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Greece Travel Guide
Greek Island Guide
Hotels of Greece
I am on a ferry to Paros. We just left Athens 40 minutes ago. I am on a mission. Well, actually Andrea is on a mission and I am sort of being dragged along. We are taking a rabbit to Paros. I just spent 80 euros for the car and 30 euros each for tickets for Andrea and I. The rabbit travels free.
If you remember back to my last post I was happily passing the time on Kea. What I forgot to mention was the rabbit who entered our lives last year when we were living in Athens in our apartment in Kypseli. The rabbit, like many other rabbits in Athens, was given to a little girl as a pet by her parents, a nice Albanian woman and the good-for-nothing lowlife who married her whose job as far as I can tell is watching TV and complaining that she does not bring in enough money.
At first the little girl was very excited to have a rabbit as most little girls would be. But little by little the novelty of having a rabbit as a friend wore off and the rabbit was placed on the balcony where he had room to hop around and explore. Our building is kind of unique because it sits on top of a theater so there is a big flat roof and all the balconies on our floor are on the same level. Some people have extended their areas by cutting off the railings and putting potted plants which have multiplied
into tropical jungles in some apartments. The rabbit, now friendless, nevertheless had it made. He could explore a large area, the balconies of several apartments, including ours, and would even wander in through the double doors on days that I left them open.
One day I was answering my e-mail and absentmindedly looking out the window when the rabbit hopped by and started nibbling on the plants of an Albanian family across the way, before hopping into their apartment. This can't be a good thing, I thought to myself and waited for him to come out, which he didn't. I assumed he was made into kouneli stifado, one of my favorite dishes, but a sad fate for a creature I had grown quite fond of.
But the rabbit had not been cooked into a stew. He had somehow escaped the Albanian apartment, though he had left his mark, either by eating their house plants or maybe some clothing or furniture. The Albanian family complained to the building apartment owners association (or whatever that group is that screams hysterically in the lobby one Sunday a month) and the rabbit was banished to this shaft that brings light and air to the center of the building, a 2 foot by 8 foot room
that looks remarkably like a prison cell. The people had stopped cleaning up after the rabbit and just threw food to it , just every now and then when they remembered. The rabbit lived in these conditions for the 8 months we were in the USA, in the center shaft of an apartment building in Kypseli, unseen by animal rights activists and bunny lovers, forgotten.
Until we came back and Andrea decided we had to do something. I have to be honest. The rabbit looked perfectly happy to me but what do I know? But when we left Athens for Kea I could tell that the rabbit was rarely far from Andrea's thoughts and it was only a matter of time until she would decide to take action and save the rabbit. I heard her talk about the rabbit to her friends, describing the squalid conditions he was forced to live in, abandoned by the little girl the way
little Jacky Paper abandoned Puff the Magic Dragon. Some nights I swear I could hear her crying into her pillow.
On Friday she called some of her friends and I sent a text message to everyone I knew, asking if anyone wanted a pet rabbit. Most of my friends were only interested in eating the rabbit, but Andrea's friend Carolina, who lives on a farm in Paros, said she would love to take him. So we packed our bags and went back to Athens on the ferry and to Kypseli to take the rabbit to a farm in Paros where he would be happy. We had overlooked one small item. We had not even spoken to the
owners about taking their rabbit and Andrea was a little worried that they might refuse. But they were happy to let us take him and so the rabbit was freed from his concrete cell and moved into our apartment.
I actually did not know rabbits had such personality. I thought they were dumber, long eared versions of guinea pigs, but right away the rabbit impressed me with his ability to jump on the couch and sit next to me and watch the world cup football games, like my cat in the USA did with basketball. If I had to go to the bathroom he would follow me in and flop down on the rug and wait
for me. He did not really know what a carrot was and did not associate it with food right away, but sure enough he figured it out, and after that mastering lettuce came quickly. Being the father of a teenage daughter, I have occasionally pined for the time when we were all pals, back in the days when Amarandi would crawl around the house, examining this new world she had entered, trying to understand one thing at a time. The rabbit was sort of like that. Just as with our daughter, the world was full of dangers
that we had to protect her from, like the scissors left on the table, or a large vase within her reach, the collection of electrical wires coming from the back of the TV, VCR and Satellite could spell instant death to a creature that chews everything he sees until it proves inedible. Leaving open the balcony door might be an invitation for the rabbit to visit the neighbors and maybe this time end up as rabbit stifado Albanian style. I felt responsible. I felt like a parent again. And with this feeling returned
probably the only thing Andrea and I have in common. Our former roles as parents. And this time there are no diapers to change.
But, would life with us be good for the rabbit? After all, what kind of world would we be bringing the rabbit into? A world of ferries, long trips, hotels, foreign places and even jet planes. We would have loved a second chance at parenthood, maybe an opportunity to not make the same mistakes as we did with our first child. How many times have you said to yourself, "if I knew then what I know now?", or that "experience is wasted on the youth". How many people have told
me that being a grandparent is like being a parent but with all the fun and none of the responsibility? The rabbit could have saved our relationship, given it focus, allowed us to do again the one thing we were pretty good at doing together; being parents. But this is just selfish thinking. We have to think about what is best for the rabbit. To use the rabbit to save a relationship that has lost direction comes close to being a sin against nature. We were both ashamed for even thinking it. No. We knew that we had to take the
rabbit to Paros so he could live the rest of his life on a farm, surrounded by other animals and people who will love him for who he is and not what they want him to be.
So we put the rabbit in a spare cat-carrying box, packed up his food, litter basket and the many rabbit toys we had bought for him, and drove to Pireaus, praying he would not eat his way out until we got to the farm.
The ferry is crowded. So crowded that I left the airplane seats and paid an extra 11 euro to sit on the first class lounge, far from Andrea and the rabbit, giving them some quality time together while I put all the emotions I am feeling into words. It's sad in a way. For Andrea there will be many more ferry trips. But for the rabbit this could be his one and only ride on a ferry boat and it is a shame he had to spend it in economy and will never know the pleasure of first class.
But economy class on a Greek ferry is better than a prison cell in Kypselli, no matter how you look at it.
Maybe I am making too much of this. Maybe a few years from now when we come back to Paros and visit the rabbit, he will only know us as the people who took him on the ferry, nothing more. I guess it is unlikely he will ever realize he was almost the son I always wanted, (though with a fluffy tail and big ears). So far on this trip from Kea to Athens to Paros I have spent over 200 euros on ferry tickets and who knows how much on hotels? But it is probably the last money I will
have to spend on the rabbit so what the hell? It's not like I will ever have to pay for little league, cub scouts, or college. Two hundred euros to find a good home for the rabbit is a small price to pay. It's better than paying $250 dollars for an operation on your cat and then it dies anyway.
Meanwhile Andrea is sending me messages from steerage asking me to bring her some water because she is afraid to leave the rabbit and I am reluctant to leave this seat because someone else might grab it. It gives you an idea of what kind of dog-eat-dog world we live in when a woman can't leave her rabbit to get a drink of water because someone might steal it and a man can't come to her aid without losing his seat. Now Andrea wants to pay the 11 euros and make the transition
to first class.
"What if they don't let bunny in?" she asked me.
"Don't tell him its a bunny. Tell them its a mongoose and if they don't let you in you will open the cage and he will rip all their first class passengers and fancy furniture to shreds."
Luckily the guy guarding the door to keep the 2nd class citizens out was so engrossed with his crossword puzzle that he did not see Andrea and the rabbit walk in. Now we are reunited again. Andrea is drinking a glass of wine and reading her rabbit handbook and the rabbit seems pretty happy in his cage, well not exactly happy because it is a cage, but he is still alive and even drank some water and ate some seeds so he is not too traumatized by the journey. Carolina will meet
the boat so maybe we won't have to sneak him into our 4-star hotel. He will get to spend the night in his new home.
E-mail me with questions and comments or join my Greece Travel Facebook Page
Return to Matt-Blog Index


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Massachusetts Marital Assets Protection Attorneys
Helping Families in Framingham & Greater Boston
The definition of marital assets and property in a divorce isn't limited to just the home a couple shared. It can also include debt, bank accounts, retirement accounts, trusts, gifts, and even pets acquired during the marriage. In fact, just about anything is subject to division in a divorce, which is why it's important to hire a trusted law firm that can help you retain property, and reach an agreement with your partner on how assets will be divided.
There are two types of property defined by the law:
- Marital property, which is comprised of assets spouses acquire during the course of their marriage, and
- Personal (or separate) property, which refers to assets each partner owned prior to the marriage or property that was gifted to them which was not integrated with marital assets. Couples are encouraged to work out an agreement on how their property will be divided. If they cannot agree, then the court will decide how to divide their property for them.
A court will decide how to divide all marital assets equitably, which means in a fair and impartial manner. Please note that equitably does not necessarily mean the same as a 50/50 division of marital assets. Each divorce is different; therefore, the court takes into consideration many factors when deciding on an equitable division of property.
The court may examine the length of the marriage, the income of each partner, contributions made by the spouses to the marital estate, each spouse's age, health, and more. When a small business owned by either or both partners is involved, the Court may also include a valuation of the business in the division of assets, which will include a monetary determination of any patents, copyrights, and "goodwill" of the business.
Sometimes a spouse has hidden assets, which means a spouse may not be aware of the other spouse's ownership of certain assets. Funds in foreign accounts, deferred income from an employer, small business ownership and assets transferred to family members or friends can all be considered hidden assets. The team at Karpenski & Schmelkin, Divorce and Family Law Attorneys knows how to find hidden assets, through bank account statements, tax records, pay stubs, third party subpoenas, forensic accounting and more.
As you will see, the division of property during a divorce is not always straightforward. The team at Karpenski & Schmelkin has years of experience in family law and helping clients work out property disputes, no matter how complicated they may seem.
During the emotionally charged time that divorce brings, you need an asset protection law firm that has your best interests at the forefront and treats you as an individual. Contact us to schedule an asset protection lawyer consultation and learn more about how we can create a positive outcome for you.

subset: commoncrawl


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::: Welcome to Coastdale Parks Coastdale Parks is a long established family owned company which owns four holiday parks at popular and accessible locations throughout the U.K, Atlantic Coast (Cornwall),Whitby (North Yorkshire), Garreg Goch (North Wales), Pakefield (Suffolk).Our parks vary in size, but all are graded by the national tourist boards as being 4 Star and all are winners of the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award.
The Whitby Regatta 2012 August 18th,19th and 20th, presents to you, three full days of entertainment, embracing yacht racing, rowing races and various free forms of entertainment as published in the official programme, finishing with a prize presentation and spectacular firework display.
One hundred and seventy two years of aquatic competition and entertainment.
The Whitby Regatta is probably the oldest sea Regatta in England and has drawn large crowds into Whitby over the years.
It started in a very small way with the fishermen competing against each other in their fishing smacks and salmon cobbles.
Then came the yachts. It was recorded in 1847 "The Whitby Challenge Cup", promoted by the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club, was won by the Schooner "Whiled", and a prize of 50 guineas was presented to the captain or owner.
Between that date and up to the nineteen thirties, yacht racing formed the greater part of the Regatta.Unfortunately, due to the high cost of building these large yachts of approximately 20 tons, and a changing world, they slowly disappeared from the scene.
The cost of maintaining such a yacht today must be astronomical. It was about 1872 that competitive rowing came into being. In that year, the Jet Works Amateur Rowing Club was formed, 1874 saw the birth of Scarborough Amateur Rowing Club and in 1879 the Friendship Amateur Rowing Club. Then came the Whitby Amateur Rowing Club in 1912, which later became the present day Whitby Fisherman's Amateur Rowing Club. All three Clubs are still going strong today, forming one of the main attractions of today's Regatta.
Over the years, rowing clubs from the Tyne to Scarborough have participated in Regattas held on the North East Coast, sadly only two Regattas are still being held, Scarborough and Whitby.In 1901 the late Alderman JET Wilson J.P - C.C. of West Hartlepool presented the "Wilson Cup". valued at £25, for competition to Rowing Clubs based between the Tyne and Humber. This is the most coveted trophy rowed for today. 1929 saw the first fancy dress and decorated carts, this was the forerunner of the present day regatta and carnival. It is recorded that in 1900, 11,000 people travelled by special trains from the West Riding, York, Bridlington and Newcastle. Today that figure is estimated at 20,000, most travelling by coach and private car.
For the full listings and timetable information of all the events taking place for the Regatta please consult the Whitby Regatta Programme, which is available from various local outlets which are listed in the Programmes section of this web site.
Red Arrows
Display Team
Please note due to operational duties all military displays are subject to availability
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Featuring the historic Spitfire & Hurricane
Please note due to operational duties all military displays are subject to availability
Spectacular Fireworks Display Monday 20th
Barrage after barrage of rockets, star bursts, special effect shells, whistling mullet coloured rockets and numerous other different fireworks, are the theme of this years' firework finale
Whitby Regatta
4K Fun Run Sunday 19th
From Crescent Gardens and is run predominantly on the sea wall
Under 11 Beach Soccer Festival Saturday 18th
10am - 2pm
£5 Entry Fee Per Team
Vintage, Post war, Classic & Sports Car Rally
Sunday August 19th 10:00am
Many elegant cars will compete in various classes for prestigious trophies.
Saturday 18th Sunday 19th Monday 20th
We have a wide selection of entertainment for children including:
An inflatable Maze/Pirate Ship/Giant Fun Slide,
a Punch and Judy Show,and Jo Jo the Clown
Rowing Races
Please see the Regatta Programme for dates and race times
Local rowing teams compete for first place in various categories.
RAF Displays
Saturday 18th Sunday 19th Monday 20th
Visit the RAF's static displays including a recruitment display.
Navy Displays Saturday 18th Sunday 19th Monday 20th
Visit the Navy`s Submarine trailer and display.
Please note due to operational duties all military displays are subject to availability
Army Displays Saturday 18th Sunday 19th Monday 20th
A range of displays to explore
Please note due to operational duties all military displays are subject to availability
Skill and fun on two wheels taking place on Whitby's beach.
The Grand Parade Monday 20th
Please see the Regatta Programme for the parade times
A parade of many decorated thumbed floats will make it's way through the heart of the Regatta celebrations.


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Helping sport to access more resources
Supporting the physical activity and sport sector in London to find funding and use it in the best way, plays a vital part in supporting efforts to get 1,000,000 Londoners more active by 2020. That's why we offer a range of services to support partners and individuals to secure new funding. Perhaps you're looking to fund a new project, raise funds from your local community or need help with writing a funding bid? Our team are here to help.
Search for funding
Use our free online tool to search for the latest funding available for physical activity and sport in London.
Visit the Funding Search Tool now
Help with funding bids
Funding bids are often complicated, long and can be difficult to write. Funding bids that are well written and have supporting information, such as local insight, are often the ones that are successful. We can help you with understanding funding bids and what you need to do, to put together the best bid you can. To explore how we can support your funding bids, visit our Funding bids page.
Looking for funding for individuals?
Are you looking for funding for an individual, or for yourself? Use our Funding Search Tool to guide you through what funding is available for your specific needs. Or you can download our individual funding guide below. This guide explains what individual funding is available (such as bursaries towards a coaching qualification), where you can find it, and advice when applying for funding for individuals.
From idea to funding application
We have created a useful guide to help you develop an initial idea to the point where potential funders are being asked to invest in it, such as considering the feasibility of your concept, building an evidence base and finding funding.
From idea to funding application
The Do's and Don'ts when writing a funding application
This guide provides a set of do's and don'ts when completing the final stage in the grant fundraising process which is writing the application. The document starts with general do's and don'ts, and then is divided by typical sections of a physical activity and sport application form.
The Do's and Don'ts when writing a funding application
Developing a strong evidence base to support your funding application
When writing an application to a public, lottery or trust funder an applicant will always be required to prove the need and that the concept is right to address that need. A good way to start to consider your options is thinking about the type of evidence and the scale of evidence. We've created a short guide explaining these types of evidence, how to build evidence to support your concept, including how to build localised evidence, and where to find it.
Developing a strong evidence base to support your funding application
Applying for facilities funding
Any organisation that is providing, or wants to provide, community facilities for physical activity and sport could gain funding for the development of those facilities, whether that be something entirely new or a refurbishment. Applying for facilities funding can be a complex area so we've tried to help you by creating a short guide to get you started including practical and technical recommendations.
Applying for facilities funding
Securing sponsorship
Those delivering physical activity and sport who are in need of funding often overlook sponsorship as an opportunity to gain funding. Yet, increasingly organisations are finding success in diversifying fundraising to include corporate funding, and sponsorship can be a great way of securing regular funding over a longer period. Our simple guide offers some useful support if you are considering securing sponsorship.


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Product Description
3B Kinesiology Tapes are made from cotton rayon fiber and are latex-free and hypoallergenic. 3B Tapes are for kinesiology taping, acu taping and sports taping. 3B Kinesiology Tapes have a skin-friendly, thermoplastic wave-like acrylic adhesive on one side. The wave like adhesive is used to push sweat and moisture away from the kinesiology tape. This means that 3B Tapes are water resistance, air-permeable and do not come off in the shower, pool, or sauna. They can be stretched lengthways by approximately 130 – 140%. 3B Kinesiology Tapes, Blue rolls are 5m x 5cm (16 x 2 in.) in length. 3BTAPE is used in a wide variety of Kinesiology taping treatments.
BCTMBs/APs: Add this product to your cart to view discounted pricing.


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As a parent or carer, knowing how to support to your son or daughter through the university application process can be tough.
From picking a university to staying strong on results day — in this section, we'll share some advice and guidance on your own role, at what can be a stressful (but always exciting) time.
Is university the right choice?
Tips on supporting your son or daughter while they're applying to university.
Supporting your son or daughter on results day
Wondering how you can support your son or daughter on A-level results day? Find out how in our helpful guide.
Want to speak to us?
Main reception:


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To preview a course that's under development without making it visible to other learners, do the following:
1. Assign yourself (the developer) to the course under the People tab
2. Under the SETTINGS tab:
a. ENABLE the ACTIVE button
b. DISABLE the COURSE LIBRARY checkbox
3. Now you can use the orange 'Switch to learner view' button at the top right to see what your learners will see.
You can also use your green 'Preview Course' button that is located in the Content tab for the course. A course can be previewed using this tool without making the course active first.


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*Available reports depend on your simPRO licence type and associated add-ons. Contact us to learn more about making the most of your reports.
simPRO's range of financial reports help you understand where your business is making – or losing – money and where and how you can take action to increase your profitability, improve your cash flow and reduce your costs
Know exactly who owes you money and how much with the Aged Receivables Report; see your expected sales on jobs, quotes and leads with the Sales Forecast Report; identify which jobs have made a profit, and which haven't, with the Profit/Loss Job Report; and much more.
A range of performance reports in simPRO can help you track, measure and improve efficiency and productivity in your business.
Find out who's your most efficient employee with simPRO's Job Productivity Report and discover how productive your field teams are with the Mobile Status Log Report.
Accurate, real-time data empowers you and your teams to make well-informed decisions to better your business and its growth.
See how you're tracking on a job-by-job basis with the Job Activity Report, identify where your leads are coming from to target your marketing efforts with the Customer Created Report and assess whether there's room to improve your customer service with the Response Times Report – and more.
Generating reports in simPRO is as easy as selecting a date range and then applying specific filters to customise your report as you require.
Run a report as soon as the need arises or schedule selected reports to be emailed straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly.
Monitor your projects' progress in real time, from start to finish. Stay in complete control with comprehensive reports on materials, resources, purchase orders, contractor work orders, customer invoices and more.
Keep track of committed, actual and forecasted costs and manage multiple projects with ease with the Cost to Complete Report.
Easily generate reports with all the information you require to file your monthly returns with HMRC – no more manual calculations!
Gain deeper insights into your data with simPRO's business intelligence and dashboard tools, BI Reporting and BI Reporting Premium.
Click here to find out how to access deeper insights into your field service operations.
"With the reporting side of the software, one click can tell you exactly who's paid and where it's up to, so we can pass it to accounts to start chasing the customers."
Dan Ogden – D & B Electrical
Full story


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Detour: Branson
A middle-American mecca, mixing equal parts Las Vegas glitz and Myrtle Beach summer fun, Branson is a century-old Ozark resort town that hit the big time in the 1980s through clever promotion and cunning repackaging of country-and-Western music and God-fearing recreation. There are well over 50 major performance venues in Branson, and looking down the list of luminaries who have played here—the Osmond Brothers, Tony Orlando, and Jim "I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes" Stafford—you'd think that anyone who had a hit record or a TV show, or can still sing and smile at the same time, can have their own showcase theater. To cater to the estimated 7.2 million annual visitors, the range of shows keeps expanding, at times including such exotic offerings as Acrobats of China or the Beatles-themed Liverpool Legends.
What originally put Branson on the tourist map was not music but a book: The Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright. Set in and around Branson and published in 1907, it was a huge bestseller, adapted in the 1930s into an outdoor stage play, with performances continuing into the 21st century.
The Ozark Mountains around Branson are lovely to explore; just about any road south, east, or west will take you through beautifully scenic mountain landscapes. And if scenery is not enough, one of the most popular spots in Branson is Silver Dollar City (800/475-9370 or 417/336-7100, daily, $62 and up), nine miles west of Branson via Hwy-76, a turn-of-the-20th-century theme park devoted to Ozark arts, crafts, and music—and roller coasters.


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Prepare functional specification for customizations required for Dynamics AX 2009 or 2012 implementations.Hands-on Configuration of Dynamics AX modules. (Trade & Logistics).Prepare User Manuals and Training Plans.
Dynamics Ax
Training Plans
The new Application Feedback facility for Platinum Members helps you know the status of your application when you believe a job is highly suited to you.
What if there's no response? Your Application Review is re-instated and can be used again if we are not able to reach the employer.
Privilege offers on our services. Exclusively for you!


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Hayley Williams on April 11, 2011.
Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images
• If you think Paramore's Hayley Williams is satisfied with her orange/fiery red locks, think again. The singer recently told People magazine that she wants "to try every color." Sounds like fun—just stock up on that deep conditioner, girl! {People StyleWatch}
• It sounds like there is yet ANOTHER collaboration in the works for the Kardashians. This time the sisters are rumored to be creating a nail polish with OPI. Then shampoo...then baby wipes...then windshield wipers...{Coco Perez}
• Former Harper's Bazaar editor in chief Kate Betts thinks Kate Middleton will "wear McQueen for Westminster Abbey and... Victoria Beckham to the evening party." We totes agree with THIS prediction. {Styleite}
• Yikes! It must be bad when OSHA gets involved. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) just issued a Hazard Alert for stylists working with the Brazilian Blowout hair straightener for its formaldehyde content." {Huffington Post}
• Riley Keough, granddaughter to Elvis Presley and daughter to Lisa Marie, is the new face for Lee Jeans' latest ad campaign shot by Terry Richardson. {Coco Perez}
• Shoes can cost a pretty penny. But nothing compares to this Christopher Michael Shellis-designed pair of high-heel sandals, which are made from solid gold and encrusted with diamonds—the pumps will set you back around $200,000! {Telegraph}
• Coach recently sued Jo-Ann Fabrics for featuring elongated Os on their Blizzard Fleece fabric, which look super-similar to Coach's iconic Cs. {Huffington Post}
• You know spring/summer is on the horizon when flip-flops make the news. Today the Michael Bastian for Havaianas unisex collection launches in stores and online. And they're CUTE! {Racked}


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The Rachel Maddow Show, Transcript 07/07/15
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC HOST: Stunning, stunning interviews, Chris.
Wow, that is amazing, amazing. Great work.
CHRIS HAYES, "ALL IN" HOST: Thank you.
MADDOW: Thanks to you at home as well for joining us this hour.
Did you watch "Zoom" when you were a kid? I grew up in California.
So, I really liked "Villa Alegre", which is a bilingual kids program but it
competed in my life with "Zoom". My brother liked "Zoom".
If you watched "Zoom" as a kid, you know this zip code.
MADDOW: 021 – send it to zoom! That very archival footage from the
PBS show "Zoom", which was basically made of stuff sent in by people who
watched the show. In the case of Zoom, that means the show is made up of
stuff sent in by the kids who watched the show. "Zoom" was awesome.
"Villa Alegre" was better, but "Zoom" was awesome.
And, you know, that idea for basing a show around stuff your viewers
send you, that was a good idea when "Zoom" did it in the 1970s. I believe
it is still a good idea. At least I can assure you that as an idea, it
still works.
The other day, for example, a viewer in California told us about the
National Republican Party sending out in the mail what looks like a
presidential primary ballot complete with a due date and everything. And
had we not seen that mailer sent to us by a viewer, we wouldn`t have known
that the National Republican Party was doing this. But it is really
freaking interesting that the Republican Party is doing this, because the
Republican Party has a bazillion people running already in the presidential
race. They are running more people for president this year than have ever
run for a major party nomination than ever before.
But on top of those gazillion people who really are running, this RNC
mailer which really looks like an official primary ballot. And that will
fool some people into thinking when they have filled out their choice and
sent this thing in, they have actually voted, this Republican mailer
actually adds to the gigantic list of real candidates. It adds to the real
list, a whole bunch of other Republicans who definitely are not running
this year.
So, in addition to all the people who are running, they also say that
John Thune is a potential contender, and Sarah Palin, Condoleezza Rice, and
Nikki Haley and Herman Cain. It`s like reading a Republican mad libs, it`s
like every Republican you have heard of.
Presidential primary ballot, make sure you vote. There is no vote
actually happening here. This really is just another call for you to send
money to the Republican Party.
Because a viewer forwarded this to us, we got to see this news we
otherwise would not have known about. And because of this, we now know
that the Republican Party is further over stuffing their over stuffed
primary presumably as a way the to raise money from people who don`t want
to vote for the other gazillion people running but they do want to vote for
John Thune, or Condoleezza Rice, or Nikki Haley or whoever.
It is common wisdom that the Republican Party is embarrassed by its
giant field. This disproves that common wisdom. It shows they are not
embarrassed. They actually wish the field was even bigger.
We rely on stuff you send us all the time, but especially now,
especially in this campaign season. And so, in that spirit, in this
election season starting now, whatever you are seeing out there in your
hometown, whatever you get sent to you unsolicited in the mail, whatever
you see in terms of posters, and billboards and TV and radio ads, all of it
is potentially news, particularly about the campaign, particularly in the
campaign where the common wisdom is often blatantly wrong, this is a time
when we need the ground truth.
If you get something you think is news, send it to "zoom." send it to
Rachel. We have www.sendittorachel.com. Can we make it less disco? It`s
not actually the `70s. Very good.
The less disco version. Senditto – that`s the stern version,
When you go to sendittorachel.com, you will see the many, many ways
there are to send us stuff. You can send us stuff by mail like this postal
ballot that we receive, you can send us stuff by email, there are other
ways to send us stuff.
If it happens in your life or in your town and it feels like news, if
it feels like, hey, somebody should talk about this, send it to us, please.
Sendittorachel.com, thank you in advance for helping us.
And, you know, we do everything we can to try to follow what`s really
going on out there. Unfortunately, some days, often in a way that`s
entertaining, but usually, it`s unfortunate. One of the ways that we try
to follow what`s going on is that we signed up for all the candidates
infernal spammy mailing lists.
And it can be a little overwhelming, but that is how we learned today
that poor Brad Pitt is being dragged into the Republican presidential
nominating process, through no handsome fault of his own. Look, the
subject line on this message today, to you from Lindsey Graham, it`s to
you, from Lindsey Graham, subject: Brad Pitt.
Dear friend. I`ll get right to the point. Under the current debate
rules supported by the RNC, Brad Pitt would have a better shot of being on
the debate stage than real candidates for president.
Poor Brad Pitt. What did Brad Pitt do to deserve this, right? But
then, Lindsey Graham actually goes on to make some good points. After
saying some good points, he makes sewer he says Brad Pitt again.
Lindsey Graham: Under the rules from the media and supported by the
RNC, the only way to get a ticket to the debate stage is to have a high
national polling number. This criteria favors celebrities and candidates
who have run previously with high name recognition.
Lindsey Graham in this email, this blast he sent out today, he set it
up as a petition. So you sign the petition by which he means you have to
send your e-mail address if you agree that the criteria for getting into
the Republican debates this year is stupid criteria.
And then here comes Brad Pitt again in the P.S. "If we don`t act
now, Brad Pitt with his celebrity status would have a better chance of
getting on a debate stage than blah, blah, blah."
Did I mention Brad Pitt? Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt.
It`s kind of a weird way for Lindsey Graham to try to get elected to
be next Brad Pitt. I mean the next president.
But if one big obvious way, his – think of me when you think of Brad
Pitt strategy, in one obvious way, that strategy does make sense. I mean,
as of last night, we are one month out from the first debate which the
Republican Party and the FOX News Channel say will only include ten
Republican candidates based on who places highest in national polling.
The Republican primary debates will exclude five, or six or seven,
maybe more serious candidates purely on the basis of their national poll
At "Bloomberg Politics" today, they crunched the latest national
polling data and found that basically if you take a snapshot right now,
these seven candidates are fairly safe when it comes to their prospects for
making the top 10 FOX News cut-off in national polling so they can compete
in the debates. They say the sort of safe top seven are Jeb Bush, Donald
Trump, yes, Donald Trump, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio,
and Mike Huckabee.
So, at least by one calculation, and who knows how FOX News is going
to calculate it, but at least by one calculation at "Bloomberg" today,
these top seven are fairly safe in terms of making the debate.
But in terms of the last three slots it`s a war. These nine
candidates at least will be competing for the last three slots. And
statistically speaking, in terms of their national poll numbers, they are
all infinitesimally close to each other. Any of them could make it.
But FOX News says only three of them will be allowed to compete for
the presidential nomination by appearing in the Republican debates. Only
three slots to be chosen from among Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Rick Perry,
Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Bobby Jindal, Lindsey Graham,
George Pataki and whoever else jumps in.
And the only grounds on which they are allowed to compete for those
three spots, the only grounds on which they are allowed to compete over the
course of the next month – national poll numbers. National poll numbers,
that`s it.
So, forget how you`re doing in Iowa, or New Hampshire or South
Carolina. Forget how you`re doing with endorsements, forget how you`re
doing with money, forget how you`re doing with anything. National poll
numbers, that`s it. How do you make national poll numbers?
Well, Lindsey Graham conjuring up the old Brad Pitt handsome magic.
Maybe it`s not that weird an approach. I mean, how else do people notice
you and starting say yes to pollsters when they hear your name. Think
I mean, next time the e-mail from Lindsey Graham won`t just have
subject line, Brad Pitt. Next time, it will be Brad Pitt naked! Right? I
mean, click here, click here, one weird trick to see Brad Pitt with his
clothes off. Also, my name is Lindsey Graham.
And I don`t think that Senator Graham is happy about this being the
way he has to run or this being happy about this being the way FOX News
says Republicans have to run for president this year. I don`t think he
likes it. But at least he understands, at least he understands that this
really is how the presidential nominating contest worked this year in the
United States of America.
LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: It`s a methodology that excluded
how you perform in Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, where all 16 of us
go. So, nationalizing the terms of entry into the debate, marginalizes the
effect of the early primary states. We should have polling based on how we
do in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. That`s the one place we can
compare to each other.
So, the nationalization of this debate by the RNC and FOX Network is
going to basically over time erode the early primaries, because if I`ve got
a choice here, I`ve got to bump up my numbers, where do I spend money?
Where do I spend time? I`m going to be focusing on getting my numbers up,
coming to New Hampshire less.
MADDOW: If I`ve got a choice here, I`ve got to bump my numbers up.
Where do I spend money? Where do I spend my time? I will focus on getting
the numbers up. I`m going to be in New Hampshire less.
That`s Lindsey Graham speaking with a New Hampshire radio station
yesterday, saying that FOX News and their debate criteria mean that it`s no
longer rational for presidential candidates to keep going to Iowa and New
Hampshire. It`s no longer rational for them to keep going to the early
voting states, if the thing that determines whether or not they`re allowed
to compete for the nomination isn`t votes in the early voting states, but
instead just national poll numbers.
And so, naturally, actually quite nationally he then in that same
radio interview went on to bring up Brad Pitt again.
GRAHAM: If the goal to get into the debate is to have a national
polling number, number one Brad Pitt would be in the debate because it`s
just a name we know.
MADDOW: I think there is a new campaign slogan here: Brad Pitt and
Lindsey Graham. At some level, it makes sense. Feel free to use that.
I don`t know if Lindsey Graham is going to up his national poll
numbers enough for FOX News`s tastes just by mentioning celebrities over
and over again. We will find out.
It seems like a more rational strategy, though, than the Bobby Jindal
strategy, where his super PAC just spent $700,000 very precious Bobby
Jindal supporting dollars running TV ads in Iowa as of today. And that
might be a fine strategy if you have a place at the debates and you are
looking ahead to February because you want to try to win the Iowa caucuses.
But Jindal isn`t going to make it to a month from today in the
presidential campaign. Forget February. He`s not going to make it to mid
August, unless he makes it to the first debate stage August 6.
His approval rating in Iowa promised votes at the Iowa caucuses will
have nothing to do with that whatsoever. It`s only national polls.
Somebody in the Jindal, they want the to suggest some of Lindsey
Graham`s Brad Pitt magic, right, instead of Bobby Jindal continuing to dump
money down what is now an Iowa rabbi hole, thanks to the FOX News Channel
and how the FOX News Channel has killed the early nominating states and
their role in choosing who is a contender for the Republican nomination for
Now, down with Bobby Jindal and Lindsey Graham in the not going to
make the cut part of the Republican field, today, Ohio Governor John Kasich
gave the world`s saddest presidential contender press conference.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: As you probably know, I will have a big
announcement on the 21st. Anybody coming? Yes.
And, you know, it could be about my political career or it could be
that I`m going to Hollywood. We`ll see. We`ll have a little bit of fun
that day, I hope. It will be a busy day.
MADDOW: Governor Kasich may be did not get the enthusiasm he wanted
when he was talking about his expected announcement for president. But
then he opened it up for questions. And, you know, generally speaking,
John Kasich is great with the press. This should have been fun. This was
not fun.
REPORTER: How concerned are you that the presence of Mr. Trump in
this race is going to keep you off the debate stage in a couple weeks?
KASICH: I`m not thinking about that. I got other issues that I have
to think about.
REPORTER: Governor, how much of a hindrance will it be if you don`t
get into the debate August 6th?
KASICH: Well, let`s not put carts before horses. We have a month to
go. We`ll see what happens. We`ll see. And then –
REPORTER: With the party and the campaign, the two-term sitting
governor of Ohio is uncertain it will be a Cleveland debate less than a
month from now and someone known for being a reality TV star will certainly
be on the stage. What does it say about the party and about the campaign?
KASICH: You judge that.
REPORTER: Sir?
KASICH: You judge it.
REPORTER: How about you, sir?
KASICH: I don`t have any comment on that.
REPORTER: It`s your state.
KASICH: Yes, it`s my state. There are going to be a debate. We`re
going to have the convention. We are excited. Next year, we hope the Cavs
are going to win the title.
KASICH: I`m not going to put carts before horses here. We have a
month to go. We`ll see what happens.
REPORTER: Will you be there, you think?
KASICH: I don`t make predictions. I left it to Muhammad Ali years
MADDOW: Muhammad Ali and Brad Pitt may help them. Might not.
But at least the end of the candidate list they have psychological
comfort. These guys who are now in a community of candidates who FOX News
is not allowing to compete in the presidential primary debate. In that
little community, they can take psychological comfort today, because today,
they got another addition to their number.
Today, another candidate says he is jumping to that end of the
candidate pool, and it`s my guy! It`s Jim Gilmore. The former governor –
he`s only my guy because his press office calls us back and nobody else
Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia, he was chairman of the
National Republican Party in 2001. He ran for president for a hot minute
in 2007. In 2008, he was in the debates and everything before dropped out
of the presidential race. Later that year, he ran for is that the in
Virginia where he lost to Mark Warner by 31 freaking points in that Senate
But be not afraid, Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia. He`s
in. He told "The Richmond Times Dispatch" today that he`s running. He
will declare that he is running around the time of the first debate which
he and lots of other Republican presidential contenders will not be allowed
into because FOX News says they can`t.
He will be I think the 17th major candidate to announce. FOX News
says they are only taking ten. And by that dictate from FOX News, that
makes the next three weeks something of – not just critical, but
existential importance for these candidates and my man Jim Gilmore. These
guys plus Jim Gilmore, only three will make it to the stage. This is now a
dog eat dog, zero sum game. Only three of the people can make it.
And the only way they can compete for three spots is by being
outrageous enough or Brad Pitt enough or something else odiously newsworthy
enough to make themselves pop in national polls within the next three
weeks. Otherwise, politically they are dead. That`s it. Over.
And you will see how they do it. You are going to see campaign stuff
over the next three weeks that is going to be unexpected and deliberately
outrageous. If it comes to you in the form of direct mailer or you see it
the in your town or you see it on your local news or you see it in your
local paper, you see it on a freaking billboard, let us know.
Save the mailer. Take a picture of the billboard. Taped the
newscast. Let us see it, because these next three weeks are going to be
off the charts bizarre. We`ve never tried to run a presidential nominating
process like this before.
FOX News has made it this ways. It`s is unprecedented in American
history. We have no idea how it`s going to go. But it`s the end of the
line for at least six candidates. Seven, maybe more.
So, big name candidates, they`ve got to fight to the political death
over three weeks. Whatever you see, sendittorachel.com. These next three
and a half weeks are absolutely crucial. Sendittorachel.com, let us know
what you see.
MADDOW: Today is day two of Pope Francis`s trip to Latin America.
So far, he`s held gigantic, look at that, gigantic masses for hundreds of
thousands of people in two different places in Ecuador.
Tomorrow, he`s going to get very, very high. Tomorrow, Pope Francis
is going to the highest altitude national capital in the world. He`s going
to La Paz in Bolivia. La Paz sits at about 12,000 feet above sea level.
It`s so high that visitors to La Paz frequently get altitude sickness while
they are there.
Now, fortunately, the Bolivians have a traditional cure for that –
the coca leaf, not cocoa, but coca, as in the leaf from which you make
cocaine. And while cocaine is illegal in Bolivia, chewing coca leaves is
not. In fact, it`s kind of a national pastime. There are festivals
celebrating coca leaf.
Bolivia`s president makes a point of being seen to chew coca leaves
in public.
Ahead of the pope`s visit to La Paz, Bolivia`s culture minister
recently spilled beans to the press, told reporters that in advance of this
visit from the pope, the pope specifically requested that coca leaves be
made available to him during his trip to help with altitude sickness.
Now, the Vatican said the pope might chew the coca, he might not.
Quote, "The pope will do what he thinks is right." Presumably, that`s
always true.
For the record, if the pope does partake of Bolivia`s national
stimulant, he would not be the first pope to do so. John Paul II drank tea
brewed with coca leaves during his trip to Bolivia in 1988, for the same
reason. It apparently did help him cope with the altitude.
Pope Francis will arrive in La Paz tomorrow afternoon where
apparently there will be coca leaves waiting for him. But according to the
Vatican, the bottom line here is that His Holiness will do what he thinks
is right with the leaves.
I would tell you to watch this space. But on this one, it seems
almost rude, right? I mean, he`ll do it if it seems right. Otherwise,
none of our business.
MADDOW: Well, this was a very moving thing today.
You know that Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine people killed in the
Charleston, South Carolina, church massacre a few weeks ago. Clementa
Pinckney was the pastor at the Mother Emanuel Church. He was also a
beloved, and very well-respected Democratic state senator in South
Well, look at this. Today in South Carolina his widow, Jennifer
Pinckney, you see there on the left side of your screen. Clementa
Pinckney`s widow, Jennifer, she came to the floor of the State Senate. Her
late husband served in the Senate nearly 15 years. He had not been
replaced in the State Senate since he was killed. His desk is still there
in the Senate, draped in black.
But today, his widow came to the Senate herself to show thanks to all
of his colleagues for the support they have shown her and her family since
Senator Pinckney was killed.
Jennifer Pinckney did not speak publicly today on this visit to the
Senate, but the outpouring of support for her from other senators was very,
very public and very, very moving.
STATE SEN. GERALD MALLOY (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: If you know, Ms.
Pinckney, this state loved Senator Pinckney, and this state loves you and
your girls. They love the entire Pinckney family. We can keep our arms
wrapped around you and this family forever. It`s the least we can do for
our brother Clementa.
MADDOW: Members of the Senate today formed a receiving line for
Jennifer Pinckney. And one by one, the members came forward to pay their
respects. It was just an incredibly moving moment there on the Senate
floor today in South Carolina. That`s what happened in the South Carolina
Senate today.
Immediately after that same body, the Senate, gave final approval to
legislation that would remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the
state capitol. The third and final vote today was 36-3 and they followed
it up with a receiving line with Clementa Pinckney`s widow.
Having passed the Senate, the legislation now crosses over to the
other house of the South Carolina legislature. It goes to the House. And
for a little while this afternoon it looked like the House would take it up
immediately and pass it as quickly as the Senate did. I mean, think about
how quickly the Senate moved.
The Senate took it up yesterday and passed it in final form today.
They are done. In the House, it looked for a while today like they might
also move that fast, especially when voted to consider it on a fast track.
They voted to avoid the committee process. Just put it straight to
the floor. That could put the House on schedule to move it tomorrow to
have it done by the day after that, to have the Confederate flag brought
down forever by Thursday of this week, by day after tomorrow. They were on
track to do that.
But then Republicans started adding amendments onto the bill that way
you would attach an anvil to a speeding car, then a millstone and then a
ton of bricks.
And in retrospect, maybe we should have known this was coming. You
might remember that just very shortly after the massacre, Republican
Governor Nikki Haley held that remarkable event in South Carolina. She
made this major political statement that now because of the massacre, it
was time for the Confederate flag to come down on the state capitol
grounds. It was this remarkable display of bipartisanship and unity. The
governor making the call next to the biggest political names in the state,
not only Republicans but also Democrats, the congressional delegations in
South Carolina. Both U.S. senators came home to South Carolina to be there
for that.
But not everyone was there. Even that day, one Republican in the
House told "The Courier", "I`m for leaving the flag where it is.
Absolutely. If I have to put 500 amendments on this thing to keep it
there, then I will do it."
Five hundred amendments if that`s what it takes. Well, it turns out
that`s how they are trying to stop it. As of tonight, 26 amendments have
been piled on it. Most of them by one Republican lawmaker.
According to the list that we got tonight, he`s offered amendments to
take down monuments, to put up monuments, to fly half a dozen different
flags from the old confederacy, he pledged to bring this debate to a
grinding halt with a cascade of amendments.
The question now in North Carolina is whether the House is going to
follow what the Senate did in the looming moral shadow of Senator
Pinckney`s death, and with the tacit support today of his widow. Whether
that will happen in the House or whether this group of Republicans in the
House will find a way to stop everything.
Joining us now is South Carolina House Minority Todd Rutherford.
Representative Rutherford is the top Democrat in the legislature.
Sir, thank you very much for helping us stay apprised to this story.
It`s nice to have you here.
STATE REP. TODD RUTHERFORD (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: Thank you for having
MADDOW: So, we talked about it last night as a strategy. Am I right
to say that these amendments are the thing that conceivably could not just
slow down the process of taking down the flag but it could even stop it?
RUTHERFORD: You`re exactly right. One of the reasons why we had a
press conference this morning was to talk about the fact that we need a
clean bill. We need to make sure that not one single amendment passes
tomorrow, because that would delay the process.
What we are hoping is that tomorrow, we can get second reading on the
bill which we only need a majority for. And then on Thursday, we can get a
third reading and we need two thirds of that, just to meet with the
requirements of the statute, even I believe it`s unconstitutional.
I do believe that we are still on track to get it. I think the 26
amendments put up by Representative Mike Pitts to talk about everything
from the flag upside down on top of the dome to a nonbinding referendum
which are both unconstitutional, that those will be cast by the wayside and
we will be able to embrace Senator Pinckney`s widow the same way the Senate
MADDOW: In terms of the process here. The representative you just
described added those more than 25 amendments today. Has the process of
suggesting amendments, adding amendments to the bill, proposed amendments,
is that process now over? Are we going to see more than 25 plus amendments
that we saw today? Is that process conceivably going to continue tomorrow?
RUTHERFORD: It is not over. It will continue tomorrow as long as we
are debating the bill. The only thing that can stop additional amendments
is the if we invoke cloture. Cloture will take the debate from what is 20
minutes per amendment per member, to three minutes for and three against
per amendment. It will stop any new amendments from being added.
I don`t anticipate doing that, however, I think a lot of us want to
hear the debate. We want to hear why it is that Representative Pitts
thinks this is necessary and why the flag should not come down. Most see
it as a symbol of hate. It is time for it to come down.
MADDOW: Do you think that he`s a one-man band at this point, or do
you think it`s going to be tough to get that 2/3 vote in the end?
RUTHERFORD: He will have several amendments which have some buy-in
from other Republicans. In fact, I was told one of the amendments had as
many as 50 Republicans on it. I don`t know that they are still there. But
I do know that at one point, there were up to 50 people. That`s still not
enough a majority. That`s still not up to sway the debate. And I can tell
you that the Republican leadership is working to make it a clean bill as
MADDOW: That`s fascinating. South Carolina State Representative
Todd Rutherford, thanks for helping us understand that. Those partisan
contours are particularly interesting. Thanks a lot. I appreciate you
being here.
RUTHERFORD: Thank you.
MADDOW: This South Carolina process has been remarkable. Obviously
the state has been through hell and high water. But watching the Senate
move the way that they did, especially in an incredible moving way today
and now seeing it go into a different culture in the House, it`s
And what the representative just said there, yes, these are
Republicans trying to stop it but the Republican leadership is trying to
outmaneuver them and get this done, working with the Democrats. It`s a
fascinating dynamic.
South Carolina is going through something I think nobody could have
ever, ever anticipated in a million years.
All right. We`ll be back.
MADDOW: The Bermuda Triangle, one of the great mysteries of planet
Earth. Also, the mystery of Bigfoot. Also the mystery of the Lochness
Monster. What happened to Jimmy Hoffa? How many licks does it take to get
to the center of a tootsie pop?
Why do Alabama and Mississippi look alike except backwards? Magic
geography mirror?
Governor Jan Brewer, explain that one to me. Come on.
Also, why did Seattle throw instead of handing it to Marshawn Lynch?
Did Jeff White ever finish that guitar solo or is it still going on
somewhere? If you know where to listen, is it still?
So mysteries on planet Earth. We have a new one today. A real
mystery, totally baffling, perhaps you can help. It involves Florida
naturally, but it is a really, really, really unsolved true history. And
that story is coming right up at the end of the show. It`s amazing.
Please stay tuned for that.
MADDOW: Do you want to see something sort of terrifying and very
This is a Russian-made nuclear powered monster ship, essentially.
You know monster trucks? This is monster ship. The whole purpose of the
ship is to crush stuff in its path. It`s the name translates in English to
"50 years of victory", a reference to Russia`s great military triumph.
Its entire purpose in life is to destroy everything in its path,
specifically to destroy ice in its path. Check this out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ship is breaking through the ice. It`s
remarkable. The ice here is probably a meter and a half to meters thick.
That`s six, seven feet thick and it`s cutting through at the moment.
There is a strong wind and biting cold, with huge chunks of ice. We
are moving through the hard packed ice around 15 or 16 knots.
MADDOW: Russia`s nuclear powered ice breaker ships are pretty
The U.S. Coast Guard does have a small fleet of ice breaker vessels.
I think they have two.
But we have is really nothing compared to what Russia has. These
particularly ice breakers though are neither Russian nor American. They
are Finnish. They`re from Finland. These ones are used primarily to
escort other ships through the Baltic Sea.
But these icebreakers from Finland are also available for rent. Have
having a party soon? These specific Finnish ice breakers have recently
been rented to an international company that currently is in the market for
ice-breaking services in the northern climes of the earth. That would be
Shell Oil.
Shell Oil has contracted out the two ice breakers from Finland to
help then start drilling the Arctic. If you are already sensing how the
story ends, that`s because you know how things go for Shell in the Arctic.
This is crunch time right now in terms of their plans to the drill for oil
up there. I mean, nature waits for no man, right? They don`t have a long
season in which they can be put there. They would like to start Arctic
drilling this month.
Part of the holdup so far, though, has been getting all of their
ships into place like the Finnish ice breaking ship. But another part of
the holdup has been getting the permission to drill and that has been slow-
going mainly because of how badly Shell keeps botching things in the
In 2012, the U.S. government gave Shell this historic go ahead to
start doing exploratory drilling in the Arctic. It went very badly. This
is Shell`s drilling rig the Noble Discoverer after it ran aground in
Alaska`s Aleutian Island. The ship started drifting out of control toward
the shore and then it crashed into the island.
A few months later, that same ship briefly caught fire while in port
after it had some sort of explosion on board. A few months after that, the
U.S. Coast Guard boarded the ship and then detained it port after they
turned up more than a dozen potential safety violations which ultimately
led to eight felony convictions from the U.S. Justice Department. That was
one of two rigs that Shell sent to drill the Arctic in 2012.
This was another one, a drilling rig called the Kulluk which crashed
into an island in Alaska after breaking free from its towline. That`s how
it went for Shell the first time around, just a comity of errors, including
one of their critical pieces of safety equipment being crushed like a beer
can during a safety test.
It was just a nightmare and it was a nightmare of their own making.
They were not up to the task. Shell said they were the best in the world
at this. If anybody could be trusted to drill the Arctic for the first
time ever, surely they are the company to do it. And they got permission
and then promptly their equipment all melted down when they got the chance
to drill.
Three years later, Shell is trying to try again. But guess what has
just happened. No, really. Guess.
Today, we learned one of the icebreakers, one of the Finnish
icebreakers Shell is renting from Finland has a giant hole in it. It`s
been seriously damaged on its way to Shell`s drilling site in the Chukchi
Sea. They haven`t even started drilling but the ship has a three-foot-long
hole in the hull discovered by crew members when it left port in Alaska.
It is not clear what ripped the hole in the hull. Depending on how
significant the damage is, what it`s going to take to repair the hole, this
could leave Shell to have to revise their drilling plans which would
require a whole new authorization to drill, specifically because Shell has
proved yet again how they really can`t pull it off.
I mean, there has been a huge determined activist effort to try to
stop Shell from drilling the Arctic, right? The kayak protests in Seattle,
individual activists boarding Shell`s rigs bound for the Arctic. There is
a huge political fight to try to stop Shell from drilling the Arctic. And
that ahs been fascinating to watch.
But maybe the thing that stops Shell from drilling is Shell can`t
figure out how to drill the Arctic. They can`t operate their equipment,
keep ships working. They can`t operate their own equipment. They might
just physically be incapable of doing what they are trying to do.
And if they say they are the best the in the world, maybe this just
can`t be done.
Joining us now is Jennifer Dlouhy. She`s an energy reporter for the
"Houston Chronicle".
Ms. Dlouhy, it`s nice to have you here. Thanks very much for being
with us.
JENNIFER DLOUHY, HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Thanks for having me.
MADDOW: Let me ask you first, am I saying Dlouhy right?
DLOUHY: You are.
MADDOW: Oh, very good. Well, let`s just cut it off here. We`re
Let me ask you on that high note. Let me ask you if we know anything
about what caused the damage in this ice breaker. I think – the reason we
showed some of that macho Russian footage is because I think of ice
breakers as fairly impenetrable macho vessels. It`s hard to believe this
has a three-foot long hole in it without anybody knowing how it got there.
DLOUHY: Right. And we still don`t know what happened to cause it.
As you said it is a meter long gash in the hull of the vessel. And it
doesn`t appear that it was caused by a grounding, because the path it took,
the water was essentially deeper than the vessel. But it could have been
caused by scraping against another water hazard that is undocumented in the
area that hadn`t been charted.
MADOW: In terms of what this means for Shell`s overall project here
– obviously, there`s more than a couple dozen ships that are supposed to
be involved in the drilling effort.
Do you have a sense of what the cut off is in terms of whether or not
this incident with the ice breaker is going to be an existential challenger
for the project? Does it – do we knee what would be a permissible amount
of time for repairs that would allow Shell to go forward with the plan is
DLOUHY: Yes, I think a lot depends on how significant the damage is
and really how much repair work needs to be done. If it can be repaired on
site, it can be done quickly, be ready to go again. That`s obviously what
Shell is hoping for.
The question really is, is this vessel going to go to a dry dock for
significant repairs? And if that`s the case, you`re looking at, you know,
two weeks to get down to a port in Washington state to do the work. You
know, the repair time and coming back. That`s a significant time. And as
you noted, it`s crunch time for Shell. They`ve got basically three months
to operate in these waters. So, they may be looking at trying to get a new
vessel if again the Fennica is damaged so much that it needs dry dock
MADDOW: If they get a new vessel, if they have to do that. Would
they then need a new set of permissions in order to go ahead?
DLOUHY: What`s interesting is we are in uncharted territory here.
Most operations in the Gulf of Mexico don`t have the large fleet that Shell
is having to bring to the Arctic and don`t deal with this kind of
challenge. So, what you have here Shell has gotten its exploration plan
approved by the Interior Department. But that exploration plan
specifically outlines what ships are going to be used in all cases,
including emergencies. The Fennica is part of that exploration plan.
So, if the Fennica is sidelined, Shell might have to get the
department`s approval for significant departure from that exploration plan.
That could include a new vessel. Regulators have also indicated that the
emergency equipment that`s on the Fennica would have to be used in case of
an emergency. So, they`re going to be looking for that change no matter
MADDOW: Jennifer Dlouhy, energy reporter for the Houston Chronicle,
this is going to be fascinating to watch. I have no idea how this is going
to turn out. But Shell seems very star-crossed in these ever efforts.
Thanks for helping us understand tonight. Appreciate it.
DLOUHY: Thank you.
MADDOW: All right. Still ahead, a mystery – a deep, weird
legitimate mystery. Stay with us.
MADDOW: We have some – we have some – I`m sorry. I got excited.
We have genuinely almost purely happy news about for you tonight about
which I`m very excited. It comes with champions and a xylophone, and then
we have a mystery coming up for you at the end of the show. You might help
us solve it. Please stay with us.
SEAN HAYES: It`s not too smart to start smoking. So next time
somebody offers you a smoke, just tell them where to stick it.
MADDOW: Thanks, Sean Hayes from "Will and Grace."
NBC`s "The More You Know" campaign has always been amazing. We have
developed our own somewhat lame version of it for when a story lands on a
cliff hanger, where you think you know what will happen but you don`t know
for sure until you do.
So, for us here, it`s not the more you know. For us, it`s – you
know more now.
Thank you. Thanks, Nick.
The U.S. women`s national team, the newly crowned World Cup
champions, today they were greeted by thousands of fans in L.A., a big
party celebrating their World Cup win.
The party will keep rolling, because tonight, New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio announced that the women`s national team is going to get a
ticker tape parade down Broadway in New York City this week, Friday
morning, 11:00 a.m. I`m so excited I could throw up. It`s going to be
amazing. Ticker tape parade in New York.
One person, who we know is not going to be there is the man
responsible for forcing the women to play the World Cup on artificial turf
and once suggested the women should wear tighter shorts if they want to
draw bigger audiences. He is, of course, the president of FIFA. His name
is Sepp Blatter.
Sepp Blatter is in the middle of a massive American-led corruption
investigation, which has already resulted in nine FIFA officials getting
indicted. Sepp Blatter himself did not attend any of the World Cup games
and it was widely speculated that the reason he didn`t go is he was scared
of getting arrested if he set foot on Canadian soil.
But we don`t have to speculate about that anymore, because Sepp
Blatter has now stated quite clearly that in fact the reason he skipped the
World Cup is because he was scared he would be arrested if he went. He
told the German newspaper, quote, "Until everything has been cleared up,
I`m not going to take the risk of traveling." Not going to take the risk.
See, we thought Sepp Blatter would skip the World Cup games because
he was afraid of getting sent to the clink. Now, we know he was afraid of
being sent to the clink. And if he was afraid of going to Canada he is
probably not riding a float down Broadway on Friday either.
So – you know more now.
Thanks, Nick.
MADDOW: Mystery. Along the Gulf Coast of Florida, there`s a tiny,
tiny place, cluster of islands really called Cedar Key, home to around 700
people. Its biggest draws are the annual spring arts festival, it has
pristine beaches, good fishing opportunities, and particularly bird
watching. That`s because Cedar Key is also home to one of the bird refuges
along the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is called Seahorse Key.
Seahorse Key is a small island, about five miles from the shore.
Nobody lives there. It is hard to get to. It`s accessible only by boat.
It`s basically 150 acres of federally protected land and over the years,
Seahorse Key has been home to thousands of birds.
And some years up to a half million birds during nesting season. It
is all kinds of species, too. It`s brown pelicans and double crested
cormorants and yellow crown herons and more rare birds, like the white
ibis, or tricolored herons and rosy spoonbills.
All of these birds species flock to this one island and build nests
wherever they can. They build nests on shrubbery, in a tree, on top of a
cactus, anywhere. And they get their privacy from March through June. No
human is allowed to set foot – no human is allowed to disturb the birds
nesting on Seahorse Key. This has been the case for decades.
And this year, like every other year, went like clock work. By mid-
April, the birds were nesting, thousands of eggs have laid, everything was
going as it should, but then, all of a sudden, they were gone – 15,000
birds vanished in a matter of hours. One of the island`s caretakers showed
up and noticed that there were literally no more birds left on the island.
There were thousands of abandoned empty egg shells along the ground,
there were also dozens, not thousands but dozens of dead birds. Local
biologists were shocked. They collected bird carcasses and tested them for
traumatic injury to see if somebody got on the island and shot the birds,
or injured them somehow, they tested for parasites or disease. It turned
up nothing.
They then started looking at potential reasons. Usually when birds
leave like that, in droves, all species at once, it`s maybe because a food
source has moved away. That doesn`t appear to have happened.
Maybe a storm scared them off. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
biologist told us today it`s Florida in the spring, storms happen all the
time and again birds have been coming here every year for 50 years.
Nothing is unprecedented in terms of that weather.
So, they have turned to other theories, maybe one of the helicopters
or drones that fly near the island, looking for drug runners, came too
close and scared the birds away. So far, there`s no evidence that
And so, this question remained, what happened? And also, where did
they go? This Fish and Wildlife Service biologist tonight told us a dozen
or so returned since the disappearance but nowhere near the tens of
thousands they are used to seeing around this time.
We also know a few hundred birds fled to a smaller island a couple of
miles away, called Snake Key that is a couple hundred, a couple dozen and
the rest are unaccounted for.
And the locals are very upset. That local biologist we spoke to told
us they have been fielding calls nonstop from folks trying to help them
solve the mystery but so far no dice.
If this were fiction, thousands of birds suddenly fleeing their home
leaving no trace behind for no apparent reason, this would be with followed
by and alien landing or something. But this is real life. I am
legitimately stumped. Amazing story.
That does it for us tonight. We`ll see you again tomorrow.
Now, it`s time for "THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE O`DONNELL."
Good evening, Lawrence.
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How Focusing on User Experience Leads to Better and Healthier Smart Buildings
One of the main reasons we find working as Smart building Master Systems Integrators so rewarding is the positive impact our efforts have on the people who live and work in these spaces.
We believe that the key to getting the most out of our projects in terms of human benefit lies in understanding exactly how people are going to use the buildings – whether they're a resident, employee, or visitor.
What is building UX?
Building User Experience (or UX for short) describes how people interact with buildings and the technology contained within them as tools that help them live, learn, and work. This system-driven (as opposed to silo or unit-driven) approach brings some very unique challenges due to the number of service disciplines involved, but the potential rewards for all can be massive and highly sustainable.
Vanti Building User Experience.
Traditionally, building services existed as islands. Construction companies and their mechanical and electrical (M&E) consultants would specify and instruct isolated systems to be installed into buildings with no connectivity between them because it was easier than designing and integrating complex systems that would potentially provide a better user experience. However, as Master Systems Integrators, we strive to educate all stakeholders so they understand that they will gain more by enabling interaction between systems.
Thinking in this way allows the development of truly Smart buildings that contribute positively to the users' experience, rather than simply acting as shells that we live and work in. In turn, this has led to the creation of building standards such as WELL, administered by the International WELL Building Institute.
The WELL Building Standard has been designed to recognise and reward buildings that actively improve factors like user nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep patterns, and performance, by setting performance requirements in seven areas relevant to occupant health in the built environment – air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. At Vanti, this has given us a strong vision: we are now striving to achieve Gold WELL Certification in every project where we act as Master Systems Integrator.
Tech for a purpose, not for the sake of it
One of the core principals of building UX is the notion that technology should be used to make spaces better rather than simply being deployed to save energy or money.
As the price of energy continues to rise, we're always trying to conserve it yet we currently experience massive inefficiencies in building systems that are completely unaware of each other. Moving through any city, you will see entire buildings lit up with no one inside that are probably being heated or cooled at the same time too, consuming significant amounts of completely wasted energy (and money).
An access control system knows when there isn't anyone in the building – this can be verified by installing simple (and cheap) motion sensors throughout the building. In an integrated world, as the last person goes home for the day, the building enters standby mode, consuming significantly less power; it then only powers up again once motion is detected or someone swipes into the building. Even then, power is supplied only to the area in which it's required rather than reconstructing Blackpool Illuminations!
There are numerous other examples of this wastage and inefficiency within buildings; however, in our experience, just attempting to conserve energy often leads to frustration for the people who use the building. Everyone has been sat in a room or even a toilet where if you're not doing star jumps every 30 seconds, you're sat in the dark.
This is where people's experience is critical – to create good UX and healthier spaces, a fully integrated building has to be designed and executed in a joined up and cohesive way. Smart & Intelligent buildings are currently viewed by some as boxes stuffed full of technology and the latest gadgets. The approach we must take is to work collaboratively with the people who use the building to define the problems we're trying to solve, rather than starting with system specifications. Once the experience is defined, we can use fully integrated technology to effectively deliver, manage and optimise it over time.
No one buys a new mobile phone and looks for the manual to tell them how to use it. Smart buildings and spaces should be no different; technology installed into buildings should be there to support people in what they are doing and improve their lives, health, and wellbeing wherever possible, not get in their way.
Many thanks to Vanti for providing this insightful post. Vanti will be joining us at our Symposium on the 12th April 2018. For further details, please view the agenda here, or register to attend.


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Calls in month 1 – client started out with us with only getting 23 calls a month from organic
Calls in month 9- Client is getting great quality leads now. We have quadrupled his organic calls from when he started with us.
Client is up 28% on their visitors from quarter 3 to now.
We have increased the number of organic keywords this client is ranking for by 18% just in the last quarter!


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By Robert Press
POLTICS- The field in the race to replace Jimmy Vacca in the City Council is getting even more crowded. Another candidate has joined the growing list of political hopefuls for the 13th Council District.
Egidio Sementilli has announced that he is a candidate in the much crowded race. Mr. Sementilli is known for being a politically active businessman, who ran for the 13th district the last time it was an open seat in 2005.
Sementilli may have made his announcement in a high-tech way through social media (he annouced on Facebook), but he is going old school to get the word out. The Bronx Voice has spied Sementilli outside the Greek Feast as well as supermarkets and other local stores to obtain petitions to get on the ballot. He is also seen discussing the issues affecting the district.
Before the election season Sementilli had gained attention fighting a homeless shelter in a former Pelham Bay hospital. He also drew media attention for pointing out a shoddy shack at the Pelham Bay train station that was raining down metal spikes onto the sidewalk.
Sementilli joins Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, City Island and community leader John Doyle, Marjorie Velazquez-Lynch, Alex Gomez, Muhammad Abuhaikal, and Republican John Cerini. Former police officer and firefighter John Marano recently dropped out.


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On Tuesday, January 31 Parker School's athletic field was named "The Goodfellow Brothers Inc. Athletic Field" in a school-wide dedication ceremony. This special ceremony honored the fourth generation, family-owned construction company Goodfellow Brothers Inc. for their continued commitment to Parker School and the Hawai'i Island community.
All 340 kindergarten through grade 12 students, along with current and former board members, attended the dedication ceremony held next to the school's athletic field. Originally constructed in 2011, Parker's athletic field was named in honor of Goodfellow Brothers Inc. for its generous support of athletics at Parker School, including a newly resurfaced basketball court completed last year.
Lower school students showed their gratitude by presenting Chad Goodfellow, president, and Ed Brown, vice president of operations–Hawaii of Goodfellow Brothers Inc. with an oversized, handmade thank you card. Upper school students presented each with a taro plant and Parker Bulls Soccer Club players gifted a signed soccer ball.
"Parker School is grateful to Ed Brown, Steve and Chad Goodfellow and Goodfellow Brothers Inc. for its support of our athletic programs over the past several years. Goodfellow Brothers Inc. isn't just a company that focuses on making money, but making a community. This athletic field is a testament to that generosity," says Carl Sturges, Parker School headmaster.
Parker's athletic field is also home to the Parker Bulls Soccer Club, a player development program for youth soccer players open to the Waimea community.
Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Community, Education, Hawaii, Kids, Sports Tagged: | Goodfellow Brothers Athletic Field, Parker Soccer Field


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before I left nyc on monday last, I had the good fortune to go on a photo safari with fellow shutterbug and blogging bud julian. we were on the hunt for street art and in a relatively short time we encountered quite a bit of stimulating and thought provoking stuff. of course, it does helps when one is on a wander to be with someone who has already scouted out the terrain. the photo above is a detail from an amazing (and most curious) mural which honors the zapatista revolution in chiapas.
for a virtual tour of what we captured, check out this slide show. with the exception of the first couple snaps, all the photos were taken in harlem.
shirley temple singing animal crackers in my soup from the 1935 musical curly top
wordless wednesday
6 years ago