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The superhero genre has been the dominant mode of our pop culture for at least ten years. Which has turned out to be a bit of a problem, since, even by the relatively modest standards of blockbuster entertainment, superheroes do not lend themselves to particularly deep or thought-provoking ideas. This is, after all, a genre that is still furiously debating the oh-so-provocative question, "should there be jokes?" And so, as the years have passed, as character types have repeated themselves, as CGI spectacles have grown tedious and familiar, and as writers finally grew tired of rehashing 9/11 for the millionth time, we have inevitably reached the point where creators start experimenting, trying to prove that there's more to this genre by changing its preoccupations or storytelling methods. In 2016, this meant political superhero stories, many wondering how civil society will cope with the emergence of superpowered people--which, for the most part, fell flat on their faces, because no amount of po-faced writing will change the fact that the answer to that question is "it can't". In 2017, therefore, the focus has shifted from substance to style. Instead of being political, superhero stories are now trying to be artful--from the barren, sun-dried landscapes and Western-inspired soulfulness of Logan[1] to the 80s-flavored camp extravaganza of Thor: Ragnarok. And nowhere is the triumph of style over substance as blatant--or as much fun--as FX's recent series Legion.
Based on a relatively obscure X-Men character, Legion tells the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens), a young man who has spent his life in and out of psychiatric facilities because of, as he believes, schizophrenia. In one of these facilities, David meets and falls in love with Sydney Barrett (Rachel Keller), who turns out to be a mutant with the power to switch bodies with whoever she touches. Through Sydney, David comes into contact with the Summerland institute, a group who seek to help mutants understand and control their powers, and who oppose the government-run Division Three, who want to exterminate mutants they consider too dangerous. Summerland's leader, Dr. Melanie Bird (Jean Smart), assures David that what he and his doctors took for mental illness was actually a tremendous psychic ability, but as she and David work together to understand his powers, they discover hints of a malevolent entity hiding within David's mind and seeking to control him and his power.
The thing that made Legion interesting when it was first announced--beyond the fact that this is the first superhero series produced by a cable channel--was the involvement of Noah Hawley. Hawley burst onto the scene two years ago with his improbably successful adaptation of the Coen Brothers' 1996 movie Fargo into an anthology crime series, and that show's distinctive style and approach to storytelling seemed to promise very interesting things for a genre that, until this year, has been extremely hidebound on both counts. In its first two seasons (the third began just last week, so it's hard to tell yet how it will turn out) Fargo was characterized by a cheerful willingness to go over the top, to use bombastic music, striking visuals, and almost cartoonish characters to draw the viewer in. It balances this excess of style with clockwork-precise storytelling that often hangs on the smallest of details. Many scenes in Fargo feel like short movies in their own right, often revolving around a character thinking their way out of a problem, constantly two steps ahead of the audience.[2]
Visually, then, Hawley was absolutely the right man to make something new and different out of the superhero concept, but plot-wise, he was in a bit of a jam. The kind of precision storytelling he specialized in in Fargo relies on characters who are faced with concrete limitations which they then must work to overcome; it doesn't work in a world where people can fling each other across a room with their minds, or turn invisible, or change the properties of matter.[3] Hawley's approach with Legion, therefore, was to turn the visual zaniness he employed in Fargo up to eleven, combine it with an almost labyrinthine structure, and use both to convey the turmoil and confusion of David's mind. The pilot episode, in particular, bounces so swiftly from past to present, from fantasy to reality, that it's not until its final minutes that we can start to piece together what has happened. And throughout the show's first season, we are constantly being wrongfooted, finding ourselves having to question what is real, and then, to parse different layers of fantasy. Is David dreaming, or is he in the astral plane? Are the repeated visions he has of Lenny, his friend from the mental hospital (Aubrey Plaza), a construct created by his own mind, or is she something else?
A lot of the joy of watching Legion comes from the audacity of its structural and visual choices. We've gotten used to superhero movies and shows spoon-feeding us their stories and character arcs, hewing so closely to the conventional that even something relatively half-baked, like the spy movie homages in Winter Soldier, feels revolutionary. Legion's willingness to challenge us means that it can find something fresh and new in even the most shopworn of superhero tropes--when Melanie's team sees recordings of a possessed David taking on an entire Division Three base on his own, or when they storm his childhood home and find themselves unable to speak, proceeding in total silence, there's a thrill of horror and tension that I haven't felt from a superhero story in a long time, if ever. The centerpiece of the season is Plaza's magnificent villain turn, sliding from vaguely disturbing to strangely sinister to all-out derangement with such impeccable logic that by the time she shimmies her way through David's mind to the sound of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good", or cackles like a mad scientist in a silent, black-and-white monster movie, one can't help but gasp in exhilaration.
Another strength of the show is in rejecting the mundane realism that dominates in most of this genre, which refuses to allow even stories about Norse gods or wizards or aliens from Krypton to ever be weird. The show's time period, for example, is impossible to fix--the clothing and interior design are all straight out of a mid-century magazine, but people reference email at the same time that they use archaic technology like magnetic tapes.[4] Perhaps the most interesting choice that Legion makes is to present Summerland using terms that deliberately recall the communes and cults of the 70s. This not only raises the possibility that Melanie and her project for David might be a sinister one, but completely deflates the more common superhero story approach of treating the superhero team like a bunch of badass commandos. When David finally comes face-to-face with Division Three, his intimidating catchphrase is "War is over, if you want it".
Even Melanie's secret agenda turns out to be something weird and rather affecting. She's trying to find her husband, Oliver (Jemaine Clement), a powerful telepath who got lost on the astral plane twenty years ago. When David meets him, Oliver turns out to be an absent-minded dandy, always at least half-soused, and prone to breaking out into slam poetry or making plans to form a barbershop quartet. It's such a delightfully unexpected touch, in any genre, and only made more delightful when it turns out that beneath his vagueness, Oliver has actually got his finger on the pulse of the situation, and may be the only person who can help David reclaim his mind.
It's a good thing that Legion has so many entertaining secondary characters, and such a penchant for weirdness, because the person that the show is actually about is, well, not even boring so much as half-formed. This is, to be clear, entirely deliberate--the show's conceit is that David has spent so much of his life in a haze of medication, and in completely structured environments, that he's had no chance to develop a personality. Stripped of its adornments, the season's main storyline is a rather familiar psychiatric drama, in which a sympathetic therapist helps a long-term patient push through to the origins of their disease--usually a suppressed memory of trauma--only after which can they begin to build a life for themselves.
But while the fact that David is barely a person is justified by the narrative, the devotion that more developed characters end up feeling for him is not. This is particularly blatant in the case of Syd, a strong-minded, self-possessed young woman whose love for David only gets more inexplicable the more she dedicates herself to his cause. Especially when you consider that the glimpses we do get of David's personality are not terribly appealing. The season's plot only kicks into gear because he kisses Syd against her will, triggering a body-swap that brings both of them to Summerland and Division Three's attention. And even after that, he continues to try to push against her clearly-stated boundaries, for example the fact that she doesn't like being touched even when there's no risk of body-swapping. When he starts to gain control of his powers, David immediately transitions from his earlier bewilderment to arrogance, and even his growth into social responsibility at the season's end, trying to broker a peace between Summerland and Division Three, feels like a power grab, a young man who only became aware of a problem a few weeks ago trying to supplant a middle-aged woman who has been dealing with it for decades.[5]
These, however, are all are fairly familiar flaws of the superhero story. What makes Legion uniquely frustrating is its handling--or rather, its failure to handle--the issue of mental illness. Pop culture keeps trying to use superpowers as a metaphor for marginalized groups such as POCs, Jews, LGBT people, or immigrants--an approach whose flaws keep being reiterated, and which is nevertheless attempted again and again. But I've been saying for a while that a much more fruitful parallel can be made with mental illness, chronic illness, and disability. It allows for a wide variety of origins and expressions--some people's illness is congenital and even hereditary, and some develop it because of trauma or the circumstances of their life; some people's illness is invisible, and some are unable to function in society because of it--and a wide variety of attitudes. It allows for the vast array of damaging preconceptions that society imposes--that the mentally ill are dangerous and out of control, or that disabled people are a drain on society. Most importantly, it allows for the delicate balancing act between the recognition that your illness is a part of who you are and has shaped you as a person, and the need for tools and resources to help you deal with it and live a good life.[6]
Of course, this all requires very delicate handling, of the kind that one rarely finds in either superhero stories or fictional depictions of mental illness. Legion, unfortunately, falls into some very predictable traps. At the root of its handling of David's mental illness is a simplistic binary: is David crazy, or does he have superpowers? Are the events of the show actually happening, or are they a delusion brought on by his schizophrenia? Obviously, by phrasing the question as an either/or, the show tips its hand--even in a show this weird, we were clearly never going to discover that the entire story had been a madman's fantasy. Around the middle of the season, the show suggests that David might have both superpowers and mental health issues, but it immediately undercuts that idea by revealing that those issues are the fact that he has been possessed by an evil mutant. David's mental health problems are thus externally imposed and, more importantly, removable. The entire structure of the season--the familiar dramatic conceit whereby discovering the root of your problems makes them go away--is mirrored in David and the other characters' efforts to uproot the mutant possessing him. But implicit within that structure is the assumption that therapy, and recovery, are an on/off state. David can either be sick, and thus of no use to anyone--"I was in Clockworks for six years. Drugged. Doing nothing. Contributing nothing"--or he can be healed, and thus completely over his problem (which was never his problem in the first place). The possibility that people might be able to live productive, contributive lives with mental illness, or that recovery is a process, often a lifelong one, is never even entertained.
It's a shame, because in the periphery to David's story there are some interesting moments where the show seems to recognize that people who are abnormal might still have a perspective on the world that they would value and cherish, even as it caused them difficulties. Discussing her power with David, Syd explains that the ability to be so many different people has convinced her of the existence of the soul, which probably contributes to the sense one gets from her, that here is a woman who knows exactly who she is and what she wants. In a darker moment, however, she tells David about switching bodies with her mother in order to have sex with her boyfriend, and muses "who teaches us to be normal when we're one of a kind?"[7] Ptonomy, whose power is the ability to remember everything and travel through others' memories, describes the ability to perfectly recall even the most painful moments of his life as not unlike being a time traveler.
In moments like these, Legion seems open to the idea that it is possible to be both a superpowered person, and someone with problems they need to work through. But for most of the season the show seems convinced that you can either be one or the other. When David first meets Syd in the hospital, she insists that "You're in here because somebody said you're not normal ... what if your problems aren't in your head? What if they aren't even problems?" In a later episode, when the being in David's mind convinces him and the rest of the characters that they are all patients in a mental hospital, Ptonomy explains to David that "that's the lie, the cruel-ish joke. How somehow with the right dosage, the right therapy, stand on one leg, touch your nose, we could all go back to [being normal]". The lesson, in other words, is that if you're really mentally ill, then there's no hope for you, but that if you have powers, then your problems aren't even problems. It's wrong both coming and going.
I rewatched Legion before sitting down to write this essay. In hindsight, I probably would have written a more positive review if I hadn't done that. A lot of what feels audacious about the season the first time around is no longer surprising on the second, which makes it easier to notice how much the show relies for its effect on the reaction of "I can't believe they did that (in a superhero story)". It's therefore all the more unfortunate that Legion couldn't find anything meaningful to say about mental illness, or anything else that might make it feel less hollow on a second look. I'm still looking forward to what the show does next--or, if nothing else, to letting Plaza, Clement, and hopefully some of the rest of the cast cut loose on my screen. But I have to wonder if the need to keep topping itself will eventually be the show's doom, and if we haven't yet again proved that there really isn't that much you can do with superhero stories to make them interesting and meaningful.
[1] Which, to be fair, also has a fair bit of political subtext.↩
[2] Most of these traits are things that Fargo shares with Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul, but whereas those shows view their problem-solving characters with awe, Fargo is a catalogue of human folly. Even its smartest characters can't keep themselves from getting into the messes they end up having to think their way out of.↩
[3] This is a problem that superhero stories keep running up against. Consider Ant-Man, which wanted quite badly to be a smart caper story, but eventually had to admit defeat, collapsing into a generic superhero punch-up in its final act.↩
[4] This is a particularly interesting choice given how strongly recent X-Men movies have presented themselves as being rooted in their time period. There's been talk, for example, of Professor X appearing on Legion, but one could just as easily make the argument for James McAvoy as Patrick Stewart, and neither one feels as if they would be completely welcome in the show's world, which is deliberately non-realistic.↩
[5] It's especially frustrating that the only person on Melanie's team who tries to challenge the notion that David is uniquely important or particularly heroic, Jeremie Harris's Ptonomy, is also a person of color, and that he is sidelined for the most of the season's final act.↩
[6] Much as I believe in the potential of this approach, I have to admit that very few superhero shows or movies have attempted it, much less managed it well. The short-lived Syfy series Alphas did some interesting work with superpowered characters whose powers were paralleled with, or the cause of, various mental health issues. And one of these days I will get around to writing about iZombie, which in its best moments executes this trope flawlessly.↩
[7] Though if I'm being honest, I don't think that "raping people is wrong" is a lesson that requires case-by-case instruction.↩
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
We're All Mad Here: Thoughts on Legion
Posted by Abigail Nussbaum at 6:05 PM 6 comments:
Labels: essays, superheroes, television, x-men
Wednesday, April 05, 2017
The 2017 Hugo Awards: Thoughts on the Nominees
Yesterday saw the announcement of this year's Hugo nominations. Usually I write an essay about the nominees and what state of the field they reflect, but these were announced just as I landed from a week-long trip to New York into several work and life obligations. So instead, here's an itemized list of the reactions I had to the nominations when they were announced, not necessarily in the order I had them:
- Happiness, at finally being able to announce that I am once again a nominee in the Best Fan Writer category. Thank you very much to everyone who nominated me and to the award's administrators and staff, and congratulations to my fellow nominees, Mike Glyer, Natalie Luhrs, Foz Meadows, and Chuck Tingle. But not Jeffro Johnson, because fuck anyone who willingly associates with a racist turd like Vox Day and tries to ride his coattails to an award they haven't earned. Enjoy losing to No Award, my man.
- Relief, because even though I was fairly certain that the puppy presence would be vastly reduced this year, there was always a chance that I would be wrong, and in the end I wasn't. There are still puppy nominees in most categories--Alex Acks at Bookriot has a good roundup of which one is which--but in the major categories these are mostly things that would probably have been nominated anyway, such as China Miéville's This Census Taker in Best Novella, or Deadpool in Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. And because we've switched to six nominations in each category, and the puppies didn't manage to get more than one of their choices in each category, one can argue that we're getting the ballot we would have gotten under last year's rules, with the price of having to pay a small amount of attention to a bunch of whiny babies. I don't know why Day's flying monkeys are so determined to keep up this silly game, in which the result is a foregone conclusion, but I guess people who choose to live such pathetic lives have twisted ideas of what counts as fun.
- Pride, over the fact that several nominees whom I championed here made it onto the ballot. It's likely that I didn't have that much of an effect--I was clearly not the only one who recognized how deserving The Vision, or Hidden Figures, were--but other nominees whom I've been stumping for for years, such as GigaNotoSaurus and Victo Ngai, have finally been nominated, and I'd like to believe that I played a small part in achieving that.
- Frustration, because the puppies' ongoing presence on the ballot, even under extremely reduced circumstances, means that it continues to be impossible to talk about the nominees as their own thing, rather than a reaction to an attempted fascist takeover. There's a lot to praise about this year's ballot, including the continued shift towards a more diverse slate of nominees, but in the short fiction categories in particular, the Hugo has once again thrown up a fairly middle-of-the-road selection. Most of these stories aren't bad, but quite a few of them are meh, and it would be nice to once again be able to have a proper discussion of that. Instead, we're all still in bunker mode, still cheering the fact that publishable fiction was nominated for the genre's most prestigious award, which increasingly seems like a low bar to clear.
- Anger, at whatever abomination twitter has inflicted on their tweet threading mechanism. Being on vacation last week, I missed the outrage over this when it was rolled out, but the limitations of the new system were made abundantly clear when I got tagged in multiple threads of more than a hundred participants each, with no ability to remove myself from them. Until twitter comes to its senses, this is a good, brief primer on how to conduct conversations on the platform in a way that doesn't completely spam people's mentions.
- Uncertainty, over the state of the three media categories, the two Best Dramatic Presentations and Best Graphic Story. I think that all of these categories have delivered solid shortlists this year, with even a few surprises--it was by no means a foregone conclusion that the Hugo nominators would accept Hidden Figures's right to be on the ballot, and the fact that the hip hop group Clipping's concept album Splendor & Misery was nominated in the short form category is obviously delightful. But overall, these are very predictable shortlists, and while that's not exactly a new development, it does make one wonder what their added value is, in terms of recognizing excellence in the field.
- Hope, because now that Daveed Diggs is a Hugo nominee, perhaps he might be persuaded to come to Helsinki? I say this, of course, in a public-minded spirit, and not at all because Diggs and I are both invited to the same Hugo nominee reception.
- Deliberation, because now I have to decide what 2016 writing to put in my Hugo voter packet contribution. If you have a preference, feel free to mention it in the comments.
Posted by Abigail Nussbaum at 8:43 PM 7 comments:
Labels: awards discussion
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Dynamic Learning Project coach helps bridge the digital divide at McGuffey Middle School
After three decades in the classroom, Teresa Engler couldn't picture herself anywhere else. But she yearned for more time to spend helping fellow teachers harness digital tools, a task she'd savored in her role as McGuffey Middle School's technology leader. So when the opportunity arose to join the Dynamic Learning Project (DLP) and become her school's full-time technology coach, Teresa was excited for the opportunity to embrace a new challenge.
"It was a tough decision to make, but this was my chance to truly make a difference," she says. "To be involved in a research program that uses technology tools to bridge the digital divide in rural communities across the country was seriously a dream come true for me."
From the very start of the 2017-2018 school year, Teresa noticed that McGuffey's staff members greeted the DLP with enthusiasm. Many teachers invited her into their classrooms on the very first day of school, eager to learn. To build awareness and provide motivation, Teresa introduced a badge system that rewards teachers for mastering apps and trying them with their students. By the end of the year, instructors had earned as many as 20 badges, experimenting with everything from Google Classroom and Twitter to the presentation platform Pear Deck and the coding tool Pythonroom.
"The most rewarding part of being involved with the DLP is seeing how much of an impact it's made on the staff. I also feel as though I'm helping to bridge the digital divide for our middle school students."Teresa Engler, DLP Coach, McGuffey Middle School
Like all new programs, the DLP generated a certain amount of skepticism: some McGuffey teachers were initially unsure about integrating technology in their classrooms. Teresa won them over by observing their unique teaching challenges and recommending tools that could solve real problems they faced. For example, she showed a math instructor how to speed up the grading process using Google Forms, and she helped a veteran science teacher post differentiated lessons to Google Classroom. Support for the DLP grew and, to Teresa's delight, even one of her most hesitant teachers signed up for the final cycle of the school year.
"The DLP seems to have taken hold and has been embraced by everyone," Teresa says. "I've seen the staff sharing ideas, working on projects collaboratively, showing interest in what others are doing, and teaching one another how to use new tech tools and devices. We've always worked well together, but there is a true camaraderie among us now."
When she isn't meeting with teachers to hatch new lesson plans or help them achieve their Google for Education certification, Teresa finds herself back in the classroom, witnessing the impact that her coaching has had on students. The DLP gives McGuffey students a unique chance to experience technology in meaningful ways. Over the course of the 2017-2018 academic year, McGuffey students blogged about literature, played online vocabulary games, learned Python, simulated science experiments, created digital art installations, and much more. Teresa says they get excited when she shows up in their classrooms, and some have even asked her to help their teachers adopt a specific tool they learned about from their peers.
Now, heading into her second year of technology coaching, Teresa draws inspiration from the positive anecdotes and appreciative remarks she hears from students and teachers alike. But even more so, she's galvanized by concrete data on the McGuffey community's widespread support for the DLP. In the spring of 2018, when it was announced at a faculty meeting that the school board approved her position for another year, the entire room burst into applause.
"Our school has decided that this is a program worth investing their time in and I continue to see energy going toward innovative ideas in the classroom," Teresa says. "I will be forever grateful for this amazing opportunity to work with the staff on using technology tools to enhance student learning experiences. I finally found my niche."

subset: commoncrawl


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For non-medical readers: The real phrase is "subarachnoid hemorrhage," which is a bleed in the spaces around the brain.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Found in a hospital chart
For non-medical readers: The real phrase is "subarachnoid hemorrhage," which is a bleed in the spaces around the brain.
22 comments:
Is that kind of like an arachnid? Because spiders in the brain sounds fun!
- November 15, 2012 at 6:56 AM
- Moose said...
Dang, C beat me to it. I was gonna say that this is a rampant case of bleeding spiders.
- November 15, 2012 at 7:53 AM
- MSGMD said...
I'd rather have an idle hemorrhage than one that was moving all over the place...
- November 15, 2012 at 8:27 AM
- Taryn said...
Me, too! I was going to make a spider joke!
- November 15, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Normally you only see that kind of injury in The Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus.
- November 15, 2012 at 10:15 AM
- Kimbra Kasch said...
Poor over-tired doctor :( staying up too late to watch Stephen King movies
- November 15, 2012 at 12:05 PM
- MA said...
You don't need no stinkin' doc you need the pest control tech!
Sorry doc!
- November 15, 2012 at 12:10 PM
- The Equestrian Vagabond said...
Well OBVIOUSLY, it's a Below the Spider Hemorrage!
- The Equestrian Vagabond
- November 15, 2012 at 4:30 PM
- Steeny Lou said...
Did a doctor type that himself? I wouldn't be surprised. When doctors try to spell things for me (I'm a medical transcriber), they almost always fail at it. And that's why we are here - to spell for you! :) So keep your MTs well-paid!
- November 15, 2012 at 4:46 PM
Being familiar with the subarachnoid space, I didn't think of spiders, but I did mis-read it to say subarachNOODLE hemorrhage, which I thought was pretty amusing.
I could fill a book with the funny stuff I have found in med records, to wit: "I saw the patient and she is sicker than snot."
Pretty descriptive. You really can't get much sicker than that, now can you? Tricia
- November 15, 2012 at 4:50 PM
- Liz said...
Hope the patient and his noidle turned out all right!
- November 15, 2012 at 6:27 PM
Subarachnoid hemorrhage in a Pastafarian (believer in the Flying Spaghetti Monster), obviously. Somebody may have hit him or her on the colander.
- November 15, 2012 at 8:41 PM
- Ms. Donna said...
Hope Pt. was OK. As a former medical reporter, I had to wade through this stuff! Tabers was my best friend.
BTW, if an MD spells something wrong and the poor reporter spells it just how the MD did, guess who is wrong?
Ans: THE REPORTER! This is how I learned to do ALL my own research on what an MD tells me.
- November 15, 2012 at 10:27 PM
Makes me think of the snake-worms in "beetle juice", or "tremors", and the old ear worm SF story so memorable adapted in old TZ classics...
- November 16, 2012 at 9:04 AM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
The subarachnoid space has that name because of the fine filamentous tissue that runs through it. It looks like a spider web.
- November 16, 2012 at 9:09 AM
- Ms. Donna said...
Grumpy, that is neat to know. I thought you did not do surgery, or do you just visualize?
- November 16, 2012 at 11:17 AM
- Lizzie LVT said...
I can't help but read this in the voice of the professor on the Simpsons...subarachNOIDLE!!!
- November 16, 2012 at 6:48 PM
Basic anatomy is basic, so basicly every docter once knew this. And some are nerdier than others and remember it after the exams....
- November 17, 2012 at 4:36 AM
Oh, we laugh at those "interesting" diagnosis that show up in the EHR at my hospital too. I'm happy to see this happens elsewhere!!
One of my all time favorites was "small bowel reception"
- November 19, 2012 at 5:09 PM
- JanTink said...
It's amazing how hard it can be to keep all that medical terminology in your noidle...er....noodle for when you need it! I'm also an MT...my favorite was a nurse practitioner who would say "nasal turbines" instead of turbinates. The images this evoked when she first said it were...memorable! I did correct it for her and apparently she noticed, as now she says turbinates instead.
- December 1, 2012 at 10:15 PM
My mum had one after an aneurysm rupture. Horrible, horrible things. She seemed to be recovering and then developed vasospasms. We are lucky she is alive. And I bet to a neurologist that's as about as interesting as boogers to a GP....
- December 7, 2012 at 8:11 AM
Oh sweet clothespin jeebus! I read that and immediately thought the patient had bleeding spiders in his brain.
Spiders, people!
Ima be over here in the corner in a fetal position.
- April 23, 2013 at 2:36 PM


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Sharp moves today in grains with a selloff in beans and a huge rally in wheat. July corn closed 10 ½ cents higher at $6.35 ½, July soybeans 33 cents lower at $14.05, and July wheat 37 ½ cents higher at $6.95 ¼!
The same story continues in the wheat today: funds shortcovering along with dryness concerns in Russia. July wheat managed to surpass the 200 day moving average (see chart) today which is the first time since September 1st.
Chart: July Wheat
The corn was also stronger following the wheat market. The corn vs wheat feed story has been going on for the past year and the last USDA Supply and Demand report shows the significant switch over to feed grade wheat in the world demand numbers. Wheat hasn't been this high to corn in the front month contracts since this time last year!
Chart: Corn – Wheat
The soybean spreads have had some very large swings in the past couple of days. On Monday the July – November spread was trading as low as +73 ¾ cents, yesterday it hit a high of +$1.34. Now we are back down to $1.17. These are major moves for the old crop – new crop markets and the choppiness is expected to continue. We know that the funds have been loaded up with net long soybean positions. Today's COT report shows the managed money reducing their net long position by 12,239 soybean contracts (as of Tuesday). This still leaves them net long 218,088 contracts!
For now we want to remain with our current EHedger recommendations. The last thing I wanted to mention is the change to the CME grain trading hours. I know they have changed the hours 3 times over but now it looks like we have something set in stone. They will open on Sunday night at 5pm and trade electronically until 2pm (a 21 hour trading day). Here is the email I received from the CME group this afternoon:
To receive a free trial of the EHedger research including hedge recommendations, please sign up using the link below. Thanks and have a great week!
Best Regards,
Trading commodity futures and options involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge and financial resources. The market information contained in this message has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed as to its accuracy or completeness. Market information may not be consistent with current or future market positions of EHedger LLC, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees or agents.


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Gucci Mane's Lawyer Talks About Gucci Going Back To Jail For 1 Year! [Audio]
Gucci Mane lawyer talks to V103 Frank and Wanda about gucci going back to jail for a year ,and the sercomstantses soundring this jail time!
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Leonard Sweet
About the Author
Leonard Sweet, Ph.D., is founder and president of SpiritVenture Ministries and serves as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School in Madison, New Jersey. He also serves as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, and is the chief writer for preachingplus.com, a popular resource for pastors and Christian speakers. A popular speaker, Sweet has written more than twenty books, including the trilogy AquaChurch, SoulTsunami, and SoulSalsa.


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Cobb woman dances her way to 100th birthday
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On Sunday afternoon, Isabelle Burton, who turns 100 today, sat in the front row at the Sunrise senior living center as friends and family celebrated her birthday.
But when Burton's son-in-law, Paul Scopel of east Cobb, turned on Glenn Miller's big band hit, "In the Mood," the centenarian rose from her chair and proceeded to dance.
Her daughter, Eda Scopel, was not that surprised, observing that when her mother attended Johnson Ferry Baptist Church's Magnolia Ball two years ago, she remained on the dance floor for a full two hours.
Burton declined to reveal the secret to her longevity, at least on Sunday. "You'll have to read it in my book," she said.
Eda Scopel attributes her mother's long life in part to genetics.
"Both of her parents lived to be in their 80s," Scopel said.
"And then two, what we would call clean living: an occasional cocktail, never smoking, some exercise, but definitely not a fanatic by any means, and she watched her weight."
Burton also never held a grudge, her daughter said.
"She's a very forgiving person. She just hardly gets upset with anybody," she said.
Mary Stephens with Right from the Heart Ministries serenaded the 100 or so friends and family in attendance with "Amazing Grace" and "At Last" while Hank Booth from Johnson Ferry presented Burton with a box filled with 100 birthday cards from fellow church members.
Born April 29, 1913 in Allison, PA to first generation Americans from Ireland and Wales, Burton attended Howard College (Samford University) where she was elected Homecoming Queen. She was a school teacher and drove an ambulance during WWII in Birmingham, Alabama as part of the Women's Motor Corps. She was also active in the Red Cross and an avid Republican, attending the national conventions where Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon were nominated.
Burton was in the Atlanta Stadium when Hank Aaron hit his 719th homerun and broke the homerun record. She was at the Atlanta World Congress Center when the American women won the gold medal in gymnastics at the Olympics, her son-in-law said.
Burton, who outlived three husbands, is the oldest member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.
Presenting her with the box of birthday cards, Booth said he had a slight variation on an Irish blessing to give her.
"May the Son of God always be at your back, and at your front, and at your side, and may the Son of Righteous himself fill you with love and joy forever and ever," he said.


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Aaron Hall (The Singer) Releases Another Video Of His Dog Whispering Skills! (Claims No One Train Better Than He Can & Proves It)
Aaron Hall
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At the Black Bear and At Saviour's - Mostecká Street 4/53, Lesser Town
Mostecká Street 4/53, Lesser Town
Originally two Gothic houses (cellars were preserved) were joined together after a Renaissance reconstruction (left house) and a Baroque reconstruction (right house). The façade is in High Baroque style from the first half of the 18th century. There is a small statue of St. Saviour on the façade and a relief of a bear above the first floor from the second half of the 18th century.
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Or that their students transferred (not a scam).No student should go into LS expecting to transfer, but if your in the Top 10% at Florida Coastal and can transfer into FSU or Florida and pay 1/3 of the Tuition to attend a better school why not Transfer.
Not necessarily Transfers are a huge part of attrition. Florida Coastal reported losing 207 students and 114 were due to Transfers. Well over half of the attrition was due to transfers. I don't think there is anything wrong with that I don't think anyone will argue Florida Coastal is some elite school, but it gives students a chance. For those that excel and can get into Florida or FSU second year and get in-state tuition at a more respected school why not transfer. I don't think FCSL claims to be anything other than what it is an ABA school that will teach you the law.


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Infertile mice with 3-D printed ovaries were able to give birth to healthy pups, according to a new study from Northwestern University.
Self-driving cars, shuttles that come to your door with the click of a button, walkable communities—these are just a few of the alternative futures residents are being asked to consider this spring and summer.
The backyard chicken trend gets a leg up with the prospect of temporary ownership – and farm-fresh eggs.
Get a glimpse inside a rare prefab Frank Lloyd Wright house on the Southwest Side.
Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCullough has been called the "elder statesman of American history" and the "rememberer-in-chief." He joins us to discuss his new book.
The former secretary of state speaks with Chicago Tonight during a one-on-one interview.
The future Hall of Fame pitcher stepped back on the mound Tuesday, offering insights and tips to players from four Chicago Public Schools baseball teams.
The Chicago Sun-Times is up for sale and its chief rival has agreed to buy it. We hear from the editors of both newspapers.
The Chicago Sun-Times theater critic gives us her take on highly recommended shows from the Goodman Theatre, TimeLine, Paramount and Marriott.
Watch the May 16, 2017 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."


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Contact Victoria
11 Saligna Drive Tullamarine Victoria 3043 Australia
+61 (03) 9335 6331
+61 (03) 8677 9094
Harvestime® was established in 2003 and is privately owned. It is one of Australia's leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality frozen fruit, vegetables and selected value-added frozen food products. Our customer base includes leading foodservice distributors, food manufacturing concerns and specialty retailers both throughout Australia and overseas.
Great quality and delivery was on time!
Excellent service and fantastic mangoes!


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PITTSBURGH (AP) Ben Roethlisberger doesn't think he and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley need to be best friends to co-exist.
The quarterback, however, also knows he can't start calling Haley out when things don't go as planned, no matter how bothered the Steelers captain may get by the playcalling
It's why Roethlisberger apologized to Haley, coach Mike Tomlin and owner Art Rooney II after making pointed remarks about the direction of the offense following a 27-24 overtime loss to Dallas on Sunday.
``I let my frustrations jump out after a game, I don't usually do that,'' Roethlisberger said. ``Usually, I keep it under control. I was just frustrated with myself and I'll be better at that.''
Roethlisberger completed 24 of 40 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas but also threw a critical interception on the second play of overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. Afterward he expressed disappointment in Haley's decision to stay away from the ``no-huddle'' offense. And he wondered why Haley didn't feature tight end Heath Miller, who had six receptions for 85 yards in the first half and just one catch for seven yards in the second.
Looking back, Roethlisberger - who took full responsibility for the loss - figures he probably should have just kept quiet.
``We do have a lot of talks behind closed doors about things, about plays, play calling,'' he said. ``If I'm doing something that's not right on the field, we have talks about everything.''
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday his franchise quarterback and Haley are on the same page. Roethlisberger agreed but allowed that doesn't mean they're on the same sentence.
``There are going to be times when you just don't see eye-to-eye,'' he said. ``There are times when I don't see eye-to-eye with Coach Tomlin. But that doesn't mean anything, I don't think.''
There have been similar issues in the past with former offensive coordinators Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians, disagreements that were overshadowed by winning.
That's not happening this season. The Steelers (7-7) have dropped four of their last five and need to win their final two games against Cincinnati (8-6) and Cleveland (5-9) to reach the playoffs.
It's not exactly the position Pittsburgh expected to be in after a four-game winning streak pushed them to 6-3. Yet things haven't quite been the same since a 16-13 overtime win against Kansas City on Nov. 12. Roethlisberger went down with a sprained shoulder and dislocated rib that sidelined him for three weeks and he hasn't been quite the same player in his return.
Roethlisberger was completing nearly 70 percent of his passes going into the game against the Chiefs. Over his last 2 1/2 games, his completion percentage has dipped to just 55 percent (55 of 100) as defenses have become more aggressive at pressing Pittsburgh's fast but somewhat undersized wide receivers at the line of scrimmage hoping to upset Haley's short-passing game.
While Roethlisberger's yardage totals have been OK thanks to an uptick in throws down the field, the efficient rhythm the Steelers played with during the first half of the season has all but disappeared.
``I think maybe it started in Kansas City where they had a little bit of success, where they got in our face a little bit and disrupted the timing of our routes,'' Miller said. ``We've seen that in some form or variation since then.''
The Steelers will almost certainly see more of it on Sunday against Cincinnati's physical secondary led by cornerbacks Terence Newman, Leon Hall and Nate Clements.
Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Wallace says the key is simply winning more battles at the line of scrimmage, though a running game with a bit of a pulse and a defense that gave the offense short fields would help.
Though the Steelers are first in the NFL in yards allowed, they're 27th in takeaways with 15. As a result, just seven of Pittsburgh's 58 scoring drives this season have started on the other side of midfield. Opponents, meanwhile, have started 14 of 56 scoring drives in Steelers territory.
The lack of turnovers and splash plays on special teams have led to some pretty long fields for Roethlisberger and company, fields that have gotten even longer as the running game has halted.
Running back Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 122 yards in a 24-17 win at Cincinnati on Oct. 21. He has 122 yards combined in Pittsburgh's last four games, three of which he served as the starter.
Dwyer is still listed as the starter and it appears unlikely the Steelers would turn to veteran Rashard Mendenhall, who returned to practice on Wednesday after serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Mendenhall declined to talk about why he failed to show up at Heinz Field for a game against San Diego two weeks ago after the Steelers decided to make him inactive, though Roethlisberger isn't quite ready to call Mendenhall's tenure over.
``He's a pretty darn good football player,'' Roethlisberger said. ``If he can help this team win football games, we'll take it.''
And the Steelers insist they're past the part of the season where style points matter. The offense is just 20th in the league in points scored (21.6) and is averaging 30 yards less per game than it was last year, leading the front office to not renew Arians' contract and hire the sometimes combustible Haley instead.
The promised fireworks have not ensued, though even if things were going smoothly, Wallace says it's not like the offense would suddenly start lighting up scoreboards anyway.
``We've never just won on a weekly basis, win by 30-40 points,'' Wallace said. ``We win by a touchdown or a field goal (and) just made the plays when they count. I think this year we haven't been making as many critical plays when they count ... but we've still got a shot.''
Follow Will Graves at www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP
Online:http://pro32.ap.org/poll andhttp://twitter.com/AP-NFL


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Wobenzym Research
Enzymes Restrict Out of Control Growth in Breast Cancer
Systemic Oral Enzymes in Cancer Therapy
Wobenzym N & Traveler's Risk of Blood Clots
"International Carriers Address New Threat: Coach Class Syndrome" was the Wednesday, June 27, 2001 headline in the Wall Street Journal. It's just one of dozens of stories being reported about passengers concerned about DVT, deep vein thrombosis. DVT occurs when blood clots deep in the tissues of the calves or groin travel to other parts of the body. DVT is dangerous because when the blood clot travels to a person's lungs, it can lead to death. Now, Naturally Vitamins, a Phoenix Arizona based nutraceutical company, is offering two ways to help people lower their risk for this problem. The first is the use of Wobenzym in the days before the
Wobenzym: Systemic enzymes like the ones in Wobenzym, are necessary for the regeneration of cells and the health and functionality of all organs and tissues. As people age, enzymes are lost and should be replaced. More than 150 clinical studies have shown Wobenzym helps to keep the body running smoothly by enhancing circulation and breaking down harmful proteins that can lead to stiffness, swelling and joint discomfort. It's this circulation enhancement that may lessen the risk of DVT for long haul airline passengers.
Brochure: A recent study in the British Medical Journal recommends that
Systemic Oral Enzymes for Tinnitus
Oral Enzymes for Joint Diseases
Aspirin Versus Enzymes


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It's strange to see all the major knitting magazines releasing their Fall issues! Last I checked, it was in the 90's outside and the last thing I wanted in my lap was a pile of wool. Before our thoughts and Ravelry queues turn to Fall, I wanted to take a look at some of the beautiful designs published this Spring and Summer. Let me know if I'm forgetting anything in the comments!
KnitScene Summer, photos by Joe Coca
Lodi cardigan, designed by Tanis Gray and knit in Solstice from the Verde Collection.
French Creek Skirt by Laura Birek, in Katydid, also from the Verde Collection.
Montour Falls Cardigan by Melissa J. Goodale, knit in Cotton Bam Boo.
Radian Yoke Top by Wendy Bernard, knit in Firefly.
Interweave Knits Weekend: Diana's Cardigan designed by Amy Miller in Allegoro and Silky Alpaca Lace. Photo by Carmel Zucker.
Interweave Knits Summer 2011: Coral Cardigan by Nancy Eiseman in Classic Silk. Photo by Kathryn Martin.
Twist Collective, Spring/Summer: Quintet by Melissa Wehrle in Inca Alpaca
Okay, so I know the Vogue Early Fall issue is already out. But what about these gorgeous designs from the Vogue Spring/Summer Issue?
Long Cardigan Vest (#8) by Twinkle, knit in Cruise by Twinkle. Photo by Paul Amato.
Lace Tunic (#14) by Brooke Nico, knit in Katydid. Photo by Rose Callahan.
A set of pillows by Nicky Epstein, embellished with Allegoro. Photo by Paul Amato.


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FIFA Soccer 09 (PC) review
"Annually updated for pretty much as long as I can remember, it's always sat a little behind the Pro Evolution series in capturing what makes this most godlike of sports so magical. This year's or, if you go by the date, next year's - update inches ever closer to realising its dream, but once again falls just short of the mark in a few areas."
Freelance review by Lewis Denby (November 23, 2008)
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Economic & Strategic Initiatives
Economic & Strategic Initiatives is your connection for business information and assistance. Our goal is to promote and market the City of Belleville as a desirable location for investment, business, tourism and living.
Our services include:
- labour market information (i.e. availability, wage rates, skills)
- industrial/commercial sites and lands
- obtaining necessary approvals
- government subsidy programs
- community information
- local contacts
- community services
We maintain a number of publications that can provide specific information about the City of Belleville and the Quinte region. Visit our offices, call or send us an email to obtain any information you require. Among the publications we can provide are:
- Community Profile
- Tourism brochure
- Trail guides and city maps
- Demographic, market and land use information
- Industrial Directories
- Small Business start-up information
- Industrial/Commercial sites and land
We will be pleased to do all we can to ensure you receive the information you require and give you the assistance you need. If we can not provide what you want, we will be pleased to find the individual who can.
GENERAL CONTACT INFORMATION - Telephone 613-967-3238 - Fax 613-968-7969
Karen Poste
Manager, Economic & Strategic Initiatives
Kimberly O'Brien-Mumby
Administrative Assistant
Anne Munro
Development & Tourism Coordinator


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Kristi Toliver of the L.A. Sparks delivered an elbow square to Ketia Swanier's head last night that left the Phoenix guard writhing on the ground with blood leaking out of her left eyeball. Sorry to be graphic; it's just accurate. The play earned Toliver a flagrant foul, and Sparks assistant Joe Bryant — yes, that's Jellybean — picked up a technical arguing the call. Swanier, for her part, has seen better days out of her left eye:
The Mercury, not ones to let their girl go down like that, won 101-82. And yes, this brief interruption in our regularly scheduled programming is now over.
Video via WNBA, Photo via @KSWANIER11


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This was published 5 years ago
Australian Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio arrested in the Philippines
Australian religious extremist Musa Cerantonio has been arrested in the Philippines after boasting he had travelled to the Middle East to join jihadists.
The arrest of 29-year-old Melbourne-born Mr Cerantonio on the island of Cebu early Friday morning is a coup for Western intelligence agencies which have named him as one of the top two influential jihadist "inspirations" for fighters in Syria and Iraq.
Mr Cerantonio had announced on Twitter earlier this month that he had made it successfully to the Levant – presumably either Syria or Iraq – after leaving the Philippines where he was believed to be in hiding.
But Philippine police, who said they had been tracking him for a week, believed Mr Cerantonio had been in the Philippines for about a year.
Mr Cerantonio tweeted he was leaving the Philippines to join fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which began their march to try to capture Iraq's capital in early June.
''Al-Hamdulillah (Thanks to God) I have arrived in the land of Khilafah (caliphate) in Ash-Sham (the Levant)! May Allah honour all Muslims during this blessed time with His obedience,'' he wrote on Twitter.
His arrival in the Middle East would have been a blow to Australian authorities who were reportedly hoping to issue a warrant for Mr Cerantonio's arrest.
The Australian Federal Police have been investigating the former Catholic convert to Islam and pursuing possible charges under Australia's Foreign Incursions Act, which prohibits fighting with foreign paramilitary organisations, including recruiting others.
Mr Cerantonio has previously used Facebook to urge Muslims to kill Western leaders.
Police and immigration agents stormed a village outside Cebu to arrest Mr Cerantonio who was with a Filipino woman who was also wanted for questioning.
Police said they recovered several SIM cards, mobile telephones electronic devices and cash during the operation. Cerantonio and a Filipino woman also had their passports and more than 14,000 Philippine pesos in cash, as well as other money in different currencies, the website said.
Mr Cerantonio was being flown to Manila where he was expected to undergo questioning at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Quezon City.
A warrant for his arrest had earlier been issued by Philippine police.
Police Senior Superintendent Conrado Capa said arresting police initially found no evidence linking Mr Cerantonio to terrorism or any terror group.
"The arrest was based on a plain and simple serving of warrant of deportation issued by the Bureau of Immigration," Superintendent Capa.said.
However, Superintendent Capa said investigators will thoroughly examine the contents of the mobile phones and the sim cards seized from him to determine his local contacts and to check if he already has followers in Cebu.
Also arrested during the raid was Filipino Jean Navarro Montayre, 32, who was wanted by police for questioning on a charge unrelated to Mr Certantonio.
The Australian Federal Police are likely to seek Mr Cerantonio's extradition to Australia where he is the subject of investigations.
"The AFP is aware that Philippine authorities have taken action in relation to Musa Cerantonio which may result in his return to Australia," the police said in a statement.
"As a matter of long-standing practice, the AFP does not confirm or deny whether it is investigating particular individuals, nor does it provide detailed commentary on intelligence and security matters.
"As this is an ongoing matter for Philippine authorities, it would not be appropriate to comment further."
with David Wroe


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A 22-year-old Houston-area man shot by robbers who wanted his new Air Jordan tennis shoes has died of his wounds.
The Houston Chronicle reports Wednesday that Joshua Wood died at Houston Northwest Hospital. Authorities say no arrests have been made.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office says Wood was shot Friday as he tried to escape armed robbers who wanted the newly released Air Jordan XI "Bred" sneakers he had purchased earlier in the day. The shoes retail for about $185.
U.S. & World
Wood drove off after being shot, trying to escape. He crashed between two houses, hitting a gas line.
Also Friday, police at a Fort Worth mall used pepper spray to disperse an unruly crowd waiting to buy the re-release of the popular red and black Michael Jordan shoes.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


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Damon Wayans "Red Hats"
May 31st, 2011
Twenty-seven years, Harold and Alma have been married. Alma is nearing her 65th birthday, and is unhappy with where her life with Harold and her children has wound up. Then a heart attack takes Harold, and Alma is plunged into a depression that only the Red Hat Society can rescue her from.
In "Red Hats," his first novel, actor-comedian Damon Wayans paints a sympathetic portrait of a lonely, bitter, and difficult-to-love woman, and the women who help her turn things around.
Listen to Damon Wayans
Don't see a player here? Click on this link to listen, or right click and "Save As" to download.by


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Emilio Mwai Kibaki (born November 15, 1931) is the current and third President of the republic of Kenya.
Kibaki was previously Vice President of Kenya for ten years from 1978–1988 and also held cabinet ministerial positions, including a widely acclaimed stint as Minister for Finance (1969–1981), Minister for Home Affairs (1982–1988) and Minister for Health (1988–1991).
After resigning as a cabinet minister in 1991, Kibaki served as an opposition Member of Parliament from 1991 up to his election as Kenya's third president in 2002 after two unsuccessful bids for the Kenyan presidency in 1992 and 1997.


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I am having algorithm mental block in designing a way to transition from Green to Red, as smoothly as possible with a, potentially, unknown length of time to transition.
For testing purposes, I will be using 300 as my model timespan but the methodology algorithm design needs to be flexible enough to account for larger or even smaller timespans.
Figured using RGB would probably be the best to transition with, but open to other color creation types, assuming its native to.Net (VB/C#).
Currently I have:
t = 300
x = t/2
z = 0
low = Green (0, 255, 0)
mid = Yellow (255, 255, 0)
high = Red (255, 0, 0)
Lastly, sort of an optional piece, is to account for the possibility of the
mid, and
high color's to be flexible as well. I assume that there would need to be a check to make sure that someone isn't putting in
low = (255,0,0),
mid=(254,0,0), and
high=(253,0,0). Outside of this anomaly, which I will handle myself based on the best approach to evaluate a color.
- What would be the best approach to do the transition from
midand then from
- What would be some potential pitfalls of implementing this type of design, if any?


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Things I Learned Last Week
For me, the biggest difference between being 21 years old and 31 years old, is that at 31 years old I realize I don't know everything there is to know about the world… most things, yes. Everything? Not a chance.
So that's why I get so giggly when I learn something new. Always be learning… that's my motto. And believe me, folks, last week was full of virgin information.
For example:
The Pirates Have Run Out of Future Stars to Trade Away
Yeah, yeah, you can make a strong case for Andrew McCutchen being that guy, but the Pirates have long said he's a keeper. I'm talkin' about the Aramis Ramirezes… the Nate McClouths… the Freddy Sanchezes. Okay, maybe not the Freddy Sanchezes. But you get what I'm sayin'.
Sarah Palin Thinks She Knows What Having "Cojones" Is All About
I can tell ya this much: those with cojones don't quit their jobs as governor mid-term. And they never use the phrase "hopey-changey". And they tend to not make up words, then compare themselves to Shakespeare. Believe that.
The Yankees Have a Death Wish
How else does one explain their trading for Kerry Wood? Look, I know Joba's been bad and all… but Kerry Wood? Seriously? The Boss is rolling over, y'all.
A Chelsea Clinton Wedding Does Not A Camelot Make
Look, I know Bill Clinton is cool and all. Hell, some might even say he's… sexy. But at the same time, no one would ever use the word 'sexy' to describe Hillary. And Chelsea? Exactly. Let's just agree that this whole Clinton shindig was more proof that what US America really longs for is ultimate regression: give us back our king; make us slaves to royal inbreeds; let the pope wreck the world with his medieval wordview. I, frankly, will not be a part of it. I will finish my spaceship and move to Betelgeuse, where I belong. But I'm taking my collection of scorecards with me.
And, of course… I also learned that…
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye… To Ryan Ludwick
Admittedly, Luddy ain't no Albert. He ain't no Yadi. He ain't no Waino. But he is Luddy… and over the last few years we've really learned to appreciate his bat, his patience, his gamesmanship. And we're gonna miss that. Ludwick has always been one of those quiet warriors — a stoic gamer who never shies from giving his best effort, even when that means playing through pain. But the Cardinals needed pitching. And with the outfield logjam set up by the excellent play of John Jay, there wasn't room for Ludwick anyway. The Padres are gettin' a boost. We're gettin' the arm we need. And everyone ought to be happy (except for the Indians who currently reside in baseball hell).
We're gonna miss ya, Ryan.
Don't hate me.
'Cuz I'm right.
(Special thanks to C for the top photo)


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Welcome to the 2013 Daegwallyong Snow Flower Festival!
There are plenty of winter games and activities to enjoy here. Children will have a blast here, but adults may have some chances to have fun, too. Try sledding, driving an ATV through the snow, taking a horse drawn sleigh ride, riding a donkey through the snow, and riding in a raft pulled by a snowmobile at high speeds are just some of the activities to try. Whatever your taste in winter sports, you'll be sure to find something you enjoy here.
High speed snow rafting
Oh what fun it is to ride... in a one-horse open sleigh
ATVs in the snow
For those who enjoy tamer activities, there are plenty of photo ops with some interesting snow and ice sculptures.
When you get cold, head inside for some snacks, games and shopping.
lots of snacks
Local students' drawings representing the olympics coming in 2018
Rent your own igloo!
And for the real adventurous types, stay the night in your own personal igloo! Sorry, they're not actually made of snow and ice and they appear to be heated inside... it may not be as authentic as you hope...
The festival is set up in the center of town, so it's hard to miss. If you drive in, follow the signs for Yongpyong Resort and keep your eyes out for the parking sign written in English and Korean. If you take the bus, it should be a quick taxi ride from either the resort or the bus terminal. Just tell the taxi driver to take you to the 대관령 눈꽃 축제 /daegwallyong nunkkot chukjae/. For more information, check out the website http://www.snowfestival.net/intro (Korean only). There is no entrance fee, just pay for each activity you try. The festival will be open from 1/19-2/5 this year. For photos from previous years please see my posts from 2011 and 2012.


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MWC 15 Special
Announced back in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and again on display in February at the Mobile World Congress, the Huawei Ascend P1 is finally hitting a broader market after it was initially launched in China. Coming to Europe now, the Ascend P1 was the world's slimmest Android smartphone - when announced. Running on Android 4.0.3/Ice Cream Sandwich, the P1 is sporting a rather unusual CPU since it's powered by a TI OMAP Cortext-A9 CPU at 1.5 GHz and a SGX 540 graphic processor. Similar phones are typically running a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. Also unusual are the supported GSM and UMTS bands. The Ascend P1 is featuring quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and it's one of the few Android smartphones which supports pentaband UMTS/HSPA+/HSUPA at 800/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, making it a real word-traveler.
Not on board yet is LTE but Huawei said the LTE version is expected to be launched later this year. Quite typical for such a high-end smartphone are WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 as well as the Android typical extras like aGPS, the proximity sensor, digital compass and the FM radio.
The Ascend P1 features a 4.3" Super AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass protected QHD (960 x 540 pixel) capacitive touchscreen and comes with a 8 megapixel BSI autofocus camera with dual flash LED which allows to record 1080p HD videos. The front-facing camera supports 1.3 megapxiel and allows to record 720p HD videos. The P1 has 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of ROM which can be expanded with microSD memory cards up to 32 GB. On the top, next to the 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, is the MHL-HDMI compatible micro USB port located.
At a size of only 129 x 64.8 x 7.69 mm, the P1 weights 110 g including the now increased 1.800 mAh battery. According to Huawei, the battery is good enough for at least one day of heavy use, thanks to Huawei's own power efficiency management software.
The Huawei Ascend P1 will be available in Matt Black, Ceramic White and Metallic Red. While the white version has a kind of glossy finish, the black and and pink version have a kind of soft-touch finishing. The Ascend P1 is hitting Germany and Europe within the next weeks and the suggested retail price without a contract is 449 Euro.
Cheers ~ Arne
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... -year.html
What I found of greater interest was not the faster recent rates of coastal erosion of cliffs near to Beachy Head in Sussex but rather how the scientists deduced that the cliffs are now eroding faster than previously (I mean historically when observations by scientists were not taking place).
As outlined in the Daily Mail's report (they should stick to science instead of being pro-Brexit whingers imho):
"The cliffs in East Sussex have only been documented for the past 150 years, but researchers were able to look back much further by dating samples of the rocks.
Cosmic rays penetrate through the atmosphere and collide with atoms in rocks, resulting in the production of rare isotopes such as beryllium-10 in the upper few metres of the Earth's surface.
The researchers counted the number of beryllium-10 isotopes in our shore platform rock samples to work out how long the shore platform had been exposed to cosmic radiation, and therefore how long it has been since cliff retreat uncovered that section of platform.
They found the erosion rate of the cliffs was slow, around 0.8 inches (2 cm) a year, up until a few hundred years ago."
The BBC report explains that beryllium-10 "is produced when cosmic rays - that constantly shower the Earth - hit oxygen atoms in the flints' quartz minerals.
The longer the nodules have been exposed, the greater their build-up of beryllium-10".
Thus scientists can deduce when different rock/mineral samples were first exposed by coastal erosion and thus uncover any variations within the rate of erosion during past
centuries or millennia. If past erosion rates were slower than today's (today's are nearly tenfold faster it would appear) then the time at which older rock/mineral samples were first exposed to cosmic rays was longer ago than might be assumed from direct observations (only) in the here and now.
And the notion that these cliffs have been in existence for much more than just 4,500 or 6,000 years has not been overturned. And NO strict unbending uniformitarianism is required in order to reach that conclusion. Cosmic rays (or Earth's magnetic field) do vary to some extent over time - but not significantly enough to undermine the PNAS conclusions.


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Weather Blog: Touch Of Snow, Slap Of Cold
Thank you for stopping by the Weather Watch 12 Blog! Another fast moving clipper system will provide southeast Wisconsin with a touch of snow. The snow will be followed by a slap of cold this weekend. Find out the timing of the snow, how much to expect, and when the arctic cold front arrives this weekend in the Weather Watch 12 Blog.
Let's start with the timing of light snow for Friday. A clipper system will push a warm front into the upper Midwest Friday morning. Ahead of the front light snow will develop and move into southeast Wisconsin around 4am. The light snow will spread east providing a chance of accumulating snow for the morning commute. The snow will wrap up by mid to late morning, so just a quick brush of snow.
The RPM snowfall forecast for this system is shown below. Notice how most areas fall in the dusting to around 1" range. If the track falls just right our northern counties may see 1"-2" of snow. Again a slight shift north or south would mean a little more or less snow across our area.
With temperatures starting in the teens on Friday, even a dusting of snow could provide slippery stretches for the morning commute. Make sure to join WISN 12 News for updates on this snow chance.
This weekend will bring a drastic change to the area. The weekend starts mild with temperatures jumping to around 40 degrees in Milwaukee by early Saturday afternoon. By mid afternoon an arctic cold front will begin nearing southeast Wisconsin. The RPM forecast temperatures map below is valid at 5pm Saturday. This forecast calls for 37 degrees in Milwaukee, with only 11 in Stevens Point. The frigid air will pour in and by Sunday morning temperatures will start off in the single digits with wind chills -10 or colder!
The blast of cold will continue into early next week.
For the latest on the snow and cold watch WISN 12 News, and for updates throughout the day follow me on Twitter @jnelsonweather
Have a great day!
Jeremy Nelson


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Valedictorian, salutatorian selected
David Karp, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Berwyn, Pa., will be the valedictorian for Princeton's class of 2010, and Marguerite Colson, a history major from New York City, will be the Latin salutatorian.
The faculty accepted the nominations of the Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing at its April 26 meeting.
Karp ranks first in his class with a 4.0 grade point average. In addition to his concentration in mechanical and aerospace engineering, he is pursuing certificates in applied and computational mathematics, and in applications of computing. He has received a Churchill Scholarship and a fellowship from the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, two prestigious awards that will support his graduate studies. Karp will deliver the valedictory address at Princeton's Commencement ceremony on Tuesday, June 1.
Colson is the highest-ranking history concentrator in the class of 2010, standing 14th in the class overall. She also has excelled in advanced Latin courses. She will deliver the traditional salutatory oration in Latin at Commencement.
Feature stories on these students will be posted on the University home page next month.


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David Fish is CEO of IMN, a content-driven e-communications company based in Waltham, MA. Fish has more than 20 years of leadership experience in electronic publishing, online marketing, data management, direct response and database marketing. More information about IMN can be found at www.imninc.com or by calling 866-964-6397.
Routinely assessing marketing strategies for retaining and engaging current members can serve as a worthwhile exercise to determine if you are effectively communicating with your customers.
As part of your marketing evaluation, a critical aspect to consider is brand engagement. Are your customers loyal to your brand? Do they wear your merchandise, participate in your sponsored events and bond as members of an exclusive club?
Since consumers are bombarded daily with thousands of marketing messages, reaching this level of customer engagement is more difficult than it seems. Just as they tune in to messages they like, they ignore those that are irrelevant to their interests, needs and buying habits.
Although it has become increasingly common for owners of health and fitness centers to communicate with members and prospects through e-mail, merely sending e-mail blasts with special offers and promotions only disengages consumers. However, using a strategy of recurring communications, rich with interesting and informative content, has been shown to generate greater engagement as compared to generic e-mail blasts.
Relevant Content Is the Key
A targeted e-communication program that contains relevant content engages consumers and increases the opportunity for customer retention. Moreover, these consumers are likely to spend more money at their health clubs for add-on services or products. When used effectively, content-driven e-communications can help fitness center owners grow their businesses with unprecedented speed and results.
Likewise, professionally written content that is relevant to your customers' interests and that maintains a soft-sell editorial balance cuts through the clutter of e-mail promotions. Examples of useful content might include reviews of restaurants that serve health-conscious meals, profiles of celebrities and their fitness routines, or where to find local jogging paths and nature trails that wind through scenic areas. As your audience becomes conditioned to expect this type of valuable information, they will anticipate receiving each issue of your e-newsletter.
Opportunity for Incremental Sales
By supplementing timely promotions, coupons and lively video presentations with a communication strategy that is educational and informative, you will have greater response and consumer engagement. With this approach, health clubs can market personal training sessions to their members, club retail shops can promote new product launches and nutritionists can offer meal programs to their club members.
Be a Part of the Community
Astute club owners know that they can brand their business as an integral part of the communities they serve. Their e-newsletter campaigns can be tailored to include articles about local events, news and leisure activities. These types of articles grab interest and showcase community involvement.
Analytics Are Invaluable
A well-developed e-communication strategy includes detailed analytics and reporting, which can provide club owners with valuable data about their members. Reports on open rates, click-throughs and page views help club owners gain insight into their members' interests.
Most important, analytics help you track and refine campaigns to maximize the return on investment. Without them, club owners would not have the right data needed to determine the content that drives their customers' behavior.
A comprehensive, content-driven e-communication strategy can provide long-lasting benefits for club owners. Proven to retain and engage recipients, e-newsletters build consumer loyalty and create incremental sales opportunities. It is one of the most effective ways for club owners to strengthen their brands and secure life-long customers.


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Ethernet System Controller with Separate Joystick
- Integrates with i-Pro Range
- Camera & Switcher Control
- Easy to Operate While Focused on Surveillance
- Camera & Switcher Control
- Easy to Operate While Focused on Surveillance
- Recorder Control
The WV-CU950 Ethernet system controller integrates with a range of Panasonic i-Pro system equipment such as network video recorders through control software to control camera functions, monitor displays and review recorded footage.
The controller features a unique three-dimensional joystick that gives pan and tilt control of cameras by moving the joystick whilst zoom is controlled by simply rotating a dial on the top of the joystick. The joystick is detached from the main controller to allow easy access to the controller functions by both left and right handed users, the height of the joystick is adjustable to cater for different hand sizes. Iris and focus control is performed from the joystick with all other functions being taken from the main system controller.


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Hello and welcome to SugarPea Designs Birthday Bash Blog Hop! I am thrilled to be part of this super fun celebration blog hop! =)
Now you can't have a Birthday Bash without prizes and there are lots of prizes to be won! A few of our blog hop participants will be giving away a SugarPea Designs stamp set, so please leave comments for each hop participant for your chance to win! In addition to this, ONE lucky winner will be randomly chosen from all comments left to receive a $100 Gift Certificate to SugarPea Designs. You have until April 15th to enter to win. Winners will be announced on April 17th.
But that's not all... we also want YOU to be part of the party by sharing a card with us.
Once you have completed the hop, we'd love it if you'd keep the celebration going, by creating a Birthday card or project and linking it up at the SugarPea Designs Blog for a chance to WIN a Mini MISTI and Creative Corners Tool.
Without further ado, here is my card. Ahh...... Popcorn and playground are definitely perfect for birthdays, right? =)
I colored up the sweet girl from the What's Popping? set with Copic markers then fussy cut her out.
The patterned paper is from the Life is A Carnival paper pad and the playground border is cut using the CarnivalScape SugarCut die and the sentiment is included in the What's Popping? set.
That's all from me. Don't forget to leave comments along the way and hope you get a chance to create a card/project to help celebrating SugarPea Designs' big day! =) Here is the full blog hop list.


text:
So I've been thinking lately that I should scrap this blog. I so rarely use it any more – instead using my [work blog](http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/), [Twitter](http://twitter.com/scottm), Facebook, Flickr and UncleTomCobleyAndAll.com. Most of the traffic is to a few old posts, whether it's to [the `simply_helpful` plugin](http://matthewman.net/2006/09/04/new-rails-feature-simply_helpful/) whose functions are now built-in to Rails 2.x, or [long-forgotten memes](http://matthewman.net/2005/05/03/bad-wolf-hunting/).
Maybe I'll do something new with this place. In time.
For now, on the subject of expiration, I'm linking to [this comment](http://railspikes.com/2008/9/29/an-experiment-with-page-caching#comment-1738) at the base of a post about Rails' different caching methods, and their expiration techniques.
> One very useful way to avoid the dog pile is to expire behind. Similar to a write behind cache, on checking a ttl and finding the content expired, still serve up the stale content for that request, but also asynchronously start rebuilding the content via a queue/background worker. If you randomize your ttl's a bit this results in very even system load.
To me, this makes great sense, especially in the context of an application I'm working on at the moment. So I'm linking it here not so much so I can find it again, but in the hope that the concept'll permeate into my subconscious as I'm coding.


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SPRINGFIELD, Va. -- Paul Ryan ventured into the debate surrounding the Middle East on Friday afternoon for the first time since being named the presumptive GOP vice presidential nominee.
"This is the first responsibility of our federal government," Ryan said about national security. "And one of the critical means and needs for a strong national defense is because the world needs America's leadership."
He continued: "In the past day, Iran's president called our ally Israel, quote, a cancerous tumor that must be excised. Let me be really clear. Under President Romney, our adversaries will think twice about challenging America and our allies because we believe in peace through strength. There will be no daylight between America and our friends around the world. Strong national defense, peace through strength, strong relationship with our allies."
Ryan, the seven-term Wisconsin congressman who serves as the House Budget Committee chairman, has been criticized for not having enough foreign policy experience to serve on Mitt Romney's ticket because he typically works on domestic issues.
Thursday, Ryan addressed the trade policies with China.
President Barack Obama "said he'd go to the mat with China. Instead they're treating him like a doormat. We're not going to let that happen," Ryan told the crowd in North Canton, Ohio. "Mitt Romney and I are going to crack down on China cheating. We're going to make sure that trade works for Americans."
Friday, while speaking in the battleground state of Virginia, the Wisconsin congressman also weighed in on the pending $500 billion in defense cuts — part of what's known as "sequestration."
"Now there's one thing we're going to have to deal with to make sure we protect jobs in Virginia and around America. And that is these devastating defense cuts that president Obama is promising. That is the lack of leadership that he is providing. They call it sequester and all of that. Well I tell you what, in the House, we already passed the bill to cut spending in other areas of government to make sure that these devastating cuts to defense never occur so we don't put Virginians out of work and so we have a strong national defense. That's extremely important," he said.


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49ers coach Jim Harbaugh cautions players to stay out of trouble
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh delivered a simple but emphatic message to his players as they gathered in a circle at the end of the team's three-day minicamp.
Following an off-season in which three key players were either arrested or were part of an investigation by police, Harbaugh warned the 49ers to be more aware of their circumstances and who they hang out with.
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was one of the three players involved in off-field incidents.
Although Kaepernick was never charged and was cleared of any wrongdoing stemming from a possible sexual assault investigation in Miami, he said the incident left him more cautious about his life away from football.
"A lot more," Kaepernick said Thursday. "Since I really started playing it's something I've been more aware of, especially in the past few months. It's something that obviously you have to be very aware of."
Kaepernick and two other NFL players were investigated for an incident involving a woman at a downtown hotel in Miami in April. Kaepernick repeatedly denied that he had done anything wrong, and prosecutors decided earlier this week to drop the case and not charge any of the three players.
Later, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after authorities said he became belligerent during a security screening and threatened that he had a bomb.
That followed on the heels of San Francisco cornerback Chris Culliver's arrest in March on suspicion of felony hit and run and reckless driving after he drove a car into a bicyclist and fled.
Because the players are essentially on their own for the next month until training camp begins, meaning plenty of free time with little to no supervision, Harbaugh gave them a stern reminder to avoid trouble.
"Be aware of who you associate with, friend or foe," Harbaugh said, summing up his message to the players. "There always seems to be a foe presence. Mainly, surround yourself with good people."
Kaepernick has had to do that for reasons other than what happened in Miami. This month, the 2011 second-round draft pick signed a $126 million, six-year contract extension.
Already a target of defensive players on the field, Kaepernick and his new wealth became a target off the field the instant he signed the deal. Thus his emphasis on being more cautious.
"You want to keep good people around all the time, regardless of where you're at," Kaepernick said.
The 49ers wrapped up their mandatory minicamp with a brief workout in the afternoon.
Kaepernick played catch and joked with some of his teammates before turning serious during a 7-on-7 drill when he completed a handful of short passes over the middle and rifled a deep throw in traffic to wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
After practice ended, Kaepernick and several teammates engaged in a heated mini-basketball game inside the locker room. At one point, the quarterback glanced at the nearly two dozen reporters standing near his locker waiting for him then turned his attention back to the basketball game.
As the crowd near his locker continued to grow, Kaepernick retreated to the players' lounge for about 30 minutes to catch the latest on the World Cup before finally emerging to talk.
"For the most part I'm going to be me," Kaepernick said. "Off the field you just have to look out for what other people's intentions are. I'm going to be more regardless."
Boldin, fellow wide receiver Quinton Patton and Kaepernick worked out together in Florida during the off-season. Kaepernick and Boldin agree the time there was critical and beneficial to both.
"When we were down in Florida we got an opportunity to work together," said Boldin, who caught 85 passes for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns during his first season with the 49ers. "So our communication is a lot better. We're on the same page, we're seeing things and we're talking."


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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal's voucher program that uses tax dollars to send students to private schools was ruled unconstitutional Friday by a state judge who said it's improperly funded through the public school financing formula.
Judge Tim Kelley sided with arguments presented by teacher unions and school boards seeking to shut down the voucher program and other changes that would funnel more money away from traditional public schools.
More than 4,900 students are enrolled in 117 private schools with taxpayer dollars, in one of the largest voucher programs in the nation.
The judge said the method the Jindal administration, state education leaders and lawmakers used to pay for the voucher program violates state constitutional provisions governing the annual education funding formula, called the Minimum Foundation Program or MFP.
"The MFP was set up for students attending public elementary and secondary schools and was never meant to be diverted to private educational providers," Kelley wrote in a 39-page ruling.
Superintendent of Education John White and Jindal said the state will appeal.
Jindal called the judge's ruling "a travesty for parents across Louisiana who want nothing more than for their children to have an equal opportunity at receiving a great education."
"On behalf of the citizens that cast their votes for reform, the parents who want more choices, and the kids who deserve a chance, we will appeal today's decision, and I'm confident we will prevail," the governor said in a statement.
Bill Maurer, a lawyer representing two parents with children in the voucher program and two pro-voucher groups, said he believes the decision is "not consistent with the interpretation of the Louisiana Constitution."
Maurer said he didn't expect Kelley's ruling to immediately force voucher students from their private schools, because Kelley didn't issue an injunction against the program.
It was the second legal setback this week for the voucher program that Jindal pushed through the Legislature this year as part of a sweeping education system overhaul. On Monday, a federal judge halted the voucher program in one Louisiana parish, saying it conflicts with a decades-old desegregation case.
"The political rhetoric of 'pro-reform' vs. 'anti-reform' hopefully is over," said Scott Richard, head of the Louisiana School Boards Association. "We're not anti-reform. We just want the political shell game to stop with public funding for public education."


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Cheap, Friendly Locksmith!
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Insomnia grabbed a hold of me this weekend and I started putting together a list of the pros and cons of each of the two raid sizes. There is no right or wrong choice, just what set would fit your tastes better... after all, the raid size does NOT dictate how skilled your raid may be when it tackles the content.
- Access to highest iLevel gear (makes other content, including 10s, easier)
- Access to legendaries
- Larger guild makes more people available for activities outside of scheduled raids
- Permitted to run all available content (no strict rankings)
- Each death in the raid hurts less than in a 10 (1/25 vs 1/10)
- Considered the "standard:" most strats, rankings, and guides are written for 25s
- Feel like part of something "big"
- More competition among raiders for loot
- More likely to have cliques or factions within the guild with opposing goals (drama)
- Individuals are less able to contribute in vent (strats, etc) due to number of voices
- "A face in the crowd" feeling
- Raiders and Leadership are more separated, generally, by size of group
- Harder to watch everyone else's performance and make sure they're gearing/speccing appropriately
- Are often expected to run 10s simultaneously for quicker gearing/some itemization, thus often require more overall time commitment each week
- Guild Leadership has a far tougher job due to the logistics, size, and drama
- Much more likely to produce player burnout
- Smaller raid size = fewer "cats" to herd
- Closer camaraderie among players, including leadership and raiders
- Less competition for gear drops (loot greed can thus be tabooed)
- More quickly gear up offspec sets
- Each individual can more easily speak up and give input on strats
- Fewer spell effects/actions going on, so better option for those who otherwise crash in 25s
- More easily watch fellow raiders' performance and give advice/assistance
- Limited content access allows for a less demanding weekly raiding schedule (personally, Vortex raids 12 hours/week) - time for alts or outside activities
- Each raider death is felt more intensely due to raid size proportions - each death in a ten is 2.5 deaths in a 25
- Limited gear access: lower iLevel, no legendaries,
- Limited itemization options: best trinkets (usually) come from 25s, and certain slot upgrades do not drop except in 25s
- Small community can make using puggers on off-night activities a necessity
- Can less support slackers/leeches if attempting for actual "hardcore" progression
- Smaller pool of potential recruits who are interested in pure 10s
- Have to defend against a prevailing attitude from 25-raiders that 10's are "casual" or "bad and couldn't get into a 25 man guild" (not all think that way, but many ignorant do)
- Less known on the server in spite of any accomplishments
- Can run out of raid-content to do on their main character during the week, unless pugging 25s is permitted
So, patch 3.3 is being released today. If the servers are stable enough to let me on tonight, I will be duplicating the Running Commentary I did for the 3.2 ToC release and posting up comments and screenshots here on Dreambound this evening! I'm looking forward to it, going in with the expectation of lag and broken things... helps keep me in a positive attitude in regards to raiding on the night of a patch release :)
I've been reading up on strats between StratFu and Wowhead, prepping for ICC. I'm most looking forward to Sindragosa from a lore perspective, though she won't be released for a couple weeks yet.


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Come here to chat about the real Group of Death, with the Angolans and Iranians to go at each others throats for the title of "Most Tyrannical Dictator as decided by a soccer match
Teams are Mexico, Iran, Angola and Portugal.
Come here to chat about the real Group of Death, with the Angolans and Iranians to go at each others throats for the title of "Most Tyrannical Dictator as decided by a soccer match
Teams are Mexico, Iran, Angola and Portugal.
Portugal and Iran(A bit of an upset)
Portugal and Mexico here too.
Member of the Rosalie Birch Appreciation Society (RBAS)
Member of CVAAS - go Joe
You're a ghost la la la la la la la la laaa
You're a ghost la la la la la la la la laaa
I'm the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
la la la la la la la la la la
The wolves are running..
Interestingly, Iran vs Angola is the England fans 4th Group game - expect the group to be full of England fans!
marc71178 - President and founding member of AAAS - we don't only appreciate when he does well, but also when he's not quite so good!
Anyone want to join the Society?
Beware the evils of Kit-Kats - they're immoral apparently.
I'll third that.Originally Posted by Pedro Delgado
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson = Greatest Ever Manager
"One from ten leaves zero." - Eric Williams, former T&T PM
Member of Cricket Web Green
Member of Northside Power
R.I.P Fardin Qayyumi
As nailed on as Christ on the cross, really can't see any surprises here. Very charitable draw for yer Portugese & Mexico should make the 16 where they'll undoubtedly lose to anyone half-decent who they play (possibly Argentina).
Angola to finish third.
1) Portugal
2) Mexico
3) Angola
4) Iran
Cricket Web's current Premier League Tipping Champion
- As featured in The Independent.
"Theres only one head bigger than Geoffrey Boycotts and thats Birkenhead." -FS Trueman
Surely you mean 'yer Argies'?Originally Posted by BoyBrumby
It's cold on the outside they say
But the cold leaves you clear while the heat leaves a haze
Mexico and Portugal in that order
Mexico and Iran, or Portugal and Mexico
or Iran and Mexico.
Portugese to either top group or fail magnificently, with their old colony Angola nicking a 1-0 win over them. Ali Karimi could be interesting for Iran.
Half of me wants Iran to flop, seeing as their dictator appears a little mindless, half wants them to win - to displease the second most mindless man in the world.
Pretty tough group for Portugal if you ask me, Angola might be awful but colonial ties and hatred for it Portugal is paramount, expect fireworks when these two teams face off. Iran are a very decent and attractive side, most of the boys play in Germany and it will be nothing more than a home tie for them. Mexico are a very good side and expect them to progress. Portugal and Mexico but Iran could sneak second.
1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Iran
4. Angola
1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Angola
4. Iran
No idea about Angola and Iran, but this is a ridiculous group. I demand Portugal & Australia be swapped...
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever."
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