes in and develops well, etc. etc......Final Four here we come =)
to ESPN films, Jalen Rose, and all those who participated in the "The Fab5" documentary.
And we'd be remiss if we didn't give a special thanks to Brady Hoke's golden poop, which can't be overlooked in everything it's done since he and it have come to town.
Good decision for Mitch as he wont have to compete for playing time, our offense fits well with his style of play, and he'll be playing under a staff that has proven what they can do for player development . Also, good to see that he'll have close friends playing by his side, so we know that this class will already have great chemistry from the start! Can wait to see him play in maize and blue!!!
yeah I said it, wanna fight about it?
Anybody else a little worried that he might not sign his LOI during the early signing period?
I kind of got that feeling listening to him.
/pauses celebration momentarily to consider cautious optimism
/resumes celebration
Welcome Mitch!!! Do you happen to be best friends with a certain 5* QB from Indiana? Little help here?


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#6 ODU and #5 Wake Forest Will Play Sunday At 2 p.m.
By ODU Athletics
Sept. 19, 2003
NORFOLK, VA.-- The home soccer match between #5 Wake Forest and #6 ODU (NSCAA coaches poll) will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. The match was originally scheduled for tonight, but because of Hurricane Isabel, the game was moved.
Saturdays match with Marshall has been cancelled and will not be made up. Both of these matches were part of the William and Mary Invitational.
ODU is 5-0 and off to it's best start since 1999. This will be the Monarchs third nationally ranked opponent thus far. Two weekend's ago, the Monarchs defeated #5 Stanford and #19 California.
Wake Forest is 4-1, having beaten fellow CAA rival George Mason last Wednesday, 2-1. Last year, WFU defeated ODU twice, 2-1 in Norfolk and 1-0 in the NCAA second round. The Deacons are led in s coring by Ryan Alexander and Jeremiah White who both have two goals each.
Eight different Monarchs have scored atleast one goal this year. Senior Attila Vendegh and freshman Kevin McMenamin lead the team with three goals and one assist each. Junior defender Trevor McEachron has been the CAA Player of the Week each of the last two week's and was named National Player of the Week by COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS.