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Random Thoughts On Long Beach
What was considered by many to be a golden opportunity to snag a victory, turned out to be an embarrassing nightmare for Honda at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. In case you live under a rock, you know that all cars powered by Chevy engines were penalized ten grid-spots after qualifying. The best that a Chevy driver could hope for would be to start eleventh – on a course not known for a lot of passing zones. Ten spot penalty? No problem – not if your car has a Chevy engine in it. Not only did Will Power win in a Chevy, but six of the top seven spots went to the bow-tie division of General Motors.
The IZOD IndyCar Series has three races in the books for this season – all on street and road courses. St. Petersburg was interesting due to the debut of all of the new equipment. It was somewhat entertaining and featured some passing – although ABC didn't want us to see it. Barber was very entertaining, especially by Barber standards. There was passing and jockeying for position, before Will Power drove a calculated drive that saw him go from ninth to first. Yesterday's race at Long Beach was the most entertaining yet – at least, in my opinion.
It started off with Nashville native Josef Newgarden making a bold move on fellow Nashvillian and front-row starter Dario Franchitti. It may have been a little too bold as Newgarden ended up into the Turn One tire-barrier. Although it was questionable, I thought Beaux Barfield did the right thing by not assessing a penalty on Franchitti – that is until I saw that Ryan Hunter-Reay was given a thirty-second penalty for what I thought was less contact. As it turned out, it would not have made that much difference. Franchitti ended up finishing fifteenth – three laps down. Had Newgarden just tucked in behind Dario as it looked like he was originally doing, he could have passed him at any time. Franchitti's miserable season continues. Two weeks ago, I disagreed with Paul Dalbey at MoreFrontWing.com who said that Dario's season was over as far as the championship goes. After what I saw yesterday, I have to agree.
There was a lot of action, but the scariest moment was easily when Marco Andretti ran into the back of Graham Rahal and was launched into the air and almost ended up on his head. I saw mixed reaction on Twitter, but to me – it looked like the "rear-bumpers" on the DW12 failed their first test. Some Dallara apologists tried to say that it would have been much worse had the bumper not been there. That's like touting that the four to five cups of coffee I drink each day explains why I have never had a broken leg. (Huh? – Yeah, I know. It makes no sense).
The drivers were not on as good behavior as they were at the first couple of races this season – in and out of the cockpit. There were pointed comments from Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti and Alex Tagliani didn't have such nice things to say about EJ Viso either. I think drivers are feeling a bit more comfortable in the new car and some drivers are seeing their seasons already slipping away early – sending them into desperation mode.
TV Coverage: There were some ups and downs along with a few hits and misses in NBC Sports Network's second race. Altogether, I thought they did a good job but it wasn't perfect. Although I like the concept, Robin Miller's grid run needs to be planned better. I know the entire concept is spontaneity, but if you're going to run down the grid in search of drivers – it may be better to plan it when the drivers are not riding around the track waving to fans. Two weeks ago at Barber, they did it during the Invocation prompting Miller to ask, "Why is everyone praying?"
Speaking of Invocations – this one sounded more like the Clerical Comedy Hour. I'm not sure if Father Frank Kelly was seizing his moment in the spotlight or if his prayers always sound like a humorous chat with the Heavenly Father. Maybe he's well known in southern California, but whatever the case – it came off as just a little odd on television. Has-been, late eighties singer Taylor Dayne did not help with another butchered version of our National Anthem. Why every singer feels they need to stylize this tune is beyond me. Of course, TV has nothing to do with the pre-race ceremonies. However, the whole pre-race debacle was saved by racing great Parnelli Jones waking everyone up with a stirring command to start engines.
The cameras initially missed the Newgarden contact, but subsequent replays showed it. Bob Jenkins again had his share of gaffes, but I've come to expect and accept it. Bob may not be 100% on his game so far as identifying cars, but you've got to love his overall delivery and passion for the sport. I compare him to veteran broadcaster Verne Lundquist at CBS. He's been doing SEC football telecasts for years. He flubs player's names and sometimes has trouble even following the ball. But his enthusiasm for the game makes up for a few mistakes. He's a joy to listen to and so is Bob.
If you haven't seen IndyCar 36 yet, you need to. It is as well a produced show with IndyCar content that I've ever seen. The cinematography is outstanding, as well as the musical soundtrack and script. Yesterday's featured Graham Rahal. It should re-air several times this week, but if you don't have NBC Sports Network or a DVR, you should be able to catch it on IndyCar.com. One thing I like about it is that they are not going after the usual points leaders. So far, they have done shows on Tony Kanaan and Graham Rahal. I believe next up is Ryan Hunter-Reay before São Paulo.
Sponsorship woes: Although his move on Dario Franchitti was probably ill-advised, Josef Newgarden has had an outstanding start to his young IZOD IndyCar Series career. He didn't earn his front-row start, but he still qualified seventh quickest and came out of the first session with the quickest time in his group. I'm probably a bit biased because he was born and raised in Nashville and he is a very likeable young man, but he is also extremely talented. Some company needs to step up and sponsor this team. For a driver of his caliber to be running with blank sidepods is ridiculous.
Race Control: I wouldn't say Sunday was a banner day for race control. As mentioned earlier, I agreed with the "No-call" on Dario Franchitti and the Josef Newgarden incident. But felt that they got a little over-officious in the latter stages. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves were both given post-race penalties, which dropped each of them in the final standings. Had it not been for the penalties, Helio would've ended up with a top-ten finish. Still he heads into São Paulo second in points.
I do want to give Beaux Barfield, Will Phillips and Randy Bernard high marks for their handling of the convoluted engine rule. None of them seem to be in love with it, but they have been front & center in explaining their position. We, as fans, don't have to like this rule but at least we have people in appropriate positions interacting directly with fans to defuse any confusion. We can't really ask for any more than that.
Ganassi woes: It was a day to forget for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dario Franchitti went backwards all day – starting first and finishing fifteenth. Scott Dixon appeared headed for a decent day when his Honda engine mysteriously shut down during a caution period. Graham Rahal was knocked out in the collision with Marco Andretti and Charlie Kimball ran out of fuel in the late stages. Of the four cars, Franchitti's fifteenth was the best finish for the team.
Engine wars: Although I was accused the other day of being a Chevy "homer", I don't really pull for any manufacturer. I certainly pull for certain teams and drivers, but I never saw the need to pull for one corporation over another. However, if I were to pull for one – it would probably be Honda. They have been an excellent partner for the series over the years. They stepped up and supplied engines when no one else would. Plus, I own a Honda and have driven Hondas for over thirty years.
That being said, the disparity between the Chevy and Honda engines became evident Sunday. Having already won two poles and two races in the first two events, most agreed that Chevy was the engine of choice in the early going. But what happened this weekend was Honda's worst nightmare. To spot Chevy ten spots on the grid and then have the top-ten dominated by Chevy anyway is the worst possible scenario Honda could imagine.
If I were Chevy, I would jump on what transpired this weekend and turn it into a marketing bonanza. If they do it right, it can bring back American fans that left open-wheel racing years ago. Let's just don't tell them that the All-American engine is built by Ilmor, which is British.
I told you so: You didn't think I'd pass on the opportunity to gloat a little bit, did you? When the Chevy penalties were announced on Thursday, many people on Twitter ridiculed me when I said to not automatically crown Honda as the winner at Long Beach. Then on Friday, I said on this site that Honda is not a slam-dunk for the weekend and that the pressure is actually on them to perform. Still, most people disagreed with me that a Chevy would win this race unless something crazy happened. Now did I think Chevy would dominate the top-ten as they did? Not for a second. But at least, my drought for correctly picking a winner is over. Go back and see that I correctly picked Will Power to overcome whatever penalty was thrown at him and win the race. After almost two years (Sonoma 2010), I finally got one right. I guess a hog finds an acorn every once in a while.
All in all: I found this to be a very entertaining race. It was made even more so by putting the faster cars near the back of the field. Drivers took chances and tempers flared. Comparing this to the snoozer NASCAR race I tried to watch Saturday night is laughable. The IndyCar race had everything that the NASCAR race did not. Why NASCAR is what everyone thinks of, when they think about racing is quite beyond my capacity.
So now, it's on to São Paulo in two weeks and then – the Month of May!
George Phillips
40 Responses to "Random Thoughts On Long Beach"
Now George, you know I'm usually an agreeable guy, but I will have to disagree with you on a few things. 😎
1. Do you still think Long Beach is a dull race, as you said on Friday? I thought it was one of the best non-ovals yet with a lot of passing, made even better by being actually televised by NBC sports, unlike a certain other crapulous network that seems to miss all on course action.
2. Dario's non-penalty: much as I think Dario too often gets a wink-nudge from race control, here i really thought it was "just racin'". I replayed it several times on the dvr and had to agree with race control.
3. RHR vs Sato: again, watching the replay, that was definitely an avoidable accident. Ryan drove right into back wheel of Sato and spun him out, ruining Sato's podium chances. That was not the place to try to pass.
4. I was trying very hard to be kind to Helio that maybe his brakes faded, but after watching the contact, or should I say ramming of Rubens, it was obvious that Helio was trying to block out Justin Wilson. One can wonder what Justin was trying to do, possibly trying to pass in the hairpin of all places, but that does not forgive Helio for losing situational awareness.
Dario gets a grudging "bye" from me, but not the other two.YMMV.
I thought Father Kelly was awesome. Then again, I like the random, trailing stories and unintentional comedy.
I thought Rahal was boring and whiney on "36." They need to lose the grid walk or maybe spend two minutes actually planning it. Hinch is good tv (and good driver.) Best invocation since Nascar's "my hot wife" guy. Parnelli Jones! Joe Newgarten wants that one back. I'm not worried about Honda yet. Simon Pagenaud might be the second best twisty driver in the series. Not hearing much from the female drivers so far–at least Bia won't be-a in a Lotus. Very good race and another beautiful and seemingly well-attended venue.
Rahal has been a giant wanker since he threw the entire NHL team under the bus a week or two after they handed him a win in his maiden race.
George, I agree: I, too, don't understand those people who said Marco's launch would've been worse last year. How do they reach that conclusion (rhetorical question, obviously)? The fact he didn't land on his top had far less to do with the car's design and more about the way he launched. Marco coming out OK from the contact was not due to anything about the design of the car at all.
That said, Curt Cavin noted that "It's one thing if Marco hit the guard from the back; it's another if he hit it from an angle". I'm forced to agree with that. If more contact was made with the wheel than the "bumper", then that explains things right there. But that's *if*. I really want to watch some replays and see how Marco and Graham collided before I pass judgement.
Kudos George, you called it. I had Dixon and that pick went south pronto. Chevy is as tough as they come this year. I thought Hinch had a good race and he impresses me with each race. One of the best Long Beach races that I have seen in a while. I enjoyed the broadcast immensely and my opinion of NBC Sports grows each week.
IndyCar racing so far this year has been the best I have seen since 1992. The drivers and competition are back on track. Development in the rear of the new car I am sure will get an update kit if needed. Overall I give the the series an A – for the season. I would give IndyCar an A if the cars had a little more turbo boost! Great stories for the small teams and the likes of Bobby Rahals new team …IndyCar has a good future on the horizon. I can't wait till Indy!
Regardless of the outcome as well as Lotus/Judd missteps, I like the engine competition and this will get better and better through the coming races and the coming years. After getting shown up by Chevrolet at Long Beach I believe that Honda will pull out all stops to get Indy this year.
"Embarrassing nightmare for Honda" is quite a bit much I think. They lost to a flawless fuel strategy drive by all of 1 second. Chevy may be the better engine, but they didn't whip Honda the way it appeared they did. Good fuel strategy will help any car with a good driver and a non-Lotus motor.
Looked to me like both Rahal and Andretti were at fault in their incident, and fortunately Marco didn't land on anyone and no one was injured.
The bumpers are going to get understandably roasted over failing to prevent Marco's launch (though he hit Rahal from a bit of angle), but I did appreciate them preventing cut tires from the regular nose-to-tail street circuit contact. Interesting to hear the booth speculating about Briscoe possibly having a cut tire after Dario ran into the back of him, only to have Jon remember several seconds later that the bumper likely prevented that from happening.
And for what it's worth, I enjoyed Saturday night's NASCAR race. This may be because it was refreshing to see guys run clean instead of the pointless wrecks that have plagued my recent Saturday nights at the local short track, though.
What George means by "Honda got spanked" was that Honda had 9 of the 10 1st starting positions, including the pole, and only ended up with 2 of the 1st 10 finishing positions, with all the others going to Chevys that were penalized 10 starting spots from where they qualified.
I understood what George meant, I did not agree with it. I'm not saying it was a good day for Honda, but I don't think Honda should be embarrassed because their fastest cars got outmaneuvered in pit strategy chess. the teams that field those cars, maybe, but not Honda.
And for what it's worth, Honda had 3 of the top 10 finishers after Helio's penalty was assessed.
Did you watch the same race we did? Honda was smoked. It was beyond embarrassing. To be given a ten spot lead and end up with ok, 3 with a penalty, in the top 10 is a joke. If theyre not embarrassed, why are they in this? Obviously, not to win.
The race I watched had a Honda come within one second of winning despite being bested in pit strategy by one, if not several, Chevrolet teams. That race had Honda lead 32 of the 55 laps run after the final caution, despite not leading the first 5 of that period. It also saw Honda never lose the lead in an on-track pass.
Honda would be embarrassed if the Chevrolets had driven through the field. I did not see that. I saw a rash of early cautions and new pit rules make the grid penalties much less relevant because the teams chose a half-dozen or more different pit strategies and effectively eliminated any "main" strategy that typically see in races. None of the Honda teams picked the right one.
Again, I am not arguing that Honda should be happy about losing, or that Chevrolet does not deserve their victory. I am arguing that "embarrassed" is too strong a word for how Honda should feel when their teams lost positions (and the win) largely because of pit strategy, not lack of horsepower or widespread mechanical failure.
Dario Franchitti was in the inside of the first corner, he had nowhere to go. He didn't push Newgarden, he barely touched him. It was Newgarden who breaked too early and tried to fit where he couldn't. Hunter-Reay on the contrary divebombed on Sato, he tried to pass him too late into the corner, so the race control decision was correct again.
Newgarden was ahead of Dario going into the corner far enough that he should have given way. Dario got off lucky-about the only luck he had that afternoon. Hunter-Reay however was totally in the wrong. Sato, who used to be an accident waiting to happen, has tried so hard this season that to be taken out like that was truly cruel.
"Why NASCAR is what everyone thinks of, when they think about racing is quite beyond my capacity."
Because they have the star drivers and money.
I also really enjoy the Indycar36 show. I realize that its continued broadcast is likely very dependent on each episode being "sponsored". Noticing that NTB had sponsored the Rahal episode is blasted the following tweet out:
"Thanks @NTB_tires for sponsoring today's episode of #INDYCAR36 featuring @GrahamRahal. @SC_Racing @ServiceCentral"
and got this responsive tweet from them:
"You're very welcome! Hope you enjoyed it :)".
Hopefully, letting them know that their sponsorship dollars for the program's episode were noticed will encourage them (and others) to continue spending money on things like car sponsorship and TV program sponsorship.
I thought this was a very entertaining race. I must admit that at first, I did not like the rear bumpers, but I think they have saved numerous wrecks from happening that in previous years would have resulted in numerous disqualifications and countless yellow laps. I believe in each of the three races I can recall someone punting someone ahead of them, only for each to be able to continue the race without interruption.
I have to disagree with the quality of the NBC Sports broadcast though; I think they have been far better in the past. I think not having LIndy Thackston is a loss; they need to totally re-think Robin Miller's driver sprint–just let him give us his 2 minutes of thoughts on the upcoming race; and hey, I'm all for giving up on live singers for the national anthem–just hook up a decent record player to the PA system–it is excrutiating to hear some of these people….
"The IndyCar race had everything that the NASCAR race did not. "
Yes, except tons of sponsors, drivers that were actually born here and about 3 million people watching on TV.
Only one more farce of a race until we get to a racetrack built for a race car.
While the three things you mention–money, money and drivers with money–are true, that doesn't negate George's (and my) opinion that the Indycar race was better than the Texas race. (And I wasn't there, but I'll bet the first automobile race was on a street.)
Hey George,
I'm new to your blog and IndyCar and think you have the right take on the race. I think Graham was out of line on that block on Marco, not that I'm a fan of either but there is a difference between blocking and defending. I also think that the rear guard did keep from launching Marco's more than it could've, hopefully they'll be able to retrieve some data from that to clarify one way or the other but they are race cars and accidents will happen and it's only 3 cups of coffee a day to prevent a broken leg. The more I see Dario's 'move' on Josef the more I think he needed a penalty, you can't ride someone into a wall because you can't keep the pace, it must be murdering Dario on the inside.
Good race. I thought that Irish Priest was great!
And no, those wheel guards don't and won't work. Tim Cindric said so this winter. How does a piece of carbon fiber that weighs a few pound stop the momentum of another car going only a few MPH faster with 200 degree spinning tire do anything but break and collide with the rear tires and fly up along with the following car?
This wsa a great race; maybe we need to invert more starts. Not really…
I hated-and still hate-the engine rule. If you want to punish engine builders for not meeting their requirements, take away manufacturers points. Teams being penalized for something they can't control is wrong.
Of course, Chevy then goes out and demonstrates the lopsided advantage they have on road corses. Yes, Power won on a fuel strategy, but look at how many other Chevys were in the top ten? Maybe on the ovals Honda will have an advantage but it is looking less likely.
Saying that Dario's season is over three races in is silly. See what happens after they've run an oval or two…
Does anyone doubt that Power is the best driver in Indycar today? Penalize him, drop him back in the field, he'll find a way up front. That he doesn't have a championship yet is as much bad luck as anything.
Is it too early to start sending Lotus teams sympathy cards? I felt sorry for the team stuck with those underdeveloped lumps in the back yesterday.
Let's not tell anyone that Ilmor is owned by Roger Penske. Or that's its based in Detroit. Especially if they came over from NASCAR.
I agree!
Ganassi was embarresed, not Honda. Pagenuad and Sato looked plenty fast in their Honda. I still am unsure how Power won that race? Did they use the bigger fuel tank? Seemed odd that car could go that much further than the rest of the field. Either way, Power lookes primed for the championship. He could DNF all the ovals and I doubt it would matter. Unless the same one or two guys finishes on the podium with Power every race, this will be over well before Fontana.
For marketing reasons Penske cars are allowed to use the gas tank from the Penske 26 foot moving trucks.
Just the extra half gallon no one is supposed to use:) This Power guy can't be that good can he?
The TV commentary kept making a big deal about how far Power was going. He only went 1 or 2 laps further than several drivers (and seems to have run out of fuel during his victory lap). The TV kept pointing out how much further he went than Barrichello but Barrichello might have had 7 laps of fuel left when he pitted with ~8 to go. Once he knew he was not going to have the fuel to make it to the end (even 1/2 a lap short) it makes sense to pit in case a yellow comes out and bunches the field up. Plus Barrichello might have been more sensitive to his fuel running low since he actually ran out at the end of the race earlier this season. i.e. just because Power went 8 more laps than Barrichello does not mean he actually had 8 laps better fuel economy than him.
Many people have been critical of Danica Patrick's win in Motegi because it was a "fuel mileage" race, but when Penske with Will Power win a "fuel mileage" race, it is chalked up to "brilliant strategy". Hell, most races now involve a strong element of fuel mileage strategy including Nascar races. While I appreciate the skill it took for Will Power to do what he did, it was more fun for me to watch Pagenuad just let 'er rip!


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Many GMAT test-takers are often confused by how scores are generated for the test. Lots of this confusion stems from the seemingly straight-forward, but not easily explained, notion of a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT).
The confusion is pervasive enough, it seems, that GMAC often makes a point to clarify what a CAT is and does at various conferences, on their website, and on their official GMAT Blog. In a recent blog post, Dr. Eileen Talento-Miller provided some information about how CATs are designed and how they function in a way that even us lay-people can understand. Dr. Talento-Miller is a Ph.D.-certified psychometrician, and in many respects she does a sound job laying out the CAT basics in an easy-to-digest fashion.
While the basic function and characteristics of the test are clearly outlined, a couple aspects of the test could stand a bit more inspection to better clarify them for test-takers.
Number of Questions Answered Correctly
One chief question is what role the number questions answered plays in determining your score. In Dr. Talento-Miller's blog post she states that "how many questions you completed" is a determining factor in generating scores. While this is true, some research of our own indicates a wide range of possible scores for a similar number of questions answered correctly. We studied a number of test results from the GMATPrep software that GMAC provides test-takers (and touts as using "The same technology used by the official GMAT exam"). And well…we noticed some interesting (and disconcerting) trends. Here's what we found on the correlation between scores and number of questions answered correctly when we analyzed results for the Quantitative portion of the test:
GMATPrep Quant Score
# of Questions Correct
12 – 13
10 – 15
12 – 17
16 – 20
12 – 13
21 – 25
15 – 19
26 – 30
15 – 21
31 – 35
16 – 21
36 – 40
15 – 24
41 – 45
19 – 23
46 – 50
21 – 26
The right column contains the ranges of questions answered correctly for the score ranges in the left column. When we first saw this we thought, "What? Really? So someone can get the same number of questions correct and end up with either a 22 or a 38? Really? Someone with 23 questions correct can get a 36 or a 50? Really?"
Apparently it's true. We looked at more GMAT Prep results and the ranges more or less played out the same way. Which kind of defies expectation. We accept that the estimated ability component does play a role, but that the impact would be so great that the number of questions you get correct is almost irrelevant seems to defy logic.
Importance of Individual Questions
In her blog post, Dr. Talento-Miller says that "all the questions are important." This may be true to some extent, but how true exactly is anyone's guess. In reviewing hundreds of GMATPrep results, question by question, what we found is that there is no precise way to ascertain how the scores are generated from one question to the next. To some degree or another we believe the following factors may impact your score:
- Location – Test-takers who score well at the beginning of the test tend to score better overall on each section than test-takers who don't if other more quantifiable measures are constant (total number of questions correct, for example). This would indicate that questions near the beginning of the section impact score more than those later on, but we've also seen a number of instances where this isn't the case.
- Consecutive sets of Right/Wrong – Research also indicates that sets of consecutive right or wrong answers impact scoring beyond what would be expected of the aggregate increase in score over that stretch. The degree to which this circumstance impacts score is, again, indeterminate, and may depend on whether questions in that run are discriminating questions.
- Discriminating questions – In looking at so many test results, we found that a difference in score between two otherwise similar test results often comes down to different results for a couple specific questions in a section. How and to what degree these distinctions impact score is unclear, but it leads us to believe that at some point test-takers are given discriminating questions that have a greater impact on the score than others.
- Discriminating results – It also appears that responses to different difficulty level questions impact scores in different ways. Getting a hard question wrong is less detrimental to your score than getting an easy question wrong, as getting the former wrong is more likely to be the "unexpected" result for a given question.
What these circumstances establish is that the GMAT is a highly sophisticated test, one for which the algorithms and mechanisms used to generate scores cannot be easily replicated. Consequently, the GMAT is a very difficult test to "game" from a holistic strategy standpoint. Other standardized tests present the opportunity – whether large or small – to improve one's score not through learning material but from an effective strategy for managing the test. The GMAT thwarts such strategies. Given this, there are a few things you want to take into account as you're preparing to take the GMAT:
1. Yes, all questions on the GMAT are "important," which is to say they all matter or count in some way towards your score. What's left out here is that they're not all equally important. How important is each question? We don't know, but what we do know is that they're not all equal.
2. Because all the questions aren't all equal, it's at a minimum ambiguous to tell test-takers to "just answer every question to the best of your ability within the time allotted." Don't let this statement confuse you. You DO NOT need to WORK every question, but you DO need to supply an answer for every question (even if you don't spend any time working it). For most test-takers it is tough to actually solve every question in the allotted time without a significant drop in accuracy, so while working on every question is the goal you need to develop a solid alternative if you cannot do that.
3. The number of questions you answer correctly appears to have much less impact on your score (assuming you answer a minimum number correct) than would be expected given that this test evaluates and compares candidates. The bottom line is this: you should have a pacing approach developed and honed through practice that allows you the best chance to answer correctly as many questions as you can. There is no set way to go about this (see this post: Aesop's Fables about GMAT timing), but the numbers show that you shouldn't be compelled to necessarily rush through the test to get through all the questions.
4. Because the correlation between number of questions answered correctly and score is so loose, many test-takers would benefit from slowing down. While everyone has this notion of the "two-minute average" as the optimal timing for the GMAT, results would indicate otherwise. If question difficulty has a greater impact on scores than does number of questions answered. Slowing down enough to allow you to achieve greater accuracy while answering enough questions may be better than trying to reach the "two-minute average" mark to answer all questions in a section.
5. Be leery of anyone touting a specific test-taking strategy designed to get your score up. The bottom line is this: to do better on the GMAT you need to improve your knowledge base and your ability to answer questions (and harder questions) correctly more often. Your test-taking strategy will need to be determined on the basis of your testing practice and history, and honed as you take more practice tests to better understand yourself as a GMAT test-taker.
Until Next Time…

subset: commoncrawl


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Still, No Wars Between Democracies
[First published April 7, 2006] This morning I came across two blogs (here, and here) that relied on Matthew White's page to dismiss the democratic peace. Since White continues to have influence on the democratic peace debate, I have a few words to say on his statistics.
Thanks to Dean Esmay for referring me to Matthew White's page that raises questions about the democratic peace. I know of White's useful Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century , and have used his statistics in my own research. He is careful, thoughtful, and systematic in what he presents, so when he questions the democratic peace, he has to be answered.
First, he presents the pros and cons about the various possible exceptions to the democratic peace. Keep in mind that the democratic peace, among other propositions, says that democracies don't make war on each other. So, a true negative example thunders against this. Many have been proposed such exceptions, such as the War of 1812, the Boar War, WWI and Germany, democratic Finland being allied with Hitler in WWII, and the American Civil War. The sheer number of these exceptions and the weight of all the pros that White provides gives the impression that there has to be something to at least one or more of them. I have not studied them all, but those I have spent some time on in my own research, such as Germany in WWI, the case of Finland, the Boar War, and the Civil War simply cannot be treated as true exceptions. Others who have investigated these possible exceptions, in addition to the rest of them on White's list, agree. In particular, I point you to Bruce Russett's Grasping the Democratic Peace, James Lee Ray's Democracy and International Conflict, and Spencer R. Weart's, Never At War. Russett and Ray are political scientists, Weart is an historian. See also my democratic peace bibliography and my Q & A, which answers questions about some of these supposed exceptions (use the search command to find them).
After going through the exceptions, White concludes that the democratic peace depends on the definition of democracy and war. Researchers know this, of course, and have done different things about it. One is to collect their own data according to very clear, replicable criteria, while others have used data on democracy and war that have a wide reputation for their validity. Two sources especially have been important. One is the statistics on war collected by Melvin Small and J. David Singer, such as their data on wars from 1816 to 1992. I have used this in my research (see the table in the upper right here) as have hundreds of others. I should say that Small and Singer do not accept the democratic peace, which makes their classification of wars and democracies since 1816 particularly important. For democracy, in addition to the Small and Singer classification, which I am one of the few to use, there is the very popular and respected Polity data, which provides a scale for measuring the degree to which a country is democratic or autocratic. For an additional data set used in replicating the democratic peace, go here.
What is noteworthy about all these different data on democracy and war whose definitions or criteria slightly differ, is that those using them have come out with the same conclusions: there is a democratic peace. Replications have well established this to the point that students of international relations say it is the best-tested proposition in the field and almost has the status of a law.
Now, Mathew White lists 39 wars 1945-1999, and says that six "might have been between democracies," which means they might not have been, but still he makes much of it in calculating the probability of this happening by chance. Rather than deal with his "might have been," I'm going to actually collect data from two sources on democracy and international violence between countries. The source I will use for violence is compiled by Monty G. Marshall on "Major Episodes of Political Violence 1946-2004;" for democracy, I will use Freedom's House's "All Country Ratings from 1972-2003" (Sorry, I can't find it on their stupidly remodeled website). Freedom House is not a proponent of the democratic peace (I don't recall them ever mentioning it), so we can treat their data as independent of this proposition. Similarly with Marshall, who along with Ted Gurr, is the author of the Peace and Conflict Survey 2005 that I referred to in a former blog for ignoring the democratic peace.
From Marshall's data, I'll include as violence any that is indicated in his data as "international." This is a hard test, since it includes violence short of war. From Freedom House, I will use their Free (F) rating of a country for a year as defining a liberal democracy in terms of civil liberties and political rights.
First, how many liberal democracies are there versus the total number of countries. For five years spans after 1972 and ending with 2003 (year, number of liberal democracies, total number of countries):
1972, 43, 148
1975, 39, 158
1980, 50, 162
1985, 55, 166
1990, 64, 165
1995, 75, 191
2000, 85, 192
2003, 87, 192
Now, for the classification of violence between types of regimes (F = free, PF = partly free, NF = not free, where F-F = between free countries, etc.)
So, between which countries is there the least violence? Between liberal democracies. Which countries are the most violent towards each other? Nondemocracies. All as precisely predicted by the democratic peace.
A note on statistical tests. Think of this subjectively. Here you have all these liberal democracies for each of thirty-one years, and none of them have violence between them. This is not a matter of just five or ten democracies, but by the end of the 1990s, there are over eighty. This number is not my reckoning, but that of Freedom House. And by Marshall's data, in spite of so many democracies, none had violence between them vs. 20 cases of violence between the nonfree ones during these years.
Now, some people don't like subjective statistics, so lets calculate the probability. There are 46 cases of international violence, and six alternative ways that could occur (e.g., F-F, or PF-PF). Let the number 1 stand for the F-F alternative, and the other five numbers for each of the others. Throw a six-numbered die 46 times, and what is the probability that it will never come up with a 1? The probability that it will not come up a 1 in one throw is 5/6. So, the probability of no 1 in 46 throws is 5/6 to the 46th power (assuming each case of violence is independent), which is a probability of happening by chance of 8.02E-36, or about the probability of one being hit by a meteor.
Obviously, there has to be something more than chance here. And what is that something? Surprise. It is two countries having democratic governments. That is, the democratic peace.
Link of Note
"DOES DEMOCRACY CAUSE PEACE?" By James Lee Ray. In Annual. Review of Political Science 1998. 1:27-46.
The idea that democratic states have not fought and are not likely to fight interstate wars against each other runs counter to the realist and neorealist theoretical traditions that have dominated the field of international politics. Since the mid-1970s, the generation of new data and the development of superior analytical techniques have enabled evaluators of the idea to generate impressive empirical evidence in favor of the democratic peace proposition, which is reinforced by substantial theoretical elaboration. Some critics argue that common interests during the Cold War have been primarily responsible for peace among democracies, but both statistical evidence and intuitive arguments cast doubt on that contention. It has also been argued that transitions to democracy can make states war-prone, but that criticism too has been responded to persuasively. The diverse empirical evidence and developing theoretical bases that support the democratic peace proposition warrant confidence in its validity.
RJR: It is Ray who should be referenced on the democratic peace, and not Matthew White. But, that is too much to expect out of the isolationist libertarian crowd that frequently quotes him.


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Hello other nz atheists.
I think Iain is right, not many problems caused by the religious here. You might want to have a look at the NZARH and there's a Facebook group that opposes religion in education: https://www.facebook.com/groups/211000182273935/
Generally, Kiwiland is pretty secular and the problems aren't all that insurmountable. There are some crazies here too though, Brian Tamaki for example.
I never was terribly religious myself even though I spent an inordinate amount of time in church, Sunday school and youth groups.
Perhaps Skeptics in the pub is more your thing? There is a group that meets regularly in Auckland.
Hi Josh,
I suspect that you might be right that there isn't much activity due to the secular nature of NZ. I think we are relatively blessed, so to speak, that we don't have massive religious vs. atheist wars here in NZ and there is not much bigotry or religion-based politics that dominates social and political discourse. I think that many Kiwis are probably atheist but have never had to think about religion and don't necessarily care about discussing it. I care, but that's because of my personal history. I'd be interested in finding a group of ex-believers (rather than people who are atheist 'by default'). I'm guessing they'd have more to say on the topic.
Hello, just joined up the other day and slightly disappointed to see that the NZ activity seems rather low. Is it because there's not that much that needs to be discussed in NZ due to the high % of non religious people? Or am I missing the active groups? Would be nice to talk about the NZ perspective.
I've always wanted to come up with "the next power band" invention.
"through the magic of quantum physics and the discovery of some unique property of this item, you now get a plausible sounding effect for a price you are willing to pay"
i'll be rich, scamming people for money. Especially if I get on Oprah! I could totally get on Oprah!
I've always thought I could make a ton of money by going into the fake rhino horn business. I mean, it doesn't actually do anything so there'd be no way to tell the face from the real once it's powdered and the stuff sells, ounce for ounce, for more than gold.
I figure a bit of Chemistry and some Chinese connections and I'd be filthy rich and the Rhino's would carry on living and nobody would even know the difference.
I think the Royal Society should have been a little more critical while still endorsing regulation.
TCM doesn't work but neither does prayer and nobody is trying to outlaw prayer because it's not practical.
Regulation is the next best thing but we shouldn't be happy about it.
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text:
The Educators Band—an off-shoot of the same-named group that came together in Washington, DC and made "Everybody Doing Their Thing (Parts 1 & 2)" (Dy-Rich DM 4538) there in the mid 1970s—is open for business:
Leader/saxophonist Ricco Richardson moved to South Carolina a few years after producing that funky 45 with Clifton Dyson, and he has been there ever since. Merging with a local group, Blackrock, and combining names as "Blackrock Educators", Richardson was involved in their rarity "Isn't It Nice" b/w "Give Into Love", released on Bobby Cohen's eponymous imprint in 1979. The Blackrock affiliation did not last very long, and Richardson reverted to his band's original handle. In addition to the dynamic sax-man, the current line-up also consists of Gregg Johnson (lead guitar), Thomas Kelsey (bass guitar; ex-Profiles Band and Revue* of "Boo-Koo-Stump" Carolina Soul fame), and Tim Faber (drums; also ex-Profiles Band and Revue). Local South Carolinian "James Brown, Jr." is available on request.
*Note: "Profiles" was actually a typographical error for "Profilers". The defunct Columbia, South Carolina outfit is still remembered locally by their correct band name. Some music enthusiasts in town also remember their unmistakably-titled synthesizer-funk jam, "Boo-Koo-Stump" (Columbia World Of Music 0055-J), which you can hear at the end of this entry.
The current line-up again, in picture form (in upper advertisement only), from left to right, Kelsey, Johnson, Faber, and Richardson:
"Boo-Koo-Stump" by Profiles Band and Revue
Posted by Jason at 08:54 PM. Filed under: South Carolina • Columbia •


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Stop The Gender Comparisons
Although I have some fairly deep-rooted political opinions, I've never aired them here, nor have I ever been considered an advocate for any particular cause. Race relations or climate change? I tend to leave those to the politicians. Animal rights? Bob Barker and Sarah McLachlan seem to have that covered. Gender equity? Normally, I'll leave that up to the NCAA. But there is something about that last subject that is starting to irritate me.
Being the grumpy old curmudgeon that I am, some will probably be surprised at my stance on this. Others won't be surprised at all.
A woman racing in the IZOD IndyCar series is nothing new. When Janet Guthrie first made the grid for the 1977 Indianapolis 500, it ruffled a few feathers of the old guard, but was treated by the press as mostly a novelty act. Janet raced at the Brickyard for three years, earning a best finish of ninth in 1978. The Speedway would not see another woman driver again until 1992; when Lyn St. James won Rookie of the Year, finishing eleventh in her first of seven Indianapolis 500 starts. Her last race at Indy, in 2000, was also Sarah Fisher's first. The past decade saw many female racers grace the famed oval. Like their male counterparts, some were good drivers – some weren't.
It's safe to say that the current crop of female drivers is the best ever. While Danica Patrick may irritate many with her off-track lifestyle, she generally brings a car home in one piece with a decent finish. Such a reputation may not mesh well with her glitzy off-track persona, but many drivers should be envious of her results.
Although I'm not as well versed in the up and coming stars of tomorrow as some, I know that the females coming up behind her are primed to reach even higher goals. My fellow grumpy old blogger, Pressdog, has had an ongoing series of the "Women of Pressdog" in which he profiles and interviews just about every current and future female driver.
Simona de Silvestro has been turning heads with her driving savvy and unassuming demeanor. Ana Beatriz fared well in her debut at Brazil and at Indianapolis last year, before being taken out in the Mike Conway crash. This season she has been hampered by a broken wrist, which required surgery after the first race of the season. Pippa Mann has been long overdue for a ride in the IZOD IndyCar Series. It finally happened yesterday, as it was announced that she has snagged a ride with Eric Bachelart's Conquest Racing in the No. 36 for this year's Indianapolis 500.
So what is my gripe? Most mainstream media seem to only allow comparisons of these drivers to other female drivers. I'm not talking about the racing media – they know better. I'm talking about the mainstream media. Unfortunately, that's where the majority of people get the basis for their opinions. It seems to be a "best in class" comparison. I think most true IndyCar fans got over the novelty of a woman driver long ago. I have grown tired of listening to Simona de Silvestro being compared only to Danica Patrick, Sarah Fisher or Ana Beatriz. How about comparing her to other young drivers who happen to be driving for underfunded teams? I think a more fair comparison is Simona to JR Hildebrand, Ana Beatriz to James Jakes or Pippa Mann to her new teammate, Sebastian Saavedra.
Why not compare Danica to Ryan Briscoe? They both came on the scene in 2005. One drives for one of the two best teams in the business; while the other is with a team that has struggled the last few years. One suffers from brain fades and has torn up a fair share of equipment; while another sometimes seems to lack aggression but usually takes care of the equipment.
To compare female drivers only to each other is an insult to them as well as fans. It demeans the female drivers while it insults the intelligence of fans. Although she is coming off of a rough weekend, I think Simona de Silvestro is a great driver. She's not a great female driver – she's a great driver. I would love to see what she could do in a Penske or Ganassi car.
The other side of this argument is that I think it serves no one to shield a female driver from criticism. As with any subset of drivers; American or foreign, black or white, male or female, Democrat or Republican, Catholic or Protestant – you will have some very good drivers and some very bad drivers. You will have some that are very likeable and some very easy to dislike. Some will warrant criticism in heavy doses, while others will seem to constantly get a pass.
If I criticize Milka Duno's on-track behavior, does that make me a sexist or a bully? No – although some seemed to think so last year, when I was chastised for criticizing her driving. Why is it OK to ridicule Dennis Vitolo or Dr. Jack Miller, but Milka Duno is considered hands-off?
In 1977, Al Unser was vilified for saying he thought Janet Guthrie was a bad driver. He was considered a caveman for seemingly not wanting women in the race. Although he explained that he had nothing against women drivers – just that particular driver; in the eyes of many, he was an evil sexist.
So what is my point with this rant? It's simple. Be fair. Treat all drivers equally. Some women can drive, while some can't. Some men can drive, while some can't. Danica Patrick excels on ovals. So does Tony Kanaan. Simona excels on road courses. So does Justin Wilson. If given the chance to run a full season, I think Pippa Mann could excel on both – as does Mike Conway. The female drivers shouldn't be put in a box to compete only against each other.
So if Brent Musburger is thinking about doing a segment in the middle of this year's Indianapolis 500 about how the women are doing – he needs to give it a rest. Other than celebrating the Women of Pressdog – let's just compare all the drivers on the basis of their teams and driving abilities.
George Phillips
36 Responses to "Stop The Gender Comparisons"
I don't know if I would say racing fans accepted female drivers long ago – IndyCar fans have. Females in F1??? That is definitely still seen as novelty. Females in NASCAR??? Maybe a little ahead of F1, but still much more of a novelty than IndyCars – the ground is currently being broken by Danica. Honestly, Simona is the first female I truely view equally to the guys. It is hard to view Danica equally with all the special treatment she has gotten over the years. It's the same thing as Marco, if she wasn't female or if Marco wasn't an Andretti, based only on their resumes, they would have been out of the series years ago. Simona isn't winning fans with the SI swimsuit issue, she is winning fans by consistently driving the wheels off an underfunded car. And she is really the first female to do that – in any top series. Anyway, good article and points George.
I agree that Simona is the first female driver in wheeled racing, outside of drag racing, to really stand on her own merits as a race driver who is demonstrating that she can and does compete well with all others in the series.
She is my choice to be the first regular winner in Indycar who happens to be a female.
The "special treatment" Danica has gotten is from not being afraid to be a pretty girl in and out of the cockpit. That's the thing I celebrate about her.
In the 70's, the women had to flex a bicep to be taken anything as serious.
Danica is refusing that.
Sure, she can be huge butthead when she's competing.
I could dig up a good list of guys who have done the same thing.
She's normal.
No man in the car is the same guy he is at home with his kid.
No woman should be expected be anything other than what she is out of the car.
When they get in, they're "Drivers". That's all they are for the day.
We're in the midst of a rising tide and it's a good one.
Danica has a win on the oval.
Simona is ready to push the field on courses.
And here comes Pippa Mann in the Indy500 to add another kick towards the regularity.
They'll be seen differently because it IS different.
But these "chicks" are the real thing.
They're drivers.
Danica is a driver.
I'm a driver.
Danica is not a successful racer like Dario, Scott, Will, Helio, Ryan, her teammate Ryan, her other teammate, Mike…
The opportunities for female drivers in Indycar is one of the best things about Indycar. Indycar is virtually unique in the world of sport, a major series that allows men and women to compete on an equal basis.
That's something I like about it, too. Another good melting pot is drag racing – for some reason, there is a lot of diversity in the NHRA.
You make some excellent points, George. But I have to disagree on one thing. You say the racing media knows better? Even the racing media still stoop to women-women comparisons. Case in point, have you seen today's article in the Indianapolis Star on Pippa Mann's signing. It mostly points out comparisons to the other three female drivers on the entry list. There is still a long way to go before Simona, Pippa and Ana are recognized for their driving abilities. Another great post.
The Indianapolis Star is a racing magazine or racing newspaper or racing TV network or racing TV show on a sports network?
Driving wise I could care less about how many X chromosomes a driver has so long as they have the talent. And THAT is the key point. Having the talent. Too often they throw a female body in the seat (*cough*cough*MilkaDuno*cough*) simply because she's a woman and CAN drive… just not very well.
Honestly I can't blame the teams all that much. Given two drivers, one male and one female, of similar driving ability and I'll take the female any day simply on the basis of marketing ability.
Let's be honest, even if she is a backmarker she's going to get media attention. We know who all the female drivers are, whether they start P3 or P33. We can probably name maybe 20 of the other 29 male drivers.
I was there when Janet Guthrie qualified for a spot on the 500 grid as well as when Lyn St. James did in 1992. I think that we all forget that Mary Fendrich Hulman was the board chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and gave the command to "start your engines." Today that command is given by Mari and I have always been good with that.
The Lapper
I'm a fleabit peanut monkey
Hey Lap! Tony Hulman gave that command in 1977. He also changed it to say "In company with the first woman to drive at Indianapolis…Gentlemen, Start Your Engines". WTF does that have to do with anything anyway??
Hey Tamp! The point is that a woman was running the show or wasn't that obvious to you?
The Lapper
I'm a fleabit peanut monkey
Honestly George, it doesn't help that Danica keeps doing those risqué Go Daddy commercials. I was a Danica fan until she hired her new PR company that keeps her 10 times as busy with marketing and doesn't let her focus on IndyCar. I hope she does well. I hope she wins. But I'm not rooting for her anymore like I'm rooting for Simona. Google search pictures of Simona. Are there any glamor shot photos with wind-blown hair and slinky silk shirts like you'd find with Danica, Milka, or Pippa? If the girls want to be considered more than a novelty then they need to succeed on the track (i.e. win) and stop letting others market their sex appeal.
While I agree they need to back it up with race results, boring pictures of them sitting on a pit wall with their hair in a ponytail isn't going to bring in sponsorship money… and THAT really is what racing is all about.
If the guys COULD do it, you know damn well they would.
That last sentence rings especially true.
The only male IndyCar drivers that immediately come to mind as being noted for their looks are Arie Luyendyke (one of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in 1992) and Peter Revson, though I don't think either one received much sponsorship because of their looks.
NASCAR sponsors, however, have highlighted the looks of certain male drivers for years. Anyone remember Allstate's Kasey Kahne ads, where that group of women get distracted by his looks and keep running into things with their car? How about Dodge, Jeremy Mayfield, and the woman with octane 93 perfume? Gillette's "Young Guns"? The list goes on…
I thought that racing was about winning.
And winning races and championships garners $pon$or$hip. Sponsors have given a hundred million dollars to Penske and Ganassi because their cars are televised leading races and their racers stand on podiums wearing sponsors' insignias.
Danica is smiling all the way to the bank. She could buy, then sell me twenty times.
I have only one problem with your logic: That is that while Danica may be a marketing machine, she is also one of the few that there is in the INDYCAR series. That, in and of itself, is GOOD for the series as a whole.
Aside from Helio's excursion into the DWTS universe, name me one other current INDYCAR driver that has crossed over into other demographics. Sure, Mario has, but he's been long since retired. Marco is trying, but it's hard to be believable selling razors when it appears you barely shave. Dario has a famous wife, but as yet, he's not a pitchman for anything significant.
Sad part is, when Danica makes her exit to NASCAR at the end of this year, who's going to take her place representing INDYCAR?
Sure, SImona is a talent on road courses, but is she ready to step up and be the face of the series? Is ANYONE?
Well said, George, although I agree with Simon Garfunkel that the racing media can be the worst offenders at times. How often have we been subjected to 20 minutes of watching Danica toddle around in 18th simply because she's Danica?
Amen brother George. It's truly a shame we still have to have this conversation. I think it starts and ends w the media and how they choose to cover all drivers. True while women are 50% of the population and (appx) 2% of all racing drivers, I understand the 'novelty' of it all, but it's been SEVEN YEARS since Danica tore up Indy and got on the cover of SI.
I think it was Lyn St. James who made a very salient point on TV. She said something to effect that "the car doesn't know if I'm a man or a woman". If the media adopted the same attitude, they could then focus on stories about the drivers, not about gender.
I love this post and agree with it 100%! I have been saying for years that people need to stop saying "she did well, for a girl". I also however feel like there is a double standard when it comes to male and female drivers' off track activity. It is perfectly acceptable for a male driver to be in magazines with his shirt off or to guest star on television shows. But when a female driver is even hints off camera that she is a woman by having her hair done or taking pictures in a bikini (something most women wear), there is a backlash of people talking about how she is detracting from the sport. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any driver having a life aside from racing. They are not just race car drivers, they are people that driver race cars.
When has a rookie driver ever appeared in a magazine with his shirt off? Really? I'll be honest that I'm shocked to hear that.
And who complains about women drivers guest staring on TV shows. The issue isn't exposure or even of sponsorship. It's an issue of trying to convince the racing media/public that women in racing are more than just sexy trophy girls. And routinely finishing out of the top 10 while appearing in sophomoric commercials where other women rip their shirts off followed by a "WARNING: WEB CONTENT NOT RATED" disclaimer doesn't help the cause.
Agreed: "It's an issue of trying to convince the racing media/public that women in racing are more than just sexy trophy girls. And routinely finishing out of the top 10 while appearing in sophomoric" ads.
I don't see Dario, Scott, Will, Helio, Ryan, Ryan, Tony, etcetera posing spread-eagle in Speedos for women's magazines then never win another race then lose sponsors Argent, Motorola, Boost Mobile…
I have no problem with Danica posing in Sports Illistrated or vamping in the Go Daddy commercials. She has proven her moxie to me as a driver and I think she is very easy on the eyes. With that said, why would any race fan want to see Dario in a Speedo spread-eagle?
Simona fan had said. "It's an issue of trying to convince the racing media/public that women in racing are more than just sexy trophy girls. And routinely finishing out of the top 10 while appearing in sophomoric (ads) doesn't help the cause."
If one is all-hat, no cattle, one is not taken seriously by USA Today or Us Weekly or Good Morning America or wherever consumers' attention is. They're viewed as novelties – 'Look at what she's wearing in that GoDaddy ad' and 'Did you see her in FHM? Wow!'
Real racers don't strip down to pose to try to win attention. They race hard, they're seen and photographed while winning, they gain sponsors, and people don't say, well, (s)he races pretty well for his/her gender.
Real racers do whatever they want to do and if a real racer wants to pose for FHM and can while also gaining sponsors, then they do it. Case closed.Danica, by the way, has had no trouble with any of that and to deny the fact that she is a real racer is absurd.
This is what you come up with after Long Beach? A new winner and Penske problems. Viso driving like Milka (like that? I compared snake to a female!), Andretti continuing to drive like an idiot, and an Indy Lights race dominated by two Anericans who are F1 threats and you write a puff piece on female drivers?
Not that George needs defending, but he can write anything he damn well pleases, it's his blog. But obviously from the number of comments he's hit upon a topic that is interestingl and semi-controversial to Indycar fans, both M and F. Why is it a "puff piece?" Because the subject is female drivers?
My comments in Monday's post about Willy T. Ribbs' broadcasting might be considered a "puff piece". Today's post does not seem to fit the bill.
You are either using an odd definition of puffery or you are interpreting today's commentary as exaggerated and uncritical support of something (female drivers?).
In any event, George's typical schedule has him writing 3 more posts before his obligatory Sao Paulo preview. He can go 3 for 4 with your suggested topics if he so chooses, but I wouldn't expect that.
Actually, the fact that George goes off-topic is the reason I go to oilpressure. Everyone else has the predictable "Helio should be penalized" rant. George tends to give us off-beat subjects that actually make us think. …just sayin'.
Damn there's two JP's out there…
I'm still me not sure who the other guy is…
Sometimes an issue that seems like it is no longer an issue for some people remains an issue in other areas not so enlightened. Yes women are established and can and should be evaluated by their accomplishments and results. But IndyCar is a niche sport both here and worldwide, second to nascar and F1. In neither of those series has the gender door been kicked in and until it is and genderblindness permeates those series as well, Mr Casual racing fan/media member will view Women in IndyCar as a novelty for the sport as a whole. I put some thoughts down on this a few months ago…for what they're worth…
All this discussion about Danica in GoDaddy ads and SI and whether the guys would do this etc… We all have a problem with any driver who reaches a level of celebrity totally disproportionate to their results on track. If you are a guy without a famous last name and you are best known for one fuel mileage win and leading a few laps at Indy, you might get a season or two and you are out – at least with the top teams and if you are not a ride buyer. Same results from a cute, young, American female, you become one of the biggest celebrities in sports – bigger than any of the very most successful IndyCar drivers of the last twenty years! I have a problem with that. Of course, the media, spnsors, and advertisers did this. Most fans are over it, we are way past the novelty – we don't judge her as a female, we judge her as a driver – by results. She doesn't get a pass from us from being a mediocre at best driver because she is female. The media shouldn't either. I guess that's why I find Simona so appealing.
If you're basing Danica's ability on results…..then I wonder what you think of Simona? I can't even remember the last time she finished on the lead lap of an oval except Indy last year…
[…] Oilpressure: Stop The Gender Comparisons George makes the great point that TV coverage, reports, the written media, fans, and even the drivers themselves should stop acting as though women racers are taking part in a sub-class of the main race. It is time for driver comparisons to be based on ability alone. […]


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I am trying to write a code in Phys2d in which an object(BOX) is supposed to be moved from location A to location B with the Velocity of 2 m/s in certain direction let suppose North.
I'm new to this game programming specially physics & I don't know how should i have to set the velocity...I just read in few demos (they wern't even clear )
following is the code but box is not moving, do I need to apply force as well??
... new Box("Truck",10.0f, 10.0f, 100.0f);
Truck.setPosition(262, 184);
Truck.adjustVelocity(new Vector2f(0f, -35f));
any help will be highly appreciated...
--- Update ---
Sorry after spending some time, I finally figured out that I made a mistake by defining object as static after declaring it as dynamic Code is working fine... the box is moving with certain velocity in upward direction because of (negative) velocity and falls down due to gravity... Still i m wondering how should I move Box from Location (x,y) to Location2(x,y).... Is there any way to have a look of sky view because here things fall from top to bottom?Huh any help??


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David Coleman Dukes (June 6, 1945 – October 9, 2000) was an American character actor.
Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a highway patrolman. He had a long career in films, appearing in 35; and as a television guest star, notably as the man who attempted to rape Edith Bunker on All in the Family, a blind bully on Three's Company, and during the 1980s in the dual miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. He received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his role in The Josephine Baker Story (1991) and appeared as Arthur Miller in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996). He was also a regular in the first season of Sisters as the transvestite doctor husband of oldest sister Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), and appeared occasionally as the character in subsequent seasons. On Dawson's Creek, he had a recurring role as Mr. McPhee, the father to Jack (Kerr Smith) and Andie (Meredith Monroe) from the second through fourth seasons.
Dukes had extensive stage experience, first appearing on Broadway in 1971 and later in a revival of Molière's The School for Wives. He also played such colorful roles as Dracula, Doctor Frankenstein, and Antonio Salieri in the original production of Amadeus — replacing Ian McKellen. He won plaudits when he replaced John Lithgow in the original production of David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly and a Tony nomination in 1980 for best featured actor in a play for Bent.


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Actor James Beaman turns to Quincy to prepare for his role as John Adams in "1776" at the Cape Playhouse.
Touring the Quincy home of John Adams, actor James Beaman came face to face with an oil portrait hanging in a hallway.
"There's John," he said, as though seeing himself in the mirror.
After landing his dream role as John Adams in the musical "1776," Beaman has been on a mission to get to know the man who was key to the passage of the Declaration of Independence and who became the second president of the United States.
"When I come onstage as John Adams, I want to feel as if I were him," said Beaman, 48, a New York City actor who grew up in Beverly. "Even when I'm in a musical, I want to immerse myself in the character."
Weeks before the show runs July 7-19 at the Cape Playhouse, Beaman walked where Adams did and held letters Adams and his wife, Abigail, exchanged over many years. He toured the three Adams homes at the Adams National Historical Site – his birthplace, the home where he raised his family and the Old House at Peace Field, where he lived before he became president. And he visited the Massachusetts Historical Society, where he was able to read correspondence and hold 240-year-old letters.
"It deepened and made real my understanding of who he was, especially his relationship with his wife," Beaman said. "When you are holding a letter that both John and Abigail held in their hands, it makes it tangible."
Beaman will share the story of his preparation in a blog he is writing for BroadwayWorld.com.
Winner of the 1969 Tony Award for Best Musical, "1776" is the story – mostly accurate – of Adams' fight to persuade the 12 other delegations of the Continental Congress to declare independence from Britain.
From a comical early song "Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve," where Adams sings "I'm convinced the only purpose this Congress ever had was to gather here to drive John Adams mad," it builds in tension to the song "Is Anybody There?," a passionate, then plaintive song where he asks "Does Anybody Care, Does Anybody See What I See?"
Beaman, who has an acting degree from Boston University, considers John Adams one of the great leading roles for men.
"John Adams is the engine of the play," he said. "He pushed for independence at a time when the majority of the Congress didn't want to go there. They were basically committing treason. He brought urgency with him."
Beaman said treating this historical watershed as a musical gives it emotional resonance.
"People in daily life don't break out into song, but by creating it as a musical rather than a straight play, it gives the audience a chance to feel with these people and enjoy them, not just revere them or feel like they're listening to a lot of history being spewed at them."
When he sings "Till Then" and "Yours, Yours, Yours" with Abigail, Adams seems to transcend time.
"These songs open a window into the man who was a loving husband and father, and they give him a great deal of dimension," Beaman said. "The song "Yours, Yours, Yours" is almost entirely derived from actual words they said to each other."
With many credits in regional productions and at Shakespeare festivals but no role on Broadway, Beaman faced a very skeptical casting director. In fact, he had auditioned and failed to land his dream role nearly a dozen times.
"I was the underdog and up against some formidable actors, but I knew the material so well that (in the audition), I performed it instead of read it," said Beaman, who recently played Max in "The Sound of Music" at North Shore Music Theatre. "For years, I've felt it's a role I needed to play because it embodies who I am. He was a short, opinionated and passionate man who didn't take any guff, and I share that with him."
Though everyone knows that Adams prevails, the show creates tension. Will Adams persuade the other delegates to sever ties from and go to war with England?
"If the musical is done right, the audience gets caught up in the obstacles and the debates and people should be on edge of their seats wondering how it will play out," Beaman said.
Jody Feinberg may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.


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At times, it seems like Barack Obama has time-traveled back to last summer when he was simply a Democrat running for the White House. Only now, he's the president facing a more complicated objective and opponent as he campaigns to overhaul the nation's costly and convoluted health care system.
Yet, there he was last Wednesday, jetting to this Virginia town to talk to supermarket workers from a platform between the bakery and deli. Earlier, he bounded onto a flag-draped stage at a North Carolina high school to cheers from an adoring throng of two thousand. At both sites, he made remarks, took questions and shook hands with fans.
He also recently appeared at an interest group forum, AARP, toured the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and lent his starpower to Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey at political events — typical stops when he was the Democratic nominee.
Obama's pitch has been the same everywhere: Congress must quickly pass health care legislation; this is not "socialized medicine" that Republicans decry; people who have health care will not lose it.
At each stop, Obama is his usual wonky professor yet charming everyman self, clad in his usual dark suit and tie, fielding the usual offbeat questions with ease and playing by his usual rules: "I'm just going to call on people as they raise their hand. I'll go girl, boy, girl, boy so that people don't think I'm biased."
Just like his 2008 campaign — but not.
Six months into his presidency, Obama's campaign-trail approach to curry favor with the public seems virtually unchanged from a year ago when he ran against Republican nominee John McCain. And virtually every state Obama visits now was competitive in that election.
But, these days, Obama's mission is different, arguably more challenging.
It used to be winning the White House with one opponent, McCain and the Republicans, in an environment that tilted strongly toward Democratic victory.
Now, Obama's objective is winning passage of his top domestic priority, battling both conservative-to-moderate Democrats whose concerns over the legislation have slowed progress and Republican critics who have ratcheted up attacks and made compromise more difficult. He's maneuvering in a complex political landscape in which the public generally is supportive of health care reform but has increasing doubts about Obama's ability to pull it off.
Even so, Obama is approaching this challenge as he did the one in 2008 — at least in style, for top advisers recognize that Obama himself is his presidency's best asset.
Yet, the strategy also comes with a risk of overexposure, a diluting of the Obama "brand" advisers are so careful to protect. And, scores of politicians have had difficulty translating campaign success into governing success, which doesn't bode well for Obama.
So far, it seems that Obama's postelection campaigning has helped convert his popularity into support for his policies, at least initially. He successfully lobbied for passage of the economic stimulus only to watch the public grow skeptical of its effects. He scored a major victory with House passage of climate-and-energy legislation but the bill didn't go as far as he had wanted, and its fate is less certain in the Senate.
Whether Obama's approach works on health care remains to be seen.
The president won't get votes by the full House and Senate this summer as he sought but there's an excellent chance he will get bills through all but one of the five House and Senate committees with jurisdiction, before Congress leaves on a month long break. That would be an enormous step that eluded plenty of presidents, including Bill Clinton.
That said, a spate of polls show that Obama's personal popularity, though still high, has slipped and public confidence in him on issues has fallen since he took office in January.
On health care specifically, polls show widespread support for reform generally and even for various specific ideas but also increasing skepticism of the president's handling of the issue. A recent AP-GfK poll shows that 50 percent of the public approves of Obama on the issue and 43 percent don't approve, but that figure was a big jump from April when 28 percent disapproved. The latest nonpartisan Pew Research Center survey found similar results.
Given such volatility, the charismatic campaigner again has turned to his specialty — courting the public personally.
As Obama campaigns these days, the perks and trappings of the presidency are clear, from the cushy Air Force One travel to the presidential seal on his ever-present podium to the traditional "Hail to the Chief" score at his events. Otherwise, Obama largely holds true to his classic campaign style in visits to familiar territory.
Surrounded by strawberries, peaches and grapes at a Kroger supermarket on the Virginia-Tennessee border, the president opened Wednesday afternoon with the obligatory recognition of local officials and recollection of his last Bristol visit during the campaign.
He joked about his extraordinary situation as president — both with groceries and health care.
"This is the first time I've been in a grocery store in a while," he said to laughter. "They don't let me do my own shopping, but I miss it. So I may pick up some fruit on the way out." (He, did, indeed snag a piece later.)
He drew more chuckles when he added: "As president, I've got this doctor who follows me everywhere, seriously, and an ambulance. And so, you know, I don't want to pretend like I don't have super-duper care." He quipped: "But I don't think that lasts after I leave!"
Joking aside, Obama spent most of the hour providing a detailed explanation of his health care proposal, mixing academic language that showed his expertise with folksy, regular-guy phrases that appeared to resonate with workers sitting before him.
He added a dash of trademark optimism — "America is the greatest nation on Earth. We can solve this problem." — and ended the event with a plea: "We can get it done with your support" — an echo of his campaign's "Yes we can" mantra.
Election Over But Obama Still Campaigns
Obama campaign style unchanged as president
At times, it seems like Barack Obama has time-traveled back to last summer when he was simply a Democrat running for the White House. Only now, he's the president facing a more complicated objective and opponent as he campaigns to overhaul the nation's costly and convoluted health care system.


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Extracts from Deposition of W. M. J. Massey
Statements in support of Tempay Cantley's claim for a Widow's Pension
Given in Kanawha County, near Fairfield, WV, in December 1902
"I am 52 years of age. My post office address is Fairfield, W. Va. I am a farmer & master[?] & preacher. I lived at Dry Creek, Raleigh County, this state, all my life up to two years ago. Alexander Cantley – we called him Uncle Alec – lived two and a half miles from my home and I worked for him many a day, through several years, and I closed his eyes when he died. He died at the home of James M. Clay, near Dry Creek. I can't tell in what year he died but he died early in the spring and, I think, in March. I can't tell in what part of the month, but there was snow."
"I knew Mr. Cantley's first wife and we always called her Aunt Polly. I saw her dead and was at her burying. She died not many years before Mr. Cantley and Tempay began to live together or before they were married – I know of this marriage, by hearsay, about the time it occurred. I am not positive I was at this marriage but Tempay says I was there."
Source: Alexander Cantley full pension file, S.O. 28206, S.C. 20,616, W.O. 45,422, W.C. 35,512, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.


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New Twilight Scenes on Access HollywoodFeb 27th, 2009 | By Krystal | Category: Featured Articles, Movie News
Access Hollywood will be airing never before seen clips from Twilight on Thursday! Thanks to BellaAndEdward.net for the video.
Access Hollywood will be airing never before seen clips from Twilight on Thursday! Thanks to BellaAndEdward.net for the video.
wow…..thats just wow!!
wow. but the 2nd clip on the bed, we got that in the UK. like everywhere else didn't. awwww!!
wow. those scenes look very.. hot.
Ummm…. Though parts wernt Mentioned in the first. Book!!!!
Sweet! But are they gonna be the extended scenes that are suppose to be on the dvd?? :S
Jazz (Team Cullen!)
OMFE!!!! I've seen this more than once!!!! OH SCREW MY ROBERT! That was sooo hot and I started screaming when I saw Rob making out with Kristen and then I saw the meadow scene Catherine Hardwicke was talking about Robert biting Kristen's finger!!!! 2 BAD I DON'T HAVE TIVO 2 RECORD THIS!!!!! DAMN IT!!!! EDWARDGASM!
hloy crap is thsi gonna be in the DVD?!!!!?!!?!?!?!?! WOW
i heard that he bites her finger…. i dont know how i feel about that one. also, why is this is the 1st movie…. this comes LATER….. ahhhhh well i will still watch becuase it shall be amazing
wut the hell?? Woah that was interesting. lol
i think the twilight deleted scenes are awsome i keep lookin at it over and over agian cause i cant wait tell thursday
twilight is so cool and the deleted scens look sweet and cute because i bet that every body who watches the deleted kissing scene will go "that was so cute"'…….. and want to watch it over and over again especaily me i love twilight so much im totaly like the biggest fan of twilight1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i cant wait tell they show the kissing scene on thursday cause that looks so hot i mean why didn't they put that on the movie and when bella put's her finger in edwards mouth thats sooooooooooo cute – i mean i think those scenes will be the best part of the movie
no kissing scene as of today.. I guess that is tomorrow. I don't really understand te whole finger biting thing.. I don't really think that Edward would bite her even if he didn't draw blood
i saw the 2 deleted scenes on access hollywood and now posted it up on my website i can't wait tell monday because thats when there saying there going to show that deleted sene so monday it is 3 days yes!


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There are a lot of things everyone in Illinois should know about auto insurance, but it doesn't have to be a complicated subject. The following questions and answers should clear up a few things and make it easier for anyone whether it is their first foray into the world of car insurance or the renewal of an old policy.
Q: What happens when someone gets into an accident in a borrowed car? Whose insurance would apply – the owner of the car or the driver of the car?
A: The car is the focus in cases such as this, so the insurance of the owner of the car would have to take any claims. The liability insurance of the driver, however, should pay for any costs that exceed the limits of the car owner's insurance.
Q: What happens when a child goes to college with a car of one of the parents? Are they still under the coverage of the original insurance policy held by the parent?
A: The answer for this can actually vary with the insurance company, so they are the ones to ask. Give the insurance provider a call and see if the child can remain under the policy before he or she leaves for school. It is best to be sure and avoid any complications should a claim have to be made.
Q: Does anyone actually need 'gap' insurance?
A: Gap insurance is only for car owners who are still making payments on the car who still owe more than the actual value of the vehicle. No one else needs to have it.
Q: Is there a way to cover a teenager without a big jump in insurance premiums?
A: This is something that's difficult to avoid. Teenagers are just a bigger risk to insurance companies, and premiums are assessed based on risk. If the policy is for an expensive car, that raises the rates still further. It may be cheaper over all to get the teenager a cheaper car, which will be cheaper to insure.
Q: If the insurance company does not know the policy holder has a new car, is the policy invalid?
A: The insurance company needs to know when there is a change of vehicle or a new vehicle to be added to the policy. Sometimes, any new vehicles are automatically covered, but there may be changes in rate depending upon the type of vehicle that was purchased.
Q: Will auto insurance cover a rental car should the policy holder go on vacation?
A: Some auto insurance providers do in fact cover car rentals, but be sure before leaving on that trip, since there may be qualifications or certain rules to follow. Calling up the insurance company beforehand can clear things up rather quickly and avoid hassles further down the road.


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Family of Nelson Mandela: His health is in God's hands now
Crowds continue to gather outside hospital
CNN Staff | 7/1/2013, 9:18 a.m.
PRETORIA, South Africa (CNN) The former wife of Nelson Mandela visited him Sunday in the hospital where the ailing anti-apartheid icon is clinging to life, the South African Press Association reported.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who was married to the former South African president from 1958 to 1996, described what it's like to see her former husband of 38 years struggle to live in an exclusive interview with UK network ITV News.
"It is extremely painful to see him going through what he's going through now. But it's God's wish," Winnie Mandela told ITV.
Nelson Mandela, 94, remains in critical but stable condition at a Pretoria hospital where he has been battling a recurring lung infection since June 8.
His condition worsened last week with family members saying his health was "delicate" and "anything is imminent." But daughter Zindzi Mandela told ITV between hospital visits that her father is alert and recognizes when a new person enters his hospital room.
"The one time he did speak was to tell my mom to sit down ... because she was standing at the edge of his bed," she said, laughing.
As his condition has deteriorated, South Africans have gathered outside the hospital, praying, lighting candles and leaving notes for the man they refer to as "tata," the Xhosa word for father. Those tributes continued Sunday as a Salvation Army band played hymns near the hospital and well-wishers gathered to be close to their beloved Madiba.
Winnie Mandela shot down any suggestion that the family was discussing whether to end life support.
"It was nonsense to suggest we needed to take a decision to pull the tubes," she told ITV.
Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, the country's system of racial segregation. He was elected the nation's first black president in 1994, four years after he was freed. Even as he has faded from the spotlight, he remains popular and is considered a hero of democracy worldwide.
The front page of South Africa's Sunday Times earlier this month carried the headline "It's time to let him go," quoting a longtime friend of the former president as saying the time may have come for South Africans to say goodbye.
"Once the family releases him, the people of South Africa will follow. We will say thank you, God, you have given us this man, and we will release him too," friend Andrew Mlangeni told the paper.
But Zindzi Mandela told ITV that what happens now is out of the family's hands.
"When people say the family must let go, and we say let go of what? In fact he is deciding what's happening with himself. It's between him and his maker. It's not to do with us whatsoever," she said.
CNN's Faith Karimi and Samira Said contributed to this report.